{"id":15572,"date":"2026-02-11T12:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/?post_type=resources&#038;p=15572"},"modified":"2026-07-27T12:46:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:46:36","slug":"maternity-leave","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"Maternity leave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f85887e8 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-929090b5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By <strong><strong>Jo Broadbent<\/strong><\/strong> <strong>|<\/strong> Brightmine editor <strong>Laura Merrylees<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide explains the statutory entitlement for pregnant employees and mothers to take up to 52 weeks&#8217; maternity leave following the birth of a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sign-up-today-to-get\">Sign up today to get:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Right to maternity leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of intention to take maternity leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Employer&#8217;s response to notification<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Cancelling or varying maternity leave start date<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Stillbirths and pregnancy loss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Commencement of maternity leave\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Premature births<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Pregnancy-related illness or suspension<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Compulsory maternity leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Keeping in touch during maternity leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Statutory rights during maternity leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Right to return after maternity leave\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">What counts as the same job<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Early return to work\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Early return and shared parental leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Practical examples of early return to work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Requests to return part time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Detrimental treatment or dismissal related to maternity leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Written statement of reasons for dismissal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Redundancy during pregnancy, or during\/after maternity leave<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Time off for antenatal care appointments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Health and safety requirements for pregnant women and new mothers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Protection against discrimination<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Future developments\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Strengthened protections against dismissal for pregnant women and new mothers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Review of parental leave and pay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-want-to-see-more\">Want to see more?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For full access to Maternity leave, sign up to a HR and Compliance Centre subscription today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/uk\/quote\/?intcmp=hrcc-migrated-resource|quote|request-a-quote\" style=\"border-radius:25px\">Request a quote<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column lnrs-hide-block-on-mobile is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--secondary-gray);border-left-width:2px;padding-left:10px;flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-2 is-position-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-secondary-gray-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1b31d3a2 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:1rem;padding-top:15px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-latest-updates\">Latest updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Updated to reflect that the Employment Rights Bill received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-bleach-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-22a7c014 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding-top:10px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Navigate HR complexity with confidence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Brightmine, you can build powerful people strategies, implement best practices and set your organisation up for a brighter future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how our tools, resources and automation can empower you and your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/uk\/solutions\/?intcmp=cta|blog|solutions|learn-more\" style=\"border-radius:25px\">Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group lnrs-hide-block-on-mobile has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-64c039dc wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-gray-background-color has-background\" style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read more articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\"><ul class=\"wp-block-post-template is-layout-flow wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-a7dce961 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-flow\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-22163 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-webinars tag-employment-rights-act topic-employee-safety topic-employment-law-updates topic-flexible-working\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.274), 16px);line-height:1.3;text-decoration:underline;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-0b1b36f3c2dfa7682bfd13b67e3228a9 wp-block-post-title has-text-color has-primary-black-color\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-strategy\/flexible-working\/the-future-of-flexible-working\/\" target=\"_self\" >The future of flexible working<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-22021 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-press-releases topic-pay-equity topic-total-rewards\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.274), 16px);line-height:1.3;text-decoration:underline;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-0b1b36f3c2dfa7682bfd13b67e3228a9 wp-block-post-title has-text-color has-primary-black-color\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/total-rewards\/pay-equity\/women-still-short-changed-in-bonus-pay\/\" target=\"_self\" >Women still short-changed by \u00a32,380 a year in bonus pay<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-21983 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blogs topic-hr-strategy\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.274), 16px);line-height:1.3;text-decoration:underline;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-0b1b36f3c2dfa7682bfd13b67e3228a9 wp-block-post-title has-text-color has-primary-black-color\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-strategy\/the-great-disconnect-when-reward-undermines-policy\/\" target=\"_self\" >When reward undermines policy: How conflicting signals 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class=\"lnrs-resources-search-filter   \">\n\t\t<div class=\"search_terms_bottom\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom_left\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"search_terms_result_count\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom_right\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"loader-container\">\n\t\t<span class=\"loader\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-filter-widget__container\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource\" style=\"background-color: #f3f2f0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-strategy\/flexible-working\/the-future-of-flexible-working\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/01092236\/professional-working-on-laptop-with-team-meeting-background.webp);\"><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__inner_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"sync\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lnrs-resources-filter\/assets\/images\/category-flag.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category\">Webinars<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"title\" style=\"color: #00728B\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-strategy\/flexible-working\/the-future-of-flexible-working\/\">The future of flexible working<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #000000\">Flexible working has become a critical factor in employee wellbeing, engagement and retention. As workplace expectations evolve and &#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource\" style=\"background-color: #f3f2f0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/total-rewards\/pay-equity\/women-still-short-changed-in-bonus-pay\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/16081704\/hr-professionals-discussing-bonus-payments.webp);\"><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__inner_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"sync\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lnrs-resources-filter\/assets\/images\/category-flag.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category\">Press releases<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"title\" style=\"color: #00728B\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/total-rewards\/pay-equity\/women-still-short-changed-in-bonus-pay\/\">Women still short-changed by \u00a32,380 a year in bonus pay<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #000000\">Brightmine data reveals the bonus divide is narrowing, but persistent inequalities persist in how workplace rewards are distributed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource\" style=\"background-color: #f3f2f0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-strategy\/the-great-disconnect-when-reward-undermines-policy\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/09192534\/TGD-blog-3-image.webp);\"><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__inner_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"sync\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lnrs-resources-filter\/assets\/images\/category-flag.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category\">Blogs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"title\" style=\"color: #00728B\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-strategy\/the-great-disconnect-when-reward-undermines-policy\/\">When reward undermines policy: How conflicting signals shape\u00a0behaviour<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #000000\">When policy says one thing but reward points another way, employees quickly learn which signal really matters. This &#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bb56f56d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-79174043 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-topics-on-this-page\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Topics on this page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n\n<div class=\"taxonomy-topic has-link-color wp-elements-5ec59eb01c09ec2f1d84a6b36973ff83 wp-block-post-terms\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/\" rel=\"tag\">Absence management<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cararra-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cararra-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-about-the-authors\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">About the authors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-a903a136 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100px\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized has-custom-border is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/01\/13144636\/speaker-avatar.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14506\" style=\"border-top-left-radius:500px;border-top-right-radius:500px;border-bottom-left-radius:500px;border-bottom-right-radius:500px;object-fit:cover;width:100px;height:100px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jo Broadbent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Counsel Knowledge Lawyer, Hogan Lovells<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jo Broadbent is a counsel knowledge lawyer in the employment team at law firm&nbsp;Hogan Lovells. In addition to keeping clients and the team up to date with legal developments, she has extensive experience of developing and presenting internal and external client training courses and workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jo is a former chair of the Employment Lawyers Association training committee. She is a co-author of the book &#8220;Informing and consulting employees: the new law&#8221; and frequently writes articles for the HR and legal press. She has a particular interest in shared parental leave and other family-friendly rights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cararra-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cararra-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-a903a136 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100px\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized has-custom-border is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"130\" height=\"155\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/07033610\/laura-merrylees-headshot.webp\" alt=\"Laura Merrylees, Senior Legal Editor at Brightmine\" class=\"wp-image-9318\" style=\"border-top-left-radius:500px;border-top-right-radius:500px;border-bottom-left-radius:500px;border-bottom-right-radius:500px;object-fit:cover;width:100px;height:100px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Laura Merrylees<\/strong><br>Senior Legal Editor, Brightmine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having qualified as a solicitor in private practice, Senior Legal Editor Laura Merrylees spent fourteen years working in-house for a large telecommunications organisation, specialising in employment law. Laura advised on a broad range of employment law matters, both contentious and advisory. During her time in practice, Laura worked closely with HR professionals and senior management and delivered training to HR teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-43bbc5558968a99c0c9946d69c77649b wp-block-paragraph\">Connect with Laura on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lauramerrylees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linkedin<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A guide to statutory maternity leave, setting out employee entitlements, employer obligations and protections for pregnant employees and new mothers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":15597,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wp-custom-template-new-resources","categories":[12],"tags":[],"topic":[30],"class_list":["post-15572","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides-how-to","topic-absence-management"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Maternity leave | Brightmine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Employment law guide covering maternity leave entitlements, employer duties, protection against discrimination and return\u2011to\u2011work rights.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maternity leave\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Employment law guide covering maternity leave entitlements, employer duties, protection against discrimination and return\u2011to\u2011work rights.\" \/>\n<meta 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