{"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-b5fc8583 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-7fc3d43a 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=\"\">By <strong><strong>Jo Broadbent<\/strong><\/strong> <strong>|<\/strong> Brightmine editor <strong>Laura Merrylees<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">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=\"\">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-0b691c38 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=\"\">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-a36fa716 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=\"\">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=\"\">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-ad1af2a0 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=\"\">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-ea1fff98 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-flow\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-20817 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-whitepapers topic-pay-trends\">\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-trends\/uk-pay-awards-h1-2026\/\" target=\"_self\" >UK pay awards in the first six months of 2026<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-20539 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blogs topic-pay-equity topic-pay-transparency 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\/gaps-in-pay-decisions\/\" target=\"_self\" >Check your blind spot: Find the gaps in your reward decision-making<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-20510 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blogs topic-hr-strategy topic-pay-transparency\">\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\/pay-risks\/\" target=\"_self\" >Check your blind spot: What pay risks are hiding in your organisation?<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\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-4b7a3f7f 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--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-you-may-also-be-interested-in\">You may also be interested in&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n<section id=\"resources-search-filter\" class=\"wp-elements-43f4feb3e6565ba308dc09fc13a08b00 wp-block-brightmine-resources-filter has-text-color has-primary-black-color has-background has-primary-white-background-color\">\n\n\n<div class=\"ajax-filter\">\n<div 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\/total-rewards\/pay-trends\/uk-pay-awards-h1-2026\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/05141017\/web-feature-image-1200x627-1.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\">Whitepapers<\/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-trends\/uk-pay-awards-h1-2026\/\">UK pay awards in the first six months of 2026<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #000000\">Report The median pay award stands at 3.3% in the first six months of the year. But the &#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\/gaps-in-pay-decisions\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/07170304\/coworkers-reviewing-document-at-laptop-office.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\/total-rewards\/pay-equity\/gaps-in-pay-decisions\/\">Check your blind spot: Find the gaps in your reward decision-making<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #000000\">Discover where pay decisions are most vulnerable. Evaluate your reward practices for consistency, defensibility and transparency readiness.<\/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\/pay-risks\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/21171554\/coworkers-reviewing-documents-laptop.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\/pay-risks\/\">Check your blind spot: What pay risks are hiding in your organisation?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #000000\">Strengthen your pay transparency approach. Identify gaps in documentation, controls and decision-making before they become organisational risks.<\/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-5fb0786f 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-fcdab8bb 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-6c531013 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-658170e2 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=\"\"><strong>Jo Broadbent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Counsel Knowledge Lawyer, Hogan Lovells<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">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=\"\">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-658170e2 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=\"\"><strong>Laura Merrylees<\/strong><br>Senior Legal Editor, Brightmine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">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\">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 v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - 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 property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brightmine UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-27T12:46:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/03080227\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeAreBrightmine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jake Orlando\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2e0cc6a5f787673fd80f74a745577b2d\"},\"headline\":\"Maternity leave\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-11T12:37:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-27T12:46:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":232,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/03080227\\\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Guides - How to\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/\",\"name\":\"Maternity leave | Brightmine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/03080227\\\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-11T12:37:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-27T12:46:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"Employment law guide covering maternity leave entitlements, employer duties, protection against discrimination and return\u2011to\u2011work rights.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/03080227\\\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/03080227\\\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":627,\"caption\":\"Individual sitting at an office desk, holding a phone to the ear with one hand and resting the other hand on the abdomen, with a laptop and documents on the desk.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/maternity-leave\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"HR compliance\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Absence management\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/absence-management\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Maternity leave\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Brightmine UK\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Brightmine\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/07092215\\\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/07092215\\\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp\",\"width\":1941,\"height\":508,\"caption\":\"Brightmine\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/WeAreBrightmine\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/brightmine\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@WeAreBrightmine\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2e0cc6a5f787673fd80f74a745577b2d\",\"name\":\"Jake Orlando\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jake Orlando\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/uk\\\/author\\\/jake-orlando\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maternity leave | Brightmine","description":"Employment law guide covering maternity leave entitlements, employer duties, protection against discrimination and return\u2011to\u2011work rights.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maternity leave","og_description":"Employment law guide covering maternity leave entitlements, employer duties, protection against discrimination and return\u2011to\u2011work rights.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/","og_site_name":"Brightmine UK","article_modified_time":"2026-07-27T12:46:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":627,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/03080227\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@WeAreBrightmine","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/"},"author":{"name":"Jake Orlando","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0cc6a5f787673fd80f74a745577b2d"},"headline":"Maternity leave","datePublished":"2026-02-11T12:37:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-27T12:46:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/"},"wordCount":232,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/03080227\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp","articleSection":["Guides - How to"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/","name":"Maternity leave | Brightmine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/03080227\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp","datePublished":"2026-02-11T12:37:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-27T12:46:36+00:00","description":"Employment law guide covering maternity leave entitlements, employer duties, protection against discrimination and return\u2011to\u2011work rights.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/03080227\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/03080227\/person-on-phone-while-sitting-at-office-desk-with-hand-on-abdomen.webp","width":1200,"height":627,"caption":"Individual sitting at an office desk, holding a phone to the ear with one hand and resting the other hand on the abdomen, with a laptop and documents on the desk."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/maternity-leave\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"HR compliance","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Absence management","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Maternity leave"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/","name":"Brightmine UK","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#organization","name":"Brightmine","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/07092215\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/07092215\/Brightmine-logo_Full-color_Primary.webp","width":1941,"height":508,"caption":"Brightmine"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/WeAreBrightmine","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/brightmine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@WeAreBrightmine"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/2e0cc6a5f787673fd80f74a745577b2d","name":"Jake Orlando","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jake Orlando"},"url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/author\/jake-orlando\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/15572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15572"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/15572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20369,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/15572\/revisions\/20369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15572"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=15572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}