We can offer you a number of ways to help.

For short term caring needs the College's Compassionate Leave provisions are set out in the Code of Practice on Maternity and Related Leave. It includes provisions for paid and unpaid time off, for example, to provide care for relatives.

The Code of Practice [PDF 95KB] also sets out the College's provisions for adoption leave, paternity leave, unpaid parental leave and unpaid leave to care for dependants.

For ongoing caring requirements, the College has a flexible working policy [PDF 75KB]. The Code is designed for those who are seeking a permanent change in their contractual arrangements to enable them to combine work with other pursuits or responsibilities.

If you are still unsure what to do, contact your HR Advisor for advice.

Depending on your circumstances, you may find it useful to consider joining our Parent and Carers Network. 

Your annual leave entitlements can be found in your terms and conditions of employment so check these first.

If you are still unsure what you are entitled to you can always contact your HR Adviser who will be able to tell you.

We are unable to track the number of days leave you have taken so to find out how much you have left you should keep a record and deduct this from your entitlement.

If you work part-time you are entitled to any bank holidays that fall on a day on which you would otherwise have worked. Similar arrangements apply to Closure days. 

Most bank holidays fall on a Monday. Good Friday is not a Monday (clearly) and Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day can fall on any day of the week, as can Closure days. If, for example, you normally work Mondays to Wednesdays you would be entitled to take off Easter Monday but not Good Friday. You would be paid as normal for any hours you were scheduled to work on the bank holiday Monday. 

Staff who work on a term-time only or part-year contract, are entitled to any bank holiday or closure day that falls within the part of the year that they are contracted to work, provided that they are scheduled to work on the day in question. As for permanent staff who leave part way through the year, they are not entitled to days which fall outside the period for which they are employed. 

Yes. The College Paternity Leave scheme applies to any employee who is either:

• the father of a new born child
• is married to, or is the civil partner or partner of someone who is having a baby
• will share the upbringing of the child.

The scheme applies equally to all College employees, including:

• part-time or job-share staff
• casual, temporary or fixed term staff; and
• people in same-sex relationships.

The Employee Guide to Paternity Leave [PDF 114KB] explains what is available.

Yes, partners have the right to take unpaid time off work to accompany the birth parent at up to 2 antenatal appointments.  The time off available for each appointment is up to 6.5 hours per appointment.  More information is available on the government website.

Everyone has the right to request to work flexibly but the University has the right to refuse this request. You can apply to work flexibly by making an application to your head of department or institute

Queen Mary has a flexible working policy [PDF 75KB] which tells you how to make an application and gives a form for you to use.