How to deal with keeping-in-touch days during adoption leave

Authors: Katie Wood and Susie Munro

Summary

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• Be aware that employees may work for up to 10 days during adoption leave without bringing the leave to an end or losing statutory adoption pay.
• Remember that any days of work during adoption leave must be agreed. You do not have to offer an employee any days of work during adoption leave, nor can they insist on working.
• Remember that keeping-in-touch days during adoption leave can be used for any work-related activity, including attending training, conferences and team meetings.
• Remember that any work done on a day during the employee's adoption leave period will count as a whole keeping-in-touch day, even if it is for only an hour or so.
• Hold a meeting before the employee goes on adoption leave to discuss matters such as the amount and type of contact that the employee would like during the leave.
• Consider what practical arrangements need to be made to enable the employee to work during adoption leave.
• Be very clear about how much the employee will be paid for working a keeping-in-touch day, and whether any statutory adoption pay will be paid in addition to payment for the keeping-in-touch day or offset against it.
• Bear in mind that, once the 10 keeping-in-touch days have been used, the employee will lose a week's statutory adoption pay for any week in which they do any work during the leave period.