Is an employee entitled to return to work part time after a period of parental leave?
An employee on parental leave is only entitled to return to the same job they had before parental leave in most circumstances. If a full-time employee wishes to return from leave as a part-time employee, that will need to be negotiated between the employee and the employer. An employment agreement may cover this type of situation before leave begins.
Should the employment agreement not address hours of work after parental leave, it would be good practice for the employer and employee to negotiate hours of work which suit both parties.
Click here for information on changing hours of work.
Click here for information on keeping an employee's job open when they are on parental leave
Date Modified: Friday, 1 June 2012
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and should not be used as a substitute for legislation or legal advice.State sector employers
and employees may be affected by some differences in the laws that apply to them (e.g. State
Sector Act 1988).The Department of Labour takes no responsibility for the results of any actions taken
on the basis of information on this website, nor for any errors or omissions.
