Supporting families
Introduction
At M&S we know that starting or expanding your family is a really important and exciting time and we're proud to have a range of policies to support our colleagues during this period. Here you can find an overview of some of our policies in case you'd like to know more:
Maternity
If you have 26 weeks' continuous service at your qualifying week (the 15th week before your due date on your MatB1) and meet the lower earnings limit, then you will qualify for Company Maternity Pay, which is inclusive of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). In a nutshell, you can take up to 52 weeks maternity leave and Company Maternity Pay for eligible colleagues is as follows:
• Weeks 1-6: either full pay or 90% of your average earnings (whichever is the highest)
• Week 7-26: full basic pay
• Weeks 27-39: either SMP or 90% of your average earnings (whichever is the lowest)
• Weeks 40-52: No pay entitlement
Adoption & Surrogacy
To qualify for Company Adoption/Surrogacy pay, you will need to have completed 26 weeks' continuous service by the 'relevant' week, for adoption this is the week in which you're informed you've been matched with a child, or for surrogacy, the 15th week before the baby's due date, as well as meeting the lower earnings limit. You can take up to 52 weeks leave, and if eligible, you'll receive Company Adoption Pay, which is inclusive of Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP), as follows:
• Weeks 1-6: either full pay or 90% of your average earnings (whichever is the highest)
• Weeks 7-26: full basic pay
• Weeks 27-39: either SAP or 90% of your average earnings (whichever is the lowest)
• Weeks 40-52: no pay entitlement
Paternity Leave
M&S Paternity Pay is six weeks’ full basic pay, and this includes any entitlement to Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP). You qualify for M&S Paternity Pay, if you:
• Are employed by M&S up to the date of birth
• Earn an average of at least £123 a week (before tax)
• Have been continuously employed by your employer for at least 26 weeks up to the end of any day in the ‘qualifying week’ (the 15th week before the baby is due).
Neonatal Leave
We know that being a parent of a baby who requires neonatal care can be an incredibly worrying time and may result in a significant proportion of your time off with your baby being spent in hospital rather than at home. If your baby requires specialist care in a neonatal unit (starting within 28 days of birth) and has a continuous stay in hospital for at least one week, your Line Manager will support you with up to 12 weeks of paid Neonatal Leave.