Worrying new research shows a third of parents have been forced to take unpaid leave when their child falls ill.
The average time parents had to take off was almost four (3.81) days in the last 12 months, according to insurance firm MetLife UK. But when looking more closely, half (50%) of parents have taken up to a week off, while one in ten (11%) had to take longer.
Imran Afzal, 46, a civil servant who lives in Dundee, Scotland, has two sons, aged 14 and 18, and has had to take four days unpaid leave over the last 12 months after his children became unwell. He said he is already struggling due to the cost of living crisis and rising bills.
He said: “My youngest son was having an asthma attack and was unwell, so I had to go to pick him up from his school and care for him. Also, I have had to take unpaid leave to take my children to doctors’ appointments and hospital appointments.
“I was deducted a full day's pay for taking four to five hours unpaid leave and a half day’s pay for taking one to two hours unpaid leave. This really impacted me financially. All our bills are going up, I already am struggling to make ends meet so any extra time off, even for hospital appointments is difficult.”
Parents have the right to take time off work when they need to look after their child - but this normally unpaid. You’re allowed a reasonable amount of time off - again, normally unpaid - to deal with the emergency situation involving a dependent.
Mr Afzal said he had to “fight for time off” as his manager initially refused his request, meaning he had to get it approved by the Operations Manager, causing him extra stress. He added: “When it comes to my children, I do get worried about their health.
"It's hard to get face to face GP appointments. I have to call at 8am and be in a queue before I can speak to the receptionist. Only if there are any appointments left that day will a phone appointment be given and then if the doctor feels they need to see my children, a further face to face appointment is made – all of which just delays the treatment of my child. There should be allocated paid time off work so parents can care for their children in genuine emergencies.”
Rich Horner, Head of Individual Protection at MetLife UK, said: “When your child is poorly or has an accident it’s already a worrying time. But when you throw into the equation needing to take the time off to care for them, whilst juggling work, how your employer/team will manage, and layered with the financial impact – it can make an already tough situation much more stressful. Parents are already under immense pressure so where we can, we are supporting parents to help alleviate some of their concerns and help prepare for the unexpected."