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What kind of parental leave questions in English can you expect from your company's employees?

Working in HR and answering employee’s questions can often be difficult, especially when you are dealing with people’s personal lives and their impact on work.  This definitely is the case when it comes to time off due to a new baby being born, or what is known as ‘maternity'(mother) or 'paternity(father) leave’. Below are some common parental leave questions in English.  The answers may be dependent on your company regulations, but a lot of these are also subject to German laws. It may be a good idea to practice by taking the questions in turns with one person being the employee and one the HR consultant.  This could help your department be better prepared and avoid any difficult situations that may arise.

Common parental leave questions

• What is the earliest date I can start my maternity leave and the earliest I can finish it?
• What do I need to do with regards to informing work if my baby comes early or late?
• Can I extend my parental leave unpaid? What do I need to do?
• Can I work from home during my maternity leave? Why / Why not?
• Can I take temporary work somewhere else during my parental leave and do I need to inform the company if I do?
• What rights does my live-in partner have if he/ she are not the biological parent of the child?
• What options do I have if I want to work in a temporary position while I am on parental leave?
• If I work in a temporary different position during my parental leave, is it easy to get my old job back?
• What is my maternity allowance and is there a maximum rate?
• Am I entitled to maternity allowance if I am a trainee / a 6 month intern / started work 6 months ago?
• Do I have to come back to work full-time if that was how I was originally employed? What is the procedure for going part-time?
• Can both my husband and I apply for parental benefit?
• What is the situation with parental benefit and having children in preschool or school?
• What other benefits might I be entitled to during my maternity / parental leave?
• What options do I have if my job is no longer available when my parental leave is over? (They have closed my location.)

Let us know if you can think of any other parental leave questions that have come up, or suggestions on answers, in the comments area below.  Also, make sure to check out interviewing seminar specifically designed for HR professionals by clicking here.