Guidance Notes:
Maternity / Adoption Leave Keeping-In-Touch (KIT) Days
Introduction
Planning your maternity/adoption leave can be a daunting
prospect. As well as ensuring that you have completed all the
right paperwork and working out how much time you can afford
or want to take off, you need to get used to the prospect of
being away from your job, workplace, colleagues and normal
daily routine for a considerable period of time.
Following the introduction of the Employment Act 2006 and the Maternity Leave Regulations 2007, if you
are an employee contracted to work on a full or part time basis you may now take up to 52 weeks’
maternity/adoption leave (subject to the following qualifying conditions:26 weeks’ ordinary maternity/adoption leave (OML/OAL). This right applies regardless of your
length of service.
If, at the beginning of the 14th week before the expected week of childbirth, you have completed 26
weeks’ continuous employment with your employer you are also entitled to a further 26 weeks'
additional maternity/adoption leave (AML/AAL), which begins at the end of OML/OAL*.)
*This is the statutory minimum, some contractual terms may vary.
As a result, it is now quite common for mothers and adoptive parents to take up to 12 months off work
on maternity/adoption leave. While a longer period of maternity/adoption leave provides you with more
precious months at home with your children, it can also make the prospect of
returning to work once it’s over much more daunting.
Keeping-in-Touch (KIT) days can provide a number of advantages for both you and
your employer for the smooth transition back after maternity/adoption leave. KIT
days are available to all employees who are eligible to receive Maternity or Adoption
Allowance, irrespective of their terms and conditions of employment.
Contents
What are Keeping in Touch (KIT) Days?
2
Payment for KIT Days
3
What work can you do on KIT Days?
2
Preparing for your return to work
3
When can you take your KIT Days?
2
Useful Links and Contacts
4
What are Keeping-in-Touch (KIT) days?
As part of the Social Security Maternity/Adoption
Allowance, there is provision for those in receipt of
Social Security Maternity/Adoption Allowance to
work for up to 10 days during the Maternity
Allowance/Adoption Allowance period without
losing any benefit. These are known as ‘KIT’ days.
Further information on Social Security Maternity/
Adoption allowance is available online- https://
www.gov.im/categories/benefits-and-financialsupport/social-security-benefits/social-securitybenefits-a-z/ or by contacting the General Benefits
Section on Tel: 685105.You are not obliged to do
any work whilst on maternity/adoption leave, but
you can agree to work up to 10 ‘KIT’ days.
Similarly, your manager is not obliged to offer such
days to you, however ‘KIT’ days can be a valuable
way of helping you keep in touch with your
workplace and take on some work, complete a
project or attend training without this affecting any
Maternity/Adoption Allowance you may be
receiving.
Essentially, you cannot insist on working a ‘KIT’
day. This is a matter for agreement between you
and your employer. ‘KIT’ days should usually
include work you might normally do under your
contract of employment. These 10 days can be
taken regardless of whether you work full or part
time.
In addition to ‘KIT’ days, it is good practice for
both you and your manager to maintain reasonable
contact during your maternity/adoption leave e.g.
to discuss plans for returning to work, provide an
update on developments in the workplace, keep
you informed about vacancies or for the purposes
of employment engagement activities. Reasonable
amounts of contact do not count as work and are
separate from a ‘KIT’ day.
To help facilitate this you may wish to discuss with
your manager, prior to commencing your leave,
the best form of contact for you.
You must notify Social Security, General Benefits (Tel: 685105) if you do any work,
including ‘KIT’ days during your Maternity/Adoption Allowance period. If you use up
your 10 ‘KIT’ days and you undertake any further work, you will lose a day’s Maternity/
Adoption Allowance for any additional ‘KIT’ day you work.
What work can you do on KIT days?
The type of work you do on a ‘KIT’ day can range from a normal day of work, to attending training courses
and any other work events.
Any work you do as a ‘KIT’ day, even for as little as half an hour, will count as a whole KIT day.
‘KIT’ days do not apply to bank/relief work. Any bank/relief work you chose to undertake whilst on
maternity/adoption leave from your full/part-time role will result in you bringing your period of maternity/
adoption leave to an end with immediate effect.
When can you take your KIT days?
‘‘KIT’ days may be taken at any point during the maternity or adoption leave period except in the first two
weeks after the birth/placement.
‘KIT’ days do not need to be consecutive. You can work single days, in blocks of 2 or more
days or all 10 days consecutively but should always be agreed in advance with your line
manager.
If work on a ‘KIT’ day is overnight and spans midnight it counts as one ‘KIT’ day but only if
this is part of your normal working pattern.
You can also use ‘KIT’ days to facilitate a period of part time working prior to returning to
work if you and your employer both agree to this.
2
Payment for KIT days
A ‘KIT’ day must be agreed between you and your manager before you undertake any
work. If you work a ‘KIT’ day during any period of leave attracting Maternity/Adoption
Allowance then this entitlement will not stop. You will still be regarded as being on
maternity/adoption leave providing you do not exceed the 10 day period.
Payment for any hours of work/training as a ‘KIT’ day will be based on your normal
hourly rate of pay, subject to this amount not exceeding your normal daily rate of pay, in the event you
undertake a ‘KIT’ day whilst you are still receiving an element of contractual pay.
Payment will be made on submission of an authorised claim form (via your manager) to Payroll and paid to
you within the next available monthly pay even if you are not yet back at work. Time off in lieu (TOIL) may
be offered for ‘KIT’ days as an alternative to payment.
Whilst any work you do as a ‘KIT’ day, even for as little as half an hour, will count as a whole ‘KIT’ day,
payment (or TOIL) is based on the actual number of hours you work/attend training*.
*Subject to this amount not exceeding your normal daily rate of pay, in the event you undertake a ‘KIT’ day
whilst you are still receiving an element of contractual pay.
Your manager will keep a record of the days you work and arrangements regarding pay or TOIL must be
agreed prior to any work being undertaken.
You must notify Social Security, General Benefits (Tel: 685105) if you do any work, including
‘KIT’ days during your Maternity/Adoption Allowance period. If you use up your 10 ‘KIT’ days
and you undertake any further work, you will lose a day’s Maternity/Adoption Allowance for any
additional ‘KIT’ day you work.
Preparing for your Return to Work
It can take a while to adjust to work life and balancing work and a family is never easy.
You may prefer to work differently when going back to work after a period of maternity/adoption leave in
order to balance your job and time with your family or childcare needs. Flexible working hours may be an
option for you to consider. Whilst there is a legal right for an employee who has been continuously
employed for at least 26 weeks to make a request for flexible working, there is no entitlement to flexible
working following maternity/adoption leave. Your employer will need to consider the practical implications
of your proposed working pattern and whether such a request can be operationally accommodated.
If you would like to raise the possibility of flexible working with your manager approach them as early as
possible to discuss what opportunities there may be for flexible working in your area. Further guidance on
how to request flexible working can be made available from your HR Advisory Team within the Office of
Human Resources (Tel: 685000).
In keeping in touch with your manager during your maternity/adoption leave, it can be useful to develop a
‘back to work plan’, to help with your transition back into the workplace.
You may also wish to consider your personal development needs and whether you would benefit from some
mentoring or coaching support. This could be provided by a colleague as part of your back to work plan
and/or continuous professional development (CPD). Coaching support is also available from the Isle of Man
Government Coaching Network via the Learning, Education and Development (LEAD) team. A coach can
offer independent confidential development support at any point during and after your maternity/adoption
leave in helping you to consider all the key aspects of a successful transition back to work.
If you feel you would benefit from some coaching and would like any further information regarding the
Coaching Network within Isle of Man Government, please contact LEAD on Tel: 685724.
3
Useful Links
Maternity Guidance Document for PSC
and MPTC employees
https://www.gov.im/lib/docs/hr/Health_Welfare/
maternityhandbook.pdf
For employees on other terms and conditions, please contact your
Department’s HR Advisor
Social Security Maternity / Adoption
Allowance
https://www.gov.im/categories/benefits-and-financial-support/social-security
-benefits/social-security-benefits-a-z/
Applying for Flexible Working
PSC Civil Servants:
www.gov.im/hr/iomcs/cs_regs/section_F/flexibleworking.xml#f140
PSC Manual and Craft Workers:
www.gov.im/lib/docs/hr/Whitley/ax19complete.pdf
MPTC:
www.gov.im/lib/docs/hr/Information_Centre/
manxpaytermsandconditions.pdf
For employees on other terms and conditions, please contact your
Department’s HR Advisor.
Useful Contacts
Office of Human Resources
685000
Your OHR Contact
Your Line Manager
Social Security / General Benefits
685105
LEaD
685724
4