Shared parental leave is expected to throw up problems for HR professionals in the next six months, according to a new poll.

Four in 10 people working in HR said the new rules, allowing parents of new born babies to share up to 50 weeks of parental leave between them, is the most important challenge their organisation faces.

Parents can take leave together or separately and they can choose to sprinkle periods of work into their leave allocation. But with such a level of flexibility comes potential administrative stumbling blocks for employers.

The figures, published by the engineering lobby group EEF, reveal attitudes towards changes in the law on maternity and paternity leave which go live in April.

The changes are seen as a bigger challenge than other traditional HR issues such as sick leave, people performance, change management and pay parity.

Lucy Atherton, legal compliance expert at EEF, said: “Shared parental leave is a fantastic opportunity for companies to promote a more gender-neutral approach to work-life balance, but as with anything new and unknown, it’s not without its challenges.

“With the changes due in April, it’s vital that HR teams and business leaders get up-to-speed as quickly as possible so that they and their staff can maximise the benefits, while avoiding potential downfalls.

“Our seminars are designed to help them do just that, leaving attendees able to look forward to their first shared parental leave application with every confidence, ensuring a win/win all round.”

EEF is holding a seminar for HR professionals who want to know how to handle shared parental leave requests. See the link below for more details.