Workplace

If you have employee status, you can use this letter to notify your employer that you are adopting a child from within the UK or overseas and to provide them with the information legally required before taking adoption leave. It is important that you make this notification in writing, even if you have verbally notified your employer.

Don't use this letter if you're becoming a legal guardian, adopting a stepchild, adopting a child through a private adoption agreement or not using a legally recognised adoption agency. It is also unsuitable for use for adoptions from a surrogate mother or adopting a foster child under local authorities' 'Fostering for Adoption' scheme.

Use this letter to formally notify your employer that you wish to change the start date of your adoption leave. You must give your employer at least 28 days' notice if you want to vary the date. This letter can be used whether you are adopting a child from the UK or overseas. It is only appropriate for use where you qualify for statutory adoption leave.

Use this letter whilst you are on adoption leave to notify your employer that you wish to change the date of your return to work. This letter is suitable whether you are changing this return date for the first time or doing so again, but note that if doing so for the first time you can only notify of an earlier return date. If you are returning to work on the date you agreed with your employer, or after the end of your full adoption leave, you do not need to provide notice. You should send this letter as soon as possible to ensure that you give your employer the required amount of notice. This document is suitable for use in the United Kingdom.

Use this letter whilst you are on maternity leave to notify your employer that you wish to change the date of your return to work. This letter is suitable whether you are changing this return date for the first time or are doing so again, but note that if doing so for the first time you can only notify of an earlier return date. If you are returning to work on the date you agreed with your employer, or after the end of your full maternity leave, you do not need to provide notice. You should send this letter as soon as possible to ensure that you give your employer the required amount of notice. This document is suitable for use in the United Kingdom.

Use this letter to formally notify your employer that you wish to change the start date of your maternity leave. You must give your employer at least 28 days' notice before the new start date (if you are bringing it forward) or 28 days before the original start date (if you want to push the start date back. Please note that you cannot use this document if you are not an employee (i.e. you are a worker or self-employed).

Use this letter to notify your employer of your pregnancy and to provide them with the information legally required before taking maternity leave. It is important that you make this notification in writing, even if you have verbally notified your employer. Please note that this document can only be used by employees and not workers or the self-employed who are not entitled to maternity leave.

Use this document to notify your employer that you wish to take up to two weeks' paternity leave and (if applicable) receive statutory paternity pay, following the birth of a child. It is also suitable if you are adopting or intending to adopt a child from a surrogate mother and you are a one of the couple applying for a parental order.

This letter will help you to work out if you have a statutory entitlement to paternity leave. If you don't, you will still be able to proceed, but the granting of leave will be at your employer's discretion.

This letter is not suitable when you are taking adoption paternity leave (except when adopting through a surrogacy arrangement): please use our 'Paternity leave letter for adoptions' instead.

If you or your partner are adopting a child from within the UK or overseas, use this letter to tell your employer that you wish to take up to two weeks' paternity leave and to provide them with the information legally required before taking it.

It is important that you make this notification in writing, even if you have verbally notified your employer. This letter will also help you to work out if you qualify for statutory paternity leave. If you do not have a statutory entitlement, you will still be allowed to proceed, although please note that approval will be at your employer's discretion.

You can use this letter to apply for flexible working if you're:

• an employee working in the UK; or
• an agency worker or employee shareholder returning to work after taking parental leave in England, Wales or Scotland.

Flexible working is a broad term used to describe a variety of different working patterns, including working from home, working part time or job sharing. Anyone can make an application for flexible working, although only certain people have a legal right to make a request.

The questionnaire will work out if you qualify for the legal right to make an application for flexible working. If you don't qualify, you can still use this letter to ask your employer to change your working pattern, but they won't be legally required to consider your request.

The document also contains a receipt for your application, that your employer should sign, date and return to you.

If your employer rejects your flexible working request, you can use this letter to appeal their decision. You can only use it if you have a legal right to apply to work flexibly in the UK. The rules for appealing differ depending on which country you work in:

• If you work in Northern Ireland, you have a legal right to make written appeal within 14 days of receiving your employer's refusal.
• If you work in England, Wales or Scotland, you don't have a legal right to appeal, but your employer should comply with the Acas Code of practice on handling flexible working requests. This states that you should be given the opportunity to appeal. There isn't a time limit to appeal, but you should do so promptly, as, by law, employers must finish dealing with your application within 2 months of you making it.

You can't use this letter if you don't have a legal right to apply to work flexibly.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of a grievance meeting you can use this letter to request an appeal meeting. The letter allows you to set out the grounds of your appeal and requests that your appeal meeting be dealt with by a different manager than the one who originally dealt with your grievance meeting.

If you have a grievance about something that happened at your workplace, you can use this letter to raise your grievance with your employer. This letter should be sent to your employer as soon as possible, avoiding any unreasonable delays. The letter allows you to state the details about your grievance and requests your employer to arrange a grievance meeting. You can also request your employer to allow you to be accompanied, if you want this. This document cannot be used to raise a grievance about complaints regarding redundancy dismissals, the non-renewal of fixed-term contracts upon expiry or where the grievance is made by a third party on your behalf (such as a trade union representative). It is suitable for use by employees working in England, Wales and Scotland.

Use this letter to seek permission from your employer to bring your dog into the workplace on a regular basis. It includes terms and conditions which you agree to comply with to support your request, e.g. the dog is insured and house-trained. The letter is appropriate for both disabled employees with helper dogs, as well as for able-bodied employees asking for the privilege of bringing their pet to work.