During the OML period, the contract of employment continues to exist. Employees continue to benefit from all the terms and benefits of their contract, apart from wages or salary. This benefit includes accrual of holidays and all general pay rises, for example.

Pregnant employees should not be selected for redundancy solely because of their condition. Any selection criteria must exclude pregnancy-related reasons, for example, pregnancy-related sickness absence.

The employee must retain her seniority, pension rights and similar rights as if she had not been absent.

She will also still have the use of her company car, if its provision includes private use.

Any employee who works 16 hours or more per week prior to the birth of a child, and is in receipt of Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, will count as being in work and be eligible for child credit top-up under the Working Family Tax Credit. The intention is to help those who wish to be at home in the first months of their child's life, but could not ordinarily afford to be.