Suitable vacancies had to stay visible during the protected period

What the extended period changed

For pregnancy and maternity, the extended framework could protect an employee from notification of pregnancy through to 18 months after the birth, subject to the applicable rules. Adoption and shared parental leave had their own conditions. Where a suitable alternative vacancy existed, an eligible protected employee had priority for an offer.

That should not be summarised as every new parent receiving identical protection for 18 months after returning to work. Nor did the rules mean a role could never become redundant. Suitability, eligibility and the employer’s wider obligations needed proper assessment by HR and employment advisers.

Connect vacancy visibility to HR consideration

A recruitment team may see opportunities that are not yet advertised: a manager’s draft requisition, a replacement post awaiting approval or an alternative location with a similar role. If that information remains in separate consultant inboxes, the employer’s internal review can start from an incomplete picture.

A controlled vacancy register helps distinguish genuine open roles from tentative requests and paused recruitment. It should also show the responsible HR contact and whether external search has been authorised. The sourcing team usually needs the decision and restrictions; it does not need unrestricted access to colleagues’ pregnancy or family-leave information.

The register should also make closing or withdrawing a requisition an explicit action, preventing a stale vacancy from reappearing through an automated feed.

Organise the information before opening the search

Key Med Solutions can support a client-approved vacancy register, reconcile duplicate requisitions and maintain clear statuses for roles awaiting internal review. Interview coordination can follow those statuses so that external invitations do not continue after a pause. The employer retains responsibility for identifying suitable alternatives and making any required offers.

If a role is released for external recruitment, the approval should travel with its brief. If the employer changes the scope, salary or location, those alterations should be referred back through the agreed review process. A previous approval should not silently become permission for a materially different vacancy.

The April 2024 lesson is that a vacancy is more than an advert. Accurate recruitment administration can give HR the visibility needed for its decisions. Key Med can provide tracking and coordination within that process, while legal conclusions and employment decisions remain with the employer and qualified advisers.