Q: We have an employee who went on 12 months of parental leave. She requested a 12-month extension, which we granted. She is due to return in a couple of months; however, she has advised us that she is pregnant. The employee has asked for another period of parental leave without returning to work in between. Are we legally obliged to approve the second parental leave if she hasn’t returned to work? This would mean the employee is on parental leave for 3–4 years.