A recent survey reveals that 4 out of 10 fathers don’t take paternity leave because they simply can’t afford it - and some employers still deny fathers their rights to paid leave.
As the Government announces its Family Policies today, Working Families launches a new campaign to raise fathers’ awareness of their rights to paternity leave and to encourage employers to 'top up' statutory pay to full pay for the two weeks of leave.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) Green Paper recognises the important role that fathers play, and promises consultation on extending the eligibility for paternity leave.
Three major parenting websites ran their survey last month.
The responses showed that:
• 40 per cent of fathers don’t take paternity leave
• 72 per cent of those who did not take leave said that they could not afford to take it
• 14 per cent of those who did not take leave felt that they didn’t have enough length of service with their employer
• 13 per cent could not take paternity leave because they were self employed and not entitled to paid leave.
Many of the fathers who could not afford leave took holiday pay instead:
”I took annual leave as statutory pay was far below my income level”
The survey, which returned almost 500 responses both from mothers and fathers, also revealed some worrying attitudes from employers:
“My baby was four weeks early and it wasn’t ‘convenient’ with the company as there were lots of people on holiday”
“My partner took paternity leave but his boss made him go back after a week and he wasn’t paid anything at all, despite being with the company for four years”.
However, Working Families knows good employers who already top-up paternity leave. One example is John Wrighthouse, HR director at Nationwide, who said:
“Our Paternity policy is enhanced above statute. For example, we don’t expect our employees to have served 26 weeks at Nationwide before being entitled to Paternity pay and we provide full pay during the two weeks of leave, as well as paid leave to support partners at antenatal appointments. Our policy also applies to the adoption and, over and above the statutory requirement, the long term fostering of a child.
“At Nationwide we believe it is important for our employees to have job satisfaction and the motivation to do their job well. By promoting working arrangements that fit in with family commitments we can maintain staff and retain the skills and knowledge they possess. Furthermore, we have found that promoting Nationwide as a family friendly employer is an advantageous recruitment and retention tool.”
Working Families Chief Executive, Sarah Jackson, concluded:
“Fathers want to play a greater role in their children’s lives but our survey suggests that many can’t afford the time off when their new baby is born. Fathers who are self employed, or who haven’t worked for an employer for long enough are not entitled to any leave or pay. Our survey also shows that some employers don’t appear to know the rules, and deny those who are eligible their rights. This has to change.
“We’re launching the campaign to raise awareness about fathers’ rights. We are glad to see a promise to consult on the eligibility for paternity leave in today’s Green Paper. But we also need adequate levels of pay if fathers are to be encouraged to take leave. That’s where employers can come in.
“Many good employers offer contractual pay on top of statutory maternity pay. We want many more employers to “top up” statutory paternity pay to full pay for the two weeks. Time with a new baby is a great gift to a new family and employers will reap the benefit of motivated employees.”
January 2010 | 
Vitamin D - Mums Are In The Dark
