Near 80% Of Dads Want More Paternity Rights

A recent report produced by Pregnant then Screwed has discovered that about eighty-percent of dads think that businesses employing them are falling short of assisting them to thrive in the workplace.

Who Did The Survey Interview?

In any survey, it is important to analyze the demographics who were approached by those who carried out the survey. It approached around eight thousand fathers who were eligible to take a period of paternity leave.

Good News?

Under normal circumstances those approached to answer surveys of this nature provide their interviewers with the established position within the marketplace, there is nothing to see here and there is no news story. However, this was not the case here and the results did not make for happy reading for employers employing fathers. The survey found:

• one quarter of fathers continued working during their paternity leave
• fifty percent of this workforce demographic claimed that their employer expected them to continue working at this crucial time
• this was despite employers’ awareness that such an approach is in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and therefore illegal in expecting fathers to continue operating whilst on paternity leave
• eighty percent of dads are provided with a perceptively measly 2 working weeks paternity leave
• just shy of thirty percent of fathers somewhat surprisingly appear not to utilize the entire two-week minimum statutory amount of leave
• a shocking ten percent of fathers chose not to take any paternity leave
• the significant majority elaborated that they decided not to use their leave due to financial constraints
• just over thirty percent of fathers who were absent for less than 10 days on paternity leave found that the combination of reduced pay and absence directly caused financial difficulties
• twenty percent of fathers perceived that requesting a longer period of paternity leave would have a detrimental effect on their medium and long-term careers.
• eighty percent of dads surveyed claimed that the current two-week time period for paternity leave left them with an insufficient period to establish a strong early relationship with their newborn offspring
• again eighty percent of fathers claimed that the business employing them was falling short of their expectations in terms of support. The vast majority felt unsupported by their employer.
• Just under fifty percent commented that they thought about or would contemplate changing to an alternative job role if it would mean that they could acquire improved paternity leave provision, high paternity pay, and greater paternity rights.

Shared Parental Leave

What Is Shared Parental Leave?

The headline begs the question, so what is Shared Parental Leave? Shared Parental leave emanates from a UK Government policy entitled to couples of those children who found themselves born on or after 5th April 2015. The rights entitled those eligible parents to enroll in a scheme whereby they can share parental leave.

High Take-up Rates?

Many lay persons may believe this to be a useful scheme and the majority of parents would jump at the chance to share the heavy burden of this significant life-changing event. However, only two to eight percent of those persons entitled to use the scheme chose to do so. The Pregnant and Screwed report discovered that just over fifteen percent of fathers are aware of shared parental leave.

Way Forward?

With twenty-five percent of the workforce due to enter fatherhood in the next twenty-six weeks, it is important for in-house lawyers, human resource professionals, and external lawyers need to be raising awareness of this scheme to assist new fathers and mitigate the risk of discrimination.

ASSESSING FIRMS

#Allen&Overy #BakerMcKenzie #HerbertSmithFreehillsLLP #LewisSilkin #MishcondeReya #Simmons&Simmons #AddleshawGoddard #CliffordChanceLLP #CMS #DACBeachcroftLLP #EvershedsSutherlandLLP #LinklatersLLP #TaylorWessing #TraversSmith #Bird&Bird

THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN USING THE FOLLOWING SOURCES

[1] Pregnant Then Screwed – 8 in 10 Dads Say That Their Employer Is Not Doing Enough To Support Fathers in The Workplace - Press Release- 8 in 10 Dads say that their employer is not doing enough to support fathers in the workplace - Pregnant Then Screwed

[2] Smith, John – Fathers’ rights at work – room for improvement – TLT - Fathers' rights at work - room for improvement? - TLT LLP

[3] Fitzgerald, Siobhan et al. – An update on gender equality issues at work – TLT - Employment law focus: An update on gender equality issues at work - TLT LLP

[4] Equality Act 2010