Fathers who work in HR and recruitment feel they are being short-changed when it comes to parental leave, and many say that taking leave has impacted their careers.
A survey by life insurance broker Reassured found that although 36% of fathers in HR and recruitment were given five to six weeks of paid paternity leave (compared with just 17.1% of fathers across all professions), two-thirds felt they did not have enough time to bond with their child, and further stated their career had taken a hit.
Sixty-seven per cent of fathers across all professions said they felt pressured to return to work prematurely, and the same proportion said they were denied additional leave.
Paternity leave
Reassured said the findings, from a survey of 250 fathers, highlighted the need for continued efforts to improve parental leave policies.
Twenty per cent were allowed to take just one or two weeks off work following the birth of a child.
Meanwhile, separate research has found that only 13% of mothers feel returning to work full-time is viable after maternity leave.
The survey of 848 mothers by social enterprise Careers After Babies found that 98% of mums wanted to go back to work after having a baby, but of the 24% that went back full time 79% ended up leaving because they could not get the balance right.
Seven in 10 took less than six months’ maternity leave in order to keep the same job as before. Fifteen per cent returned to different jobs in the same organisation, but 57% ended up leaving within two years.
Career progression was also affected by maternity leave, the survey found. There was a 32% reduction in managerial roles after having children and a 44% increase in admin roles, with many women stating that finding flexible work is easier at a more junior level.
Careers After Babies has developed a new accreditation for employers looking to demonstrate they offer family-friendly working. Employers including Paramount, software developer Correla and marketing agency IMA-Home have already achieved the accreditation.
Paramount’s international talent acquisition leader Catherine Chatfield said: “We are excited to be embarking on this journey with Careers after Babies to positively challenge our thinking, workings and processes and push forward with our goal of gender equity here at Paramount. We are committed to always seeking opportunities to improve, adapt and we’re excited to be part of this much-needed push for change.”
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