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The majority of employees are unaware of their paternity and maternity rights, according to research.
The annual Employee Attitudes Survey shows that only 2 per cent of staff questioned were aware of the correct period of unpaid leave available to parents during the first five years of their child's life.
Despite government proposals to make all statutory information on the subject available "at the click of a button", the study reveals a widespread ignorance of facts among respondents.
It also highlights an information gap between regions, with four out of 10 employees in East Anglia understanding their leave entitlements compared to one in three in Scotland.
Current maternity laws entitle working mothers to 18 weeks' paid maternity leave and parents may also take 13 weeks' unpaid leave during the child's first five years after one year's service.
However, of the 2,000 employees questioned for the nationwide survey, four in 10 underestimated the unpaid leave period, placing the figure at five weeks.
Similarly, more than half of participants were unaware of the period of paid leave available.
The results of the survey have prompted criticism of the Government's failure to make the information more readily available to employees.
Ian Wolter, managing director of recruiter Eden Brown, said, "It is extraordinary that there is such massive ignorance about parental leave entitlement. One might ask why the Government is not doing more to publicise this important family information.
"In fact, beyond the statutory leave, all employees are entitled to take reasonable time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependent."
The survey of more than 2,000 employees was conducted by Gallup for Eden Brown last April.
By Robert De La Poer
