A third of new fathers were forced to take holiday to spend time with their newborn thanks to low paternity leave allowances, according to research from insurance company Zurich.
It found that half of new dads take the statutory two weeks’ leave, and of those who take no time off, seven out of 10 said this was because they couldn’t afford it.
Twelve per cent of new dads resorted to taking unpaid leave, Zurich found.
Three-quarters of fathers polled by the company said they would like to take up to 12 weeks off work at this time, with a third reporting time off meant they could spend extra time bonding with their newborn.
A high proportion of men seek out paternity benefits when looking for a new role, according to the research: 43% look for paid paternity leave when searching for a job, above bonuses (42%), private healthcare (29%) and salary (27%).
Fifteen per cent said they were concerned about taking extended paternity leave because they thought it would be frowned upon by their boss, and 12% felt it might impact their career progression.
Paternity leave
Statutory paternity leave changes enacted
Sharp rise in businesses promoting their support for working parents
Earlier this month, the Liberal Democrats pledged a “dad month” for new fathers, with an increase in paternity pay along with the four-week entitlement.
The Labour Party has also pledged to enhance paternity leave rights if it gains power at the general election next month. Deputy leader Angela Rayner said she would like to see “cultural shift” from employers to better support family life.
Labour has pledged to make parental leave a day-one right for employees when they start a job.
The current government introduced new legislation in April which enables fathers to split paternity leave into two blocks, but take up is still low.
Zurich is one of a number of companies to offer an enhanced paternity package, with new fathers able to take up to 80 days of paternity leave. The company said almost 10% more fathers had taken paternity leave compared to mothers taking maternity leave since the policy was introduced in 2019.
Steve Collinson, chief HR officer, said: “It’s important that we level the playing field by offering an equal parental leave package. This means our dads can share special time with their newborns and split the paternity leave as they need it.
“We’re able to retain our talent as we give parents the time to bond with their family, without rushing them back into work or expecting them to take time from their annual leave.
“It’s clear to see how important balancing shared parental responsibilities are, as paid paternity leave rates so highly when considering a company’s benefits package.”
Dr Jeremy Davies, deputy CEO of the Fatherhood Institute said: “It’s great that trailblazer employers like Zurich provide new dads with a good deal.
“But we need the statutory offer to be better – right now it’s one of the least generous in the developed world, and a fifth of dads aren’t even eligible, because they’re self-employed or haven’t worked for their employer for long enough.
“Fathers and their families deserve better, six weeks well-paid leave would bring huge benefits to children, mums, dads themselves and to UK plc. This should be the statutory minimum for all fathers.”
A separate survey by business credit card company Capital on Tap found that taking paternity leave was also an issue for small business owners.
Its research found that only 32% took statutory paternity leave, with 38% citing lack of finances as the main reason they could not take any more time off.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
