It’s 20 years since the introduction of paternity leave in the UK and yet it’s generally viewed as a poorly taken up entitlement. The entitlement is for two weeks at Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) where the employee has 26 weeks service with their employer before the 15th week prior to the baby’s due date. Employees can take either one or two weeks’ paid paternity leave, and give notice no later than 15 weeks before the baby is born. They have to a) tell their employer that they are having a baby, b) how much paternity leave they plan to take, and c) the date they want to start their leave.
These may be two of the reasons why there is low take-up. The statutory pay is less than the average weekly earnings in the UK, and the employee is required to give over three months’ notice. At that point they may not know they are expecting a baby, they may have moved employers and therefore not have the eligible service, and they may not know when the baby will arrive. Babies do have a habit of arriving when they choose.
So how can employers support their employees? Firstly, employers can ensure that managers are trained in discussing paternity leave requests with their team. Paternity is not limited to biological fathers and is eligible to parents who are adopting (including via a surrogate) and to partners of women who are having a baby. Managers should discuss whether paternity leave will be advantageous to the employee and have access to forms for employees to easily make requests.
Parental leave is also a right that aims to support working parents but receives little take-up, primarily as it is unpaid.
It is not intended for employees who have a sick child, however, it is aimed at providing support where the parent’s care arrangements break down. We find parents ask for parental leave when annual leave isn’t sufficient for school holidays, such as in January 2024, when many schools don’t go back until the 9th.