Shared Parental Leave: Are your employees using it?

It is ten years since shared parental leave was introduced in the UK, but research published recently by The Dad Shift has found only 2% of new fathers have benefited from it during this period.

Shared parental leave gives up to 50 weeks leave and up to 37 weeks of pay after the birth or adoption of a child which can be used by either parent.

Of those 2% using it, the top 20% of earners made up 60% of the users and only 5% came from the bottom 50% of earners.

Those using it the most were located in London, which exceeded the combined numbers who used it in Scotland,  Wales, Northern Ireland,  The North  West and the North East.

Some of the barriers to fathers using it are said to be around the issue not being widely discussed as well as societal expectations that the father is the main wage earner.  Fathers have also encountered mockery, suspicion and negative judgement when trying to have a more active role in their children’s lives.  This negative impact on working life means many decide not to take it as they are worried about career progression.

There is evidence however that shared parental leave can be beneficial for the whole family and it is linked to better mental health, reduced stress and depression.  Mothers who are supported can return to work sooner help to reduce the gender pay gap and pensions gap.

There are calls for the system to be reformed to enable gender equality at work to be fully realised, but is there more that employers could be doing?

Education

Educate your workforce about parental leave and what the options are for both mums and dads. Encourage working fathers who have used shared parental leave to share their experience with colleagues.

Monitor

Monitor the use of it and use it to help your business make gender action plans which were announced in the Employment Rights Bill.  The Bill currently requires employers to develop and publish an equality action plan which shows the steps they are taking in relation to their employees and gender equality.

Support

Support mothers and fathers in their choices to encourage them to have a positive experience of parenthood as this will have wider and long-term benefits for their mental and physical health and supported, positive and motivated employees are more likely to remain in your employment for longer, reducing staffing turnover and the associated costs of replacing and training new team members.

If you would like to review your guidance or improve your support for working parents, get in touch with our team today.