![[UK] Half of employers support extending statutory paternity leave](http://gpa.net/cdn/shop/articles/bigstock-Shared-Parental-Leave-Young-B-440517497_1_1200x.jpg?v=1662082589)
New research has revealed that almost half (46 per cent) of UK organisations support extending statutory paternity or partner leave and pay, Employee Benefits reports.
According to the data, from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 29 per cent backed an extension to six weeks or more.
The CIPD is a professional body for HR and people development, it surveyed 2,000 senior decision-makers and found that 49 per cent have a paternity or partner leave policy which provides the current statutory leave entitlement and pay. 33 per cent reportedly said this should be extended to four weeks.
The majority (85 per cent) of organisations stated that no new fathers or partners have taken up shared parental leave in the past two years.
A third (34 per cent) said the introduction of 30 hours of free childcare per week for all three to four-year-olds in 2017 had had a positive impact on the number of women returning to work. While 56 per cent believed the number of women with young children returning to work would improve further if the same level of free childcare were extended to children under two years old.
Claire McCartney - senior policy adviser at the CIPD - said, “These survey findings reinforce our policy call to extend statutory paternity or partner leave and pay, which will help balance caring responsibilities, reflect the changing nature of modern families and provide much-needed financial support to working parents. Extended paternity or partner leave can have emotional benefits for parents and children, as well as improving the gender pay gap, as it enables a more equal split of time out of work to care for children.
“There is also a need for reform in current childcare and early years education provision. Taking these steps to extend statutory paternity or partner leave and enabling affordable childcare from the end of maternity leave will create more opportunities and flexibility for working parents, by allowing them to return to work earlier if they choose to.”
Source: Employee Benefits
(Quotes via original reporting)
New research has revealed that almost half (46 per cent) of UK organisations support extending statutory paternity or partner leave and pay, Employee Benefits reports.
According to the data, from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 29 per cent backed an extension to six weeks or more.
The CIPD is a professional body for HR and people development, it surveyed 2,000 senior decision-makers and found that 49 per cent have a paternity or partner leave policy which provides the current statutory leave entitlement and pay. 33 per cent reportedly said this should be extended to four weeks.
The majority (85 per cent) of organisations stated that no new fathers or partners have taken up shared parental leave in the past two years.
A third (34 per cent) said the introduction of 30 hours of free childcare per week for all three to four-year-olds in 2017 had had a positive impact on the number of women returning to work. While 56 per cent believed the number of women with young children returning to work would improve further if the same level of free childcare were extended to children under two years old.
Claire McCartney - senior policy adviser at the CIPD - said, “These survey findings reinforce our policy call to extend statutory paternity or partner leave and pay, which will help balance caring responsibilities, reflect the changing nature of modern families and provide much-needed financial support to working parents. Extended paternity or partner leave can have emotional benefits for parents and children, as well as improving the gender pay gap, as it enables a more equal split of time out of work to care for children.
“There is also a need for reform in current childcare and early years education provision. Taking these steps to extend statutory paternity or partner leave and enabling affordable childcare from the end of maternity leave will create more opportunities and flexibility for working parents, by allowing them to return to work earlier if they choose to.”
Source: Employee Benefits
(Quotes via original reporting)