Almost half of employers support extending statutory paternity leave and pay, new CIPD report shows

The CIPD calls for an increase in statutory paternity leave and more affordable childcare

A new research report from the CIPD shows that almost half (46%) of organisations support extending statutory paternity/partner leave and pay, with 29% of those backing an extension to six weeks or more. In response, the professional body for HR and people development is urging the government to increase statutory paternity/partner leave from one or two weeks’ leave to six weeks, either at or near the full rate of pay.

Currently, under statutory paternity leave, employees can choose to take either one or two consecutive weeks’ leave if they have been employed for at least 26 weeks. Statutory paternity pay for eligible employees is currently either £156.66 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.

The CIPD’s new Employer Focus on Working Parent Report surveyed 2,000 senior decision-makers and found that:

• Almost half (46%) of employers support extending statutory paternity/partner leave and pay. A third (33%) of those believe this should be extended to four weeks, and 29% think it should be extended to either six weeks or more.
• Most organisations (49%) have a paternity/partner leave policy which provides the current statutory leave entitlement and pay.

The findings also highlight that very few new parents are using shared parental leave (which allows a portion of maternity leave and pay to be shared with partners), with 85% of organisations revealing no new parents have taken up shared parental leave in the past two years.

Daphne Doody-Green, Head of CIPD Northern England said: “The findings in this report highlight that shared parental leave in its current form isn’t working. The government needs to extend statutory paternity/partner leave and pay as this would help balance caring responsibilities and provide more financial support to working parents.”

She adds: “Among other recommendations for the government in this report, is the need for more affordable childcare from the end of maternity leave and to make flexible working requests a day-one right for everyone.”

 Key findings in the CIPD report revealed:

• Over a third (34%) of employers in England say the introduction of 30 hours free childcare per week for all three to four-year-olds in 2017 has made a positive impact on the number of women returning to work.
• Over half (56%) of employers in England believe the number of women with young children returning to work would improve further if the same level of free childcare was extended to children aged under two years old.

Claire McCartney, Senior Policy Advisor at the CIPD said: “Taking steps to extend statutory paternity/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.”