Data published today by insurer Zurich shows that dads at the company are choosing to take more time off work to bond with their new children.  The majority (73%) are taking the full 16 weeks paid paternity leave, up from 66% in 2020.  A further 7% (80% cumulative) have taken at least 10 weeks since the launch of the insurer’s family friendly policies in 2019 to its 4,500 UK employees.

In total, over 220 dads and second parents have now benefitted from the policy, enabling them to spend over 325,000 additional hours with their new families.   The demand confirms that second parents want an active role in raising their children, despite the infrastructure in most workplaces, not being available to support them.

New research[1]shows that 76% of dads and second parents were offered just two weeks paternity leave by their employer, the minimum statutory requirement in the UK.  Worryingly, three in five new dads don’t take this leave because of financial pressures, which have been made worse by the cost-of-living crisis.  While two thirds (64%) who took the time did not receive their full salary during their time off.

Zurich’s own external research shows that two fifths of dads don’t take the amount of time they need to bond with their new children.  And for those not taking any time off, almost half (45%) said it was because they couldn’t afford to take a drop in their salaries.

Commenting, Steve Collinson, Chief HR Officer for Zurich UK said: “Our data proves that by having the right policies in place, we can properly support modern families.  It’s fantastic to see more second parents at Zurich making full use of the family leave package on offer.  Many organisations’ current maternity and paternity leave policies were written decades ago when family life was unrecognisable to how it is now.  We know that most parents want to play an active role in family life and so workplace policies must reflect that. 

“By enhancing statutory provision for all parents, we are supporting them in being the parents they want to be.  I believe we’re also rewarded by a happy and committed workforce. Attracting top talent is still a challenge and this is another tool in our armoury. We urge Government to enhance the statutory pay for fathers and second parents, which in turn will encourage more employers to follow suit.”

[1] Half of UK parents not happy with paternity packages offered by employers: The Fatherhood Institute