Paternity leave in the UK: time for a change + free policy template

As the sole earner in his young family, 21-year-old Josh Wiborg couldn't take shared parental leave when his twin girls were born.

Like so many dads, he was entitled to only two weeks off work, at reduced pay.

He says it left him "feeling like a stranger" to his twin girls, Autumn and Winter, in the first few weeks of fatherhood.

“It was awful," he sa... See more

Nearly 80 percent of fathers assessed had taken time off work after the birth of a child, though, on average, for one week only. Statistical analysis revealed that time off had positive effects on both relationships and co-parenting; these positive effects persisted over time.

Mothers reported higher relationship quality, co-parenting quality, and f... See more

Jasmine Kelland, associate professor in HRM at the University of Plymouth, highlighted the barriers fathers faced trying to access leave that “aren’t widely discussed” and had been “perpetuated for years despite so much societal change”. 

“Much of UK society still associates fatherhood with breadwinning behaviours, and when fathers access workplace ... See more

The benefits of paternity leave begin in the home. Ninety percent of the men we interviewed noticed an improvement in their relationship with their partner. And their partners also felt that the support was critical to forging a stronger bond. “I think I would have resented him if he had been at work and I would have had to do all of this alone,” o... See more

Our firm recently made significant strides in this area by equalising and enhancing our family leave policies. We now offer up to 26 weeks of leave for all parents - whether they're fathers, co-parents, or adopters – with 13 weeks at full pay and an additional 13 weeks at half pay. This move represents a substantial increase from our previous two-w... See more