April has been a busy month for employment law. The government has confirmed significant updates to many existing regulations including The Paternity Leave Amendment Regulations 2024.
The key changes to this particular legislation allows all fathers or partners, to split their 2-week leave into 2 blocks of 1 week each. This flexibility enables them to take their leave at any point within the first year following the birth or adoption of their child, rather than the first 8 weeks as previously specified. The notice period has also been reduced. The regulations now state 28 days before the expected week of childbirth rather than the previous requirement of 15 weeks.
These changes will apply from the 8th March 2024 to all babies born or children adopted from the 6th April 2024.
What do employers need to do?
- Amend any relevant documentation or templates, including employee handbooks. Employers should also communicate the changes internally to all employees.
- Employers should ensure management are aware of the changes. This will ensure requests are responded to correctly and in a timely manner.
- Identify if there are any management training needs regarding these updates and implement an appropriate programme if required.
Do these amendments go far enough?
Despite these improvements, the UK’s paternity leave policy offers some of the least generous benefits compared to other European countries. In Sweden, paternity leave is paid for the first 90 days alongside an advantageous parental scheme. Parents in Iceland are entitled to 6- months leave.
In the UK, many parents cannot afford to take their full paternity leave. According to Pregnant then Screwed, 70% of those eligible for paternity leave, only used in part due to financial reasons. Therefore, paternity leave is only beneficial for the minority who can afford it.
There are calls to align paternity leave with maternity leave and provide 6 weeks leave at 90% pay, to achieve full equality in the parental roles. Employees need to be able to afford to take leave rather than utilising their holiday entitlement which is often the case.
Few employees can afford paternity leave. At the current rate of £184.03 per week, this wouldn’t even cover the basic household bills by today’s standards. However, offering an enhanced paternity package can foster a culture of loyalty, improve retention rates amongst working parents and attract a more diverse workforce.
If you have any questions regarding the changes to paternity leave or how to support working parents in your organisation, please contact us on 0345 076 2288 or complete the form below.