Paternity leave/policy

[Mr Fro]

Hello good people of motorcycle land!

Can you help me out a bit please? I’m currently challenging my companies maternity/paternity/SPL policy because it’s somewhat discriminatory towards chaps – women get 18 weeks full pay and maintain all the perks – holiday, pension, bonus etc. Men get 1 week at statutory and lose all the perks.

In order to get a decent bit of weight behind my case, I want to provide examples of UK companies that offer better policy than mine. So far I’ve found Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Shell and the Civil Service but a few more wouldn’t go amiss.

I’d be very grateful if you could let me know if your policy is better than mine and what company it is (PM is fine if you don’t want it public).

Cheers,

Fro

[Epic Earl]

The last two companies I have worked for varied just slightly.

CapGemini gave you 2 weeks Paternity, didn't really loose anything

Computacenter gave you 1 weeks paternity and again didn't really loose anything

[RantMachine]

My employers would probably just come up with some way to fire you before you could go away for the statutory week

[Arwen]

Paternity pay and rules change depending on the company, but legally this is what you are entitled to as far as I am aware -

https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leav ... -youll-get

https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leav ... y/overview

Good on your for challenging them. More folk should! I'd take it up with your union.

Edit :

Found the bit about it in my contract. There is loads of info on it but here is the pay bit -

6.6 Shared Parental Pay (ShPP)

6.6.1 As the mother must take the first two weeks following the birth of her child as maternity

leave the maximum SPL (Shared Paternity Leave) for which ShPP can be paid is for 37 weeks. Up to the 26th week

following the commencement of the mother’s maternity leave will

provide that any period of SPL will receive ShPP at the full rate of pay.

Any period of SPL taken during the following 13 weeks will be paid at the statutory rate.

6.6.2 ShPP may be payable during some or all of SPL, depending on the length and timing of the

leave.

9. Effect of Maternity and Parental rights on conditions of service

9.1 While employees are on Maternity or other type of Parental leave, whether paid or unpaid,

their contract of employment remains in force. Specific terms and conditions vary

depending on whether the leave is paid or unpaid, as follows.

9.2 Paid Ordinary Maternity/Adoption/Parental Leave and Paid Maternity Support Leave - the

period of absence counts as normal service for all purposes.

9.3 Unpaid Ordinary Maternity/other type of Parental leave - while the employee does not

receive pay (contractual or statutory) during these periods of leave, their other non-pay

terms and conditions of employment are unaffected. The period of absence counts in the

calculation of any service-related entitlements. In particular:

• Annual leave continues to accrue during the period of absence

• Entitlement to public and privilege holidays continue to accrue

• The period of absence counts as qualifying service for pension (and redundancy)

purposes. However, no employer pension contributions are made and the period does

not count as reckonable service for pension (or redundancy) purposes.

 

You can find the whole thing here if you want a massive read...

http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/RCUK-prod/assets/ ... Policy.pdf

[Mr Fro]

I'd take it up with your union.

My what?

I'm fully versed in the UK requirements and I'm disappointed that my company has reduced it's offering from 2 weeks full pay to statutory for fathers. The company for whom I work likes itself to be seen as super diverse and an equal-opportunities type place and it seems odd that they're saying (indirelcly): that a) the absence of a man is less desirable than the absence of a woman and b) a man is unnecessary in the early part of his child's life.

[Adam]

B&Q 2 weeks full pay when I was there.

[Tiggie]

Guy at my work got two weeks fully paid & was bought a new pram benefits of working for a small business with good owners I suppose.

A company I worked at as a jeweller offered me two weeks fully paid and option to take 3 months off unpaid, for some reason after we had a baby and added more bills to the household we weren't too keen on having no money for 3 months

[Six30]

Paternity pay , holiday pay, sick pay , I've no idea what theses are.... It's lonely in self employed land

[Joeman]

Paternity pay , holiday pay, sick pay , I've no idea what theses are.... It's lonely in self employed land

All things employers use to keep salaries low and make workers feel secure in their jobs..

[Six30]

Paternity pay , holiday pay, sick pay , I've no idea what theses are.... It's lonely in self employed land

All things employers use to keep salaries low and make workers feel secure in their jobs..

 

Job security ..is there such a thing now days.

[Joe85]

Derisory, isn't it. My company, and every company I've worked for offer statutory pay for a week. That's it.

However, on a personal level, I was given a week off, fully paid by my manager. The week after that I took as holiday which I thought was a good compromise, considering.

[RantMachine]

Guys, wrong thread for comments about job security... >> link <<

[Grumpy Old Git]

Airbus Defence and Space offer equal holiday with full pay for both Male and Female employees - 3 Months.

Longer periods are negotiable but usually result in lower pay and may not hold the position open.

Ian - I would challenge your company on the gender issue - We are after all, supposed to be 'equal' in the work place now!

[Mr Fro]

Bang on what I'm going for Al!

[Six30]

I'd rather be at work than at home with a screaming baby and a hormonal Mrs

[Mr Fro]

I'd rather be at work than at home with a screaming baby and a hormonal Mrs

Sod that, I'm sending her back to work!

[NearOn]

I may well have missed a post, but cant the time be shared now by the couple? So you share the maximum maternity the mother usually gets? I always thought I could be at home instead and the wife goes back to work but in reality I doubt I could do it, I just don't have the patience. I enjoy going to work and spending all weekend with him instead.

[Mr Fro]

I may well have missed a post, but cant the time be shared now by the couple? So you share the maximum maternity the mother usually gets? I always thought I could be at home instead and the wife goes back to work but in reality I doubt I could do it, I just don't have the patience. I enjoy going to work and spending all weekend with him instead.

Yes. Shared parental leave allows both parents to share the time off (37 weeks I think). However, my company pulled a fast one and say that the maternity side of it (18 weeks full money) stops when she returns to work and the father isn't entitled to it. Secondarily, they took the opportunity to decrease the paternity component from 1 week full pay to 1 week statutory to just statutory all round.

All I'm trying to get enacted is 18 weeks full pay followed by statutory that can be shared by both parents in whatever proportion they choose. Fair and square.