It's All About People

Welcome back all  

This week’s Its All About People covers: 

• how you can support Fathers in the workplace 

• the business case for supporting Fathers 

• how to support those that struggle at this time

On Sunday this week, in households across the country Dads will be woken up with a cup of tea in bed, overloaded with giant Toblerone bars and for those with older “children” then bought a pint.  Yes…if you have forgotten then Sunday 16^th is Fathers Day – don’t panic, you still have time to run to a shop, post a card or organise a meal 😊 

In our house our children are 17 and 20 and we won’t actually see either due to work and Uni – but panic not, David has already had presents a week early and has a beer crawl planned with our eldest.  Here is one of my favourite photos of David with our youngest when she was tiny!

Being a Dad is a wonderful thing, not without its challenges, and balancing work and being a good Dad is one of those challenges.  That is where you can step in as a line manager / employer to help with this challenge.    

Which of these would you chose?

As a line manager or employer, which of the two below (real) examples would you want to be responsible for? 

Deepak – is a first-time father and was given 12 weeks paid paternity leave, so he took the whole lot.  Other than congratulations messages and presents, he was not contacted by work so could really enjoy time with his baby son and support his partner.  When he came back to work, he was energised (despite lack of sleep!) and continued to do a great job.  He also told anyone who would listen how great his employer is. 

Josh – and his wife were expecting their 3^rd child (all under 5!).  His employer only offered statutory leave and pay, and as Josh is not on a high wage, he simply could not afford to take any leave, other than for the day their daughter was born.   Although Josh was at work, he was tired and worried about his wife trying to recover and look after 3 little ones.  He has no idea how he functioned in those first few weeks, and so many of his friends and family were horrified about how he was treated.

Now, I know that not all employers can afford to pay 12 weeks paid, but I would argue most can afford at least a month. 

An alternative way of looking at this would be can you afford the potential mistakes / poor work, damage to your reputation as an employer and lack of commitment from those new Dads?

Some Facts and Figures for You👇

• The average age of new Fathers is now 33 years old (ONS 2023)

• As an employer the legal minimum you need to give is two weeks (since April this can now be taken as 2 separate week blocks)

• You also have to pay this at whichever is the lowest of 90% of wages or current Statutory Paternity Pay – currently £184.03 / week.

• It was reported in 2023*, that nearly a third of fathers took no paternity leave after the birth of their child, due to the financial burden.

• The same research showed that of the Fathers surveyed, 62% said they would take more leave if the rate of statutory paternity pay (SPP) increased.

• In 2021, research by University College London (UCL) showed the UK has some of the worst paternity rights in Europe.

• Trades Union Congress (TUC) research found that one in five fathers were not taking any paternity leave, mainly for financial reasons, with half of families struggling when fathers did go on paternity leave.

What Can You Afford? 

A good starting point is to look at the average age demographics of your workforce – mainly men but remember women can also take paternity leave in adoption / surrogacy.

If you have the stats you can also look at over recent years how many people have taken paternity leave (but remembering more may have wanted to).

Then it is some “simple” maths in terms of how many paternity leave requests are likely to happen in a year – and what would that cost based on different options e.g. one month full pay, 6 weeks or a combination of full and half pay.

What Else Can We Do Beyond Paternity Leave? 

Being a great Dad goes way beyond those first few weeks, and indeed starts with pregnancy / adoption processes, so have you thought about:

•  Time off you ante-natal appointments / scans etc

•  Time off to attend key events / milestones, from nativities and sports days, through to graduations and marriages

• Parenting support groups

•  Employee benefits that appeal to parents

When Father’s Day is a Trigger 

For some people in your team, this time of year can be difficult.  For those who had poor relationships with their Father, have lost their father, lost a child or indeed are longing to be a parent (IVF/ adoption journeys) – then being surrounded in shops and adverts for Father’s Day can be hard. 

As a good line manager, you will potentially know who this may be trigger for, and all I suggest is that you take the time to check in with that person and see how they are.  

As is so often with management, taking the time to show you care and know someone as a human being is what makes the difference.

That’s all for this week – and to all the fabulous Dads, Granddads and Father figures reading this, I hope you have a lovely day. 

Emma

P.S. For those of you reading this who are members of our HR Hub (I know a lot of you are) we have lots of resources on Paternity leave, and all aspects of family leave, in the “It’s All About Family” section of the Hub.

 P.P.S.  If you are not a Hub member you can join here for only £45/month for all your HR needs.

Events Coming Up this Month 

Menopause Café (free for all to attend, and not just for the ladies!) – 25^th June 12pm

Dates for Next Month 

HR Clinic (free to all, come and ask your HR questions) - July 16th 12pm 

Lunch and Learn – Animals in the Workplace (co hosted by our office dog - Daisy) - 9th July 12pm - free for all Hub members or £35/place for non-members 

Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace (free session) - 23rd July 12pm 

Excellence Unleashed - Performance Management Masterclass (free to Hub members or £150/place) - 30th July 9.30-12.30pm

* for those who love to read the details, the research was:

 “Leave in the lurch: Paternity leave, gender equality and the UK economy” Commissioned by the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, the Centre for Progressive Policy thinktank (CPP) and Women in Data.