Fathers At Work – Understanding Paternity Leave

The number of men taking time off work when their baby is born is falling.  Despite the government's attempts to encourage fathers to increase the time they spend caring for their children, it seems many men do not take advantage of their statutory right to paternity leave.

There are several reasons proposed for the falling numbers:

1. Small business owners, who lack a dedicated HR resource, may not understand employees' statutory paternal rights. In addition, many employees are unaware of their paternity leave rights and therefore fail to ask their employer for time off.
2. Paternity leave is only available to employees.The increase in gig economy workers has meant many men are now self-employed, thus not entitled to paternity leave.