Half of new dads take just two weeks off work with newborns

As Father’s Day approaches, new data from Zurich UK reveals that half of new dads take just two weeks off with their newborns. Of those that didn’t take any time at all, seven out of 10 simply couldn’t afford it¹.In fact, according to the new research from Zurich of 1,000 new dads, three quarters said they’d like to take up to 12 weeks off work at this time.

The survey found that a third of dads take annual leave to spend extra time bonding with their newborn and one in 10 have resorted to taking unpaid time off. By stark contrast, two thirds of new dads at Zurich UK took their full 80 days paternity leave in 2023².

In total, since 2019 around 20,000 days of paternity leave has been enjoyed by Zurich employees and their families. In fact, nearly 10% more dads have taken paternity leave compared to mums taking maternity leave over the same time period.

Of the dads surveyed, 43% look for paid paternity leave when searching for a new role, above bonus (42%), private healthcare (29%) and salary (27%).

Zurich’s research comes as paternity leave is high up on the Government’s agenda. The Paternity Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024 implemented on 6th April now enables fathers to split paternity leave into two one-week blocks instead of having to take it all in one go.

Almost half of those polled who split their paternity leave, did so to support their partner as the baby grew more active, while 36% did so to bond with the baby at both stages. One in four did so to support the mother’s return to work. Splitting the 80 days paternity leave into two parts has proved to be the most popular method of taking leave for one third of Zurich dads in 2023. This has and has been the case since the policy was introduced in 2019.

A joint report by charity Pregnant Then Screwed and think tank the Centre for Progressive Policy and Women in Data found that increasing paternity leave could help to equalise men and women’s participation in the labour market and even reduce the gender pay gap, potentially increasing economic output by £23 billion³.

Zurich introduced family friendly policies for UK staff in 2019, consisting of an equalised approach to company-enhanced maternity, adoption, surrogacy, and paternity leave as well as additional paid leave for premature births. The company also introduced a new bereavement and compassionate leave policy as well as offering paid leave to staff who undergo IVF or suffer a miscarriage.

Commenting, Steve Collinson, Chief HR Officer for Zurich UK said: “I’m delighted to see more of our dads taking advantage of our enhanced paternity leave package. It’s important that we level the playing field by offering an equal parental leave package. This means our dads can share special time with their newborns and split the paternity leave as they need it.

“We’re able to retain our talent as we give parents the time to bond with their family, without rushing them back into work or expecting them to take time from their annual leave. It’s clear to see how important balancing shared parental responsibilities are, as paid paternity leave rates so highly when considering a company’s benefits package.”

Commenting, Dr Jeremy Davies, Deputy CEO of the Fatherhood Institute said: “It’s great that trailblazer employers like Zurich providing new dads with a good deal. But we need the statutory offer to be better – right now it’s one of the least generous in the developed world, and a fifth of dads aren’t even eligible, because they’re self-employed or haven’t worked for their employer for long enough. Fathers and their families deserve better, six weeks well-paid leave would bring huge benefits to children, mums, dads themselves and to UK plc. This should be the statutory minimum for all fathers.”

Case studies

Will Edwards, Head of SME, Specialities and Partnerships at Zurich, lives near Cheltenham with his wife Lauren and nine-month-old daughter Olivia.

Will took 16 weeks paid parental leave in one go when Olivia was born in September, returning to work in January 2024. During the pregnancy it became clear his wife would need to have a c-section, so Will was on hand for that extended period when she was recovering from surgery.

Olivia also had a hernia and hip dysplasia, so the extended leave meant Will was able to attend the hospital appointments without having to worry about rearranging meetings around appointment times or having to take time off.

“Having four months off fully paid was incredible. We were able to bond, just the four of us, the dog being the fourth member. We went to a variety of baby classes and even managed to squeeze in a week away. As a dad, you don’t usually get to attend these classes as you generally only get two weeks off. I was able to witness how she developed and responded over that 16 weeks and clearly see how quickly she changed – which I now realise is unbelievably fast.”

Will initially thought that returning to work after four months might have meant some big changes had happened at work.

Will Edwards continues: “One of the niggling worries I had in going off for 16 weeks was thinking that the world would have moved on drastically when I returned. This was because the four months on paternity leave felt like an age and an amazing time to spend with my daughter, but four months flies by in a business sense. Whilst numerous things had changes, it wasn’t an issue – my manager, my team and the Zurich culture more broadly supported me.”

Jonathan Davis, data science lead at Zurich, lives near Whiteley with wife Diana and children Laurie age four and Margot, three months.

Jonathan took two weeks off when his daughter was born in February this year and will take the remaining 14 weeks when Margot is nine months old in November which coincides with his wife’s return to work. Jonathon took the same pattern of paternity leave when his son was born in 2020 and has since compressed his working hours to four days which gives him time to take his son swimming spend quality time together.

“Splitting the paternity leave this time around means I can spend precious time with my son before he starts school, and to enjoy time with my daughter before she settles into nursery. As my wife returns to work, we can delay Margot starting nursery as I’ve banked those three month’s paternity leave. It’s quality time I get to have with both of my children.

“Having longer off means it’s easier to bond with your young children and get used to their schedule. Two weeks just isn’t long enough in my opinion.”

Derek McWhinnie, head of customer care at Zurich, lives near Southampton with wife Michelle and their four children – Harry six, Ava five, Elise three and Rory who’s now 18 months.

Rory was born in March 2021 when Derek took an initial two weeks of his paternity leave, plus a week’s holiday. He then kept the rest of his time until the summer.

Derek spent from July through to the end of September helping the family settle into a new routine. They spent time visiting relatives in Scotland, and as much time as possible away from home. Days in country parks and at local beaches enjoying family time and trying to keep all four children happy and entertained.

Zurich’s paternity leave package was a huge benefit to Derek, he adds: “It was the first six week block we’d experienced together, and without me at home, that might have been daunting for any parent trying to do it alone. The time off enabled us to adjust and get into a bit of a routine - as well as managing the building project and little Rory. Without this time off, life would have been stressful for us all.

“It worked well from a work perspective as I was open and honest from the outset about how I intended to take the time. It enabled my manager to plan and prepare so that when I returned, it was as if I’d not been away. The whole team have been incredibly supportive.”

Having returned to work, Derek works flexibly and says he manages to strike a good balance with home and work as he’s keen to do a great job on both fronts.

¹OnePoll 1,000 working dads of children aged 4 and under (May 2024)
²Zurich data analysis (2019 – 2023)
³Centre for Progressive Policy https://www.progressive-policy.net/downloads/files/CPP_Parental-Leave-report_June-2023.pdf