New dads at Zurich enjoy 300,000 hours bonding with new babies

Zurich in the UK today publishes data which shows new dads ^[1] working at the company have enjoyed 300,000 hours of bonding time with their new babies since the launch of its enhanced paternity leave package in 2019. This forms part of the insurer’s wider family friendly policies ^[2] available to its 4,500 UK employees.

In the last two years, two out of three (63%) dads have opted to take the full 16 weeks fully paid. Over two thirds (68%) have taken over 10 weeks off and 74% have taken at least a month.

Zurich’s data comes in stark contrast to recent research which shows the number of fathers taking paternity leave has plummeted to a ten-year low. In fact, just a quarter of eligible fathers take time off work after their child is born. This low take up is linked to affordability and the low rate of Statutory Paternity Pay, which is just £152 per week. ^[3]

Similarly, an external study ^[4] published by Zurich, shows two fifths of new fathers don’t take the amount of paternity leave that they feel they need to bond with their new children. For those not taking any time off, almost half (45%) said it was because they couldn’t afford to take a drop in their salaries.

Zurich’s research also showed that more than one in four fathers put their careers on the backburner when starting or growing their family, as juggling the demands of parenthood with career was too challenging.

However, looking at who has taken the time off to be with their new arrivals, the data shows a good spread across different roles and levels of seniority across the organisation. While numbers taking the benefit have also increased by 4% since launch.

Commenting, Steve Collinson, Zurich’s UK head of the People team said: “It’s reassuring to see that take up of our gender-neutral family leave policy is growing with the majority of parents keen to take the full 16 weeks as paid leave. We continue to receive fantastic feedback on the policy with parents extremely grateful for the quality time they’ve been allowed to share with their new families.

“By enhancing statutory provision for all parents, we are supporting them in playing a more active role in family life. To allow more families to benefit, we would urge Government to enhance the statutory pay for fathers and second parents, which in turn will shift the dial and encourage more employers to follow suit.”

Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive, Working Families said, “It’s wonderful to see such positive results from the first two years of Zurich’s enhanced paternity leave package, and we are so pleased they’re being so open with their data. As one of Working Families employer members we couldn’t be prouder of the impact this Zurich policy has had for working parents. Whilst enhanced paternity leave directly impacts dads, it’s life-changing for mums too. Allowing partners meaningful time to spend with their new babies is not only shown to improve dads’ life long relationship with their children, it also means caring responsibilities are shared from the start, helping women keep their careers on track.

“We’ve always known that most fathers and partners want to spend time with their families. Most can’t afford to as the low pay of Shared Parental leave means they have a horrible decision to make between paying the bills and spending time with their families.

“The flexibility of this scheme is an important feature that others should emulate, and one that we hope policymakers will consider when reviewing Shared Parental Leave policy.”

1. This applies to all second parents (defined as biological father, second legal parent, or partner of the parent that gives birth who will be involved in the care of the baby or child, regardless of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation) including those in same sex relationships.

2. Zurich’s ‘family friendly’ policies include:

• Equalised approach to company enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity leave
• Up to 16 weeks’ full pay for second parents (defined as biological father, second legal parent, or partner of the parent that gives birth who will be involved in the care of the baby or child, regardless of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation) after 26 weeks service – the first 2 weeks of leave to be taken at birth/placement for adoption, followed by the remaining 14 weeks to be taken in one block, either at the time of birth/adoption or by the child’s first birthday/first anniversary of adoption.
• Up to 16 weeks’ full pay for birth parent and primary adoptive parents – along with the statutory right for up to 52 weeks leave.
• Support for premature (<37 weeks) births, with additional paid leave paid for the premature period - plus up to 16 weeks full pay (where eligible).
• A new IVF policy – allowing up to 16 days’ (pro-rated for part-timers) leave in a 12-month period - typically up to 8 days’ paid leave at key points across two cycles of IVF for the birth parent. Flexibility and support for partners is also offered through FlexWork.
• A new policy to support miscarriage – 1 week’s paid leave followed by FlexWork and manager discretion, as appropriate.
• A refreshed carers policy – pushing creative thinking around working patterns (short and long term) and FlexWork.
• A refreshed bereavement and compassionate leave policy for closest relatives (Parent/Partner/Spouse/Child) – 1 month’s paid leave, followed by manager discretion as required – we’ve also included flexibility to allow people to take leave at end of life so people can spend last living days with a relative).

3. Parents can apply for statutory Shared Parental leave if they are having a baby or adopting. It enables them to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of Statutory Paternity Pay between them at a maximum rate of £151.20 per week if they meet the eligibility criteria. Both need to have been employed continuously by their employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the due date.

4. OnePoll surveyed 1,000 respondents from 14th-30th August 2019. The survey was conducted online using panel members who are credited to participate in surveys. Respondents who are Dads of 0-5 year olds, full time employed, heterosexual and not business owners, were targeted using screening questions and profile data in order to ensure the correct demographic was achieved.