For more than 30 years, Sweden has offered workers the right to shared parental leave. No productivity issues, no disasters. What it has done though is help create greater equality in Swedish workplaces, as well as in the other Scandinavian countries that have adopted the approach. From 5 April 2015, the UK will try to catch up.
The UK legislation means new mums take the first two weeks after birth, but the remaining 50 weeks can be shared between mums and dads. The worry is that shared parental leave will work like the legislation around flexible working. It could raise questions such as: what’s your boss really going to be thinking about you? What signals does it send about your focus? How is it going to disrupt your progress? Shared parental leave, however, will be different to flexible working in many ways - but still, you need to be clear about the implications.
First, there’s a huge difference between wanting to share leave and being able to do it financially. Technically, for the first 39 weeks you’re entitled to statutory pay - but employers may offer enhanced pay. In a survey of FTSE 100 employees by Linklaters, 63% said they’d be interested in taking the shared option (and there was no real difference in levels of interest between men and women), but it all depended on what their organisation was going to offer in terms of more than just statutory pay.
With this in mind, the government is probably right in saying takeup will start at around 2-6%, just because of the financial issue. But don’t rule it out without discussing what might be possible - an enhanced pay deal is a valuable benefit, and one that employers can use to show commitment and help with keeping you on board for the long term.
It’s a myth that men are any less capable of being a full-time parent. It’s only fairly recently in our history that men in their working roles were separated off from family life. This division of labour and families only happened with the industrial revolution from the late 18th century onwards. It’ll take time for shared leave to become the norm, but with the growth in numbers of women becoming the main earner (it’s said to be around 40% in the US) the trend is only going to be upwards.
For women’s careers in general the arrival of shared parental leave is important. The best part is that you don’t have to take huge chunks of time off any more, which makes such a difference in terms of consistency and relationship with the workplace. You’re not taking a break anymore, just periods of leave.
Most employers will be encouraging when it comes to shared parental leave as it gives them the image of being forward-thinking and modern. At the same time, employees need to be patient. New legislation such as this is a logistical headache and there will be a lot for HR to deal with.
Some organisations offer specific support and it’s worth finding out what’s on offer, or making suggestions. Goldman Sachs runs “keeping in touch” days for women on maternity leave, which provides an easygoing way for new mums to still feel part of what’s happening and make it easier to have a smooth return. They also offer workshops for working parents on practicalities such as managing time between work and home demands. Law firm Allen & Overy and the Deutsche Bank offer maternity and paternity workshops to help with the transitions back into work.
You can make the most of taking shared parental leave by not being halfhearted about it. Don’t take the leave and find yourself monitoring emails and working in the evenings. If you’re at home, concentrate on the task of being a parent and don’t feel guilty about it.
It may have taken a long time in coming but all parents and parents-to-be should be grateful, and make the most of what can be a life-enhancing opportunity.
Zoe Sinclair is managing director of Employees Matter
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