New fathers would like more time off with newborns – Zurich

The majority of new fathers would like to spend more time off with their newborns.

That was according to new data from Zurich, which showed that three quarters of new fathers would like to take up to 12 weeks off work at this time.

However, the figures, which come in the run up to Fathers Day, show that half of new fathers take just two weeks off with their newborns.

Some 15% said they were concerned that taking extended paternity leave would be frowned upon by their boss, while 12% felt it would impact career progression

And of those that didn’t take any time at all, seven out of 10 said they could not afford it.

Zurich surveyed 1,000 news fathers for the research, which was published on 13 June 2024.

Steve Collinson, chief HR officer at Zurich UK, said: “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.”

Policies

Back in 2019, Zurich launched “family friendly” policies for its UK employees, which included equalised maternity, paternity and adoptive leave of up to 16 weeks with full pay.

The insurer also introduced a bereavement and compassionate leave policy, as well as paid leave to staff who undergo IVF or suffer a miscarriage.

Since 2019, around 20,000 days of paternity leave have been taken by Zurich employees and nearly 10% more fathers have taken more paternity leave compared to mothers taking maternity leave over the same period.

Collinson said: “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.”