Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive of Working Families
Jane is the Chief Executive of Working Families. Working Families is the UK's national charity supporting people with caring responsibilities in the workplace.
Many families up and down the country will be breathing a sigh of relief in April, when changes that make paternity leave and unpaid parental leave a 'day one right' come into effect.
Up to this point, fathers have had to work for their employer for 6 months before they are entitled to take time off with their new baby. Parents have also had to wait a year before they can take unpaid leave to meet their children's needs. Parents putting support on hold leads to families suffering, whilst parents themselves are often not able to give their full attention at work.
What the changes mean for families
Our 2025 Working Families Index (PDF, 7MB) found that a fifth of fathers were not entitled to any paternity leave, leaving mothers unsupported and fathers in a challenging situation. By bringing forward eligibility, more parents can give their partners and children the focus they need. This supports women's recovery, building bonds with newborns and looking after children at times of need.
The changes are not just welcome news for families in a practical sense. Our recent barriers to equal parenting research of 5,000 dads found that 74% of them would like to embrace equal parenting. Ensuring access to paternity leave means families can establish a pattern of shared caring in the early days. This has better outcomes for family relationships, wellbeing, and helps to reduce the penalties women face at work after having children.
What the changes mean for employers
Many progressive employers that we work with already provide enhanced paternity and parental leave entitlement. They can point to evidence that shows supporting parents increases productivity.
Policies that enable employees to manage caring for loved ones makes these organisations appealing to prospective talent, who are looking for employers who value and support their staff. There will be some additional work involved with the upcoming Employment Rights Act 2025. But, if approached in the right way, there are also opportunities for employers to enhance their proposition. They can also strengthen their culture and build up engagement capital.
Recommendations for employers
The following are recommendations for implementing changes to parental leave in policy.
Lay the groundwork
A necessary exercise for all employers will be to review the paternity and parental leave policies that are already in place, to see where the gaps are and where they can be strengthened. For example, moving toward the more gender-neutral language of 'partner leave'. Employers who seek insights from employees through surveys or focus groups will be in a better position to create practical, inclusive policies that work effectively.
Where possible, go above and beyond
Employers who are committed to getting the best out of their people should consider going beyond the legislation to enhance their offering. Many of the more progressive employers are providing paid paternity and parental leave, extending paternity leave, or even equalising leave for mothers and fathers. This promotes gender equality and keeps up with the cultural shift in parenting. Providing flexibility in how parents take their leave further supports the individual needs of families. For example, allowing paternity leave to be split into blocks.
Bring managers on board
As with any change, managers need to be kept up-to-date and given the right knowledge and tools. Employers should be empowering line managers to understand the business benefits behind the policy changes. This helps policy translate into good practice. Providing guidance on how to discuss and process leave requests promotes a fair, consistent approach across the organisation, and prevents employees experiencing a line manager lottery.
Plan for change
Employers should anticipate a possible increase in requests from parents who are early in their employment, and put plans in place to manage absence. This is an opportunity to build more flexibility into ways of working, which prioritise trust, communication and collaborative solutions.
Raise awareness
Communicating the changes is where employers can nurture employee engagement. Celebrating the new policy and why it matters will signal to employees that the organisation is committed to supporting families. If there has not been a change in the policy, remind employees what's available and actively encourage take-up by sharing stories of those who have benefited from it.
Understand the impact
Any new policy is a great opportunity to build knowledge, so gather as much information as possible about its impact. As well as data on the take-up of the leave on offer, enrich with real-life stories of employee experiences. This can be useful for championing the business as a good place to work, promoting the policy to encourage take-up, or developing a business case for future policy changes.
Continue to create a supportive culture
Once employees start to feel more valued and supported to manage their home and work lives, employers will be rewarded by a less stressed, more engaged and committed workforce. Build on this momentum and continue to listen to employees to discover what is working, and what areas could be developed. Celebrate those taking leave or working flexibly to create an environment where everyone feels valued and can do their best work.