I recently returned from just over two weeks off, having availed of the paternity leave policy we have here with Amicus. Baby number 2 arrived healthy and on time and I enjoyed the fact that I could detach myself completely from work to welcome him into the world.

On my return to work I reflected on what an incredible shame it was that fathers had a right to unpaid parental leave only, and that paternity leave does not exist within employment law,

From Citizens information:

“Paternity leave is not recognised in employment law. In other words, employers are not obliged to grant male employees special paternity leave (either paid or unpaid) following the birth of their child. Annual leave taken following the birth of a child is treated in employment law in the same way as leave taken at any other time of the year. It is at the discretion of the employer to decide who can and cannot take annual leave at a given time.”

I wanted to highlight three reasons why I feel this is negative for both families and for employers but by no means is this an exhaustive list:

New Born Baby =/= Holiday

As it stands, new fathers can request annual leave from their employers which is subject to whatever approvals are required within their contracts.

Anyone who has lived at home with a new baby will fully appreciate that this in no way equates or resembles a holiday and in-fact I would argue that spending a week in work would be far less tiring.

I firmly believe that to work effectively you need to rest effectively and that means using your holidays as a way to switch off and hit reset. With a new baby at home, you are simply not going to have the chance, and to my mind it will have a negative impact on your job performance over the following period of time.

Driving Limitations

Many types of birth can result in some short term limit to mobility or prohibit driving for a period of weeks. As a result of this new moms will often rely on others to drive home from hospitals and to be available for the first few weeks to pick up messages and run errands.

It is a huge advantage to have someone available full time and is a big stress saver not having to wait on a friend or family member to become available.

Getting to know you!

I would argue that the most important reason to take a couple of weeks off when a new child arrives is to give yourself a chance to get to know him or her. Apart from the steep learning curve for new fathers, every child is different and it’s an important aspect of life to get that initial bonding period in without the distraction of work.

From a purely functional perspective I think having that initial period of time helps fathers to gain some confidence with the 1 to 1 care of their child and this reduces overall stress moving forward as you return to work.

It’s not important only for practical reasons (need to rest, need to run errands), but also from the perspective of the emotional and social development of both the baby and its parents. If we are to create a truly equal society, a parent’s experience with their child should not be defined/limited by their gender.

Looking after the baby develops patience, responsibility, resilience and emotional intelligence, and I think that a mature, conscientious father will make a brilliant team member/manager in the work environment.

The Answer?

The argument against paternal leave seems to revolve around cost, but I think this is exaggerated and I think awarding time off to new fathers will not only help them stay more productive in the months after, but will also create a much more positive impression of the employer and a greater commitment to the job at hand.

Countries such as Norway and Iceland have gone even further – adopting what is generally referred to as the “daddy quota” where apart from some initial paternal leave, the longer term maternity leave can be shared by both parents in a highly progressive attitude soon to be adopted in the UK.

In Sweden, parents receive 480 days’ leave – including 390 at around 80% of their salary – for each child, with 60 days reserved for each parent and the remaining 360 shared as the couple choose.

Do you think Ireland would be wise to follow suit?

Three Reasons why Paternal leave should be mandatorily available

Witten by Robert Connolly, Amicus Recruitment – robert@amicus.ie

Amicus recruitment support and provide paternal leave for new fathers in addition to time off during pregnancy for expectant parents to attend consultant visits and scans.