DH thinks they mean no leave for new dads. I am trying to get DH to do some more looking into exactly what they mean especially as they are a bit of a dodgy bunch at times!
Could he just use 1 week of his annual leave? My DH was fortunate enough to get 1 weeks paid paternity leave after all my 3 kids were born but it does seem to be getting harder to get. Most dads seem to just use annual leave entitlements now.
Paid "paternity" leave isn't all that common, and it doesn't surprise me that the paid part of it is being abolished by workplaces. sucks big time! they can't stop you using the unpaid parental leave if your partner returns to work (ONLY applies if you are primary carer of your child - can't be taken same time as the mother), but individual agreements outline whether you're entitled to any extra paid leave on top of your normal rec/personal leave when your child first arrives. i think most places encourage staff to use rec leave when bubs arrives and personal/carers leave if the mum is not well enough to care for herself and baby on discharge from hospital (c/sec springs to mind) - but they're within their rights to request a medical certificate.
it appears that there is no good old fashioned common sense on letting Dad's have a bit of time to bond and to help mum adjust any more!
What I am most perplexed about is that the two banks that DH has worked for had very family friendly policies regarding paid paternity leave UNTIL women became the CEOs. But then maybe it was a timing thing... not really to do with the gender of the leadership. Who knows?
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