From April 1st, dads-to-be working at M&S will receive six weeks’ paternity leave at full pay.
The new benefit has been announced alongside the doubling of its maternity and adoption leave to 26 weeks, which are also at full pay.
The retailer is investing in new family leave policies that reflect how traditional roles in the home have changed.
Not that long ago – often just a generation or two – many fathers wouldn’t have played a particularly active role in early-years childcare.
And yet, for most new parents today, it’s completely unfathomable that a father wouldn’t know how to change a nappy, or wouldn’t mind a baby for several hours unattended.
As societal norms evolve, fathers are increasingly taking an active role, and companies are recognising this with genuine, tangible supports.
Not only does this benefit the new dad, who will have more time bonding with their new infant, but it will also help the baby’s mother in a time of great vulnerability and exhaustion.
Progressive paternity leave policies win favour with employees regardless of gender identity.
There’s a broader workplace benefit too. By introducing inclusive family policies, companies are more likely to attract talented job applicants, and increase employee retention rates.
In today’s competitive job market – and ongoing talent crisis – companies must offer increasingly exceptional benefits, particularly to compete with what’s on offer in the tech industry.
A generous paternity leave policy gives M&S a competitive edge as workers seek out employers who are flexible, family-friendly, and allow for a prioritising of work-life balance.
But does it go far enough? Some tech companies and multinationals offer equal maternity, paternity and adoption leave of six months, and this is especially useful as finding childcare for infants under one-year-old remains a persistent challenge.
Many of the lucky new parents in these organisations choose to tag team in and out, and each complete six months as the primary caregiver.
This has many benefits – beyond baby bonding.
Firstly, both parents experience what it’s like to be at home with the baby all day, and to be away from the baby all day.
Secondly, it’s less of a financial strain on young families if one parent doesn’t have to take several months off unpaid work.
Lastly, women are often penalised professionally for taking time off to care for children. If fathers took the same amount of time off, this could help level the playing field.
According to a survey of over 1,000 mums, 12 per cent say they have experienced maternity discrimination, and more than one in five say they know someone who has.
Meanwhile, discrimination against women due to maternity leave results in 54,000 job losses annually, according to research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
It’s also true for many that while on maternity leave, women take on greater household responsibilities, including the mental load of family admin.
When women return to paid work outside the home, these habits are often bedded deep, and it can be very challenging to change from this mode afterwards.
This means that many women are saddled with a greater share of domestic work, and this affects both their careers and their relationships.
Though M&S’s decision on paternity pay sets a positive precedent for other companies to follow, there is still plenty of scope for improvement.
Though as its competitor’s famous jingle used to say; “every little helps”.
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