Father’s Choose Work and Company Formation

The government’s plan to increase the amount of paternity leave father’s get, provoke a mixed response from both the public and SME sector. Many felt that it was a step in the right direction to improving equality in the workplace, while some small business owners felt that additional paternity leave would just present them with another challenge to deal with.

However, a report conducted by enterprise think tank ‘Starting Business’ , has found that over 80% of all male employees will not take the full six months paternity leave there are eligible for.

The survey found that the main reason why many new fathers would prefer to stay in work was the fact they were concerned about keeping their jobs and progressing up the career ladder. Some 20% claimed that they had received a hostile response from their employers when the subject was raised, while 12% said they were unaware of the change in the law.

Ian Watkins, founder of ‘Staring Business’ comments: “We have found that many men would prefer to start the company formation process than stay in employment and take their entitled paternity leave. From our survey we have found that male worker feel they will be sacrificing their career if they do take the leave. In the contemporary working environment, this situation is simply unacceptable. The changes in paternity laws were made for a reason and they should be respected by businesses,”