Paternity Pay

I have a friend who runs his own business and employs three people, one who has just given notice that he will be taking 26 weeks leave for paternity reasons.

My friend says his business will not be able to stand the loss of this person ( A skilled worker)for 26 weeks and he will not be able to take on a temporary worker with his skills to help fill the void therefore his current contracts that require finishing within that time period most likly will not be completed.

My friend now has a strong possibility of going out of business due to this stupid law.

Why do governments agree for people to be paid when they are not at work?

Why should people take paternity leave and expect to get paid for it?

Re: Paternity Pay

Heaven only knows. If my Man had taken 26 weeks off work when our wee ones were born, I'd have ended up in the Loony Bin lol. It's bad enough having him under my feet when he's off for a long Weekend.

Re: Paternity Pay

I think your friend's employee would only actually be entitled to be paid for two week's paternity leave AB. If he qualifies he may be entitled to 26 week's paternity leave (but it would not be paid leave).

Re: Paternity Pay

I see his problem is not just financial but who will do the work left that needs doing.

Would your friend be able to approach a firm specialising in employment law.

He might find out that the rules are different for firms of less that 20 employees or something similar.

My advice is , seek advice.

Adrian.

Re: Paternity Pay

I agree it's a stupid law for Men, is he having the baby?, what is he going to do for the 6 Months, hold her hand?. It's not granted over here, mollycoddling is all it is, thats what has the World the way it is today. I hope your friend finds someone else with a bit more commitment AB and chucks this fella out with the babys bathwater.

Re: Paternity Pay

Don't get me started on modern employment law.... but on a more practical level most skills are available through employment agencies, and their rates are negotiable, particularly how things are at the moment. When I was running my small business agencies got me out of trouble a time or two, whether through illness of an employee or a sudden influx of extra work that my workforce couldn't cope with. They really can be a boon, so much so that I sometimes used them to find permanent members of staff for key positions.

Re: Paternity Pay

Ooohhh - its a hard man you are to be sure Jemflex, begorrah. Granted it does seem a luxury and potentially difficult for the employer, but we do live in an "equal" society (at least I think we do).
Not everyone has someone like a mum or a relative who can help with a new baby. The first months are unique but exhausting days for a woman, but only lasting a short time before the baby routine becomes familiar and a lot of modern men want to be closely involved, but money and work often dictate terms. My husband was abroad working just after I had my first child and I did find it very hard and very tiring. I often wished I was the one off out working and not at home working - I could have done with a bit of mollycoddling.
Somewhere in this there is a "middle ground" where everyone can be accommodated and be happy about what should be something to celebrate.

Re: Paternity Pay

I used to look at the age of the potential employee ask marital status, dependants, number of children ect.

90% of permanent staff, were Ladies and Gentlemen over 40 the rest were males who were gay. No couples.

My part timers were quite often over 65 or retired these people would come in to see if they were needed just to make sure everyone was coping, if something needed doing to help their mates out they did not ask they just got stuck in, they refused to accept any payment for the time they had spent outside their normal hours, they were helping their friends. I must admit I would always buy them something be it pipe tabaco or a bit of meat for their Sunday lunch, they would protest but they knew I would win the argument, so gave in with a Thank you.

I know it was a bit un-PC but it worked for my guys.

Re: Paternity Pay

They have a thing over here Aerolor called a 'Parental leave'. The Mother and Father can apply for 2 weeks leave, but the employer is not bound to it by law, and they are not compelled to pay the 2 weeks wages either, although I believe most of them do.

Re: Paternity Pay

They are more generous in England Jemflux, but I think it is relatively recently that paternity leave (2 weeks paid) came into being over here.
The maternity leave here is more generous as well, but it is not the employer that pays it it is the taxpayer.
I know it is very difficult with women of "child bearing" age breeding like rabbits and my NHS job seemed to just be the endless round of trying to fill temporary maternity leave posts in what was a female dominated workplace. However, don't forget that the babies in turn grow up to be adults who will join the workforce and be useful members of society (hopefully funding our old age pensions for us).
It's worth accommodating women and supporting them while they provide future generations of workers. These days nearly all women come back to work and it is certainly better than in my day when women were expected to leave their job (with only a small government maternity allowance) and the prospect of seriously compromising their career. Why should women have to do that? I was lucky, I was a qualified engineering draughtswoman in those days and my then employer delivered my drawing board home for me so I worked freelance for a while, only going into work once a month, but that was the exception rather than the rule. I was so grateful to that benign, considerate yet very successful private male dominated organisation and I repaid them with loyalty and conscientious work. So it can work and there are ways round things - if there is the mutual will.

I would suggest to AB's friend that maybe the "pregnant male employee" could work part-time or work from home (if possible) until his unpaid paternity leave is over.