Fathers rights in the workplace
A brief guide to the most important employment rights for fathers working in the UK.
Paternity Leave
New fathers in the UK are entitled to two weeks of Statutory Paid Paternity Leave. A comprehensive guide to this leave is available on this site - click on the link on the right (under "Policy"). A guide to paternity leave from the Department for Trade and Industry is available at the bottom of this page, as is a form that fathers can use to apply to their employer for paternity leave.
Parental Leave
All fathers are entitled to 13 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child (or 18 weeks per child entitled to a disability living allowance). The leave must be taken before the child's 5th birthday (or 18th birthdady for disabled children). A document setting out this entitlement can be downloaded in pdf format from the bottom of this page.
Time off for dependents
Fathers have the right to take unpaid time off work to deal with an emergency involving someone who depends on them. They cannot be penalised by their employer for taking the time off, providing the reasons for taking it are genuine. This leave covers partners going into labour (NB Paternity leave does not start until the baby is born - expectant fathers can take Time off for dependents to attend the birth - this is to ensure that fathers are not forced to take paternity leave if their partner experiences a false labour). A guide to this right is contained in a document at the bottom of this page.
Flexible Working
Fathers of children under 6 or disabled chidren under 18 have a legal right to request flexible working arrangements from their employer. This can include home working, part time hours, flexi-time, annualised or compressed hours or any other flexible working option. Employers have a legal duty to seriously consider such requests, and may only decline a request on the basis of a business case.
A guide to this right is published by the Department of Trade and Industry, and can be downloaded in pdf format by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.
Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2005
