Paternity leave increased to 3 months with full pay at Save the Children U.K.

Save the Children U.K. has increased its paternity leave from two weeks to three months with full pay.

In the new policy, all employees in the United Kingdom; regardless of gender, are entitled to the same leave including those with adopted children.

“The government provides Statutory Paternity Pay for a maximum of two weeks, at a flat rate of £148.68 (Ksh. 19,562) per week or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings, whichever is less,” Civil Society news said.

According to Save the Children Chief Executive Kevin Watkins, increasing the leave available for parents is good for their health, child development and gender equality.

He said implementing the new policy ensures that the firm supports their workforce by promoting ethnic and social inclusion.

According to Laura Louise-Fairley, the firm’s Accountability Manager, parents want to be present in their children’s first months after birth.

She was delighted that the organization she worked for had taken the step to allowing both fathers and mothers to have ‘equal parenthood.’

Save the Children will backdate this policy to October 1, 2019, all employees who qualified for the benefits at the time will be entitled.

In Kenya, the law provides for two weeks paternity leave for male employees who are new dads while employed mothers get three months with full pay.

East African Breweries Limited however extended this to four weeks paternity and six months maternity leave for new dads and mums respectively.