Employers and working mums have joined together in slamming coalition government proposals to cut default maternity leave from 26 to 18 weeks in order to share the remaining entitlement between both partners.
Legislative changes to maternity and paternity leave, which are expected to be announced in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday 9 May, were greeted with dismay by employer members of work-life balance charity, Working Families.
Nine of the 11 organisations that it questioned, which together employ more than 300,000 workers, expressed concern that the proposed changes could lead to higher rates of absenteeism among women returning to work before they were ready.
Other worries related to the cost of rearranging leave cover if plans changed and the negative impact of the policy on retaining women in the workplace.
Working Families’ chief executive Sarah Jackson said: “This isn’t just about what women want – some of our top employers are warning of hidden costs to business if women come back too soon. We urge the government to think again: 18 weeks of maternity leave is simply too short for women’s wellbeing and for business success.”
Working Families has now sent its briefing on employer views to minister Norman Lamb, while 17 members of its Working Parents Group, which include Citizens Advice and the Mothers Union, have also sent a letter to others urging them to rethink the policy because of the harm it could do to workplace equality.
A survey undertaken among 1,506 women by online parenting organisation, www.netmums.com, meanwhile, also revealed that three out of five felt that, if the changes did go through, it would be tricky to ask for more time off than the proposed 18 weeks. Just under a quarter expected their employer to demand that they return within that timeframe.
About 17% said that their partner would be keen to take shared leave, but 28% believed that it was unlikely to happen, while 41% pointed out that the family could not afford for dad to take time off.
Just under three quarters of the mums questioned also indicated that they had taken at least 26 weeks of maternity leave, but only 28% said that they were ready to return to work when they did and 49% said that their babies were still not sleeping through the night when they went back.
