UK Retailers Lead on Paternity Leave, New Research Shows

Marks & Spencer and Tesco each give new fathers six weeks of paternity leave at full pay, according to new research that points to a widening gap between retail and sectors such as construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

Both retailers far exceed the statutory minimum of two weeks, which is paid at £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. That is less than half the national living wage. The figures were compiled by the campaign group The Dad Shift and Ian Dinwiddy of Inspiring Dads, who rank the two companies among the most generous on the FTSE 100.

M&S raised its offer from two to six weeks in 2024. Employee Joe Erskine used the policy when his second child was born 17 months ago. "Being able to take six weeks' paid paternity leave, flexibly, made a huge difference to me and my family," he said.

Ikea, Lego and Virgin Media O2, all privately owned, also offer more weeks of fully paid leave. Asda, Waitrose and Lidl have enhanced their schemes in recent years. Just five employers are responsible for upgrading parental leave for nearly 650,000 workers.

Uneven across sectors

Construction employs about one in 10 working men but accounts for only about one in 15 recipients of statutory paternity pay. Part of the reason may be that some construction workers are self-employed and have no entitlement to paid paternity leave. The same is true of many of Britain's agricultural workers.

JCB offers two weeks at full pay, up from three days. Rolls-Royce, whose workforce is more than 80% male, also offers two weeks.

Retail businesses and the shop workers' union Usdaw held a roundtable in parliament hosted by Labour MP Connor Rand, a former Usdaw researcher. He said paternity leave let him bond with his son and support his partner. "Too many dads in our country can't do this," he said.

Campaigners say the UK ranks 40th out of 43 OECD countries on paternity leave and has the least generous entitlement in Europe. More than 100 Labour MPs have called on Andy Burnham in recent weeks to commit to improving the UK's paternity leave in the upcoming budget. They warn that the lowest-paid fathers are the hardest hit by inadequate provision.

Source: The Guardian