One in six employees  are not taking full parental leave when having a child, according to new study by global HR and payroll company Remote.  They surveyed 6,252 employees and business owners across 11 markets to investigate inclusive parental policies around the world. One in three men (32%) are hesitant to take their full parental […]

One in seven of the 1,518 polled have already left a job due to poor perks at a time when they needed help the most. While a further two thirds are prepared to switch careers if the leave and pay schemes don’t improve for new mums and dads. And one third believe British businesses desperately […]

Women make up nearly half of the total labour force in several countries and spend nearly twice as much time on unpaid labour (like childcare and housework) than their male counterparts. The trend towards longer parental leave is helping to address this inequality, but it’s worth noting that maternity leave still varies widely from country to country. […]

Denmark is the best country for work-life balance, new research has revealed. Software provider Vantage Technologies has calculated the amount of time people across the world spend working, using OECD data on weekly working hours and government paid holiday policies. The results reveal that Danish residents work 34 days less than the average UK worker. Working from home […]

Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have stalled employment law changes in recent years, but some of these could be resurrected in 2021. To help employers prepare and avoid any surprises, XpertHR has outlined seven proposed employment law changes that HR professionals should have on their radar: Strengthening workplace sexual harassment laws Following the #MeToo movement, the government […]

Nearly a quarter of new mums say the workplace is “completely different”when they return to work. A study of 1,000 mothers who have gone back to work after having a baby found 31 per cent found it harder than they expected to return to their job after an average of 10 months maternity leave. And almost […]

By Paul Guess, CABA Shared Parental Leave (SPL) was introduced in April 2015. When asked about it, the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg explained, ‘more and more fathers want to play a hands-on role with their young children, but too many feel that they can’t.’ The SPL scheme was a way to give more ‘choice’ […]

Estonia, Croatia, and Bulgaria all offer more maternity leave than the UK, though our statutory offer sits high on the list when comparing worldwide. According to research from Red Letter Days, the UK is 4th on the list for the country that offers the most maternity leave in weeks for new mums. Women in the […]

Despite parents being protected from unfair treatment during pregnancy and maternity or paternity leave by The Equality Act 2010, many employers may be flouting the law.  According to research from Direct Line Life Insurance, in the last 12 months more than two thirds (71 per cent) of employment law professionals reported an increase in disputes where […]

The Women and Equalities Committee has published its submission to the Government’s consultation on pregnancy and maternity discrimination protections. In it, the Committee calls for an end to what it calls ‘shocking stories of workplace discrimination and of the emotional, physical and financial impact on women’. In August 2016, the Committee published a major report […]

With studies showing that as many working women have children, as those who don’t, it is clear that a large percentage of women are juggling careers with motherhood. And recent research from Catalyst shows women account for 40 per cent or more of the total labour force in several countries, making flexible working hours, extended maternal leave, […]

Attitudes to maternity leave can have an enormous affect on return to work success, new research has found. Dublin City University (DCU) Business School discovered that how a mother’s time away is viewed by a line manager and the company as a whole is critical in determining their return success. Businesses that view maternity leave […]

Gender equality firm Mum’s Enterprise has launched its report ‘From Career Woman to Working Mum’ to coincide with Maternal Mental Heal Awareness Week 2018. This is the first initiative launched as part of the company’s ‘Happiness Project’, which it says is dedicated to supporting a happier nation. The report has been collated drawing on insight of over 1,000 mums […]

UK mothers get one of the lowest amounts of decently-paid maternity leave in Europe, according to new TUC analysis published today ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday (26 March). The UK ranks 22 out of 24 among European countries that offer statutory maternity leave. While mums in the UK only get six weeks’ decently-paid maternity […]

One of the biggest fears many first-time mothers have is how taking time out to have a child will affect their career. The good news is it doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are seven tips from Sage Singleton of DailyWorth to make your transition back to work after maternity leave easier. 1 Develop a […]

New mothers don’t just need employment protection while on maternity leave; they also need support to transition back into work, according to diversity consultancy The Clear Company. In light of recent reports from The Women and Equalities Committee and calls from MPs to address the discrimination pregnant women and new mothers face at work, The […]

Back in March, the Government released a report that found pregnant women face harassment at work. Now Citizens Advice says the number of women seeking help on pregnancy and maternity issues is on the rise, with some new mums reporting being put on zero-hours contracts or forced out of their jobs. The charity says there […]

According to research commissioned by the government, three quarters of pregnant women and new mothers have experienced discrimination at work, with one in nine losing their job as a result. The Guardian reports that the research found there has been a huge spike in pregnancy discrimination since 2005, when only 45% of women said they […]