Shared parental leave should be a 'day 1 right', according to Siemens

Shared parental leave (SPL) should be a “day one right,” according to Wendy Jepson, HR Policy & Compliance Partner at engineering company Siemens. 

Speaking on the first day of the Employee Benefits Live 2016 annual conference and exhibition, she talked about SPL, and how relatively few fathers had taken advantage of the scheme since its launch in April 2015. The challenge that many organisations have, she said, is changing the culture, particularly in male-dominated workplaces. 

Siemens, however, is doing just that. While Jepson hopes SPL will be a “day one right” one day for all working fathers in the same way as maternity leave, the company is doing its bit to encourage new dads in the interim.

“There are many societal and organisation benefits to the scheme and if you normalise a company’s culture, it’s inevitable that more men will take SPL,” she said. “We saw the new legislation as a nugget of an opportunity to make changes within our organisation.”