Why paternity leave is a must-have benefit for dads

While employers are paying more attention to their caregivers than they have in the past, does that attention extend to working dads?

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 32% of employers offer paid paternity leave, while around 40% offer paid maternity leave. Despite the gap being just 8%, the disparity highlights a bigger problem for dads: Corporate America often does not perceive them as caregivers. Notably, Pew Research Center found that over half of dads are dissatisfied with how much time they spend with their family — two times more than moms who reported the same. 

But employers can change this through communication and leave strategies. Closing the paternal leave gap is a good place to start, and benefits both moms and dads, underlines Sadie Funk, national director of The Best Place for Working Parents. 

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"When you have both parents fully able to participate in the at-home duties, that can lessen stress for both parents overall," says Funk. "Which means you have parents who are better able to show up, be present at work, be super productive and really give you their best."

Funk stresses that paternity leave does more than give the dad time to bond with their baby (which multiple studies emphasize is essential to the child's health), but it strengthens the entire family. According to McKinsey, 100% of men were glad they took leave and would do it again, while 90% noticed an improvement in their relationship with their partner. 

From a business perspective, Funk notes that employers are far more likely to see higher productivity rates and engagement from their workforce. SHRM found that parental leave policies that included dads led to an 89% increase in productivity and a 99% boost in employee morale. On top of that, 69% of fathers would leave or change their job if it meant spending more times with their kids, according to a study by Equimundo and Dove Men+Care. 

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"Paid parental leave is just good for business," says Funk. "It's one of those key opportunities to show your employees that we see you as a full person and we want to support you."

As for what the paternal leave policy should look like, Funk admits that there isn't a magic number for how many weeks off new dads should get. UNICEF recommends six months, or 24 weeks, for both parents, but Funk encourages employers to survey their workers about what they want from their paternal leave policy specifically. 

Whatever the number, moms and dads should have the same amount of time stipulated in the benefit. While moms who gave birth may be entitled to more time off if they are using short-term disability leave, it's important that the leave policy itself doesn't have a gap in time off between moms and dads — it could send the message that dads are expected to care for their family less than moms.

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Funk also points out how crucial it is for leadership to utilize their parental leave policy. If dads don't see their managers or executives taking paternity leave for their babies, they might feel too nervous to take advantage of the benefit. In fact, 72% of men said they would have taken longer parental leave if they had seen their co-workers and leaders do it, according to the same study by Equimundo and Dove Men+Care. 

Funk invites employers to reflect on who their caregiving benefits are leaving out, and if their work culture is actually a place where those benefits can be used.

"Father's Day creates this opportunity for employers to step back and think about how they are supporting their working parents," she says. "How can we make opportunities for our business to really distinguish itself?"