Telegraph Media Group Ltd. slashed its paternity leave policy for UK employees down to two months from six , rowing back after its introduction three years ago.
(Bloomberg) — Telegraph Media Group Ltd. slashed its paternity leave policy for UK employees down to two months from six , rowing back after its introduction three years ago.
The organization will cut its leave for new fathers and partners in March next year after the original policy encountered “significant operational challenges,” an internal email said, according to people familiar with the matter.
The policy offering men 26 weeks of paternity leave with full pay, to match similar time off for new mothers, was launched in 2019 as part of the company’s commitment to tackling its gender pay gap. Women disproportionately taking leave after having a baby has ramifications for their careers which range from their salaries to career progression, a report by the Women’s Budget Group said.
“This revised period of paid leave continues to be competitive in the marketplace and hope will provide fathers/partners with time to spend with and support their families,” the email said. Telegraph journalists, including editors and senior reporters, have praised the media group on Twitter for offering the extended leave since its introduction and have announced their decision to take six months off from work.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed the change in an email, adding that it also announced two further policies, supporting paid dependent leave and paid fertility leave.
The UK has the least generous parental leave in Europe, according to a study of 47 countries last year. Fathers are entitled to up to two weeks of paid paternity leave in the UK, in contrast to mothers, who receive up to 52 weeks, 39 of which can be paid. Although a policy was introduced in 2015 that allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave between them, few fathers have taken it up, the study said.
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