Behind a shut door on the upper level of a family home, someone laughs while on a two-hour long Skype call with work colleagues. In the living room are two children playing a video game on an Xbox. Sat at a messy dining table in the corner of the room is the children’s other parent,
“You cannot put a price on family wellbeing.” You could be forgiven for thinking that’s an inspirational quote I’ve ripped from a dodgy Instagram account. In fact it’s a direct quote from Anthony Fitzpatrick, who is Employee Relations and Global Employment Policy Lead at insurance giant Aviva. He was speaking at the launch of something
I think 2019 is the year that Shared Parental Leave (SPL) properly arrived in the UK. Various large employers such as Volvo, British Land and Aviva have made very public statements and taken actions supporting the policy and before stepping down as PM, Theresa May announced a consultation looking at ways to improve SPL. Added
During 2019 I have noticed a very positive change when it comes to public discussion about Shared Parental Leave. More men are talking about it, there is a campaign to extend it to the self-employed and companies such as Volvo and Aviva have improved their paternity policies so that more men can take the leave.
Many years ago, I left the world of full-time work. I initially took a job working part-time but eventually I gave that up also. The reason I left the workforce was because I simply didn’t feel I had the flexible employment that allowed me to balance work and family life. A report published today shows
