An Office Genie survey has uncovered a huge percentage of working people are still struggling to return to work after pregnancy. The government's SPL initiative has failed to address this. The continued gender pay gap, alongside employer pressure not to take the time off, have been established as the key barriers to the scheme’s uptake and success.
The survey of 1,000 working people discovered nearly half (44%) of respondents have experienced difficulty returning to work after a pregnancy, either first or second hand.
The research highlights that the gender pay gap is the top reason only a small amount of couples have so far taken SPL. The gender pay gap sits at 9.4% for full-time employees and 18.1% for all workers: here, almost half (47%) of those surveyed believe the difference in wages between the sexes is behind the low take up of SPL.
After the gender pay gap, employer pressure not to take time off is considered the second most common reason for more couples not choosing SPL (around 30% of respondents). Earlier this year, MPs called to increase shared parental leave to help tackle the gender pay gap, but this research reveals that discrepancies in gender pay are in fact the cause of people failing to take up the scheme - highlighting a vicious cycle at play.
Sarah Sutton, Head of People Development at Genie Ventures, comments on the findings: “The pay gap can be a major issue: if you are the highest earner in the family you are far less likely to take a significant amount of time off work at Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) rates of £140.98 a week. However, I would urge all employers to promote SPL nonetheless.
“The scheme gives employees the flexibility they need, and the benefits for the employer are tangible too: there’s a reduced turnover, increased staff loyalty and engagement, and it helps to create a family friendly culture.
“Employers have a duty to support their maternity and paternity leavers during and after their leave. It’s of vital importance to include leavers in regular work communications (including promotion opportunities), set up KIT days, and offer flexible working options on their return.”
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