In 2022, the EU published new guidelines to create a consistent framework and help young families juggle the demands of work and home. The guidelines state that fathers in all member states are entitled to at least ten days of paid “paternity leave” after the birth of a child.
Although Germany’s government pledged in its most recent coalition agreement to comply with the new guidelines, implementation is still pending. According to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, the aim is to grant fathers two weeks’ paid leave after the birth of a child. This leave – which can be taken by the father or the second parent, and lasts for at least ten days after the birth of the child – will be anchored in the Maternity Protection Act, and the father or partner will continue to receive their full salary during this leave.
Fathers can already opt to take joint parental leave – and DEBATIN encourages them to do so!
At present, fathers (and fathers-to-be) can already opt to take some parenting time alongside their partner as “joint parental leave”. In total, employees in Germany can take up to three years parental leave. During the first year, they receive a monthly “parental allowance”. If both parents share the parental leave, the parental allowance is paid out for up to 14 months. Further, there’s a “Plus” option that pays out for 28 months.
Here at DEBATIN, creating a healthy, family-friendly work/life balance has been one of our key objectives for many years. So it will come as no surprise to hear that we strongly encourage prospective dads in our DEBATEAM to take paternity leave, and make very sure they know all their options when it comes to parental leave and how to apply for it.
All fathers who take paternity leave say it’s a wonderful time that no dad should miss!
We believe it’s very important to maintain a healthy balance between work and family life. One aspect in this context is making sure new fathers are able to take paternity leave – not only to support their wife or partner, but also to bond properly with their baby.
Not all fathers make use of this option, but one thing is sure: any dad at DEBATIN who decides to take paternity leave or joint parental leave can count on our full support – regardless of their work area or job role! Our data indicates that employees in production departments request and take the same amount of paternal leave as our office staff.
“Some of the dads in our workforce take one month of parental leave early on, and a second month a little later. But we also have dads who opt for four months of parental leave,” says HR officer Anja Westendorf. The important thing is to set the wheels in motion sufficiently in advance. Although all employees are entitled to take leave for the birth and also afterwards, certain preparations need to be made if they plan to take extended parental leave. Planning and arranging cover for their everyday workload, for example.
Whenever we ask the dads on our workforce whether they’ve enjoyed their paternity leave, we invariably get the same response – it was a wonderful time with never-to-be-forgotten moments, and a time no dad should miss out on!
Throughout, we’ve only talked about paternity leave for fathers, and the fact is that we’ve not yet had any applications from same-sex couples. However, it goes without saying that the same parental leave framework applies to all couples, whether heterosexual or homosexual!
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