Paternity in whisky: Why fair leave is good for everybody
From two weeks to six months, zero pay to full pay, paternity leave around the world differs hugely. In less generous countries, whisky companies are working to make becoming a father a less anxious experience – and the benefits extend to other people too.
On Tuesday 1 July, ministers in the UK launched what could be a landmark review of parental pay and leave, acknowledging that the current system is failing young families. Paternity leave in particular has been a hot topic in the UK in particular in recent weeks with strikes happening across London and Edinburgh calling for better policies from the government. “We are woefully behind on putting family at the top of a priorities list,” says Alex Wolpert, founder of East London Liquor Company, “which means we have a culture of burnout, mid-life crisis and work dissatisfaction."
Paternity leave and pay differs drastically around the globe. In the UK, two weeks leave with statutory pay is one of the worst in the developed world (and nothing for freelancers and zero hour contractors), while in the US, federal law gives 12 weeks – completely unpaid. Elsewhere, the landscape looks a lot brighter: Spain increased its paternity leave by double in 2021 to 16 weeks to match maternity; France doubled theirs in 2020 to four weeks; and in Denmark, dads (including those who are self-employed) can take 24 weeks fully paid by the state, with 13 of those being transferable to their partner. How long one has worked for a company can also impact what kind of leave they are eligible for.
When it comes to same-sex couples, rights vary based on circumstances. According to Slater + Gordon in the UK, couples who apply for a parental order in the case of surrogacy, are entitled to surrogacy leave. To apply for a parental order, one of the partners must be biologically related to the baby, and the application must be made by two people.
Couples adopting a child are also entitled to shared adoption leave. One of the two people will be named as the ‘primary adopter’ and are entitled to 52 weeks’ statutory adoption leave (the first six weeks at 90% pay, converting to £172.48 for the remaining time). If the primary adopter returns to work before the end of their adoption leave, the rest of the leave can be shared between the two adopting parents.
“We are woefully behind on putting family at the top of a priorities list.”
In the last two months, two controversial articles have been published in national newspapers deriding the idea of longer paternity leave: ‘Please don’t give my husband longer paternity leave’ writes Tilly Macdonald in The Spectator, while Celia Walden’s ‘Six months’ paternity leave is ridiculous – what are men actually going to be doing?’ in The Telegraph caused considerable consternation.
Campaigners are working around the world to secure more paternity leave and pay as they realise the benefits: from The Dad Shift in the UK which also campaigns for sole traders; to Pregnant Then Screwed which is calling for six weeks paid paternity at 90% when women go back to work to help close the gender pay gap (studies in Sweden have found that in heterosexual relationships, each additional month of paid parental leave taken by the father increases the mother’s earnings by 6.72%); while Change.org has launched a petition in the USA to raise awareness.
But there are signs that poor paternity leave policies are putting serious pressure on women in the workforce. A report carried out by McKinsey and LeanIn.org, ‘Women in the workplace’, showed that more than one in four women in the United States are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce entirely. And after interviewing 130 new fathers and their partners about extended paternity leave, they found it to be a resoundingly positive experience.
In the OurWhisky Foundation ‘Do you even like whisky?’ report, women expressed concerns and shortcomings when it comes to parental support, with 70% aged 25-30 concerned about the impact parenthood would have on their careers, and 39% of respondents believing their company’s parental policies are supportive enough (and 34% not sure what their policies are).
So, how does the whisky industry stack up when it comes to offering new fathers equal or extended leave?
Ministers in the UK are reviewing parental leave and pay amid campaigners calling for fairer policies.
Winning formula
Some companies, big and small, are thankfully going the extra mile. In 2023, Diageo updated its parental leave policies to 52 weeks in most of its markets, fully paid up to 26 weeks. “I think we have an enviable policy and I’m pretty proud to be working here,” says Dafydd Pugh Williams, managing director of Scotland brand homes. “It isn’t just the policy itself, it’s also the supportive culture that wraps around it, with a real emphasis and expectation that people should feel able and willing to use it. When I had my girl two years ago, I wasn’t nervous at all, it was highly encouraged.”
For such a large company, this comes at a considerable cost - a cost that others are also shouldering in order to give their teams more leave. East London Liquor Company offers shared parental leave with 12 weeks total at full pay. “The government is pathetic and leaves businesses to shoulder a majority of the support,” explains Wolpert who sees the knock on effect of bad paternity leave in the UK.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s the woman who takes the hit when it comes to career development and pay and there is no real meaningful government support through childcare or any other social incentives… As an employer, you can see it requires time, effort and money.” When sales manager Dominic Tumelty took his paternity leave, he didn’t expect such a generous policy, which didn’t finish when he returned to work either. “When I came back people were really supportive.”
Studies have shown that each additional month of paid parental leave taken by the father increases the mother’s earnings by 6.72%.
When Ciaran Russell was interviewing for new roles, he was facing having to have early conversations with future employers that he and his partner were expecting a baby in a matter of months. In Woven Whisky though, he found an impressively flexible new employer. He started his new role as operations manager at the end of July and his son was born on 5 September – founders Pete Allison, Duncan McRae and Nick Ravenhall offered him a month off at full pay.
“I was encouraged to fully switch off, take the time and have a phased return to work,” he explains about the policy. “There was never any discussion of making sure something was done before I went, or leaving a solid handover. I was still learning the ropes of the role, and they were very much of the mind that there was ‘nothing more business critical than being there for the birth of your son’.”
Sadly, there is still no solution for freelancers or contractors - of which there are many in the whisky industry, from PRs to journalists, consultants and even contract distillers. Perhaps associations can work with companies to help provide some of the shortfall. Or clients can offer contracts that help postpone retainer work while continuing to pay their contractors.
Beyond benefits
The positives of longer paternity leave don’t just mean more time for new fathers with their children, although that is obviously a central factor. “Getting to spend those extra two weeks with him gave us an extra sense of bond,” says Russell of his time with his newborn son. “For the first three weeks, he was completely uninterested in me, then at week four he looked up at me and smiled. I wouldn’t have gotten that if I’d been back at work.”
“it’s the woman who takes the hit when it comes to career development and pay and there is no real meaningful government support through childcare or any other social incentives.”
McKinsey’s report found that 90% noticed an improvement in the relationship with their partner. Indeed, supporting their partners was the other main benefit cited for extended leave. “The support I can give my wife by taking this time off gives flexibility for her to have more choice to manage her career,” says Williams. “That’s at the heart of this policy.” As well as giving more flexibility for women in terms of their own careers, extended paternity leave is also attributed to helping reduce the risk of post-natal maternal depression, establish foundations for household tasks and expectations, and is instrumental in establishing family dynamics.
Kalle Valkonen, co-founder and master distiller at Kyrö Distillery, also saw the benefits it has professionally (Finland offers 320 days of shared parental leave) when he took paternity leave in 2021. “It can be really beneficial to have a complete break and come back full of energy. As an entrepreneur, we sometimes feel irreplaceable, but it proved that not everything stops when I’m away, so in that sense it was good for myself mentally.”
Furthering opportunites: Whisky businesses who offer extended paternity leave have seen it open doors for others to gain experience.
Williams sees it as an extra opportunity for people who are more junior in the team. “If I was to go off again, it would give someone else the chance to do my role for six months, so I think the opportunity is there for people looking to prove themselves in different roles.” Anyone worrying about career progression can take heed that all the interviewees in this article went back to their role, with Williams even being promoted into his role on returning to work: “In many ways it hasn’t slowed down my career at all, it enables you to continue the pace of your ambition.” (McKinsey found only 20% of participants in their survey felt anxious about job security.)
Wolpert also sees it as an opportunity for teams to bond. “I think it allows a team to pull together and make them realise how much work someone is doing. It makes the team up their game a bit, just from an operational perspective.”
Baby steps
Implementing extended paternity leave does take work, and sometimes negotiations are needed when it comes to myriad roles in the whisky industry and the realities of what some companies can feasibly offer. “It is always negotiable and needs to be aligned with projects,” explains Valkonen of how Kyro works with soon-to-be fathers. “We are a small company so it isn’t so easy to always transfer all of their responsibilities - it is always case-by-case.”
How can businesses start thinking about writing or changing their policies? “Talk to your team, talk to other businesses, pick up the phone to people who have had good or bad experiences,” says Wolpert. “If you’re a small indie business, it’s got to work for both parties.” Tumelty also warns that paternity policies tell you a lot about the business you work or want to work for: “Interrogate the policies around paternity leave and see if it fits with the ethos of the business. If those two things don’t match up, that’s a problem.”
Most notably, Wolpert thinks the language we use around paternity leave is crucial: “I wouldn’t even call our pat leave generous - I would call it fair.”
DISCOVER MORE FROM THE CUT
