What motivates employers to improve their Shared Parental Leave and pay offers?

This report uncovers and explains factors that make organisations more likely to promote or enhance Shared Parental Leave (SPL) as a way of improving gender equality in the workplace. The report seeks to explain how and why some organisations have enhanced (above statutory level) their SPL and Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) entitlements for employees. This includes what motivated them to pursue this policy, why they chose to enhance SPL if they have done so, how they have promoted and enhanced SPL, and what the outcomes have been. Interviews were conducted pre-COVID-19 with Human Resource (HR) managers and senior line managers across 11 companies and three third-sector organisations. The research aims to create a better understanding of the motivations and approaches of these companies in order to: develop a picture of best practice in this field, understand how to encourage other companies to promote and enhance SPL and identify tools and processes which would encourage fathers to take on more caring responsibilities and utilise the opportunities offered by SPL.