The number of staff applying for Shared Parental Leave is expected to rise substantially over the next 12 months, according to a survey of Wiltshire employers.
Almost two-thirds said they expect employees to apply for time off under the law this year as it becomes better known. 
Just 36% said they did not expect any take up in 2016 – a significant reduction from the 75% who reported no take up last year.
However, the overall number of staff expected to take the leave is likely to remain very small. Some 62% of employers predict applications from less than 2% of their workforce.
The survey was staged by the employment team in the Swindon office of law firm Withy King and Royal Wootton Bassett-based Henlee Resourcing & Consulting in the run up to the first anniversary of the controversial legislation’s introduction.
Withy King employment solicitor Helen Lucas, pictured, said: “Our survey reveals that there has been a very low level of take up of Shared Parental Leave since the new laws were introduced for working parents of babies born on or after April 5, 2015. This is expected to change in 2016 as more parents become aware of their options.
“Many of the employers we surveyed complained about the complexity of the new rules, which some found ‘confusing’, as well as the large quantities of paperwork.
“They felt that a general lack of understanding on the part of both employers and employees might explain why take up in the first year has been so low.”
Henlee Resourcing managing director Lee Krawczyk-Brown added: “The survey results together with conversations we have had with both candidates and clients reveal there is still a lack of understanding on the part of both employees and employers as to what Shared Parental Leave is all about and what the options are.
“As a result, we get the impression that many employers are not promoting Shared Parental Leave as much as they could. It’s clear there is still a lot more work to be done if this scheme is to be successful in the future.”
The majority of Wiltshire businesses surveyed (77%) said applications for Shared Parental Leave were at the level they had anticipated – but 19% said take-up was even lower than they were expecting.
Some 59% thought the main reason was loss of earnings, while one in five thought cultural perception or stigma might be a factor.
Helen Lucas added: “While external factors and personal circumstances will always be the major driver, it’s clear that employers can do more to level the playing field.
“It was interesting that 30% of employers offered enhanced payments over and above the statutory requirements for normal maternity leave, but didn’t extend this to Shared Parental Leave. A disparity between the two schemes will clearly make one less attractive and in many cases, less viable.”
