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Source: Shutterstock / 2288229907 Hadayeva Sviatlana 

Employee Benefits poll: More than two-fifths (43%) have enhanced parental leave and pay rates, according to a survey of Employee Benefit readers.

Meanwhile, three in 10 (30%) respondents said that in terms of parental leave and pay rates, their organisation has its own rates of pay and leave above the statutory requirements, while just over a quarter (27%) have the statutory rates in place.

Last year, Employee Benefits reported that global real estate firm Knight Frank, property platform Zoopla and investment manager Baillie Gifford were named among the UK employers that offer some of the best parental leave packages.

To create the list, Nugget Savings analysed more than 800 organisations’ parental leave packages, submitted by over 200,000 parents-to-be who are current or past employees.

Baillie Gifford was ranked in first place because it offers 26 weeks at 100% of an employee’s basic salary and 13 weeks at 50% for those taking maternity and paternity leave, from day one of employment.

Knight Frank was rated second because it provides 26 weeks of parental leave for both mothers and fathers at 100% full pay, offering up to 52 weeks in total. Zoopla ranked third because it offers a year off for mothers with six months of full pay, three months of half pay and three months of no pay, as well as eight weeks of full pay and four weeks of half pay for fathers.

Katie Guild, co-founder of Nugget Savings, said: “This list was created to show workers that there are organisations that offer benefits for parents. We wanted to highlight those offering great packages for both parents, parents who are struggling to conceive, and parents who are going through baby loss. What we noticed is that not only are the parental leave packages incredible, but many are also championing work-life balance and female leadership, which is fantastic to see and invaluable for working mothers.”