Aviva offer all new parents in the UK 12 months’ parental leave

We’re proud to offer all our new parents in the UK 12 months’ parental leave, with six months at full basic pay.

Here new dad Dave talks about the benefits of having parental leave when his daughter Lexi came along.

“I made the most of the parental leave policy here at Aviva and had 7.5 months off after my daughter Lexi was born last October. I cannot put a value on how great that time together as a family was! In the early months, there were days where I could not have imagined leaving Nic on her own for the day (and I would not have added any value in the office!). Being able to tag team at home made all the difference.

Aside from making the tough times a lot easier, it also allowed me to build up a really strong bond with Lexi which I would not have been able to do as well otherwise. It’s also helped strengthen my relationship with Nic, having spent so much extra time together. I also have a much better understanding of what looking after a baby involves than the dads I know who had the standard two weeks (which means I’m the dad who gets complained about least in the girls’ WhatsApp group – so Nic tells me!). We are very lucky at Aviva to have such a progressive parental leave policy!

I found the return to work relatively smooth as I had a really supportive team and line manager but it was definitely a big change! As a coach in training, I have seen the value coaching can add and think the new offering to support parents will add a huge amount of value and make the whole experience smoother for all involved.”

Thanks Dave for sharing your story.

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