Time for paternity leave to take the back seat. Enhanced Shared Parental Pay and Leave has arrived.

Earlier this year we launched our enhanced Shared Parental Pay and Leave policy (SPL). We catch up with the first person at NewDay to take advantage of this, Scott Yule our Head of Commercial Strategy and Analytics.

What was the moment like when you found out you and your wife were expecting? How did you feel?

We had had a bit of a bumpy road getting there (Alison miscarried twice) and then had to have a lot of tests at about 12 weeks. So getting the all clear was a big moment. Alison and I have been married for about 3 years and always wanted to be parents so the excitement quickly took over.

When we launched SPL what were your initial thoughts?

It was game-changing and I couldn’t quite believe it at first to be honest. I actually went over to Damaris (our Chief People Officer) that morning to check I wasn’t misconstruing it, to say thanks, and make sure she knew how big a deal it was. Our household income is disproportionately weighted towards me so, even though we still had savings after just buying our house, it was going to be too big a financial commitment to make. Before SPL was launched we were just going to be focussed on extracting as much value out of my annual leave as possible!

Have any of your friends experienced SPL?

My best friend actually took SPL at the exact same time but he and his wife were much more adventurous! With a 9-month old and a two-year old they went to New York, Austin, Los Angeles & Sydney over the course of 2–3 months! I was just happy to get used to operating with a significantly reduced volume of sleep!

So Saoirse came along and how was it? Game changing?

It’s been pretty amazing so far, she’s been pretty easy-going in the grand scheme of babies. There’s been the initial realisation of what’s actual happened, the continual panic and worry over the first 3 months (is she breathing, is she eating, is she growing), and then once they start smiling/laughing and you can begin to see the hint of a personality come out it becomes so much fun (although I’m still scared of dropping her and wish she would sleep that little bit longer).

How did SPL work for you and your family? How long did you have off? Do you think it helped you settle as a family unit?

Including some accrued leave, it meant between April & August I was out of the office for 18 weeks.

We decided to take it together right at the start as with our families either in Scotland or Ireland, we wanted to make sure I was around as much as possible at the start to support Alison. This became even more important as she had an emergency C-section and we were in hospital for a week after, so if I’d had only two weeks, we would’ve only been at home together for a week and then I would’ve been back at work.

Reflecting back on it now, I think the biggest impact is that having had the opportunity to spend this much time with Saoirse, I’m so much more relaxed and at ease than I imagined I would be. It’s had a big impact on both of our lives as well and genuinely believe our well-being has been a major contributor in Saoirse being such a happy baby most of the time — she’s super easy with new people and went to nursery pretty early (4 and a bit months) with no issues. She seems to love the limelight/attention, which I’m trying to claim is due to her mum, not me!

I think it’s also important to note the impact it’s had within NewDay and my team. From a personal perspective, it’s really recharged my batteries after having been here for 5 years, and I feel like I’ve come back with a newfound enthusiasm and different perspective I feel like it’s had a really positive impact on my team as well — they’ve had to and become a lot more independent, which has meant we’ve been able to slip into a slightly different operating rhythm seamlessly which is leading us all to develop and have a larger impact.

What was the most amazing thing that happened during your SPL?

During SPL, the one thing I first thought about was the first time Saoirse laughed. Alison and I looked at each other as we didn’t quite know what it was. I did it again and she laughed again and this went on for the best part of the next 15 minutes. It sounds like a massive cliché, but it was just one of those moments that makes all the hard parts melt away.

What would you say to anyone thinking of applying for SPL?

Do it! You’ll only get the chance to do this once/twice generally in your life and it’s time you’ll never get back. You may worry about taking extra time off work but, it’s not as bad as you think - all those fears soon disappear.