Current statutory paternity leave and pay in the UK is two weeks but Bouygues said it wanted to offer “a more progressive option to our colleagues”.

Human resources director Martin Schultz said: “We believe our enhanced paternity leave policy will hugely benefit new fathers and contribute to building a more inclusive workplace culture where parents are supported to achieve a healthier work/life balance.”

In a statement the company said:  “At Bouygues UK we strive for an inclusive workplace and an environment which helps our people to have the balance they need to integrate their personal and professional lives in a way that works for them. We want all our staff to feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work, be that working on site or in the office, because we understand that people perform better when they can truly be themselves.”

And it hopes new mothers will benefit too: “One of the biggest discrepancies in the gender equality gap is parenthood, with women still often automatically assumed the primary caregiver so we are proud to be championing change for a more equal future. We hope our offer will help improve the lives of our colleagues to foster stronger parent-child bonding and effectively balance their work with raising a family, regardless of gender.”

While most construction companies offer only statutory minimum parental leave, some do go further. Skanska also offers eight weeks leave for new fathers. As we have previously reported, Sir Robert McAlpine offers all new parents – men, women or other – the right to 26 weeks’ paid leave, no matter how their family grows, whether by birth, adoption or surrogacy.

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