paternity leave in the UAE

Only a few companies in the UAE provide paternity leave benefit, others don't. Why?




It's a debate alright. An ongoing one at that. The subject of paternity leave or employee benefit given to the father to take care of his infant, continues to moot the need for acceptance at a policy level in the UAE.



The advantages of this form of leave have set their own track record in Western countries. In the Middle East though, paternity leave is believed to be a blind spot. Mandeep Singh, Director - HR Advisory, Grant Thornton UAE, told Gulf News, "There is merit in a prescribed paternity leave policy under the country's labour law. However it isn't common practice in the UAE."



Singh, who has worked on policies and procedures, talent management and reward mechanisms for several clients, explained that the policy for paternity leave is in place in large, local companies and MNC's operating in the UAE and other GCC countries.






"In Qatar for instance, some companies limit the paternity leave policy to three children, some do not have a limit. In my experience, more and more UAE organisations are open to introducing employee-friendly policies like that of paternity leave."