Fathers or partners of those expecting a baby are now entitled to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave — equal to the bank’s existing maternity leave policy.

This applies for those who have had continuous service with Hodge for more than 26 weeks.

Hodge made this move to reflect its commitment to looking after staff’s wellbeing at this special time, recognising juggling work and new parenthood can be challenging for both partners.

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Matt Burton, deputy CEO at Hodge Bank, said: “As a business, we’re working towards true gender balance, which means treating parents as equal parties when it comes to raising their family. 

“If we continue down the archaic road of giving maternity leave, but just a couple of weeks paternity leave, then we reinforce the message that raising children is the job of mum, as dad is too vital to lose from the workforce. 

“Both parents need and want to play a part in raising their kids, and both parents need to be supported by their employers, so the transition out of and back into the workplace is a successful one.”

One father who has already taken advantage of the new augmented policy is Arron Rees, Hodge’s IT service management and improvement lead, who took four months off to look after his newborn baby daughter, Hazel.

“When we had Hazel, it took Nicky [Aaron’s fiancee] quite a while to recover, as she had a difficult birth — having the parental leave there was fantastic, because I had so much more time to help Nicky and also deal with Hazel while she was still feeling quite poorly. 

“I remember holding Hazel in my arms when she was two weeks old and just feeling so glad that I didn’t have to leave her and Nicky and go back to work then.

“Even now, Hodge has been really flexible with my working pattern and the hours that I work following my return. 

“I feel very fortunate to have been there for Nicky, and in being able to create that bond with Hazel.

“I really underestimated how much of a change having a baby would be, but having the extended paternity leave has made it feel more like a case of work adapting to fit our new life, rather than the other way around.”