Earlier this year, the EU agreed on a directive that would grant men 10 days of paid paternity leave. Such an incentive would see paternity leave increase ten-fold from the current 1 day allowance. Whilst no discussion has taken place in Malta on how and when this new directive would be adopted, it is a well-known reality that family friendly measures are often taken up by women more than men and that men may feel a certain stigma to take time off for family responsibilities, especially if this is unpaid. At CSB we believe that this is a move in the right direction because it recognises both the needs of fathers to spend time with their newly born children as well as legitimises the absence of men from the workplace to be with their family during such a precious but often difficult period.
CSB is a family run business with employees being part of the extended family. We place a high value on caring for family members and this comes across in the genuine understanding attitude from management and the flexibility we give members of staff to meet their responsibilities at home – be it with children, aging parents or sick family members. Adopting the 10 day paid paternity leave as suggested by the EU directive was not a difficult decision to take and we feel it will be an added feature that will distinguish CSB Group as an employer of choice.
