Bob's blog: Firsts...

So. First blog, first marriage, and now we are expecting our first child. 2015 has been a busy year.

And 2016 is set to be quite busy too. Small matter of the birth (most likely early February), and then looking after a baby. I am currently in a pleasant state of moderate denial. The birthing process will be calm and easy, the baby will sleep through the night almost immediately, and dealing with nappies will be a breeze. I have never seen any of my friends in the slightest bit stressed looking after children... However it will me be taking six months off to look after the baby.

A few weeks after we discovered my wife was pregnant I had a coffee with a male colleague who let me know about new legislation called Shared Parental Leave (SPL), a Coalition Lib Dem policy effective from April this year, granting parents a year's leave to be split between them as required. After a little digging on my company's labyrinthine HR website I discovered I could take the time off on a normal salary for up to 26 weeks... Wow!

This 'normal' salary is at my firm's discretion. The statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) is a maximum of £139.58 a week currently. Couples cannot receive in total more than 39 weeks of ShPP.

As my wife, being self-employed, is only entitled to a statutory minimum it didn't take long for me to figure out that for me not to make full use of this policy would be very stupid. My wife works for herself in a professional consulting capacity so downing tools for an extended period would likely lose her many clients and for me to have time off to look after the baby is the most wonderful opportunity as well as making sense financially.

I work as a portfolio manager for a private bank and I am lucky to have a very supportive boss. So, following a number of involved discussions with various parties including my wife, my boss, his boss and HR, and then finally after some joyful form filling, it's all set. I now have two weeks off in February and then March to September at home however at my discretion I will be logging on for an hour or so a day and coming in to the office two or three days a month.

Telling all of my colleagues, internal, and external clients remains to be done. That will be interesting. I expect a mixture of opinions that I may or may not hear directly. However, I have already heard from one senior male, outside of my company, that looking after children is 'woman's work'...he moderated his position later though to be fair.

But this is what the government's policy is aiming to break down - the idea that somehow looking after children is more the responsibility of the female parent than the male parent. Except of course I would not be able to have the time off if I had to rely on the government's statutory level of pay. So I expect the main beneficiaries of this legislation will be the professional classes, and the legislation will not lead to widespread change.

Back to me. There will of course be some people at work and beyond who won't get it but I couldn't care less as I am soon going to have six full months to devote to our new baby. They may well be the best six months of my life.

I will write again when I am actually a Cityparent - all being well.

Bob is a portfolio manager working for a American private bank