It’s done! The dad vacation is here!

The Swiss electorate voted on paternity leave on September 27, 2020: Two-week paternity leave was accepted with 60.3% – a clear sign from the population! New parents can benefit from paid vacation as early as January 1, 2021.

Paternity leave is covered by the income compensation assurance (EO) through all Swiss people. For this reason, the wage deduction increases slightly by 0.05 % of 0.45 % to 0.50 %. As with maternity leave, 80% of wages are paid through the income compensation assurance.

A small step in the right direction THANK YOU SWITZERLAND!

You can find everything you need to know about paternity leave in our blog post below.

Financing

As already mentioned in the introductory section, the estimated annual costs of around 250 million are financed through the income compensation insurance. The previous wage deduction of 0.45% will be increased to 0.5%.

We make an example: With a gross wage of CHF 6,000 per month, the deduction increases from CHF 27 to CHF 30 per month.

Image source: Pexels.com / Anna Shvets

How much wages will I get during the two weeks?

Paternity leave is handled in the same way as maternity leave. This means: You will receive 80% of your usual wages during the two weeks of paternity leave.

There are of course many companies that continue to pay their employees full wages during parental leave. The best thing to do is to find out more by asking your employer.

In summary, this means:

1. For the two weeks will you v on the EO 80% of your usual monthly wage (calculated over the two weeks) remunerated
2. Find out more from your employer at an early stage how the remuneration is handled. As parents, this is the best way to prepare financially for the first month. Please don’t forget: In the first month, the additional expenses for the baby are above average.
3. After your baby is born you have to give your employer the Birth certificate as proof forward for the responsible compensation office. You will receive this from the registry office of the canton in which your child was born.

What can I expect as a fresh father?

First of all, the most important thing: It is not the typical vacation that you are used to. The nights will be short – very short. Your newborn is hungry every 2-3 hours and needs to be fed accordingly. Mum is often still very exhausted from the birth – so now is the time for you to prove yourself as a dad for the first time.

You will be a little insecure at the beginning, fearful of doing something wrong with every movement. But that’s completely normal – your baby has to get to know you first.

Errands

The mother will most likely spend the first two to three days after the birth to check and monitor the baby in the hospital. Talk to mom about whether you can take care of important errands. We think there on puerperium pads, changing pads, diapers, almond oil.

Lots of new things: Fears, feelings, challenges

The best thing about becoming a father are the indescribably beautiful feelings that await you when you hold your baby in your arms for the first time. I can guarantee you: You have never experienced anything like this before. And among us fathers: Shedding a tear is allowed and not a sign of weakness at all.

After a very short time you will notice that a new phase of life has started immediately. You have to cut back on your own needs and be there for your child, your wife and your family. It is not always easy to deal with it overnight. But don’t put yourself under pressure. In the first few days you will be supported by a midwife at home. She will give you a lot of helpful tips. That gives you additional security!

The midwife will show you how to change the baby, how to lift the baby or what amount of breast milk is ideal for your baby. Of course, she also checks the weight every day to make sure that everything is okay with the baby.

Of course, she also supports the mother in breastfeeding. It’s not always easy at first: The baby falls asleep while breastfeeding, misses the breast, and then starts screaming in despair. It is also possible that breast milk production is not sufficient at the beginning. But as a mother, you shouldn’t stress yourself at all in this situation – it’s just counterproductive for production.

If you decide to feed your baby by bottle, we can really recommend our products. He will make sure that your early days will be a little more relaxed.