Paternity Leave Letter

 Taking time off work to care for the needs of a new baby is not just for mothers – an expectant father can often take advantage of paternity leave as well, provided his employer’s company policies allow it. The expectant father should plan to write a paternity leave letter to his employer at least 8 weeks before the desired date, communicating his request in clear terms, in order to have the best chance of getting adequate time off from work to spend with his new family.
Format and Content

The proper paternity leave letter format includes a formally written request for a specific number of weeks in order to care for a new mother and baby. It should be sent to the head of the company’s Human Resources department with plenty of time for the request to be looked over and filed. The expectant father should make all assurances of returning to work at the designated time and putting in the proper amount of effort to make up for the lost time. The letter should briefly state the expectant father’s intentions in a formal, concise writing style.
Sample

This is a paternity leave letter sample from an expectant father to his employers. He and his wife are expecting their first child and he wishes to request paternity leave in order to take care of and spend time with them after the birth. He writes a formal letter to be filed with his company’s Human Resources department 8 weeks in advance.
Dear Ms. Osedo,

As you may already be aware, my wife and I are happy to be expecting our first child, due to be born in June. I am writing this letter to request a paternity leave of 4 weeks in order to care for my family, starting 8 weeks from now on May 26, 2014, until June 23, 2014. At the end of the 4 weeks, I will return to the office and resume my work normally.

I will endeavor to complete all currently unfinished projects between now and May 26, and put forth as much effort as possible into making up for lost time when I return to the office at the end of my paternity leave. I can be reached during my leave if any clarification is needed in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to leave a message for me via telephone at (555)-555-5555 or by email at [email] and I will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

I appreciate your assistance in this matter, as a paternity leave will enable me to help my family transition into its new stage in a healthier way and allow me to be more focused on my projects when I do come back to work. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours sincerely,


John P. Jacobs

Senior Assistant