Atom Bank Bolsters Family Support By Increasing Maternity and Paternity Leave

Atom bank, the saving and lending specialist, has today (1st October 2025) announced a significant enhancement to its maternity and paternity leave policies.

This progressive move underscores Atom’s dedication to supporting its people and fostering a flexible, family-friendly work environment. The change coincides with the digital bank’s exciting relocation from Durham to its new headquarters in The Pattern Shop, Newcastle.

The new offering, effective from day one of employment, includes:

• Maternity leave: Atom Employees will now receive six months of full pay, followed by six months of half pay.
• Paternity leave: Paternity leave pay will increase to six weeks of full pay.

These enhancements are designed to normalise caregiving for both parents, which has a significant long-term positive impact on female career progression and promotes shared parental responsibilities.

Going beyond the standard

Atom’s updated maternity leave policy is significantly more generous than the statutory entitlement and the average enhanced packages in the UK1, offering six months (26 weeks) of full pay compared to the statutory 90% for six weeks followed by a fixed rate, and the typical enhanced 12-13 weeks of full remuneration.

Similarly, Atom’s enhanced paternity leave is also a notable benefit, providing six weeks of full pay, which is exceptionally progressive and rare in the UK employment market, especially when compared to the statutory maximum of two weeks at a fixed rate and the common enhanced provision of two weeks of full pay.

A flexible working pioneer

Atom has long been a proponent of workplace flexibility, offering a hybrid working model and a revolutionary (four-day working week)[/newsroom/four-day-working-week/], which further supports employees in managing their personal and professional lives. In November 2021 Atom became the largest company at the time - and only bank - in Britain to introduce the policy for all employees, with no reduction in salary.

This commitment to flexibility, combined with the enhanced parental leave, solidifies Atom’s position as a leading employer in the North East. The introduction of these benefits also aligns with the bank’s strategic move to its new state-of-the-art office in the Pattern Shop, Newcastle, signifying a new chapter of growth and innovation while maintaining a strong focus on employee wellbeing.

Mark Mullen, CEO of Atom, said: ” We’re proud to announce these improvements to our maternity and paternity leave offering. We believe that providing robust parental leave for all, empowers our people to balance work with their family responsibilities.

“We’re in the business of fostering a more engaged and happier workforce. This, alongside our hybrid working policies, four-day working week, and our upcoming move to a state of the art building in Newcastle, underscores our dedication to flexibility and to supporting our Atom family as we continue to grow the business.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. https://www.gov.uk/. Enhanced Leave Averages: The data on enhanced leave offered by UK employers is collected and published in annual surveys and reports by reputable professional organizations. The figures provided are in line with reports from bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and other HR consultancies like KPMG. These reports analyse what a representative sample of companies actually offer beyond the legal minimum.

For Atom bank: Jen Shepherd, jen.shepherd@atombank.co.uk

About Atom bank

Atom bank is one of the UK’s highest rated banks on Trustpilot, on a mission to make the experience of borrowing and saving faster, simpler and better value than anyone else.

The bank launched operations in April 2016 as the UK’s first app based bank, and offers award-winning mortgages and savings through its app, alongside secured business lending for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Based in the North East of England with a team of over 550 people, Atom is here to ​​change banking for the good, for the better, and for everyone. This means focusing on customers’ needs, delivering better value than the incumbents, providing an exceptional app-based experience and offering award-winning customer support via phone, chat, email and social channels. The bank has some of the best customer service credentials in the UK, having achieved 5-star ratings on both the iOS and Android App Stores, and on Trustpilot, whilst consistently delivering Net Promoter Scores (NPS) in the high 80s.

Based in Newcastle, Atom is an engaged and active member of the North East community. In 2022 Atom signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with Durham University to progress key research and diversity initiatives. The region has one of the highest levels of youth unemployment in the UK and Atom is passionate about addressing the critical digital skills gap and helping develop young people and other groups that are under-represented within the industry.

As of November 2021, all employees enjoy a four-day working week, after Atom became the largest company - and only bank - in Britain to introduce the policy for all employees, with no reduction in salary. The Atom executive team are highly experienced, having built and run some of the most well-respected banks in the UK. CEO Mark Mullen has 30 years’ experience in the sector and was previously CEO at the multi- award-winning telephone and internet bank first direct. The team is supported by a strong non-exec board, chaired by Lee Rochford.