Parental leave: from 480 Swedish days to the Italian model

Nordic managers are better prepared for parental leave than almost anyone. In Sweden each child brings 480 days of parental benefit, 390 of them at sickness-benefit level, with 90 days reserved for each parent ( Försäkringskassan ). Fathers taking months off is normal. Teams plan around it as a matter of routine.

Italy protects parenthood strongly too, but the shape is different. If you plan an Italian absence with Swedish expectations, the dates and the cost will not match.

The Italian structure  

• Maternity leave is compulsory: 5 months around the birth, paid mainly through INPS. The employee cannot waive it and the employer cannot ask her to.
• Paternity leave is 10 working days, paid, to be taken around the birth.
• Optional parental leave comes on top for both parents over the following years, partly paid.

Two consequences follow. First, the mother’s absence is predictable and fixed. Second, fathers in Italy take much shorter leave by default than Nordic fathers do. Some Italian fathers will be pleased to work for a Nordic company that encourages them to use their optional leave. Say so, and mean it.

Confirm the exact entitlements for the employee’s contract and CCNL before setting dates. Some CCNLs top up what INPS pays.

Protection from dismissal  

As in the Nordics, an employee is protected against dismissal linked to pregnancy and parental leave. In Italy the protected period is defined by law and dismissals in that period are generally void. Do not plan a reorganisation that touches the role while the person is away. The job is being covered, not filled by someone else.

The first conversation  

Let the employee lead. Ask about the expected timeline and how much contact they want during leave. Write the answer down. Keep it practical: thank them, explain that you will plan coverage, ask who handles their key tasks today, and agree a date to review the plan.

Do not ask about plans for more children or about returning. That is as unacceptable in Italy as at home.

Plan the work, not the person  

List what the employee does in a normal month and sort each task:

• Pause: can wait for their return.
• Share: colleagues can absorb small pieces.
• Cover: needs a dedicated person.

The “cover” list is usually shorter than feared.

Covering the role  

• Redistribute internally for short gaps. Adjust the goals of whoever takes on more.
• Hire a fixed-term replacement. Italian law allows a fixed-term contract to replace an employee on leave; the purpose must be clear in writing. A replacement needs a few weeks to become useful, so start early.
• Use a contractor for defined deliverables, not for the same daily work, which risks reclassification.

Through an Employer of Record (EOR), we draft the replacement contract under the same CCNL.

Budget for the overlap  

The employer’s cost for the absent employee does not always drop to zero. INPS pays most of the maternity allowance, but the employer may owe a top-up under the CCNL, and items such as the 13th month and holiday keep accruing in some situations. At the same time you pay the replacement. Ask us for a breakdown before the leave starts: what INPS pays, what you pay, what the CCNL adds, what the replacement costs.

Handover and return  

A handover is a document: recurring tasks, where files live, key contacts, open projects, decisions that need an owner. Walk through it with whoever takes over, well before the planned start, because babies do not follow plans.

For the return, agree a short catch-up before day one, a lighter first week and a check-in after a month. Italian parents have certain rights to adjusted arrangements after leave. Treat those requests as normal planning.

Common mistakes  

• Planning late.
• Getting in touch during the leave without having agreed it.
• Treating the replacement as permanent.
• Forgetting the cost until the first payroll.
• Assuming Nordic leave patterns apply.

Questions we hear from Nordic companies  

Can an Italian father take long leave as in Sweden? He can use optional parental leave on top of the paternity leave, but it is partly paid. A Nordic company can encourage it and, if it wishes, top up pay as a company benefit. We can run that through payroll.

See the leave rows in Italy vs Sweden , and model the cost of cover in the cost calculator .