Singapore business leaders need to encourage use of family-friendly policies

This article was produced in partnership with Centre for Fathering

While Singapore’s current parental policies allocate two weeks of government-paid paternity leave to the father and allows him to share some of his wife’s maternity leave, only slightly more than half of new fathers utilise their paternity leave. The latest statistics from the Minister of Social and Family Development showed that only 55 percent of fathers took paternity leave in 2019¹.

Fear of using parental leave is prevalent among Singaporean fathers who are concerned that taking advantage of family-friendly workplace rules may hurt their career because childcare isn’t the traditional role of a father in Asian culture, but that is something that Centre for Fathering is advocating to change.

Research shows that children whose fathers are involved do better in nearly every aspect of their development from cognitive development and educational achievement to self-esteem and ability to socialise and manage stress.

CFF believes employers play a critical role in supporting a family-friendly workplace. “Family-friendly policies are critical because they provide working parents with the support and flexibility to reconcile family responsibilities and work demands,” said Norman Tan, Group Head, Volunteer Resource & Governance, Centre for Fathering (CFF).

“Employers must foster a culture where it is normal for men to take advantage of family-friendly policies, motivate more men to do so and support fathers' decisions to work flexibly without passing judgment and ensuring that there aren’t any negative consequences on their careers,” continued Tan.

Society's established traditional parental roles must be challenged if organisations are to develop family-friendly policies that benefit both men and women who are working parents,” Tan continued.

What is a family friendly workplace?

A family friendly company is one which questions traditional gender norms and has policies that allow working fathers the flexibility to help with childcare and home management on a daily basis. 

These companies provide and embrace initiatives such as additional childcare leave, flexible work arrangements, parenting programmes and participate in CFFs nation-wide ‘Eat With Your Family Day’ initiative to nurture a family-friendly work culture.

The “Great Companies for Dads” awards put on by CFF recognises the outstanding companies with policies and practices that support fathers and help them thrive in the workplace. Among the 2021 winners was Maha Bodhi School. A spokesperson from Maha Bodhi said, “The school understands and supports the childcare needs of fathers. For fathers who need to send their children to childcare in the morning, the school makes provisions for them to start their teaching duty slightly later.”

Family-friendly initiatives implemented by Maha Bodhi

• The last day of each term is designated Eat with Your Family Day. On that day, school leaders will ensure that all staff leave the school by 5.00pm to have dinner with family members.
• Every term, the school designates at least two Friday afternoons as Bluesky Friday. This means that no activities or programmes are organised for staff, and they are encouraged to leave school early in the afternoon to spend time with family.
• The school takes part in DADs for Life programmes by organising father-child bonding activities for pupils and staff who are fathers.

Nominations for this year’s awards are now open and organisations that encourage work-life harmony with family-centric policies that support fathers are invited to submit nominations.

Award winners will be judged based on the following criteria:

• Demonstration of innovative policies on parental and paternity leave that go beyond stipulated legislation
• Demonstration of policies benefitting Dads such as shared parenting initiatives, flexible work arrangements and Dads support network and resources
• Adoption of Centre for Fathering, DADs for Life and Families for Life initiatives and programmes such as Eat With Your Family Day and parenting workshops

Nominations close on October 31.

For more information on the awards click here.

_{1. Source: IN FOCUS: Child's play? Why many fathers don't take paternity leave and why experts say they should}