Several firms to offer 4 weeks of paternity leave, suggest further moves to benefit dads

SINGAPORE: Despite concerns over the tight labour market, most companies CNA spoke to said they will double Government-paid paternity leave for their employees from two weeks to four weeks – in line with the Budget 2023 announcement on Tuesday (Feb 14).

Some also said they already provide flexible work arrangements so that their employees can better balance family and professional commitments.

The increase in paternity leave will apply to fathers of Singaporean children born from Jan 1, 2024.

Employers can choose to grant the additional two weeks of leave on a voluntary basis and will be reimbursed by the Government, with the scheme to be made mandatory in due course, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in his Budget speech.

Mr Wong also announced that unpaid infant care leave, which can be taken in the child’s first two years, will be doubled from six to 12 days per parent per year from 2024.

The public service will take the lead to increase paid paternity leave. It already allows public officers to take up to four weeks of additional unpaid infant care leave, said a Public Service Division spokesperson in response to CNA’s queries.

Dr Robert Yap, president of the Singapore National Employers Federation, said that any enhancements to parental leave provisions should be “balanced with employers’ manpower and operational needs”.

“Taking a phased approach to the new parental leave provisions … would allow both employers and working parents time to adjust to the additional leave and make leave arrangements accordingly, subject to work exigencies,” he noted.

In his Budget speech, Mr Wong said that increasing government-paid paternity leave on a voluntary basis would give employers more time to adjust, especially considering the existing economic conditions as well as manpower and operational challenges.

Mr Wong further noted that take-up rates of Government-paid paternity leave were low when it was first introduced a decade ago. Today, more than half of fathers take it.

"With the doubling of paternity leave, I hope the message is clear: We want paternal involvement to be the norm in our society, and we will stand behind all our fathers who want to play a bigger role in raising our children," he said.

Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, said it is important for businesses to support their country’s national policy, especially since the Government is paying for the additional paternity leave.

He added: “For enterprises to support this, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.

“From SMEs’ perspective, they tend to be family-centric with their HR policy, and give and take here and there to make that time.”

Ms Anna Low, head of personal tax and global mobility services at KPMG in Singapore, said that the extent to which employers take up the scheme will be influenced by developments in the talent market as well as economic circumstances.

She added: "The Government can also consider how to progressively introduce the paternity leave scheme, for example, first to mid- to large-cap companies that may have more manpower resources than smaller entities."

WHAT SMALL FIRMS SAY

Mr KC Kwa, chief executive officer of HR software firm JustLogin, said that it will begin offering four paid weeks of paternity leave to employees from next year.

“We understand some companies may face challenges in implementing this policy from the start, in the context of the tight labour situation today,” he added.

“However, since it can be taken flexibly over 12 months, it should be acceptable to most SMEs given that the salary cost will be reimbursed by the Government.”

Mr Kwa said that as an HR software solution provider, his firm will also help its customers to adopt the new guidelines when they are ready to do so.

Training provider APACSMA said that on top of additional paternity leave, the Government should encourage and incentivise companies to adopt work-from-home and hybrid arrangements – something that the firm offers to its employees.

This will allow fathers to spend more time with their children and support their families, said its founder and CEO Zeenath Kuraisha.

"We follow the Ministry of Manpower's stipulated rules regarding paternity leave regulations. The increase in paternity leave will be very helpful for fathers to not only support their wives but also allow more time to bond with their children," she added.

WHAT LARGER COMPANIES SAY

Larger firms told CNA that they have already gone beyond the current Government-mandated two weeks of paid paternity leave.

Insurer Prudential has provided its employees with three weeks of paid paternity leave since 2017. Female employees are also eligible for 24 weeks of paid maternity leave, more than the mandated 16 weeks.

The company will begin providing four weeks of paid paternity leave from next year onwards, said its chief human resources officer Sheela Parakkal.

“We recognise that fathers are playing a bigger role in child-raising and are keen to use their paternity leave to bond with their child,” she added.

Similarly, multinational technology firm Cisco has given its employees four weeks of paid paternity leave since before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. It also provides grandparents with three days of paid time off for each grandchild born.

Mr Andy Lee, managing director of Cisco Singapore and Brunei, said: "These policies are a part of our commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion and supporting families of all types throughout all journeys."

Global law firm Linklaters – which is headquartered in London and has an office in Singapore – said that since May 1, 2021, its employees who are primary caregivers of children are entitled to up to 26 weeks of paid leave.

New parents who are not the primary caregivers can get up to four weeks of paid leave.

“These benefits apply to all our staff in the region, regardless of their gender, nationality or marital status,” said Ms Laure de Panafieu, head of employment and incentives at Linklaters Asia.

Allowing fathers of non-Singaporean children to take paternity leave would be a further welcome change, she added.