Singtel has announced a more family-friendly business structure in line with the latest government push for extended paternity leave within local firms
In response to the government’s call for extended paternity leave, Singtel has announced it will be giving new fathers within the organisation a total of two weeks’ leave each year.
The move applies to all married male workers of Singtel as well as its subsidiary, NCS.
In a statement released on Monday (31 August), Aileen Tan, group chief human resources officer at Singtel, highlighted the company’s commitment to its employees.
“Singtel has always been pro-family and we are pleased to deepen our commitment by including the enhanced paternity scheme in our family-friendly initiatives,” she said. “For our employees to bring their best to work, we appreciate that their needs at home should also be well taken care of."
The extended paternity leave will take retrospective effect from 1 January 2015. It can be taken within 12 months of the birth of the employee’s child, all at once or separately in accordance with the individual’s wishes.
Singtel also said it supported the government’s second initiative of raising the re-employment age to 67. Currently, the firm has eight employees aged 67 and older and re-employs 70–80% of its staff once they turn 62.
“Many of our staff feel 62 is too early to stop work. Our older colleagues have a wealth of experience that is hard to come by and we constantly provide retraining to help them stay relevant,” Tan said. “If they are healthy, productive and want to keep contributing, we are more than happy to have them in our team.”
Singtel is the second company to double its paternity leave with DBS Bank also announcing it will offer its married male employees two weeks of leave after their child is born.
"The enhanced paternity leave scheme will be a welcome addition to our suite of family-friendly programs, aimed at promoting work-life balance for our staff,” Cheong Meng Foong, group head of rewards at DBS, said. “We hope that through these, employees will have more flexibility to better balance their family needs and careers.”