SINGAPORE: Business associations and trade unions in Singapore are calling for easier work pass approvals and financial subsidies for smaller firms that may have to find temporary manpower to stand in for staff on parental leave.
Under a new shared parental care leave scheme, from Apr 1 onwards, fathers can also share an extra six weeks of leave with their wives who are working mothers.
When this scheme is fully implemented on Apr 1 next year, parents can have 30 weeks or 7.5 months of paid leave - up from the current 20 weeks.
Some businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), may face operational constraints when their employees take extended leave, said the Singapore National Employers’ Federation (SNEF) in a proposal for this year’s Budget on Feb 18.
“While the government will fund the additional leave provisions, businesses may still incur additional overheads to engage temporary replacements,” the trade union noted on its website.
SNEF recommended offering financial subsidies to help offset these costs, along with a monthly allowance for staff who take on additional responsibilities when their colleagues are on leave.
It also suggested temporary flexibility in work pass approvals, saying this could help businesses address manpower gaps and meet project deadlines without disruption.
Another suggestion from Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) president Ang Yuit was the prepayment of parental leave claims for smaller businesses, which could help them with their cash flow.
When these firms get temporary manpower to cope with the absence of their employees, there could be a handover period of two to four weeks where they are paying double for incoming and existing staff members. This may lead to money issues, said Mr Ang.
“If the claim can be paid upfront, then that would empower the company to make better decisions, give them more options, because there is a financial resource,” he said.
He acknowledged that there could be concerns of abuse if there is such prepayment.
“But overall, I think that the percentage (of claimants) isn't that high, and we can balance that possibility against the fact that we are trying to … make sure that (firms) are well-equipped to deal with this, so that they are fully on board in this whole scheme,” he added.
The government will pay up to S$2,500 (US$1,830) per week for up to six weeks of shared parental leave offered in the first phase of the scheme. The same will apply for the 10 weeks in the next phase.
When it comes to managing the absence of an employee due to parental leave, open communication helps, said Christopher Tan, CEO of financial advisory firm Providend which has about 50 employees.
“As long as the colleague tells us way ahead, we can plan for it, and we can seek fellow colleagues’ understanding to pick up the load for that person who is going for an extended leave for a period of time,” he said.
However, it could be more challenging for the company’s advisory team that has its own clients, he added.
“It's not just preparing the other colleagues - it's also preparing the clients to be speaking to a different group of (advisors),” said Mr Tan.
“But I think our colleagues are also understanding, so even though they are on paternity leave or maternity leave, they know that when needed, they will still talk to their clients, even when they are at home.”
About 40 per cent of his workforce are young parents with children under 12.
Mr Tan said that going away for four to six months should not affect an employee’s career, as it does not take away their competence and contributions. It would not prevent him from climbing the ladder at Providend, he added.
However, Mr Tan acknowledged that if an employee is away for a prolonged period of time, he has to accept the trade-offs.
“The other colleagues will then take over the role … doing everything that you're supposed to do for the next two to three years. Then … the trade-off is that this person might be promoted faster than you,” he said.
However, Singapore needs to create an environment where a parent who decides to take a break does not experience a “career penalty”, said Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore Institute of Policy Studies, whose research interests include the lived experience of parenthood;
“(Firms should) make it normal to take a short break and come back, and not try and normalise that people are going to be penalised in the workplace for taking that time to focus on young families,” she told CNA’s Singapore Tonight.
She added that there could be a “use it or lose it” system to encourage fathers to use their paternity leave amid low take-up rates.
“We have to make it really normal and easy for fathers to take that leave, to focus on caring for their children,” she said.
She pointed to the experience of Nordic countries that equalised parental leave and found that fathers gain from playing the role of primary caregiver.
“It has long-haul benefits for (fathers) - their relationship with their children, their relationship with their spouses … family bonds that come from actually spending that time. I would love for us to also have that in Singapore,” she said.
Continue reading...
Under a new shared parental care leave scheme, from Apr 1 onwards, fathers can also share an extra six weeks of leave with their wives who are working mothers.
When this scheme is fully implemented on Apr 1 next year, parents can have 30 weeks or 7.5 months of paid leave - up from the current 20 weeks.
Some businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), may face operational constraints when their employees take extended leave, said the Singapore National Employers’ Federation (SNEF) in a proposal for this year’s Budget on Feb 18.
“While the government will fund the additional leave provisions, businesses may still incur additional overheads to engage temporary replacements,” the trade union noted on its website.
SNEF recommended offering financial subsidies to help offset these costs, along with a monthly allowance for staff who take on additional responsibilities when their colleagues are on leave.
It also suggested temporary flexibility in work pass approvals, saying this could help businesses address manpower gaps and meet project deadlines without disruption.
PREPAYMENT OF CLAIMS
Another suggestion from Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) president Ang Yuit was the prepayment of parental leave claims for smaller businesses, which could help them with their cash flow.
When these firms get temporary manpower to cope with the absence of their employees, there could be a handover period of two to four weeks where they are paying double for incoming and existing staff members. This may lead to money issues, said Mr Ang.
“If the claim can be paid upfront, then that would empower the company to make better decisions, give them more options, because there is a financial resource,” he said.
He acknowledged that there could be concerns of abuse if there is such prepayment.
“But overall, I think that the percentage (of claimants) isn't that high, and we can balance that possibility against the fact that we are trying to … make sure that (firms) are well-equipped to deal with this, so that they are fully on board in this whole scheme,” he added.
The government will pay up to S$2,500 (US$1,830) per week for up to six weeks of shared parental leave offered in the first phase of the scheme. The same will apply for the 10 weeks in the next phase.
OPEN COMMUNICATION
When it comes to managing the absence of an employee due to parental leave, open communication helps, said Christopher Tan, CEO of financial advisory firm Providend which has about 50 employees.
“As long as the colleague tells us way ahead, we can plan for it, and we can seek fellow colleagues’ understanding to pick up the load for that person who is going for an extended leave for a period of time,” he said.
However, it could be more challenging for the company’s advisory team that has its own clients, he added.
“It's not just preparing the other colleagues - it's also preparing the clients to be speaking to a different group of (advisors),” said Mr Tan.
“But I think our colleagues are also understanding, so even though they are on paternity leave or maternity leave, they know that when needed, they will still talk to their clients, even when they are at home.”
About 40 per cent of his workforce are young parents with children under 12.
Related:
NORMALISING CAREER BREAKS
Mr Tan said that going away for four to six months should not affect an employee’s career, as it does not take away their competence and contributions. It would not prevent him from climbing the ladder at Providend, he added.
However, Mr Tan acknowledged that if an employee is away for a prolonged period of time, he has to accept the trade-offs.
“The other colleagues will then take over the role … doing everything that you're supposed to do for the next two to three years. Then … the trade-off is that this person might be promoted faster than you,” he said.
However, Singapore needs to create an environment where a parent who decides to take a break does not experience a “career penalty”, said Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore Institute of Policy Studies, whose research interests include the lived experience of parenthood;
“(Firms should) make it normal to take a short break and come back, and not try and normalise that people are going to be penalised in the workplace for taking that time to focus on young families,” she told CNA’s Singapore Tonight.
She added that there could be a “use it or lose it” system to encourage fathers to use their paternity leave amid low take-up rates.
“We have to make it really normal and easy for fathers to take that leave, to focus on caring for their children,” she said.
She pointed to the experience of Nordic countries that equalised parental leave and found that fathers gain from playing the role of primary caregiver.
“It has long-haul benefits for (fathers) - their relationship with their children, their relationship with their spouses … family bonds that come from actually spending that time. I would love for us to also have that in Singapore,” she said.
Related:
Continue reading...