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Firms in Singapore with the most generous parental leave entitlements

SINGAPORE — Tech firm Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced on Monday (Oct 21) the Singapore rollout of various programmes as part of its global initiative for employees.

Some of the most generous parental leave entitlements are offered by multinational corporations in Singapore.

Some of the most generous parental leave entitlements are offered by multinational corporations in Singapore.

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SINGAPORE — Tech firm Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced on Monday (Oct 21) the Singapore rollout of various programmes as part of its global initiative for employees.

As part of the initiative, which was first announced globally in April, employees in the company will benefit from the introduction of 26 weeks of paid leave for new parents — for both mothers and fathers.

In Singapore, working mothers are eligible for 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, while fathers are entitled to two weeks of paid paternity leave as mandated by the Ministry of Manpower.

Apart from HPE, some of the most generous parental leave entitlements are offered by multinational corporations in Singapore.

Here is a quick look at what some of them offer new moms and dads : 

1. Hewlett Packard Enterprise

  • The enhanced Paid Parental Leave policy will allow new parents — with at least one year of service — to benefit from 26 weeks of paid leave within the first 12 months after the birth or adoption of a child. This is an increase of 10 weeks for mothers and 24 weeks for fathers here in Singapore under the firm’s previous policy.

  • The firm has also implemented a flexible work arrangement programme which allows new parents to work part-time for up to 36 months after the birth or adoption of a child.

2. Diageo 

  • British alcohol beverage firm Diageo announced in May that a significant number of its businesses will move to 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave, including for its employees here in Singapore.

  • The policy change, which came into effect on July 1, saw its female employees receive 10 extra weeks of paid maternity leave, while its male employees received 24 extra weeks of paid paternity leave.

3. Bloomberg 

  • In May, media conglomerate Bloomberg updated its parental leave policy from 18 weeks to 26 weeks of fully-paid leave.

  • The new policy grants primary caregivers — male or female — 24 weeks of fully paid parental leave, plus 10 transition days (one day off per week for 10 consecutive weeks) immediately following an employee’s return to work, the company had said in a press statement.

4. Aviva 

  • Insurance company Aviva began offering equal paternity and maternity leave for every parent employed by the firm in November 2017. The policy offers 16 weeks of parental leave at full pay within the first 12 months of a child's arrival.

5. Prudential

  • Insurance company Prudential began offering its female employees 24 weeks of maternity leave in 2017, eight weeks more than what is mandated by MOM. The company added that fathers in the company are also entitled to three weeks of paid paternity leave.

6. Societe Generale 

  • The French bank began offering 20 weeks of paid maternity leave for its employees — compared to 16 weeks before — from March. New fathers also get three weeks’ worth of paternity leave.

  • “While ensuring our people are evaluated based on meritocracy, we have implemented specific measures to facilitate a more balanced workplace for our female employees, namely an increase in maternity leave from 16 to 20 weeks, enhanced adoption leave, flexible work arrangements and development opportunities for female talent,” the company said in a statement.

7. Ikea 

  • Swedish furniture retailer Ikea began giving four weeks of paid paternity leave to all fathers with newborns since January 2017.

  • Workers can claim this benefit no matter how many children they have but it must be taken within the first six months of the child’s birth, the company had previously told TODAY.

8. Netflix

  • The online entertainment company announced in 2015 that it would provide unlimited paid parental leave to all its employees during the first year after their child’s birth or adoption. Netflix Asia, which set up shop in Singapore in 2016, adopts the same global policy.

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