It’s a full day for staff and kids in AirAsia
SEPANG: There are very few companies that provide childcare facilities to their workforce which is why AirAsia decided that it was high time to get on board.
Krista@RedQ, a 413sq m facility run by education provider Krista Education, can accommodate up to 80 children, and currently has 50 kids and six staff.
Located on RedQ’s ground floor, the centre has classrooms, a nursing lounge, sick bay, child toilets, outdoor and indoor play areas complete with toys.
AirAsia employees can place their children, from 11 months until six years, for a monthly fee, cheaper than most outside help and can also check in on their kids from time to time.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said there was a shortage of registered workplace childcare centres.
She hoped more employers would start looking at setting up creches for their employees’ children, as this would also help boost productivity.
“Malaysia needs at least 38,333 registered childcare centres to cater for the number of children under four.
“Up to June, there are only 4,302 such centres registered with the Welfare Department.
“The government fully supports this initiative, and provides tax exemptions, which can be redeemed by employers based on the Feb 15, 1996 circular from the Inland Revenue Board,” said Dr Wan Azizah, who is also the Women, Family and Community Development Minister.
She was speaking to reporters after the launch of Krista@RedQ with AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes here yesterday.
Fernandes said it was important that AirAsia had a childcare centre for its employees and that the idea had been on management’s mind for a long time.
He said AirAsia also planed to create the same space, depending on needs, in other offices beyond Kuala Lumpur.
“At the end of the day, the cost is well taken care of, by the productivity and ability to retain a lot of good staff, who wouldn’t be able to work if we didn’t have this facility,” added Fernades.
Norhartini Md Ishak, a warranty and reliability engineer, said the in-house creche was a boon for parents like her, who used to place their kids with babysitters outside.
“I stay in Kota Warisan but we had to place my three-year-old son with a babysitter in Nilai, so it took us about one hour to pick him up.
“Now, all I have to do is register with the staff at the centre and pick him up after work,” said Norhartini, who would also place her second child there next year.