HOW TWO MAJOR COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE ARE SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE MUMS

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Citi Singapore has a “Maternity Matters” programme and “Maternity Buddy Program”, which pairs up experienced mothers with new mums to support their journey. The organisation also embraces a culture of flexible work.

“We strongly believe that providing flexibility in how, when and where our staff work allows all of us to realise personal and business objectives, while continuing to have meaningful work and career opportunities,” says Joel Fastenberg, Asean and Singapore head of Human Resources at Citi.

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Prudential Singapore’s initiatives allow parents the time to manage their family needs. New mothers are entitled to six months of paid maternity leave – about eight weeks more than the minimum of 16 weeks set by MOM, while new fathers are entitled to three working weeks of paid paternity leave (the set minimum is two weeks).

“Employees who are parents also have the option of using their Prucare leave when they need to take time off to tend to their children’s or family’s needs. This leave option is applicable for all parents, regardless of the age of their children,” says Neetha Nair, head, Centre of Excellence at Prudential Singapore.