DO COMPANIES GIVE EQUAL BENEFITS ACROSS THE BOARD?

The good news is, most companies give equal benefits to employees who are parents, regardless of their marital history.

“Medical coverage for our employees’ eligible dependants and other family-related benefits such as maternity, paternity or childcare leave are available to all our employees regardless of marital status,” says Sarab Preet Singh, head of Human Resources for Singapore & Asean for Citibank.

Catherine Li-Yunxia, an executive coach who helps clients advance and develop their careers, also has a couple of examples to share.

“One of the biggest social media companies has suspended its performance review process and promotion cycles to allow its employees to be able to cater to childcare needs [without stress], while a technology company told employees that they can work from home during school holidays,” she says.

She adds that some organisations have also started thinking about how to provide more sustained support to working parents by way of subsidies or an Invest in Parents pledge.