Companies Supporting Women Who Take Time Off to Be with the Child Should Be the Norm: Indranee
Why It Matters
Normalizing extended maternity support strengthens workforce diversity and addresses Singapore’s fertility decline, delivering both social and economic benefits.
Key Takeaways
- •Companies should normalize extended maternity leave without career penalties.
- •Flexible work arrangements enable productivity beyond office hours.
- •Progressive HR policies shift mindsets and reduce guilt for mothers.
- •Societal collaboration needed to improve Singapore’s total fertility rate.
- •Measuring outcomes, not hours, aligns performance with modern work models.
Summary
Indranee urged Singaporean firms to make extended parental leave the norm, allowing women to stay home with newborns for up to 18 months or longer without fearing career setbacks. She emphasized that a supportive, guilt‑free environment should replace the current expectation that career progression hinges on continuous office presence.
The minister highlighted that performance should be judged by objective achievement rather than hours logged, pointing to flexible work options—flexi‑load, flexi‑time, flexi‑place—as essential tools. She called for more progressive HR practices that reshape attitudes, relationships, and emotions surrounding motherhood in the workplace.
"Measure it not so much by the hours you are in the office but by whether you achieved the objectives," she said, adding that societal involvement is crucial to reverse Singapore’s declining total fertility rate. The appeal extends beyond corporations to the entire community to foster a culture that values family alongside economic goals.
If adopted, these changes could boost talent retention, enhance gender equity, and help stabilize the nation’s demographic outlook, while positioning companies as forward‑looking employers in a competitive global market.
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