Don’t turn parent-friendly policies into single-unfriendly work practices: Recruiters
Employers must ensure those without children are not overburdened as parents get more childcare leave.
As Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced new childcare leave policies for working parents in August, recruiters emphasized the need for employers to avoid placing an unfair burden on employees without children. Under the new scheme, couples with three or more eligible children can take up to 24 days of childcare leave annually.
However, recruiters warned that without careful management, this could create resentment among non-parent employees, who may need to work longer hours to compensate for the absence of parents.
Sam Belcher, CEO of The Edge Partnership, highlighted concerns about fairness, suggesting that while the government's intentions are clear, a potential downside is that non-parent employees might have to pick up extra work. David Leong, MD of PeopleWorldwide Consulting, stressed that family-friendly policies should not inadvertently make workplaces "single-unfriendly" by treating single employees as standby labor.
He advised that resilience must be baked into the organization's structure, ensuring that no single employee is unfairly required to shoulder additional responsibilities.
Recruiters recommended that employers plan for potential absences, manage workloads carefully, and foster a culture of flexibility. This includes cross-training employees, reviewing priorities, and assuming that employees' availability should not be assumed based on their family circumstances. Allie Teh, senior manager at Robert Walters Singapore, emphasized that the issue should not be framed as one of singles versus parents, but rather as a shared responsibility among all employees.
Maddy Goh, managing partner at Inicio Group, advised employers to cross-train staff, plan coverage early, and ensure that additional workloads do not become the norm for particular employees.
Tan Weixi, managing partner at Workplace Asia, urged employers and managers to avoid creating guilt or punishment for either parents or single employees. Instead, they should focus on genuine work needs when someone is away and consider what can wait. Ultimately, Tan noted, the policy will test whether organizations are genuinely serious about workplace flexibility for everyone, not just parents.
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