SINGAPORE — Nine companies here, including pharmaceutical AstraZeneca and clothing retailer H&M, will be doubling the paid paternity leave of their employees next year.
The nine businesses will follow the same initiative that furniture retailer Ikea had already put in place for its employees here since 2017. Working mothers here are eligible for 16 weeks of government-paid maternity leave if they meet requirements such as having been employed for at least three months and having a Singaporean baby.
Ms Oldouz Mirzaie, chief executive officer and regional manager of H&M South Asia, is hoping that what the nine companies are doing will “encourage more businesses to take gender equality seriously”.