How can corporate Singapore help large families thrive?

Business Times

2 days ago

[SINGAPORE] Despite much effort, Singapore's fertility rate, which was declining in the previous seven years, fell to a record low of 0.97 in 2024.
The country's Budgets have introduced several measures in the recent past to arrest this trend, such as enhanced paternity leave, and this year was no different. One of the measures announced was the Large Families Scheme (LFS), which offers a comprehensive suite of financial incentives aimed at easing the rising costs of raising a family with three or more children.
But financial support alone may not be enough to tip the scales and reverse the low rate.
Support from employers is a critical factor.
For Siti, a 31-year-old mother of two who works at a social service agency, and her husband, having another child is a dream.
But for people like her, there are challenges, such as the expectations of employers, who often assume that their staff has a support system at home – such as their parents or a domestic helper – to take over caregiving duties when young children fall ill.
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Siti, who did not want to give her full name, points out that the cost of hiring a helper will not be covered by the current financial incentives. She and her husband also think it is unfair to expect their ageing parents to care for their active children.
'Having stronger government policies to support working parents would be very helpful. It would ease the sense of guilt we sometimes feel when taking time off for caregiving responsibilities,' she tells The Business Times.
At her company, employees are generally expected to work on site and are allowed to work from home one day a week. Eligibility to avail of that perk depends on the nature of their roles though.
Her company does offer additional family-care leave, which is helpful when her children are ill. However, most of her childcare leave is used up for pre-school closures, as her two children attend different centres. She adds that even common illnesses, such as hand, foot and mouth disease, can require up to seven days of medical leave – meaning that a parent must take those many days off work.
Thus, Siti sometimes needs additional work-from-home days when her children are unwell. For this, she must submit a special request, which may or may not be approved.
On top of this, she does not receive any additional insurance coverage or allowances for her children, which further adds to her financial burden.
To better support working parents such as Siti, especially those with larger families or those aspiring to have one, offering flexible work arrangements (FWAs), additional leave, enhanced parenthood benefits, and comprehensive medical coverage can go a long way.
Such initiatives would align closely with the LFS and can play a significant role in helping large families thrive.
Under the scheme, parents of each third and subsequent child born on or after Feb 18, 2025, who is a Singapore citizen, will receive up to S$16,000 in additional support – significantly more than previous benefits. This includes a S$10,000 Child Development Account First Step Grant (up from S$5,000), a S$5,000 Large Family MediSave Grant, and S$1,000 annually in LifeSG credits for children aged one to six.
'Couples with more children often worry about additional costs because the demands grow with each additional child,' said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his Budget 2025 address. 'We will introduce a Large Families Scheme to support married couples who have, or aspire to have, three or more children.'
Financial support from companies can also be a strong motivator, says Dr Tan Poh Lin, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). She notes that cost considerations often determine whether a couple proceeds to have a third child or not.
'Typically, mothers who plan to have a big family (choose) jobs that offer more flexibility and leave provisions, but often at the cost of lower pay or promotion opportunities,' she says.
Dr Tan believes it would be more constructive to put in place policies and targeted mentorship networks so that women who start childbearing in their twenties or early thirties are not penalised careerwise. This way, they can 'eventually make their way to having (child) No 3'.
'Investing' in parents
Singapore Management University sociology professor Paulin Straughan notes that with both women and men working full time, childcare and nurturing have become major challenges for young couples.
Assurance from employers is crucial for young adults pursuing their career interests, she adds. This means that if they need to take leave or step back to care for their children, they must be confident they will not face unnecessary delays or setbacks in their careers.
She points out that, while the government can mandate leave, many employees feel comfortable taking only the minimum required because they worry about missing out on opportunities at work. This creates a significant grey area.
'How do we assure those who are taking caregiving leave that their position in their organisation and their opportunities will not be unnecessarily compromised?' she asks.
To employers, she adds: 'If you see your investment in human resources as a long-term trajectory, then investing in parents with young children is a long-term investment in your labour force.'
IPS senior research fellow Kalpana Vignehsa agrees with the need for greater workplace flexibility and inclusivity.
She notes that in most dual-income families today, both parents share caregiving responsibilities, often without conforming to traditional gender roles. Providing equal parental benefits without assumptions about who takes on caregiving can empower couples to decide on their roles on their own terms.
'When you are able to provide flexibility for your employees who have young families, you gain very loyal employees, because you are supporting (them) through a very intense and formative period in their life, and they are going to feel grateful as a result, if they are able to access the kind of support that they need,' she says.
'True flexibility is still quite rare,' she adds, noting that flexibility in the corporate world is often measured by physical presence or clocked hours, rather than whether employees are delivering value.
Dr Vignehsa suggests that structural solutions, such as coming up with formal leave-cover roles, could offer meaningful support. Common in countries with extended leave policies, these roles are designed to fill a gap in the workforce while an employee is on leave. They typically last from six months to two years and help maintain business continuity while protecting the primary employee's position.
Dr Tan, meanwhile, advocates for giving companies clearer guidance on evolving workplace norms, so they feel more confident in implementing progressive family-friendly policies without fearing they will lose their competitive edge.
Supportive workplaces
Non-profit organisation Families for Life (FFL) believes that supportive workplaces are essential to building a 'Singapore made for families'. Established by the Ministry of Social and Family Development in 2014, FFL aims to build strong and resilient families.
'As advocates for family-friendly policies and practices, we are encouraged to see more companies stepping up to support employees through various life stages – from parenting and caregiving, to caring for elderly family members,' says FFL council member Keith Magnus.
Magnus, who is also chairman of investment banking advisory firm Evercore's Asia business and a father of three, emphasises the importance of supportive work cultures.
Practical support is equally important with initiatives such as family-related employee perks and infrastructure like nursing rooms to help meet employees' everyday needs.
He adds that family-friendly workplace policies, including FWAs, have been shown to offer tangible business benefits such as improved employee retention and recruitment.
According to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) Conditions of Employment survey conducted in 2022, 61.8 per cent of firms said they offered FWAs because they believed it boosted employee motivation and engagement. Another 52.8 per cent felt that FWAs helped reduce employee turnover.
Many parents who spoke to BT say FWAs are a lifeline, especially when their children fall sick and no alternative care is available.
A few note that their supervisors have been understanding, particularly those who are parents themselves and recognise the realities of caregiving. These parents say that they try to complete their work as efficiently as possible to avoid leaving loose ends or burdening colleagues when they have to take sudden leave.
Some working parents also report receiving additional days of paid childcare leave and extended family care or maternity/paternity leave on top of government-mandated entitlements. A few have also received maternity cash benefits. Others share that they have been able to list their children as dependents on their company's insurance plans, which provide generous coverage – even for maternity care and childbirth-related expenses.
For Sheldon Chia, a relationship manager at DBS Bank, FWAs are a boon. He appreciates being able to work from home two days a week as he can share the responsibilities of the parenting journey with his spouse.
'My wife and I love children, and we had our fourth in September 2022,' says Chia, who has been with DBS since 2013 and whose older children are aged 10, seven and five.
Sheldon Chia, a relationship manager at DBS Bank, with his youngest child. PHOTO: SHELDON CHIA
The bank's parenthood policies are designed to benefit employees regardless of the number of children they have, as well as single parents and parents of adopted children.
'We were the first Singapore bank to implement a permanent flexible working arrangement policy in February 2021, giving employees the flexibility to work from home for up to 40 per cent of the time,' says Lee Yan Hong, managing director and group head of human resources at DBS Bank.
Parents of newborns and caregivers may also work from home full time for up to six months, beyond their maternity or paternity leave.
In January 2024, DBS began offering up to four weeks of paid paternity or adoption leave – ahead of the government mandate that took effect in April 2025. Since 2022, employees have been able to claim up to S$5,000 for newborn-related medical expenses, with coverage also extended to dependents for both outpatient and inpatient care.
Chia adds that these benefits have helped to defray the significant expenses associated with having a newborn.
Other employers have also adopted similar measures.
At AIA Singapore, employees with children are eligible for up to five days of family-care leave a year, regardless of family size, according to chief human resources officer Aileen Tan.
The insurer has also retained FWAs beyond the pandemic and introduced a monthly 'Believe in Better' day, giving employees the afternoon off to focus on personal well-being or time with family.
More can still be done
Not all workplaces offer the same level of support to working parents though. Many companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, have yet to implement family-friendly policies.
Some parents highlight the lack of a work-life balance and share experiences of being shown limited empathy by their employers during pregnancy. Others express frustration at having requests for FWAs denied, resulting in the need to take unpaid leave.
From Dec 1, 2024, employees in Singapore can formally request for FWAs, including work-from-home options, under the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests.
According to MOM, there is no limit to the number of requests an employee can make. However, employers still have the discretion to reject such requests, provided their decisions are based on valid business grounds such as higher costs, reduced productivity, or the nature of the job.
If a request is turned down, employers are expected to explain their reasons and, where possible, propose alternatives that could meet the employee's needs.
Seeking flexibility outside the traditional workplace
For some working mothers, limited flexibility in the corporate sector have prompted them to seek alternative roles that better accommodate their caregiving responsibilities.
One such option is becoming a childminder with EduNanny by Butler, an appointed operator for the Early Childhood Development Agency's childminding pilot programme.
Poon Da Qian, founder and chief executive of the operator, tells BT that since the pilot's launch in December, several mothers with two to three children have joined EduNanny. The programme allows these women to supplement their family income by caring for infants aged two to 18 months, either from their own homes or at community facilities, while their own children are at school.
He explains that many childminders left the formal workforce to gain greater flexibility and spend more time with their children. Among them is a former Singapore Airlines stewardess, as well as a former white-collar administrative employee.
Also with EduNanny is Nadiyah Shafiqah, a trained and certified home-based caregiver. She cares for an infant at her home while also looking after her youngest child, as her two older children attend childcare.
Before taking on this role, Nadiyah had been running her own business. She had to stop when her youngest child developed severe eczema and required constant care. With no income at the time, she joined EduNanny for the opportunity to work from home and support her family.
She had previously left the formal workforce in November 2021 due to a demanding workload and the lack of time with her children.
She says that while she can always find employment and earn money, she will not be able to get back lost time with her children. 'I don't want to miss their growth and milestones.'