Case study: Housing  & Development Board

Providing a childcare centre helps retain young mothers who might otherwise choose not to work, says Kee Swee Huang, deputy director of human resource management for Housing & Development Board (HDB).

At HDB, the organisation provides an in-house childcare center which currently looks after 175 children. Run by the organisation’s recreational club, the childcare provides its services for infants ranging from two months old all the way to six-year-old children. It also provides afterschool care for school-going children as well.

According to Kee, the main beneficiaries from this childcare centre are young mothers who, without these facilities, would not be able to work. “Not all of them have in-laws or parents to help take care [of their children],” says Kee. And even if they did, Kee says “they still need to have a maid as well.”

Instead, the childcare facility provides more well-rounded system as children would be able to socialise with their peers and undergo lessons in Mathematics, English and Phonetics as well. As for childcare centre fees, employees only have to pay a monthly fee of $218 per month as the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports provides a monthly grant of $300 per working mother.

Having the option of flexiwork and staggered work hours is an attractive perk for female employees, adds Kee. At HDB, employees have the option of coming into the office at 7:30 am, 8 am, 8:30 am or 9 am. Kee says this is helpful for parents who need to either send their children to school or have to attend to their childrens’ needs in the morning before going to work.

However, Kee says it is usually the women who utilise the company’s flexi-work and part-time employment options.