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HR heads speak out over new maternity leave policy

In her first policy address, chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet Ngor announced yesterday proposals to enhance the maternity leave from 10 weeks to 14 weeks and boost paternity leave from three days to five days.

While the 14-week offer is still behind the 16 weeks of maternity leave Singapore grants to mothers, it is in line with the standard put forward by the convention of the International Labour Organisation

Some of the more caring employers in Hong Kong are already offering 16 weeks of maternity leave or more. Shell and Hong Kong Broadband are offering 16 weeks of maternity leave.  Standard Chartered Bank offers 20 weeks and Tata Communications 26.

Human Resources caught up with a number of HR heads to listen to their thoughts on the policy.

For employers panicking about a lack of manpower, they don’t have to worry for now. When the government proposed a three-day paternity leave policy for fathers in February 2014, the law did not come into effect until March 2015, giving employers plenty of time to adjust.

Photo/ 123RF 

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