Making Singapore's workplaces more conducive for working parents with young children: MOS Gan shares in Parliament

Singapore is enhancing support for citizens embarking on parenthood, focusing on flexible work arrangements, reintegration of stay-at-home parents into the workforce, and fostering a supportive workplace culture.

In response to an adjournment motion in Parliament on supporting Singaporeans in starting and raising families, Minister of State for Education and Manpower, Gan Siow Huang, has outlined the government's commitment to creating more conducive workplaces for working parents with young children.

Excerpts of her sharing are detailed below:

Flexible work arrangements

A key initiative is the implementation of flexible work arrangements (FWAs), which MOS Gan highlighted as essential for helping parents balance their professional and caregiving responsibilities.

"We often think of work-from-home arrangements, or flexi-place, whenever FWAs are mentioned. However, flexible time, such as staggered work hours, or flexible load arrangements, such as part-time work, are just as useful," she explained.

To encourage adoption, the Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests were introduced in December last year, ensuring that employers assess such requests fairly while considering business needs. The Tripartite Guidelines allow all employees, including fathers and caregivers, to request for FWAs.

MOS Gan also stressed that trust and open communication between employers and employees are crucial in making FWAs a viable solution. 

Continuing, the MOS pointed out that Member of Parliament Louis Chua had proposed legislating the Right to Request for FWAs. However, she said, similar policies elsewhere show that adoption remains limited as employers retain discretion. Instead, the government aims to drive sustainable FWA adoption through job redesign and equipping HR professionals with the right tools and knowledge.

Supporting stay-at-home parents’ return to work

Beyond FWAs, the government is also helping stay-at-home parents return to work, recognising that many individuals take career breaks to focus on caregiving. MOS Gan acknowledged that returning to the workforce can be challenging, as jobseekers may face difficulties in skills relevancy and confidence. "I encourage those who plan to return to regular work to make use of the wealth of resources available," she shared. The subsidised SkillsFuture-approved courses aim to boost employment prospects for stay-at-home parents who wish to rejoin the workforce.

Fostering a supportive workplace culture for parents

Fostering a supportive workplace culture is equally important, as individual programmes alone cannot fully address the challenges faced by working parents. MOS Gan emphasised that beyond FWAs and return-to-work programmes, employers must cultivate an environment where employees feel supported in their dual roles. "We must also continue our broader efforts to foster a workplace culture that supports parents and families," she stated.

"We encourage employers to have open conversations with their employees to help them succeed at work while they navigate parenthood."

Addressing another key topic — a call by MP Melvin Yong for all employers to implement a Right to Disconnect policy at the workplace. To this, MOS Gan noted that the policy has been debated before, and MPs had recognised that it is not straightforward to impose across all jobs. 

"Instead, as recommended under the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-Being at Workplaces, companies should provide clarity on after-hours work communication," she stated.

"This includes understanding the need for proper rest outside of work, and establishing clear and reasonable expectations for work-related communication after hours."

The full speech by MOS Gan can be read here.

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Speaking on the same day, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah expressed her support for the motion, highlighting that families are a fundamental pillar of Singapore’s social compact. She noted that while global trends show delayed marriages and declining fertility rates, most Singaporeans still aspire to marry and have children.

One of the key concerns raised was the challenge of balancing work and family commitments. Minister Indranee pointed out that time is a critical factor for parents and that FWAs play a significant role in helping them manage their responsibilities. She reiterated that the government continues to engage with Singaporeans to address concerns related to marriage and parenthood, including housing, cost of living, and work-life balance.

The Minister said: "At the same time, I urge employers to ensure their workplaces are FWA friendly.

"Employers should not think of flexible work arrangements as an inconvenient imposition but rather embrace it as an integral part of the HR toolkit to attract and retain talent and redesign the way your company works for greater success."

Read Minister Indranee's full speech here.

Lead image / Ministry of Digital Development and Information YouTube