Elina Lam Yuet-wan
General manager – human resources, NWS Holdings
The policy
Introduced in September 2008, male members of staff, whose registered spouses give birth, are entitled to three days' paternity leave. This applies to employees who have worked for the company for more than a year.
Benefits
NWS Holdings believes that to bring the best out of people, the company should value staff as important assets. Flexibility and compassion extend beyond the workplace to include employees' families. We grant paternity leave to new fathers, so they can temporarily set aside work obligations and take care of their new arrivals in the first few days.
This allows them to focus completely on family matters during what is one of the happiest and most important times of their lives. We believe staff well-being is a key factor in our success. The retention rate has improved since we introduced such policies, and has helped staff to strike a better work-life balance. Doing this enhances the quality of life, morale and work efficiency. If we make it easier for fathers to be with their families at critical times, their families will understand why it is good to have a career with NWS Holdings.
Feedback
Since implementation, eight fathers have taken advantage of the paternity leave allowance to look after their spouses and newborns.
It has been especially useful for staff who travel frequently on company business and, therefore, really appreciate the extra time off.
Nita Law
Regional head of human resources, northeast Asia, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong)
The policy
Standard Chartered Bank understands that a new addition to a family is a momentous occasion and, therefore, encourages all staff to be with their loved ones at such times. With that in mind, we introduced paternity leave and child adoption leave in early 2007.
Benefits
The bank is committed to creating a family-friendly working environment since we believe that staff engagement drives success.
Our paternity leave scheme entitles male employees to an additional five days of paid leave, enabling them to spend more time with their wives and newborn babies.
The same basic conditions apply for child adoption leave, which is granted to employees who officially adopt a child under three years old.
In addition, we offer various workshops and seminars on parenting to make things that much easier.
Feedback
We have received very good feedback from staff, who appreciate the bank's commitment to creating a better workplace and practical benefits of the efforts put in place.
In fact, we were named as an "employer of choice" at the prestigious Hong Kong HR Awards in 2008 and 2009, and we have been a winner of the Gallup Organisation's "great workplace" award for the last three years.
