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Some strategies companies can look at include staggering leave schedules to avoid overlap and encouraging remote work for employees where feasible, Lisa Nadler, CHRO, Integral Ad Science, shares.
With Singapore’s introduction of 10 additional weeks of shared parental leave coming up in April 2025, organisations are rethinking strategies to enhance employee engagement, retention, and workplace culture. As Lisa Nadler, Chief Human Resources Officer, Integral Ad Science (IAS) (pictured above) comments, the policy is likely to "significantly enhance employee engagement and retention, particularly among young parents."
"This policy demonstrates support for work-life balance addressing working families' needs and allowing parents to share caregiving responsibilities more equitably.
"Moreover, workplaces that embrace these policy changes can be more attractive to talent as they look for workplaces that prioritise family-friendly benefits while positioning companies to retain skilled employees through a positive and supportive organisational culture."
As she adds further, such a scheme has the potential to positively transform workplace culture by advancing gender equality. "By offering flexibility in how leave is shared, the policy encourages caregiving responsibilities and fosters a more inclusive environment."
Over time, she notes, such initiatives can help create a culture that values equality and diversity, positively impacting both employees and companies.
With the above in mind, the leader shares with Priya Sunil how her organisation's parental leave initiatives align with this upcoming policy, creating a workplace that aims to continue prioritising employee wellbeing while achieving business objectives.
Q From an HR perspective, how do you anticipate these changes will influence the way companies in Singapore approach family-friendly policies in the future?
We welcome any additional support for new parents.
Companies must proactively address these upcoming changes and implement leave policies that support employee well-being without compromising productivity.
From an HR perspective, changes in workforce demographics, employee expectations, and government incentives could drive Singapore companies to adopt more inclusive, family-friendly policies. As dual-income and caregiving pressures rise, organisations should provide opportunities for employees to expand flexible work arrangements, take paid parental leave, to support family as needed. Companies could implement additional mental health initiatives, childcare subsidies, and family-first leave policies to attract and retain talent.
Q What are the challenges faced in implementing such leave? How can organisations deal with a potential lack of manpower?
We welcome the progressive policies of the Singapore government to support new parents and help fathers take on a greater role in caregiving, enabling mothers to pursue their career goals.
Companies must proactively address these upcoming changes and implement leave policies that support employee wellbeing without compromising productivity. In 2023, IAS implemented 16 weeks of parental leave globally and received overwhelmingly positive employee responses. We will continue to support new parents via our various employee benefit programmes and align with the country-specific guidelines on parental leaves.
We are also actively planning and considering parental leave contractors to unburden managers, employees, and those on leave.
Leaders and managers' proactive planning will go a long way in managing the workload and human resources. Some strategies could include staggering leave schedules to avoid overlap, encouraging remote work for employees where feasible, and leveraging technology for project management to alleviate the strain on human resources.
Companies can successfully implement enhanced paternity leave without significantly impacting operations by fostering a cross-skill approach among employees, hiring parental leave contractors, rewarding a supportive culture, and proactively addressing and communicating these changes with employees in advance to garner their support.
Q On IAS' end, how will you and your leadership team ensure that employees are aware of and encouraged to take advantage of the new shared parental leave, and how does this tie into broader employee benefits and wellbeing initiatives?
IAS is a value-driven company with 850+ employees globally and 30+ in Singapore. We manifest our sense of corporate responsibility in our interactions with colleagues, culture, customers, and the community.
In 2023, Integral Ad Science (IAS) implemented 16 weeks of parental leave globally and received overwhelmingly positive employee feedback. We will continue to support new parents via our various employee benefit programmes and align with the country-specific guidelines on parental leaves.
Our employees are at the core of our business and are fundamental in driving our mission and values forward. To support employee health and wellness, we launched a holistic wellness programme, Well on Our Way, in 2022. This programme consolidates IAS’s health and wellness offerings into one place, helping employees stay acutely aware of the full range of their benefits. According to our annual employee engagement survey, most of our employees agreed with the statement, 'The wellness offerings at IAS help me to lead a happier, healthier life.'
In addition, IAS provides monthly wellness stipend /technology reimbursements to support employees' healthy lifestyle choices. To improve the quality of family lives, we have introduced mental health awareness workshops, wellness rooms in offices for new parents, fully paid 24/7 online counselling services for all employees, regular mindfulness sessions, and highly generous insurance and health benefits for global employees and their dependents, among others.
Photo: Provided
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