Mum-friendly companies in Singapore - Do you work for one of them?

Which are the most mum friendly companies in Singapore? And do you work for one of them?

When women become mothers, their whole lives change... and so do their priorities. Their children will always come first without a doubt.

However, these days, many mums also have to work, whether it's by choice or from necessity.

A working mum's day often starts at the crack of dawn to take care of her kids' needs before she leaves for work, including breastfeeding/bottlefeeding her baby, expressing breastmilk or getting her kids' lunches packed.

If she is a breastfeeding mum, she will probably need to express milk and store it while at work. She may need to pick up her children from school or preschool... the list of her to-do's goes on and on.

Given this, it's great to know that some companies in Singapore are going the extra mile to make mums who work for them feel just a bit more comfortable and appreciated.

Some of these companies — such as Ernst & Young, KPMG in Singapore, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd and Hitachi Asia Ltd — were among the companies that received the "Best Companies for Mums" awards in 2014 and 2015.

Other companies on our list got the best testimonials of them all — from their very own employees who are also mothers.

We also spoke to Jophia Bok who is a lactation nurse here in Singapore.

She agrees that while there are many multinational corporations in Singapore that do have policies and facilities set up for breastfeeding working moms, often, it's the breastfeeding mum's boss who decides how much flexibility his/her employee can have when it comes to 'mum duties' (eg. pumping milk etc).

However, Jophia did say that from her experience, as long as a working (breastfeeding) mum does not let the expression of breastmilk affect her productivity or effectiveness at work, there really shouldn't be an issue with giving her time to express.

Click 'Next' to start reading about what exactly makes the companies on our list so mum-friendly.

AIA Singapore

AIA Singapore has an incredible array of benefits for working mums. One of their mummy employees, Shareen Tan, explains:

As a full-time working mum of two young children, I appreciate the pro-family culture, policies and benefits available to AIA employees.

Staff welfare policies include comprehensive insurance benefits covering dependants, staggered working hours, more-than-adequate leave of various categories (e.g. birthday leave and 5-day marriage leave), newborn congratulatory gifts, free health checks, learning and career development schemes, staff recognition and coaching programs, etc.

The nursing rooms at AIA locations are wonderful. They come with armchairs, proper countertops, electrical points for pump charges, fridges for storage of breast milk, tissues and hand sanitizers. Informal communities of nursing mums are encouraged to gather via chat groups to provide emotional support, encourage one another and to share breastfeeding and parenting experiences and tips.

The excellent support provided by my supervisor and colleagues has enabled me to breastfeed my firstborn for two years and to continue my breastfeeding journey for my currently seven-month old daughter.

Ernst & Young

With everything that a working mum has to do in her day, having the option of flexible working hours is a big bonus.

Flexi-hours give working mothers the chance to kiss their children goodbye when they're dropped off at school and greet their children when they're done with school. It means that a working mum needn't feel guilty that she's not at home on time to make her child's dinner or read him a bedtime story.

Ernst & Young (EY) is one such company that appreciates how much working mums do in a day and offers a range of mum-friendly work options.

Mr. Max Loh, ASEAN and Singapore Managing Partner of EY, explains just how mum-friendly this company is:

A culture that thrives on inclusiveness and diversity is a strong brand differentiator for us in the market. Working mothers are an important segment of Singapore’s workforce and being inclusive through recognizing their needs allows us to tap this talent pool and improve staff engagement and retention.

Our flexible working program, FlexPro, encourages and empowers our people, including working mothers, to work flexibly and productively. They can choose to work on FlexTime (different start and end times in a work day while fulfilling the required number of working hours), work from home, or have a reduced workload.

We also offer employee support, such as having lactation facilities in the office, and leading-edge technology and collaboration platforms that enable flexible working and productivity so that we continue to deliver exceptional service to our clients.

Bank of Singapore

This is a company that gets a great testimonial from one of its mum employees.

Here is what Chen Liyan has to say about working at Bank of Singapore:

When I enquired with my HR about nursing room facilities, I was told that there were none. However, when I was checking around among my other colleagues, I was told that we can use a prayer room for expression.
My direct manager and boss (Mr David Ang) is flexible and understands the role of a new mummy. Approval was given to access a room for us to express our milk.
Workload-wise, my teammates were very helpful in covering for me when I was away expressing. Most of the time, I use my lunch hour.
However, if the room is occupied, I have to utilize working hours. My pump session is usually around half an hour.

So what I want to say here is that besides the availability of amenities (like nursing room, fridge), the people in the organization also make it possible for working mummies to continue breastfeeding!

Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

If you are a working mum and are still breastfeeding your child, chances are that you will need to express your breastmilk while at work to make sure your baby has enough milk while you are away, and also to prevent engorgement and potential problems such as mastitis.

Thus, working mums who need to express milk at work really appreciate supportive colleagues and bosses, given that pumping breastmilk can take some time and effort.

Infineon Technologies is one company that understands the needs of working mums who are also breastfeeding, as well as many other things needed to make working mums comfortable.

Here’s a quote from Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Human Resources Vice President Alexander Trost:

Diversity is a part of Infineon’s DNA. The leaders and managers here support this wholeheartedly.

This is exemplified in the schemes we have at Infineon Singapore, such as flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home, as well as on-site facilities such as nursing rooms, a childcare centre and an in-house clinic.

These are the key elements, plus the fact that we have been recognized as the most mum-friendly company by our very own employees, which is the best testimony we can ask for.

Novelty Project Services Pte Ltd

For Stella Bai, who works at Novelty Project Services Pte Ltd, having a supportive boss and colleagues has made her experience as a working mum a really good one.

Here's what Stella has to say about her employers:

In 2012, I got a positive in my pregnancy kit, 2 months after I joined Novelty Project Services Pte Ltd. While I was really worried, I decided to reveal to my current employers that I was pregnant as I was not sure if they would mind or not.

To my surprise, they congratulated me. They made sure I had my lunch on time and when I could not tolerate any fishy smell, they even avoided fish altogether!

They also bought me plenty of snacks to make sure I didn't go hungry.

I am happy to say that my girl, who turned 1 on 6th August 2014, is still fully breastfed.

I pump 3 times a day during working days and fully latch my baby on while I am able to. On days when the school is not open or when my baby is not feeling well, I even bring my baby to the office.

In fact, I even breastfeed her in my office! As I am the only mother who breastfeeds my baby in my workplace, my manager gave me our library key so that I can pump or feed my baby in comfort and with enough privacy.

After my maternity leave ended, I could not find an infant care centre in my neighbourhood. So my employers also allowed me to take extended unpaid maternity leave.

My employer also practices some flexibility in my office hours. I used to work 5.5 days a week.

Seeing that my baby is still very young and needs more attention from me, they were very generous and converted me to a 5-day work week.

I also have wonderful colleagues who even remind me that it is time to pump in my office. When my pump once died on me, a male colleague of mine even helped me fix it!

I truly enjoy a great work-life balance in my current company.

KPMG in Singapore

Another company that offers an amazing range of mum-friendly features to their mum employees is KPMG in Singapore.

Here's a statement from Yvonne Chiu, Audit Partner at KPMG in Singapore and also the Partner-in-Charge of Mums & Pops @ KPMG, explaining exactly how mum-friendly KPMG in Singapore is:

It is important to recognise that employees often have different aspirations and priorities at different stages of their professional and personal lives.
At KPMG in Singapore, we believe that flexible work schemes can sometimes help our professionals balance what is required in their job with fulfilling their career goals and personal aspirations.
Our flexible work schemes therefore apply equally to all professional staff. We offer a whole suite of schemes such as compressed work schedules, flexi-time, job sharing, part-time arrangements, telecommuting and flexible work contracts to meet with each individual employee’s needs.
In addition to alternative work arrangements, we also offer programmes and benefits designed to help employees meet family and home obligations while maintaining busy careers.
One such initiative is a focus group called Mums & Pops @KPMG. Focused on understanding the needs of working parents in the firm, its objective is to champion suitable ideas to promote work-life balance.
The focus group has also organised various family-based activities and events for parents and children in the firm. Some examples include:
- Mother’s Day celebrations, family day outings and Christmas parties
- Motivational talks aimed at assisting working parents to better manage their roles as parents from both practical and emotional perspectives
- New parents are also given a special newborn package, including items such as milk bottles, a thermal flask and other things, to welcome them into their new phase of parenthood.
- Other efforts include working with the different departments to upgrade the lactation rooms for nursing mothers and the introduction of paid maternity leave.
Most recently, the Mums & [email protected] KPMG committee introduced a new mentorship programme for parents with newborns, starting with one of the business functions.
Partners within the business function had been identified to mentor and coach staff who are parents to newborns and may need help to cope with their new responsibilities.
The aim is to enable open communication and for the mentors to share how they have juggled the challenges of both work and parenthood.
More than lending a pair of listening ears, our bigger aim is that through the act of active and timely listening, we can work with our staff on suitable work arrangements to better manage their potential new challenges where necessary.
Our people are at the heart of our policies and supporting them in their professional and personal growth is a key driver of our talent attraction and retention efforts.

I therefore also want to acknowledge the support extended to our working mothers by colleagues who are not currently actively raising young families. Without their support, it would be just that much harder to balance a career with family commitments.

Webnatics

When a working mother talks enthusiastically about the mum-friendly benefits offered by the company she works for, you'll know that she is truly grateful that she works there.

Here's what Debbie Wee, a working mum and an employee of Webnatics, has to say about the company:

My company has allowed me to bring my baby (8 months old) to work numerous times when my child's primary caregiver has been away. We get to pump during working hours in a private room and we have our own mini fridge for storing milk.

Work from home is allowed and we are given flexible working hours.

KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Many of us would have taken our sick kids to KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) at some point and we all know they provide fantastic care for our kids.

But did you also know they really look after their staff who also happen to be mums?

Here's what Ms Chua Pek Kim, Director of Human Resources at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, has to say about the services they provide to their working mums:

We are heartened and honoured to be recognised as a great workplace for mothers at the Best Companies for Mums awards.

Besides offering 16 weeks of maternity leave to eligible female employees, we also offer flexible work arrangements (FWA), which has helped us to retain talent who may have otherwise left the organisation due to personal or family commitments.

KKH’s Human Resource practices, including the FWA programme and family-friendly practices, have been recognised by the Singapore Human Resource Institute (SHRI) and Ministry of Manpower and received the Leading HR Practices in Quality Work-Life Award (2009), the Leading HR Practices in Learning and Human Capital Development (2010) and Work-Life Achiever Award (2010).

Employees of KKH are also given priority to enrol their children at a designated workplace childcare centre at a subsidised rate.

In addition, as a baby-friendly hospital accredited under the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), we are committed to promoting breastfeeding because of the benefits it brings to both mother and child.

Hence, we have a special lactation facility, the Jasmine Room, catering to employees who need to express and store their breastmilk.

The room, which has 5 cubicles, is well equipped with breast pumps (complete with funnels, valves/membranes), steam sterilisers, kettles, bottle brushes, sinks, storage cabinets, refrigerators, bottle drying racks and paper napkins to allow breastfeeding staff to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

Lactation counselling by our lactation experts is also available to provide much-needed support for nursing mothers.

Another advantage of having this facility is that nursing mothers can come together to exchange breastfeeding and parenting experiences and tips, promoting interaction and bonding among colleagues from different departments.

The room is also conveniently made available to staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hitachi Asia Ltd

Many companies know what great workers mothers are. They are responsible, hardworking, and great at time-management and multi-tasking. After all, they use all these skills and more on a 24-hour basis when it comes to their kids!

So it's no wonder that companies such as Hitachi Asia Ltd provide some great facilities and benefits to mums who work there, showing that they truly appreciate these members of their workforce.

Here's what Ms Florence Chow, General Manager, Human Resources & Administration Group of Hitachi Asia Ltd, has to say about what Hitachi offers their working mums:

Hitachi Asia Ltd views all employees as valuable assets, and henceforth, we prioritize their wellbeing by introducing various work-life balance initiatives.

Among these are specific schemes which have benefitted our working mothers.

First and foremost, we have a Mother Care Room located within our office building, which breastfeeding mothers find extremely useful.

We recently introduced the Staggered Working Hour (SWH) scheme, to allow all employees the flexibility to choose their preferred working hours to suit their family needs and business requirements.

Working mothers were among those who have benefitted from this scheme. For instance, a mother who previously had to rush off after work in order to pick up her child on time can now opt to start and end work earlier, so her child would not have to wait alone in school.

In addition to the SWH scheme, our company has also been granting flexible work arrangements for some of our working mothers on a case-to-case basis.

To quote a few examples, we have granted a shorter work week or to work from home on specific days of the week at the request of some working mothers who wanted to spend more time with their children.

We also granted the leave of absence (of almost a year) to one of our female colleagues as she was trying for a baby.

Even prior to having the SWH scheme, Hitachi Asia has granted earlier working hours (i.e. knocking off earlier) to mothers who needed to fetch their children from school or childcare centers.

All employees are also entitled to 2 days of Special Leave to take care of their children or parents, in addition to the 6 days of childcare leave or extended childcare leave.

On top of the various types of leave benefits, Hitachi Asia organises an annual Family Day, and activities for family members are heavily subsidised.

To name some, we had organized trips to Bintan, Desaru, the Singapore Zoo, Universal Studios Singapore and many more.

Our busy working mothers (and fathers) look forward to this day, as this provides a good family bonding platform, and the young ones especially enjoyed the activities.

We believe that our working mothers who nominated the company for the ‘Best Companies for Mums’ award (jointly organised by the National Trades Union Congress Women's Development Secretariat and Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices), is testament that Hitachi Asia is on the right track as a mum-friendly, family-oriented organisation.

We will continuously review and improve our policies to make Hitachi Asia the preferred employer choice.

Goldman Sachs

Ellen Yang is a proud employee of Goldman Sachs. Here, she talks about the superb nursing facilities this company has for its breastfeeding mummy employees:

Goldman Sachs provides dedicated lactation rooms for nursing mommies, which are equipped with a small fridge, washing facilities, counter space, comfy chairs, power outlet by the chair and even a bed.

Nursing mummies arrange pumping schedules among themselves based on preferences and availability. When there are too many nursing mums at the same time, a nearby prayer room and wellness room may be used.

Hewlett Packard Singapore

Here's another company that gets a great review from one of its full-time mum employees - Ramya Hari. This is what Ramya (who is also a first-time mum) has to say about this great company:

Hewlett Packard provides mums with a friendly and secure environment with a nice and cozy nursing room - what more does an exclusive breastfeeding mom need?

Being a first time mom, greatly inclined towards my career and giving my daughter the best - exclusive pumping was my only solution. Some of the questions that ran through my mind during my maternity leave days were: Will I be able to do it? How can I juggle work and looking after a baby? How positive will my company be about this?

But I was bowled over by the way HP treated me on this journey.

First of all, I had an accommodating and understanding manager who trusted that I could do my best at work even though I had to leave my desk every 3 hours for my pumping sessions.

Second, HP has an exclusive and cozy nursing room that accommodates nursing mothers with all the necessary facilities like a fridge, wash basin, tissues and a hot water dispenser. The fridge in this room was exclusively for nursing moms which was a big plus.

The nursing room was managed by the reception staff who jotted down who took the keys at what time, just in case we forgot to take something back (which can happen to working mums who are juggling work and expressing.) The most important thing was it was neat and sanitised at all times.

Third, I had amazingly supportive colleagues who helped turn my exclusive expressing experience into a super easy and comfortable one.

I strongly believe breastfeeding is no longer a thing to be shy about. It's the "BEST GIFT" a mom can give her child during the initial growing stages!

National University Health System (NUHS)

There is no better testimonial for a mum-friendly workplace than one from a mum who works there!

Here's what full-time working mum Jasmine Lee has to say about her experience while working for the NUHS:

As a FTWM (full-time working mum) and a believer in breastfeeding my child, I'm very appreciative and grateful that my interim boss and colleagues are super understanding and supportive whenever I disappear for cow duties!

Tickled Media Pte Ltd

Tickled Media is truly a mum-friendly company — and we're not just saying this because we work for them!

Personally, I couldn't have a better job right now — one that allows me to work from home fulltime, enabling me to provide the best possible care for my two little boys.

Here's what former Associate Editor of theAsianparentJustina Goh has to say about working for this great company:

There is a designated space in the office with a counter and sink where I could pump my milk, with a door that I was able to lock up. I am extremely thankful to have worked in a pro-breastfeeding office environment, with colleagues and bosses who understood my needs as a breastfeeding mum.

I was never questioned on my pump breaks — when I was not in my seat, they'd automatically know that I was pumping away!

I also had the flexibility to work from home when there really was a need (e.g. to care for a sick kid, or when the usual care arrangements fall through). This is extremely helpful for mums, as it helps us to be there for our kids/family during such circumstances.

Polycom Asia Pacific Ptd Ltd

Here's what Weileng Tan, a Polycom employee who is also a mum, has to say about this working mum-friendly company:

Polycom’s policies allow me to work from a location of my choice, while trusting in my professional judgement and capabilities.

This trust my employers have in me empowers me to maximise my time, and, equipped with my trusty video enabled laptop, I can meet with my team, vendors, partners and even customers via video anytime.

I have never felt like I had to choose between career and my family due to this ability to work seamlessly, on my return to work from maternity leave.

Four Seasons Singapore

Having bosses and colleagues who understand and support you as a working mum is one way a company could do their part to be mum-friendly.

Nur Diana is a mum and employee of Four Seasons Singapore. Here's what she has to say about this mum-friendly company:

My breastfeeding journey didn't stop once I returned to work after my maternity leave. I have a superb boss and colleagues who are understanding and not once did they question me about breastfeeding.

At Four Seasons Singapore, there's a nursing room in the female locker where I can pump comfortably. Though it's not that big, it's still fully equipped with all the basic needs, including a mini bar.

The baby posters on the wall are something that you would wish to see while you're having a long and busy day at work.

Do you work for a mum-friendly company, or know of other mum-friendly companies in Singapore? Or are there any facilities you wish you had in your workplace that would make it more mum-friendly? Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment below!

Written by

Nalika Unantenne

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