Parental leave Singapore: Aviva Singapore announces 16 weeks paid parental leave for both mums and dads!

The First Parental Leave Policy Of Its Kind Here

Aviva Singapore, provider of retirement, investments, insurance and health solutions has announced a truly progressive parental leave policy, effective from 19 November 2017.

It applies to all employees, regardless of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or marital status!

Under this policy:

• All dads and mums employed by Aviva are entitled to 16 weeks parental leave at full pay within the first twelve months of a child’s arrival.
• This applies to all Singapore-based permanent Aviva employees, across all levels of the company –  regardless of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or marital status.
• Covers both birth and / or adoption.
• There is no limit on the number of new children.
• If both parents are Aviva employees – they will each have their own entitlement to leave and pay, which they can take at the same time.
• This is in addition to other existing parental leave arrangements at Aviva, such as Shared Parental Leave (up to 4 weeks), Childcare Leave (6 days), Extended Childcare Leave (2 days) and New Infant Care Leave (6 days unpaid).
• Employees are required to have a minimum of 3 months of continuous service to be eligible for this policy.

Understanding Parents’ Needs

The new parental leave policy is part of a Group-wide initiative and will be rolled out in Singapore, UK, Ireland, France, and Canada, with plans to extend this to other Aviva markets within the next year.

Mark Wilson, Group Chief Executive Officer, Aviva plc says, “We want Aviva to be a progressive, inclusive, welcoming place to work. It’s good for our people and it’s also good business sense.”

Nishit Majmudar, Chief Executive Officer at Aviva Singapore said, “Welcoming a child to the family is one of the happiest moments for a parent. Amidst the joy and excitement, work should be the last thing on their minds.”

Your children should come into mind first during their early years, not work.

“At Aviva, we want to foster a culture which encourages our people to be closely involved in their child’s early years – a precious experience that we believe should be shared equally among both dads and mums.”

In November 2016, the Child Development Co-Savings Act was amended in Parliament, granting new dads in Singapore 2 weeks of Government-paid paternity leave and unwed mums 16 weeks of maternity leave, up from 8 weeks.

What makes Aviva’s policy truly progressive is that it even covers adoptive parents!

Here’s hoping more companies in Singapore adopt such child-friendly initiatives.

Also READ: Singapore Government considering more parental leave for those with premature or multiple babies