12 Organisations Recognised For Innovative HR Policies That Support Fathers

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 10 February 2023 – Five organisations from the public, private and people sectors have been selected as winners of the Great Companies for Dads Awards 2023. 22 companies participated in the awards this year.

These organisations will be receiving the awards from President Halimah Yacob at the Centre for Fathering Charity Ball on 10 February 2023. They hail from industries such as medical, financial, property, social services and government.

The winners are:

1. Animal & Avian Veterinary Clinic (AAVC)
2. City Developments Limited
3. Focus on the Family Singapore Ltd
4. Ministry of Social and Family Development
5. Partior

In addition, another seven organisations will receive letters of commendation from Patron of Centre for Fathering, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore, for their efforts in encouraging work-life integration in their organisations. These include:

1. Civil Service College
2. Elephant Pte Ltd (Elephant Therapy & Training)
3. Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)
4. National Parks Board
5. PUB – Singapore’s National Water Agency
6. Singtel
7. Umami Meats Pte Ltd

The following organisations are Made For Families partners – Animal & Avian Veterinary Clinic (AAVC), City Developments Limited, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Civil Service College and Singtel.

Awards to recognise father-friendly workplaces

Organised by the Centre for Fathering (CFF), DADs for Life and MUMs for Life, the Great Companies for Dads Awards is Singapore’s first award to recognise outstanding organisations with policies and practices that support fathers and help them thrive at home as they do at the workplace. It is organised in partnership with Families for Life and in support of Made For Families. Into its second edition this year, the awards was launched in 2021 by President Halimah and recipients were selected based on the following criteria:

• Demonstration of innovative policies on parental and paternity leave that go beyond stipulated legislation;
• Demonstration of policies benefitting Dads such as shared parenting initiatives, flexible work arrangements and Dads support networks and resources; and
• Adoption of Centre for Fathering, DADs for Life and Families for Life initiatives and programmes such as Eat With Your Family Day and parenting workshops.

Employers play an important role

“Employers play a critical role in supporting families as better work-life integration for employees leads to happier and stronger families. Relationships are one of the most important things to humans. By giving employees quality time to spend with people that matters the most to them, employers are creating a ripple effect that makes employees more motivated to work for the companies. This benefits the company through increased productivity, greater staff engagement and lower turnover. The Great Companies for Dads Awards motivate organisations to continually help their employees, especially Dads, achieve balance between work and family,” said Speaker of Parliament Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also the patron for CFF, DADs for Life and MUMs for Life.

Mr Bryan Tan, CEO of CFF, DADs for Life and MUMs for Life, added, “It’s very encouraging to see these organisations putting in place exemplary human resource policies and workplace practices, that supersede all required stipulations. Parents, specifically Dads, are very well supported at these companies. Many fathers there can become more involved and engaged with their children, which brings benefits to the children’s well-being and marital relationships, thereby strengthening families. This would set Singapore up to be known to the world as being Made For Families!”

Mr Ishak Ismail, Families for Life Council Chairman, said “I am heartened that organisations are embracing a family-friendly culture and doing more to support their employees. Juggling work and family demands can be challenging for parents, and we need a whole-of-society effort to strengthen our families and build a stronger society. I hope that the awards will motivate more companies to implement family-friendly policies and practices at the workplace so we can forge a more inclusive and caring Singapore where families can thrive. Congratulations to all the recipients of the Great Companies for Dads Awards 2023!”