Family
Bring Children to Work Day
A day where employees bring their children to the workplace. This allows employees’ children to gain a better understanding of the work their parents do. Usually, child-friendly programmes and activities are also organised (e.g. movie screenings, magic shows, lunch).
Bursaries
Monetary benefits set aside to reward employees’ children who have achieved academic excellence. These bursaries are designed to encourage them to perform well at school, and express the organisation’s care for employees’ families.
Childcare Arrangements
Special arrangements to address the needs of employees with young children. Childcare arrangements may include childcare centres within/near work premises, before and after school centres within/near work premises, and island-wide childcare centres with enrolment privileges for employees.
Childcare Subsidies
Monetary benefits or discounts to reduce the cost of childcare services. Organisations offer this with the understanding that employees need to make such arrangements due to work commitments.
Eat With Your Family Day
A symbolic day where employees are allowed to leave the office at a specified time to have dinner with their family (e.g. 5pm). This is usually an annual event, which falls on a Friday before the start of the mid-year school break for students. It is organised by the Centre for Fathering, as part of National Family Week.
Some organisations may choose to take this one step further and schedule regular Eat With Your Family Days to encourage employees to spend quality time with their family members.
Eldercare Arrangements
Special arrangements made with eldercare centres or eldercare service providers to ensure that employees’ elderly parents are cared for during work.
Eldercare Subsidies
Monetary benefits or discounts to reduce the cost of eldercare services. Organisations offer this with the understanding that employees need to make such arrangements due to work commitments.
Family Day
An event where employees and their family members participate in common activities, usually in an informal setting. The activities can range from health and sports events to overseas trips. These activities aim to facilitate bonding between employees and their families, as well as enhance relationships between co-workers.
Family Information and Referral Service
A compilation of family-related resources, which may be in the form of a website, booklet, hotline or helpdesk. Information may include family-friendly attractions, a list of childcare/eldercare service providers, and a list of retail outlets selling family products. These are typically offered at a discounted rate to employees of the organisation.
Family Relocation Programme
This scheme is common in organisations that require their employees to be relocated overseas for long periods of time. It includes monetary benefits (e.g. when a spouse is required to stop work in order to follow the employee and care for children), assistance, (e.g. to settle housing, transport and school enrolment, tax advice), and counselling services to help employees adjust to the new environment.
Family Room
A designated space within the organisation for employees to leave their children or other family members while they attend to work. This room is usually equipped with family-friendly items, such as a DVD player, TV, books, or games. For example, an employee coming in over the weekend for a few hours may leave their children in the family room to read books, do their homework, or watch DVDs.
Gifts for Hospitalisation
Goodwill gestures to express the organisation’s concern for their employees’ personal life and well-being. May come in the form of hampers, vouchers, cash, or red packets.
Gifts for Marriage
Goodwill gestures from the organisation to signify their congratulations. May come in the form of hampers, vouchers, cash, or red packets.
Gifts for New-Born Baby
Goodwill gestures to express the organisation’s interest in their employees’ personal life and well-being. May come in the form of hampers, vouchers, cash, or red packets.
Lactation Support
The promotion of a breastfeeding-friendly culture, flexible lactation breaks, and the provision of a private lactation room for mothers. Having such protection and support at the workplace encourages and enables new mothers tor return to work. The lactation room should come equipped with chairs, electric sockets for breast pumps, refrigerators, hot water, and sinks.
Refer to Project Liquid Gold for more resources on supporting lactating mothers and creating a culture that is conducive to new mothers.
Medical and Insurance Coverage
A scheme that usually includes medical or dental claims for work (e.g. overseas travel). It is provided to ensure the physical well-being of employees and their family members.
On-Site Childcare Centres
An arrangement where the organisation partners with a childcare service provider to provide childcare services within the office premises. Employees of the organisation are commonly offered a discount and given priority over members of the public during enrolment.
Takeaway Food Services
An arrangement in which the organisation partners with internal or external vendors to provide takeaway food services for employees and their families. This is done to help employees prepare meals for their family after work.