Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced the rollout of a number of new employee programmes as part of their Work That Fits Your Life initiative to enrich personal wellbeing and work/life balance. HPE employees in Singapore are now benefiting from the introduction of 26 weeks of paid leave for new parents—both mothers and fathers—as well as parental transition support, retirement transition support, and Wellness Fridays.
HPE is taking initiative with innovative new policies on both paid parental leave and flexible working arrangements in recognition of the importance of equal parenting and the role that workplace culture can play in supporting it. HPE enhanced the Paid Parental Leave policy to allow new parents, with at least one year of HPE service, to benefit from 26 weeks of paid leave within the first 12 months after the birth or adoption of a child - an increase of 10 weeks for mothers and 24 weeks for fathers in Singapore. HPE has also implemented Parental Transition Support which is a flexible work arrangement policy that offers new parents the opportunity to work part time for up to 36 months after the birth or adoption of a child.
As research shows parental bonding is essential for the wellbeing and future health of a child, supporting new parents is more important than ever. Both new policies demonstrate the value HPE places on creating a culture of “work that fits your life” and a gender balance that creates equal opportunities at home and in the workplace.
“At HPE in Singapore, we want all of our employees to be reaching their full potential in their careers. That means supporting them as they grow their families as well,” said Narinder Kapoor, Managing Director, APAC at HPE. “We are very proud to be rolling out this global initiative for our employees. By investing in our highly skilled and motivated workforce, we will cement HPE’s position as an employer of choice globally and here in Singapore.”
In addition to the extended paid parental leave, HPE announced further benefits and innovative career support options that will be offered to its workforce in Singapore:
- Support for existing families: Eligibility for the extended paid paternal leave benefit is being retroactively applied to parents with children born or adopted on or after May 1, 2019.
- Parental Transition Support: New parents will be given the opportunity to work part time, for three years, following the birth or adoption of a child. It provides employees more time to bond with their new child and also helps them transition back to work.
- Retirement Transition Support: Employees approaching retirement will be given the opportunity to work part time to help adjust to the lifestyle changes of retirement while transferring their knowledge and/or serving as a mentor to other HPE employees.
- Wellness Fridays: As part of the global wellness and work/life balance initiative, employees are encouraged to leave the office three hours early one Friday each month to volunteer, focus on physical or emotional health, or spend time on personal or career development.
“HPE’s culture values employees’ lives both inside and outside of the office, and our benefits reflect this” said Rohini Sachitanand, APAC HR Director, HPE. “By focusing on wellness and flexibility we are able to build a culture where our people can develop and thrive, even in times of transition at home.”
