features
the government is having to put substantial funds into helping
employers with the proposed abolition of the MPF off-setting
scheme at the moment.”
Echoing Weaver’s comment, Corner said, “Here, any
decision you make is going to affect a company. Therefore,
the government is a little bit reticent to make any changes. I’m
sure three days, five days (of paternity leave) is not going to
make a big difference to most companies, but if you went to
two weeks or three, four or five, you’d get a massive pushback
from organisations, particularly local ones, saying ‘come on,
we can’t afford it.’ If the government were paying for it, I’m
sure it’d be a different scenario.”
While some countries, such as Singapore and Japan, are
actively combatting their low birth rates with improved
family-friendly policies, Hong Kong continues to lag behind. The
consensus amongst interviewees for this article seems to be that
multinationals will have to lead the way, as they have done with
LGBT rights, towards a greater work-li fe balance in the territory.
“I think the narrative has definitely shifted,” Boey said,
“certainly in our circles anyway. With some of the Dads that I
know it’s just part of the gig. They’re caregivers just like their
wives are. And as children get older I think there’s more of a
realisation on their part, as to how much of a role you’re play-
ing in their lives. I mean, to be quite honest, had I not been
there for the first three or four months, I don’t think they’d
really care or remember, but now Camille’s at an age where
she’s learning so much and starting to vocalise and engage;
now she knows what the relationships are, she can see how
the dynamic works and who is around her and who’s not.
Now, moving forward, it’s even more important for me to
be around.”
Personal Experience
One beneficiary of the shift in corporate policy is Darren Boey,
Head of Communications for a tech start-up. Boey was
working for Bloomberg when his two children were born. His
oldest, Camille, arrived one month after Bloomberg launched a
global leave policy for employees classified as either primary or
secondary caregivers. As Camille’s secondary caregiver, after
mum Jane, Boey was granted an atypical four weeks leave.
“It was certainly unusual,” he said. “Amongst my friends,
everyone did not have the same level of leave, and obvi-
ously, there was a lot of envy. It was a very employee-friendly
policy, to make the workplace much more desirable and a
much more family-friendly place. Bloomberg was appealing to
this kind of shift in corporate culture especially amongst the
big corporations.”
Boey was also given the flexibility to divide his leave in to
segments, so he spent one week at home after Camille and
then Franklin arrived, and then he could accompany Jane
and the babies when they traveled to Australia to meet all
the grandparents.
“Personally, it was very satisfying,” Boey reflects. “To be
there for your child’s early days and early months – just to see
the milestones because they change so quickly.”
Jane can attest to Boey’s proactive attitude and, like Yuen,
how this progressive Dad surprised the older generation. “My
mother was just here, and she was quite blown away by how
hands-on he is. But it’s just the way it’s got to be if you’re both
working. I never feel like it’s a novelty for him to look after the
kids. It’s very equal.”
Though the conversation around paternity leave often boils
down to the practical – who foots the bill and how – the issue
raises some interesting and larger philosophical questions.
How do we view work? What makes a Dad? Who do we want
to be for our kids?
June 2018
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