Why maternity leave conversations are still hard to have with bosses

Managing an all-female workforce at her beauty salon chain, Ms Jasmin Tay occasionally finds her thoughts preoccupied with family planning – not for herself, but for her employees, many of whom are of childbearing age.

All four outlets of her business, Perky Lash, run on lean manpower, so she needs to anticipate staffing needs and make immediate plans for replacements should any of her workers apply for maternity leave, which is typically 16 weeks.  

"In practice, when we account for the full maternity leave and any additional time they might take off to prepare for delivery, employees are typically away for at least half a year," Ms Tay, 39, told CNA TODAY.

"During this absence, we have to hire replacements, whether part-time or full-time, to cover their roles."

Having to plan to manage absences effectively, Ms Tay said that having regular check-ins with workers was important, and that employees are encouraged to inform the company early about any family planning decisions.

“Please let us know first. There’s no bias or judgement. We just need to plan ahead.”

While Ms Tay encourages open communication with her crew, not all employers take the same approach.

And some women feel anxious to tell their bosses about their pregnancy and take up maternity leave, due to concerns about how the news might affect their careers.

For instance, when Ms Agnes, a nurse in her 30s, learnt that she was pregnant with her second child in late 2019, she was apprehensive about telling her bosses, having returned to work only in March that year after her first round of maternity leave.

Although being pregnant again was something to be celebrated, deep down she felt somewhat anxious about her employer's reaction since she would need to go on maternity leave again soon.  

"When I returned to work after my firstborn, I received comments from a colleague like, 'Because of you, I couldn’t take leave', which I felt was unfair as maternity leave was my entitlement," the mother of two said. She did not want to have her full name published to avoid a run-in with her former employer.

Asked if she eventually informed her team about her second pregnancy, Ms Agnes, who worked as a nurse then, said she did but that "there was nothing happy about it".

Previously, CNA TODAY has explored how gender bias affects women in the workplace, such as being excluded from key opportunities after being pregnant or being seen as less committed or reliable due to caregiving responsibilities.

Another central aspect of this issue is the ongoing conversation around maternity leave, which adds another layer to the challenges women face in achieving workplace equality.

That said, employers, particularly those with a majority of female employees, said that they do require advance notice to plan for business continuity, in view of the government's upcoming enhanced parental leave scheme. 

Yet, the women who spoke to CNA TODAY highlighted that in some companies, attitudes toward pregnancy and maternity leave still have a long way to go.

In Singapore, it is an offence for an employer to dismiss an employee while she is on maternity leave. Women who have worked for their employer for at least three months have protection during pregnancy against retrenchment and dismissal without sufficient cause.

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MATERNITY LEAVE

A paediatric healthcare professional who wanted to be known only as Ms Lee, 35, said that it was frustrating to receive inappropriate comments from her superiors over her maternity leave. 

"After my second pregnancy, I was shocked when my reporting officer sat me down and asked to know about my family planning, whether I wanted a third child, because she said it would be hard to justify a promotion for me." 

However, Ms Lee and her husband remained committed to their plans of growing their family and she eventually welcomed her third child in 2023. 

Having taken three rounds of maternity leave, Ms Lee said that she felt sidelined for promotions during her pregnancies.

Similarly, a 42-year-old regional sales manager, who wanted to be identified only as Ms Lyn, recalled being told multiple times at a previous company that going on maternity leave while holding a leadership position was poorly regarded by senior management.

"They didn't like the idea of senior management taking extended leave, because they felt it would disrupt the company's operations. So I know the female managing director even shortened her maternity leave to get back to work," she added. 

Conversations about maternity leave often extend to the challenge of workers needing to cover for their pregnant colleagues.

Ms Resa Lee, 33, people and culture manager at fashion chain Love, Bonito, recalled feeling surprised when she learnt that her manager would soon be going on maternity leave shortly after she joined the company in 2021.

She was asked to take on managerial responsibilities in her manager's absence, including overseeing team performance and people management.

"It was a bit overwhelming at first. It pushed me to understand my team's struggles and put myself in their shoes to support them, even though the role was new to me," she said.

Ms Lee added that the experience accelerated her management skills, pushing her into a leadership role sooner than anticipated.

MANAGING CASH FLOW AND MANPOWER

Over the years, legislated leave provisions have been enhanced to better support working mothers.

One reason is the government's drive to lift Singapore's birth rate, which is languishing well below the population replacement rate, like in many advanced economies.

During the National Day Rally in August, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that parents would get an extra 10 weeks of government-paid leave to be shared between both parents, replacing the existing arrangement where mothers can share up to four weeks of their 16-week maternity leave with their spouses.

With these enhancements, by April 2026, parents will have access to a total of 30 weeks of paid parental leave between them, comprising 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, four weeks of paid paternity leave, and 10 weeks of shared paid parental leave. 

If a couple decides to allocate the entire 10 weeks of shared parental leave to the mother, she could potentially take up to 26 weeks of leave in total, mostly paid for by the government.

Employers are typically required to pay employees during their leave before getting reimbursed by the government. This can create cash flow challenges, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have mostly female workers, such as beauty and wellness firms, therapy practices and caregiving services.

Employers who spoke to CNA TODAY said that having insight into when workers might take extended leave allows businesses to budget more effectively and avoid sudden financial strain.

Ms Jewel Yi, 33, a senior occupational therapist and director of Little Marvels Therapy, has celebrated six pregnancies, including her own, in a team of 17 since starting the business in 2022.

She said the number of staff taking maternity leave in a women-led business like hers is naturally often disproportionately higher than in a more gender-balanced workforce.

"As an example, if all my employees are women and 50 per cent of them go on maternity leave, the impact on my cash flow and services will be much greater compared to a company with a gender-balanced workforce, where this proportion might only be 25 per cent of its employees going on leave," she said.

"Yet we are all equally affected and burdened by inflation, taxes and landlord demands." 

Ms Yi added that the reimbursement from the government could take a while, and she has to absorb these costs for the time being.

"This could leave us with insufficient cash flow to hire contractors in the meantime, such as paying extra to contract staff on top of what we pay our employees, to help us manage during this period." 

"I will need to manage these challenges well because operating costs don’t adjust nor differentiate between women-majority and other businesses," she said.

Dr Annabelle Chow, founder of Annabelle Psychology, highlighted the difficulty of hiring front-line staff in the mental health industry at short notice, as the learning curve is steep for training staff to work with people with psychological disorders.

"There is a lack of an available pool of mental health workers and front-line staff in Singapore, further exacerbated by strict rules on the hiring of foreign workers," she said. 

A GP who wanted to be known only as Dr Nam shared that many clinics employ predominantly female staff and are typically small businesses with limited employees, which often leaves them short-handed. 

For example, her clinic has a small team of one full-timer and four part-timers. Although she has not had anyone go on maternity leave yet, that might change in the coming years. 

"Other than budgeting, I try to hire staff of varying ages, from young school leavers to those who have already had children and retirees, so this minimises the chances of employees being on maternity leave at the same time."

Ms Laraine Heng, director of human resources at Babilou Family, said with an average of 10 to 20 staff members going on maternity leave each year, the firm is ramping up strategies to ensure operations run smoothly with the introduction of longer shared parental leave starting next year.

Babilou Family operates more than 60 preschool and childcare centres, kindergartens and student care centres here.

These strategies include shifting staff between different centres to ensure all tasks are covered, keeping a pool of relief staff ready, and helping employees grow into roles with more responsibilities.

Another consideration is what happens after hiring someone to cover maternity leave, as the new hire may or may not remain until the staff member returns.

"Circumstances can change unexpectedly. So, while we try to plan as much as possible for both the mother and new staff, we have to be flexible, too, to minimise disruptive changes," said Ms Heng. 

WHAT BUSINESSES CAN DO

While knowing about family planning can help businesses plan for potential workforce changes, such discussions must be approached sensitively to ensure employees feel supported rather than pressured.

Hiring experts and bosses told CNA TODAY that balancing business needs with a family-friendly culture is a delicate but crucial task.

Mr Don Poh, group chief executive officer of Lorna Whiston Schools, said when starting a business, one must plan for at least two years of operational expenses, as it typically takes two to three years to break even and become profitable.

As 98 per cent of his workforce is female, maternity leave is common.

That means he has to assess the situation by, for example, looking at the workforce's age distribution, particularly those in their 20s and 30s.

"From there, I start projecting the probability of maternity leave: How many are married, how many are thinking about starting a family, and so on. The key is getting to know your staff and their life stages so you're not caught off guard.

"If you anticipate tight cash flow due to the likelihood of staff going on maternity leave, you'll need to either cut costs or find more ways to boost revenue." 

Ms Yvonne Teo, vice-president of human resources in the Asia Pacific for human resource services firm ADP, said that workflow management software and payroll automation can streamline operations and reduce administrative strain, allowing employees to focus on high-value tasks.

"Flexible work arrangements, such as adjusted hours or remote working, can help SMEs accommodate parental responsibilities without significant costs.

"SMEs must anticipate leave patterns and develop flexible staffing solutions, such as hiring part-time workers, temporary staff or independent contractors, which can help cover workforce gaps efficiently," she added. 

Ms Caroline Archer, head of operations and chief of staff at recruitment company TenTen Partners, said that planning is undoubtedly important, but the best approach is to encourage transparency. 

"Sometimes, women may feel hesitant to share news of their pregnancy until the last moment. This highlights the need for a cultural shift in the workplace, especially among leaders, usually men, to foster an environment of trust." 

On what more can be done, Ms May Cheng, president of the Singapore Business and Professional Women's Association, suggested that the government work with banks to support SME owners facing financial constraints, specifically due to maternity leave, by offering credit extensions or short-term loans. 

"I urge the government to step in and provide direct financial support, either through advances to employers or by allowing employees to apply directly for assistance. This would ease the burden on SME owners and create a more sustainable system."