Employees Of IKEA Malaysia Are Now Entitled To One Month Paid Paternity Leave
Good news for new dads!
By Samantha Khor — 25 Oct 2017, 02:41 PM
New dads who are employees of IKEA Malaysia will now get to spend more time with their newborns, as the Swedish furniture retailer has introduced one month paid paternity leave for male employees
The entitlement is available for all full-time and part-time male employees in all its stores and offices in the country and across Southeast Asia.
“IKEA has always taken an interest in life at home for families. We embrace Swedish values - including equality at work and at home,” said Lydia Song, HR Director of IKEA Southeast Asia.
She added that she hopes the new leave allowance will enable fathers to take on more active roles at home after the birth of their newborn, especially with an increasing focus on fathers and the importance of their presence during a child's early years.
IKEA Southeast Asia actually rolled out the enhanced policy on 1 January this year, with Muhammad Rizal Sunalim being one of the first Malaysian co-workers to claim the benefit
Muhammad Rizal Sunalim, an IKEA Food team leader from IKEA Cheras, is among the first in Malaysia to take up a month long paternity leave.
Image via IKEA Malaysia"This was golden time for me and my family," says Rizal, an IKEA Food team leader who, along with his wife, works at IKEA Cheras. The couple have three children.
"With our first two, my wife had to do everything on her own. This time, I had an opportunity to look after my baby and my wife, too. It meant so much to her because she was able to get some rest and support. I cooked for the family, I did laundry, I looked after our two little girls. The bonding time has been really nice."
Aside from IKEA Malaysia, CIMB Bank and Johnson & Johnson have also granted their male employees in Malaysia extended paid paternity leave earlier this year
CIMB Bank increased the allowance for paid paternity leave from three consecutive days to 30 consecutive days (one full month) in June this year, while pharmaceutical organisation Johnson & Johnson introduced enhanced parental leave benefits to 60 of its operating locations from 1 August. Male employees of Johnson & Johnson in Malaysia are now entitled to eight weeks of paternity leave on full pay instead of the previous two days.
Unlike maternity leave, there is no law in Malaysia that requires employers to grant paternity leave. With that said, most companies do allow paternity leave with varying periods, with some being more generous than others.
According to parenting site Baby Center, Malaysian civil servants are entitled to seven days' paternity leave, with some state government employees being allowed to take up to 14 days.
Companies typically only provide one to three days, although some multinational companies allow up to 14 days to a month. Some companies may also allow new fathers to take unpaid leave, compassionate leave, or annual leave in lieu of paternity leave.