Hong Kong gives go signal for 3-day paternity leave

Here's why HR experts are relieved.

According to Regus, Hong Kong government introduced legislation that would allow for three days of paternity leave for fathers following the birth of a child.

The company says that the long-awaited move will help new parents to juggle their work commitments with the considerable demands of coping with a newborn child.

The latest Regus Work/Life Balance Index, revealed a gap between the work/life balance of Hong Kong men compared to women. While 72 per cent of Hong Kong women said they were happy with the amount of time they were able to spend at home and/or with family, the figure for Hong Kong men was only 61 per cent.

"If implemented, this new paternity leave initiative will help to close the gap between the amount of time that Hong Kong men are able to spend with their families compared to local women," said John Henderson, Chief Finance Officer, Regus Asia-Pacific. "Paternity leave is already the norm in many countries and a growing body of research indicates a link between work/life balance and productivity – as well as talent retention . It is hardly surprising that employees perform better at work when they are not worrying about how to meet their non-work commitments, so I believe this initiative represents a win-win for local fathers and their employers."