PwC extends paternity leave to 30 days as part of its enhancements to workplace flexibility and family-friendly practices
KUALA LUMPUR, 5 December 2019 – PwC Malaysia today announced various enhancements under its flex+ programme for workplace flexibility and family-friendly practices. These enhancements, which also include lifestyle and medical benefits, are part of the firm’s priority to continue its focus on wellbeing and flexibility at work and cater to the varied needs of its people.
“As a firm, we are on a journey to empower our people with greater flexibility to manage their work and personal priorities. At the same time, we want to support working parents as they manage through changing priorities and circumstances. We recognise the role inclusive workplace policies plays in motivating and developing our people,” said Sridharan (Sri) Nair, PwC Malaysia Managing Partner.
The highlights announced under the flex+ programme include:
(i) Enhanced paternity leave of 30 days to encourage fathers in PwC to play a more active role in parenting, and share responsibilities in taking care of their newborn
(ii) Introduction of flexBenefits which provides employees the option to claim for various expenses within the scope of:
Lifestyle which covers (among others); leisure travel, fitness, workplace ergonomics tools, childcare centre fees, purchase of baby gear such as car seats, and personal development courses
Medical Plus which covers specialist outpatient treatment, physiotherapy and maternity-related expenses (including fertility treatments)
(iii) flexMed which allows medical leave to be taken without needing to produce a medical chit
(iv) An additional day off for employees on their Birthday to celebrate this personal special occasion
These enhancements are part of the firm’s flex+ programme, which provides a range of flexible work practices and family-friendly benefits such as Rest & Refresh, flexFridays, flexWear, flexSpace, flexMum, and Reduced Work Week, among other initiatives (see Notes section).
“Over the years, we have endeavoured to promote a culture which focuses on outcomes rather than the number of hours our people spend at work. Our ask of our people is that they are responsible in exercising the flexibility given to them, be it in observing flexible working arrangements, taking medical leave without having to produce medical chits, or deciding what’s appropriate to wear based on their schedule for the day,” said Pauline Ho, PwC Malaysia People Partner.
“We believe that for any flexible work practices or benefits programme to be successful, trust needs to be a critical factor to bring out the best in our people. This is the thinking behind how we design our rewards and recognition initiatives,” she continued.
Sri and Pauline were present at a firm-wide launch event today to unveil the latest enhancements to PwC’s flex+ programme. Employees participated in various activities including interactive sessions on lifestyle and wellness, and a virtual flex+ challenge to build awareness of flexibility initiatives around the firm.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Some of PwC’s existing flexible work practices/family-friendly benefits
Rest & Refresh - A firm-wide block leave of at least a week that happens during the year-end period (generally during the Christmas period and New Year’s Day)
flexFridays - Every second Friday of the month, employees are allowed to leave at 12:30pm. Unlike a compressed work week in other organisations, employees are not asked to ‘replace’ the 4 hours by working longer hours on other days.
flexWear - Employees can dress for the day any day of the week, depending on their work commitments. Unless they’re required to see clients who have a more formal dress code, they are allowed to ‘dress down’, for instance wearing jeans and polo T-shirts, so long as they look professional.
flexSpace - The option to work from outside the office, when the situation calls for it. For instance, working from home to oversee house repairs/renovation.
flexMum - Mothers are eligible for paid maternity leave for a maximum of 90 consecutive calendar days. With flexMum, they can opt to apply for a shorter maternity leave period and flex the remaining days to flexMum leave, which can be taken throughout the newborn child’s first year of birth so that they can utilise the leave for post-natal check-ups, vaccinations, or transitioning to a childcare provider.
- Reduced Work Week - Employees can choose to work a shorter work week, from two and a half to four days a week. This allows them to spend time on things that are meaningful to them, whether it's spending more time with their children or taking care of ageing parents.
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