The following is issued on behalf of the Family Council:
A total of 3 227 companies and organisations from different sectors and 37 government bureaux/departments were commended today (December 8) at the award presentation ceremony for the 2017/18 Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme co-organised by the Home Affairs Bureau and the Family Council.
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung; the Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Jack Chan; and the Chairman of the Family Council, Professor Daniel Shek, officiated at the award presentation ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Cheung said the Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme organised by the Family Council aims to raise the community's awareness on family-friendly practices. On measures being implemented by the Government, he said a bill seeking to increase statutory paternity leave from the existing three days to five days proposed by the Government has been passed by the Legislative Council. Upon completion of the relevant procedures, the amendment ordinance will come into operation. The Government will also follow　up on the suggestion on extending statutory maternity leave from the current 10 weeks to 14 weeks and will draft the enabling bill and formulate relevant measures after the passage of the bill. The Government has also taken the lead in extending maternity leave to 14 weeks for all female government employees.
Mr Cheung added that the legislative measures are intended only to increase the basic thresholds. The Government hopes and believes that many employers will assist their employees in the light of the actual circumstances to strike a balance between work and family responsibilities. If employees have less to worry about, they will work harder, staff wastage will be reduced and companies' productivity will be increased, creating a triple-win situation for employers, employees and families.
The 2017/18 Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme presented seven categories of awards, namely Family-Friendly Employers awards, Meritorious Family-Friendly Employers awards, Family-Friendly Employers – Grand Award, Outstanding Family-Friendly Employment Practices awards, Awards for Breastfeeding Support, Special Mention awards and Special Mention (Gold) awards. Enrolment categories included Corporations (for companies or firms with 100 or more employees in Hong Kong), Small and Medium Enterprises (for those with less than 100 employees in Hong Kong) and Organisations (for non-governmental organisations and social enterprises in Hong Kong). Government bureaux and departments could compete for Outstanding Family-Friendly Employment Practices awards and Awards for Breastfeeding Support. The award scheme received a record-breaking number of enrolments, with more than 3 500 companies, organisations and government bureaux and departments joining.
After assessment, 3 080 and 133 companies and organisations were recognised as Family-Friendly Employers and Meritorious Family-Friendly Employers respectively. Among the awardees, 582 companies and organisations that were awarded as Family-Friendly Employers twice received Special Mention awards, while 362 companies and organisations which were awarded three times were given Special Mention (Gold) awards. Fourteen companies and organisations which have received Distinguished Family-Friendly Employers awards consistently in previous years were awarded the newly added Family-Friendly Employers – Grand Award to recognise their immense efforts in introducing new or innovative family-friendly employment policies and practices, or extending the coverage of beneficiaries. Ten companies, organisations and government bureaux/departments received the newly added Outstanding Family-Friendly Employment Practices awards to commend them for implementing innovative and flexible family-friendly practices or being the pioneers in the industry. In addition, 592 companies, organisations and government bureaux/departments received the Awards for Breastfeeding Support to commend their efforts in adopting facilitating measures to support employees who are breastfeeding.
The biennial award scheme was launched in 2011 and this year marked its fourth edition. The award scheme recognises employers who attach importance to the family-friendly spirit, encourages them to continue to put in place family-friendly employment policies and practices to raise employers' awareness of the importance of family core values, and aims to foster a pro-family culture and environment. For the full list of awardees and other details, please visit the website www.ffeas.hk/english/index.html.
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