I READ with concern last Thursday's letter, 'Maternity leave not a perk' by Mr Yeh Siang Hui.

In Singapore, taking paid leave from work after delivering a child is a right, not a luxury. The law entitles female employees to 12 weeks of maternity leave, of which eight are borne by the employer and four by the Government.

This, with other family-friendly support initiatives, is an endorsement by the Government which recognises the challenges working mothers face.

It is unfortunate that Mr Yeh feels 'a pregnancy in the workplace is nothing but bad news'. I would be worried if there are more men out there who share this view.

Why should mothers be punished for having children? It is, after all, what women are biologically programmed to do.

Contrary to the 'petulant resentment' Mr Yeh suggests, pregnant mothers are not asking for special treatment. They are simply asking for equal opportunity and fair consideration. And if it's not too much to ask, some empathy and thoughtfulness from colleagues and superiors would probably help too.

While I don't disagree with Mr Yeh's proposition that performing employees should be duly rewarded, I find his illustration of 'units of work' to measure productivity weak and urge him to take a more holistic view of performance and productivity appraisal. Unsurprisingly, he will find it is not just the quantity of work and quality counts too.

While a challenge, it is important to create a supportive, family-friendly culture that promotes the use of available work-life options. This is especially true in resource-scarce Singapore where we can least afford to under-utilise human resources. Buy-in from bosses as well as colleagues will be necessary. For the less open-minded, one way to look at it is 'it could happen to you too'.

Getting pregnant is hardly a new workplace phenomenon and the issue of pregnancy discrimination is one that needs attention as more women join the workforce.

Faye Chiam (Ms)

'Partial paternity leave would allow male employees to be involved in parenting and baby sitting.'

MR LIM YAO HO: 'Maternity leave is fixed at three months, so it has always been argued that, to involve fathers effectively in parenting and baby-sitting chores, they should be given paternity leave of up to three months. But let us be realistic. In Singapore, companies already sacrifice by granting leave for national service. It is not fair nor practical that they should also give up their employees for the greater service of national procreation. But all is not lost. Tweak the system so male employees are granted partial paternity leave and we can overcome the problem of employees absent from work for up to three months. Partial paternity leave would mean granting employees half a day or even a few hours a day to allow male employees to be involved in parenting and baby sitting. This will give their wives some breathing space so they can rest.'

Straitstimes.com