On Friday many members of Hong Kong's workforce would have taken a half- day off to see what I would call 'the event of the month' - the World Cup quarter-final match between Brazil and England.

I am sure when staff asked for the time off, employers were happy to grant their request.

However, I could not help wondering how many of us would actually consider taking a half-day from work to spend some quality time with an elderly parent, or a sick relative and how many of our employers would consider such a leave application.