Paternity leave can improve employee loyalty while helping to increase birth rate

There have been calls for statutory paternity leave to be introduced in Hong Kong.

This is partly because the birth rate in the city is falling and there are demands to provide more incentives for couples to start a family. One incentive would be statutory leave for new fathers. I would support the enacting of such legislation.

It is essential that fathers be given time off. It is a difficult time for a mother and she needs the help of her partner to be able to cope with the baby. This is especially important for a young mother who is having her first child and lacks experience. She does not know what to expect and so getting help from her husband is crucial.

I also think this legislation would be good for the economy, as it would improve productivity in the workplace.

An employee who is given this period of leave feels valued by his employer.

Being allowed this short break so he can assist his wife at a time when she really needs him would increase his level of job satisfaction and make him more productive when he returned to the office.

Opponents of statutory paternity leave say that once it becomes law it is inflexible, as a set period would be determined under the legislation, but this is not necessarily the case.