SINGAPORE should be careful about increasing the statutory leave burden on companies to 'meet every new or emerging personal need of employees'.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Hawazi Daipi said this in Parliament on Wednesday when responding to a question from Madam Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC) who asked if men will be considered for paid leave to care for sick parents in view of a similar call for working women.

Said Mr Hawazi: 'While we appreciate that many working adults might have elderly parents to take care of, we should leave it to them to decide how best to meet these commitments, including using their annual leave where necessary.'

'The suggestion to mandate statutory family-care leave, on top of annual leave, for working adults to take care of their aged or sick parents will increase business cost and undermine our overall competitiveness.'

'Instead of mandating it, we should leave it to the discretion of employers who can afford to do so, to grant such leave as part of their personnel benefits.'

A more sustainable approach, he said, is to help companies implement work-life arrangements that can better help their employees meet both their needs at work and in their personal life.