Most Supportive Employer, Manager or Colleague 2024

Most Supportive Employer, Manager or Colleague 2024

Most Supportive Employer, Manager or Colleague

Winner: Ibrahim Tahir (Wardah Books)

Ibrahim Tahir was nominated by Humairah Muhlesseddin:

Mr Ibrahim has been very accommodating whenever I became pregnant, and even after birth. He runs his bookshop efficiently and always has employees’ welfare in mind. Family-friendly would be one way I would describe working at Wardah Books – he has always allowed us to be there for our families whenever we need to. I’ve been working at Wardah Books since January 2017 and have had 3 children since then – and my children even treat it like a second home.

He allowed me to pump at work whenever needed, even outside of my break times, arranged for WFH accomodations even before WFH became a thing (circa 2018-2019, pre-COVID) and also arranged for a mini cooler/ fridge at work just for me to keep my milk.

When the first cooler didn’t work, he even replaced it with a bigger one. He also allowed me to bring my child to work more than once and arranged for flexible working arrangements (I switched from permanent full time, to WFH, to taking a full break and then coming back as permanent part time all in the span of 7 years).

Without Mr Ibrahim’s support, I don’t think I would have been able to nurse my children as long as I did. His kindness in making the necessary arrangements so that I felt taken care of and didn’t feel stressed definitely made the nursing journeys easier for me. He has made the working environment a warm and welcoming one for everyone.

 

Shortlisted Nominees:

  • Sister Lim Peng Im from National University Hospital (NUH) – 2nd from right
  • Mott MacDonald (represented by staff) – 3rd from right

Sister Lim Peng Im was nominated by fellow colleague, Lee Li Ying:

Ms Lim is a passionate and experienced IBCLC and midwife who advocates all parents to provide cued and responsive care to their babies so as to enhance the babies’ long term development.

I got to know Ms Lim through my attachment at the National University of Singapore. During this period, I witnessed how gentle and non-judgemental she was in her approach working with mothers and babies. She was also very generous and patient in sharing her experience with me.

Whenever I am experiencing inflammation of the breasts, she would offer to assess and intervene never mind if it would increase her workload and she would do the same even for other colleagues. Ms Lim also actively recruits breastfeeding mothers as hospital volunteers so that she can continue to pass evidence-based knowledge and skills to these mother volunteers who could continue to support other mums in their breastfeeding journeys, thereby improving the breastfeeding scene in Singapore.

Throughout my breastfeeding journey, I have also encountered comments from other healthcare workers who gave purported advice about extended breastfeeding but every time Ms Lim would take her time to explain to me the evidence and benefits of extended breastfeeding so that I could continue.

Her support certainly has helped me to extend my breastfeeding journey to two years and beyond. Being around her has also influenced me to offer other mums the same kind of unconditional support that she does with other breastfeeding mums.

 

Mott MacDonald S’pore Pte Ltd was nominated by Zarith Sofia Magad (Technical Director):

As a second-time mother who recently returned to work in June 2024, I am heartened by the continued support I receive from my employer, Mott MacDonald Singapore Pte Ltd, for me to prolong breastfeeding my children.

The support I received comes in various forms:

1. Mother’s rooms
Our office spans over two floors in the building, and a mother’s room, or lactation room, is provided at each floor. Both rooms are furnished beautifully with comfortable seating and warm lighting, providing a private space that allows me to disconnect from the office environment and get into a relaxed, calm mood to express my milk.

The rooms are also equipped with a sink, tissues and hand soap, a mini fridge to store pumped milk and a steriliser to thoroughly clean my breast pump!
I also love the attention to detail – like having a mirror in the room to check our outfits before we leave, a table to place belongings (or a laptop should we wish to continue working while pumping) and also, a pen is left in the room so that we can record the time of our pumping session on milk storage bags!

I am pleasantly surprised that the mother’s rooms can be booked through our Microsoft Outlook system, as this gives other mothers visibility on the availability of the rooms and ability to book the rooms in advance. Colleagues who have also used the rooms share my appreciation for these rooms.

2. Nursing breaks
Each day, I take one nursing break that lasts for 30mins. I only need one because I work on reduced hours and end my day early. My past and current line managers have been supportive of this needed break by allowing me to pump on paid time, and they trust that I exercise flexibility with my pumping schedule against work commitments. I am aware of colleagues who are also breastfeeding, take 2 or more breaks when needed, with the same trust given to them by their line managers.

3. Supportive work culture
i. Paid nursing breaks
My pay is not affected by the nursing breaks that I need. I understand this is also the case for all other mothers who have needed to pump at work.

ii. Encouragement
It’s really heartening when colleagues share about their experience with breastfeeding – be it their own, or their spouses’. We talk about how important it is for our children to drink breastmilk when we (as parents) can provide it, and I often get encouragement to try and continue breastfeeding, for as long as possible.

iii. Putting my health first
As a company that prioritises health and safety, I feel empowered to put my health first. I have not needed to forego any pumping session (and risk engorgement or mastitis). Colleagues respect time booked for meetings and discussions, and I have been flexible with discussions that are ad-hoc. However, in a scenario where I have back-to-back schedule, I trust that I will be able to excuse myself to pump for the sake of my health.

iv. Working from home
Although working from office is taken as default, my employer understands that some days staff will choose to work from home. Working from home allows me to pump in my most comfortable environment.