The following is issued on behalf of the Family Council:
 
     A total of 2 555 corporations, small and medium enterprises and organisations from different sectors were commended as Family-Friendly Employers and 39 government bureaux/departments received Awards for Breastfeeding Support today (October 25) at the award presentation ceremony for the 2015/16 Family-Friendly Employers Award Scheme co-organised by the Home Affairs Bureau and the Family Council.
 
     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Betty Fung, and the Chairman of the Family Council, Professor Daniel Shek, officiated at the award presentation ceremony.
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Lam said families are not only the core units of society but also the driving force behind our hard work and our shelters in difficult times. She said that family-friendly practices do not necessarily incur substantial additional costs for companies and corporations, and in fact the Family Council has, at the assessment and selection stage of the Award Scheme, identified a number of cost-effective family-friendly practices that can serve as  useful references for employers. These practices share the common feature of being "people-oriented", whereby employees' needs are addressed. When employees manage to take good care of their families, they can devote more energy to their work and help lift their companies' productivity. This makes a healthy cycle, and can be regarded as a manifestation of the Creating Shared Value approach promoted by the Government through the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund Task Force.
 
     The contestants for awards as Family-Friendly Employers were divided into different categories, namely Corporations (for companies or firms with 100 or more employees in Hong Kong), Small and Medium Enterprises (for those with less than 100 employees in Hong Kong) and Organisations (for non-governmental organisations and social enterprises in Hong Kong). The response to the award scheme has been overwhelming, with 2 700 companies and organisations enrolled. An assessment panel comprising experts and representatives from various sectors assessed the applications and selected the awardees with reference to various criteria, such as family-friendly practices and polices (FFEPPs) adopted by employers, benefits of implementing FFEPPs to employers and employees, as well as the rationale behind the implementation of FFEPPs and management commitment.
 
     A total of 2 555 companies and organisations were recognised as Family-Friendly Employers. Among them, 114 companies and organisations were recognised as Distinguished Family-Friendly Employers due to their outstanding achievements in the implementation of FFEPPs. Thirty-one companies and organisations also received Awards for Innovation to acknowledge their flexible use of innovative ideas to implement FFEPPs. In recognition of their dedication to making continuous efforts in promoting FFEPPs, 180 companies and organisations that were awarded as Family-Friendly Employers three consecutive times received the newly added Special Mention (Gold) awards, while 380 companies and organisations which were awarded twice were given Special Mention awards.
 
     The Awards for Breastfeeding Support were also added to this year's award scheme to commend employers who provide suitable facilities in the workplace to support employees who are breastfeeding. In addition to 39 government bureaux/departments, 653 companies and organisations received Awards for Breastfeeding Support.
 
     Launched in 2011, the biennial award scheme recognises employers who attach importance to the family-friendly spirit, encourages them to continue to put in place family-friendly employment policies and practices to raise employers' awareness of the importance of family core values, and aims to foster a pro-family culture and environment. For the full list of awardees and other details, please visit the website: www.familycouncil.gov.hk/tc_chi/ffcas/index_new.htm.
 
     To further promote FFEPPs in the community, the Family Council has engaged Ms Prudence Mak, the well-known illustrator and designer of "Chocolate Rain", to produce a 2017 desktop calendar. The calendar promulgates 12 cost-effective family-friendly employment measures identified from the awardees with a view to encouraging employers to adopt more measures to meet employees' family needs. Members of the public may visit the website of the Family Council (www.familycouncil.gov.hk) for free calendar registration.

Ends/Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:59

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