• The Singapore Government advocates and promotes the importance of family. In 1991, it published the “White Paper on Shared Values”, which recognised that “family as the basic unit of society” should be part of the Shared Values that Singaporeans should uphold. Families are considered the building blocks upon which a strong and stable society is formed.
• The Families for Life Council under the Ministry of Social and Family Development champions harmonious family relations, with the aim of building strong and resilient families to encourage social unity. Hence, Government agencies, companies and organisations in Singapore specially organise activities for their employees and families.
• The purpose of organising a family day is to encourage family members to bond with each other, and to strengthen family cohesion through organised activities. It also serves as an opportunity for employees to get to know their colleagues’ family members, and allows employees to build better relationships and communicate more effectively with each other.

According to Ms Jeannie Wong, HR Director for Thales in Southeast Asia, the company organised two family days in the past three years to encourage employees to spend more time with their families. Hence, the company immediately agreed to participate in the “My Family Weekend” event when they received the invitation from the Families for Life Council. (Lianhe Zaobao, 1/9/2018)

国际家庭日 (Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong)

• Family day in Singapore is generally different from International Family Day celebrated in other regions. In Singapore, family days are mainly initiated by the people to emphasise the importance of family and enhance communication among family members. Art-related competitions or educational workshops are typical activities organised for family days.