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     Inaugural study on work-life harmony in Singapore

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Promoting Work-Life Harmony

The promotion of work-life harmony in Singapore is spearheaded by the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy which comprises representatives from the Government, unions, as well as employer and business associations. It encourages employers to put in place work-life programmes and infrastructure at the workplace to help employees manage work-life demands, so as to optimise business performance. In addition, MCYS partners NFC to promote Personal Work-life Effectiveness to generate awareness and equip individuals with skills to integrate their multiple responsibilities at home and at work.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, the Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, said, "I am happy to announce the completion of the National Work-life Harmony Study, which is jointly commissioned by MCYS and NFC. I am pleased to announce that the study shows a positive correlation between an employee¡¯s work-life harmony and employee engagement and retention, as well as an organisation¡¯s productivity and its bottom-line. Singapore faces a major challenge to attract, retain and motivate talent in today¡¯s competitive global environment. Employees are increasingly looking for employers who can help them integrate work and family responsibilities. Worklife harmony is therefore a strategic business tool that businesses can harness to enhance their competitive edge."

While attaining work-life harmony may not be an easy task, the Chairman of NFC, Mr Lim Soon Hock, believes that "work-life harmony is achievable if individuals are committed to making an effort to make it happen". In his own words: "The solution may be as simple as waking up earlier to have breakfast as a family, or going for a short getaway with your spouse. These are small steps that help to make a big difference. I also believe that leaders should adopt family as a leadership value and lead the way."

Moving forward, MCYS, NFC and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will work closely with employers to promote a work environment that values flexibility and performance over "face time"2, and to encourage employees to utilise worklife programmes. MCYS and NFC would continue to encourage organisations to endorse the importance of the family and take concrete steps to promote worklife harmony at the workplace (Refer to Annex B for work-life initiatives by MCYS, NFC and MOM).

Jointly issued by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and the National Family Council

Date: 6 July 2007

2 "face-time" refers to physical presence in the office

Annex A

CORRELATION OF WORK-LIFE HARMONY TO WORK, PERSONAL, AND FAMILY OUTCOMES

Table 1 below notes the difference in work outcomes between respondents with high work-life harmony scores and those with low work-life harmony scores. In general, those who scored high on the Work-Life Harmony Index reported greater job loyalty, satisfaction, opportunity, engagement and performance, as well as lower job attrition. For instance, only 27% of those with low work-life harmony scores reported that they are extremely or very loyal to their employer, while 68% of those with high work-life harmony scores reported this high level of loyalty.

Table 2 notes the difference in family outcomes of those with low work-life harmony scores and those with high work-life harmony scores. In general, those scoring high on the Work-Life Harmony Index reported higher family and marital satisfaction, and better relationships with their children, families, and friends. In addition, they also want and actually have more children in the family. For example, only 34% of those with low work-life harmony scores reported a very high level of family satisfaction, while 73% of those with high work-life harmony scores reported such a high level of satisfaction. The ideal and actual number of children of those with high work-life harmony are 2.37 and 2.18 respectively, as compared to 2.20 and 1.99 respectively for those with low work-life harmony.

Table 3 notes the difference in personal outcomes of those with low worklife harmony scores and those with high work-life harmony scores. In general, those scoring high on the Work-Life Harmony Index reported higher life satisfaction, greater peace in their lives, and better physical and mental health. For example, only 33% of those with low work-life harmony scores agreed that they are extremely/very satisfied with their lives, while 71% of those with high work-life harmony scores reported such a high level of satisfaction.

Annex B

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports¡¯ and National Family Council¡¯s Work-Life Initiatives

Raise awareness and impart skills through seminars and workshops

MCYS has developed a Personal Work-life Effectiveness (PWLE) framework based on the four ¡®quadrants¡¯ in life - Self, Family, Work and Service.

Titled "Arrows with Soul", the programme is designed to increase awareness of PWLE at the workplace, schools and community, and to equip individuals with skills to help themselves create their desired worklife effectiveness. It provides incipient steps towards a harmonised work-life.

Since Jan 2006, 35 "Arrows with Soul" National Proliferation seminars have been conducted so far, reaching out to about 4,300 participants.

National Family Council "Make Family a Leadership Value" Workgroup

The "Make Family a Leadership Value" workgroup was formed under the National Family Council (NFC) to encourage leadership from the people, private and public sectors embrace family as a leadership value and take concrete steps to promote work-life harmony at the workplace. Business leaders should identify with the employees¡¯ need to care for and spend time with their family, and help them manage work and family/personal commitments.

The National Family Council supported the Distinguished Speaker Series "A Conversation with Steve Ballmer" by IDA and Microsoft in May 2007. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, addressed business leaders in Singapore on the topic "Innovation and People". The event offered an excellent opportunity to promote family as a leadership value to the business leaders.

In 2006, MCYS supported the organisation of a PWLE seminar for organisation leaders by NFC and the Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF). MCYS and NFC will also be supporting "The Heart of Success" PWLE talk for CEOs by Focus on the Family on 6 July 2007. The aim of these seminars was to raise CEOs' awareness of PWLE as a strategic business tool to help their staff integrate their work and personal/family life, and achieve a win-win outcome for both the organisation and employees.

Developing resources to proliferate PWLE principles

MCYS has been developing and will continue to develop resources such as the Arrows With Soul e-portal, PWLE guidebook, PWLE calendar etc. to sustain awareness and help individuals internalise PWLE principles and tools. These resources provide useful tips and advice on PWLE, and encourage individuals to take incipient steps towards achieving PWLE.

PWLE advertorials were also produced in dailies and tabloids to raise awareness of the importance of PWLE. For example, a series of advertorials were published in Business Times, Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Berita Minggu, Tamil Murasu, and the New Paper in Mar 2007. The advertorials featured well-known personalities and individuals who managed to integrate family life and work, together with practical tips and community resources.

Providing funding for PWLE talks and efforts

MCYS provides funding support, including subsidy on speaker fees, to encourage community partners and business organisations to conduct PWLE talks for the general public and employees. Organisations can apply for grants from the Work-Life Works (WoW!) Fund, administered by MOM, to defray the costs of introducing measures that help employees better achieve work-life harmony, including PWLE Workplace Programmes.

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Ministry of Manpower¡¯s Work-Life Initiatives

Work-Life Works! (WoW!) Fund

The $10m Work-Life Works! (WoW!) Fund was introduced to facilitate the development and implementation of work-life strategies at the workplace. The objective is to enhance the quality of workplaces so that employees would be more engaged and productive. This would have a positive impact on the bottom-line of organisations. In view of the good response to the WoW! Fund, the Government is topping up the fund by another $10 million.

Work-Life Excellence Awards

The Ministry also staged the Work-Life Excellence Awards in July 2006. The biennial Award recognises forward-thinking organisations with effective work-life strategies in Singapore. It pays tribute to employers that are committed to helping employees harmonise work and personal commitments. The Award also serves to encourage other employers to implement work-life strategies for the benefit of their organisations and employees. The next Work-Life Excellence Award would be awarded in 2008.

Work-Life seminars and conference

Together with partners from the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy (Tricom), MOM staged the inaugural Work-Life Harmony Week in July 2005. The event comprised seminars and other events for both senior management and HR practitioners to promote work-life strategy in Singapore. In July 2007, MOM would be partnering Tricom partners for the Work-Life Conference 2007. The Conference brings together the government, the employers and union representatives to promote greater adoption of worklife initiatives in Singapore. It is a platform for CEOs as well as HR leaders and practitioners to learn more about work-life issues and network with like-minded peers.

Resources promoting work-life strategy

MOM also continues to promote work-life harmony practices through various media. For example, a four-part documentary series entitled Work-Life Work$ - which featured organisations that had implemented successful work-life strategies as well as interviews with industry experts - was aired on Channel NewsAsia earlier this year.

Source: www.mcys.gov.sg Media Release 6 Jul 2007

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