Employer Alliance to enhance
work-life integrationBy Julia Ng, Channel
NewsAsia | Posted: 13 July 2007 1814 hrs
SINGAPORE: Multi-national corporations are starting to recognise
that work-life programmes help attract and retain good
workers.
But many Singapore employers, especially the small and medium
enterprises, are slow in adopting such programmes.
The Employer Alliance, a network of companies committed to
enhancing work-life integration, hopes to change that.
According to global investment company Goldman Sachs, workers -
especially those born after 1977 - want not just financial rewards
but also work-life integration.
In fact, Goldman Sachs now lists work-life balance and flexible
work arrangements as one of its benchmarks when assessing if a
company is worth investing in.
Armed with information on the latest global employment trends, the
new Chairman of Employer Alliance, Claire Chiang, wants to help
more organisations build a successful work-life culture.
She says, "By designing a work process that can meet your
organisational goals, yet at the same time satisfy [employees']
expectations, when you can do that, you probably have the best
talents that will stay with you.
"And the millennials - the twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings -
are talented. They're digitalised, they are netizens. They want the
world, they want personal time, they want family time.
"Men are quitting because they want family. Women are quitting
because they're forming a family. But they're not satisfied just
being home makers. They want to work.
"So why can't employers still harness them - get their work
contribution, while maybe do a compressed work, or work schedule,
flexi arrangements to make it all happen!"
To share experiences of best work-life practices, Employer
Alliance, with the support of the Manpower Ministry, has launched a
book called "Integration and Achieving Work-Life".
David Wong, Managing Director and Chief Executive of ABN AMRO
Singapore, one of the 11 organisations featured in the new book,
says, "These days, the war of talents is out there. Besides pay, I
think the most important thing is about talent management.
"How we can help our people grow, develop them to be the people
they want to be, utilise their strengths, and on top of that we
also have very strong work-life strategies... that's something the
new generation is looking for.
"Work-life balance is different things to different employees. So
we allow them to go home if they have to look after young children,
or if they have to bring them to school. So the flexibility is
there.
"And for some of them, if they can be posted nearer to their home,
if there's a need to do that, then certainly. The turnover is
actually lower than the market.
"Last year, the general turnover in the finance sector was very
high, something around 20 to 25 per cent. Our turnover is way below
that. That demonstrates that work-life strategies and also in terms
of career development, talent management are key in attracting,
retaining and developing talents."
For the first time, employers will be given a list of work-life
strategies, which different companies from different sectors like
banking, retail, hospitality and manufacturing can adopt and
customise for their own organisations.
While the list is by no means exhaustive, it does provide a good
guide on what companies can do to help their employees achieve
work-life balance.
Employer Alliance also invites companies to share new and
innovative work-life initiatives via its email address
[email protected]
Employer Alliance will also be conducting research on the business
benefits and the challenges that local companies face in embracing
work-life integration. - CNA/yy