By Ryan Chan
The Polyolefin Company (Singapore) Pte Ltd (TPC) has staggered work timings for employees, plus three lactation rooms at the company’s office on Jurong Island.
The varied working hours give employees more flexibility, especially those with family commitments, and the lactation rooms provide privacy and ease of mind for breastfeeding mothers who need to pump milk to bring home to their babies after work.
All these would not have been possible had it not been for the hard work of one Ho Shiong Yee, a 52-year-old office administrator who has been with TPC for more than 33 years.
“The petroleum industry is typically male-dominated, but with more females joining, there is a growing demand for these facilities to be put in place,” explained Shiong Yee, who is also the assistant general secretary of the United Workers of Petroleum Industry.
Work-Pro
She first mooted the idea of lactation rooms at the start of 2014 to address an increasing demand from female employees within the company.
Through discussions with her management, NTUC’s U Family and the Women’s Development Secretariat (now known as the Women and Family Network), TPC was able to tap on the WorkPro scheme to implement these ideas quickly, with the lactation rooms ready by the end of the same year.
The WorkPro scheme is a grant to encourage employers to implement work-life and age-friendly practices at the workplace.
Setting a Foundation
Shiong Yee’s happiness of the successful implementation of these family-friendly practices is clearly derived from seeing how other workers benefit. One of these such worker is Seah Wei Fen, a mother and senior safety and technical engineer at TPC.
Ms Seah said: “It is a good initiative by the company. The lactation rooms are conducive, comfortable and it is something that will motivate all new mothers to continue their nursing journey even after coming back to the workforce.”
This year, TPC began a staggered work timing arrangement to give employees more flexibility to allow them to fulfil any family obligations. The company is also currently looking to install lactation rooms at its HQ office at Beach Road.
Shiong Yee said: “TPC is like my second family, and I will do whatever I can to make it a better work environment for my colleagues and members. Hopefully, our efforts will put in place a strong foundation, so these policies can continue to benefit future workers that come on board, even after we flow out.
“Just like how parents want to leave a legacy for their children, I hope my passion for my union work can leave behind a legacy upon which future generations can continue to build on.”
Good to Know – WorkPro
Employers can receive funding support under WorkPro to enhance work-life harmony and implement age-friendly workplaces. It is jointly developed by the Ministry of Manpower and Singapore Workforce Development Agency, in consultation with the Singapore National Employers Federation and NTUC.
For more information on WorkPro, visit www.mom.gov.sg and www.wda.gov.sg.
Source: NTUC This Week
