Work-Life Integration Programmes must carry on despite economic downturn
27 April 2009
Media Release
1 For the first time, the NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat (WDS) has organised a work-life seminar to showcase various pro-family infrastructure and flexible work arrangements that are adopted by the Scandinavian countries and local companies in Singapore.
2 Collaborating with the Denmark, Norway and Sweden embassies, this seminar, held on 27 April 2009, was also strongly supported by the tripartite partners – the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports (MCYS).
3 About 500 participants from the various embassies, tripartite partners and union leaders attended the event at the NTUC Auditorium. Mr Lim Swee Say, Secretary-General, NTUC and Minister, Prime Minister’s Office was the Guest-of-Honour.
4 Even in this economic downturn, there must be no let-up in pursuing work-life integration programmes in Singapore as the country is striving to inculcate more gender equality in parenting responsibilities and to encourage mothers to remain in the workforce. There is also a concerted effort to create a more conducive environment for couples to have more babies.
5 According to various reports in 2007, Singapore’s fertility rate is 1.29 per woman versus countries such as Denmark (1.89), Sweden (1.9) and Norway (1.96). So today’s seminar provided a good opportunity to learn from the Scandinavian countries on how their gender roles contribute to a higher total fertility rate and continued participation of women in the labour force.
Singapore’s Long-Term National Priorities
6 However, even as countries address the challenges arising from the global economic downturn, Singapore cannot lose sight of its long-term national priorities. There is a need to continue with efforts to get more women back into the workforce, and to encourage marriage and parenthood.
7 Singapore’s female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is 55.6% (as at June 2008) versus Sweden (81%), Denmark (74.8%) and Norway (80%) in 2007.
8 Under the Back2Work with U (B2W) Programme driven by the NTUC WDS, 2,700 women have been placed in various jobs across all industries since the start of 2008. To encourage more women to return and remain in the workforce, WDS is continuing to promote work-life integration and build family-friendly workplaces, and to introduce more flexible working arrangements to cater to the needs of working mothers.
9 Singapore has a small population and therefore the country should try to fully optimise its human capital.
Key Milestones in Promoting Work-life Integration
A. Tripartite efforts for work-life integration
10 In Singapore, the tripartite partners – government ministries, unions and employers – work together to support the aspirations of workers to combine family and career, through the provision and promotion of family-friendly policies.
11 According to a MOM report (Conditions of Employment) released in late 2008, employers in Singapore, especially those in the private sector, are making significant progress in the area of work-life integration. In 2008, 7.4% of companies in the private sector are offering flexible work arrangements to their employees, as compared to only 5.1% in 2006.
12 Many employers are also offering benefits above the statutory requirements. About 8 out of 10 employers provided for compassionate leave, while 7 out of 10 provided for marriage leave. 50% of companies also allowed fathers to take time off their jobs to spend time with their newborn babies.
13 There is good business sense for employers to offer such benefits as it is well known that work-life practices do help companies to attract and retain workers, reduce turnover and improve employee engagement in the long run.
14 A work-life survey was also conducted by the NTUC WDS in 2008, and its results proved the values of having family-friendly practices at the workplace. Out of the 200 employers surveyed, every 1 out of 2 agreed that after implementing work-life programmes, they were able to better tap on the pool of women talents.
15 Similarly, the survey findings concluded that having work-life integration programmes helped to boost employees’ motivation and morale (75%), had a positive effect on company branding (69%) and produced happy employees (66%).
16 There is a suite of programmes under NTUC WDS aimed to promote work-life integration within organisations. One of which is the “Little Ones @ Work” programme where companies are encouraged to set aside one day for their staff to bring children to work. By allowing the children to have first-hand experiences to see where and how their parents work, WDS hopes to foster family bonding for individuals not just at home, but also at the workplace.
17 WDS also works with companies to promote workplace health programmes, such as conducting health screening and checks for employees, or even organising lunchtime health talks at the workplaces. By raising the awareness on health issues, a healthier workforce will also make for a more productive workforce.
B. Advocacy and outreach efforts
18 A Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy collaborates with the tripartite partners on many projects to encourage employers to implement work-life initiatives.
19 For example, the Work-Life Conference held in 2008 drew over 550 participants. Good practices are publicised through such conferences and various media channels, so that more employers and HR practitioners know about them. The committee also reaches out to workers to raise awareness about their own responsibilities in managing career and family.
20 Employers with effective family-friendly strategies are spotlighted through the Work-Life Excellence Awards held once every two years. Last August, 60 employers were recognised at the awards ceremony.
C. Funding support
21 In Singapore, there are also two funding programmes available to help companies improve companies make it more family-friendly for their employees.
22 The Flexi-Works! Fund administered by the NTUC WDS and SNEF aims to encourage companies to recruit economically inactive workers back into the workforce through implementing flexible work arrangements. To date, close to 90 companies have already committed to hiring 3,224 workers on flexible work arrangements under this programme.
23 MOM administers the Work-Life Works! Fund (WoW! Fund) which aims to help employers implement various work-life practices and create a more family-friendly work environment.
Conclusion
24 Having effective work-life strategies and family-friendly programmes will aid in retaining workers in the labour force. For employers, especially those going through difficult times, paying special attention to this area will help to uplift the morale, boost productivity and build loyalty.
25 These are difficult times when workers are faced with greater anxieties over their jobs and performance and they need as much support as possible to balance career and family. For employers, it need not be an expensive investment – flexible hours, for example, are often a matter of open communication and scheduling.
26. Through this joint seminar with the embassies of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the NTUC WDS has helped to facilitate a deeper understanding of the experiences among the countries and both sides would no doubt take away some useful lessons and perspectives on how to have even stronger work-life integration at the workplace
27. The seminar is also held as part of the celebrations to commemorate the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) 90th anniversary this year.
Mdm Halimah Yacob
Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC
Director, NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat
