PROMOTION OF WORK-LIFE HARMONY

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PROMOTION OF WORK-LIFE HARMONY: **

(Update): **

59.

Mr Ong Ah Heng asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether he can give an update on the promotion of work-life harmony in Singapore; (b) what is the proportion of companies that do not implement the five-day work week; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider making it mandatory for employers to offer the various forms of flexible work-life programmes if the response by employers has not been good.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: We are making good progress in promoting work-life harmony in Singapore.

More employers have joined the Employer Alliance, which is a network of corporations committed to creating a work environment that enhances work-life harmony. Its membership has more than doubled this year, from 194 members at the beginning of the year to 451 as at 30th September 2008. This is a positive development which shows that businesses are seeing value in good work-life practices.

We are also seeing good progress at the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, which I chair. For this year's Work-Life Excellence Award, the Tricom has seen 10% more applications compared to 2006, as well as a significant improvement in the quality of applicants. We recognised 60 companies from various industries and of different sizes for their success in helping employees manage work and life responsibilities. The Work-Life Conference in August this year also saw strong interest from the business and HR

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community with more than 600 participants. As at 30th September this year, the Work-Life Works! Fund (or WoW! Fund), which provides subsidies to help employers implement work-life strategies, has benefited over 450 companies of which over 90% are SMEs.

In terms of work-week patterns, MOM's 2006 survey found the five-day work-week to be the increasingly prevalent work pattern in Singapore, with close to two in five, or 40% of full-time private-sector employees working five days a week, up from 34% in 2004. If those working more than five days a week, but with a regular Saturday off are included, the figure is about 49%. The public sector has implemented the five-day work-week since 2004. The proportion of private sector establishments with formal flexible work arrangements also grew from 16% in 1998, 20% in 2004 to 23% in 2006. The trends show that a growing number of employers have implemented work-life programmes, including flexible work arrangements.

The promotional approach, with strong tripartite commitment, is working. Mandating flexible work arrangements is not practical nor desirable as it imposes unnecessary rigidity on the labour market. This is because the needs of individual employees and that of their employers vary from company to company. It is therefore better for companies to introduce appropriate work-life strategies based on their own situation that are practical and sustainable.