There's a strong market for talents in Singapore. Whether, they are local or expatriate, high performing and high potential staff tend to gravitate toward the economic centre for the relaxed lifestyle, quality infrastructure and high compensations on offer. But is that enough to hold on to the best of the best? A number of innovative - and very effective - family-friendly strategies from around the world might suggest not.
Maintaining work-life equilibrium is essential. While at work an employee may seem stable, the tensions created by a neglected family at home could eventually spill over into their performance in the office. With the rise of technology - such as the internet and mobile phones - employees are more 'connected' to work than ever. And it is the family who, once again, loses out.
Increasing family time
The aim of family-friendly strategies is to combat this scenario and restore the balance between work and family-life. With this in mind, several firms have taken the stance that if you can't bring an employee to their family, bring the family to the employee. One idea that has risen to prominence internationally is to have a child-care centre on company property, where Mums and Dads can drop by at any time to check on their children. At Bayer in Pittsburgh, US, this idea has been even further enhanced. The health-care manufacturer provides a 10-week long summer camp for kids on the company's grounds. While keeping employees content in the knowledge that their child is safe during the summer it also offers children the opportunity to get fit and learn new skills through activities such as swimming, bowling and science classes.
The alternative work schedule is another effective strategy, giving parents a chance to see their child's football game or take them to school - at least for part of the year. In a similar vein other businesses allow parents to work a 40-hour, four-day week in order to get their fifth day off. Meanwhile, an effective approach to restoring the work-life balance in Germany is to have a set number of paid-hours' leave which employees may use to attend their children's sporting and social events.
A healthy worker is a happy worker
Whether caused by personal or family illness, absenteeism has a tremendous knock-on effect on company productivity. Julie Heather, director of Heather Resource Management in Cheltenham, UK, says ensuring employees have balanced lifestyles is an essential step to reducing this problem. "Having a work-life balance leads to less absence either through illness or childcare issues and assists employers to retain people they may well have invested considerable time and resources in training," she says. In other words, more time spent with the family will actually reduce an employee's chances of becoming ill.
One simple way Heather suggests companies can give employees better access to their families is by setting up 'term-time working' in alignment with the school calendar. This enables child and parent to enjoy the school holidays together. A lighter version of this already exists in Singapore - where American Express offers six days of family-focused "flexi-leave" every year. Bianca S.K. Stringuini, Diversity Manager, says the leave applies to a wide range of possible family situations - from caring for sick infants to attending medical appointments with children. "Previously we had a specific number of leave days for each circumstance. This was difficult to administer and complicated for leaders and employees to understand."
Businesses globally have also cottoned onto the fact that not only is it important to look after the health of an employee, but it is imperative to also provide for their family in this regard. A number of companies are now overhauling their health benefits to keep in line with this principle. Previously, medical aid alone would have sufficed. Now businesses habitually offer 'health-incentives' such as yoga classes, personal trainers, on site gyms, flu shots and chiropractors to keep their workforce in tip-top shape. And all on company headquarters too.
Vacations or 'mini-breaks' can also provide a much-needed health boost, not to mention the perfect chance to rekindle waning family relationships. Yet it is an opportunity all too often neglected by workaholics. To tackle this issue, Dow Corning - a US-based manufacturer - officially bans all company meetings for four weeks out of the year to encourage their employees to take leave and spend time with family.
Service, please
Work-life balance issues certainly get a lot of press today. But are changes really taking place? Jacques Barrette, professor at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management, and author of Work/Family Balance: What do we really know? says things are actually getting worse. "Despite the discussions and publicity on the practices put forward by numerous organisations, the work-family conflict has progressively worsened in the last 10 years," she says.
Her latest research reveals 46% of workers struggled with the work-life balancing act back in 1996. Now, that figure has ballooned to 61%. She says the current state of the global economy will mean an even higher emphasis on job security and still less effort devoted to work and family balance.
To lighten the load on employees, businesses around the world are now attempting to introduce 'service benefits'. Allstate - an insurance provider in Illinois, US - provides a concierge service which deals with any of the everyday events that can cut into family time. Time-consuming annoyances such as dry cleaning, catering, grocery shopping, movie rentals or ordering vehicle repair work are all taken care of without encroaching on work - or family - commitments.
Other companies believe that developing an employee's abilities away from work will add enormous value to their family dynamic. For instance, First National Bank in Omaha, US, hands its employees US$3000 per year to partake in any educational course of their choosing - work-related or not. Some companies also create enhanced opportunities for employees to work from home, going to great lengths to make the process as comfortable as possible.
So what else can be done to improve the work-life dynamic? One of the most effective ideas is to simply ask employees what they need and then plan a strategy to fill those needs. And with new strategies and benefits comes the security of a stable workforce, and the added effect of boosting staff morale and company-pride.