<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Slump is 'good time to relook work-life balance'
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Kor Kian Beng
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE economic downturn presents an excellent opportunity for companies to relook their work-life arrangements, according to labour MP Halimah Yacob.
She gave two suggestions as to how companies seeking to minimise costs during this period could improve work-life balance in the process.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>THE TIME IS NOW
'In the downturn, it's all the more reason for companies to pay close scrutiny to issues concerning work-life balance because people are a lot more stressed. The stress which they bring back home will not only affect their home life but also productivity at the workplace.'
Labour MP Halimah Yacob
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>One is to institute flexible working arrangements such as part-time or contract work. This will keep women employed as they will be able to work and still take care of their children.
'Teleworking', which allows employees to work from home, is another way, said Madam Halimah, the deputy secretary-general of the NTUC.
'We're one of the most Internet- connected countries, but we only used it during the Sars outbreak. Why not challenge ourselves to see how that can be extended beyond a crisis?'
She was speaking to reporters at a seminar yesterday, where some 500 union members, employers and government officials heard about the experiences of three Scandinavian countries in trying to achieve work-life balance.
The event was organised by the Women's Development Secretariat (WDS) of the National Trades Union Congress. Ms Vibeke Abel, Ms Pia Engstrom Lindgren and Ms Arni Hole - government officials from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, respectively - kicked off the seminar with presentations on steps that their countries had taken to promote work-life balance.
These included legislation, affirmative action and incentives.
Madam Halimah, who is also WDS' director, noted that the three countries have taken at least 50 years to implement effective policies.
But she also pointed out: 'We must not forget that their societies pay pretty high taxes to put some of these benefits in place.'
Still, Singapore must keep up its efforts, even amid the recession, because of the long-term benefits this can have, she said.
'In the downturn, it's all the more reason for companies to pay close scrutiny to issues concerning work-life balance because people are a lot more stressed,' she explained.
'The stress which they bring back home will not only affect their home life but also productivity at the workplace.'
NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say, who also spoke at the event, agreed that Singapore could not let the downturn impede its efforts in the area of work-life balance.
Singapore has made progress in this area through the Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package introduced last year, for example, he said.
Some of the measures included increasing maternity leave from 12 weeks to 16 weeks, and raising government subsidies for childcare and infant-care.
But there is scope for improvement, said Mr Lim, citing the three Scandinavian countries as 'learning models'.
He also compared Singapore's total fertility rates and female labour force participation rates to those of the three countries.
Singapore's total fertility rate stands at 1.29 - below the replacement rate of 2.1. This compares to Denmark's 1.89, Sweden's 1.9 and Norway's 1.96.
Singapore's female labour force participation rate stands at 55.6 per cent, versus Denmark's 74.8 per cent, Sweden's 81 per cent and Norway's 80 per cent.
'If we can adopt a total effort, a more sustainable effort, hopefully we can increase the employment rate of women and the total fertility rate, and hopefully we can enhance the level of happiness in Singapore,' he said. 'Hopefully, the day will come when women of the world won't have to choose between having a career, a family or having a life and everyone can have a meaningful career, a happy life and a healthy family.'
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Kor Kian Beng
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE economic downturn presents an excellent opportunity for companies to relook their work-life arrangements, according to labour MP Halimah Yacob.
She gave two suggestions as to how companies seeking to minimise costs during this period could improve work-life balance in the process.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>THE TIME IS NOW
'In the downturn, it's all the more reason for companies to pay close scrutiny to issues concerning work-life balance because people are a lot more stressed. The stress which they bring back home will not only affect their home life but also productivity at the workplace.'
Labour MP Halimah Yacob
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>One is to institute flexible working arrangements such as part-time or contract work. This will keep women employed as they will be able to work and still take care of their children.
'Teleworking', which allows employees to work from home, is another way, said Madam Halimah, the deputy secretary-general of the NTUC.
'We're one of the most Internet- connected countries, but we only used it during the Sars outbreak. Why not challenge ourselves to see how that can be extended beyond a crisis?'
She was speaking to reporters at a seminar yesterday, where some 500 union members, employers and government officials heard about the experiences of three Scandinavian countries in trying to achieve work-life balance.
The event was organised by the Women's Development Secretariat (WDS) of the National Trades Union Congress. Ms Vibeke Abel, Ms Pia Engstrom Lindgren and Ms Arni Hole - government officials from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, respectively - kicked off the seminar with presentations on steps that their countries had taken to promote work-life balance.
These included legislation, affirmative action and incentives.
Madam Halimah, who is also WDS' director, noted that the three countries have taken at least 50 years to implement effective policies.
But she also pointed out: 'We must not forget that their societies pay pretty high taxes to put some of these benefits in place.'
Still, Singapore must keep up its efforts, even amid the recession, because of the long-term benefits this can have, she said.
'In the downturn, it's all the more reason for companies to pay close scrutiny to issues concerning work-life balance because people are a lot more stressed,' she explained.
'The stress which they bring back home will not only affect their home life but also productivity at the workplace.'
NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say, who also spoke at the event, agreed that Singapore could not let the downturn impede its efforts in the area of work-life balance.
Singapore has made progress in this area through the Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package introduced last year, for example, he said.
Some of the measures included increasing maternity leave from 12 weeks to 16 weeks, and raising government subsidies for childcare and infant-care.
But there is scope for improvement, said Mr Lim, citing the three Scandinavian countries as 'learning models'.
He also compared Singapore's total fertility rates and female labour force participation rates to those of the three countries.
Singapore's total fertility rate stands at 1.29 - below the replacement rate of 2.1. This compares to Denmark's 1.89, Sweden's 1.9 and Norway's 1.96.
Singapore's female labour force participation rate stands at 55.6 per cent, versus Denmark's 74.8 per cent, Sweden's 81 per cent and Norway's 80 per cent.
'If we can adopt a total effort, a more sustainable effort, hopefully we can increase the employment rate of women and the total fertility rate, and hopefully we can enhance the level of happiness in Singapore,' he said. 'Hopefully, the day will come when women of the world won't have to choose between having a career, a family or having a life and everyone can have a meaningful career, a happy life and a healthy family.'
