StrikingTheRightBalance

How does the Public Service view work-life harmony and what's being done at the moment?

Life is more than just about work, and I endorse that principle. The Public Service here has been engaged in work-life for many years now. Public officers used to work five and a half days. We have gradually done away with that and right now, most work a standard five-day week, leaving them free to pursue activities outside of work during the weekends.

PSD has developed a work-life framework aimed at building a workforce that is well rounded and resilient. We have shared this framework with all work-life ambassadors in the different ministries and statutory boards.

This framework takes into account four areas in a person's life - his work, his personal life, his family and the wider community. With this framework in mind, we try to tailor various strategies to support work-life harmony.

How flexible is the work-life framework? Can you give us examples of work-life programmes?

The framework acts as a guide. Agencies should not merely generate a lot of compulsory programmes or activities and compel attendance from all officers. That would defeat the whole purpose. Work-life is a matter of personal choice, after all. What organisations can do is to offer a supporting environment, with enabling structures such as flexible work arrangements.

PSD, for example, has a Blue Sky Friday, where we remind staff it's all right to leave the office on time. We don't want people staying behind just because they feel that spending long hours in the office is the norm. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has a half-day set aside where no internal meetings are allowed, to protect and safeguard the individual's time.

Many agencies have also put in place corporate community involvement programmes where staff spend time with the less fortunate and give back to the community. Some go further afield. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has a scheme for its teachers to do overseas volunteer teaching stints with the Singapore International Foundation. Part of that teaching stint abroad is on a full-pay basis.

It seems working mothers are mostly the ones benefiting from flexi-hour programmes. Can work-life be extended to others?

That is a myth I want to dispel! Work-life isn't for mothers with young children only. Each individual, regardless of marital status or life stage, has a need for work-life balance. Our objective is to ensure that everyone can benefit from our work-life harmony initiatives.

For example, if you have sick or elderly parents to take care of in an emergency, or need to take a few weeks or even a month or two off to settle family problems, one can explore telecommuting arrangements or apply for no-pay leave.

How will work-life affect office dynamics and the work culture?

If we do it right, all staff should be able to experience higher job satisfaction and be more productive while enjoying a better measure of balance. It can work to the agency's benefit. A happy and gratified worker will be engaged at work and be more results-focused as compared to a disgruntled one. Besides, given the keen competition for talent in the workplace now, we don't want to lose a good officer just because we're too rigid to come up with creative work-life solutions.

We want to encourage new ways of working, coaching and mentoring and to allow employees to work more flexibly as well as work smarter.

We want to engender higher levels of trust between supervisors and staff, and a give-and-take attitude on both sides. Officers on flexi-work, for example, must show that they are responsible and that the work gets done. Also, they need to show that they are available when their co-workers and the office need them.

Of course, there are two sides to the coin and I want to say this - supervisors should respect the officer's right to work-life balance, too. For example, supervisors should respect the officer's vacation leave. With good planning done upfront, we can do better at letting our officers go on their annual leave.

What is your assessment of the Public Service's work-life policy so far and what can be done to improve it?

Work-life has come a long way. The term may be new, but the concept isn't. For years now, we've had a strong focus on staff well-being, which is fundamental to work-life. The Public Service understands that this is one issue we have to take seriously. As mentioned earlier, we want to keep talented people, so work-life isn't something we can afford to ignore.

Yes, there is always room for improvement, and I'm confident we shall do even better in the years to come. What we want is a culture where supervisors are always asking themselves, "How can I help my staff do their jobs better?" Firstly, we have to ensure that the work itself is meaningful, that it provides challenge to the officer. Secondly, supervisors must provide good leadership and set clear directions, so that officers do not waste time doing unproductive and unnecessary work. And finally, it's about giving support to staff and remembering that they, too, have a life outside the office.