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Speech at Work-Life Conference 2013

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower, Concorde Hotel Singapore

Employment practices
My Parliamentary colleague Mr Hawazi Daipi,
Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy,

Ms Claire Chiang
Chairperson, Employer Alliance

Members of the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy,

Our international guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

  1. I am happy to be here with all of you this morning.

    Building a Future Ready Workplace
  2. This year’s conference theme, “Flexibility: Transforming Workplaces for the Future”, reflects the need for us to be more forward-looking. Our workforce is becoming increasingly multi-generational and diverse.
  3. What does this mean in the current tight labour market situation where we are at the same time pushing hard for productivity improvements and scaling in back on our reliance on foreign labour? For one thing, we need to pay greater attention to progressive workplace practices like work-life harmony and flexible work arrangements. Let me explain why.

    Talent Attraction and Retention
  4. The competition for talent will become more intense. But the mode of engagement goes beyond wages, and other benefits, pecuniary or otherwise. Increasingly, the workforce of the future will place greater reliance on intangibles to give them fulfilling careers. A recent survey1 of 6,000 local undergraduates found that having good work-life harmony was the top career goal for this group of people. This trend is not unique to Singapore.
  5. As the next generation workforce starts to enter the labour market, employers who do not pay attention to work-life harmony and flexible work arrangements will find themselves at the losing end in this global war for talent.

    Augmenting the Labour Force
  6. The tight labour market also means that employers have to find more innovative ways to tap on alternative sources of manpower. In Singapore, one source that is often overlooked is women and older workers. Although Singapore has a high female labour force participation rates (LFPR) than developed Asian economies2, our female LFPR at 57.7% is still low compared to that of some European countries, such as Sweden at 68.3% and the Netherlands at 59.5%. A common complaint among women is the lack of meaningful part-time work and flexible work arrangements that can allow them to juggle work and family commitments effectively. Many have thus decided to exit the labour force completely because of this.
  7. There are also older workers who may prefer a more measured pace of work. Some of them may wish to work fewer hours as they reach the tail-end of their careers. There are also retirees who want to remain active and contribute to society, but desire shorter and more flexible work arrangements. I firmly believe that we can do more to introduce flexible work arrangements in our workplaces. Such arrangements can help retain workers, as well as attract those who are already currently not working to return to the workforce. I urge employers in Singapore to review their processes and design work around the tenet of flexibility, not just to benefit existing workers but also to attract new ones.
  8. To this end, the government introduced the WorkPro programme in April this year. WorkPro was jointly developed with the tripartite partners, NTUC and SNEF, to encourage job redesign and adoption of flexible work arrangements to support better work-life harmony and increase the employment of mature workers and back-to-work locals.
  9. The Employer Alliance, one of the co-organisers for this conference, also conducts regular development forums and training, and has made available numerous online resources including free self-help toolkits and case studies on flexible work arrangements. I strongly encourage all employers to tap on these resources to help you redesign your work practices.

    Work-Life Harmony Drives Productivity
  10. While Singaporeans put in very long hours at work, there is still room for improvement in our productivity. You’ve heard it said many times before I’m sure, that besides working hard, we need to work smart. But of course I’m not talking about cutting corners. I do mean that we need to re-examine how best we can raise efficiency so that our output exceeds our input and that ratio will continue to increase. Some employers are concerned that encouraging work-life harmony would result in fewer hours being devoted to work. They are also worried that workers’ productivity would be hurt.
  11. On the contrary, better work-life harmony and disciplined times of rest and recreation can improve employee engagement and satisfaction, which will in turn improve work performance. In fact, there are many studies which show that people on flexible work arrangements are actually more productive as they learn to manage their time at work better. A 2013 study on working from home conducted by Stanford University found that the performance of the home workers at CTrip, a 16,000-employee travel agency, actually increased. These workers also reported higher work satisfaction and experienced lower turnover3.

    Learning from the best
  12. This year’s conference presents a great opportunity for us to learn more about the best practices from companies who have successfully embraced the concept of flexibility.
  13. Singapore Post, Home-Fix and Citi Singapore are good examples of how flexibility has enabled them to successfully draw the necessary manpower from new local labour segments such as home-makers as well as retain and develop their existing workforce. And they have managed to do so whilst maintaining or improving productivity.
  14. Singapore Post encouraged retirees and home-makers to return to work by offering flexible working hours even to front-line staff, and also created innovative part-time work arrangements such as neighbourhood postmen / postwomen who deliver mail in the vicinity of their homes. I can vouch for this because one resident of mine, who is very active in grassroots activities, told me that she was very appreciative that she was able to be a neighbourhood postwoman and deliver mail in the vicinity of her home in my constituency.
  15. Home-Fix is another company that understands the value proposition of offering flexibility to its staff. Under a compressed work week programme, Home-Fix staff taking part-time courses can work shorter hours on days that they need to attend classes.
  16. Citi Singapore has fostered a strong culture based on meritocracy, empowerment and flexibility that works for both the business and employees. Flexibility is integral to the Citi Work Strategies – it is not unusual for employees to work outside the office and out of the typical 9 to 5 schedule. One third of its employees are on flexi-time and 65% telecommute at least once a week. I hope that more companies can be like them.

    Technology as an Enabler
  17. Technology can facilitate the creation of workplaces of the future which empower employees with the flexibility to manage their work and personal responsibilities. In a move towards encouraging employers to adopt flexible work arrangements through the use of infocomm technology, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, in consultation with the Ministry of Manpower and its tripartite partners, has embarked on various initiatives, including pilots on Home-based Work and development of Smart Work Centres.
  18. This year, IDA is launching a handbook entitled “New Ways of Work” to help employers in the private sector better understand how new ways of work can help transform business and create value to customers and employees. You can find the book in your conference bag.

    My Work-Life Story Contest
  19. Employers play a huge role in their employees’ lives, and little steps can make a big difference. This is evident from the recent “My Work-Life Story Contest” organised by the Employer Alliance. This is the third time the contest has been organised, and it is encouraging to see twice as many contest entries this year.
  20. Employees were asked to share their stories of how they have benefited from their companies' flexible work arrangements and work life strategies, and I find the entries very inspiring. Let me especially mention Kevin Goh’s story.
  21. Kevin is a full-time auditor at KPMG and also a national chess player. KPMG’s “Programme for Elite Athletes in KMPG”, or PEAK, allows Kevin to take time off for training and tournaments without compromising his career progression. This flexibility and the support from his supervisors and colleagues have enabled Kevin to become national champion four times, representing Singapore internationally on many occasions. Kevin also managed to progress in his career, being promoted from audit associate to audit manager.
  22. Such stories show a positive shift in the work environment and attitudes of employers towards flexible work arrangements. More employees are using such arrangements to better pursue work and personal aspirations. Such flexibility will allow companies to attract and retain talent, mark these companies as progressive and enlightened, which will in turn contribute to their bottom-lines and enhance their corporate reputations.

    Straits Times-Employer Alliance Survey
  23. We also need to continue to explore new ways to improve the state of work-life harmony in Singapore. I am pleased to hear that the Employer Alliance will partner the Straits Times to commission a survey on perceptions and sentiments on work-life harmony in Singapore. I look forward to the findings, which will be useful in helping to shape policies and programmes to enhance Singapore’s work-life environment.

    Conclusion
  24. Your participation in today’s conference is the first step in the long and ongoing journey of transformation. I urge all of you here today to take this opportunity to learn about the best practices that our distinguished speakers will be sharing with us. This will benefit not only your employees but also your organisations.
  25. On this note, I wish all of you a fruitful Conference.
1 The survey of 6,000 undergraduates by employer branding consultancy Universum found that having good work-life harmony was the top motivating factor, followed by job security (2nd) and dedication to a cause (3rd).

2 The Business Times, 24 September 2013, “Singapore leads in female labour participation” with almost 60 percent labour force participation rate, higher than Japan, Hong Hong, Korea and Taiwan.

3 A study by Stanford University titled “Does Working From Home Work? Evidence from A Chinese Experiment” on 22 February 2013 found that home working led to increased performance, improved work satisfaction and fewer turnovers.