Speech at The Work-Life Excellence Award 2008 Gala Dinner

Mr Gan Kim Yong, Acting Minister for Manpower

Mr Hawazi Daipi,
Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy

Ms Claire Chiang,
Chairperson, Employer Alliance

Mr Landis Hick,
Vice President, SNEF

Mr Cyrille Tan,
Vice President, NTUC

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening.

It gives me great pleasure to join you tonight as we recognise companies which have distinguished themselves in creating workplaces that are conducive and help employees achieve a better balance between work, their personal lives and their families.

Introduction

2.   While Singapore's employment growth has moderated somewhat amid an uncertain economic outlook, our unemployment rate remains low at 2.3% in Jun 08¹. Total employment has also increased to over 2.8 million. The competition for talent has in fact become more intense, and the labour market for skilled workers and professionals remains tight. Companies have to ensure they remain cost competitive, and yet their remuneration and benefits attractive in a tight labour market in order to recruit and retain good workers.

3.   But pay alone will not be sufficient to achieve this. The best talents are not necessarily drawn to just top paying employers. The Hay Group has found that the 'World's Most Admired Companies' ranked in Fortune magazine pay their managers and professionals about 5% less in base salary, compared with companies outside the list². The conclusion was that the top companies were able to pay less because they provided a compelling value proposition which took into account their employees' long-term needs.

4.    Recently, Work-Life Harmony has attracted a lot of interest. Married couples, as well as singles, have expressed their desire for a workplace that allows them to achieve a better balance between work and personal or family life. This was highlighted in a recent Global Strategic Report by Watson Wyatt³, which found that Work-Life Harmony was a key factor in attracting and retaining employees. Employees who can better cope with stress and have better Work-Life Harmony are more likely to stay with their companies. Another study, "Survey on Work-Life Harmony Initiatives in Singapore 2008", conducted by NTUC on Singapore's top 1,000 companies and top 500 SMEs, showed the key business benefits from Work-Life initiatives ― 75% of top Singapore companies and SMEs enjoy increased employee motivation and 69% reported positive branding.

5.   Research studies have also shown that Work-Life strategy has led to other benefits, such as productivity gains, enhanced employee engagement, increased customer satisfaction and reduced health-related costs.

Work-Life Harmony ― A Win-Win Proposition

6.   The companies that have applied for tonight's Awards recognise the importance of Work-Life strategy. A sound Work-Life strategy enables employers to not only attract and retain the right talent for the job, but also benefit from a more positive relationship with the employees. For employees, good Work-Life practices allow them to manage their work responsibilities alongside personal and family commitments. At the national-level, Work-Life Harmony is also important for Singapore, not only to promote marriage and parenthood. Workers who are satisfied with their Work-Life balance are likely to be happier social citizens, parents, and care givers. 

7.   The Government is fully committed to the promotion of Work-Life Harmony. We have set up the Work-Life Works! or WoW! Fund to facilitate companies in their implementation of Work-Life strategies. Over 450 companies have since benefited from the Fund, of which 90% are SMEs. Last year, we also launched the Flexi-Works! Scheme to help companies defray the cost of implementing flexible work arrangements. More will be done in the area of promoting family-friendly workplaces. 

8.   However, Government efforts alone would not suffice. So, I am heartened to note the strong efforts by the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, chaired by my SPS, Hawazi Daipi. Working closely with key strategic partners like the Employer Alliance under the able leadership of Ms Claire Chiang, SNEF and NTUC, they have succeeded in generating awareness and buy-in among Singapore businesses, unions and workers on Work-Life Harmony. We are also fortunate to have organisational leaders who are wholly committed and who provide strong direction and leadership in effecting Work-Life practices in the workplace. To recognise these champions of Work-Life Harmony, we have introduced a new Award category this year ― the Work-Life Leadership Award. At this juncture, I would like to congratulate our inaugural winners, Mr Gurchran Jit Singh and Ms Lim Soo Hoon, for their vision and relentless commitment, and for being good role models for all others to follow.

9.   At the corporate level, the 60 winners of the Work-Life Excellence and Achiever Awards have shown that facilitating Work-Life Harmony is possible, regardless of the size of the company, or the varied working conditions and challenges faced by the different industries. For instance, Siemens has overcome many constraints and has been running its Flexible Benefits programme since 2005 to address the needs of its large and diverse workforce of 1,500. This innovative programme allows Siemens employees to exchange allocated "flex dollars/points" for benefits that match their Work-Life preferences. Such benefits include insurance coverage upgrades, claims for health supplements, and coverage for additional maternity expenses beyond the minimum entitlement given by the company.

10.   The success of Siemens' Work-Life strategy has benefited the company in many ways. In its latest Workplace Health survey, 83% of employees were 'proud to say that they work in Siemens', while 94% agreed that they could 'balance the demands of work and home life'. There were also improvements in turnover rate and customer satisfaction. In fact, not only is Siemens' staff turnover lower than the industry average, a number of former employees have rejoined Siemens, some on a part-time basis.

11.   Contrary to common belief, Work-Life strategies are not limited to the domain of large, multi-national corporations with huge resources. In fact, many of our winners are small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These SMEs focus on issues that truly matter to their workers. Lucky Joint Construction is one such employer.  The 150-strong company started organising gatherings for its employees and their families under its Gathering Harmony programme. These included a "Family Day" in 2006, where the employees and their families enjoyed games, a lucky draw as well as good food for three days at the NTUC Downtown East Resort. Such initiatives, though simple, underscore the company's belief in Work-Life Harmony, and helped to foster a greater sense of belonging and camaraderie amongst its employees.

12.   As the Chinese saying goes, "千里之行, 始於足下"― a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Like Lucky Joint Construction, companies could start by taking small steps to help their employees achieve Work-Life Harmony. Indeed, for some winners in this year's awards, this is not the first time they have showcased their Work-Life solutions in the Work-Life Excellence and Achiever Awards. This demonstrates that Work-Life armony is a journey, rather than a goal.  It is an on-going quest to explore and experiment with various options and alternatives in search of a better solution for the diverse needs of workers within each organisation.

Conclusion

13.   I applaud all 62 Award winners for your efforts in recognising the needs of employees and putting in place Work-Life practices that work for them.  While I cannot mention each of you individually in my speech tonight, we have profiled your innovative efforts and successes in a commemorative book to inspire other Singapore employers to similarly embark on the journey towards Work-Life Harmony.

14.   On this note, I wish you all a pleasant evening. Thank you.