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SINGAPORE: In a recent public consultation exercise facilitated by government agencies such as National Family Council and National Population Committee, participants cited demanding work commitments as one of the reasons that deters them from starting a family.
With Singapore facing one of the lowest total fertility rates among developed countries, the government is looking at getting more companies to provide work-life balance for employees.
24-year-old Liah Salimin, who is an administrator at Applied Technology, is on a five-day work week – a far cry from her previous work experience.
"Now, I have more time with my family during the weekends. We can spend more time outside or together at home. In my previous job, we only get to do that on Sundays," she said.
Her boss, Francis Tham, is a believer in work-life balance.
"When I delegate work to my staff, I delegate it based on the number of hours that they have and whether they really need to slog 12 hours a day," said Mr Tham, director of Applied Technology.
Because of the supportive work environment, Liah, who is expecting her first child, wants to stay with the company after her delivery.
Another company that has a high staff retention rate is interior design firm, Goodrich Global. The company sees its 150 staff as family and some have been with the company for about 20 years.
Lo Yong Poo, CEO of Goodrich Global, said: "We hope to give another angle and perspective to employees that they are here not just to work, get their salary, go back and feed their family. It's really a place that they should be able to enjoy as well."
But keeping the staff happy takes deliberate and concerted efforts.
"We have changed from an objective-oriented management style. We have to look at how best we can motivate, encourage and nurture a person to perform to the best of his or her ability," said Mr Lo.
To encourage companies to be more family-friendly, the government has provided financial support to help companies implement work-life practices through the S$10 million Work-life Works! Fund.
In fact, more money may be pumped in to boost resources in the hope that this initiative will lead to a rise in the nation's birth rate.
- CNA/so
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