Family Futures

Lastly, the Government provides individuals and fami-

lies with easy access to Family Life Education programmes

and resources through ‘FamilyMatters!’. This is done by

working with schools, employers, businesses and commu-

nity partners to bring marriage, work-life and parenting

programmes to a broad spectrum of families. These

programmes equip families with the skills and knowledge

to enhance the quality of family life. For example, through

talks and workshops on personal work-life effectiveness,

participants are taught to identify what they value at their

specific life-stage and proactively set aside time to fulfil

these priorities. Participants also learn skills to better

manage their family and work commitments and cope with

work-life challenges.

While we have made significant steps to support families

in their work and family aspirations, challenges remain.

At the level of the family unit, the decline of the extended

family structure and rise of dual-income households creates

a greater need to address care-giving issues. At the organi-

zational level, there is scope to overcome the inherent

barriers to the implementation of work-life programmes.

These barriers include the lack of know-how in terms of

assessing the needs of the organization and the identifica-

tion of relevant programmes, as well as mindset barriers

such as the lack of trust among supervisors in empower-

ing employees to work flexibly. Nationally, more could be

done to align the interests of the different stakeholders to

manage diverse economic and social goals.

The Singapore Government will continue to work with

partners and families to foster a supportive culture and

ecosystem that will help families fulfil their work and

family aspirations.

2014, the biennial Work-Life Excellence Award will again

be given out to recognize employers who implement work-

life as a holistic and effective business strategy that benefits

both the business and the employees.

In addition, the TriCom develops resources to raise and

sustain awareness of work-life strategies and help employ-

ers to apply these strategies. These resources include guide

books such as ‘Energizing Work Culture’, which guides

employers in identifying relevant work-life programmes

based on the profiles and life stages of their employees, as

well as ‘Work @ Home’, which illustrates how employers

can leverage information and communications technology

and implement home-based work for their employees.

The Singapore Government and the TriCom also work

very closely with the Employer Alliance, which is a network

of corporations committed to creating enabling work envi-

ronments to enhance work-life integration. In recent years,

the Employer Alliance has undertaken several key initia-

tives such as an online toolkit on a myriad of work-life

programmes; research on flexible work models; and devel-

opment forums and consultancy clinics to help develop

employers’ capability in assessing their work-life needs and

implementing flexible work arrangements.

In April 2013, the Singapore Government enhanced funding

for flexible work arrangements and introduced the Work-

Life Grant under the WorkPro programme to better support

employers in fostering work-life friendly and more flexible

workplaces. The Work-Life Grant comprises two components:

a developmental grant (up to S$40,000) to help employers

defray the cost of implementing flexible work arrangements;

and a cash incentive (up to S$120,000 over three years) to

sustain higher utilization levels of flexible work arrangements.

Image: Ministry of Manpower, Singapore

At the annual Work-Life Conference thought leaders share their expertise with employers, human resources practitioners, union officials,

government representatives and international delegates

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