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PROPRIET ARY/CONFIDENTIAL-Commemorative BookTPA-007-T14_CommBk.indd 1 13/11/14 2:45 pm

PREFACEThe biennial Work-Life Excellence Award is conferred by the

Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, to recognise and

celebrate outstanding employers and individuals for their dedication,

passion and advocacy to champion work-life harmony within their

organisations and other spheres of influence.

The 2014 winners exemplify qualities such as perseverance,

innovativeness and genuine empathy for their employees, which

have translated into effective work-life strategies and strong

sustainable organisational cultures in the workplace.

This collection of good work-life practices and initiatives is

both inspiring and insightful as it highlights the varied work-life

journeys, challenges and winning ideas from this year’s Work-Life

Excellence Award recipients.

On behalf of the Work-Life Excellence Award 2014 Secretariat,

we congratulate the winners of 2014. Your efforts are pivotal in

changing the work-life landscape to make Singapore a great place

to work, live and play.

WORK-LIFE EXCELLENCE AWARD 2014 SECRETARIAT

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FOREWORDThis year marks the fifth time that the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy is holding the biennial Work-Life Excellence Award. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate and show our appreciation to organisations and individuals who have created progressive workplaces with exemplary work-life strategies.

We have introduced two new awards this year – the Work-Life Sustained Excellence Award and Work-Life Star Award. The Work-Life Sustained Excellence Award is a corporate award that recognises organisations which have persevered in their pursuit of work-life excellence over the years. These organisations have built and sustained a work-life friendly culture that supports flexibility.

Middle managers and supervisors also play a pivotal role in facilitating an enabling work environment for their employees and colleagues. This is why we have introduced the Work-Life Star Award, to recognise middle managers and supervisors who have exhibited exemplary behaviour as work-life ambassadors and change agents in their respective organisations.

This year, we have seen many new applicants and almost half of the winners are first-time applicants. Many previous award winners have also surpassed their earlier achievements by implementing more structured work-life programmes. Overall, we have also seen a wider range of innovative work-life practices amongst organisations. Organisations have also told us that their work-life strategies have helped their employees better manage their work-life needs and also helped with attracting and retaining talent in the tight labour market.

I would like to congratulate all the winners this year. You have made significant contributions in creating great workplaces for your employees and colleagues and your stellar achievements will inspire many others to do the same.

HAWAZI DAIPIChairmanTripartite Committee on Work-Life StrategySenior Parliamentary Secretary,Ministry of Manpower & Ministry of Education

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CONTENTS

WORK-LIFE ACHIEVER AWARDMinistry of Social and Family Development 57

Network Express Courier Services Pte Ltd 58

Premiere Conferencing Pte Ltd 59

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP 60

Rockwell Automation Singapore, Asia Pacific Business Centre 61

Sentosa Development Corporation 62

Serrano Holdings Pte Ltd 63

Singapore Discovery Centre Ltd 64

SP Services Ltd 65

SPRING Singapore 66

Yangzheng Primary School 67

Yayasan MENDAKI 68

Zhenghua Primary School 69

WORK-LIFE SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE AWARD

WORK-LIFE STAR AWARD

Mr Muhamad Hamim Bin Abdul RahimSenior Teacher Boon Lay Secondary School 18

WORK-LIFE LEADERSHIP AWARD

Mr Kevin WoSenior Vice President & General Manager ASEAN Avanade Asia Pte Ltd 10

Mrs Jeanne ChengManaging Director SP Services Ltd 12

Mrs Jacinta LimPrincipal West Spring Primary School 14

WORK-LIFE EXCELLENCE AWARD

Focus on the Family Singapore Ltd 22

IBM Singapore Pte Ltd 23

Republic Polytechnic 24

Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel 25

Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School 28

Avanade Asia Pte Ltd 29

DSO National Laboratories 30

KPMG, Singapore 31

Nanyang Polytechnic 32

ROHEI Corporation Pte Ltd 33

Singapore Workforce Development Agency 34

SP Consulting (International) Pte Ltd 35

State Courts 36

Tate Anzur 37

Admiralty Primary School 41

Alexandra Health 42

Building and Construction Authority 43

Cerebos Pacific Ltd 44

Citi Singapore 45

Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd 46

East Coast Primary School 47

Elite Translations Asia Pte Ltd 48

EY, Singapore 49

Fei Yue Family Service Centre 50

Home-Fix D.I.Y. Pte Ltd 51

Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd 52

Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore 53

Invensys Process Systems (S) Pte Ltd 54

Jardine OneSolution (2001) Pte Ltd 55

Ministry of Manpower 56

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WORK-LIFE LEADERSHIP AWARDhonours senior management who have made exceptional contributions in the area of work-life harmony, and their deep commitment and outstanding leadership to create an engaged workforce and advance work-life effectiveness.

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At his first Town Hall meeting and over the next few years, Mr Wo emphasised his belief that the employees were Avanade’s most important asset and that the organisation would continue to strive and refine its work-life strategy and programmes to meet their needs. To back up his rhetoric with action, Mr Wo initiated a series of project team visits by HR and the senior leadership to experience first-hand the work challenges faced by employees at the various sites. By speaking to employees directly and listening to their feedback, Mr Wo and his team were able to make swift changes to work-life policies and practices to better meet the evolving needs of the workforce.

Mr Wo worked closely with HR and the leadership team to introduce the Orange Life Program in 2010. This is a structured framework for work-life programmes and policies for employees, which includes flexible work options, enhanced leave benefits and employee support schemes. Through this effort, Mr Wo aims to gradually raise employee engagement and reduce staff attrition.

MAKING WORK-LIFE HARMONY A PRIORITY

Clear and consistent communication has been a vital success factor in Avanade’s work-life strategy. Mr Wo recognises that in order for work culture and habits to change, the senior leadership needs to regularly signal its commitment to work-life harmony to provide direction and encouragement for the entire workforce. Thus, he shares the organisational work-life vision at every annual Town Hall meeting and sends out inspirational notes to the leadership team, reminding them to prioritise the holistic well-being of their teams.

Mr Wo’s strong personal interest in employee welfare is also demonstrated in a variety of ways. When sabbatical leave was first implemented, every approved leave request would be accompanied by a personal note from him, to reassure employees that they had the full support of the organisation and its leaders, even as they took time off to manage personal responsibilities.

Employees also receive personalised handwritten notes on their birthday cards from Mr Wo, thanking them for their hard work and encouraging them to spend time with their families and loved ones, as they can leave the office at 3pm on their birthdays. During the haze crisis in 2013, Mr Wo personally visited several pharmacies in Singapore to scout for face masks for all employees and instructed them to work from home until the situation improved.

ACHIEVING WORK-LIFE SUCCESS

Through his consistent and personal approach, Mr Wo has successfully overhauled the work culture at Avanade in a few short years. His active advocacy of work-life harmony has cascaded through the organisation and positively influenced the leadership team and service line leads. Under his leadership, Avanade introduced over 20 new or enhanced work-life initiatives in the areas of flexible work options, enhanced leave schemes and employee support schemes under the Orange Life Program.

The truth of Mr Wo’s belief that good work-life harmony translates into higher productivity and better business results has been demonstrated over the years – Avanade’s staff attrition rate has more than halved over the past three years while there has been a sharp increase in its employee engagement scores. This has led to a corresponding upswing in Avanade’s business performance with increases in its operating profits and revenue growth. Mr Wo is an exemplary role model of how a leader’s convictions and actions can have a transformational effect on an organisation and its people.

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Senior Vice President & General Manager ASEAN, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd

MR

KEVIN WO

OVERCOMING THE WORK-LIFE CHALLENGE

Mr Kevin Wo believes that a successfully executed work-life strategy is a key driver of employee engagement which will eventually lead to improved organisational performance. Since joining Avanade in 2010, his personal belief in the importance of work-life harmony has led him to overcome work-life barriers and overhaul the organisation’s work culture.

When Mr Wo first joined Avanade, he was faced with a daunting challenge – the organisation was experiencing a high attrition rate, and employees were demotivated and disengaged at work. He immediately set out to engage stakeholders and win the hearts of employees, in a bid to create a sustainable, positive work-life culture for Avanade’s workforce.

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Managing Director, SP Services Ltd

MRS

JEANNE CHENG

CULTIVATING BETTER COMMUNICATION

Mrs Cheng recognises that consistently advocating the importance of work-life harmony is crucial to influencing organisational culture. She ensures that her work-life vision is regularly communicated to employees through monthly ‘Let’s Chat’ sessions held at various office sites. Here, management has the opportunity to receive employee feedback on work-life programmes and suggestions to improve the current work-life strategy. This is also a valuable platform to remind employees of new or enhanced work-life initiatives, and reinforce announcements that have already been made via email and the intranet. This is also reiterated at an annual staff communication session which all employees attend and is used as another platform for management to hear from employees.

PROGRESSING FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE

As the management ambassador for the organisation’s work-life programmes, Mrs Cheng constantly checks that work-life policies are being translated into relevant, effective work-life practices that are fully utilised.

Under her leadership, a Work-from-Home scheme was launched in which customer service and back office support employees could perform their work from home and need only return to office once a week. Following its implementation, weekly feedback sessions were held with employees to review and refine work processes to support the success of the scheme. Employees were also provided convenient access to the IT tools required, such as VPN tokens, laptops and headsets for call agents as well as internet subscription reimbursements.

Another successful FWA introduced was the Start-Work-from-Home scheme, which would allow field employees to travel to their job sites directly from home, without having to report to the office at the start of the work day, and end work at external locations without having to return to the office to ‘clock out’. Schedulers would also try to assign jobs nearer to the employees’ homes, whenever possible.

Mrs Cheng’s tireless championing of flexibility in the workplace has led her employees to rethink how job functions can be reviewed and redesigned to facilitate greater work flexibility. Both schemes have proven to be popular with employees and resulted in positive business outcomes for the organisation. Over two years, SP Services experienced higher productivity and lower absenteeism and attrition rates. Employees are highly engaged and motivated at work and willingly go the extra mile to serve their customers.

In order to maintain a sustainable work-life strategy and continue to build on the current work-life success of the organisation, Mrs Cheng ensures that the management team is aligned with the overall work-life vision. Management team members attend work-life courses and training to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to effectively design work-life solutions that meet both employee and business needs.

On a personal level, Mrs Cheng practises good personal work-life effectiveness. In addition to her role as managing director of a multi-billion dollar company, Mrs Cheng finds time to give back to society and was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2009 for her community work. She is also the Vice President of the Economic Society of Singapore and serves as a member of the Employer Alliance Committee to promote work-life harmony at a national level.

CHAMPIONING WORK-LIFE ON A NATIONAL PLATFORM

As an active champion of work-life harmony, Mrs Cheng takes every opportunity to promote its benefits on national platforms and supports site visits by other organisations to share how work-life initiatives have been optimally implemented at SP Services.

Mrs Cheng’s work-life success is an inspiration to other organisations to recognise work flexibility as a sound business strategy to achieve organisational longevity and financial success.

ADVOCATING WORK-LIFE HARMONY

Mrs Jeanne Cheng strongly believes that work-life harmony is a win-win solution for both organisations and employees alike. She shares that, while a company’s image and reputation are reflected through its products and services, true corporate identity starts from within the organisation and resonates first with its employees. Thus, Mrs Cheng seeks to understand employees’ needs and promote work-life harmony through the integration of technology and flexible work arrangements (FWAs) at SP Services.

Mrs Cheng has a well-articulated vision for organisational work-life harmony – to cultivate in employees a sense of belonging, ownership and pride in their work which will translate into them being effective ambassadors for the organisation. This in turn, results in better customer service, increased customer satisfaction and confidence, and strengthened brand equity.

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MRS

JACINTA LIMPrincipal, West Spring Primary School

As an advocate of working smart while working hard, she invited middle managers to think out-of-the-box and challenge old ways of working, such as reviewing how departmental programmes were being conducted to avoid encroaching on weeknights and weekends. She integrated the Meet-the-Parents Session with e-learning so that teachers could engage with the parents on a single half-day weekday knowing that the students were at home doing their assigned online work.

She also established the norm of not sending work-related text messages and emails outside of official working hours on weekdays, over weekends and protected school holidays. While such initiatives required a mindset shift and a change in work practices, they have now become the accepted way of working and further entrenches the school’s work-life friendly culture.

Mrs Lim believes that the sustainable implementation of work-life initiatives must be a collaborative process that involves all the stakeholders. Thus, she takes every opportunity to communicate with employees to explain the rationale for new initiatives, through weekly staff meetings, emails and informal chats. A briefing session was also held for parents to explain the school’s work-life strategy and seek their support and understanding, followed by a letter to share her vision of work-life harmony.

OVERCOMING THE CULTURE OF LONG HOURS

Unlike bosses who equate long hours with greater productivity, Mrs Lim believes that with refined and streamlined work processes, the same or more work can be done within a shorter span of time to allow for rest and relaxation.

She sets a positive example by maintaining personal interests such as travelling, going for long walks and runs as well as spending quality time with her family outside of work. She encourages employees to follow her example by working smart and practising forward planning in order to make efficient and effective choices, both at work and in their personal lives. By sharing practical tips on working more efficiently, such as prioritising and clearing work immediately, instead of allowing it to pile up, she has gradually cultivated a more productive team. Now, employees are able to enjoy a longer break during school holidays with these smart work habits, whereas they were previously spending at least two weeks of the holidays clearing work matters.

ACHIEVING RESULTS

In her previous role as principal of Yangzheng Primary School, Mrs Lim’s work-life efforts helped the school to perform well above the national average in an independent employee climate survey conducted by Aon Hewitt for the Ministry of Education. Through this survey, the school was identified as having a strong and positive work culture, which drives its sustained performance. Mrs Lim’s positive work-life influence continues to make an impact well after she has left.

Mrs Lim’s passionate and practical approach to work-life harmony has created a healthy and positive work culture and improved overall employee well-being at her current school, West Spring Primary School. Despite her busy schedule, she continues to strive for new ways to enhance work-life harmony and ensures that she keeps up with current work-life trends and practices in the market – making her a work-life leader worth emulating.

ADVOCATING WORK-LIFE HARMONY

Mrs Jacinta Lim is a firm believer in work-life harmony, and takes every opportunity to share its importance and benefits in the schools she has led. While being a task-oriented and KPI-driven leader, she believes in providing employees with sufficient time to rest, recharge and pursue personal interests. As a veteran in the education industry, she is familiar with the challenges that teachers face, and recognises that an effective work-life strategy is key to alleviating stress and workload issues, ensuring that employees are able to give their best to the students they serve.

Mrs Lim believes in effecting small changes that have a significant impact on work-life harmony. One example is of how she shifted the school dismissal time thirty minutes earlier without reducing curriculum time, to ensure that staff and students would have an extra half-hour of quality family time each day.

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WORK-LIFE STAR AWARDrecognises middle managers and supervisors who have been effective work-life ambassadors and change agents, and have successfully operationalised their organisation’s work-life strategy.

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MUHAMAD

HAMIM BIN ABDUL RAHIMSenior Teacher, Boon Lay Secondary School

MRMr Hamim is well known among his colleagues for his penchant for keeping fit and this healthy lifestyle has been a strong contributor to his personal work-life success. Participating in marathons, biathlons and triathlons provides him with an outlet to cope with the stress that comes with juggling multiple roles and responsibilities of work and family. He has also consistently received the Sports for Life Award every year, which is conferred on employees who perform well in an organised fitness test and take less than five days of medical leave annually.

Mr Hamim is generous with his health and fitness knowledge, sharing advice and information with colleagues as well as at the school cluster and national levels. Notably, he was invited to speak at the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Teachers’ Conference in 2010 and at a Physical Education Conference in 2011.

Mr Hamim has also interested his students in championing health and fitness and imparting the importance of health management. In 2012 and 2013, Mr Hamim and his students set up a health check booth at a public running event, where neighbourhood residents could learn their body mass index, blood pressure and ‘body age’ and seek advice on how to manage their health.

FACILITATING WORK-LIFE FOR OTHERS

Mr Hamim has spearheaded a variety of work-life initiatives in his dual roles as chairperson of the Holistic Well-Being Promotion Committee (HWBPC) and the Staff Welfare Committee (SWC). As the chairperson of the HWBPC, he introduced a Health Charter which formalises the school’s commitment to creating a health and fitness culture for its employees and students.

This was accompanied by a catchy tagline, ‘Be Healthy for Your Loved Ones’ to serve as a constant reminder to keep fit and healthy. This effort garnered the school a Silver CHERISH Award, conferred by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and MOE for championing efforts that result in improved school health.

Under Mr Hamim’s guidance, the SWC has also made great strides in creating a more work-life friendly school culture. This includes the Recognition and Reward system where employees are awarded points for involvement in SWC activities and rewarded with vouchers, certificates and trophies at the end of the school year.

As an educator, Mr Hamim believes strongly in the importance of feedback to improve learning and to make future experiences more meaningful and enriching. He designed an annual employee survey to identify useful and relevant work-life initiatives for the workforce to create a targetted work plan and efficiently channel funds and efforts towards the most impactful initiatives for the organisation. Each programme will then be followed up with a post-event review to evaluate its overall effectiveness and identify strengths and areas for improvement.

SPREADING THE MESSAGE, TOUCHING LIVES

As a passionate advocate for work-life harmony, it has been a natural progression for Mr Hamim to share his knowledge and work-life journey beyond his workplace. He has recently written a book entitled Chasing the Elusive Work-Life Balance for the Working Singaporean which will be published by the end of this year. This book will be shared with his colleagues at Boon Lay Secondary School, even as he explores its circulation to a wider audience.

By making work-life harmony a reality for so many others, Mr Hamim has demonstrated the impact that an individual can make in his workplace and beyond.

WALKING THE WORK-LIFE TALK

The inaugural Work-Life Star Award Winner is a shining example of how ‘walking the work-life talk’ can create a significant impact on an organisation’s work culture. A senior teacher at Boon Lay Secondary School, Mr Hamim demonstrates his commitment to work-life harmony through role modelling and by actively encouraging others within his spheres of influence to strive for good outcomes in their work and personal lives. He is a dedicated teacher and happily married father of five school-going children. His ability to manage his roles as husband and father while excelling in his career has served as a positive example of how work-life harmony is an achievable goal for others in the teaching service.

Mr Hamim adopts healthy work-life practices on a daily basis. He manages his teaching duties and administrative tasks efficiently to complete his work without having to stay late. During the school holidays, he makes time for professional development courses and work duties, and fully utilises the protected time to travel, pursue his passion for music and fitness activities and spend quality time with his family and friends.

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WORK-LIFE SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE AWARDcelebrates exemplary organisations that have consistently demonstrated outstanding success in work-life strategies. Winners of this award have achieved the excellence standard over three consecutive award periods and have successfully fostered work-life friendly workplace culture within their organisations.

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IBMSINGAPOREPTE LTD

FOCUS ONTHE FAMILYSINGAPORELTD 39 EMPLOYEES

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The Work-Life Strategy At Focus, work-life strategy is a ‘must-have’ rather than a ‘good-to-have’, given the current competitive fast-paced work landscape.

Focus’ work-life philosophy is founded on two key principles. Firstly, flexibility is at the heart of all organisational work-life initiatives; the organisation endeavours to offer customised solutions to each individual’s needs when necessary and as life changes occur. Secondly, work-life practices and policies are comprehensive, catering to all employees, regardless of age, gender, life stage and length of service.

In recent years, Focus has found work-life strategy increasingly crucial to its organisational growth and sustainability. Since 2012, the organisation has experienced management changes as well as employees shifting into new life stages; many became newly married or first-time parents, amongst others. Thus, the challenge has been to sustain a flexibility-friendly work culture and deepen the level of flexibility offered to employees, to fully maximise their personal efficiency.

With the intentional hiring of mature workers as well as Gen Y and Millennials to create a balanced workforce, the management recognises that work-life solutions need to be individually tailored for this diverse workforce. The work-life committee spearheaded by the CEO and assisted by the Head of Corporate Services and

About the Organisation Focus on the Family Singapore Ltd (Focus) is a registered charity, dedicated to helping families thrive SM. This is accomplished by partnering with other individuals and organisations to promote strong families through family-life programmes, resources, family counselling and content placements.

About the Organisation IBM is a globally integrated technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. With operations in more than 170 countries, IBM attracts and retains some of the world’s most talented people to help solve problems and provide an edge for businesses, governments and non-profits.

Innovation is at the core of IBM’s strategy. Today, IBM is focused on five growth initiatives – Cloud, Big Data and Analytics, Mobile, Social and Security – in creating new markets and capturing new buyers. IBMers work with customers around the world to build a smarter planet – by applying the company’s business consulting, technology and R&D expertise to develop systems that enable dynamic and efficient organisations, better transportation, safer food, cleaner water and healthier populations.

Work-Life Champion, seeks to address this challenge. Each member of the committee represents an employee at a different life stage to serve as a voice for the unique challenges of that group.

With its consistent commitment to work-life harmony and refining its strategy over the longer term, Focus has seen significant gains, including the retention of quality employees (especially new mothers), and the extension of its operating hours, due to the staggered hours scheme. Equally important, there has been good feedback from other stakeholders including volunteers, interns and participants at family-life events, who have benefitted from the positive working environment at Focus.

The Employee Experience“Being allowed to leave work earlier and go for weekly runs with some of my colleagues was a pleasant surprise for me. We can take a shorter lunch break or start work earlier in order to offset the time taken. Due to this flexibility, I have finally succeeded in sticking to an exercise routine and living a healthier lifestyle.”

Samantha Chin, Content Manager

“Many of my friends who are parents lament that they wish they could spend more time with their family. Rather than ‘wishing’ for something that is so fundamentally important, I am able to do this because Focus on the Family believes in this and supports me in letting me do a job I love, and in my role as a mother. I’ve been telecommuting and working on flexible hours for a year now. This allows me to attend to my two primary school-going children and meet their intellectual, physical and emotional needs.”

Agnes Goh, Content Strategist (Parenting)

The Work-Life Strategy IBM believes that employee engagement drives better customer experience and greater profit margins. Hence, enabling and facilitating personal work-life harmony for its employees is a business imperative.

The organisation is committed to creating and driving an inclusive, supportive and flexible work environment to allow employees greater flexibility and control over their work and lives. IBM’s company-wide work-life survey found that its employees considered flexibility a key attraction and retention differentiator. It understands that each employee is different and faces unique work-life challenges and offers employees the opportunity to customise their work-life solutions to meet their personal needs – IBMers can choose from a range of workforce flexibility options such as flexible work-week schedules, part-time work, leave of absence, work-from-home and telecommuting schemes. In addition, well-being initiatives such as mental health counselling, dependent care programmes and educational scholarships are readily available to employees.

At IBM, employees who are given greater flexibility in their hours and conditions of work have shown greater job satisfaction and accountability, increased productivity, lower absenteeism, higher morale, motivation and loyalty to the organisation. Indeed, work-life harmony is one of the primary reasons that the dynamic and committed team of employees join, stay with and give their best to the organisation.

The Employee Experience“The IBM work-life integration programme has seen me through the various stages of life; from being a young parent, to caring for my sick spouse and even being a caregiver for aged parents. This gives me great flexibility in managing my time – I am able to meet my personal responsibilities while completing my work, anywhere and at any time.”

Fem Wan, Technical Solution Manager

“The work-life integration programme has given me the flexibility to juggle my work and family needs accordingly. As a young, first-time parent, this is a conducive work environment; IBM has the necessary infrastructure and tools such as instant messaging and intranet access which enable me to fulfil my work role and care for my family at the same time. In addition, I have a supportive manager who is a strong advocate for our work-life programmes and encourages me to share my work-life challenges freely. This is truly a supportive organisation.”

Phyllis Setok, ASEAN Diversity & Inclusion Leader

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REPUBLICPOLYTECHNIC

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The Work-Life Strategy RP’s work-life strategy embodies its core values of excellence, customer-orientation, initiative, teamwork and ethics. By providing a work-life friendly environment for employees, RP believes that they will reciprocate by striving for excellence at work and exhibit these core values as they carry out their work responsibilities.

Investing in physical infrastructure and facilities has been a key element of its work-life strategy. Facilities such as an in-house childcare centre, nursing rooms, staff gym, play corner, staff recreational room and IT helpdesk, provide a comfortable work environment for employees and addresses their personal and family needs. Employees frequently utilise these facilities while on-campus, in order to maximise their personal time efficiently. This in turn, makes them more focused at work which creates an enriching educational experience for RP’s students.

RP recognises that employee support and buy-in is vital for its work-life strategy to succeed. In addition to the usual feedback channels such as sharing sessions and surveys, it has also implemented the 3i Scheme where employees can submit

work-life suggestions through 3 channels: an online 3i portal, a physical dropbox and via a mobile application on their smartphones. Quality solutions are awarded a 3i Star Idea or 3i Star Project Award. By contributing their ideas, all employees participate in the design and refinement of the organisation’s work-life initiatives, and are stakeholders in the overall work-life strategy.

An effective work-life strategy has helped RP to attract and retain good employees. In fact, the number of staff referrals for full-time positions doubled over the last year. It also benefits from a low turnover of senior management which enables it to have a stable leadership that provides consistent direction and guidance for employees.

The Employee Experience“I joined RP from the private sector. I am impressed by RP’s investment in the well-being of its staff. As a physically healthy mature worker, I appreciate the gym and staff lounge. Amenities such as a blood pressure monitor in the staff lounge allow me to keep my health in check even while at work. I greatly enjoy the regular activities to promote healthy living, such as the health talks and nutritious food fair.”

Ronald Wong, Director, Office of Corporate Communications

“I really appreciate RP’s effort in creating comfortable and accessible nursing rooms in all the different buildings. This facilitated my return from maternity leave and I have the flexibility to book a nursing room around my work schedule and meetings. I am grateful that RP facilitated a smooth transition back to work for me – without compromising on care for my child.”

Jessica Tong, Senior Executive, Principal’s Office

1,037 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Republic Polytechnic (RP) is an educational institution dedicated to adding value for students, their families and society. It is committed to excellence in education through a unique problem-based learning approach and aims to create an environment that provides students with the tools for life-long learning.

The Work-Life Strategy Sheraton’s focus is to build ‘A Chain of Care’, as the management believes that by caring for associates’ well-being, they will in turn take good care of the Hotel, one another and the guests, after which, the bottom line will take care of itself.

The organisation’s work-life strategy is centred on five key themes; having an active lifestyle, healthy living, healthy eating, family togetherness and a caring workplace. It aims to create a workplace that associates enjoy coming to and regard as their ‘second home’, where they can connect with their colleagues.

At Sheraton, the senior management is responsible for the success of the organisation’s work-life strategy. The General Manager is committed to leading and empowering the management and associates in attaining holistic health and wellness, through a variety of initiatives including the formation of the Food Committee, ‘Sheraton Sparkies’ to champion athletic activities, soccer and bowling teams, as well as health intervention programmes for weight management and smoking cessation. Associates also enjoy benefits such as F&B discounts at Sheraton’s F&B outlets, family and friends discounts at overseas sister properties and an employee discount for laundry services amongst others. To support the nation-wide ‘Eat with your Family Day’, the staff F&B discount is extended from $300 per bill each month to $500.

Sheraton is committed to responding to changing business and associates’ needs and keeping the organisation’s work-life policies and programmes in line with the latest market trends in the work-life arena. It regularly reviews its work-life strategy using the quarterly SMART plan update, employee feedback, budgeting and renewal exercises and an analysis of monthly HR figures.

Since the inception of its work-life strategy, Sheraton has seen a positive impact on its business. Employee turnover has gradually decreased and its productivity index has risen. Indeed, Sheraton’s positive work-life experience exemplifies the significant impact that an effective work-life strategy can make on an organisation’s bottom-line.

The Employee Experience“Sheraton truly believes that ‘the team that plays together stays together’. The Hotel has created various opportunities for associates to mingle and bond as a closely-knit family. Even as we learn more about our colleagues through sports and other activities, we grow to respect one another and collaborate more at work. We understand that while we may have different views, we share a common goal to make the hotel a success.”

Khairul-Ariffin Bin Tahir, Security Supervisor

“As the hotel makes it a priority to take care of my personal and family well-being, I can concentrate better at work and have greater commitment towards achieving the organisation’s objectives.”

Tracey Chai, Senior Patissier

SHERATONTOWERSSINGAPOREHOTEL324 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation The Sheraton Towers Singapore is an established hotel located near Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping and entertainment district. Sheraton’s vision is ‘to be a world-class hotel, reputed for service excellence and product quality’. The organisation is committed to nurturing its employees through training and development programmes that enable them to provide greater service with passion.

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WORK-LIFE EXCELLENCE AWARDcelebrates organisations that have demonstrated outstanding success in work-life strategies. Winners of this award have effective and innovative work-life practices that have brought about many positive outcomes for both the employees and the organisations.

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The Work-Life Strategy The school’s staff philosophy is to treat every staff as part of ‘One AIPS Family’, where every employee feels valued, nurtured and considers the school as a second home. Effective work-life harmony is a vital component in AIPS’ culture of care and excellence; it recognises that when employees feel empowered to pursue personal interests and goals, they reciprocate with greater loyalty and engagement at work – translating to greater collaboration and better quality of work.

AIPS’ work-life strategy aims to equip employees for greater physical, social and emotional well-being. This includes initiatives that help employees to manage stress and achieve greater job satisfaction. Regular employee surveys are conducted to determine the gaps between the current and desired organisational work culture, and its management communicates with teachers regularly to understand and offer solutions to work-life challenges, cultivating a culture of openness and trust.

Managing workload is one key challenge that AIPS has effectively addressed. By adopting a workforce resource planning approach from the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) customised Teacher Work Management Framework, teaching staff at AIPS

are well supported in managing their career and personal commitments through a diverse range of flexible work arrangements.

AIPS provides a supportive and caring environment for its employees, which has instilled a sense of belonging and loyalty amongst them. Its dedicated team of employees is always ready to go the extra mile to support the students, and they are truly able to function as ‘One AIPS Family’.

The Employee Experience“At AIPS, work-life harmony is about working hard but not forgetting about yourself. You give your 100% in your work and when it is time for yourself, you give your 100% as well.”

Ben Koh, Teacher

“We are able to manage our work and personal commitments at AIPS. The school provides an environment that encourages a holistic approach to life, where work and play blend together. It is a friendly environment resulting in a win-win situation for the school as well as staff.”

Juliana, Teacher

The Work-Life Strategy Avanade’s workforce comprises talented IT professionals, whose skills and experience are in great demand in the consulting services domain, making them highly mobile across organisations and countries. It has identified that a good work-life strategy acts as a driver for engagement, which translates into greater satisfaction, employee pride, advocacy and loyalty, and correspondingly, leads to higher employee commitment and greater discretionary effort. All of which ultimately results in optimal organisational performance.

Avanade aims to be a workplace that meets multicultural and varying life-stage needs, and has put in place a work-life strategy aligned to its core value to ‘Build the Avanade Experience’. For the management, this means ‘walking the talk’, supporting flexibility and promoting work-life harmony. For its employees, this translates into creating a positive work environment, fostering a results-oriented culture and cultivating long-term relationships.

The organisation found that a structured framework of work-life policies and programmes was needed in order to make work-life harmony sustainable. As a result, the Orange Life Program was created to focus on work-life and rewards and recognition programmes. In order to better understand its employees’ needs and desires, the Avanade management team works closely with HR to gather feedback and refine the organisation’s work-life policies and programmes to meet the evolving needs of the workforce.

Avanade’s formalised work-life strategy has paid rich dividends in the form of higher employee engagement, increased employee referrals, a lower attrition rate despite the competitive hiring climate, as well as increased operating profits.

The Employee Experience“Caring for a new baby is difficult. Juggling between my newborn and work is even tougher! I am thankful that Avanade has a strong employee support structure in place where I can focus on the right priorities in life. Via flexible working arrangements, I am able to tend to my baby’s needs without compromising on work deliverables.”

Donovan Wee, Singapore Service Line Lead

“Avanade values their employees. The Orange Life Program ensures all Avanade employees achieve good work-life harmony. The flexible leave and flexible working arrangement programmes allow me to fulfil my personal and family commitments.”

Anton Hernawan, Senior Consultant, Application Development

AHMAD IBRAHIM PRIMARY SCHOOL84 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Established in 1995, Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School (AIPS) aims to be a caring school that provides quality learning experiences for every child to develop good character, pursue academic excellence and acquire life skills for the future. The school leaders and management team believe in ‘walking the talk’ by taking care of its staff, who in turn take care of their students and nurture them holistically to be leaders of character and learners for life.

AVANADE ASIAPTE LTD 130 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Avanade Asia Pte Ltd (Avanade) helps customers realise results in a digital world through business technology solutions, cloud and managed services that combine insight, innovation and expertise focused on Microsoft technologies. Its employees help organisations in various industries improve business agility, employee productivity and customer loyalty.

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The Work-Life Strategy As people lie at the heart of DSO’s business, it aims to create a great place to work for its employees. An integrated work-life harmony framework was developed to meet the needs of its business as well as employees’ personal aspirations. Through a supportive and nurturing work culture, it maximises employees’ potential to innovate, which is crucial to its mission of developing cutting edge technologies and solutions that contribute to Singapore’s national security.

A key factor in DSO’s work-life success is a supportive management that ‘walks the talk’. Its CEO strongly believes that achieving work-life harmony is a step towards having happier employees, leading to higher work productivity and increased customer satisfaction. To encourage employees to participate in health activities, the CEO and senior management team actively lead and participate in various sports events and on-site health screenings. To help employees manage their family responsibilities, the cafeteria vendor provides meal catering services upon request so that employees can bring dinner home for their families.

At DSO, the work-life strategy is regularly reviewed and refined to ensure that it remains relevant and useful for its employees. For example, when it was discovered through needs analysis that a significant portion of employees were not leading healthy lifestyles, a range of fitness sessions were organised to encourage them to make time for health and wellness. There is now a flexible ‘Sports Hour’ where employees can use an hour each week to participate in a sporting or recreational activity of their choice.

Employees are appreciative of the structured and comprehensive work-life initiatives at DSO. Despite a competitive hiring environment, the organisation’s attrition rate has remained low while employee satisfaction has continued to increase.

The Employee Experience“DSO believes in creating a positive work-life environment for our people. Our calendar is peppered with wholesome wellness and recreational activities to encourage our staff to keep fit, rejuvenate their minds, build relationships and have fun.”

Lim Teow Hoe, Deputy Director of Emerging Systems Division

“Without the work-life harmony framework at DSO, I would have had to leave a fulfilling 20-year career which is my passion, to cope with family challenges. The flexible working hours and work sharing with peers allow me to respond to my family when needed.”

Chua Hoe Chee, Head of Analytical Research Laboratory of DMERI@DSO

The Work-Life Strategy Focusing on its human capital and nurturing a talented, capable, trusted and committed workforce through its people strategies has enabled KPMG to become the leading firm it is today.

Its talent development strategy is a five-year vision to steer KPMG towards excellence in the areas of career, communities, clients, clarity and culture, and work-life harmony is an integral part of this effort.

KPMG believes that work-life starts at the top: buy-in and active championing of work-life from its senior leadership empowers the rest of the organisation to prioritise work-life harmony for their teams and in their own personal lives. In addition to role modelling positive work-life habits and behaviour, Partners are designated as Diversity Champions to spearhead key work-life initiatives.

Ultimately, driving its work-life strategy and ensuring its embedding at every level of the organisation is a collaborative effort. Multiple stakeholders including HR, recreation club, corporate citizenship team, interest groups such as Moms&Pops@KPMG and People Management Leaders work closely together to foster a healthy work-life culture within KPMG, and provide employees with the knowledge, skills and tools to achieve personal work-life effectiveness. It is this strong attitude of personal ownership that has made its work-life initiatives truly dynamic and successful.

Flexibility is a key component of KPMG’s work-life strategy and flexible work options such as telecommuting, work-from-home and flexi-hours are available to employees as needed. It has also invested in the infrastructure and software to make these flexible work options more viable for employees, and offers a mobile allowance and subsidises data subscriptions to enable remote working.

KPMG encourages its employees to pursue their personal interests and aspirations outside of work, and advocates this by supporting a sporting culture. It subsidises sports clinics and events for employees, and implemented the Programme for Elite Athletes in KPMG (PEAK) to nurture and support national athletes within KPMG.

The strength of KPMG’s work-life strategy is well-known and it has hosted various local organisations and ASEAN work-life practitioners on-site, to share in-depth about their work-life programmes and best practices.

The Employee Experience“My flexi working hours of 8am to 5pm means that I can come to work earlier after getting my children ready for school in the mornings. It also gives me more time to spend with my children in the evenings to help them with their school work.”

Goh Heoi Peng, Manager, Tax

“KPMG has given me the opportunity to build a career and the flexibility to train and compete. This has allowed me to balance my career and sports training effectively.”

Jasmine Yeong-Nathan, Associate, Advisory(National Bowler & Sportswoman of the Year 2009)

DSONATIONALLABORATORIES1,761 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation As Singapore’s premier national defence R&D organisation, DSO National Laboratories (DSO) builds strategic capabilities for the nation in the domains of air, land, sea and cyberspace. With a workforce of over 1,700 employees, DSO recognises that human capital is its most valuable asset and that its success is greatly dependent on its highly motivated team to create breakthroughs in defence technology through innovation.

KPMG, SINGAPORE 2,345 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation KPMG in Singapore is part of a global network of professional services firms providing audit, tax and advisory services. The independent member firms of the KPMG network operate in 155 countries and their Singapore office has over 2,000 employees.

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The Work-Life Strategy NYP recognises the importance of creating a holistic employee value proposition that will attract and retain the best employees. Thus, its strategic focus on nurturing human capital is embedded within the organisational mission and vision, and it prioritises career development and growth, while simultaneously providing opportunities to improve work-life harmony, health and wellness, for every employee.

Having an HR planning framework with an integrated approach to align people strategies to the overall organisational mission and goals has been a key factor in its work-life success. NYP’s work-life strategy is part of its HR strategy, implemented in a sustainable manner and reviewed regularly to ensure its efficacy.

Leveraging on various IT platforms has also facilitated participation in work-life programmes. Employees can register for health activities and talks, submit claims for work-life programmes and apply for flexible work arrangements online, amongst other conveniences.

NYP has also utilised data analytics to assess the work-life and developmental needs of the support teams. For example, data showed that working mothers with young

children and singles with aged parents were two key groups that were not upgrading themselves due to family commitments. To address this, a customised part-time diploma programme was launched for employees to raise their skills levels and dialogue sessions were held to encourage participation. As a result, over half the support employees have successfully completed this diploma to date.

NYP’s employees are a motivated and engaged team who collectively foster a climate of academic and organisational excellence which enhances the NYP experience for the students.

The Employee Experience“I have benefited from Nanyang Polytechnic’s family-friendly philosophy and the flexibility granted to me as I entered motherhood. This reassures me that I can achieve my aspirations in both my career and family life.”

Kathleen Thumboo, Lecturer, School of Health Sciences (Allied Health)

“It was heart-warming to see one of my staff receive the full support of the school management, while she underwent an arduous recovery from illness. During her prolonged recovery period, she was granted extended medical leave as well as a flexible working arrangement until she regained her health, and could resume a full workload. My colleagues and I are really glad for the flexibility offered, that allowed her to stay part of our team.”

Tan Beng San, Manager, School of Chemical and Life Sciences

The Work-Life Strategy ROHEI’s aim is to develop and equip leaders at every level. This is accomplished, firstly, by ensuring that employees have the wellness to serve and lead fulfilling lives both at work and in the personal space. The organisation’s work-life rationale and strategy is founded on the belief that only when each individual is well and aligned, then can they be productive contributors to the team.

ROHEI is driven by its core values of humility, will to succeed, creativity, serving others, compassion and moral excellence. Compassion, in particular, is the underlying value of its work-life strategy. Leaders are called on to show empathy which includes ensuring that their teams’ work-life needs are met.

The organisation’s flexible working arrangements have evolved over time to meet the different life stage needs of employees. Notably, ROHEI’s leaders have been enabled to manage their teams while they are telecommuting; this is made possible by strong IT infrastructure to access documents and files, as well as Google calendar to synchronise work and schedule meetings. Implementing part-time work arrangements has allowed the organisation to engage and retain skilled facilitators and coaches who may require a reduced workload during particular periods in their lives. An open door policy also provides existing employees with the confidence to surface requests to work flexibly.

ROHEI has been able to harness a robust high performance team as a result of being purposeful about employee well-being; by regularly scanning people matters, the work environment, processes and practices for refinements that can improve work-life harmony. Through these efforts, the organisation constantly works towards making ROHEI a great workplace for its team.

The Employee Experience“I am very grateful to be part of the ROHEI family where there is a very strong support system for staff regardless of length of service. ROHEI fully sponsored my diploma, and also advised me to take weekday classes, so that I will be able to rest on nights and weekends. This is above and beyond what I expected so I feel naturally inclined to contribute well and give back to this family.”

Aline Eustaquio, Consultant

“Although finance staff are typically needed in the office during core office hours, I was permitted a flexible working arrangement to work from 7.00am to 4.30pm. This has enabled me to pick up my two young children from childcare without having to battle rush-hour traffic.”

Elena Giam, HR & Finance Manager

NANYANGPOLYTECHNIC1,448 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) is a tertiary institution that aims to provide its students with quality education and training to prepare them for work and life, equipping them to be life-long learners and to contribute to the technological, economic and social development of Singapore. It values its people as a vital and energising force that enables the organisation to achieve this goal.

ROHEICORPORATIONPTE LTD50 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation ROHEI Corporation Pte Ltd (ROHEI) is a learning and development consultancy specialising in core skills development for the nation’s workforce. It seeks to build a corporate culture and develop people who ‘walk the talk’ to form a thriving and highly engaged team that puts People before Process.

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The Work-Life Strategy WDA has devised a 3-pronged approach to work-life strategy based on Gaining Satisfaction at Workplace, Spending Quality Time with Loved Ones, and Maintaining Good Health, to ensure the physical and mental well-being of its staff. This well-structured range of initiatives focuses on creating a supportive and friendly work environment, personal and family well-being, as well as health and fitness. It recognises that enabling employees for success in these areas has made them more motivated and committed to the organisation.

At WDA, the management actively promotes work-life harmony by allocating a budget for work-life activities and by modelling positive work-life attitudes and behaviour. It has also empowered supervisors with the autonomy to approve staff requests for flexible work arrangements and removed the need to provide reasons when requesting to telecommute (for short term applications). Officers who wish to telecommute need only seek their supervisors’ approval, which has resulted in wider adoption of telecommuting across the organisation and made flexible work initiatives more accessible to all staff.

Listening closely to staff to understand their work-life needs is integral to WDA’s work-life plans. Some examples of the initiatives introduced as a result of employee feedback and internal reviews include Eldercare leave, Fitness Time-off every Wednesday, Birthday time-off, and Learn over Lunch talks. The Human Resource Division (HRD) Staff Well-Being team also keeps itself updated on work-life best practices in the market and reviews organisational HR policies regularly to ensure that its programmes remain relevant to employees.

WDA’s commitment to a work-life strategy that is aligned with its business plans has enabled it to better attract, retain and engage its staff, and reduce its attrition and medical leave rates. Moreover, it benefits from having an engaged and upbeat workforce.

The Employee Experience“In addition to an effective work-life strategy, a great workplace should also be one where individual officers find meaning in and enjoy the work they do, are provided with ample opportunities to grow and develop, as well as are immersed in a conducive physical environment that supports their socio-emotional needs.”

Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive

“WDA’s work-life initiatives such as staggered working hours and telecommuting give me the flexibility to spend more time with my family without compromising work responsibilities.”

Rosemaniah Binte Jamalludin, Senior Manager

The Work-Life Strategy SP Consulting’s work-life strategy is centred on the rationale that creating an environment where employees are happy, productive and loyal will enable it to meet its organisational objectives of providing stellar services to clients and achieving profitability. It has identified that helping employees to integrate their personal lives and careers successfully is the key to having an engaged workforce.

SP Consulting operates a very lean team and consciously ensures that its work-life strategy is aligned with its business values and goals, to ensure that business performance is not compromised. It has identified measurable key business indicators comprising financial, customer and people components.

It has found that flexibility initiatives such as telecommuting and flexi-time are especially successful for the organisation. These allow employees to have more time with their families and pursue personal interests, while meeting work objectives and goals. Its carefully nurtured culture of trust has been a key enabler; employees are assessed on specific, measurable deliverables rather than the number of hours spent in the office, and are accustomed to working independently.

The top management is also heavily invested in its work-life success, and are accountable for meeting key work-life indicators including employee retention and satisfaction rates. They hold regular seminars and training to ensure that employees are updated on the latest work-life matters and develop healthy work-life attitudes and habits.

About the Organisation SP Consulting (International) Pte Ltd (SP Consulting) provides value-added management system consultancy, training and products to clients from various industries including the manufacturing and service sectors. Its mission is to be a centre of excellence based on best practices that focus on improving the client’s business effectiveness and sharpening their competitive edge.

Employees are encouraged to share their work-life challenges and provide feedback at monthly meetings. In this way, they are kept abreast of the work-life needs of their team.

SP Consulting’s work-life strategy has resulted in positive outcomes for the employees and organisation alike. It has contributed to a dynamic and loyal workforce that consistently excels at their work responsibilities. Unsurprisingly, this has had a direct impact on the bottom-line, and SP Consulting has benefitted from a steady increase in its revenue.

The Employee Experience“SP Consulting’s work-life friendly policies allow me to take care of my elderly mother, as well as better manage my personal time, without affecting my work productivity.”

Angeline See, Finance & Admin Manager

“As a mature worker, work-life and health issues are currently a priority for me. I am happy to work in an organisation which actively promotes work-life harmony and workplace health.”

Bruce Tan, Managing Consultant

SINGAPOREWORKFORCEDEVELOPMENT AGENCY668 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) aims to help workers advance in their careers and lives by developing and strengthening skills-based training for adults. It works with various partners – including employers, industry associations, the union and training organisations, to develop relevant skills-based training that is accessible to all in the workforce; whether young or old, from rank-and-file to professionals and executives.

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feedback, including organisation-wide surveys, focus group discussions and annual dialogue sessions with the Presiding Judge.

Flexible work options such as the flexi-hours and telecommuting schemes, part-time work and job-sharing arrangements are some of the initiatives that have blossomed out of the internal feedback systems.

State Courts’ dedication to staff development is evident as the State Courts Scholarship Scheme was launched in 2013 which offers promising officers the opportunity to pursue a one-year full-time Master’s degree (while on full-pay leave) to prepare them for future leadership roles in the State Courts.

The State Courts also emphasise the importance of staff cohesion and organise an annual Cohesion Day for all employees. This year, the shifting of the annual Cohesion Day from a weekend to a weekday is a strong signal indicating management’s recognition that weekends are precious to staff.

By constantly refining the work-life plan and keeping it relevant to employee needs, the State Courts aim to cultivate a motivated workforce that serves the public well.

The Employee Experience“I am thankful to the management for being supportive of telecommuting when my then two-year-old boy was falling ill often because his immunity level was lower than others. The flexibility to work from home allowed me to attend to my child and at the same time work from home without disrupting the operations at work. I have really benefitted from it.”

Alycia Lau, Executive (Civil), Civil Justice Division

“I started working part-time in 2008. At that time, my boys were one-and- a-half and four years old respectively. My part-time work arrangement allowed me to be more involved in their daily lives, spend quality, one-on-one time with them, and truly nurture them in their formative years. The bonds formed are deep and strong. My sons are very close to me, and this gives me great satisfaction as a mother.”

District Judge Ong Chin Rhu, Group Manager (Primary Dispute Resolution Centre), Civil Justice Division

With effect from 1st October 2014, with the formation of the Family Justice Courts, the Family & Juvenile Justice Division is a separate entity from the State Courts.

The Work-Life Strategy As the nature of the work tends to be project-based and often requires employees to work non-standard hours including weekends, Tate Anzur has implemented work-life strategies to help team members manage their work and deliver quality client service, without compromising on their personal interests and pursuits.

Tate Anzur has learned that it needs to be open to new ways of working so as to allow employees to be most effective in the projects they undertake. This includes implementing flexible work options for employees to work when and where their creativity and efficiency are at their best. It offers a range of work-life initiatives and empowers individual employees to select and create their own customised work-life plan according to their personal needs and preferences. To enhance team bonding, it has also implemented ‘Fun Fridays’ in which team members take turns to plan an activity on a Friday afternoon to allow the team to step out of the office and recharge together.

It has seen that work-life harmony delivers results; and that a motivated and happy team translates to happy customers. Since its inception, it has maintained a 100% client retention rate and seen more than a two-fold profit margin growth for its business. Its work-life initiatives have also proven to be an excellent tool for employee attraction and retention. It has successfully retained all its employees, and also drawn more members into the Tate Anzur team, who have heard positive testimonials about its workplace culture through existing team members.

The Employee Experience“I make it a point to have breakfast and dinner with my two Primary School going children as often as I can. I am very blessed to have three very understanding bosses. Their constant support and trust has enabled me to have good work-life integration.”

Jocelyn Luw, Office Manager

The Work-Life Strategy The State Courts strive to cultivate a supportive, open and trusting work culture that fosters the personal and professional well-being of their employees. This ensures that they remain an employer of choice, and are able to attract and retain quality talent.

In recognising that a multi-generational workforce has diverse and unique work-life needs, they have implemented a comprehensive suite of work-life programmes to ensure that the various work-life challenges at different life stages are addressed.

Bearing in mind their mission of serving society with efficiency and expediency, work-life programmes have been carefully planned and tailored to strike a delicate balance between meeting the needs of employees, and at the same time, maintaining the State Courts’ operational requirements and standards of service and delivery.

One example is the Blue Sky Friday initiative which was launched in 2012. Officers are encouraged to leave the office at 5.30pm every Friday, subject to the exigencies of service, to have dinner with their families or to pursue other interests. Officers are also encouraged, wherever possible, to refrain from scheduling official meetings on Friday evenings.

The State Courts believe that open and transparent communication is vital for an effective work-life strategy. Thus, they promote various channels of dialogue and

STATECOURTS385 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation The State Courts are a component of Singapore’s Judiciary and their shared vision is to inspire public trust and confidence through an effective and accessible justice system, and their mission is to serve society with quality judgments, timely dispute resolution and excellent court services. Their people are the most critical asset in this endeavour, and thus, developing and maximising human capital is a key strategy for them.

TATEANZUR

About the Organisation Set up in 2011, Tate Anzur is a strategic communications consulting firm that provides services ranging from public relations and media management to crisis planning and communications training, amongst others. It has a lean multi-generational workforce with diverse needs and priorities. Hence, creating a positive work-life environment is part of its organisational vision and a business imperative.

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“Tate Anzur has a very comfortable work-life friendly environment that allows me to have the best of both worlds. While the PR industry is characterised by long hours, Tate Anzur and its bosses promote a flexibility that ensures that our welfare is always looked after – taking time off for rest and personal activities, getting time off in-lieu from working the weekends, or simply working from home is possible. The team also regularly organises great out-of-office activities for all! With all these in place, I am able to excel at work with ease.”

Sarah-Marie Teo, Senior Associate

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WORK-LIFE ACHIEVER AWARDrecognises organisations that have taken commendable steps towards achieving work-life harmony within their organisation. Winners of this award recognise the need to provide flexibility in order to create a productive and engaged workforce, and have made significant progress toward fostering work-life friendly culture within their organisations.

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WORK-LIFE

ACHIEVERAWARD

2014The Work-Life Strategy At ADP, school leaders and the management recognise that having work-life friendly HR strategies can only be truly impactful when supported by the existing work culture. Thus, the school leaders have invested in reviewing and refining the organisational culture which has helped to facilitate its work-life strategies and build a deeper sense of community amongst employees.

Getting buy-in from all levels of the organisation is critical to successfully implementing its work-life strategy, and ADP involves its stakeholders such as key personnel and all employees in the formulation of the school’s strategic plans. The HR planning process begins with information gathering for needs analysis, including staff preference for deployment (teaching & CCA), career preference and all other pertinent information for staff resource planning. By identifying and deploying the right staff for the right work with respect to preference, experience and skills, the management enables employees to achieve greater efficiency and productivity at work, which contributes to better work-life harmony.

To support work-life harmony for its employees, ADP introduced a variety of policies and programmes. Some examples include a policy of at least thirty-five days of annual leave with two periods of uninterrupted vacation of between two to three weeks; ending of school at 5.30pm every Monday and at 6.00pm on other days to support the ‘Eat with your Family’ initiative; a time-off block of two hours on each occasion to handle personal matters; and additional leave to support personal and family needs, such as the marriage of family members, selection of HDB flat, convocation of employee and family members and parents’ visitation day at NS Camps.

Investing in its work-life strategy has helped ADP to nurture a dynamic and productive workforce which is fully committed to helping the school’s students achieve their best.

The Employee Experience“The time-off scheme has benefitted working mothers like myself, who need to care for young children and elderly parents at the same time. This scheme allows employees to take one to two hours to settle their urgent personal matters, without utilising a full day of annual leave. This has allowed me to achieve better work-life harmony.”

P. Durairaj Ratha, Allied Educator

“Admiralty has proven to be a rich learning ground. The management is truly supportive – be it bouncing off ideas, financing your project or creating opportunities for learning and development. This has enabled and encouraged me to explore all possibilities to grow in my career and in my personal life”.

Rashidah Ismail Neville, School Staff Developer

ADMIRALTYPRIMARYSCHOOL 116 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Admiralty Primary School (ADP) is a young school, established in 1997. The school has cultivated a positive culture of care and created a sense of belonging amongst its employees and pupils as it achieves its vision to be a ‘vibrant and dynamic education hub’.

Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


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BUILDING ANDCONSTRUCTIONAUTHORITY949 EMPLOYEES

ALEXANDRA HEALTH 3,633 EMPLOYEES

4342

Source: Alexandra Health

The Work-Life Strategy AH’s values of Integrity, Compassion, Professionalism, Respect, Teamwork and Social Responsibility are extended to both patients and employees. It considers its work-life strategy exceptionally important in attracting and retaining its employees and aims to provide a flexible, conducive work environment that supports their career and personal aspirations.

Its work-life strategy is closely aligned with its organisational vision to encourage patients to stay healthy. It also reinforces KTPH’s position as a ‘Health-Promoting Hospital’ which encourages the community to live a healthier lifestyle. All employees attend a Health Advocacy Course to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle based on AH’s Five Pillars of Health, and participate in a variety of health-promoting activities. By keeping healthy, employees serve as effective role models for their patients.

AH recognises that an effective work-life strategy plays a key role in the engagement, motivation and retention of employees. A cross-functional committee supported by two full-time employees drives its work-life strategy and initiatives. Some of the flexible work options provided include a compressed work schedule for nursing staff, flexi-time, part-time work and telecommuting arrangements, as well as ad-hoc shift swapping and weekend work to help employees better manage their work-life needs.

About the Organisation Established in 2008, Alexandra Health (AH) manages the 591-bed Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH). Specialising in general and acute care, KTPH offers a comprehensive range of medical services and specialist care and is the first step in the cluster’s plans to build an integrated healthcare hub to serve the community in the north of Singapore.

Employees also enjoy a flexible benefits plan. The hospital is equipped with two gyms, a staff library, a well-equipped staff lounge with table tennis, table soccer and billiard tables, X-Box and Wii Games, a karaoke room, hammocks and massage chairs to help employees de-stress during their break.

By investing time and effort in meeting its employees’ work-life needs, AH believes that they will feel fuelled and inspired to perform their best at work. Indeed, this has been demonstrated through AH’s increasing employee engagement and retention rates, decreasing medical leave and costs, as well as its high customer satisfaction scores. Patients rated the hospital as ‘excellent’ for the ‘care and concern’ shown by the doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in the Ministry of Health‘s Customer Satisfaction Survey, and KTPH also emerged as the top scoring public hospital in the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore 2013.

The Employee Experience“I am thankful for the childcare services in KTPH. It gives me peace of mind to focus on work, knowing that my children have quality care, in close proximity.”

Loh May Shan, Senior Staff Nurse, Case Management

“There is genuine harmony within the department; highly respected yet approachable consultants and a fantastic teaching culture. We also manage to have lots of fun outside of work too!”

Dr. Toon Dong Hao, Medical Officer, Orthopaedic Surgery

About the Organisation The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development. It champions the development of a future-ready built environment for Singapore, which includes the buildings, infrastructure and structures in the surroundings that provide the setting for economic and community activities.

The Work-Life Strategy BCA’s work-life strategy is part of its organisational values, ‘We Care, We Dare, We Can’. Through its work-life programmes, BCA aims to create a caring and supportive work environment for its employees.

Its organisational commitment to work-life is demonstrated in its planning and day-to-day activities. For example, a taskforce was formed, comprising representatives from all clusters in BCA and the union, to look into the benchmarking and holistic improvement of its work-life practices. This dedicated taskforce together with the Human Capital Development Department are responsible for identifying the core work-life needs of employees and formulating BCA’s work-life roadmap to empower employees for greater work-life harmony.

To support staggered working hours, BCA has formalised its core meeting time as 9.30am to 5.00pm, which ensures that employees’ daily family and work routines are not disrupted due to early or late meetings. As a policy, employees are not expected to log on to the computer after office hours, so as to support them in managing their personal commitments.

BCA believes in taking a bottom-up approach in seeking employees’ inputs prior to implementing work-life programmes and policies. It also has in place a structured communication process which enables it to gather the views and feedback of employees, spanning the senior management to the rank-and-file, through various platforms including senior management tea sessions, surveys and face-to-face dialogue. This has been invaluable in ensuring that it implements work-life initiatives that are relevant to the employees. For example, based on feedback received, BCA has reviewed its existing Parent-Care Leave scheme and enhanced it as the Family Care Leave scheme, with an expanded scope to include grandparents, spouse, siblings, children and grandchildren.Other initiatives introduced include the one-hour weekly time-off for exercise and the two-day volunteering leave.

BCA has experienced tangible benefits from having an effective work-life strategy. Its overall staff turnover rate has gradually reduced over the years, and is consistently lower than the statutory boards’ average. Its internal employee engagement survey shows that employees plan to stay with the organisation in the longer term, and feel that the management takes a genuine interest in their well-being.

Investing in its employees’ holistic well-being and equipping them to manage their careers without compromising on personal goals has resulted in a reciprocal relationship, where employees willingly go the additional mile to deliver excellent work.

The Employee Experience“People are at the heart of every successful organisation. BCA is committed to introduce work-life programmes that enable our employees to manage their work responsibilities alongside personal and family needs.”

Dr. John Keung, CEO

“With the staggered work hours initiative, I can join my husband for breakfast, go home early to cook for my children and spend more time on family bonding. I get to spend more time with them on their homework.”

Michelle Soh, Senior Assistant Executive

Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


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CITISINGAPORE

197 EMPLOYEES

CEREBOSPACIFIC LTD

4544

The Work-Life Strategy Cerebos has embarked on a 10-year path of transformation to be ‘the most exciting, best learning and most engaged company’. To successfully achieve this vision, it has implemented its human capital strategic direction, to ‘Grow from Within’ – to attract, develop, motivate and retain quality employees. Creating a positive work-life culture where employees can enjoy personal work-life harmony is a key part of this human capital strategy.

Cerebos’ management team recognises the importance of work-life harmony and has efficiently implemented policies and programmes to promote it throughout the organisation. These range from flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting to flexible benefits and health and wellness initiatives. A significant portion of the annual budget is also dedicated to work-life programmes each year, signalling that its leaders value and prioritise work-life harmony.

The underlying culture of trust at Cerebos is vital to its work-life success. The managers and supervisors believe that when they demonstrate trust towards their direct reports and offer flexibility at work, employees will appreciate the effort and reciprocate with loyalty and higher productivity at work.

About the Organisation Cerebos Pacific Ltd (Cerebos) is a well-known food and health supplement company in the Asia Pacific region. Its vision is to be a leading food and health supplement provider by creating value for its employees, customers and shareholders.

At Cerebos, quality work-life harmony goes beyond simply managing work and home roles; the organisation believes in incorporating community involvement and giving back to society in order to truly enrich employees’ lives. Thus, a corporate social responsibility component has been woven into its health and wellness initiatives. Cerebos’ employees are permitted to leave the office an hour earlier each day to exercise, and for each session attended by an employee, Cerebos donates $5 to the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. The organisation has raised more than $2,000,000 since the inception of this initiative.

With better work-life harmony, the organisation has found that employees serve as persuasive ambassadors for the Cerebos brands, showing enthusiasm and passion in their work to ensure that more people experience its products and benefit from them.

The Employee Experience“It is heart-warming to see the company taking a genuine interest in the well-being of its staff. Cerebos does not merely provide the funds and facilities but also encourages staff to utilise the benefits given. The work-life strategy is not just a corporate programme or initiative, but an expression of care for us as employees.”

Koo Nguang Siah, Senior Vice President & Group Financial Controller

“As a working mum with a newborn, I am glad that the organisation offers lactation facilities which allow me to continue breastfeeding, even while I am back at work.”

Loke Pei Mei, Assistant Manager, Group Legal & Corporate Secretariat

About the Organisation Citi Singapore (Citi) is a leading financial services organisation and the country’s largest banking employer, providing employment to over 10,000 individuals. As a global bank, it recognises the importance of aligning workplace considerations to business strategy. With people as its most valuable asset, Citi has initiated various people strategies to create an environment where employees can experience personal and professional success, and derive satisfaction in building their career with the organisation.

The Work-Life Strategy Citi views work-life strategy as a key driver for work-life harmony and a tool to support and encourage diversity. Implementing an effective work-life plan has created a healthy work environment characterised by mutual trust and empathy, which in turn enhances employee morale and satisfaction.

Its work-life strategy is articulated through the Citi Work Strategies Programme (CWS) which comprises two broad segments: ‘work styles’ which define the various remote work options and ‘flex-styles’ which list the various configurations of working hours to choose from. Employees are able to mix and match flexibility options across both segments to find the best-fit solution for their unique work-life needs.

Citi invests in technology and innovation solutions which enable employees to work remotely. This makes it possible for its diverse team to control their own schedules, and manage personal and professional responsibilities with maximum efficiency. This includes remote access to work materials and email as well as Wi-Fi access for employees to work seamlessly across offices and while hot-desking.

Management is highly involved in Citi’s work-life strategy all through the employee life cycle. A senior panel is available to answer queries at the New Hire Orientations; managers serve as positive role models by utilising flexible work arrangements themselves, attending dialogue sessions to understand employee work-life challenges, and undergoing training to support flexible working within their teams. This positive show of support for work-life initiatives at Citi signals to employees that work-life harmony is truly an organisational priority.

Citi’s prioritisation of work-life has resulted in a win-win outcome for employees and the business. Employees appreciate the tools and infrastructure that support their personal work-life effectiveness, while the business has benefitted from increased talent attraction and retention, business continuity and real estate optimisation.

The Employee Experience“I have personally benefitted tremendously from the CWS programme. Having two young children, the flexibility and support shown by the organisation has allowed me to achieve my career aspirations. My manager is highly supportive, and tries to avoid holding meetings on the days that I am working from home. I continue to receive opportunities for advancement and challenging projects, even as I work flexibly. This has strengthened my commitment to my job, and Citi as an organisation.”

Cindy Dermawan, Vice President and Head of Talent, Citi Singapore

“The CWS programme has provided me with the flexibility to juggle my time effectively between work and family. Since my job is not customer-facing, most of my meetings can be held via conference calls and I stay connected with my colleagues via emails and phone calls.”

Ng Kian Mun, Vice President, Asia Pacific Compliance

Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


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238 EMPLOYEES

COMFORT TRANSPORTATION PTE LTD

4746

The Work-Life Strategy Comfort believes that people are its most valuable asset in sustaining operations and propelling the organisation towards greater business growth. It recognises that offering employees greater work-life harmony attracts quality talent and enhances staff retention.

Its work-life strategy is seamlessly integrated into the wider organisational business strategy. Through a cohesive work-life plan, it aims to nurture a workforce of loyal, satisfied employees with the physical and mental resilience to contribute effectively to the organisation.

Comfort’s workforce comprises a significant proportion of mature workers, and this has been a key factor in directing its work-life strategy. The organisation’s two-pronged strategy includes initiatives to build a work-life friendly workplace as well as sports and recreational activities to maintain the physical and mental well-being of employees. Employees in the Customer Contact Centre have the option of working on a part-time basis and Comfort is in the process of implementing a home-based work scheme as well. Health activities range from health intervention workshops to brisk walking and Zumba classes for employees and have proven to be popular with the workforce.

Management support has been a vital driver for work-life success at Comfort and the CEO actively joins in the health programmes and activities, and encourages employees to participate. The senior management team also proactively encourages employees to take part in all the work-life initiatives.

About the Organisation First established in 1970, Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd (Comfort) has grown from its humble beginnings of 1,000 taxis to its present fleet of over 12,500 taxis. With a team of over 230 employees, the organisation aims to be Singapore’s leading land transport provider with best-in-class services.

This consistent and vocal championing of work-life at the highest level of the organisation has sent a strong signal to employees – that work-life harmony and employee well-being are important. As a result, employees are receptive when new work-life initiatives are introduced, readily participate in the latest programmes, and provide valuable feedback on the effectiveness of the overall work-life strategy.

The Employee Experience“Our management truly supports work-life harmony. Team bonding activities are one excellent example of how the company effectively engages staff and promotes a culture of trust – this helps us as individuals to achieve work-life harmony.”

Josephine Kwek, Senior Executive, Driver Relations

“I like the activities organised by SRC and HR. Management has staff welfare at heart. I can see the morale of the company improving and we are growing stronger as a team and family every day.”

Catherine Foo, Admin Officer

The Work-Life Strategy ECPS’ work-life strategy is congruent with its vision of ‘Caring Individuals, Passionate Learners and Responsible Individuals’. For its employees, this translates as caring for self and others, giving due importance to learning and making responsible decisions even as they are provided with the autonomy to exercise flexibility at work.

The school plays an integral part in supporting employees to achieve work-life harmony by recognising that they require clarity in their assigned roles and helping them to prioritise responsibilities in the spheres of work and personal life.

One focus of ECPS’ work-life efforts is to implement structures that enable employees to achieve maximum efficiency during the work day and reduce stress and work overload. One example is its staff planner initiative which supports staff in their daily school duties. This document is a collation of all school programmes and schedules and acts as a guide for staff to better manage their work and meet deadlines.

The school’s work-life efforts are spearheaded by a management team which comprises school leaders and middle managers, and supported by a staff welfare committee which translates the work-life intentions of the management team into actual programmes and initiatives on the ground. The committee is made up of new and experienced teachers and representatives from the executive and administrative staff, to provide a balanced view and incorporate the differing needs of the various groups.

Employees enjoy time-saving initiatives such as online sales to facilitate the ordering of classroom decorations, scheduling CCAs during curriculum time so that they need not stay back after school hours and ensuring that no school activities are planned for Friday afternoons. Taking into account suggestions from the Ministry of Education’s Ideas Bank, ECPS has introduced telecommuting, online meetings and video training so that employees need not come back to school during the September holidays.

By providing a nurturing work-life environment for its employees, ECPS benefits from a caring, positive work atmosphere and an appreciative and committed workforce. This has translated into a better education experience for its students.

The Employee Experience“ECPS supports its staff in work-life harmony by informing us of our protected time at the beginning of the academic year. I greatly appreciate this as it enables me to plan ahead so that I may be more productive at work and also spend quality time with my loved ones.”

Janine Yang, Beginning Teacher

“As a Beginning Teacher, I am grateful to have such a supportive work environment that not only focuses on my professional development, but also caters to my personal needs when the time arises. We are always kept updated of key events and initiatives in the school. This open communication is a good platform for an efficient yet sociable working lifestyle.”

Khairulharis Karem, Beginning Teacher, Vice-Chairman, SWC

EAST COASTPRIMARYSCHOOL

About the Organisation East Coast Primary School (ECPS) is committed to the vision of raising its students to be a caring community of passionate learners and responsible individuals.

62 EMPLOYEES

Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


484948

The Work-Life Strategy Elite truly understands the importance of workplace flexibility in achieving work-life harmony and its correlation to organisational success. An effective work-life strategy is the natural extension of its organisational culture that values balance over extremes, results over processes, and people over profits. Thus, as the organisation gives its employees flexibility in when, how and where they work, employees respond by ensuring their own productivity and efficiency at work.

With the tightening of the labour market in 2013, the company ramped up work-life strategies such as work-from-home days in a strategic bid to attract and retain employees.

As the managing director is a mother with two young children and the marketing director is wheelchair-bound, adopting work-life strategies began at the leadership level with a strong personal belief in the value of work-life harmony. The leadership team, managers and supervisors also understand the importance of translating every employee’s personal work-life needs into practical strategies to manage day-to-day business operations and achieve business objectives.

With a view to enhancing its existing practices, Elite has sought advice and training from external consultants to enhance productivity, minimise overtime and eliminate stress factors and business processes that are detrimental to work-life harmony. Its firm belief is that work-life strategies are a ‘must-have’ for every organisation; its small workforce has allowed it to be more agile and customise specific work-life solutions for individual employees. This has enabled it to achieve a win-win solution that benefits both the organisation and its employees.

The Employee Experience“I am fortunate to be able to work on a part-time arrangement and yet enjoy all the benefits as a full-timer would. The flexible work arrangement enables me to meet my family commitments easily, while still remaining active in a corporate career.”

Lyn Phua, Human Resource Executive

“With my personal passion for languages, I have been enriched by the opportunities provided by the organisation. When I decided to resign and study the Korean language in South Korea for six months, the company offered me the option to work remotely, and on a part-time basis while I studied. The management also held my full-time position until I was ready to return to work. I can attest that Elite’s work-life programmes are holistic, practical and cater to employees at different stages of life. Our company truly walks the talk.”

Yvonne Lau, Senior Account Executive

The Work-Life Strategy EY’s Talent agenda is fundamental to delivering the organisation’s purpose of building a better working world. EY takes pride in attracting and retaining talented and diverse individuals, and cultivating an inclusive and supportive culture to create the highest-performing teams that deliver exceptional client service.

EY’s employee value proposition underpins its Talent agenda; ‘Whenever you join, however long you stay, the exceptional EY experience will last a lifetime’. In line with delivering an exceptional EY experience for its employees and to be a leader in work-life integration for professional services, it has developed an innovative and authentic work-life integration programme to empower employees, at different life and career stages, to effectively manage their personal and work commitments for better work-life harmony.

EY has improved its physical environment through its Workplace of the Future programme and work culture to make flexible working the norm, without compromising the quality and delivery of work. In tandem with this is a focus on productivity and innovation.

This requires mindset shifts and behavioural changes and everyone’s commitment, time and energy. EY Partners and leaders lead the change by playing a critical role in the work-life strategy as champions and advocates; acting as role models and showing support for work-life initiatives, making business adjustments to accommodate work-life needs and facilitating conversations within their teams to improve work-life harmony.

EY’s carefully developed work-life integration programme, together with its other talent retention strategies, continues to evolve to ensure it attracts and retains the best talents, and sustains its reputation as a great place to work.

The Employee Experience“Since I adopted EY’s FlexTime Policy, commuting to and from work has become easier, as I travel at off-peak hours and utilise LTA’s free MRT travel trial. Leaving work earlier than the standard end time also gives me more personal and family time in the evenings and better work-life harmony.”

Seet Kok Heng, Senior Executive, Talent

“As a new mother, working from home has saved me commuting time. Thus, I am more productive and efficient at work, which in turn, allows me to spend more time bonding with my baby without compromising on the quality of work. Working in the comfort of my own home motivates me to be even more focused on my work.”

Priscilla Tham, Manager, Human Capital

EY, SINGAPORE2,200 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. It is committed to fulfil its purpose of building a better world for its people, clients and communities – one with increased trust and confidence in business, sustainable growth, development of talent in all its forms, and greater collaboration. The EY practice in Singapore is part of the Asia-Pacific Area, which comprises 22 countries and brings together over 29,000 people to provide clients with seamless services across borders.

ELITETRANSLATIONSASIA PTE LTD25 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Elite Translations Asia Pte Ltd (Elite) is a group of three companies that provides translations, interpreting, transcription, copywriting, language courses and other language related services, with a presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


50

226 EMPLOYEES

FEI YUE FAMILYSERVICE CENTRE

50 51

The Work-Life Strategy At Fei Yue, the management has identified that human capital is instrumental in growing the organisation. By maintaining a highly engaged workforce that is deeply committed to serving the community, it is able to achieve positive organisational outcomes.

As work-life excellence is of strategic importance to the organisation, an effective work-life strategy has been formulated and incorporated in its business excellence framework. Flexibility lies at the heart of Fei Yue’s work-life strategy and it is keen to provide employees with flexible working arrangements (FWAs) that allow them to complete their work tasks in a timely manner, while still having sufficient time for family and personal interests. These FWAs have also had a direct impact on the quality of the organisation’s services as employees have utilised this to further their studies and upgrade their skills which raises their efficiency and productivity at work.

Hiring and retaining high performing employees is a constant challenge in the VWO sector which is characterised by its fast pace and heavy workload. Fei Yue ensures that its work-life strategy is effective and relevant to employees, through work-life

About the Organisation Fei Yue Family Service Centre (Fei Yue) is a non-profit voluntary welfare organisation (VWO) which provides a wide range of assistance and counselling services as well as developmental and preventive programmes. With the mission to ‘effect life transformation through the provision of quality social services’, it has various service centres throughout Singapore caring for families, retirees, youth and also children who have special needs.

needs assessment and organisation climate surveys which are conducted regularly to evaluate and refine its work-life initiatives.

By enabling its employees to achieve greater work-life harmony, Fei Yue has cultivated a dedicated team of professionals who are ready and able to go the extra mile to serve the community. This has allowed it to expand its services, and open four new centres in the short span of two years.

The Employee Experience“I was a stay-at-home mother for five years prior to my return to the workforce. I was chosen to attend WDA’s Professional Conversion Programme which allowed me to work while pursuing my post-graduate diploma course. By working a four-day work week, I could complete my school assignments on my non-working days and still have sufficient time for relaxation and preparing home-cooked meals for my family. I am thankful for the FWA that helped me realise my career and personal goals.”

Karen Sin, Social Work Associate

“Working flexi-hours has allowed me to meet my personal commitments outside of work, while still performing well in my career. It has also given me the room to take up a professional certification for accountants which will help me in the course of my work and enrich my career path. This upgrading of my skills and knowledge is possible through the flexibility that Fei Yue offers”.

Kelvin Leong, Accounts Executive

The Work-Life Strategy As a retailer, being customer-centric is a key priority and drives the business strategy for Home-Fix. The management recognises that employees who feel engaged and satisfied at work will go the extra mile to provide excellent customer service. This is reflected in the organisation’s HR philosophy that ‘our employees are the essence of our success’.

In a competitive hiring environment, an effective work-life strategy provides Home-Fix with an edge over other retailers, as it offers potential employees the opportunity to pursue a career while still having sufficient time for personal interests and family responsibilities.

Educating the middle management on its work-life philosophy has made work-life initiatives more accessible to employees. Line managers receive training on the importance of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and coaching sessions on how to manage a diverse workforce with differing work-life needs. This has led them to be more open about enabling their teams to utilise FWAs and actively advocate it.

Employee profiling has provided Home-Fix with actionable insights on refining its work-life strategy. By analysing the age and life-stage of its employees, Home-Fix has been able to accurately anticipate their work-life needs and adjust its work-life strategy accordingly. One of the outcomes of the analysis was the implementation of a five-day compressed work week for retail staff, the scheduling of two weekends off a month, and the option of allowing them to choose their preferred day off for the month with valid reasons.

Integrating its employees’ work-life needs with business operations has enabled Home-Fix to successfully retain its employees despite the labour crunch, while increasing customer satisfaction and engagement scores.

The Employee Experience“Having to work, study part-time and still find time for leisure is no simple feat, but the flexibility offered by Home-Fix makes it possible for me. For example, on days when I need to leave early for night classes, I am able to do so and make up my work hours during the rest of the week. I also enjoy the Fun@Home programme where I can participate in various sports and lifestyle activities, like Zumba, badminton and cooking classes.”

Sam Tan Yang Qin, Accounts Executive

“I am currently taking a part-time degree, and my lectures start at 3.30pm. The company has been supportive of my skills upgrading and provides me with time off so that I do not need to use my annual leave. I have also been offered exam leave of up to six days to sit for my examinations.”

Juliana Binte Jalil, Head of Learning and Development

HOME-FIX D.I.Y. PTE LTD173 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Home-Fix D.I.Y. Pte Ltd (Home-Fix) has grown from its humble beginnings as a family-owned hardware shop into a chain of stores with a presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Mongolia. Today, Home-Fix operates 23 retail outlets in Singapore alone. The organisation desires to promote the practice of DIY home improvements among consumers, by empowering them with the tools and the knowledge to ‘do it themselves’.

Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


52

1,993 EMPLOYEES

INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES ASIA PACIFICPTE LTD

About Our OrganisationInfineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (Infineon) focuses on the three central challenges facing modern society: energy efficiency, mobility and security, and offers semiconductors and system solutions for automotive, industrial power control, power management, chip card and security applications. Its products are known for their reliability, quality excellence and innovative and leading-edge technology.

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The Work-Life Strategy Infineon has a diverse workforce, and is committed to meeting the work-life challenges arising from the varied personal circumstances and needs of its team. Creating a positive work-life culture and enabling employees for greater work-life harmony is a key focus area in Infineon’s diversity management plans.

It is committed to improving the working conditions of its entire workforce, and its flexible working arrangements are tailored to meet the needs of the modern family where both parents play equally important parenting roles. This allows employees to cater to their family needs while still ensuring that the organisation’s operating requirements are met. Infineon has found that employees who successfully manage their roles in and out of the office are happier and more fulfilled, which is a major boost for motivation and performance at the workplace.

Infineon believes in enabling and encouraging employees to manage their work responsibilities alongside personal and family needs and to engage in fun at, and outside of, work. Support for work-life harmony is visible at all levels; in its infrastructure, policies,

benefits, activities, and even an in-house programme (HAPPY Rewards) to encourage employees to create and sustain their own healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Having an on-going dialogue with employees and inviting their feedback on work-life issues, is vital to refining its work-life strategy and making it effective. Management keeps in touch with employees through regular corporate communications and sponsorship of activities that promote team bonding and better work relationships. Senior leaders also serve as good role models, and share their personal examples of how they successfully manage work, family and life commitments.

With innovation at the heart of Infineon, the team continually looks at how current programmes can be refined to tackle future challenges, and is working towards addressing the specific work-life issues of different demographic groups as well as employees in different work functions or locations.

The Employee Experience“As both my parents required significant medical attention, I realised I needed to efficiently plan my time in order to alleviate my own stress. Having an understanding boss, a great team, a regular exercise regime and the opportunity to work from home whenever necessary, has helped me greatly.”

Yan Huey Miin, Vice President, Finance

“Infineon’s work-life initiatives helped me to better manage my family life. Initially, I had to stretch my energy to the maximum to cope with two kids and their homework after my standard work hours. Now that I am on the flexi-hour scheme, I can schedule my day to meet the needs of my kids without affecting my work. Now, I am living a balanced lifestyle.”

Sharon Lei Kong Yen, Materials Planner

The Work-Life Strategy IRAS recognises that people are its greatest asset – it is through its people that the organisation can deliver greater value to taxpayers and make tax administration a competitive advantage for Singapore. With this goal in mind, it believes in the value of work-life harmony which enhances staff satisfaction, well-being and productivity.

Understanding that employees play multiple roles in their personal lives outside of the office, it aims to provide a conducive environment that helps them manage their career, personal and familial roles and responsibilities. IRAS has implemented a suite of work-life practices catering to the various demographics and life stages represented in its workforce, and its work-life strategy is anchored on 3 key dimensions: having quality time with family and friends, having good health and gaining satisfaction at work.

Engaging IRAS’ middle management has been a critical factor in its work-life success. Supervisors have been empowered to help employees better manage their work and personal responsibilities – they have the autonomy to approve flexible work arrangements such as part-time work as well as ad-hoc requests for time-off to handle personal exigencies. Supervisors also ensure that flexibility measures are well-utilised on the ground which has promoted a positive work-life culture within IRAS.

Soliciting regular feedback and ideas for improvement from employees has also sharpened its work-life strategy. Through channels such as climate surveys, needs analysis, dialogue sessions and working with the union, IRAS has gathered valuable input on how work-life plans can be refined to better meet the needs of its employees. Enhancements to its flexible benefits scheme, the introduction of telecommuting and Family Care Time-off, are some of the work-life initiatives that arose from employee feedback.

The variety of work-life initiatives and improvements has been a sound investment for IRAS. It has achieved favourable operational, people, customer and financial results; including a high rating on the 2013 taxpayer

satisfaction survey and maintaining low absenteeism and attrition rates, while also attracting quality talent to pursue careers with IRAS. It believes that the strong work-life culture will continue to be a value proposition for new hires and the existing workforce and accelerate organisational growth.

The Employee Experience“Work-life harmony is a key facet of IRAS culture. IRAS management’s long standing support underpins the belief and importance of staff holistic well-being and people are its most important asset. Besides a positive work environment, I am appreciative of the many sports, social, and recreational initiatives organised in-house by volunteers in Inland Revenue Recreation Club (IRRC) and the staff union. I realised my long-held aspiration of being part of a dragon boat team through IRRC, and am a beneficiary of the flexible start-time work arrangements that meet my needs.”

Seng Tong Wee, Assistant Manager

“I am grateful to IRAS and my bosses for being supportive of my application to work part-time. This has allowed me to remain in the workforce and to be available to my children in their growing up years.”

Ling Soh Lian, Principal Valuer

INLAND REVENUE AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE

About Our OrganisationIn 1992, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) was established as a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance. IRAS acts as an agent of the Government and provides services in the administration of taxes. It also advises Government, and represents Singapore internationally, on matters relating to taxation.

1,952 EMPLOYEES

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248 EMPLOYEES

INVENSYSPROCESSSYSTEMS (S)PTE LTD

JARDINEONESOLUTION (2001) PTE LTD308 EMPLOYEES

5554

The Work-Life Strategy Invensys Singapore strongly believes that employees are the foundation of its success and has long recognised the importance of work-life harmony. Its prioritisation of work-life is encapsulated in its total rewards model where work-life harmony forms one of five key pillars for business success. It believes that a sound work-life strategy translates to a happy and efficient workforce which can propel the business forward in today’s complex economy.

Its work-life philosophy is reflected in the iCare programme which was launched in 2013 with the motto, ‘We care for our people and their families’. The programme comprises a comprehensive suite of work-life initiatives covering flexible work arrangements, enhanced leave schemes and employee support schemes to cater

About the Organisation Invensys is a global technology company that works in partnership with a broad range of industrial and commercial customers to design and supply advanced technologies that optimise operational performance and profitability. It is focused on developing a deep understanding of its customers’ industries and business needs in order to offer solutions that enhance their productivity and capability.

About the Organisation Jardine OneSolution (2001) Pte Ltd (JOS) is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group, a diversified business group focused primarily in Asia. JOS provides integrated IT solutions and services to meet the needs of enterprise customers in a range of sectors such as banking and finance, retail, government and manufacturing.

On January 17, 2014, Schneider Electric acquired Invensys. Schneider Electric’s acquisition reinforces Invensys’ industrial automation capabilities, boosts its position in energy management segments and strengthens its software offer. By combining the technology, innovation and development capabilities of both Schneider Electric and Invensys, this acquisition will see new systems, applications and technologies brought to market faster.

Schneider Electric shares a similar work-life philosophy as Invensys, and has recently been recognised for the third consecutive year as one of the World’s Most Attractive Employers, ranking within the top 50 employers globally in the prestigious Universum ranking.

to the different needs of employees, and offers a measure of flexibility and customisation to address these differences. For example, each employee is given an allowance to be spent on flexible benefits, and is provided with a comprehensive range of benefits from self-improvement courses to childcare, that they can choose from.

The organisation has experienced positive business outcomes since implementing its work-life strategy. Employee engagement and productivity levels have improved while staff attrition has decreased. These indicators have reinforced the fact that prioritising work-life is a sound business decision and Invensys Singapore is more committed than ever to making work-life harmony a reality for every employee.

The Employee Experience“The introduction of the flexible start and end time scheme has helped to make the morning commute to the office a smoother process for employees and their families. Individuals have more time for their families’ morning routines and arrive at work in a more relaxed and focused frame of mind. There is also less late-coming with this new initiative.”

Winson Tan, Manager, Project Delivery Engineering

“With the work-from-home scheme, I have more time to attend to my kids’ activities and daily needs. I can now manage my work and home commitments more efficiently. I am less stressed and more focused and productive with this work arrangement.”

Navia Sudheer, Proposals Specialist

The Work-Life Strategy JOS leverages its work-life strategy to enhance employee engagement, increase productivity and improve attraction and retention of talent by positioning itself as an employer of choice.

Obtaining buy-in from senior management on the value and prioritisation of work-life harmony is essential to the success of the strategy at JOS. Here, the HR department plays a critical role in educating senior management, hiring managers and supervisors on how work-life harmony can contribute to better business outcomes. With strong leadership support, the organisation has been able to introduce several work-life initiatives and supporting programmes such as flexi-time, telecommuting and skills training to raise productivity, as well as teambuilding exercises. Employees also enjoy an earlier end to the work day, at 5pm every second Friday of the month, so as to start the weekend earlier with their family and friends, and benefit from a variety of corporate memberships and discounts.

JOS realises the importance of raising awareness of the benefits of work-life harmony amongst its workforce, to encourage utilisation and ensure the sustainability of its work-life strategy. Communication sessions with managers and supervisors are organised to equip them with knowledge and updates on the latest industry practices in work-life harmony. Regular emails are sent to the entire workforce with updates on the organisation’s work-life programmes and policies.

Since the introduction of work-life initiatives, the organisation has experienced a distinct shift in its organisational culture. Employees are happier, work better as a team and have greater focus on achieving organisational goals and objectives.

The Employee Experience“I have benefitted greatly from the flexible working arrangements offered as I can now spend more time with my family. By telecommuting, I get to have breakfast and lunch with them and have full control of my work environment. I use my time more efficiently now, and look forward to the days when I work from home, as I’m certainly more productive!”

Tracy Kang, Customer Relations Executive

“The telecommuting arrangement allows me to effectively utilise my time to complete work tasks in busy periods, as I can cut down on the time spent commuting. Tasks which require planning, analysis and greater ‘thinking time’ are more efficiently completed at home. Importantly, working from home allows me to spend quality family time with my loved ones, without affecting my work.”

Valerie Cai, Senior Service Product Manager

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The Work-Life Strategy As the leading agency promoting good employment practices and work-life harmony to organisations in Singapore, it believes in the importance of having an exemplary work-life strategy to set the pace for both the civil service as well as the organisations in Singapore.

MOM’s work-life strategy is centred on the three areas of Work, Self and Social. The underpinning philosophy is that the positive and healthy work culture experienced by MOMers daily will enable them to achieve personal wellness and ultimately be effective contributors to the organisation. This is supported by the Staff Welfare and Well-Being Framework through three pillars; Work Policies, Staff Welfare and Staff Well-Being, which comprises a comprehensive suite of policies, programmes and activities including flexible work options, HoneyComb Life© for retiring officers who wish to continue contributing to the workforce, health and wellness programmes, support groups such as Mums@MOM, as well as community and environment outreach initiatives.

MOM believes that the senior management’s commitment to making work-life harmony an integral part of the ministry’s culture has been crucial to its success. The leadership team actively champions work-life harmony through creating its Work-Life

MINISTRY OF MANPOWER 1,747 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation The vision of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is ‘A Great Workforce. A Great Workplace.’ MOM aims to develop a productive workforce and progressive workplaces, for Singaporeans to have better jobs and a secure retirement. It has 13 main divisions and oversees three statutory boards.

Harmony Statement and cascading it to all employees, consistent role modelling and discussing people issues regularly at senior management meetings.

MOM aspires to be more than good – it aims to be great. Through the cumulative efforts of its work-life and people strategies, it has cultivated a Great Workforce and a Great Workplace.

The Employee Experience“I have supportive bosses who advocate work-life practices regularly. With this strong management support, I am able to maintain a healthy balance between work and play. MOM is an organisation which ensures that their people can play and work hard at the same time. This has encouraged me to explore things that are beyond my core work. In fact, this makes me want to work hard and try my very best for the organisation to achieve the organisation’s goals!”

Dolores Foo, Senior Manager (Cancellation & Repatriation), WPD

“There are many work-life programmes at MOM, but very little corresponding cumbersome paperwork. It is this trust and empowerment that encourages MOMers to find our own balance in juggling the different commitments in our lives. I left MOM for another agency, but returned to MOM eventually. And having been through different organisations, I can say that MOM has an unrivalled work-life culture that not only encourages healthy work-life harmony, but also nurtures and develops individuals by giving us that precious space to manage our own time, find that balance, and learn and grow both at and outside of work.”

Wency Chay, Assistant Director (Corporate Development), LRWD

The Work-Life Strategy At MSF, the promotion of work-life harmony is a strategic tool used to achieve better organisational performance and an engaged workforce. MSF adopts a holistic total well-being framework which encompasses physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being, and its work-life programmes and policies are centred on the individual’s well-being.

MSF takes a life cycle approach by tailoring policies and activities to meet the needs of employees, and it works towards building a sense of family at the workplace. In addition to initiatives targeted at married employees, it also focuses on the work-life challenges of single and mature employees.

Having a committed leadership has been the driving force behind the work-life success at MSF. The senior management team is a vocal proponent of the value of work-life harmony and champions the importance of workplace flexibility as a means to achieve greater workforce productivity. Senior leaders have also taken on formal roles, such as Work-Life Advocate and Work-Life Ambassador, to effectively drive work-life strategy throughout the organisation.

Flexibility is also embedded in MSF’s daily work culture to promote work-life harmony and counter a culture of overwork. The staggered start time policy was enhanced to cater to employees who wish to start work earlier from 7.30am. Taking time during the work day to tend to personal matters was formalised as part of the flexi-work policy. Supervisors also exercise discretion to approve ad-hoc telecommuting requests from their team members.

Through the weekly Blue Sky Friday initiative, internal meetings are scheduled to end by 5.30pm and employees are encouraged to leave work promptly to spend time with family and friends. These simple practical steps have helped to entrench a healthy work-life culture for the organisation.

MSF’s work-life efforts have been fruitful for the organisation. In an employee engagement survey conducted across the public sector, MSF performed above the industry norms on key work-life measures – amongst others, the organisation enjoys a lower attrition and absenteeism rate, which reflects its employees’ satisfaction and engagement levels at work.

The Employee Experience“I went on a telecommuting flexible work arrangement due to family responsibilities. While working remotely required better time management and discipline, integrating my work and personal life worked well for me. Having a supportive team and supervisor was also very helpful for me.”

Rahayu Buang, Deputy Director, Family Policy Unit/Family Development Group

“Working from home gives me peace of mind that my family’s needs are looked after. Telecommuting gives me more quality time and bonding moments with my four children. While I am doing my work, they are completing their schoolwork and revision – and I am effectively role modelling my work ethic for them.”

Ben Peh, Senior Manager, Programme Branch/Rehabilitation and Protection Group

MINISTRYOF SOCIAL AND FAMILYDEVELOPMENT1,596 EMPLOYEESAbout Our Organisation In 2012, MCYS was restructured to become the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), bringing a sharper focus to the Government’s work in the development of families, social services and social safety nets. MSF has the mandate to develop the ‘heartware’ for Singapore through its policies, community infrastructure, programmes and services. Its mission is to nurture a resilient and caring society that can overcome challenges together.

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PREMIERE CONFERENCINGPTE LTD20 EMPLOYEES

5958

The Work-Life Strategy The courier industry is a labour-intensive one and heavily reliant on extensive manpower resources to ensure that documents and parcels are delivered in a timely manner. Network Courier has identified that creating a working environment with effective work-life policies will lead to a happy and loyal workforce that will strive to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Network Courier’s management is deeply committed to championing work-life harmony and its managing director serves as the organisation’s work-life ambassador and champion. Its work-life committee comprises senior and middle management representatives who effectively drive work-life practices at every level.

The organisation has invested in creating a pro-family work culture, and regularly finds opportunities for employees to spend quality time with their families. This includes hosting the entire team and their families for most company functions including major local festivals and celebrations.

NETWORKEXPRESS COURIER SERVICESPTE LTD98 EMPLOYEES With its comparatively limited resources as an SME, Network Courier has

turned to creative solutions to address work-life challenges. When it was found that employees often struggled to meet parenting responsibilities due to work commitments, an extended lunch hour was implemented for those who required additional time to attend to personal matters. The time extension would be made up, in the remainder of the workday. Another example was the provision of an in-house tuition service on Saturdays when parents are encouraged to bring their children to the office. Network Courier has also implemented telecommuting schemes (Cyber Flex and Dot.Net Framework) to allow employees to perform their work responsibilities remotely.

With the implementation of its work-life strategy, Network Courier has achieved a reduced turnover and absenteeism as well as lower medical costs. Equipping employees to achieve their personal best in their work and home lives has created a better workplace for the team and led to better business results.

The Employee Experience“When my wife faced a challenging pregnancy, the management showed me support by granting me unrecorded time-off to take my wife for frequent medical appointments. Having personally benefitted from work-life schemes, I now share these with my team when they face work-life challenges of their own.”

V. Balamurugan, Assistant Transport Manager

“I need to send my 6-year old son to and from childcare promptly each day. Knowing this, the management made arrangements to ensure that I would not need to work later than my usual end-time. Improvements to our systems and processes have also made me more productive at work. I am grateful for the support that helps me manage my commitments at work and as a mother.”

Aslinna Binte Dollah, Customer Service Officer

About the Organisation Network Express Courier Services Pte Ltd (Network Courier) is a local and international courier service that aspires to be a leading courier service provider with a global network. Formed in 1990 with the philosophy that ‘Fostering Meaningful Relationships’ is the essence of all that it does, Network Courier aims to put in place customer-centric processes that are supported by innovative technology and administered by the right people in an environment that embraces corporate social responsibility.

About the Organisation Premiere Conferencing Pte Ltd (PGi) is a global provider of scalable business grade collaboration software and services. PGi’s solutions are widely used in various sectors for online meetings and company-wide conference calls to deliver engaging, meaningful and collaborative experiences.

The Work-Life Strategy The rapid evolution of the business environment has resulted in competing demands on the working individual. Increasingly, they feel the need to be constantly ‘switched on’ through their devices, and often compromise on personal time. PGi’s work-life strategy was implemented to counter this trend within its own workforce and it aims to create a supportive and healthy work environment, where employees are inspired and enabled to be highly efficient and productive.

The organisation’s supportive culture and Open Door policy has contributed to transparent and consistent dialogue within PGi. New employees complete a ‘First Three Months Satisfaction Survey’ followed by a ‘First Year Satisfaction Survey’ to identify potential issues early. Employees are also encouraged to share their work-life challenges candidly with their managers and work together to find a best-fit solution. This has allowed PGi to turn around employee resignations and retain talent through flexibility in accommodating employee needs.

PGi employees leverage a variety of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) such as telecommuting, flexi-time, part-time and time off in-lieu to help them integrate their work and personal responsibilities. The organisation utilises its in-house expertise to make FWAs highly accessible to its team. For example, it taps on advanced communication technology and devices to ensure efficient remote access to work documents and enable communication with colleagues and clients, even while working away from the office. Employees also enjoy enhanced leave schemes including birthday leave, as well as corporate monthly massages at work amongst other benefits.

To ensure alignment with its business goals, PGi has adopted performance evaluation metrics that are clear and measurable for

its employee assessment framework. Thus, employees have the confidence that they are being measured on the quality of their work deliverables rather than their working arrangement.

Implementing an effective work-life strategy has been a sound business decision for PGi. Employees are productive and energised by their work, and the organisation’s attrition rate has decreased dramatically and is lower than the industry average.

The Employee Experience“Our company’s mobile solutions for collaboration, such as web conferencing, help us to be productive even while telecommuting. Most importantly, having a great management team that understands and advocates a pro work-life culture across PGi is what makes a real difference to the workplace.”

Wee Chee Minh, Vice President Sales, Greater China, South East Asia & Korea

“At PGi, staff welfare is considered important. When I met with an accident five months into my employment with the company, the management continued to pay my full salary even while I was on medical leave, and reinstated me to my job role once I had recovered.”

Cindy Lim, Admin Executive

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ROCKWELLAUTOMATIONSINGAPORE,ASIA PACIFICBUSINESSCENTRE590 EMPLOYEES

6160

About the Organisation Rockwell Automation (Rockwell) is a multi-national company that provides industrial automation and information solutions for their customers. In 2006, the organisation’s Asia Pacific Business Centre was formed in Singapore and currently employs almost 600 staff.

RAJAH & TANN SINGAPORE LLP624 EMPLOYEES

The Work-Life Strategy While a high level of work excellence is expected of its employees, the firm reciprocates this effort and loyalty by providing an inclusive and collegial work environment where personal development, physical and emotional health are nurtured.

Through support, training and career-long mentoring, Rajah & Tann aims to help employees reach their full potential and contribute to the growth and expansion of the firm. A sustainable work-life strategy which engages and motivates the workforce in a culture of excellence is part of this overall plan.

Given the fast-paced nature of the industry, its employees ‘work hard and play hard’ and Rajah & Tann encourages all employees to maintain a balanced lifestyle. This led to it being the first local law firm to introduce a five-day work week and ‘dress down Fridays’. Another unique feature of the firm is its dedicated in-house ombudsman (‘The Bud’) which is tasked to promote freedom of expression through a secure feedback channel where employees can discuss confidential matters and receive counselling if needed.

At Rajah & Tann, employees enjoy a variety of flexible work options, including telecommuting, part-time work, job sharing and flexi-time, amongst others. To integrate

team members, department heads leverage the firm’s departmental recreation fund to organise overseas trips, gatherings and team bonding sessions, to ensure that employees remain engaged and part of the social group. The firm also has an in-house café and lounge where employees can mingle and relax.

The firm’s commitment to cultivating a positive work-life culture has enabled it to retain quality employees in a fiercely competitive industry. Indeed, in years 2011, 2012 and 2013, Rajah & Tann was ranked in the Asian Legal Business ‘Employer of Choice’ category for the Singapore market.

The Employee Experience“Rajah & Tann’s flexible work arrangement has allowed me to effectively manage work responsibilities, personal and family needs. I have never been happier and more productive at work. Knowing that the firm recognises my personal needs, trusts and values my contributions, notwithstanding my work arrangement, makes it a win-win situation for both parties.”

Angeline Poon, Director of Practice Development

“Flexible work arrangements in the legal profession are not impossible – Rajah & Tann has proven this with aplomb. As a mother of three returning to work after a long absence, being on flexi-time at Rajah & Tann has alleviated the crushing guilt of not being there for my family, while affording me the opportunity to keep myself updated with the goings-on in the legal profession.”

Audrey Ho, Assistant KRM Manager

About the Organisation Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP (Rajah & Tann) is one of the largest full service law firms in Singapore and Southeast Asia, with clients from a wide range of industries. Providing quality client servicing is the highest priority for any good law firm and Rajah & Tann is no exception. It also recognises that one way to take good care of its clients is to prioritise the well-being of its employees.

The Work-Life Strategy Rockwell believes that the Employee, Company and Customer are intrinsically linked. Through flexible working arrangements, it has seen employee engagement increase, which in turn powers the organisation’s performance and ultimately enhances the customer experience. Rockwell has identified this as a key factor which differentiates it from the competition.

Work-life harmony is in the organisation’s DNA, and its leaders and management firmly believe and exemplify their commitment by endorsing work-life related policies and practices. The management also communicates and gathers feedback regularly from employees on work-life matters.

The organisation prides itself on having work-life solutions with a creative touch. This includes Family Friendly Fridays where employees can leave the office an hour earlier to spend quality time with their loved ones. It also offers a Compressed Work Week during the school holidays, in which employees work an hour longer from Mondays to Thursdays and leave the office at 12.30pm on Fridays to spend a longer weekend with their families. Through these unique flexible work options, employees are empowered to manage their personal responsibilities without compromising on the quality of their work.

Another key step in its work-life journey has been the appointment of an external vendor to provide a professional Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to all employees and their family members. The EAP is a 24-hour hotline where trained counsellors are readily available to provide counselling on work-life matters such as eldercare, marital problems, parenting and workplace stress, amongst other issues.

Rockwell encourages the formation of interest groups in areas such as corporate social responsibility, sports and recreation, and also has a professional women’s council and young generation leaders affinity group. Through these interest groups, employees are given a voice in the overarching work-life strategy, and also have a greater sense of ownership in maintaining the organisation’s work-life culture.

Rockwell feels that creating a comprehensive work-life strategy for its employees makes sound business sense – when employees are fulfilled in their personal lives, they will be more engaged at work, and will be driven to achieve business success for the company.

The Employee Experience“Our firm is a true advocate for work-life integration. Barring urgent matters, employees are encouraged to leave the office at 4.30pm every Friday. The management will remind us to go home as spending time with the family is important.”

Chua Lai Ti, Engineering Manager

“I enjoy the family days that Rockwell organises. Participating in events like Rockwell’s East Coast Park Green Day with my children are among my favourite family memories. My work flexibility also allows me to spend time with my family during weekends.”

Marsitah Sulong, Production Operator

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1,045 EMPLOYEES

SENTOSADEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

SERRANOHOLDINGSPTE LTD112 EMPLOYEES

6362

The Work-Life Strategy Work-life strategy is an important vehicle for SDC to build its reputation as a choice employer and create a ‘happy workforce which translates to happy guests’; ultimately enabling the organisation to achieve its vision of being a global leisure and lifestyle resort destination.

Staff wellness and work-life initiatives are an integral component of SDC’s total rewards strategy. In recognition of the diverse profile and work-life needs of its workforce, the management adopts a targeted approach to work-life activities, catering to the different life stages of employees. These activities aim to create an engaging, challenging and nurturing work environment for employees, while providing them with opportunities for personal pursuits.

One notable initiative is its ‘moonlighting’ scheme which allows existing employees to take on a second, different role on a part-time basis within Sentosa. This gives employees a chance to develop new skills and a flexible attitude towards learning new roles even as they earn additional income. Other initiatives include staff discounts for patronising outlets owned by its island partners. In addition, as part of Sentosa’s

corporate social responsibility efforts and in support of employees who engage in personal philanthropy, SDC provides an avenue to enable employees to seek sponsorship of island and attraction admissions for the less privileged and gives paid time-off for staff to bring their selected welfare organisation on a tour of the island.

The leadership at SDC constantly engages with its workforce to identify work-life challenges and needs on the ground. A twice yearly ‘Management-In-Action Day’ has also been scheduled for management to spend four hours in that day to work alongside frontline staff. This familiarises them with the operational procedures and challenges that employees face on a daily basis.

SDC’s effective work-life strategy has resulted in a happy, vibrant and healthy workforce that loves what it does, decreased staff attrition and an improved guest satisfaction rating.

The Employee Experience“Sentosa has always been a great listener! The regular town hall and dialogue sessions with the CEO and Divisional Heads allow us to voice our needs. Sentosa recognises the effort and time their staff dedicate to run the island’s operations.”

Nor Hashiqin Mohd Saifolzam, Senior Supervisor, Creative Development

“Sentosa has many excellent and customised initiatives to cater to different levels in terms of work-life activities. One of the most interesting initiatives is the birthday treat for every employee, where we can take our meal at any of Sentosa F&B outlets during our birthday month. I am happy and feel privileged to be part of this world-class organisation.”

Roy Leong, Senior Executive, Environmental Control Department

About the Organisation Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) was established in 1972 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. SDC has spearheaded the makeover of Sentosa Island, making it a premier getaway and tourist destination. SDC oversees various business and commercial units including Sentosa Leisure Management Pte Ltd, Sentosa Golf Club, Sentosa Cove Pte Ltd, Sentosa Cove Resort Management Pte Ltd and the Mount Faber Leisure Group Pte Ltd.

The Work-Life Strategy Serrano Holdings’ mission is to be known for its quality products and reliable service and for providing an excellent working environment for its people. In order to achieve this standard, the management aims to create a positive, work-life friendly culture for the organisation.

While the construction industry is typically characterised by long hours and overtime work on weekends, Serrano Holdings strives to set itself apart by facilitating work-life harmony and treating employees as part of the ‘Serrano family’. Recognising industry constraints which require some job functions to be based on physical presence, the management has implemented a tailored approach towards work-life.

The company recently ceased production operations on Sundays, which allows for more socialisation among work permit holders – the next best thing to ‘family time’ as their families are not with them. Although this initially affected production levels, Serrano Holdings compensated by moving machinery from Vietnam to Singapore, to allow more work to be done in a shorter time. To cultivate team bonding and socialisation, it organises recreational activities such as soccer, bowling and karaoke. Based on employee feedback, Serrano Holdings piloted working on alternate Saturdays and eventually adopted a five-day work week. It also provides a shuttle service to and from the nearest MRT station which ensures that staff leave work on time. Most recently, it implemented a flexi-hours scheme for employees whose job scopes allow it.

To eliminate the ‘longer hours’ culture, managers are constantly reminded to submit their work in a timely manner to prevent last minute deadlines that require staff to work overtime. Departments are also required to enforce timelines with suppliers, and to avoid last minute client requests unless absolutely necessary.

Serrano Holdings’ introduction of a relevant and sustainable work-life strategy has contributed significantly to the organisation’s success. The company has sustained its operations, increased productivity, grown its client list and more than doubled the number of new projects awarded in the past year and a half.

The Employee Experience“The people at Serrano are like my extended family. We work very hard, but we support each other and when we can, we play hard. As a manager, I try to make sure that my staff are well taken care of. I am their bridge to senior management and we are lucky to have an MD who is open to suggestions and is also willing to invest in the welfare of the staff.”

Mohamed Azminsham Bin Leman, Senior Contracts Manager

“The company takes care of its employees and supports us even when we have medical issues. I am happy to work here and I have learnt a lot from my seniors.”

Md Mahabub Alam Ali Haidar Rari, Project Executive

About the Organisation

The Serrano group of companies is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Vietnam and Thailand. Its flagship company, Serrano Holdings Pte Ltd (Serrano Holdings), provides interior fit-out services and products for the construction industry.

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The Work-Life Strategy SDC’s corporate vision of being the preferred employer serves as an important platform for the organisation’s work-life strategy. The organisation strongly believes in implementing work-life plans that will allow SDC to achieve its business goals, while helping employees to manage their work and personal responsibilities.

SDC constantly refines and aligns HR policies with its work-life strategy. This includes investing in various wellness programmes such as health talks and inter-department sports competitions to enhance personal well-being and health for all employees.

The organisation’s work-life success is the combined effort of the entire workforce. While management drives the work-life policies and programmes, middle managers have also been empowered to provide flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and paid time-off (of up to two hours) for their teams, as needed. They also help to encourage employee feedback.

In addition to providing FWAs, SDC has also adopted a variety of initiatives such as additional leave to care for family members when they are ill, medical subsidies for family members, wedding anniversary and birthday off and even a staff lounge equipped with karaoke facilities, which employees can use during their lunch break and after-hours to unwind and relax with fellow colleagues. Exercise equipment is

SINGAPOREDISCOVERYCENTRE LTD100 EMPLOYEES also provided in the lounge and Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT)

stations have been constructed within the premises for employees to maintain their personal fitness, especially NSmen.

SDC strongly encourages its employees to provide feedback on work-life practices and policies, and has created several channels to seek their input. These include climate surveys, a feedback box, welfare committees, and chat sessions with the Executive Director. By providing multiple channels, SDC is assured of receiving rich and balanced feedback which can then be acted upon.

The organisation’s attrition rate has decreased, and is currently below the industry average. Customer satisfaction has also increased over the years as employees feel rested, engaged and ready to serve others through their work. SDC’s work-life strategy has certainly created a win-win outcome for the organisation and its employees.

The Employee Experience“The flexi-hour scheme offered by SDC helps me to achieve work-life harmony. Being in the ‘sandwich generation’, I need to look after the needs of my growing children as well as the elderly at home, while ensuring that I meet work deliverables. By using the FWAs offered, I can ferry my children to and from school in emergencies and also take my elderly parents to the clinic when they fall ill. By working from home a few days a week, I can spend time with my children who are preparing for their national exams.”

Pauline Phua, Senior Manager, Exhibits Development

“SDC is certainly a pro-family organisation. With the flexi-hour scheme, I am able to complete my work tasks without compromising time spent on my family and personal health. This is important for my overall well-being.”

Norhayati Binte Dollah, Senior Admin Assistant, Engineering

About the Organisation Opened in 1996, the Singapore Discovery Centre Ltd (SDC) is a non-profit organisation that aims to share the Singapore Story and inspire individuals to contribute to Singapore’s future.

The Work-Life Strategy As a service company, SPS’ most strategic asset is its people. With manpower cost being a significant component of operating costs, it is imperative for SPS to implement strategies and programmes that enable employees to perform to their fullest potential.

Notable are SPS’ Work-from-Home and Start-Work-from-Home schemes which were initiated as a result of employee feedback. The Work-from-Home scheme was formally implemented for customer service employees, allowing them to work from home and only return to the office once a week. The success of the scheme prompted SPS to extend it to back office support staff and other job functions. In the Start-Work-from-Home scheme, field employees can travel to their job sites directly without having to report to the office at the start of the work day, and schedulers also try to assign jobs that are nearer the employees’ homes, when possible. Employees on this scheme have been able to save on transport costs as well as an average of two hours of commuting time, daily.

Implementing creative solutions to help employees better manage their work responsibilities alongside their personal and family commitments has resulted in a culture of strong commitment and passion towards their work, and led to a higher productivity rate and lower absenteeism.

The effectiveness of SPS’ work-life strategy is also evident in the results of its customer satisfaction surveys, in which SPS has been the top-rated service organisation for five consecutive surveys. In benchmarking studies conducted by independent consultants in 2013 against major overseas utilities, SPS’ cost-to-serve has reduced and the company has maintained the lowest cost-to-serve in the benchmark study while continuing to achieve high quality service standards.

SPSERVICESLTD767 EMPLOYEES

The Employee Experience“With the implementation of the Work-from-Home scheme, I now have more quality time with my family. I am able to send my youngest child to school before I start work and also send my children to the doctor during my lunch hour if they fall sick. My commuting time is also minimised tremendously.”

Noor Azlina Binti Jamir, Admin Assistant, Billing Services, SP Services

“As a rider, I need to travel daily. With the Start-Work-from-Home scheme, the time spent on travelling between office and home is significantly reduced and I do not need to rush for my first morning appointment with the customer, which is located near my home. This arrangement not only improved my work productivity, but also improved my work-life harmony. Now, I have more time for myself and family.”

Imran Bin Sarion, Technician, Supply Turn On Unit, SP Services

About the Organisation SP Services Ltd (SPS) provides convenient one-stop customer services for utility supplies in Singapore. Through consolidated billing and payment collection, SPS enables all households and businesses to have easy access to efficient and reliable electricity, water and gas supplies as well as refuse collection services. As a Market Support Services Licensee, SPS also facilitates competition in the electricity market and enables customers to transfer seamlessly between buying from electricity retailers and the wholesale market.

Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


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SPRINGSINGAPORE416 EMPLOYEES

The Work-Life Strategy Through its work-life strategy, SPRING seeks to enhance the total well-being of its employees according to their profiles while aligning with business needs. Its strategy focuses on the individual’s holistic development and implementing initiatives that foster a dynamic, flexible, open and collaborative work culture that caters to its multi-generational workforce.

The management has endorsed a benefits and work-life framework spearheaded by HR which clearly articulates the objectives, tools, enablers, approach and audience of its work-life practices. Under this framework, SPRING has initiated various work-life programmes and policies, ranging from interest groups to wellness activities and invested in the infrastructure to enable flexible working; all SPRING employees are equipped with laptops to facilitate telecommuting.

SPRING engages employees through various platforms including annual surveys, focus groups and management chat sessions, to better understand their work-life challenges and deliver relevant and effective solutions. In addition, a HR Business Partner is assigned to each business group, to take care of their HR needs and ensure that employees have a one-stop access to HR information. The HR Business Partners

communicate and guide employees on the work-life programmes as well as how to implement these arrangements.

With an effective work-life plan aligned with its business strategy, strong management commitment and supporting values, SPRING has built up a team of engaged and competent employees who contribute passionately towards its success.

The Employee Experience“I requested for no-pay leave to spend more time with my elder son who is not well, as well as to help my family better cope with the birth of my younger son. I am glad that SPRING’s management and my colleagues supported me, and my areas of work were well-covered during my absence. I felt energised and ready to dive back into my work when I returned, knowing that things are well at home.”

Dave Lim, Head, Marine & Offshore

“I benefitted greatly from the flexi work hours scheme which allowed me to concentrate on a crucial exam. Our team’s workload was planned around my flexible work arrangement to ensure that there was no impact to our team’s efficiency. With this arrangement, I had more time to study and was able to concentrate on my studies as well as work.”

Tan Shi Yun, Executive, Finance

About the Organisation SPRING Singapore (SPRING) is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry responsible for helping Singapore enterprises to grow, and building trust in Singapore products and services. Its mission is to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises for a vibrant Singapore economy and to grow more dynamic, competitive and innovative Singapore enterprises.

YANGZHENGPRIMARYSCHOOL 109 EMPLOYEESThe Work-Life Strategy

At YZPS, work-life strategies are implemented to foster a positive working environment where employees motivate and inspire their pupils and colleagues to achieve their best in all that they do.

The school’s commitment to promoting and enhancing its work-life culture is evident through leadership support. The principal and vice-principal together with the management team constantly review and improve current school structures in the areas of working hours, workload and employee support systems. This ensures that the workforce is able to maximise efficiency and achieve work-life harmony.

While schools may stipulate the use of Saturdays for school activities, YZPS has creatively made use of weekdays to reduce the number of Saturdays that employees have to report to school for official duties. Meet-the-Parents sessions were rescheduled from weekends to weekdays and coupled with e-learning, so that pupils can stay home and complete home-based learning while their parents are in school to meet the teachers. To encourage employees to go home in a timely manner and spend time with their families, the school closes at 6.00pm on weekdays and reminders are given through the public announcement system at 5.50pm. The school has also put in place structures to ensure that all teaching staff have the flexibility to have an early afternoon off each week. YZPS piloted biometric attendance-taking for its students in 2011 to reduce the administrative workload, and has also introduced other work-life initiatives including the structured mentoring programme, ‘Chicken Soup’ and ‘Well-being’ sharing sessions where teachers share personal experiences and health tips to encourage others.

With the introduction of a relevant and comprehensive work-life strategy, YZPS has transformed its workplace into a truly positive work-life environment for all employees. Employees have expressed their satisfaction and enthusiasm for the work that they do, and this has fostered stronger teacher-student relationships that support, mould and nurture pupils in their holistic development and educational journey.

The Employee Experience“I am appreciative that the school leaders supported my application to be on a part-time scheme in 2014. This flexi-work option enabled me to meet my personal and family commitments without compromising the learning of my pupils. With this flexibility, I was able to coach my son who subsequently made significant improvements in his cognitive development. I was also able to help with the care of my father-in-law who was ill.”

Jasmine Ng Shui Shui, Teacher

“I appreciate the work-life efforts in Yangzheng Primary School. We have clear, transparent structures and plans in place to ensure that work-life policies are effectively carried out, enabling all employees to have work-life harmony. One example is that we do not send work-related emails and smses over the weekend and after 6.30pm on weekdays, to ensure that all employees have sufficient time for rest and family.”

Noryati Abdul Rahman, Head of Department, Science Department

About the Organisation Yangzheng Primary School ( YZPS) is committed to providing a supportive environment that will help develop every student’s physical, intellectual, emotional, social and aesthetic capabilities to its fullest.

Date & Time:17/10/14, 1120


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


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YAYASANMENDAKI99 EMPLOYEESAbout the Organisation Yayasan MENDAKI (MENDAKI) is a pioneer self-help group dedicated to empowering the Malay Muslim community in the context of a multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore. Established in 1982, MENDAKI focuses on preventive and developmental programmes in the areas of Education, Youth, Family and Employability.

The Work-Life Strategy MENDAKI believes that a healthy organisation is a happy organisation. When its employees are physically and mentally resilient, they are naturally more productive and responsive in their work duties.

Its organisational work-life strategy has gradually evolved over the years from ad-hoc initiatives to a structured, formalised set of policies and programmes that help its employees to effectively integrate their personal lives and careers – and achieve their full potential in both arenas.

Creating a flexible workplace with a positive work-life culture is a key focus for MENDAKI. As many of its employees are working parents, equipping them with the tools to manage their family responsibilities, without compromising on work, is vital to achieving its goal of offering high quality programmes and services for the community.

As a non-profit organisation, MENDAKI works creatively within its limited budget to provide flexible work arrangements. Employees are granted time-off for volunteering at the organisation’s community outreach platforms. This time-off can be taken

during office hours for employees to attend to urgent personal or family matters. Employees are offered the opportunity to work from four satellite offices island-wide, and enjoy a flexible leave benefit scheme over and above their core leave entitlement, to address leave needs such as maid-in-absence, birthday and eldercare amongst others.

MENDAKI’s effective work-life strategy has certainly paid off for the organisation. Teamwork, staff morale and communication have improved over the years, and its employees are dynamic and enthusiastic as they work together to serve the community.

The Employee Experience“The saying ‘we work hard and we play hard’ sums up the spirit of our flexible benefits scheme. The flexibility in this scheme allows our staff to tailor their leave entitlement according to their personal work-life needs.”

Sazali Abdul Wahid, Director, Community Development

“Achieving work-life harmony is a common challenge for mothers like myself. As I have three school-going children, the flexibility offered at MENDAKI has made my motherhood journey much more enjoyable. MENDAKI has nurtured me throughout this phase of life, giving me extra support in my various roles as mother, employee and lifelong learner.”

Sabrena Abdullah, Manager, Research & Policy

ZHENGHUAPRIMARYSCHOOL 120 EMPLOYEESThe Work-Life Strategy

In order to ensure that employees are focused on their outcomes and satisfied at work, ZHPS has instituted HR strategies that are aligned to the HR goal of ‘enabling staff, building capacity and cherishing individuals’.

The school has translated the school values of ‘Care, Respect, Responsibility and Integrity’ into expected desired behaviours for both staff and students. School values are promoted via structures and programmes that promote a strong family culture for employees. These include protected holiday time, staff wellness day, team bonding days and a personal interest day, amongst others.

By supporting employees in managing personal and career aspirations, ZHPS believes it will win their hearts and minds, transforming them into a dynamic team which will advocate, stay and strive for the organisation. This is exemplified in meetings between reporting officers and employees, which are not limited to conversations about professional goals, but also cover personal aspirations. By recognising employees’ personal aspirations, the school can be clear, focused and deliberate about helping them to achieve their ambitions and keeping engaged at work.

As part of its pro-family stance, the school works with its School Family Education Coordinator to implement a series of Family Talks each term, which are open to employees and the public. ZHPS also organised the Zhenghua Kiddies Party to bring employees and their families together. This event was a rousing success with both adults and kids bonding happily over games and food.

At ZHPS, employees and their families have been greatly appreciative of the school’s commitment to work-life harmony. This has been visibly shown through lower medical leave-taking and transfer rates out of the school. At ZHPS, strong work-life harmony has resulted in enhanced continuity of teaching services for its pupils and better student outcomes overall.

The Employee Experience“Our school sets aside protected time for everyone, including middle managers. The school leaders chart the workload of all middle managers to ensure that there is fair distribution. These processes are transparent and give us confidence in the work-life policies of the school.”

Ng Han Jun, Head of Department, ICT

“I look forward to the Bonding Day held each term, as the itinerary is always a nice surprise. We can go out together as one team to rest and relax. The Zumba and Yoga sessions are a great touch to enhance our physical health. As these fitness classes are held in-house, it is highly convenient for me to attend.”

Yew Ann Yee, Lower Primary Teacher

About the Organisation Zhenghua Primary School (ZHPS) is a school that strives to achieve its motto of ‘The Best That We Can Be’ for its students and staff. ZHPS emphasises the holistic well-being of every child under its care, and recognises that competent, motivated and engaged employees are vital to achieving its mission and vision.

Date & Time:17/10/14, 1120


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy would like to thank all the employers who participated in the Work-Life Excellence Award 2014. Your commitment to work-life harmony is truly an inspiration. We hope that you continue to sustain your efforts and champion work-life strategies both within and outside your organisations. We would also like to thank the staff from the member organisations of the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy for their assistance in the assessment process and the panel of industry experts for their invaluable insights and for judging the individual awards:

Association of Small and Medium Enterprises

Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

Ministry of Manpower

Ministry of Social and Family Development

National Population and Talent Division, Prime Minister’s Office

National Trades Union Congress

Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office

Singapore Business Federation

Singapore Human Resources Institute

Singapore National Employers Federation

Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices

The Work-Life Excellence Award is presented by the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy:

Mr Wong Keng Fye, Head, Human Capital Singapore (Maybank Singapore)

Mr Eric Wong, Head, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, APAC, Japan and China (Polycom Asia Pacific Pte Ltd)

Ms Pamela Ooi, Director, Human Resources (Raffles Institution)

Mrs Helen Lim-Yang, Employer Alliance Committee Member and Principal Consultant (ROHEI Corporation)

Date & Time:14-10-14, 18.46


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Client:TPA




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AS:Myra

CW:Pek li Jun


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep

PROPRIET ARY/CONFIDENTIAL-Commemorative BookDate & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




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AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep


Date & Time:16/10/14, 1520


Job No:TPA-007-T14

Client:TPA




Colour:4C



AS:Myra

CW:N.A.


AD:Malcolm

GH/CD:Pradeep

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