From The Straits Times
By Cassandra Chew
Published 27 Aug 2010
MIDDLE managers are key to the success of work-life balance strategies in the workplace but are often left out of the process when it comes to implementing such measures.
The involvement of line-managers and supervisors, in addition to that of bosses, makes a critical difference to the effectiveness of work-life strategies, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Health and Manpower) Hawazi Daipi said yesterday at the Work-Life Conference 2010.
'An effectively implemented work-life strategy helps employees better meet their work demands and personal needs which will, in turn, benefit the employer,' he added. 'From the employee's perspective, better work-life harmony means less tension between work and personal lives, and a better quality of life overall, resulting in improved ability to perform at their best at work.'
Credit Suisse buys into this philosophy. Recognising that not all middle managers were comfortable facilitating such changes at work, it helped them ease into the role in ways such as mentoring, and interaction with workers at networking events.
'Baby boomers may not necessarily know how to manage younger workers of today. But if we expose them to different ways of leadership, they will be much more open,' said Ms Niki Kesoglou, a regional director at the international bank.
Another way in which company middle managers are being helped in this task is through briefings on work-life balance by the Employer Alliance.
Human resources specialist Ellen Ernst Kossek, the keynote speaker at the conference organised by the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, cautioned against singling out middle managers, who were often caught between demands from subordinates for flexibility, and from bosses wanting performance. Middle managers need to believe that work-life initiatives will lead to higher productivity, the Michigan State University professor said, adding: 'Work-life is not just employee welfare. It needs to be viewed as a business competitive tool.'
Surveys in the United States showed that firms with a strong work-life balance culture enjoyed better stock performance, attracted twice the number of job applications, and had fewer resignations.
Workers whose firms extended support to their families were also healthier, slept better and had a lower risk of heart disease, she said of findings from her study with the Harvard Medical School.
Agreeing, Mr Hawazi said a tighter labour market and increased competition for jobs meant bosses had to offer more than pay hikes to keep talent. He cited a study by Singapore National Employers Federation and branding consultancy StrategiCom, in which respondents listed work-life balance as a key factor in joining or staying with a firm.
Work-life strategies include flexibility in when, where or how much an employee works. It also includes support for an employee's personal life - such as by providing facilities like nursing rooms or gymnasiums.
National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general and Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob, one of the four panellists, noted that there were many possibilities to improve work-life balance: 'But the thing you will notice about all this is that it requires a lot of creativity and trust, and requires you to manage more diversity.'
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