Establishing Boundaries for Companies on After-hours Work Communication to Encourage Work-Life Harmony
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns MP Melvin Yong Yik Chye’s inquiry regarding the tracking and promotion of after-hours work communication policies and their inclusion in the Tripartite Standard for Work-Life Harmony. Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng responded that 1,900 companies had such policies in 2021, and over 700 representatives have since attended workshops to facilitate their implementation. He noted that establishing these policies is already a recognized method for employers to fulfill Tripartite Standard requirements alongside other employee support schemes. The Ministry of Manpower will continue to collaborate with tripartite partners to encourage the adoption of after-hours communication policies and well-being initiatives. This approach emphasizes engaging employees to identify appropriate measures for fostering work-life harmony while utilizing existing tripartite frameworks and policy templates.
Transcript
47 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry tracks how many companies have established boundaries on after-hours work communication between supervisors and staff since the Alliance for Action on Work-Life Harmony was launched; (b) whether the Ministry has any plans to encourage more companies to adopt such good workplace practices; and (c) whether the Ministry can consider including after-hours work communication policy as a requirement under the Tripartite Standard for Work-Life Harmony.
Dr Tan See Leng: In 2021, about 1,900 companies1 in Singapore had established an after-hours work communication policy, based on a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) survey.
Since the Alliance for Action on Work-Life Harmony launched the after-hours work communication policy template in September 2021, more than 700 company representatives have attended the Singapore National Employers Federation's workshops and briefings, which equip human resource professionals to implement the after-hours work communication policy.
Establishing and communicating an after-hours work communication policy is already one of the ways for employers to fulfil the requirements under the Tripartite Standard for Work-Life Harmony. Other aspects that employers could include in their Work-Life Harmony Policy are employee support schemes, such as enhanced leave benefits and health and well-being initiatives. Employers should engage their employees to identify appropriate ways to support them in achieving work-life harmony.
MOM will continue to work closely with the Tripartite Partners to encourage the adoption of the after-hours work communication policy and other employee support measures.