Flexible Work Arrangements for Frontline Workers and Employer Support for Better Work-life Harmony
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang's inquiry on providing flexible work arrangements (FWAs) for frontline workers and supporting work-life harmony when such arrangements are not readily available. Minister for Manpower Mrs Josephine Teo explained that employers can offer flexi-time through staggered shifts or flexi-load via shift sharing, which many companies in these sectors already provide. She noted that the Ministry of Manpower and tripartite partners are creating sector-specific resources and support groups following recommendations from the Citizens' Panel on Work-Life Harmony. To further support workers, she urged employers to optimize work processes, enhance staff welfare, and respect rest hours while being mindful of excessive workloads. Finally, the Minister highlighted that achieving work-life harmony also depends on employees taking personal responsibility for defining and pursuing their individual goals.
Transcript
12 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how can employers provide flexible work arrangements for frontline workers such as nurses, cleaners and security officers; and (b) when flexible work arrangements are not readily available for these frontline workers, how can employers support better work-life harmony for this group of workers.
Mrs Josephine Teo: The majority of companies in sectors employing nurses, cleaners and security officers are able to offer some form of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) to their employees. In 2018, between seven to nine in 10 companies in these sectors offered formal FWAs1.2
Although frontline workers often have to be physically present in their workplaces, employers can still offer FWAs by way of staggering the start and end times of their shifts (i.e. flexi-time), or enabling shifts to be shared by multiple workers (i.e. flexi-load).
To help more frontline workers benefit from FWAs, MOM and tripartite partners are developing sector-specific resources and employer support groups to help employers overcome challenges in offering FWAs unique to some sectors. These are in line with recommendations recently made by the Citizens' Panel (CP) on Work-Life Harmony, which comprises diverse participants including business owners and employees.
As emphasised by the CP, both employers and employees have a part to play in achieving better work-life harmony. Employers and senior management need to better understand challenges faced by frontline employees, optimise work processes and enhance staff welfare. Employers should also be mindful about giving workers excessive workloads, and respect their workers' rest hours and off days. Employees, on the other hand, have to take personal responsibility in defining what they want out of their work and personal life. This will help guide them in achieving their individual work-life harmony goals.