A Family Friendly Workplace and Efficiency Management

1
A Family Friendly WorkplaceandEfficiency
Management

• Seminar on Promoting a Family Friendly
  Workplace
• Speaker Mr. Lai Kam-tong
• Vice President, Hong Kong
  Institute of Human Resource Management
• Date May 13, 2004

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Agenda

• What is work life balance?
• Survey data on the trends
• Negative outcomes and costs
• What are work life balance policies
• Work arrangements
• Benefits
• How to manage family-friendliness policies

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What is work life balance

• It is not about working less
• It is about putting in place working arrangements
  and policies which assist workers in combining
  employment with other responsibilities and
  choices.
• They also benefits employers by helping them to
  develop a more productive and committed workforce
• And the results is more flexibility for the
  employee and the business

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What is Work Life Balance
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HKIHRM SurveyStress at Workplace 2002

• No. of respondents 161 members
• Over 90 of employees surveyed complained about
  stress at workplace
• Top three most commonly cited source of stress at
  workplace
• Heavy Workload
• Organizational Climate and Culture
• Job Security
• However, over 60 of surveyed companies did not
  offer any kind of assistance to help staff cope
  with stress

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Family-friendliness benefits are cutting back due
to gloomy economic climate

• According to an US survey --
• Job sharing dropping from 37 in 2002 to 30 in
  2003
• Telecommuting fell from 47 in 2002 to 45 in
  2003
• Those offered compressed workweeks (generally let
  workers put in their hours over 4 days rather
  than 5), slipped from 49 in 2002 to 40 in 2003

Source CCH Inc. Research
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Negative outcomesThe cost of Absenteeism

• According to an annual US survey on absenteeism
• Costs US employers an average of US645 (about
  HK5,000) per employee per year
• (Source CCH Inc. research)
• According an UK industrial survey on absenteeism
• Estimated costs UK employers 11bn annually - of
  which 4bn is stress-related
• (Source Confederation of British Industry (CBI))

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Negative outcomes Other costs

• To hire temporary cover
• Increased staff turnover
• Early medical retirements
• Higher insurance premiums
• Litigation is also a huge risk

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What are work life balance policies?

• Work life balance policies are those which help
  workers in combining employment with their family
  life, caring responsibilities and personal and
  social life outside the workplace.
• This definition includes statutory entitlements
  such as maternity, flexible job arrangements,
  parental leave and other non-statutory measures
  such as childcare and employee assistance schemes.

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Work arrangements

• Flexible work options
• Job sharing
• Flexitime
• Telework / e-Working / work-at-home
• Part-time work
• Paid and unpaid leave
• Employee assistance program
• And more

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Benefits a win-win situation

• For employees by allowing flexibility in the
  workplace which allows them to effectively
  combine work and family responsibilities as well
  as their personal life
• For employers the policies allow for better
  retainment and recruitment of valuable employees
  which can save employers form costs associated
  with recruitment and training of new staff

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How to manage family-friendliness policies?

• There is no fixed formula / policy that may be
  right for all companies
• Factors that may lead to success
• Clear objectives and targets
• Effective communication
• Change of corporate culture
• Equal opportunities
• Fair and open performance management system

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