Work life Balance achievable to just a myth?
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Hi,
Like many I am ecstatic over PM Lee's announcement of a 5-day work week a concrete endorsement to work life balance.
But I can't help but feel sceptical about the success of pushing for work life balance when the actual implementation is solely reliant on the people in positions of authority in different organisations -- namely our bosses. There are just too many unenlightened bosses out there who believe that productivity and/or customer service will be adversely affected if workers are to work only for 5 days a week.
What about work load? The past 2 years have been lean and tough years for Singapore economically. As a result, it has been largely an employers' market. Head counts in companies have been cut resulting in 1 person shouldering the workload originally meant for two or more persons and yet drawing just 0.75 person's pay. Staff have been openly threantened with the sack if one dared to complain or not cooperate. Intimidation to the tune of "you can get off the train if you don't wish to ride along" have been just veiled attampts of even more blantant threats. The the economic recovery is yet to be filtered to all levels of the society and unfortunately employers are still king -- the need to motivate, keep staff happy so that they will remain with the company or the mantra of "when the staff is happy the customers will be happy" have become forsaken management fad... like EQ. Bosses couldn't care less as long as there is a long queue of applicants vying for your position.
My guess is many will feel compelled by societal pressure of some sort to pay lip-service to implementing "Work Life Balance" in their companies/organisations. But in realty they neither believed in it nor is interested to take real concrete actions to materialise this to the benefit of their staff, to their mental and physical health, to their families which should ultimately translate into benefits to the company in terms of great staff loyalty, less absentism, greater effort on the part of staff to do their best for the good of the company, etc... After all if you are not happy or not performing, there are still many eyeing for your job!
The amount of workload and most importantly how staff oriented is the management is an important variable in the whole equation of making work life balance possible. Sadly, this variable is key but too subjected to the discretion of humans.
Perhaps, we should make it possible and legal to publicly name and shame bosses who are obstacles to making work life balance possible for staff just like criminals are. For aren't they, bad and slave-driver type of bosses no different from criminals. Overworked staff inevitably carry unfinished work home affecting time for families to bond and that can be one of the many causes of the increasing numbers of marriages breaking down and children neglected or abused and/or becoming delinquents. Many who have had it bad in the office by day couldn't help but bring back the bad vibes home causing misery to all at home -- spouses and children to drift apart emotionally. And of course not to forget many who fell ill succumbing to pressure and the barrage of insults or humiliation one has to face at work and from bosses. So, aren't these kind of bosses doing harm to the society the same way criminals are.
Please let me know what you think.
Just some of my thoughts. -
The work will always be there & basically your boss doesn't care how it's done but it must be done becasue like it or not everybody has deadlines to meet.
If you choose so called "QOL" and only want to work 5 day week means during weekday you work longer hours for your free weekends or weekends you work from home.
in the end it's the same thing. -
If works are properly planned in doable discrete work processes, your boss will not need so many workers in the first place.
For example, by using such planned work processes, I have cut down head counts with works remaining efficient.
Apart from efficiency and productivity approach, I agree with your observation about employer's attitude to workers in Singapore. Government seldom takes this into consideration in all its policies and regulations so far.
At the end, only civil servants benefit from all the announced policies but seldom the private sector. -
Hi Robertteh,
Thanks for your post. I do concede that there are tasks where it is possible to implement your solution yielding good results.
But for my organisation and I believe I am not alone in my thoughts here, before the resignations and cutting down of staff, amount of work was still bearable but after the resignations and when these are not replaced, existing staff have to take on the work left behind by those who left. So, now work is really overwhelming. I guess what I am trying to say is that in the first place before the resignations and the cut in staff there was already no fat to trim.
So here we are scrapping the bare bones.
Bosses/managers do not seem to realise or care that their management style has repercussions far and wide. Pressure from work and having to face constant barrage of insults and riddicule the effect of which might not only be limited to affecting the staff at the receiving end in the office. It is inevitable that these have carryon effects beyond the office.
Its sad that they either don't know or don't care. And often SOME (not all)bosses in their fervent attempt to show to their bosses that they can cut cost and thus artificially putting forth a picture that all is well in their self-preservation efforts ... the staff below end up suffering. Such bosses really should be sacked themselves... for the abuse of their authority and for their inability to find more creative solutions to steer the organisation through these tough times except to opt for the cheap and easy solution to trimming staff and overloading existing ones. -
When GCT took over the PM's seat, he envisioned a SWISS Standard of Living to be achieved within two decades; which unfortunately, time did not permit him to achieve his vision as he held the chair only for 14 years.
The SWISS Standard of Living was only smoke, as during the last 14 years the Swiss Cost of Living fell onto us, while the Swiss Standard of Living remain an illusion that was artfully manipulated by the Government and its propaganda machine - much like the hype that imbued only those present at the National Day parade and inside the National Stadium.
So now we have LHL taking over the chair, and he is now pushing his vision of a Balanced Work Life.
Having secured the Top Job without any competition, and paid a Million Dollar salary for work that is LARGELY done by a TEAM of Ministers in the Prime Minister's Office, and with an army of Civil Servants in support of everyone in the Prime Minister's Office, it will be remarkable that he did not come up with this concept of a Balanced Working Life.
Can Singaporeans have a Balanced Work Life based on the vision of LHL, when the meagre wages paid is barely enough to cover the mortgage of an HDB home, Children's Education, Insurances for Retirement and Medical Treatment and Hospitalization, vacation, and the Four Wheeler ?
Will the meagre wages be sufficient to pay for the high cost dictated by HDB for the HDB Flats that are shrinking in floor area as the prices rises ?
Will the meagre wages be sufficient to pay for the ever increasing cost of Education, with the impending e-Education Technology to be introduced ?
Will the meagre wages be sufficient to pay for the ever increasing costs of Medical Care and Treatment ?
Will there be anything left between a Four Wheeler and a decent Vacation ?
It is easy to obtain a Balance Work Life, when almost every path has been prepared by others, that even paved the road to success in Gold, simply due to the Family name being LEE and associated directly with LKY. -
Wat do u suggest tat need to be done ? The only thing the gov can do now is improve on the public sector so tat it will inevitably pressurises the private sector to follow suit. Surely we can't set laws telling them wat to do... In this global age, if they don't like it here, they r very free to move out to other places.
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Hi,
Not expecting government to legislate anything to "punish" bad bosses... afterall what is "bad" is in itself subjective. What I said about publicly naming and shaming bad bosses is just my wishful thinking. I guess as long as the job market remains depressed, bad bosses will continue to abuse their power and employees will continue to have to suffer in silence.
Perhaps when the job markets are better and people's job mobility returns bosses will not be so high-handed when dealing with staff.
Actually the government might not be able to effectively ensure work life balance in public sector too. Many bosses in public sector just play lip-service to initiatives like work life balance because the big big boss (PM) said so but in essence did little to really make it work. The priority is just to be seen as doing what is asked and in producing the numbers to proof that they are not only doing what is asked but surpassing what they are expected to do -- WITs, Staff Suggestion Schemes, ISOs, People's Developer -- all became merely a number game.
I know of a stat board whose section director disallows staff from taking leave on a Friday if staff is off on that Saturday.
To improve the work life balance in public sector, I believe first of all we should renew leadership in these organisations, making it mandatory for bosses to retire at 55 and be deployed to other functions if they so choose to stay in the same organisation. These bosses in their late 50s or early 60s have already forgotten what it was like to have a young family to nurture or the need to socialise for those who are singles. -
Boss: WHIP IT UP!!! DAMMIT WORK!!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work! -
Total working hours never change, hence its also the same after all
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So long as u can [1] leave behind EVERYTHING in the office when u step out of it at the of the day, and [2]re-enter the office wifout the bitterness of the quarrel u had wif ur GF/wife the previous nite.. THAT's Work Life Balance achieved.
Dats wat every company n govt wants.. but in my point of view NONE of them even care abt point [2] .... and even if they do, they can't do anything abt it.. So conclusion is, DON'T ever dream of Work Life Balance, coz there is NO such thing.. -
That is very kinky in a way.wouldn't mind if the boss looked like Aishwarya Rai and I was the one being whipped.Originally posted by men_@_arms:Boss: WHIP IT UP!!! DAMMIT WORK!!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work!
Employee: Please! PLEASE i am HUNGRY
SFX: CRACK!!!! *Boss whips employee*
Employee: AIEEEEEEE! Ok ok I will WORK!
Boss: FASTER!!! HARDER!!
Employee: Can i have some shoes?
SFX: CRACK!!!
EmployeeL AIEEEEEEE! ok ok I will work!
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What if your boss is Milk Ichigo
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To: Mulan,
Your comments are quite valid and substantiated by may own actual work experiences.
Everything that are spelt out in the labor laws are too general. Labour laws are enacted to achieve government social and political agendas and aims. These agenda and aims once written into the laws are hardly changed to meet ground level conditions.
Various employers are able to short-change employees because there are too many loopholes they could exploit.
For example, it is very easy for an employer to sack or get rid of workers by contractually terminating their employments as provided for under the contract. The government will not do anything to help a distressed worker whose employment is terminated by way of this contractual clause or by notice as is normally called.
Employer who want to short-change workers can withold their bonus or 13th month supplement without accountability as of now. Employees who are discriminated will have to sue the employer to get justice as ministry of manpower will say that this is the entitlement or right of employer under present legislation.
Lastly when employees are given extra workloads due to cut-back of staff, the remaining employees have to bear all the blunt. This aspect of poor labor practices are not handled at all by the MOM at this moment. That is why employees tend to be victimized at this moment and I agree with you on this point. -
so forumites here work as sex workers ?
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Sigh... why all so scare of boss? I contradict my boss all the time. Many times, I just do what I think is right and ignore boss. The only thing he can do is sack me. But he will not since I probably contribute a lot more than what they pay me.
Even if he does, I not scare. The last boss who piss me off got sack by me. just before I am suppose to get $300 increment. I no car, no flat. So, not scare of anyone. So, that is how I get my quality life. I get to travel n times a year, diving, trekking, go beach resort etc etc. Car and Flat are just liability which would make a otherwise brave man a mouse. -
No matter wat laws u set, if the boss has the intention to shortchange the workers, they will do it. Setting up specific laws for specific situations aren't going to help.