Companies that change will be the ones that succeed

Companies that change will be
the ones that succeed
By Ms Cynthia Cheong
Director for Work-Life, Employer Alliance
Every winner of a Singapore Business Award will have a story of how they had to
respond rapidly to a change in circumstances in the course of managing their
business. Knowing what to do when confronted with change is at times more of an
art than a science. This ability to adapt, to react with good instincts is an important
quality that all successful business people have.
It is a talent that is even more important now as the business landscape in
Singapore is changing. And the rate of change is fast for many. Particularly in the
area of manpower, changes have been swift, and companies can tap into the
available talent pool more effectively by adopting flexible work arrangements.
For the 1,400 companies that make up Employer Alliance, change is not something
to be feared, rather it is to be embraced. Members of the Alliance - which include
diversity of companies from all industries, have all recognized that new ways must
be found to make the best use of the available talent pool.
It’s Good for Business
Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) not only benefit the employees but also the
employers. The practice of FWA is a strategic management tool which companies
can use for staff retention and talent attraction. With Singapore’s manpower
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express written permission from Employer Alliance.

crunch, the companies who offer FWAs have access to talent which otherwise may
not be available.
Benefits of incorporating flexible work practices to the company include:
Maximising Talent: companies who can retain experienced and competent
talent will have an edge and will be able to build a talent pipeline; it also
provides companies with a competitive edge in recruitment:
Increased productivity: Engaged employees will have more than an economic
contract with their employers. They will be more involved and willing to go
the extra mile and take ownership when they know that their well being
matters to their employer;
Cost savings: With higher retention, companies save time and money spent
in recruitment, and continuous training of new hires. There will also be
savings in downtime as new hires will also take time to build up their
knowledge and experience. Mobile work, in particular, may result in savings
in real estate.
Flexible Work Practices Are Now Essential
When companies do introduce new workplace practices that allow employees to
achieve better integration of their work and personal aspirations; they can attract
many more people to work for them as well as keep the employees they already
have.
When considering how to implement more flexible practices it helps to consider job
roles in three dimensions - time, location and workload.
Time
The time when work is done can vary with the intention of optimising individuals’
performances at work and in their lives. There are many ways this can be done,
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© 2013. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without
express written permission from Employer Alliance.

ut commonly companies may provide flexible hours, staggered hours,
compressed work weeks to name a few. Staggered hours, for example, can result
in extended operating hours, enabling companies to serve its regional customers
better.
Location
The second factor to consider is that of location and where work is done. Flexible
work arrangements that allow an employee to work remotely or on the road can
increase productivity as it reduces commute time and pockets of waiting time. To
ensure success, both employees, supervisors and co-workers should establish good
communication practices and performance objectives and enhance collaboration
abilities of the team.
Some industries are already reaping the benefits of home-based work or mobile
work. Today’s technology makes it possible for teams to be connected virtually,
sharing ideas and responding to clients remotely. This has the added bonus of cost
savings on office rent and other overheads.
Workload
The third area to consider is workload. Companies may design roles based on
competencies to recruit part-time or home-based employees in addition to
traditional job matching.
In Singapore, for this to evolve, part-time work needs to be given greater
recognition and afforded the same status as fulltime work. This means career
opportunities as well as training and development have to be comparable to full
time employees, though scaled according to the performance outcomes that are
required from the part-time employees.
Interim work is another concept that is increasingly common in America, Britain,
Australia and other parts of the world, but is less common in Asia. Interim
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© 2013. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without
express written permission from Employer Alliance.

employees can be very senior managers, brought in to fill a critical gap in a
company's leadership or for a fixed term to manage projects.
As they are not caught up in the day to day issues of the company, interim
managers can take a step back and focus on the critical issues that lead to a
project's success. It may be easier to find an interim employee than it is to move
an existing employee into a short-term project position. In some cases interim
employees may subsequently be offered a permanent position.
Untapped Talent Pools
By analysing work along the dimension of time, location and load, a number of
possibilities open up to introduce flexible arrangements that benefit the company.
Once these arrangements are in place, companies will find they have access to a
whole new group of potential employees. By offering flexible work arrangements
such as working from home or part-time work, the size of the talent pool a
company can access greatly increases. In today’s tight labour market, the ability to
do so is definitely a competitive strength.
According to the Labour Force Survey, it is estimated that in June 2012, around
418,000 residents aged 25 to 64 were economically inactive. Of these, four in five,
or about 336,000, were women. Many of these people left full time employment at
an age when they are highly skilled and productive.
Employers should ask themselves how they can tap into this reservoir of talent by
making working arrangements flexible enough so that a parent can contribute
economically as well as raise a family.
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© 2013. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without
express written permission from Employer Alliance.

A Win-Win for Employer and Employees
Giving employees the flexibility to look after both their work and life aspirations will
make them better and more stable contributors to a business, so both parties
benefit from the arrangement. The experience of many of the members of
Employer Alliance is that employees become more productive, more loyal and more
committed to the business when they know their family’s needs can also be taken
care of.
There are enormous possibilities available to companies that embrace flexible work
practices. Improvements in productivity and loyalty, together with a reduction in
staff turnover and unfilled positions are just some of the benefits companies will
experience. Embracing flexible work practices will strengthen a company and
enable it to respond to changes when they occur. And this will set the company on
the right path for the future both in Singapore and beyond our shores.
Success Factors for Flexible Work Adoption
1. Tone Setting by Management – A top-down acceptance and strong
encouragement of flexible work fosters a culture which reduces the
barriers to implementation.
2. Reorganisation of Work – Take a more dynamic view on how work is
organised. Use clear job descriptions and set measurable key
performance indicators other than face-time.
3. Empower and Equip Managers – Managers can enhance the company’s
drive on flexible work adoption. It’s vital to equip them with the skills
and tools which will help them to build trust and overcome face time
issues when dealing with employees.
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© 2013. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without
express written permission from Employer Alliance.

4. Ongoing Education and Communication – Communicate the business
case for flexible work adoption and the successes achieved to
encourage greater buy-in.
The Employer Alliance is a network of over 1400 member companies committed to
creating an enabling environment to enhance Work-Life Integration. The Executive
Committee of Employer Alliance is chaired by Ms Claire Chiang, SVP Banyan Tree
Holdings and members include Liak Teng Lit, Group CEO, Alexandra Health; Helen
Lim-Yang, Sr Partner, Capelle Consulting; Bert Wong, President and Sr MD Fuji
Xerox; Janet Ang, MD IBM Singapore; Stephen Tjoa, Executive Director, People,
Performance & Culture KPMG; Pollie Sim, CEO Maybank Singapore; Patrick Ang, Dy
Managing Partner Rajah & Tann; Douglas Foo, CEO Sakae Holdings and Jeanne
Cheng, MD SP Services. All are Work-Life award achievers, continuously learning to
create innovative work practices to meet the talent needs in our changing
demographic landscape.
Employer Alliance (EA) is a network of corporations committed to the creation of an enabling
work environment to enhance Work-Life Integration. Membership is free.
To join EA or find out more, please email admin@employeralliance.sg or call 6837 8631.
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© 2013. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without
express written permission from Employer Alliance.