ACCORDING to Dr William Wan of the Singapore Kindness Movement, employees who enjoy their work in an environment where they are valued and appreciated are more productive ("Happy workplace, happy workers, greater productivity"; March 16).
Surveys conducted last year by the Singapore Human Resources Institute ("S'pore workers less than happy: Survey"; Nov 13, 2014) and the Families for Life Council ("Poll respondents lament lack of family time"; Sept 3, 2014) seem to support this.
Bosses can create happier and more productive workplaces by not driving up productivity to unreasonable levels with long hours at work and the deployment of insufficient human resources.
With the retrenchment of white-collar workers becoming more common, most unhappy employees will not insist on their right to greater work-life balance.
Employers can mitigate the negative effects of workplace bullying by those in positions of authority. The ill effects of such bullying are not limited to the targeted employee, as it often results in a decline in overall staff morale and productivity.
The Government also has a crucial part to play in making our workplaces more gracious, by considering corporate tax relief and enforcement of policies to encourage more employers to make work-life balance a reality.
Currently, many companies are opposed to work-life balance initiatives, owing to concerns about the bottom line being affected, or potential abuse of the system.
Contentment at the workplace may be a reality once companies gain a better grasp of ways to narrow the gap between the expectations and reality affecting both employers and employees.
Edmund Khoo Kim Hock
Surveys conducted last year by the Singapore Human Resources Institute ("S'pore workers less than happy: Survey"; Nov 13, 2014) and the Families for Life Council ("Poll respondents lament lack of family time"; Sept 3, 2014) seem to support this.
Bosses can create happier and more productive workplaces by not driving up productivity to unreasonable levels with long hours at work and the deployment of insufficient human resources.
With the retrenchment of white-collar workers becoming more common, most unhappy employees will not insist on their right to greater work-life balance.
Employers can mitigate the negative effects of workplace bullying by those in positions of authority. The ill effects of such bullying are not limited to the targeted employee, as it often results in a decline in overall staff morale and productivity.
The Government also has a crucial part to play in making our workplaces more gracious, by considering corporate tax relief and enforcement of policies to encourage more employers to make work-life balance a reality.
Currently, many companies are opposed to work-life balance initiatives, owing to concerns about the bottom line being affected, or potential abuse of the system.
Contentment at the workplace may be a reality once companies gain a better grasp of ways to narrow the gap between the expectations and reality affecting both employers and employees.
Edmund Khoo Kim Hock
