MANAGERS SIM SURVEY WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Singapore - This downturn is an opportunity for organisations to re-evaluate and invest in initiatives on how to come back even stronger with a competitive edge, says Ronald Tan, executive director of Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).
In a recent survey conducted by SIM where 750 respondents from all levels of management were polled, 66% of managers perceived their organisations to be both sound and respectable in business ethics. However, only 53% felt their organisations have good employee benefits, while half viewed their organisations to be well positioned for the future.
Tan feels organisations can improve their employee benefits through work-life balance initiatives, which give employees greater flexibility in how they work and offer organisations a competitive business edge in attracting, training and retaining employees. By taking a leadership position in offering employees structured work-life balance initiatives, Tan says"organisations have the opportunity to set the ground rules as well as to position their company as an innovator in this area".
The survey also found that Singapore managers tend to be more pessimistic about the global economy than of the Singapore economy. Tan attributes this to the high levels of confidence in the Singapore government , industry and company initiatives that have been announced, explaining that "it is definitely not as bleak as it appears in other developed nations where higher unemployment figures and economic contraction appear symptomatic of a much more long term affair".
Tan believes organisations should make use of this time to adapt and change, ideally "prepare for the jobs of the future instead of waiting for the jobs of the past". In addition, there are going to be ample opportunities for industrious managers to help shape the business and employment landscape.
"If managers position themselves to be the agent in the change process, whether by training in new technology or by starting new enterprises to take advantage of the change, the chances of future success is substantially improved," concludes Tan.
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