Towards a more enlightened work culture

THE majority of Singaporeans want a slower pace of life - and are willing to trade off economic growth and development for it, a poll of 4,000 citizens in January found.新蒲崗迷你倉 The finding - a blunt message to the political leaders and policymakers - is in itself a telling socio-economic indicator and measure of how far the country has come. In most instances, it is only when a people have had their most basic needs met that they then aspire to higher-level wants such as work-life balance and self-actualisation.Anyhow, the Singaporeans who plump for an easier life would have been heartened by news last week that Germany's labour ministry has - in the interests of establishing work-life balance and protecting employees' mental health - banned its own managers from making staff work after office hours. Apparently taking the cue from German corporations like Volkswagen, BMW and Deutsche Telekom, the ministry said employees cannot be faulted for refusing to take a phone call or answer an email after hours. Be that as it may in the bastion of European industrial prowess, the work-life situation elsewhere on the continent is rather less cushy.Take this remarkable statistic from Italy that says as much about its economic health as its culinary culture: at 1pm on any given day, three- quarters of Italians are likely to be sitting down to lunch with family in their own homes. Some may hail this as great for building family bonds but an inordinately low level of emplomini storagement is what has enabled many working-age Italians to regularly eat at home.And even in the erstwhile more dynamic part of Europe, like Scandinavia, it doesn't look like the pace of life is going to get slower or easier. Faced with rising debt as a result of an ongoing recession and an entrenched generous welfare system, Finland wants now to "put to work all those people who are able to do so", said its prime minister as the Finnish government seeks to raise the country's retirement age to boost public finances. Denmark, also in the grip of a growing budget deficit, needs as well to contain its welfare spending - and get people to work longer hours. Employed Danes work less, on average, than their OECD peers; but, tellingly, out-of-work Danes earn even more than those in low-skilled jobs. Little wonder, perhaps, that the Scandinavian nations, and Denmark in particular, have fallen off the top rungs of the competitiveness rankings.The Singapore economy may be in a more fortunate position but its fiscal health cannot be taken for granted. Individual Singaporeans who have paid their dues may opt out of the rat race but, clearly, the economy will suffer if most people want to ease off. But perhaps there need not be a stark trade-off: an enlightened work culture is possible in which people work more flexibly, work smarter, enjoy greater work-life balance and perhaps are more productive as well. Employers should be encouraged to find ways to make this happen.self storage