Work-Life Harmony

It is nice to be able to leave for home while the sun is still shining brightly, as opposed to stepping out of the office after the sun has set. And it's all thanks to being on course outside the office, yet another way of taking a breather before jumping back into the fray.

Yes. I need a break, and thankfully I have this course to help create some breathing space.

I only hope that the pileup of unread emails because of this break does not make me worse off simply because I took a break. It's a sad phenomenon that undermines the meaning and intention behind "going on leave".

People need breaks to recharge. We are not machines. That is why we all need a reasonable balance of work-life harmony, which unfortunately is a concept that is at best only in its infantile stage in Singapore. Flexi-hours? Staggered hours? The principle is sound, but what of the actual implementation of such pro-work-life schemes?

Take for example the statement "You can come and leave at any time you want, as long as the work gets done. I don't see the point in staying around until 6 just because that is the official knocking off time, if there is nothing more to do for the day." Sounds nice doesn't it? But look deeper: as long as the work gets done.

Usually when bosses say that what they really mean is: "what time you start and leave work depends on the work that needs to be done" and usually the work that needs to be done requires you to work outside normal office hours. You can forget about using that statement to leave before the end of normal office hours, because you will never find yourself, ever, in a situation where the work is all done before the end of the day and therefore you can leave early (unless you have resigned or the company is going to fire you or the company is going to fold).

Let's be brutally honest. Work cannot be compromised, and because of that, the guideline on official working hours is merely the minimum number of hours one must put in just to earn that salary. And since there are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you are expected to do whatever is needed to get the work done on time. Bosses only want profit maximisation; salaries are costs.

And as executives or managers, overtime pay is not a right. It is not even the norm. So no matter how many hours you clock in a month, that's all you are going to get for that month. Sure, there's promotion and performance bonuses to reward good work, but they are discretionary and based on a fixed period of evaluation. What are you going to do if they don't promote you or give you a nice fat bonus?

And we have ourselves to blame for all this abuse. Just because we are Asian we have to work harder and longer than our Western counterparts, for less pay. And the intense rivalry between Asian nations for business, the prevalent bad work culture and practices and weak bargaining position of employees only helps us like a large stone being dropped on a drowning person.

So much for equality. Even though we are no longer colonial servants, are we really equal? It has been reported that we are valued employees because of our diligence, our capability, our integrity and our efficiency. Is this simply another way of saying we are the best value for money?

Regrettably, we had to make certain sacrifices to attain economic stability and prosperity, or face certain economic failure and doom. I agree that we had little choice back then. My question is: do we have to remain in such a state of affairs forever?

What is work-life harmony? What should it entail?

Incidentally, singles also require work-life harmony, just in case the apparent "emphasis" on such needs by families to take care of their children (or to even have children) gives an incorrect impression. Singles also have families to bond with, and also need that balance to have any chance of starting their own family (otherwise how are you going to find a mate if you don't have the time to date? The age of betrothals has long passed. And who wants to be in a relationship with someone who hardly has the time for such courtship because of work?).

DreamCatcher