Best Companies To Work For In Singapore For Women – Business Edition

Women in Singapore and anywhere else face the challenge of choosing between contributing to family income and raising kids. Research shows that most women in Singapore quite their careers in the thirties to start families. However, others decide to work from home so that they juggle between being productive and being a mother.

Paradox of working women

Interestingly, women in Singapore face the common paradox of a working woman. In particular, the society expects a woman to work diligently while being a traditional woman at home. Since such expectations are next to impossible, women have to choose either to work or raise families.

However, the high standards of living in the city-state demand that at least one finds a source of income. Therefore, women have to find work either way.

Fortunately, there are companies that are going out of their way to make it possible for women to work. In particular, the companies provide an environment for them to be productive while still being effective mothers.

Interestingly, there are various awards that encourage companies to provide flexible work arrangements (FWA) for women. In particular, the awards recognize the organisations’ effort to help working mothers achieve work-life harmony. Most of the best companies to work for are recipients of such awards, some of which feature below.

Identifying the best companies for women to work for

Recognising an organisation that supports women does not have definite criteria. However, any company that allows a woman to compress their work week is a good place. Further, some companies allow women to work from home while others have lactation rooms. These are efforts that point towards making women comfortable in their careers.

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH)

KKH makes the top of our list. The organisation has an elaborate work-life harmony strategy that facilitates women careers. Being a women’s hospital, the organisation understands exactly what it means for work-life harmony for a working woman. It is without surprise that the organisation has programs in place to female employees ease the burden of family commitments.

Firstly, KKH has a flexible work arrangement where it has a 5-day compressed work week. This incorporates the flexi-time program or the part-time program. An employee is free to choose a program that best works for them. Also, one can choose to work as per a shift rotation that takes 12 hours each.

Secondly, the organisation has a dependent care which takes care of infants and young children of employees. With the program, working women do not have to spend most of their post-pregnancy time at home. Interestingly, the dependent care facility is akin to a children nursing program.

In particular, the dependent care incorporates an on-site childcare centre which supports children from 2 months old to six years. Interestingly, the centre has employee friendly rates that do not eat into their income.

In addition, the organisation maintains a safe working environment. It is important to note that women are at a higher risk of injury from occupational hazards. However, KKH maintains an Environmental, Health and Safety system to keep high safety standards.

Further, the organisation consists a facility management and safety committee that comprises senior and middle management employees. In essence, the committee oversees, monitors and reviews issues related to safety at work.

DBS Bank

The organisation is one of the most frequent recipients of “Best Company for Mums” award. Awarded by Singapore National Trades Union Congress and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices the prize recognises efforts to facilitate women work-life balance.

In particular, 58% of the bank’s employees were women as at 2013. Further, one-third of the women are in leadership positions within the organisation. Interestingly, as at 2013, 6 of the bank’s 19 most senior leaders were women.

The significance of this is that having more women in leadership positions facilitates better work-life harmony strategies. This is because women leaders understand better the hassles of a working woman. Unsurprisingly, DBS Bank continues to score high in terms of providing best working conditions for women.

Similar to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, DBS Bank maintains a flexible work arrangement. Here, workers have a range of options to choose from in terms of the work shift that best suits them.

Other initiatives that DBS Bank applies to improve work-life harmony include allowing staff to leave work early. Normal work hours end at 6.30 pm. However, DBS allows workers to leave at 5 pm on Fridays after which lights go off automatically.

Hitachi Asia

Human Resources Online ranks Hitachi Asia very high in terms enabling work-life balance for women. In particular, the company has elaborate strategies to facilitate high productivity in women.

In particular, the company has a basic approach to work-life balance which includes prevention of long work hours. Further, the company has in place leave systems that allow employees time to rejuvenate.

During the FY2015, the company began an initiative dubbed 20-20 Project. At the core of the initiative is the desire to display abilities of each employee. In particular, the project came up with well-modulated working styles that suited each employee.

Specifically, the goal was to limit average monthly overtime to no more than 20 hours per month. Further, the project would increase annual leave taken in a year to 20 days.

Further, the company has in place various initiatives that spread awareness about work-life balance. With such initiatives in place, the organisation makes a great place for women to work in.

Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC)

This is another institution that ranks high in terms of work-life balance according to Human Resources Online. In particular, the organisation introduced a work-life programme back in 2004 focusing on four major themes. These included family, work, wellness and community.

Specifically, the work-life balance initiative that the organisation supports includes the PSLE Leave Scheme. Basically, this supports women who have a child sitting for the examination in that particular year. This way, the scheme allows time for the parent and the child for moral support.

Similar to KKH and DBS Bank, OCBC has an in-house childcare centre to support women nursing younglings.

(By Neha Gupta)

Related Articles
- Are women as prepared as men for retirement?
- The most powerful women in the world
- “TPP is a boost for women” – a bold claim from a senior US official