What work-life balance?

The National Family Council (NFC) reported less than stellar results in its first "report card".

As reported in the Straits Times today, "striking a balance between work and family life is ... elusive for Singaporeans". This runs contrary to the recent Robert Walters report which found that work-life balance is important to Singaporeans (I wonder who).

Reading between the lines, I gather that:

- Singaporeans are too caught up with their careers and place too much emphasis on making money. That is why NFC's chief Lim Soon Hock says there's a need to re-define 'success'.
- Employers are too caught up with making money and do not place importance in promoting work-life balance for employees.

The NFC will start a new website thinkfamily.sg to gather public feedback. Its existing family.sg portal continues to offer parenting tips and resources to the public.

In my opinion, it's an uphill task for NFC. Career comes first for most people. Income benchmarking is the order of the day.

http://www.salary.sg/2007/what-work-life-balance/

With singaporean constantly worrying abt their ability to retire and singaporean employer generally unrestrained on their profit making motive by any Govt pro-family initiative, singapore employer will push singaporean to work hard and long hours where possible and singaporean ok to it to protect his job (no choice got to work to get paid and save for retirement). So where got work life balance - please don't depend on employer to start, cos it's against his interest and naturally employee cannot do anything - just an employee right? so if Govt don't intervene or do up certain law to ensure no worker explotiation or more work life balance how is it going to happen?

Greetings.. In order to enjoy work-life balance, one must first know what LIFE is. LIFE, although generally understood as how one wants to live and spend his days, carries different meanings to different individuals.

Tiger lives his life playing golf, and he works playing golf too. So.. he doesn't have a work-life balance? At this point, I will bring up an important misconception, amongst Singaporean, in my view. Work-Life Balance is confused with Work-Family Balance. Even the new website is called thinkfamily.sg.

There are people in this world who is passionate about work. They think work is part of their life. The way life is defined in their context, they don't lose work-life balance, however, they may be losing on work-family balance.

Give it a thought.. later.