Work life balance Hong Kong hospitality

1. Slide 1 – Work Life Balance Advocates
Good evening Professor Wyn, good evening ladies and
gentlemen. My name is David, this is my wife, Dorothy and
our good friends – Riva and Vincent. Thank you for staying
here so late with us :)
We promise to be concise today. Feel free to ask a question
at any time or at the end of presentation.
Slide 2 – Topics to be presented
Tonight, we'll be presenting the positive sides of WL
balance. Definition, work env. in HK / WL balance in HK,
in hospitality sector / also we will discuss about costs of
poor WL balance and restoring WL balance and what can
be done to improve it in general – things like flexible
working hours, work at home or telecommuting and finally,
we will take a look at the future outlook on work life
balance in Hong Kong
Slide 3 – Definition of WL balance by Work Foundation
(research partner of Leicester University)
WL balance is when people have control over when, where
and how they work. It is achieved when people can have a
happy life at as well as outside of work, and it is accepted
and respected as a norm, to the mutual benefit of the
individual, business and society.
Slide 4 – Work environment in HK
HK is a very busy and vibrant city - it’s a bless - and a
curse. Bless, because there are so many opportunities, this
city never sleeps, is always hectic - like on caffeine,
compared to Europe or most of USA. And curse - because
of the same - sometimes we have to adapt to function at
different time zones (like +8 hours USA or -6 hours for
Europe) - a real headache if we have to be responsive in all
three zones and quite fortunate if we don’t have to worry
about the other time zones :).
Working overtime here is a norm, I think. EX VRT
Slide 4 – continued
Experiment - Let’s do a little experiment - I will need your
help voting.
Please raise your hand if you currently work in Hong Kong
or have worked here in the past
Please raise your hand if you ever worked OT
Please raise your hand if you work OT regularly
Slide 5 – Dilemma
If you want to be good and achieve success, you must
dedicate a lot, accept much less time for out-of-work
activities, family life, fitness, hobbies, etc. - at the risk of a
burnout at work.
Do you know what is the main hobby of Hong Kong
people? Sleeping :) True story, I heard that in my YMCA
classroom on one Saturday last year - from my Primary one
students.VERTE
Slide 5 Dilemma 2 continued
(I was doing my extra job as English teacher and they were
there, on a Saturday afternoon, learning English grammar :)
The rat race starts very early and even young kids, on top of
school & homework, they have additional classes all the
time, just to catch up with their peers and sometimes it’s on
all days of the week, including Sundays - practically zero
family time. Most likely because their parents work a lot
too and only see their kids when they are asleep..VRT
Slice 5 Dilemma 3 continued
We cannot change the working hours in the city, but we
should think how to both focus on work and have a healthy
home life - the solution might be to try and more spend
quality time with the family, talking, sharing, playing or
taking a family trip - understandably that will be difficult
when we are very tired after work - nevertheless, we should
keep trying, so we can live longer and enjoy our life while
we can.
Slide 6 – HK Businesses
According to a survey, conducted by Community Business
organization in HK, among more than 1,000 hospitality
employees last year - almost 90% hoped that their family
priorities would be addressed by their bosses. Also, more
than 80% hope for improving their working environment
and making it more family friendly.
Slide 7 – HK Businesses 2 continued
It may seem like a high cost at first, as it would require
hiring more staff, so the costs of running the business
would increase. However, this would result in more happy
and less stressed employees, who would then inflict
positive effect on the customer - so the companies would
have a competitive advantage (until others follow their
footsteps).
Slide 7 HK Businesses 3 continued
It might result with employees who are not tired, irritated,
overworked, overstressed and exhausted at the workplace.
And who have time for a family life, hobbies and other
activities. The work on the weekends and public holidays
(unavoidable for hospitality industry) should be perceived
and presented as an advantage, as the days off would be on
non peak days.
Slide 8 – WL balance outlook in HK
Almost three out of four people can afford less than two
hours of time during the day for personal activities.
More than half of working population in HK is suffering
from chronic fatigue and extreme tiredness due to poor
work-life balance.
Almost half of the employees have no time for partner or
family

2. Slide 9 – Costs of poor WL balance
Companies all over the world are driven by profit and the
need to control costs - perhaps now, more than ever.
Let us consider the cost implications of poor work life
balance.
For employees, the personal costs are obvious. VRT
Slide 9 – Costs of poor WL balance 2 continued
Committing too much work can lead to stress, physical
illness, depression and even mental illness. It can also lead
to damaged personal and family relationships. In a recent
research, as much as 62% respondents said they suffered
prolonged fatigue and extreme tiredness, nearly 50% said
they did not have time for their partner and family and 30%
said they get sick regularly due to heavy workload. VRT
Slide 9 Costs of poor WL balance 2 continued
When we consider the above - the cost to business becomes
clear. The negative effects of poor work life balance may
lead to absenteeism, poor performance, increased errors or
faults or simply a lack of motivation or engagement - all of
which ultimately impair productivity and impact financial
performance.
Slide 10 – Benefits of WL balance for companies
Enhance reputation
• Socially responsible employer: companies that treat their
employees with respect and ensure a favourable working
environment are respected by the wider community.
• Employer of choice: potential employees want to work for
companies that have attractive work-life balance policies
and are more likely to show loyalty to companies that
provide these.
Slide 10 Benefits of WL balance 2 continued
Attract and retain staff
• More and more employees – and not just the younger
generation (Gen.Y), but mature workers too, are looking for
work-life balance. Research shows that increasingly such
benefits are valued as much as, or more highly than
financial remuneration.
• Companies that offer work-life balance options are better
able to retain staff who might
otherwise consider leaving if the environment is too
stressful or inflexible.
Slide 10 – Benefits of WL balance 3 continued
• Alarmingly, 33% of employees in a 2013 survey said they
would consider leaving
their current job for better work-life balance elsewhere,
whilst over 20% in the 2007 survey said they would
consider leaving Hong Kong for the same reason.
Increase productivity
• Employees who are less overworked and stressed produce
a higher quality of work and make fewer mistakes.
Slide 10 – Benefits of WL balance 4 continued
• Employees who are encouraged to consider their personal
wellbeing take less time off due to sickness and poor health.
Raise morale
• Work arrangements that respect the individual needs of
employees and give a greater degree of control over when
and how work is done leads to raised morale and increased
loyalty.
• Work-life balance initiatives that facilitate social
interaction between employees boost morale and team
spirit.
Slide 10 – Benefits of WL balance 5 continued
Manage costs
• Flexible work arrangements (such as home working) can
reduce office overheads, save
office space and cut down on travel costs.
• A healthier, less stressed work-force means less costs
associated with health-care and
absenteeism.
• Recruitment and training costs can be reduced through
improved staff retention.
Slide 11 – Restoring WL balance
I could talk a lot about that, but I can see that we are
running low on time, so, very quickly – what are the best
ways to restore WL balance. Would it be reducing working
time? Introducing more flexible working arrangements and
leave options? Perhaps also employee and family support
should be provided by the company – it would be a
responsible behaviour, especially from bigger companies,
MNC.
Slide 11 – Restoring WL balance continued
We should also look after our well-being, we do not live
only to work, we should enjoy life as well, while we can.
Also, good health is a blessing and we should take care of it
while it lasts. We should remember to integrate with family
and friends. Community is also important.
And now, Riva will tell us more about flexible working
hours and work at home … Thank you.