The Power of Putting People First

Business Case

As a non-profit organisation serving the underprivileged, MENDAKI’s key challenge lies in hiring and retaining quality talent who will embrace its vision and mission, manage the unique pressures of the job and be fully engaged at work. Further, MENDAKI’s workforce is predominantly composed of working mothers (75%), and a small but growing group of mature workers. The organisation’s effective work-life strategy is also a retention strategy; enabling it to meet the unique needs of its employees as they transition through different life stages, while ensuring business continuity and high levels of service delivery.

As MENDAKI is also an advocate for healthy and strong families in the community it serves, the management recognises the need to ‘walk the talk’ and prioritises the personal lives of its people.

Featured Work-Life Programmes

To create a family-friendly workplace that empowers its people to manage the demands of work and life, MENDAKI put in place various programmes such as:

Flexible Work Arrangements

• Staggered time
• Part-time work
• Telecommuting

Leave Schemes

• Parent/eldercare leave
• Childcare leave
• Paternity leave 
• Maid-in-absence leave  
• Discretionary days off 

Implementation

In building its work-life strategy, MENDAKI stays aligned with these principles:

Simple, Yet Comprehensive and Viable

Given the common budget constraints of the non-profit sector, Management and HR devise creative work-life programmes that are either low or no cost, while meeting the varied needs of employees.

For example, its wide range of leave schemes enables employees to tailor their leave to fit their personal preferences and life stages. The management has also found that FWAs have been extremely helpful for employees who have school-going children, as well as those with elderly parents who require additional care in the mornings.

Every Leader Plays a Role

MENDAKI’s management takes the lead in creating a work-life friendly work environment. Its HR Committee, led by the CEO, evaluates current HR practices, including work-life programmes. The committee also comprises senior leadership; all Heads of Departments are included, giving them a stake in the success of the organisation’s work-life strategy. The committee meets on a monthly basis, ensuring that new policies and refinements to existing initiatives are swiftly implemented.

HR plays an advisory role to the management by studying the work-life needs of employees, recognising work-life trends, and suggesting possible policy changes to address them. In the case of FWAs, HR is responsible for conducting a pilot for each programme, and then presenting it as a case study to the HR Committee, along with a review of how other organisations have addressed similar work-life challenges.

Always Improving and Communicating

As MENDAKI’s work-life strategy is dynamic and constantly being refined to meet the needs of the workforce, it is vital that the organisation communicates new developments effectively and promptly. Thus, a clear, consistent communication and change management process was developed to ensure that employees are aware of the latest work-life programmes and how they can be utilised. An email circular is sent to all staff with every new or revised policy implemented. Employees are given the opportunity to provide feedback to their supervisors via quarterly staff dialogue sessions, bi-monthly lunch ‘pow-wow’ sessions and monthly departmental meetings. They can also share their views directly with HR and the management at the organisation’s monthly Breakfast Sessions with the CEO, as well as scheduled informal -chat sessions with HR.

Outcomes

MENDAKI’s commitment to an impactful work-life strategy has resulted in positive outcomes for the organisation. Most importantly, it has reported higher levels of staff morale and engagement levels at work. In a public service climate survey conducted in 2013, the majority of employees expressed their commitment towards organisational goals. Such dedication has helped to improve the quality of service delivery, as employees are constantly on the frontlines, interacting with constituents and beneficiaries. The organisation also received external recognition for its work-life practices and was the recipient of the Work-Life Achiever Award in 2014, as well as the Work-Life Excellence Award in 2010, 2008 and 2006. 

The results of MENDAKI’s strategy exemplify how creating a family-friendly workplace can make a direct impact on organisational goals. MENDAKI has successfully cultivated a dedicated and engaged workforce that will go the extra mile to provide quality service to the community.

This case study was first published in 2017, and has been adapted from TAFEP's Work-Life Resource Portal.