http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/perfect-balance-myth-20130928
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has warned of the trade-offs of work-life balance ("Work-life balance? 'Know trade-offs too'"; Wednesday).
What caught my attention was his statement: "If you look at other countries - Vietnam, China, even in India, they're not talking about work-life balance; they are hungry, anxious, about to steal your lunch. So I think I'd better guard my lunch."
Work-life balance has been a struggle for me since I gave birth to a child.
When my colleagues and I lobbied for better facilities to express our breast milk at work, they were made available to us. When we asked for part-time working arrangements, we were given this as well. And when we asked if we could work from home, we got it too.
But after trying out all these options for years, quitting my job to look after my children was still the best decision I made.
Indeed, Mr Lee is right. Given the available options, employers will prefer to hire someone who is seemingly more dedicated to work than a female employee who constantly lobbies for work-life balance. So the choice is yours - guard your lunch or forgo it for the family.
There are top female executives with a robust childcare support structure at home.
But there are also those who "forgo their lunch" and dedicate themselves to being part of their children's lives.
As top United States business leader Teresa Taylor puts it, there is hardly such a thing as "balance". It is all about "life stages".
When a woman chooses to start a family, she is opting to "forgo her lunch" to establish a firm foundation for her home and children.
She enters a different life stage when her child becomes independent - and one very viable option is to re-enter the workforce. Such women form a very attractive talent pool for employers, with their good fundamental soft skills honed over at least a decade in the workforce.
I hope to see society accept the concept of a female employee's life stages and welcome her back to the workplace when the time is right.
It is a whole lot more productive than to expend resources trying to achieve the perfect "work-life" balance, which is really a myth.
Elena Chow (Ms)
No comments:
Post a Comment