HR Voices
How do you encourage work-life balance in your company?
Apart from time spent in the workplace, we believe it's also important to invest time and energy in other activities. It's good to spend time with family and friends, to do further study, or to do some volunteering. It's also important to get exercise and we encourage our staff to work out as often as possible during their spare time, no matter whether this is stretching, running on a treadmill, or joining one of the many popular and fun group exercise classes at our clubs. In Hong Kong, we have arranged classes during lunchtimes aimed at encouraging our corporate staff to get involved. We believe fitness is a great de-stressor and an essential part of achieving work and life goals.
Colin Heggie, president, California Fitness
Encouraging a 'work-life balance' has always been part of our corporate culture and it is an integral part of everyday life. We understand employees may have individual work preferences and we try to provide them with flexibility to manage their life and work. We host coffee tastings and socials which allow our employees to interact and discuss work in a less formal way. These events help to build a fun working environment. We encourage employees to participate in local community activities. These give meaningful experiences outside of the normal scope of work and can help to build teamwork skills.
Susan Tohyama, director, partner resources, Starbucks Coffee Asia-Pacific
