The prevalence of 'face time' in Hong Kong's work culture can be a major obstacle to success for talented women who are also primary caregivers at home, a conference heard yesterday.
The conference on Diversity and Inclusion in Asia examined issues such as why 45 per cent of the territory's workforce is female but women hold only 26 per cent of top and senior management positions.
Shalini Mahtani, chief executive of Community Business, which organised the conference, said flexible work options were almost unheard of in a city famous for its long working hours. 'What they are doing is discriminating against people with care responsibilities at home, generally women,' she said. 'After they have children, women need to work much harder than their male colleagues because the assumption is that once she has a child, she is no longer as committed to work.'
Ms Mahtani said innovative ideas in other countries included the concept of 'term-time work', where employees go to the office during school terms and work from home during school holidays.
Kath Cates, regional operating officer for UBS, said the bank believed in allowing flexible work options and granting sabbaticals to employees for various reasons, including taking care of family responsibilities.
'It is about a lot more than just policies because it is difficult to develop a culture where managers are confident enough to measure performance based on contribution and not face time,' she said.
'Research shows that productivity is actually greater among staff working part-time, plus they feel that extra responsibility and loyalty to the company.
