Flexi-work policies

Ever since I started working for the company I’m currently with now, which is to say not that long, only three and a half years, flexible working has always been practiced as a result of stronger demand for work life balance. Depending on the prerogation of their respective managers, staffs are allowed to work flexible hours, and work from home. I myself have the privilege of my boss agreeing to me working from home one week in a month so that my son and I can be with MHH who’s doing his PhD in another location. This has helped to reduce the pain.

But earlier this month, flexi-work policies were officially launched as part of the company’s efforts to 'attract and retain talented people'. Now it’s a written policy instead of just unwritten ones! Of course, one of the principles clearly states that flexible working arrangements are not automatic entitlements, but is subjected to suitability and business requirements (for example, it’ll be less suitable for operation-intensive staffs at depots to request to work from home), but at least with this policy in place, managers will be more prone to support requests from their staffs. I was so excited when the policy was launched! I’m already seeing some of the things that I’d like to use, both in the short term and medium term. So, what are the items they have listed in the policy?

1. Annual leave. Well, pretty much standard for all companies. But the good news for me is my annual leave has been increased from 15 days a year to 20 days a year! Yeahoo!!


2. Leave bank. We can carryover our annual leave to the next year a maximum of 15 days, but if we’re still unable to finish the remaining (not likely happening to me), we can put them away in leave bank (max 30 days). Most colleagues I know use this for their hajj trips.


3. Full pay leave. Different than annual leave, this is granted on compassionate ground. For example we get 1 day for house move, 3 days for marriage (self or child), 3 days for bereavement, and etc (there’s a list).


4. Half pay leave. Applicable for two circumstances. First, maternity extension – 30 days to be taken immediately after the 60-day full pay maternity leave. Second, to care for immediate family members who are disabled, injured, or suffering from critical illness – max of 15 days per occasion, max of 2 occasions per year.


5. Unpaid leave. If you still need to take leave after you’ve exhausted your annual leave, max of 3 months per application.


6. Career breaks. Unpaid leave between to 3 months to 3 years.


7. Flexible working hours. Varied start-finish times, can be adhoc or regular.


8. Working outside office. Including from home, can be adhoc or regular.


9. Part-time working. Minimum work hours is 60% of full time (imagine going to work only 3 days a week!). Remuneration pro-rated accordingly of course.


10. Working beyond normal retirement date.
Least relevant to me. I want to quit/retire as soon as possible, not the opposite!

Interested? Let me know; I can check for vacancies. Warning though, I just shared with you one of the things I like about working for this company; there definitely are other things that I DISlike about working for this company. It’s typical I guess – pros & cons, nothing’s perfect, right?