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Success Stories
WDA
About Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA)
The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) enhances the competitiveness of our workforce by encouraging workers to learn for life and advance with skills. In today's economy, most jobs require not just knowledge, but also skills. WDA collaborates with employers, industry associations, the Union and training organisations, to develop and strengthen the Continuing Education and Training system that is skills-based, open and accessible, as a mainstream pathway for all workers - young and older, from rank and file to professionals and executives - to upgrade and advance in their careers and lives.
As the lead agency for workforce development, WDA places great emphasis on and engages in work-life initiatives through conducting regular staff profiling exercises and gathering of feedback among its 400 employees. Benefits are then packaged to cater to the unique needs of its staff profile. Healthy lifestyle initiatives such as sports day, regular runs and health-screening sessions have also resulted in reduction of medical leave taken from 4 percent in 2005 to 2.8 percent in 2006, and the agency was given the Singapore Health Award in 2006. WDA has been commended on its sustained programmes to heighten work-life balance and its established committee for staff welfare. It was presented with the Work-Life Achiever Award 2008.
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Flexi Hours and Telecommuting
WDA offers staggered working hours to its employees. This means that employees are given the option to commence work at half-hourly intervals from 7.30am to 9.30am. An officer who enters office at 7.30am can thus leave as early as 5pm on a typical working day. Divisional directors are empowered to approve their staff’s preferred working hours, which makes subscription to staggered working hours more flexible and easy.
Majority of its employees are also provided with laptops with remote access to facilitate telecommuting. A small percentage of those without laptops with remote access are also able to request for it on an ad hoc basis.
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Eldercare Leave. Other than childcare, compassionate and marriage leave, WDA introduced the eldercare leave where employees are allowed to take leave to look after their parents or parents-in-law when they fall sick or to accompany them for medical appointments. WDA is one of the earlier statutory boards to introduce this scheme.
Birthday Leave. Employees are also granted 1 day of birthday leave. The birthday leave is to be taken on their birthday or within 1 week before or after their birthday. The birthday leave has been well-received and highly utilised by its employees. |
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To find out more about WDA, please visit: http://www.wda.gov.sg
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