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Success Stories
SGH
About Singapore General Hospital
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is Singapore's largest acute tertiary hospital with 6,000 employees and a national referral centre providing multi-disciplinary medical care. SGH is also a centre of medical education and research for innovative treatments.
SGH has a one-on-one work-life strategy which emphasises flexibility. Work-life programmes are customised to meet the employees’ needs. As a result, staff grievances, absenteeism and the turnover rate have dropped, and employees gave a high satisfaction rating on an Employee Engagement Survey. The Hospital also saw a better staff retention rate and an increase in the number of ex-SGH staff seeking re-employment as well as new job applicants. The management also witnessed employees writing appreciation messages to each other, which was a positive sign of camaraderie and unity.
Singapore General Hospital was conferred the Work-Life Excellence Award 2008.
| Flexible Work Arrangements - Compressed Work Week |
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SGH sanctions various forms of flexible work arrangements which include compressed work week, part time, flexi-time and job sharing. An efficient compressed work week is created by departments designing their own work schedules that meet their department and personal needs, as well as the 24/7 operational demands of the Hospital. The staff carefully monitor their compressed work week using Key Performance Indicators, and are able to manage their responsibilities. Nurses have given feedback that they can concentrate better on ward rounds and general feedback has been that employees have more time for family, recreation and learning.
It is a challenge for a 24/7 hospital with 6,000 employees, serving 700,000 patients annually, to implement the varied forms of compressed work week schedules, and at the same time, to ensure that patient care and service standards are not compromised. SGH's success in implementing this scheme can be attributed to the Hospital's leaders’ trust in empowering employees. |
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Health and Sports. SGH has a dedicated Work-Life Unit and a Workplace Health Promotion Committee that identifies common health risks among the staff and organises relevant health and exercise programmes and activities. About 267 work-life activities are organised in a year. A survey of these activities came back with the encouraging results that each employee participated in more than five activities.
Health Screening and Talks. Monthly health talks enable staff to learn about their health risks and adopt healthier lifestyles. Employees form sports interest groups to enjoy weekly activities like dance classes and nature walks; and monthly and annual activities like mass aerobic workouts and external sporting events. As a result, staff have experienced an overall drop in BMI to healthier levels.
Gym and Dance Studio. These facilities were recently refurbished. The new gymnasium is three times the size of the old gym. It is stocked with equipment that enhance the overall exercise experience. The Dance Studio is the perfect venue for activities ranging from simple stretching to body combat.
Work-Life Pals. This is a network of over 100 volunteers from various staff categories like doctors, nurses, health professionals and administrative officers who volunteer to run work-life programmes.
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To find out more about SGH, please visit: http://www.sgh.com.sg
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