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Success Stories
Morning Star
About Morning Star Community Services
Morning Star Community Services offers family life education, student care services, counselling, community outreach, learning support services, school-based social work and social work services for inmates and their families. 26 employees and 50 volunteers staff 6 offices around Singapore, including 2 prisons. The nature of work in the social services can be emotionally taxing, for example counselling dysfunctional families, group work with inmates and managing children, and staff are more susceptible to burn-out. Work-life balance is critical for the organisation’s success and smooth operation.
Morning Star Community Services was awarded the Work-Life Achiever Award 2008.
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Staff are encouraged to participate in Morning Star’s programmes developed for the community, such as Couple Power, Work Love Harmony, Common Sense Parenting, Understanding Teen Sexuality and parent-child camps at a subsidised rate. This encourages family bonding and facilitates a more effective family life. The management also walks the talk by taking part in community events with their families.
Staff with primary school children enjoy a 50 percent subsidy if they place their children in the organisation’s Student Care Services. Teenage children can also use the centre’s facilities free of charge. Staff who are facing challenges may take advantage of the in-house professional counselling services.
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In addition to annual leave, Morning Star grants 3 days leave for bereavement, marriage and paternity leave. Staff with elderly parents or have children less than 12 years old can claim 5 days of dependant care leave. The organisation’s long service award also contains the unique benefit of 5 extra days of leave so staff can take a retreat and recreate themselves. |
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| Flexible Work Arrangements – Telecommuting |
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Senior programme staff who have demonstrated their reliability and initiative are given the option to telecommute and work flexi hours as long as they meet the required number of counselling and training sessions and programmes developed. Office staff are given the benefit of flexi start and end times as long as they synchronise with colleagues to ensure that the office is manned during operational hours.
Morning Star supplies lunch at the centres so that only half an hour is allocated for lunch and staff can leave work half an hour earlier. When Morning Star’s staff strength increased, the Saturday shift work schedule was reviewed and a once a month Saturday shift was implemented.
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Employee Example
Mrs Juliana Choo was a full-time Social Worker with fixed office hours until the birth of her fifth child in 2000. She found it difficult to cope with work and family commitments. Morning Star worked out a flexi-time and flexi-place arrangement for her. With more time for her family, Juliana was able to be more effective in counselling and family life training. She went on to develop new programmes such as Work-Life Harmony, couple workshops and parenting workshops. After 2 years, Juliana was able to resume full-time work as a Principal Social Worker while still on a flexi-time and flexi-place arrangement. This scheme has enabled the organisation to retain an experienced and professional senior staff.
To find out more about Morning Star, please visit: http://www.morningstar.org.sg
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