Flexible Work Arrangements in Comm Care Sector

NOTICE PAPER NO. 2761

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 7 MAY 2024

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Yip Hon Weng

MP for Yio Chu Kang SMC

Question No. 6031

To ask the Minister for Health with the recently released tripartite guidelines on flexible work arrangements, (a) how will the Ministry track the effectiveness of these guidelines, especially in the community care sector which has limited staff strength and frontline facing jobs; (b) how will the Ministry support employers to overcome manpower limitations while creating a working environment with better work-life balance; and (c) whether the Ministry will incentivise employers who come up with alternative job-sharing solutions, besides the use of grants or financial incentives.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 2800

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 7 MAY 2024

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Dr Wan Rizal

MP for Jalan Besar GRC

Question No. 6043

To ask the Minister for Health what specific measures are in place to support flexible work arrangements for healthcare workers while ensuring that patient care standards are maintained.

Answer

1 While flexible work arrangements may be more easily implemented in some working environments, certain professions, such as healthcare workers, operate on rosters to ensure continuity of service and high standards of care and safety for our patients.  As the manpower situation is tight for the healthcare sector, when a frontline staff requests for part time or fixed shift work, our clusters will consider them sympathetically and objectively based on the needs of the organization and patients. 

2 For office-based work, there is greater scope for flexi-work arrangements.  In fact, as frontline agencies in the fight against COVID-19, MOH and related agencies fully appreciate the value of contingency planning, which incorporates aspects of flexible work arrangements.