Project 1900, a 21st century idea

HONG KONG: The ‘duvet day’, a leave programme that allows employees to take a day off spontaneously without forcing them to pretend they are sick, Project 1900, which encourages workers to leave office by 7 pm, and TelePresence, a system that enables employees to meet clients and hold meetings without leaving home - these are a few of the novel HR practices showcased in Work-Life Balance in Hong Kong: Case Studies 2007, a publication from Community Business, is a Hong Kong-based non-profit organisation.

Says Community Business CEO Shalini Mahtani: “These case studies showcase some of Hong Kong’s most innovative programmes and will inspire companies to think of new ways to improve the culture of work-life balance in their organisations.”

The work-life balance programmes revolve around five categories: reducing working time; flexible working arrangements; leave options; employee and family support; and well-being, health and community. These are ultimately aimed at improving productivity at the workplace. Here are some of the best practices that promote work-balance balance, and contribute to an energised workforce:

Standard Chartered Bank introduced an initiative in Hong Kong called Project 1900 to encourage both office and bank workers to leave the work premises by  1900 hours (or 7 pm). It was specifically designed to address a problem peculiar to Hong Kong: the perception that the longer you stay at work, the harder you’re perceived to be working.

Some employees consider it ‘loss of face’ to leave the office before their boss in the evenings. Says Standard Chartered Head of Consumer Banking, Hong Kong, Benjaming Hung: “Staff morale and positive attitude can only be achieved when our colleagues have better control of their working hours and lifestyles. Project 1900 has now transformed itself from a project into a way of life.”

Cisco has introduced communication technology that helps reduce the need for air travel and enables employees to meet clients and hold meetings - without having to step out of their home offices! Cisco’s TelePresence application - an IP-based communications system - allows people to hold real-time conferences across continents. The idea has even been extended to “virtual dinners” after the conference! Says Cisco GM, Hong Kong and Macau, Charleston Sin: “Using advanced communication technologies, staff can strike a more harmonious balance of work and personal lives, with minimised physical travel and more flexible working hours.”

Likewise, BP has in place a flexible work arrangement for its 120 employees in Hong Kong: they can work from home, or fit in with flexi-time schedules to allow for family commitments or other pursuits. The system is based on trust between the employee and his or her line manager, Goldman Sachs provides four months’ maternity leave (including a provision to use the fourth month in one-week increments throughout the baby’s first year), and two weeks’ paternity leave. Says Kay McArdle, Global leadership and Diversity in Asia (ex-Japan): “We’ve created a working environment where it’s OK to take time out when you need to attend to children, elder care and other family priorities. This is not just about being reasonable or about accommodating legal requirements:`most of our policies go significantly beyond these standards.

Not only is it the right thing to do, it also makes commercial sense. Our family-friendly leave policies enable us to attract and retain people … than would otherwise be possible and enable us to ensure that we remain a leading employer of choice in Hong Kong, across Asia and globally.”