The Singapore government has increased its efforts to attain better work-life balance in recent years. In June 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the launch of a citizens' panel to gather ideas on how to improve work-life harmony.

Companies such as SAP Asia is leading the way on this front. SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software, helping companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best. But SAP is not just about empowering businesses, it is also deeply passionate about supporting their employees and their families.

Its family-centric philosophy and initiatives led to the company being recognised at Focus on the Family Singapore’s Partnership Dinner this year. SAP received the Family Champions Award (Corporate), which seeks to acknowledge individuals and organisations who have been exemplary in upholding the institution of family in our nation.

Some of the ways that SAP encourages its employees to build up happy and strong families include:

• Partnering with Focus on the Family through Lunch & Learn parenting talks to equip employees with the knowledge and skills to foster closer parent-child ties.
• Partnering with Human Dynamic, an Employee Assistance Program, to offer professional consultation support to both employee parents and their family members on personal issues.
• Organising family bonding activities such as an annual SAP Family Movie Day, which hosts about 600 employees and their families. Also, the biennial SAP Family Day, a fun-filled day out for its employees and their families at Sentosa.

Ms Rachel Barger, Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific Japan, said, “We have a really diverse staff and our employees travel a lot, so it’s all the more important to remind them to take a step back, and think about the importance of spending time with their family and children. We’ve reaped the benefits of simply having a safe space for our people to have real conversations about their families and learning from each other.

Added Ms Renata Janini Dohmen, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Asia Pacific Japan, “Family is the essential for every good that we do. As persons in a community, as persons in a business, in every facet of life. Our partnership with Focus on the Family has given our employees and their loved ones a sense of priority for our families, and that has been incredibly important for our colleagues in SAP.”

Mrs Joanna Koh-Hoe, CEO of Focus on the Family Singapore, said, “I would like to congratulate SAP Asia Pte Ltd for its achievements on the family front. It is heartening to hear what companies like SAP Asia are doing to support their employees and build a sustainable work-life culture.”