Modern women want it all – career, family, a life. While they continue to be a force to be reckoned with – in numbers and seniority – in the working world, it’s not all roses for them as they strive to juggle the three things that matter to them.
Fortunately, the challenges of having a career and raising a family have not caused women to abandon the workforce in droves. Though more of them are at work now than before, the percentage of those in management positions is still significantly lower than that of their male counterparts.
In 2008, the female workforce in the country aged 25-34 years stood at 62.5%, an increase of 58% compared to 2001, a mere seven years ago, a report by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM or Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia) and Unicef (The United Nations Children's Fund) states.
Also, according to the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), women in management positions in the public sector registered a rise from 18.8% in 2004 to 30.5% in 2010. In the private sector, the percentage doubled from 13.5% to 26.2% in the same period.
Despite these encouraging figures, the fact remains that balancing a job and family, especially in this modern age, can exhaust a woman’s time, energy, patience and sanity. The situation with working mothers would no doubt improve further with better or adequate support at the workplace.
Childcare has to be one of the primary concerns of a working mother. For those without the help of parents, in-laws or relatives, finding a reliable caregiver can be a nightmare that may eventually force the woman, highly skilled or qualified she may be, to quit her job altogether. That consequently translates to loss of talent and incurs extra costs to employers who will need to recruit and train new staff.
To retain female talent, a company would do well to implement flexible working hours and have family-friendly facilities, such as nursing rooms and childcare centres, at the workplace.
According to the 2011 Best Business Practice Circular For Working Mothers – jointly issued by SSM and Unicef – which focuses on “establishing a conducive working environment for women,” a nursing mothers programme will make a mother’s return from maternity leave less stressful.
Such a programme, which underscores the benefits of breastfeeding, requires employers to provide a nursing room, have in place procedures on mothers’ ability and flexibility to express milk and promote breastfeeding education activities among other workplace support.
Besides the inevitable goodwill generated, the employers also stand to gain much, in the form of a reduction in employees’ healthcare costs and absenteeism, heightened productivity, better loyalty and staff morale, and, of course, enhanced corporate standing.
Cigna Corporation, a US-based health insurance provider, for one, has found it financially sound to implement such a programme, as cited by the SSM-Unicef circular. In a two-year study on 343 employees who participated in its lactation support programme, Cigna reported annual savings of US$240,000 (RM790,000) in 2010 in healthcare expenses for breastfeeding mothers and their children.
Other positive results included a 77% reduction in lost work time due to infant illness, with annual savings of US$60,000 (RM200,000); and lower pharmacy costs due to 62% fewer prescriptions needed for sick babies.
In Malaysia, there are companies that have started in earnest to make the environment more conducive for their female workforce. We speak to the employees of two such establishments in the Klang Valley.
Flexi-plan works
Intel Electronics (M) Sdn Bhd public relations manager and mother-of-six Zalinda Zainon says the best part about working at the company, to which she has been attached for a year, are the flexible hours and the ability to work from home.
“I come in early at 7.30am and can leave at 4.30pm. If my child is sick, I can work from home while taking care of her,” says Zalinda, 46, a former broadcast journalist whose children, three boys and three girls, are aged between seven and 26 years.
When she first joined the company, she was surprised that employees could turn down tasks or projects given to them.
“In my previous companies, I basically had to do everything that landed on my plate. Here, we always have the flexibility to discuss with our bosses whether we can take on certain projects or tasks at a particular stage or point in time,” says Zalinda.
“The company’s policies really allow for a better work-life balance. We also have very understanding bosses.”
Such flexibility, she adds, creates a win-win situation for all. “When we enjoy flexible hours and schedules, we tend to be more efficient, productive and creative because we are free from worry or stress.”
Karen Chow, Intel Electronics market development manager and mother-of-two, in the company’s ‘nursing room.’
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