In this series, business correspondent Timothy Goh offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career. Get more tips by signing up to The Straits Times’ Headstart newsletter.
How can I raise concerns about unequal workloads without appearing unsupportive of colleagues with family commitments?
Managers may assume that employees without children can always stay late, travel at short notice or work during holidays, said Don Leow, human resource director at the National Institute of Education.
But bosses should not assume that employees without children have fewer responsibilities outside work.
Employees who are single or do not have children may also have family commitments, including caring for ageing parents, or other personal priorities such as studying or managing their health.
“Being family friendly should not mean treating one form of family responsibility as more important than another,” he said.
“Fairness does not always mean giving everyone the same thing – it means treating legitimate needs fairly, while making sure the cost is not repeatedly borne by the same people.”
Less desirable duties, such as late or weekend assignments, as well as work during peak holiday periods, should instead be shared fairly, rather than assigned to those perceived to have fewer personal commitments.
“Too often, responsibilities are redistributed informally while deadlines stay the same… if the same dependable colleagues stay late, cover urgent work, attend the after-hours event or give way on preferred leave periods, over time, resentment can build,” said Leow.
To address this, managers should plan how work will be covered before employees go on leave or reduce their hours, rather than waiting for gaps to emerge.
They could also adjust deadlines, pause less urgent work or bring in temporary resources where necessary.
Any redistribution of responsibilities should be clearly communicated and time-bound, with employees knowing what additional work they are expected to take on and for how long.
Employees who take on substantially more work should also have their contributions formally recognised in performance assessments and development opportunities, said Leow.
Those who feel they are carrying more than their fair share should raise the issue with their manager, focusing on the additional workload rather than their colleagues’ personal circumstances, he added.
Allie Teh, senior manager for sales and marketing at recruitment agency Robert Walters Singapore, said flexibility in the workplace should be reciprocal, with colleagues supporting one another when personal commitments arise.
Just as employees without major family commitments may step in to cover for working parents who need time away, working parents should also be willing to do the same when their colleagues need support.
“The expectation should not be for one group to consistently take on more, but for colleagues to support one another within reasonable limits,” she said.
Leow also noted that managers could make well-meaning assumptions about working parents, such as avoiding assigning demanding projects to new parents out of consideration, inadvertently limiting their career opportunities.
But the better approach is simply to ask each person what they need and what they can take on, and to revisit those conversations regularly, because needs change across life stages.
On work-from-home arrangements, Leow noted that the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests, which took effect in December 2024, require employers to consider requests from all employees fairly, regardless of their reasons.
Therefore, bosses should assess such requests based on business needs and whether the work can still be delivered, rather than whether an employee has children, said Leow.
“Flexibility should be open to anyone whose role can accommodate it, not rationed according to whose reasons sound most deserving,” he added.
