Seven out of 10 employees in Hong Kong believe work-life balance is a critical factor affecting their motivation, productivity and retention of talents, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

In the opinion of Community Business - a non-profit organization that commissioned the survey - organizations intending to grow and remain competitive must care about their employees, given they are the most important assets of an organization.

The Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong, which was commissioned to conduct the poll, interviewed more than 1,000 full-time employees between August 3 and 19.

Of the respondents, 71.8 percent see work-life balance as the critical factor affecting motivation, productivity, attraction and retention of talents. Particularly, 25.8 percent say it's among the top three factors affecting their motivation and productivity; 24.1 percent say it's more important than the money factor; and 21.9 percent say it's one of the top three factors they consider when joining, staying with or leaving a company.

However, 30.7 percent point out that work-life balance is not talked about in their companies. Besides, the culture of "face time" continues to plague local companies, 21.4 percent of the employees think that most people do not leave work before their bosses/supervisors do, and 11.9 percent feel that the longer they stay in the office, the more committed they are perceived to be.

As to how mobile technology affects work-life balance, 42.7 percent consider this has a negative impact because they cannot switch off the mobile phones while sleeping or on vacation, and they are expected to respond to emails at any time of the day.

Only 15.4 percent think the use of mobile technology has a positive impact because they can work more flexibly and can leave office earlier versus without the mobile devices.

Robin Bishop, chief operating officer of Business Community, said 36 percent of the respondents prefer flexible working hours, but what most companies are concernd about is only paid and unpaid leave, while 24 percent say their companies are not offering any work-life balance initiatives at all.

There is an obvious need for companies to examine the needs of their workforce and identify what work-life initiatives will provide the best results. Flexibility in when, where and how employees work will be a solution for increasing competitiveness and ability to attract the best talents, she explained.

As to mobile technology, she thinks it is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it supports flexibility if it's used in a positive way, yet it serves to expand the time and space for work to be done, and raises expectations of availability, creating pressure on employees to be ever-present on the other.

joseph@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 10/17/2012 page1)