The National Tripartite Committee On Workplace Health Points The Way Forward

New recommendations focus on enhancing the workplace health ecosystem and changing employer and employee mindsets on health programmes in the workplace

When the first National Tripartite Committee on Workplace Health was first set up in 1999 to improve workers health in Singapore, only one third of Singapore s companies had a workplace health promotion (WHP) programme. Today, three in five companies have embarked on WHP programmes to help their employees attain and maintain good health.

2 With three out of five adult Singapore residents in the workforce, the workplace plays an integral role in motivating and empowering individuals to adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Organisations that recognise the importance of employees health, and have a conducive environment and a comprehensive WHP programme to address employees health needs, will benefit from lower medical leave and medical cost.

10th Anniversary of the Singapore HEALTH Award

3 Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Health Promotion Board s (HPB) Singapore HEALTH1 Award (SHA) recognises organisations and individuals who have gone the extra mile in promoting workplace health. The number of award recipients has tripled from 132 in 1999, when it was first launched, to 389 this year. In particular, participation from smaller companies, with fewer than 200 employees, has also seen an encouraging 10-fold increase over the years, from 17 companies in 1999 to 177 this year.

4 Not only has SHA seen more active participation from employers and employees, many companies are also offering more comprehensive and sustainable WHP programmes. About 40% of the recipients (154 companies) this year are Gold and Platinum Award winners. This includes 59 companies which have received the Award in its inaugural year. (Please see Annexe A for more information on SHA 2010.)

New Recommendations from the National Tripartite Committee on Workplace Health

5 To ensure that WHP programmes remain relevant and effective, the second National Tripartite Committee on Workplace Health (TriCom), which comprises leaders from government agencies, unions, employers and private enterprises, was convened by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan in 2009 to review WHP efforts in Singapore, and to propose new strategies in response to changing dynamics within the corporate landscape. (Please refer to Annexe B for membership of the committee.)

6 The TriCom has since concluded its review and released its recommendations to strengthen the quality and uptake of WHP programmes. Focused along three distinct themes, the 12 recommendations underscore the joint responsibility between the government, employers and employees in making WHP programmes an effective and sustainable platform to improve the health of Singapore s workforce.

7 The three key thrusts are to enhance the national ecosystem for workplace health; engender a mindset shift among employers; and engage employees in health management. (Please refer to Annexe C for the full list of recommendations.)

8 At a national level, this includes integrating and aligning WHP with various relevant national initiatives and frameworks, and adopting a more holistic approach to create a conducive and supportive health culture in workplaces. Recognising that employers engagement is critical, the new recommendations also highlight the importance of overcoming industry-specific operational barriers in employers uptake of WHP programmes and providing innovative solutions. In addition, the recommendations stress the importance of engaging employees to take ownership of their health by adopting healthy lifestyle habits and managing existing risks and chronic conditions.

Integration of Workplace Health Promotion with Workplace Safety and Health

9 One of the TriCom s key recommendations is for HPB and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to integrate the workplace health promotion with the workplace safety and health framework. Efforts in planning and executing both disciplines should be synergised and streamlined across the agencies towards common goals of improving employees overall health and employability. It is also recommended that the two organisations jointly sponsor a Code of Practice on WHP to provide practical guidance on the implementation of health screening and health programmes in the workplace, which will help to standardise WHP programme quality and processes.

Integrated Solution for Workplace Health Management

10 More workplaces have embarked on WHP programme over the years. The proportion of companies (with more than 50 employees) with a programme has increased from 33% in 1998 to 59% in 2006. However, to ensure that these WHP investments are channelled efficiently towards better health outcomes, the workplace health ecosystem needs to adopt a structured and integrated approach that focuses on effective monitoring and systematic follow-up care for employees to sustain healthy behaviours.

11 In such an integrated solution model, the level of follow-up care and health management should be calibrated according to the individual employees needs. The model should provide for comprehensive health risk assessment and effective monitoring to help all employees track and maintain their health outcomes, coupled with tailored interventions and close follow-up care for at-risk employees. Employers may also consider introducing incentives to reward participation in health programmes, and improvement in employees health.

12 HPB will be embarking on a pilot study to evaluate the process flow and health outcomes experienced with the implementation of an integrated solution model before it is adopted on a larger scale.

Enhance WHP Outreach to SMEs and Targeted Industries

13 One of the key recommendations is the need to better design and provide innovative solutions that overcome operational barriers faced by employers from different industry sectors in starting and sustaining workplace health promotion programmes.

14 For industry sectors with a low prevalence of WHP programmes, namely Hospitality; Wholesale and Retail; Transport and Logistics; IT and Communications; and Finance sectors, industry workgroups comprising representatives from trade associations, unions and private companies have been set up to provide feedback on the needs and challenges of respective industries. In addition, customised outreach activities and capacity building sessions have also been recently introduced to reach out to employers and their workers in these industries.

15 As more than 60% of Singapore s workforce are employed by SMEs, the TriCom has reiterated the importance of reaching out to this significant proportion of the working population and encouraging the uptake of WHP programmes.

16 To date, several programmes reaching out to the SMEs such as the WHP Grant for SMEs, SME package and WHP@SMEs Doorsteps programme have been rolled out. To further the reach and engagement with SMEs, HPB will be collaborating with business and trade associations to engage their SME members. For example, participating companies from the Singapore Manufacturers Federation will take part in a pledging ceremony in January 2011 to signal their commitment to having WHP programmes for their employees. (Please refer to Annexe D for the SMEs outreach initiatives.)

Moving Foward

17 Collectively, these strategies aim to achieve better health for Singapore s workforce and the implementation of these recommendations will require careful considerations and co-ordination among various agencies and partners. An implementation steering committee, co-chaired by the Ministry of Health and MOM will be established to provide guidance in the implementation of the TriCom recommendations. HPB and MOH will also continue to work closely with other government agencies, employers and employees to achieve better health for the working population.

Media Release

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