Tracey Yeo speaks to a legal practitioner who not only supports but actively promotes family life amongst her staff members
Ellen
Lee is a dedicated family life ambassador — not just in her role as a family
law practitioner, but in her role as an employer.
This active family advocate’s legal firm, Ellen Lee & Co, was amongst
137 individuals and organisations appointed as Family Life Ambassadors (FLAs) by
Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Minister of Community Development and Sports, at the launch
of the FLA Programme on 12 October 2000.
The FLA programme is an initiative targeted at both employers and employees
and aims to impart family life skills, especially to working adults who have to
cope with busy working schedules.
FLAs agree to encourage family friendly work practices in the workplace to
help staff to balance work and family responsibilities. They provide at least 12
hours of family life education for their staff yearly and give the Ministry of
Community Development and Sports annual updates of their progress in activities,
such as encouraging the discussion of family life in the workplace, organising
‘family day’ outings for staff and sponsoring attendance in family life
programmes.
To fulfill her role as an FLA, Ellen actively encourages and sponsors her
staff’s participation in the family life education conferences and seminars
organised by the Ministry of Community Development and Sports. She regularly
disseminates family life education materials to her staff to promote greater
awareness of family life.
Ellen’s law firm is open five days a week, to ensure that its members have adequate leisure time with their families, and employees are not encouraged to work overly long hours. ‘I would rather have fresh, relaxed staff, ready for the challenges of the next day, than exhausted staff who drag themselves to the office grudgingly,’ declares Ellen.
‘We try our best to be a family, working for the common good of
everybody,’ says Ellen of her five-member firm. ‘When someone is away,
others will co-operate to help to perform his tasks; we promote a culture of
tolerance and do not have rigid work scopes.’
Ellen’s staff members also get together during office luncheons, celebrate
staff birthdays and even invite alumni of the firm to join them at gatherings.
‘Some of my staff are also trying to arrange social gatherings for a single
colleague, to introduce a potential marriage partner discreetly to her,’ she
said with a smile.
Added Ellen, ‘We are also flexible about leave for staff who require time
to deal with urgent family situations such as child care arrangements and are
closed throughout the Christmas and New Year season, so that staff can schedule
vacations during their children’s school vacation, without any work
anxieties.’
The increased awareness of how important family life is has improved client
service in Ellen’s family law practice. ‘My staff are more sensitive to
clients’ needs and difficulties and the importance of providing
the “soft touch” and have become more willing to lend a listening ear and
offer a friendly word to troubled clients. We try to be a firm with a heart.’
In conclusion, Ellen advises, ‘An employee will be happy when his family’s welfare has been taken care of and he can have peace of mind at work. A happy employee is a productive employee who can, ultimately, contribute more to the workplace.’
Tracey Yeo
Director, Media & Publications
The Law Society of Singapore