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A bustling metropolis, a stark contrast of skyscrapers and hawker centers. Amidst the cacophony of a thriving economy, a silent storm brews.
In a busy downtown office in Singapore, Kimberly Loon, a talented data analyst, watches as a new policy is rolled out. She wonders if this will be another initiative that looks good on paper but fails to deliver real change. Across the city, Ashfaq Abdullah, a mid-level manager, hesitates to voice his concerns about a recent team restructuring, fearing that his input might be ignored. These everyday moments underscore a critical challenge for businesses today.
Singapore, a beacon of economic prosperity, is at a crossroads as it gears towards realizing its Vision 2030. The nation has soared to unprecedented heights, and to address any undercurrent of workplace discontent that simmers beneath the surface the Government has accepted the tripartite committee’s final recommendations of legislating workplace fairness. This is a defining moment for corporates & employees alike recognizing that employees are the lifeblood of any organization. We need workplaces where everyone feels valued, respected, and motivated to contribute their best.
Workplace Fairness - A Business Imperative
Fairness is a strategic imperative and workplace fairness is not a luxury but an essential. It is the cornerstone of sustainable growth, innovation, and employee well-being. By prioritizing workplace fairness, organizations can:
Attract and retain top talent
Build a strong employer brand
Enhance employee engagement and productivity
At FayrEdge, we enable Workplace Fairness with the power of People Science and Technology. Our framework at underscores the importance of integrating fairness at every stage of the employee lifecycle:
Design: This foundational stage is where fairness is intentionally embedded into policies, processes, and culture. It’s about creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered from day one.
Deliver: This is where the rubber meets the road. How are employees experiencing fairness in their daily interactions? Are they treated with dignity, given clear expectations, and provided with equal opportunities?
Delight: The ultimate goal is for employees to feel that the organization has delivered on its promises. This is where equitable outcomes, career growth, and overall well-being come into play.
The key dimensions of Fairness needs to be embraced and integrated across the employee and candidate journey.
This leads us to the next step in our understanding of the 6 key dimensions of workplace fairness.
Unpacking the Dimensions of Fairness
With FayrEdge, workplace fairness finds expression in 6 dimensions. Each of the six dimensions plays a crucial role in shaping the employee and candidate experience across their journey.
Inclusion is about creating a sense of belonging where everyone feels valued and heard. This is particularly essential at the design stage when policies and processes are being developed accounting for ease of access & comprehension, being heard, open communication and factoring for personalization.
Dignity is about treating employees with respect and empathy, especially during challenging times. Dignity is critical when employees interact with managers and colleagues. Mechanisms to address workplace issues such as harassment and bullying must be robust, with a clear commitment to resolving grievances swiftly and effectively.
Transparency is about open communication and clear expectations. This is fundamental at all stages, but particularly important in the design stage when setting the foundation to manage expectations and during the deliver stage in communicating key business or people decisions of impact. Ensuring availability, accuracy and adequacy of required information is vital.
Consistency is ensuring that the experiences are similar through good and bad times and doesn’t change based on one’s higher position of influence with the stakeholder; one set of rules for all. Where Promises made by managers & leaders are documented & followed through by walking the talk in tone and actions.
Value as promised is ensuring that stakeholders get what was contracted when influencing their decision to commit; subsequently, there is no short-changing on the excitement created at the start and the brand delivers on its expectations.
Equitable Outcomes are when stakeholders are delighted with their decision to engage with the company and over time cultivate a sense of pride (of association). Ensuring career growth, autonomy of work, Pay Parity, wellbeing & physical & psychological safety for all.
Conclusion
In building the foundation of fairness, delivering on inclusion, dignity, transparency, consistency, equitable outcomes, and value as promised with a common understanding is key to creating fairer workplaces that realizes its potential.
As we move forward, it's crucial to remember that workplace fairness is not a destination but a journey. It demands continuous effort, unwavering commitment, and a strategic approach.
The road to workplace fairness must be paved with intention, action, and accountability. Thankfully, as CHROs and C-suite leaders, you have the resources you need to marshall to lead this transformation. Together, let's build a future where fairness is not just a concept but a tangible experience for all. Let’s not wait for Singapore's Workplace Fairness Legislation to kick in. Let's transform it’s ideals into everyday realities.
What are your thoughts on gearing towards adoption of Workplace Fairness Legislation with a common understanding of Fairness?
How is your organization measuring and elevating Fair Workplace Experiences?