China
Family first: New pilot program for flexible employment
  ·  2025-01-06  ·   Source: No.2 January 9, 2025
LI SHIGONG

Recently, Shanghai announced a pilot program to introduce a "family-friendly position" employment model. This initiative encourages employers to designate roles with flexible working hours, adaptable work arrangements and supportive environments as family-friendly positions. The primary target audience for these roles are employees responsible for children under 12 years old.

The authorities urged efforts to promote this model in industries such as manufacturing and hospitality, as well as in emerging sectors like the digital economy, to increase the availability of family-friendly roles.

Prior to this, provinces like Fujian, Shandong and Heilongjiang had experimented with flexible work policies, mostly for women, through the concept of "mom positions." Shanghai's new initiative removes gender limitations, ensuring that fathers can also benefit from policies that help balance work and childcare responsibilities.

Su Mo (Workers' Daily): With the rise of instant communication and artificial intelligence, many jobs no longer require a traditional nine-to-five office presence. By adopting family-friendly positions, companies can save on transportation, space and operational costs while embracing a more humane work approach. Shanghai's pilot program extends these roles into emerging economic sectors, going beyond the traditional "mom positions" found in labor-intensive industries that mainly benefit less skilled workers. 

The initiative encourages exploring diverse applications of family-friendly positions across various industries. These include remote roles in research and development for technology, flexible teaching arrangements in education, freelance creative opportunities in advertising, and adaptable schedules for nursing in healthcare.

The adjustments require a cultural shift in companies from time-based to results-based management, supported by government incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies. Implementing these positions will increase employee satisfaction, foster innovation and support sustainable economic growth.

Xu Weibing (Rednet.cn): Family-friendly positions will inevitably cost employers, but how big the burdens will be remains unclear.

First, it could disrupt normal personnel deployment. Offering flexible work arrangements to employees with children under 12 affects a broad demographic, often comprising key workforce members. This could impact work discipline and time management, and may even lead to envy among employees who don't have access to these benefits, such as those caring for elderly parents, requiring more coordination and better management.

Second, it poses operational risks. A flexible schedule might lead to inconsistent production times, increasing the risk of late product deliveries and potential breach of contract.

To encourage businesses to adopt these positions, it's crucial to address these concerns and attach tangible benefits to the initiative. Offering financial support, such as easier access to loans and favorable interest rates from financial institutions, and tax incentives could motivate companies to create family-friendly positions.

Xie Feijun (Jiefang Daily): While the government encourages employers to create family-friendly positions, it should also promote "family-friendly periods" for working mothers so that they can manage childcare without leaving their jobs.

More social support and services are needed to fundamentally change the reluctance of young families to have children. There is a shortage of childcare services for children under 3, with a nationwide average kindergarten enrollment rate of this group at only about 5.5 percent. These services are scarce and expensive.

In the long run, the provision of affordable and professional childcare services would help women avoid childbirth-related career setbacks and thus truly promote a family-friendly society. BR

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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