| | DECEMBER - 2022MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8In MyOpinionA focus on total well-beingHaving been in business for over 120 years, VF is committed to being more than just an apparel and footwear company. We aspire to cultivate a purpose-led and performance-driven culture. It's what our people expect of us, and what we expect of ourselves. It is a commitment shared by our 40,000 associates globally, including 5,000 in Asia across more than 13 brands. Every day, we are guided by our purpose to power the movements of sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and our planet. This purpose statement is aligned to my personal belief that looking into the well-being of team members, as well as their performance and career trajectories is key to enhancing our core organizational culture. My leadership team and I are excited for our people to live their most fulfilling lives, where they can achieve success in their careers and personal lives- part of what it means to be in the VF family. No associate should be put in a dilemma to choose between caring for a loved one and aspiring to be the next big leader. A purpose statement is nothing but a statement on the wall unless we put our words into actions and make it visible to our people. I also firmly believe that whilst the values purported by each family, household, nation are key contributors to a person's wellbeing and mental wellness, employers play a very vital role too.Workplace flexibility With that in mind, one of the early changes we made was to enhance workplace flexibility in consideration of the diverse nature of our workforce. To promote inclusiveness, we introduced flexible work hours, hybrid office-home work models, and provided the option for associates to set personal working hours, or to work on a compressed work week. This flexibility, introduced prior to the pandemic, meant that we were able to act with agility and with minimal disruption when the pandemic hit, and this has put us in a good stead to adjust to the `new normal' during a time when some businesses are still trying to adjust to this new digital workplace reality. Our culture survey scores informed us that our associates feel VF provides the flexibility they need to balance their personal and work lives. Throughout the pandemic, we also encourage our associates to creatively put forward solutions to get the work done despite challenging circumstances. From statutory annual leave to well-being leaveTo ensure that our people are well taken care of, we introduced additional days off in addition to paid statutory leave entitlements which our associates enjoy. Conventionally, associates' leave entitlements differ based on their job level, years of service and country they are in. However, at VF, we recognise that every associate's well-being is equally important, regardless of the nature of their jobs, expertise level, background or personal situations.With that in mind, we elevated every associate's total leave days to 25 days and they are entitled to 30 leave days when they reach the five-year mark with VF. By Agnes Tan, Vice President, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, VF CorporationA HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WELL-BEING IN THE WORKPLACEAgnes Tan
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