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URC WOMEN: OWNING THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Corporate News

URC WOMEN: OWNING THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE

In the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report in 2016, one of the prerequisites for integrating the workforce of the future is to close the gender gap. Women are facing many different barriers to development in their careers, such as unconscious bias, the absence of role models, ... However, one of the biggest challenges that women need to overcoming is lack of work-life balance. At URC Vietnam, one of the best companies to work for in Asia*, women are empowered to confidently contribute in a healthy, balanced environment, hence, constantly growing in their career alongside the development of the business.

For work to no longer ‘a burden’

For most women, twenty-four hours a day is not enough time for them to be able to take care of their family, themselves and break through at work. In fact, the trend of perfectionism among women, expressed in the way of thinking "you must do everything well", unintentionally makes everything a 'burden' for women, even if it is work or personal life.

Sharing the principles for work-life balance, Ms. Tran Thanh Thien Phuong, Digital Marketing Manager, said the key to balance is setting the boundary between work and personal life. “I draw a line between work and life. When I go to the office, I focus completely on work and try to get everything done before going home, and once I get home, all the time is spent with family, children and myself ”, Thien Phuong shared.

As for the tips to organizing her work, Thien Phuong always makes a daily to-do list. In addition to jobs that are self-resolved, most other jobs require a connection with colleagues. According to her, the main challenge is that all members must complete their work to ensure the progress of the project. "Connecting with colleagues and getting their support also reduces my own work pressure," she concluded.

Ms. Ha Thu Nhung, Group Accounting Manager, shared: “The rule of priority, and how to say “No” is one of my principles for effective working. A well-managed work plan such as classifying tasks in from simple to complex is a way to help me focus and manage my time better. Also, learn to say no when you feel like you cannot take on too many responsibilities at once. At this point, I will frankly share with my superiors to have solutions such as proposing more reasonable deadlines for each task.”

Achieving balance in both physical and mental health

The pressures at work and life are inevitable, however, it is important to relieve stress and continue to grow. Thu Nhung said that it is very important to share with her family and colleagues about her difficulties and feelings, “sometimes, just a small suggestion from family or colleagues can help me solve the problems I am having”.

Agreeing with Ms. Thu Nhung, Ms. Le Hoang Hai Yen, HR Manager, shared “My family is my support network to share my work difficulties as well as my feelings. Family is a spiritual tonic for giving me motivation to overcome the difficulties at work and achieve my goals”.

In addition to seeing family as the best support, women at URC Vietnam also consider personal development, physical well-being, and personal time as critical.

For Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Quality Control Supervisor, she always thinks that "good physical health lead to good mental health", so she always participates in sport and does exercise. For Ms. Thien Phuong, sports activities make herself more alert and active. "I also take time to travel to new lands to expand my knowledge", she shared.

With Ms. Thu Nhung, one hour of yoga every morning will help her to have a more productive day. Besides, she will recover her energy from doing the things she loves like cooking, playing with her children or relax at the spa. In addition to improving the quality of life from improving her health, Thu Nhung is also constantly learning to improve her ability to handle work and personal development. "I learn through online courses, participate in seminars, even learn from my friends to open my mind, be optimistic and overcome pressure by being more confident in my abilities".

Respect and Empower Vietnamese women

Empowering and developing the female workforce is one of our top focuses at URC Vietnam. We understand that a healthy, balanced working environment, with respect and empowerment for women, promotes equity, narrows the gender gap. Hence, we can build a sustainable workforce not only at URC Vietnam, but also contribute to gender equality and women's empowerment in Vietnam”- Mr. Laurent Levan, Chairman and CEO of URC Vietnam shared.

Sharing about the environment at URC Vietnam, Thien Phuong said “To me, URC Vietnam has no gender boundary. For instance, a half of the Management Committee are women and all of them are excellent and friendly with colleagues regardless of level”. Ms. Thien Phuong is also one of the female managers participating in the URC Excellerate Program training held in the Philippines.

As a woman working in the Engineering division, Ms. Lan Anh also feels respect and empowerment from URC Vietnam: “I always feel that I have been given opportunity, appreciated by the company and colleagues. On special holidays for women and even personal events of myself, I always receive gifts, join in cozy party, receive meaningful wishes, and especially happiness. Happiness is multiplied many times when sharing it with everyone”.

Women are thriving in the most respectful and balanced environment in URC Vietnam (From left to right: Ms Thu Nhung, Ms Lan Anh, Ms Hai Yen) 

Developing women to leadership and management positions is also one of the workforce developments goals of URC Vietnam. Ms. Hai Yen has 15 years of service at the company and received the title of Excellent Manager in 2019. Ms. Thu Nhung has also worked at URC Vietnam since the beginning and always values the instructions from superiors. "The mentoring and guidance of the superiors, the engaged workplace as well as the connection with my colleagues have helped me get where I am today".

As a business towards sustainable development, URC Vietnam always creates a friendly and balanced environment, with its own policies and programs to develop women. Developing and empowering women is one of the goals to develop a sustainable team, to improve production and to pioneer the creation of sustainable values./.

* URC Vietnam won the award "The company with the best working environment in Asia in Vietnam 2019" by HR Asia magazine.

Copyright 2020

Content & Editor by Corporate Affairs Team URC Vietnam – Email: CorpCom_urcvn@urcvn.com

For any further information or idea, please contact us:

Ms. Luong Thi Phuoc Lan, email: Luongthiphuoc.lan@urcvn.com

Ms. Bui Thuy Trang, email: Buithuy.trang@urcvn.com