PUBLISHED ONJuly 10, 2024 9:39 AMByKhoo Yi-HangPublic service officers will be receiving more support from the government in order to improve their well-being, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing said in a speech at the Public Service Week Opening on Wednesday (July 10) at ITE College Central.
Addressing public servants, Chan said that "to continue to do well for Singapore and Singaporeans, we must stay ahead of the changes in our environment and continue to innovate to stay ahead".
And this means that "we need to doing so even more often and with greater speed going forward".
However, Chan added that such an "environment of constant change" could be "unsettling and even exhausting" for public service officers.
"We cannot pour from an empty cup," he said. "We must know how to care for ourselves so that we can walk a longer journey and take on more adventures.
"We must also take good care of our officers, as they dedicate themselves to taking good care of Singapore and Singaporeans."
To that end, the government has rolled out the Well-being@Gov programme earlier this year, which includes self-care resources, coaching sessions, counselling and more, Chan explained.
And in order to aid officers in their own management of their well-being and growth, the government will also be introducing FlexiGrow from October.
Officers in civil service eligible for FlexiGrow will receive an annual benefit of $500 for them to spend on health, growth and well-being, Chan said.
In addition, public officers will also receive more medical and dental benefits from Jan 1, 2025 where medical subsidies at private clinics will go up from $20 to up to $50 per visit, while dental subsidies will increase from $120 to up to $250 per year.
Chan also announced that the public service will be "taking the lead" to extend the retirement and re-employment ages to 64 and 69 respectively from July 1, 2025, a year ahead of the national schedule.
"We recognise that with higher life expectancy, many of our older officers may want to stay active, including being meaningfully engaged at work for longer," Chan said.
"We will support all officers who still wish to contribute and continue shaping the future of our country, regardless of age."
He further urged public officers to "continually reinvent and reinvest" their skills to stay relevant in an ever-changing world and be ready to harness the potential of new technology.
"Seize new opportunities to not just do things better, but more importantly to also do better things and achieve breakthroughs," he added.
According to Chan, there are existing opportunities for public service officers to develop their skills through short-term attachments, gigs, job rotations and stints in the private sector.
The take up for these opportunities have increased five times over the past two years, Chan said, adding that the Public Service for Good movement has allowed officers to "grow skills while doing good".
The Public Service Week Opening also saw the presentation of 100 Public Sector Transformation awards to agencies and officers who were exemplary in service delivery, innovation and developing themselves and their teams.
At the event, Chan thanked public officers for their efforts, stressing the significance of responsive and responsible governing.
Addressing the winners, Chan said: "You embody the spirit of innovation, growth and care that we are hoping to build as the culture and lived experience of all public officers.
"If we have these values and ethos deep within our public service DNA, I am confident that we can inspire the next generation of public officers to come forth and join us in this uniquely meaningful career to make a difference for tomorrow."
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khooyihang@asiaone.com
