Flexible work arrangements in Singapore? | What Do You Think? - video Dailymotion

AsiaOne

With Singapore's Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements set to take effect from Dec 2024, we asked Singaporeans if they found such arrangements beneficial.  Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video

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00:00I can work twice a week at home.

00:03As long as we get our stuff done, we can pretty much do what we want.

00:06We have an alternate week working arrangement,

00:09so it's in office one week, out of the office one week.

00:12I'm most flexible now, I'm retired.

00:14I do what I want, I wake up what time I want,

00:16I go home what time I want.

00:17It's fully flexi.

00:19Flexible work arrangements.

00:21The hot-button topic on everyone's lips recently.

00:24But what exactly is it?

00:26Well, there are three main types of flexible work arrangements.

00:29Flexi-time, flexi-place and flexi-load.

00:33In comparison to the year 2000,

00:35where only 3% of private sector employees were on some form of FWA,

00:40most of which was part-time work,

00:42FWA has become more prevalent in recent years,

00:45with about 7 in 10 establishments having offered at least one scheduled FWA in 2023.

00:50As the workplace continues to evolve to include considerations for employees' lives outside of work,

00:56and with the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Working Arrangement Requests

01:00set to take effect from December 1, 2024,

01:03we wanted to find out if Singaporeans felt that the benefits from FWA outweighed the negatives,

01:08and if yes, what their most desired types of FWA were.

01:13Asia One recently did a survey with 1,044 valid responses from employed responders.

01:19We found that 51% agreed that their company provided them with the flexibility and autonomy

01:24to balance their work with their individual life needs.

01:27The most common types of FWA available to respondents were

01:31flexi-time, followed by flexi-place, then flexi-load.

01:3557% of respondents agreed that the benefits from FWA outweighed the negative aspects for workers.

01:42However, those with caregiving duties were generally more likely to disagree.

01:47Among those who agreed,

01:49better work-life balance and having to travel less to and from work

01:52were the main benefits they derived from FWA.

01:55Being unable to unplug from work after office hours,

01:59lack of social interaction with colleagues,

02:01and it being cumbersome to collaborate with colleagues

02:03were the main negative aspects experienced by those that disagreed.

02:07To expand on these findings, we headed out to ask Singaporeans

02:10whether their workplace offers FWA, and whether they find it beneficial.

02:15Default to being in your office,

02:17and then of course, by exception, to have the flexibility to work from home.

02:21Flexible hours,

02:22flexible days where I can work from home and work in the office.

02:25I think it's more on the schedule.

02:28Flexible time.

02:29Flexible time.

02:30I think flexi-time.

02:31Flexi-time and flexi-location.

02:33Flexible place.

02:34Flexibility in terms of place and time.

02:38Flexi-time, work at home.

02:40Yes, they do, and basically we are able to work from home now.

02:44I think it's more work-life balance,

02:47and I'm able to have more time,

02:50because I actually cut down on the travelling time.

02:52I run my own company,

02:54and of course, I allow my employees to have some leeway to work from home,

03:00or to be able to support their family needs if necessary.

03:02Yeah, sometimes. I mean, I work freelance.

03:04So, sometimes I can work from home, and sometimes I have to work on-site.

03:08Sometimes when you work in an office, it feels a bit too rigid for me, personally.

03:13Yes, so I can work twice a week at home.

03:17So, as long as we get our stuff done, we can pretty much do what we want.

03:21Yeah, it's pretty much the same for me as well.

03:23I mean, I've been quite fortunate that since day one of my company, I've been working from home.

03:27So, I don't really have the need to go to the office if I don't want to.

03:30And this really helped tremendously as well,

03:33because I have a young kid at home, and one more on the way.

03:36I'm most flexible now. I'm retired, my friend.

03:39You know, I do what I want.

03:41I wake up what time I want.

03:42I go home what time I want.

03:44You know, it's fully flexi.

03:46Definitely, yeah. We have an alternate week working arrangement.

03:50So, it's in office one week, out of the office one week.

03:53If I have things on, like say I need to bring my dog to the vet,

03:57they're quite okay with that.

03:59It gives me more flexibility to start based on my workload.

04:02So, if I have a higher workload, I can start earlier.

04:05And I can start from home, so I don't necessarily have to travel to the office earlier to start.

04:10Yup, it's definitely beneficial.

04:11Definitely, I would advocate on that, man.

04:15It gives one more family time, which I think a lot of us are lacking.

04:21You see, work, work, work, but no time for the family. What's the point?

04:24I personally believe it is very beneficial,

04:27because you allow productivity in other shapes and forms.

04:30I guess it's on a case-to-case basis.

04:33If people are as productive in office and working from where they're working, why not?

04:37Definitely beneficial.

04:38I think everyone has their own different stages of life.

04:43I think every company should work with each of their employees differently as well.

04:47I think it depends on the industry, but definitely for me, it's beneficial.

04:52I think as a default, as I shared, to be working from the office is great,

04:56because camaraderie is built, innovation is fostered.

04:59But to allow and to trust the persons, if they have to work from home,

05:03okay, please go ahead and do so.

05:06I mean, it's culture. Part of it is culture.

05:08Part of the culture is also how willing your bosses are to listen to you and your needs.

05:13Of course, the compensation, bosses, colleagues,

05:18and definitely, I think having some flexible policy will be better for us.

05:24Obviously, I have to stay in the job because I have to pay the bills.

05:27What motivates me is because I'm looking out for the people which work for me

05:32and the well-being of their family.

05:33Definitely flexible working arrangements.

05:37I think cultures are very important.

05:38So, I mean, I'm working at a start-up.

05:40Something I look forward to is being able to have people in a similar mindset working together.

05:46I think that's very important to me.

05:48Of the people we interviewed, FlexiTime was the most desired form of FWA.

05:52Most of the people we interviewed are already experiencing some form of FWA

05:57and said that it helps them accommodate their personal life schedules in tandem with their work,

06:01as well as being able to make better use of the time

06:04that would have otherwise been spent on commuting to work.

06:07Majority of the respondents also said that FWA is beneficial to workers,

06:12although it may vary depending on their industry.

06:15So, what do you think?

Flexible work arrangements in Singapore? | What Do You Think?

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