Singapore has implemented new standards enabling employees to request four-day work weeks, more days to work from home, and staggered work timings beginning on December 1 to retain talent and adjust to evolving work trends.
On Tuesday, April 16, by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices released the guidelines, which the Singapore National Employers Federation, the National Trades Union Congress, and the Ministry of Manpower founded. By the end of the year, workers will also be able to request flexible work locations.
Yeo Wan Ling, co-chair of the Tripartite Workgroup, informed The South China Morning Post that older workers, women workers, and caregivers must have access to flexible work schedules while determining whether to stay in or return to the workforce.
The guideline requires employers to set up a formal procedure for employees to request flexible work arrangements, even if it is not legally binding.
Given the nature of the work, employers may turn down requests that drastically reduce productivity, drive up costs, or are impractical. However, rejections based on the company’s customs or management’s convictions about conventional work methods are forbidden.
Singapore’s plan aligns with those in Britain and Ireland, where companies must accommodate requests for flexible work schedules.
Although remote work increased during the pandemic, it has substantially fallen since COVID-19, primarily due to worries over underutilized office space.
