- Employees in Singapore can officially request flexible working arrangements from December 1.
- This guideline is part of a global trend toward workforce flexibility.
- Although not legally binding, workers can seek help from unions if their demands are not met.
Employees in Singapore will be able to formally request arrangements such as working from home, shorter working weeks and flexible hours.
The new guideline, which comes into effect on December 1, ensures that bosses formally consider requests for flexible accommodations that help workers manage their personal and professional lives, according to a government statement released Tuesday.
The announcement highlights a global effort by governments to give employees more flexibility and relax office policies. The United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia have similar arrangements in place.
In Singapore, 73% of young employees said they prefer remote jobs, according to a 2023 survey by research firm Universum.
Although these guidelines are not legally binding, employees can seek assistance from the national union or their individual union if they feel their request has not been properly addressed. Employers can reject the request if they believe it affects the company’s productivity and ability to respond to a customer’s request.
Women and older workers are more likely to request flexible working arrangements, the government noted. Women are more likely than men to work from home: 41% of women, compared to 28% of men, worked remotely in the United States, according to the 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.
“Flexible working arrangements can benefit both employees and employers,” said Gan Siow Huang, Singapore’s Minister of State for Manpower, in the press release. “They enable employees to achieve greater work-life harmony and give employers a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent.“
The Singapore version of the directive applies to all businesses, regardless of their size. This includes all workers once they have completed the probationary period, the trial period at the start of employment during which the employer can assess whether someone is a good candidate.
Establishing a formal process for workers to make requests can improve employees’ mental health and work-life balance, Theodoric Chew, CEO of the workplace mental health platform, told Business Insider Intellect.
If early adopters, like government agencies, show that flexible working helps employees without sacrificing productivity, businesses will follow, Chew said.
Several U.S. leaders, including Bernie Sanders, Steve Cohen, CEO of Point72, and Barry Diller, chairman of IAC and Expedia, have called for or predicted a four-day work week.
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