Even as Singapore workers look forward to better work-life balance under the Tripartite Guidelines On Flexible Work Arrangement Requests that take effect from Dec 1, the great return to the office seems inevitable.
Sixty-one per cent of workers aged 18 and up are now working from the office, up 7 percentage points year-on-year, according to data from Blackbox Research's platform SensingSG, which polls 1,500 Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 18 and up every three months.
In contrast, 27 per cent of respondents still enjoy hybrid work arrangements, down 7 percentage points year-on-year. Only 5 per cent now work mainly from home, down 2 percentage points year-on-year.
"We expect to see a continued gradual decline in remote and hybrid working in 2025," says Mr Glenn Wray, Blackbox Research's head of strategy.
The new guidelines stipulate that Singapore employers must "fairly consider" formal requests from their staff for flexible work arrangements (FWAs). Besides telecommuting, these may include staggered hours, flexi loads, job sharing and compressed working hours.
Bosses can reject such requests for business reasons, such as cost and feasibility.
The Ministry of Manpower's employment conditions data shows a steady decline in companies offering scheduled FWA, from a high of 90.5 per cent in June 2021, when Covid-19 raged, to 68.1 per cent in June 2023.
However, such flexible arrangements are still higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 52.7 per cent in 2019.
Judging from recent workplace movements, workers still enjoying hybrid arrangements today will find themselves trading their shorts for suits more often in 2025.
"We are definitely seeing an increasing trend in organisations looking to return to the office (RTO), or increase the number of days in the office," says Ms Kirsty Poltock, a director at recruitment firm Robert Walters Singapore.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 01, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 01, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Cooks with ADHD find ways to thrive
Some resort to drawing recipes and relying on pre-cut ingredients to cope
MAKE MERRY FROM UNDER $50
High teas are on the rise in 2024, packing in sumptuous spreads at under $100++ a person
Nigella Lawson whips up an Amsterdam Christmas in new show
There is no need to fly more than 13 hours to Amsterdam to soak in the Dutch capital's Christmas spirit.
Musician weish has an appetite for serious, absurd literature
Who: Composer, musician and writer weish, 34, knows how to work a tune with her hypnotic vocals and idiosyncratic musical language.
Reimagining the legend of the White Snake in Singapore
Singapore author Amanda Lee Koe's latest millennium-spanning fantasy Sister Snake allowed her to explore her layered feelings towards home, family and country
Time to RTO?
With more workers being asked to return to the office, views differ on whether flexible work should be considered a priority or just a perk
Amanda Lee Koe's Sister Snake proves she is Singapore's most formidable prose stylist
Kudos to Singaporean novelist Amanda Lee Koe for refusing to repeat a winning formula.
Serving sake with a side of learning
Home-grown company Makoto-Ya is offering tutored tasting sessions at its annual Sake Inn Warehouse Sale
Shahdan 'excited' to get provisional recall for AFF Cup
He has experienced the high of winning the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship in 2012, and represented Singapore in five more editions.
LIFE SKILLS FROM CHESS
S'porean player at International Open applies the game's lessons in his career
