Data, Research and Framework for Workplace Policies on After-hours Work Communications

20 Dr Charlene Chen asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) what data does the Ministry collect on after-hours work expectations and digital connectivity among employees; (b) what assessment has been made of the adoption and effectiveness of workplace policies governing after-hours communication; and (c) whether the Ministry will study the relationship between workplace hyper-connectivity, family life and fertility intentions.

21 Dr Hamid Razak asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has reviewed the implementation of the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-Being at Workplaces in relation to after-hours work communications; and (b) if so, what findings have emerged regarding its impact on workplace practices.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Manpower (Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong) (for the Acting Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to address the Parliamentary Questions filed by Dr Charlene Chen and Dr Hamid Razak together.

Mr Speaker: Go ahead.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) monitors the adoption of workplace practices related to after-hours work communication. Based on MOM's data, in 2025, 55% of full-time resident employees reported that their employers had policies governing after-hours communication. This is up from 48% in 2022. These policies include practices such as not expecting responses to non-urgent messages until the next working day or providing time-off-in-lieu for after-hours work. We have not conducted a separate assessment of the effectiveness of each of these individual policies.

Mental health and well-being, family aspirations and fertility intentions are influenced by a wide range of personal, societal and economic factors. Supporting work-life harmony plays an important role of creating an environment that is conducive to these aspects of Singaporeans' lives. We will continue to work with our tripartite partners to encourage workplace practices that support work-life harmony, including through the Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony and Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-being at Workplaces.

A Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup has also been set up to develop a whole-of-society approach to better support Singaporeans in their marriage and parenthood journeys.

Mr Speaker: Dr Chen.

Dr Charlene Chen (Tampines): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask if the Ministry has assessed whether after-hours work-related digital connectivity is becoming a significant workplace well-being issue in Singapore? If so, what other policy levers can the Ministry explore to help employees disconnect from work outside working hours where appropriate and whether the Ministry has studied what has been done elsewhere in other countries?

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: Speaker, I thank the Member Dr Charlene Chen for her questions.

We need to understand that technology has brought many benefits, including greater flexibility for employers and employees to communicate and work. But at the same time, we also recognise the concerns of this digital connectivity that may blur the boundaries of interaction between work and personal life.

Our approach is not to focus on the connectivity per se but on the broader impact on employee well-being and workplace practices. Through engagements with employers, the unions and employees, we highly encourage the employers to be mindful of the workload management, the work expectations and also how communication is done outside of working hours.

One thing to highlight is the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-Being at Workplaces emphasises the importance of addressing work stressors – workload itself and organisational practices – that may affect the overall well-being of employees. In addition, there are tools, which I have mentioned earlier today, such as the iWorkHealth, which helps employers identify the workplace stressors and psychosocial risks that employees may be subject to. It is important for these organisations to implement very targeted interventions and build solutions together with the unions or their employees to build a better workplace ecosystem.

On the question on whether MOM has studied overseas on the right to disconnect and some of the approaches, I would like to say that we are monitoring the situation and developments in other jurisdictions including those who have implemented some forms of code of practice. But we need to understand that different countries have different approaches and it depends on their labour market structures, how their unions are organised, how their industrial relations are created and what are some of the workplace norms and culture.

In Singapore, Singapore has a very unique tripartite model which places very strong emphasis on employers, unions and the Government working closely together to develop most importantly practical solutions that can be adapted to different circumstances, to different workplaces.

Our current focus is to really talk about encouraging responsible workplace practices, address the workplace stressors and support employee well-being. And at the same time, promote more constructive employer and employee discussions and relationships and how they can bring more value together.

We will continue to study these overseas developments and if there are of these practices that may be useful, we will most certainly study them and adapt them for Singapore's context.

12.01 pm

Mr Speaker: Dr Hamid Razak, sorry, we have run out of time. Order. End of Question Time. The Clerk will proceed to read the Notice of Motion.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]