Plans Beyond Encouraging Employers to Retain and Promote Flexible Work Arrangements as Permanent Feature of Workplace

17 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Manpower with regard to the easing of safe management measures (SMMs) and workers returning to their workplace, whether there are plans by the Ministry to go beyond encouraging employers to retain and promote flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting and staggered work hours, as a permanent feature of the workplace.

The Minister of State for Manpower (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, even as we continue to ease safe management measures (SMMs) at the workplace, flexible work arrangements (FWAs) remain relevant to businesses. Many employers see the value of retaining FWAs as it not only strengthens business resilience but also improves talent retention and recruitment. A recent study by the Institute of Policy Studies on workplace arrangements also found that around eight in 10 respondents who telecommuted most or all of the time felt that they were productive in doing so. The Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) own surveys show that the majority of employers are keen to continue FWAs even after the pandemic ends, given the benefits FWAs bring to both employers as well as employees.

The tripartite partners agree that employers should sustain FWAs as a permanent feature of the workplace. A tripartite statement was released in April to encourage employers to continue doing so. In the last two years, employers implemented FWAs, especially telecommuting, as an urgent measure for public health resilience, even when they were unsure that this was good for productivity. For the provision of FWAs to be a sustainable and effective permanent measure, employers will need sufficient time and support to find the right calibration that works best for their employees while meeting business needs. After all, workplace settings and business needs differ across industries and jobs, and we also know that different employees have different needs for FWAs.

Over the next few years, the tripartite partners will do more to strengthen training to equip companies with the know-how to implement FWAs in a win-win and sustainable manner, such as in the areas of HR and job redesign. We will also partner our Work-Life Ambassadors on the ground to support the implementation of FWAs.

As laid out in the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development, we will also bring more companies on board the voluntary Tripartite Standard on FWAs. This means having a clear policy on how to request FWAs and managing employees' expectations on its responsible use, timely communication of outcomes of FWA requests as well as fair and objective evaluation of employees' FWA requests. The Public Service has taken the lead to adopt the Tripartite Standard on FWAs.

These efforts will put companies in good stead to comply with the upcoming Tripartite Guidelines that will be introduced by 2024, which will make it a requirement for employers to fairly and properly consider FWA requests. Together, these efforts will establish the norm that it is acceptable to request for FWAs while maintaining employers' prerogative to assess and decide on FWA requests, based on their business and operational needs.