Employers in Singapore must consider flexi-work arrangements

However, employers can still review whether such arrangements are viable based on their business needs when assessing whether or not to grant approval.

Between now and 2024, the government will encourage the adoption of a voluntary tripartite standard on flexible work arrangements by employers, aiming to cover 40% of all employees from the current 27% by the end of this year.

“Flexible work arrangements or FWAs will remain a key feature of our workplaces well after the pandemic is over. This is a win-win situation for employers and employees,” said Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang.

The public service will take the lead in implementing such arrangements, and the government will continue to sustain ground-up efforts that support work-life harmony and encourage a greater utilisation of parental leave, she said.

Nine out of 10 employees aged 25 to 64 who required FWAs last year had access to the FWA that they needed in 2020, up from six in 10 in 2014, the recent White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development revealed.

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On the employers’ front, 73% of companies that offered FWAs said that they were likely to continue doing so after the pandemic, with 63% saying they were willing to allow employees who can work from home to retain the practice at least half the time, according to The Straits Times.