Singapore leads work flexibility agenda in APAC

Although organisations in Asia Pacific (APAC) have ramped up their adoption of hybrid working arrangements, they still differ in how far they are willing to embrace hybrid work, with firms in Singapore leading the pack, according to a survey by the Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL).

Employers in Singapore are most open to giving their employees complete flexibility to work anywhere, at any time (31%), and are least likely to expect employees to be fully onsite (1%). In contrast, more than 20% of leaders in the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia expect employees to be working in the office all the time.

Elisa Mallis, Managing Director and Vice President of APAC, CCL, said, “Across Asia Pacific we’re seeing an extremely mixed picture when it comes to the impact of the hybrid work environment on productivity, engagement, and well-being. There is no going back and there is no one size fits all.”

“What is clear is that the success of hybrid depends on people and culture, rather than technology; on building and in some cases rebuilding cohesive relationships within and across teams.”

READ: Labour union calls for stronger support for Singapore’s gig workers

Overall, hybrid work models have risen in the region, increasing from 41% pre-pandemic to 80% post-pandemic, showed the survey, which received responses from  2,200 leaders across 13 countries in APAC.