Younger employees in Singapore call for more flexible work arrangements

More Singaporeans are showing a strong preference towards flexible work arrangements, with nearly one in two employees sharing that they would leave employers that request them to work in the office more often.

This was one of the results from Randstad’s Singapore 2024 Workmonitor survey, which saw respondents from Singapore’s workforce voice opinions about the current working habits and trends within the country.

Of the employees in Singapore willing to leave jobs that would require them to work in the office, Gen Z employees ranked highest to agree with the sentiment, accounting for 69% of the respondents within the demographic. Gen Z employees were also more likely to refuse jobs in work environments deemed too inflexible at 42% and would not work for any organisation that did not provide enough flexibility around their working hours (68%) and location (61%).

This could be attributed to most respondents having committed to significant life choices such as moving houses or getting pets while still expecting to work in a hybrid or flexible work arrangement.

This however is discordant with employers, as 67% of respondents report that they are seeing more mandates about working onsite, with younger generations such as Gen Z (74%) and millennials (72%) feeling it more acutely than other generations.

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Randstad recommended that employers develop a holistic understanding of their workforce’s unique priorities to offer the flexibility and diversity they need, as it can help organisations meet their diversity and inclusion goals and hire from a larger, varied pool of talent. “Rather than mandating a physical presence at work, employers can empower their workforce to be more productive and engaged by fostering an equitable environment and merit-based value system,” the report espoused.