Will a four-day workweek take off in Singapore?

The majority of Singapore workers would like a four-day workweek to achieve better work-life balance, according to a survey by Milieu Insight.

Already, some firms have begun the practice. These include real estate listings business PropertyGuru, smaller businesses like barbershop chain Sultans of Shave and dental practice DP Dental, which are giving their workers more rest days. 

According to the survey, some seven in 10 employees in Singapore said that they wanted to work four days in a week. 

In the UK, 70 companies are currently trialling a four-day workweek for six months, allowing their employees to work four days a week without pay cuts.  Running for six months, the pilot project is based on the 100:80:100 model, where employees retain 100% of their pay working 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to maintain 100% productivity.

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The Singapore National Employers Federation said that it will be watching the outcomes of the UK trial but will not endorse it, said SNEF executive director Sim Gim Guan, according to the Straits Times. 

“There is no one-size-fits-all type of work arrangement that can apply to all workplaces,” said Sim.