SINGAPORE – Flexible working arrangements have become increasingly important to employees in today’s employment landscape and post-pandemic world, and companies across the globe are exploring ways to implement such arrangements. Singapore is no exception. 

On Monday, about 100 representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore discussed at the Lifelong Learning Institute how to effectively and sustainably implement flexible work arrangements. 

While such arrangements can benefit both employers and employees, smaller companies face challenges such as having a smaller workforce and fewer resources and networks.

As for employees, having the option for flexible work arrangements has been said to improve their overall job satisfaction, ensure higher retention rates and create a more engaged workforce.

Flexi-work also allows employers to better serve the needs and expectations of staff from different demographics and backgrounds. 

The dialogue also highlighted the need for a whole-of-society effort to foster family-friendly workplace norms and the importance of strengthening support to build a Singapore made for families.

The speakers included Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, and Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Manpower and Education.

Ms Indranee discussed issues that can affect the labour force in Singapore, including an ageing population, Singapore’s low fertility rate and a tight employment market. 

She said in the post-Covid-19-pandemic world, there are elements of working life that people have grown accustomed to, stressing that different generations have different priorities and approaches when it comes to work. 

For example, baby boomers look for “loyalty and stability”, while millennials prioritise “flexibility and freedom to balance work and life more effectively”.

And to attract and retain talent across the generations, employers must understand the needs of each generation. 

She added that families are also facing more stressors, and employees have reported concerns about managing work and family commitments. These have led to the introduction of more schemes, including more leave schemes. 

But she said they could be of concern to employers, especially those who run SMEs. “Where does that leave employers, especially SMEs, who don’t quite have the same resources or networks that MNCs (have),” she said.

These issues could be circumvented with flexible work arrangements, as well as encouraging fathers to be more involved in caregiving and raising children, she said.

She stressed that while many might think of flexible work arrangements as just working from home, there are many other forms of such arrangements. They include flexible working hours and staggered hours, hybrid working arrangements or even a flexible workload based on the needs of the company and employee. 

Addressing employers, she stressed that achieving balance on the work and family fronts is critical to Singapore’s well-being.

She encouraged companies to be supportive of flexible work arrangements, adding: “If you do that, you will be able to attract (employees) for your company and at the same time build a Singapore core, which is very important to us as a nation”.

Ms Gan said Singapore’s Tripartite Guidelines for Flexible Work Arrangements will be released in 2024, and stressed that support from higher management is critical in the success of such arrangements.

Mr Ang Yuit, vice-president of the Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME), said: “As SMEs step into the post-Covid-19 world, an emphasis on human capital has become more urgent for the growth and stability of SMEs.

“Adopting FWA (flexible work arrangement) models that work for the nature of each individual SME’s business is an important component of a business’ human capital framework.

“Employers which embrace FWAs can better attract and retain talent, including tapping a larger pool of talent. Employees can enjoy better work-life harmony and mental well-being. Mutual trust and understanding are crucial so that all parties can reap the benefits of FWAs.”

He said the pandemic has shown that flexible work arrangements, which many had thought were not possible, can work.

Ms Loh Ferng-Lyng, human resource manager of Keller Foundations, said implementing flexible work arrangements has benefited her company. 

She said the company developed clear guidelines and ground rules.

She added that since implementing flexible work arrangements, her company has received much positive feedback from its employees, who say the flexibility has helped them achieve better work-life balance, make use of time usually spent commuting more effectively, as well as better productivity at work. It has also led to increased employee welfare, engagement and retention. 

The dialogue session also covered how flexible work arrangements can help attract those who have stopped working to rejoin the labour force.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling, the director of NTUC U Women and Family and U SME, said the implementation of flexible work arrangements could also help expand Singapore’s workforce by drawing women, particularly mothers and married women, back into the workforce. 

She noted that some major factors holding such women back are childcare and household responsibilities, adding that flexible work arrangements will allow these women to balance the needs of their households and caregiving with working.