SINGAPORE, April 18 — For several months last year, marketing executive Melissa Sta Maria spent three hours every weekday on commuting from her home in Yishun to her former workplace in Pasir Ris and back by public transport.
Believing that these hours spent on commuting could have been used more productively, the 26-year-old decided to raise the idea of working a few days from home to her boss at the time.
Instead of getting the time of day from her then-employer, Melissa’s request was quickly dismissed, and her ex-boss poured salt on the wound by chiding her for proposing something so “ridiculous”.
In a similar scenario this year, Tang, a 27-year-old communications professional who wanted to be known only by his surname, was accused of wanting to skive after he asked his former employer to allow him to work from home occasionally so that he could take care of a new pet that he adopted.
These acrimonious scenarios might have been avoided if the upcoming Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Requests, which compels employers to set up processes allowing their employees to formally request such arrangements, existed at the time, said both Melissa and Tang.
Having such proper channels might even have convinced them to stay with their former companies, they added.
The new guidelines, which were announced on Tuesday by the Tripartite Workgroup for FWAs, will apply on all firms from December this year, stipulating that employees can request to vary their standard work arrangements in terms of their workload, their work hours and their place of work.
After the request has been submitted, the employer is required to consider it “properly” and communicate its decision in writing to approve or reject the employee’s request within two months.
But while the move is “a step in the right direction” towards better work-life balance, seven young millennial and Gen Z workers told TODAY that they had mixed feelings about how effective these guidelines will be.
Their main reservations were that the guidelines do not have more legal teeth and do not govern whether their FWA requests are approved or rejected.
While the authorities have said firms that do not heed the guidelines could be handed a warning or be required to attend corrective workshops, the youths were unsure whether this would be enough to move the needle on the adoption of FWAs in Singapore’s workplaces.
Several of the youths who spoke to TODAY declined to use their full names as they did not want their current employers to take action against them.
Obstacles to making flexi-work work
To these younger workers, those employers who are already resistant to FWAs will easily be able to find ways to circumvent the guidelines — which state that objections to requests must be made on “reasonable business grounds”.
“Even if it’s an unreasonable reason to reject, they can twist (the words) to make it sound reasonable,” said Ong, 28, who works in the finance industry and wanted to be known by her last name only.
As the guidelines do not govern the outcome of the request, Ong added, “whether or not management decides to approve (it) can also depend on the individual worker’s reputation”.
Even with a formal process in place, young workers feel there might be social and environmental factors that play a role in whether employees feel comfortable in submitting their requests to their employers.
Lu, a 25-year-old working in the education industry, believes that workers might be hesitant for fear of how their colleagues perceive them.
“They might think it’s entitled, unfair or even lazy,” she said.
Some also said they feared that submitting these requests would impact their chances of promotion or affect their career trajectory.
However, not all who spoke to TODAY believe that employers are out to deny such requests.
Some junior employees might feel more encouraged to make such requests if they see their senior colleagues or their management doing so too, said Natalie Chia, 31, who is assistant director of research at a non-profit organisation.
“Seeing my supervisors themselves make use of flexible work, or taking childcare leave without hesitation... it gives me a lot of confidence that I can ask (for it too),” said the mother of two.
“I didn’t feel they were less responsible for the team because they took duties at home seriously.”
Ultimately, those interviewed by TODAY believe that there should be a paradigm shift away from clocking time in the office, to one where employers focus on work output and efficiency.
That requires a mindset change on the part of bosses, they said.
“No matter how many FWAs or incentives there are, these won’t fix a punitive culture where employees are made to feel like primary school kids being surveilled, rather than grown adults who are equal partners in ensuring company success,” said one interviewee who wanted to be known only as Paul, who is in his early thirties and works a client services firm.
What flexi-work arrangements do employees want?
Asked what type of FWAs they desire most, those interviewed by TODAY mostly sought the ability to work from home on certain days of the week.
Several also wanted flexibility in picking their own work hours, which was the second-most popular option among those interviewed.
Tan, 27, who works in the banking industry, said it is important for companies to recognise and grant their staff with other forms of FWAs and not just the ability to work from home.
This is especially since certain types of work, including those who hold customer-facing roles, may not be able to choose their workplace.
She recalled how a past employer had often bragged that the firm had embraced FWAs by allowing workers to work from home, but in reality, failed to consider requests on varying one’s work hours or workload.
As such, FWAs were not extended to employees like Tan, who had to interact with clients on a daily basis.
Another key concept about FWAs that needs to be discussed, but is not always addressed, is whether employees have the “right to disconnect” — which refers to the ability to disengage from work-related communications like e-mails or messages during non-work hours.
There should be “clear time boundaries” alongside these flexible work arrangements, said Melissa.
“Some bosses are going to think that when you’re at home, employees are obligated to answer calls and emails late into the night... you (still) need to protect yourself as employees.”
Human resource experts TODAY spoke to agreed that even if formal processes are put in place as stipulated by the guidelines, the existing workplace culture will still play a significant role on whether employees’ requests for FWAs will be properly entertained.
In any case, to improve their odds of securing a favourable flexi-work arrangement, it is key for employees to maintain open and constructive dialogue with their employers, said Kenji Naito, group chief executive of recruitment firm Reeracoen.
In the first place, employees should seek clarification from their employers on the actual process for handling formal requests to ensure transparency and alignment on expectations right from the outset, he said.
Naito then added that it is essential for employees to “clearly communicate the benefits of flexible arrangements both for themselves and the organisation, emphasising how such arrangements can contribute to productivity and employee well-being”.
By doing so, employers would more likely keep an open mind rather than dismiss the request outright.
Agreeing, Nilay Khandelwal, managing director of the Singapore and Indonesia branches of recruitment firm Michael Page, said it would also be helpful to provide examples of successful flexibility in similar roles or industries and to be prepared to negotiate aspects of the request.
In the event one’s FWA request is rejected, there still is value in displaying a willingness to understand the employer’s perspective and keeping the conversation going, even if it is for reasons they disagree with, said Khandelwal.
This is because discussing the reasons for rejection can provide insights into the employer’s concerns, he said.
“Employees should ask if there are alternative solutions that could meet both their needs and the employer’s expectations, and whether a trial period could be possible to demonstrate the arrangement’s viability.” — TODAY
