CNA broke the news about Grab employees having to go back to the office 5 days a week from 2 December 2024 recently. While this may not be ideal for employees, who may prefer full remote or some work-from-home days, the news should not be unexpected.
In fact, there’s a good argument for more employees in Singapore having to return to the office. We look at some reasons why there’s a valid reason for this, with a caveat that we’re not advocating for 5 days a week in the office.
#1 We Are Not In A Pandemic
There’s one big argument that employees who reject more days in the office often use: “the pandemic showed that we can work from home and that performance did not dip”.
The problem with this is that we’re not in a pandemic anymore. So, while some employees can perform well while working from home, it’s not the same when more people are coming back to the office.
Employees who work from home are no longer engaging with colleagues or clients who are fully work-from-home, or competing other businesses that also have employees who are fully work-from-home.
It’s just the opposite now – those who work from home have to collaborate with colleagues who may be in the office. Anyone who has been part of these meetings may know that those on video calls may be less engaged when majority of the people are on-site.
Similarly, those who work from home may be competing with other businesses who have people engaging clients in the physical world.
#2 Many Other Companies Bringing Workers Back To Office
While this may not be strong enough reason on its own, the reality is that businesses have to operate in a way that is most convenient for its entire employee base, and serve their customers on an equal footing with competitors.
For example, some businesses may find it adequate to service their clients with employees who are fully remote or have certain work-from-home days. These businesses may have competitors who are able to serve clients in the physical world. If clients prefer such an arrangement, they will lose out.
On this point of other businesses bringing their employees back to office, having a physical presence also speaks to the ability for customers to engage your business – even if majority of them do not.
Read Also: 5 Factors To Consider Before Renting An Office Space In Singapore
#3 Less Administrative Effort To Keep Track Of Employees
Again, it’s easy to say that if employees are able to deliver while working from home, there’s no need to return to office. Besides the points highlighted above, there’s also an administrative onus on employers to know where their employees are.
It’s not only unprofessional if a business finds out that an employee may have based themselves in Johor, but there may also be legal requirements attached to such arrangements under Singapore Employment Act.
Even for employees, there may be questions surrounding the legality of working from the country, as well as having to potentially pay personal income tax.
Beyond legal requirements, there may be ethical implications. Using work hours to care for children or run personal errands, even if employees are done with their work, may not be the right thing to do. Businesses are always going to be judged on efficiency, and getting an employee to do more will be more beneficial for both employees and the company in the long-run.
It does not have to be a case of working more with the same pay either. Paying an employee 25% (or any other percentage) to work more can still result in a savings compared to hiring an new person.
Read Also: Can A Singapore Employee (On Work-From-Home Or Work-From-Anywhere) Move To Malaysia?
#4 Singapore Employees May Have Limited Options To Work From Home
Riding on the same point of other companies bringing their workforce back into office, employees may increasingly have limited work from home options.
With more companies bringing employees back to office more often, even if not for the full 5 days in the week, employees cannot simply quit to find another job that offers work from home.
Because Singapore employees are costly and typically function as a headquarters or regional hub, there may be a greater need to maximise employees based in the city – compared to perhaps other countries in the region.
If a role could be performed remotely, businesses would logically come to the realisation that they should save costs by hiring outside of Singapore, in a cheaper talent market.
There may also ultimately become a situation where the demand for work from home is so high, that employees are willing to take a lower pay to work from home to take a job with work-from-home flexibility. This may not be here today, but will naturally be part of market forces on supply and demand of talent.
Companies And Employees Operate In The Real World
The reality is that if businesses can save money on office space and the costs that come with it without affecting operations, they would choose it. The fact that more businesses are bringing employees back to office means there is still value in having employees working in the office.
Similarly, if a company demands their workers come back to the office while many other companies do not, they will naturally become uncompetitive. Fewer employers may be willing to join their company. The reality is that more businesses are bringing their employees back, which means employees may not have a big say in this.
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