In 2020, 1 in 6 Singaporeans are above the age of 65, and in 10 years\u2019 time this ratio will raise to 1 in 4. Like most developed economies, Singapore is a greying population, and its eldercare needs will increase in coming years, meaning that its workforce of the future will need more flexible work arrangements in order to provide adequate care to the senior population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, more and more individuals want the option of Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs), whether for childcare or eldercare, or just to achieve work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 16 April 2024, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) launched new guidelines to support FWAs. These guidelines will come into effect on 1 December 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 1 December 2024, employers are expected to implement a process (template<\/a>) to manage formally submitted FWA requests<\/a>. This does not mean that employers must accede to FWA requests; the request should be fairly evaluated and either granted or rejected based on business grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The guidelines stipulate that a written response for acceptance, or rejection (with reasons) should be provided within two months. In the case of rejection, the employer is encouraged to continue engaging the employee in discussions about alternative work arrangements that could potentially meet the employee\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In implementing FWAs, employers are encouraged to select suitable FWAs<\/a> that the company can accommodate, and communicate that these FWAs are available. Employers may also communicate the availability of FWAs to job applicants. Nevertheless, employers are not obliged to offer FWAs for jobseekers or staff under probation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read Also: Should Companies Start Introducing Work From Home HR Policies?<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step to implementing FWAs is for the company to understand which types of FWAs are suitable for the company\u2019s working circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FWAs are grouped broadly into three categories. Flexi-Place, Flexi-Time and Flexi-Load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexi-Place<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexi-place arrangements may include work-from-home or work-near-home (in a decentralised office) arrangements, which reduce or eliminate an employee\u2019s travel time. Since employees are situated closer to home, this gives them some flexibility to fetch their children from school or respond quickly to caregiving needs from elderly dependents during the work day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work-from-home\/work-near-home arrangements are suitable for jobs which do not require the employee\u2019s physical presence. Meetings could be handled through apps such as Zoom so that colleagues can attend from various locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexi-Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A Compressed Work Schedule is an example of a flexi-time schedule allows employees to choose to work the same number of hours within fewer days. For instance, an employee may opt to work 10 hours daily within a 4-day work week to achieve the same 40-hour work week as someone else who works 8 hours for 5 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other examples of Flexi-Time FWAs include flexi-hours or flexi-shifts, where employees could choose to report to work later so that they have some time to send their children to school, but also leave work later to make up for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexi-time FWAs can be strategically mapped out so that the necessary staff can be present in the office during certain hours in the day to facilitate meetings or other collaborative work activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexi-time FWAs are by far the most versatile, and most jobs can work around the logistical constraints to provide some form of flexi-time FWA. Nevertheless, some jobs may have difficulty implementing flexi-time FWAs, especially for jobs which need staff to be present at specific times. For instance, a researcher may need to access the lab at specific times to collect data, or airline pilots who need to be present at specific times to prepare for flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexi-Load<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexi-load FWAs are more complex to implement since workload is a lot harder to measure and fairly distribute, unlike time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One example of flexi-load arrangements is Job Sharing, where two or more part-time employees share the responsibilities of a full-time employee. These part-time employees could be working on different days during the week or may divide the workload based on tasks. Some overlap may be required to maintain continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEmployer Obligations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Different Types Of Flexible Work Arrangements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n