{"id":3488,"date":"2020-08-21T07:34:35","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T23:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/?p=3488"},"modified":"2020-08-21T09:05:18","modified_gmt":"2020-08-21T01:05:18","slug":"businesses-use-enhanced-work-life-grant-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/businesses-use-enhanced-work-life-grant-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"How Businesses Can Use Enhanced Work-Life Grant For Happier, More Productive Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was first published on 30 December 2019<\/strong> and updated to reflect changes to the Enhanced Work-Life Grant eligibility as telecommuting and staggered hours are no longer accepted as eligible flexible work arrangements.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 has changed the working landscape drastically in a span of months. As government implemented circuit breaker and safe distancing measures, non-essential services were mandated to convert to telecommuting and remote work.  Working from home has become the new normal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as the pandemic measures have eased and we have moved to Phase 2 of the circuit breaker, most offices are still maintaining some form of flexible working arrangements. In a way, COVID-19 has accelerated the move toward non-traditional working hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working hours are no longer restrained to 9-to-5 schedules, or Monday-to-Friday work weeks. Increasingly, employees are valuing flexibility in their work schedules. Workers are more likely to stay with a company that offers flexible work arrangements, according to Ministry of Manpower\u2019s (MOM) Conditions of Employment report.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexible Work Makes For Happier Employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flexible work refers to non-traditional working schedules, varying in start and end times, work location and even job responsibilities. It is typically an arrangement that doesn\u2019t conform to the standard nine-to-five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greater emphasis is placed on work flexibility because it accounts for an employee\u2019s personal needs and family obligations. Working parents may benefit from shifting their working hours earlier if they send their kids to school. Having a healthy work-life balance reduces stress and keeps employees happy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing work from home days may be favourable for workers who care for someone at home. With workplace flexibility, it cultivates a healthier and happier workforce, allowing employees to perform their best and boosting productivity<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/em><\/strong>Here\u2019s Why Small Businesses In Singapore Need To Care About Employee Retention<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is The Enhanced Work-Life Grant (WLG)?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Enhanced Work-Life Grant (WLG) aims to incentivise and support companies to sustain the use of Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) for all employees, to create work-life harmony at the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this grant, you can receive funding capped at $105,000 per company, up to two years, $70,000 under the Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA) Incentive and $35,000 under the Job Sharing Incentive<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To apply for either scheme, companies can only do so through these official partners: NTUC\u2019s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i)<\/a>, Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF)<\/a> and Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF).<\/a> Application is free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is The Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA) Incentive?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Under the FWA, you can claim up to $70,000 for your company over two years. Each year, you can receive $2,000 per local employee. The condition is that your employee must have adopted a flexible working arrangement for six consecutive months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three types of FWAs recognised are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Flexi-Time: <\/strong>Employees can vary the time they start work so long as they fulfil the total hours agreed in a week or month, in the office. It could be staggered working hours or a compressed work week. This can cater to parents who wish to start and end work earlier, or an employee who is attending classes after work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexi-Place: <\/strong>Allowing your employees to work outside of the office is a form of flexi-place arrangement. It is also commonly known as telecommuting, remote work or hot-desking. As an employer, you can set a requirement for core times or days that your worker has to be in the office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As 1 June 2020, in line with the end of Circuit Breaker, companies can no longer apply for Work-Life Grant for telecommuting and staggered hours. Other types of FWAs are still eligible for the grant.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Flexi-Load: <\/strong>With this arrangement, employees receive varying duties or workload. A common example is part-time work, which means working less than 35 hours per week. Such an arrangement may be preferable for pregnant moms who wish to lessen their load or senior employees looking to shorten their working hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Requirements For FWA Incentive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Companies have to submit the following documents to either of the three partners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n