Companies encouraged to have permanent flexible work arrangements, public service to take the lead

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Detailing their recommendations, the tripartite partners said employers should continue to make efforts to provide flexibility for workers, including redesigning jobs where needed, while taking into consideration business needs.

They added that employers should continue to manage, assess, appraise and remunerate employees who use such arrangements “fairly and objectively”, in line with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices.

Employees, meanwhile, should use flexible work arrangements responsibly and “ensure continued work productivity”, said the tripartite partners.

“FWAs are not an entitlement and the requirements of the job take precedence,” they added.

“Trust should also be maintained between employers and employees, through regular and open communication to discuss on what FWAs are practical and sustainable, and the organisational outcomes and deliverables that need to be met.”

MOM, NTUC and SNEF also encouraged companies to allow their employees to telecommute.

“Employers may require employees to report to the office for meetings and to foster team collaboration, while permitting telecommuting for tasks that do not need to be done onsite,” they suggested.

Ad-hoc or partial telecommuting are among the arrangements that can be considered, they added. 

Firms can also consider redesigning workspaces to leverage more satellite offices or co-working spaces, to enable employees to work closer to home, said the tripartite partners.

Besides telecommuting, other arrangements – such as flexi-time and flexi-load – continue to be important, as not all employees can telecommute, they stated.

“For example, frontline employees who are not able to telecommute may benefit from other FWAs such as part-time work and ad-hoc time-off from work, to better manage personal or family responsibilities while still contributing effectively at work.”