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Written Answer to PQ on Work-from-Home Legislation

Employment practices

NOTICE PAPER NO. 951 OF 2022 FOR THE SITTING ON 14 FEBRUARY 2022
QUESTION NO. 2427 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang
To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has studied the potential impact of work-from-home legislation over the past two years on employers and employees, respectively; (b) if so, what are the results of this study; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry intends to conduct such a study and by when.

Answer:
1. We have not commissioned any study of the sort described by the Member, nor do we have plans to do so.

2. Due to COVID-19, employers have adapted work practices and norms. In 2020, 3 in 4 employees worked in firms that provided some form of remote working. Our surveys also show that the majority of employers are keen to continue work-from-home arrangements for at least a quarter of the time, even after the pandemic ends. Moving forward, we expect work-from-home arrangements to become more mainstream. Employers see the value of work-from-home and other flexible work arrangements in talent retention and attraction, while employees enjoy the flexibility and experience better work-life balance.

3. However, employers have also shared their concerns over the impact on staff engagement and effective collaboration, while employees are concerned over blurred work-life boundaries and the risk of burn out.

4. We will continue to work with tripartite partners to sustain the provision and use of flexible work arrangements, which includes but is not limited to work-from-home. We will do so by addressing the challenges that employers have faced in implementing them. We will continue to promote implementation resources and tools, such as the Institute for Human Resource Professionals’ Playbook on Hybrid Workplaces and the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-being at Workplaces. These will help guide companies implement effective hybrid work arrangements and measures to support employees’ well-being support.

5. Even as we drive the adoption of flexible work arrangements, tripartite partners have stressed that we should not inadvertently erode trust at the workplace or create a litigious workplace culture by introducing overly rigid rules or rushing into legislation. We will continue to work with tripartite partners to support companies to provide FWAs in an effective and sustainable manner.