5 Ways Remote Work can be Effective for Your Workplace in Singapore

The global pandemic gave rise to a “new normal” as it drastically changed how we lived our daily lives. As part of safe management measures to stay indoors where possible, remote work became the default way of working in Singapore. We had growing pains, but it has since grown in popularity among Singaporeans. 

According to the second Decoding Global Talent Report, 95% of the workforce prefer to work either completely remote or a combination of on-site and remote working. It is becoming even more apparent that the future workplace is one that adopts a hybrid setup. Singapore is gradually embracing this reality, and some companies are already enjoying success and recognition by implementing it.  

Over the past year and a half, remote working has shown that being in the office is not always necessary to complete tasks. As a result, more employees prefer a hybrid working model that allows them to work remotely for a few days.

This has led some to see organisations mandating a regular 9-to-5 schedule as “backward”, especially as more companies adopt asynchronous work schedules. This means that the hybrid model is here to stay, and companies are adapting by embracing it.

The workforce is not the only aspect being affected by the rise of remote work.

In 2019, Singapore announced plans to make the Central Business District (CBD) area more residential-friendly through the CBD Incentive Program. The program hoped to encourage property owners in the CBD with older buildings to renovate to more mixed-use spaces. 

Considering the cost implications of such renovations, some property owners may have had reservations despite the incentive. However, with the rise of remote work that led to offices downsizing, the program’s goals suddenly became more urgent. 

As a rising global city, Singapore needs to keep its appeal to top foreign firms. Transforming the CBD to accommodate more residents as well as the new ways of working will significantly contribute to this end. 

While the world stopped because of the pandemic, some companies used it as an opportunity to thrive. Olive, an artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare company, introduced a flexible workforce model called “The Grid.” Essentially, being “on The Grid” means an employee is actively working while being “off The Grid” means otherwise. 

Since they introduced this model in May 2020, their workforce has grown from 230 in less than 20 states to 777 across 43 states. They also put effort into supporting their employees’ work-life balance, such as “No Meeting Wednesday,” mandatory paid time off per quarter, and offering lifestyle points employees can use for traveling, events, or gifts.  

Companies based in Singapore are following suit. 

The Royal Plaza on Scotts uses a similar approach to Olive by incorporating emojis to communicate after hours. aAdvantage Consulting group, a business consultancy firm, allows its employees to start and end work anytime and choose to work anywhere provided they update their work calendars regularly. 

Their efforts each won them a Work-Life Excellence award from the Tripartite Alliance. 

At the start of 2021, Japanese tech giant Fujitsu announced that their Singapore-based employees could spend up to 90% of their time working from home. They also reconfigured their office spaces to be more inviting to collaborative work for people who choose to come.

Meanwhile, Unilever redesigned its office to attract and develop future leaders. The Unilever Campus @ one-north will feature creative and functional rooms for collaboration, high-tech meeting rooms, cafes, a hair salon, a medical centre, and well-being spaces. 

Saying that you will adopt a hybrid setup is easy. Still, the key to making your business productive is how effectively it is implemented. Here are some suggestions on how the hybrid setup can provide a mutual benefit for you and your employees:

1. Empower Employees Through Communication The forced remote working we experienced through the pandemic helped us understand its benefits in terms of productivity. While there may be employees who dipped in performance, there are some that maintained or exceeded expectations. Given this, it will be best to understand their struggles and needs so that you can help set them up for success. 

An online resource company, Muck Rack, has decided to be fully distributed after surveying their team. They learned that their employees enjoyed a sense of equality as everyone was working remotely. Remote workers no longer missed out on in-office meetings or celebrations, as everything has been done remotely. 

They also learned that working remotely doesn’t always mean working from home. As a result, they subsidised their employees with stipends for memberships in co-working spaces. 

Knowing that you’re listening to them and are more than willing to support them as well will help boost the productivity and morale of your employees. 

2. Commit to Flexibility As the workplace adapts, so must your policies and infrastructure. With hybrid working on the rise, your office may no longer see 100% of its capacity filled. You may consider downsizing to a smaller office space or repurposing some of the extra space. Meanwhile, policies like work hours, dress code, leaves, and the like should also be reviewed. 

One of the struggles of working parents is to find care arrangements for their kids, with the continued home-based learning (HBL) setup adding to this struggle. Maybe you can consider transforming some of the office space into a childcare centre. Alternatively, you may also review your policies on childcare leave entitlements or how work hours are managed. 

Olive and The Royal Plaza on Scotts have shown that simple policies like “The Grid” and incorporating emojis can boost productivity. 

Changing infrastructure and policies show a long-term commitment to flexibility and could make your company more attractive to jobseekers. 


Also Read: Your To-Do List for Building an Attractive Remote Workplace

3. Focus On “What” over “Where” For a hybrid workplace to work, you should believe in the mantra that the end should justify the means. It should not matter whether your employees work on-site or remotely if they can deliver what is expected from them or more.

The office setting may have changed how accessible they are and how you see them work. However, with the proper tools, you can still connect and assess them quickly and fairly.  

Visibility plays a large part in considering promotions, but it doesn’t always mean that those you don’t see work less. If employees have the power to choose where to work, they should be able to select an environment where they thrive in. 

As such, the quality of their work should be at the forefront of considering career advancement if you want to build an effective hybrid model. 

4. Set Leaders and Employees Up for Success We still have much to learn on how to properly maximise the benefits of the hybrid model of working. Helping your employees navigate through this new environment will provide a solid foundation for your future workplace. 

To start, you can provide them with adequate equipment and software to help them be more prepared to take on their daily tasks while working remotely. 

For leaders and managers, you can link them up with training or seminars on managing remote workers. Meanwhile, other employees can improve their competitiveness by upskilling in digital tools. 

Don’t jump into the hybrid model fully without allowing your team to learn how to swim in these unfamiliar waters. Otherwise, that you might all sink.

5. Be Proactive in Connecting Teams Making connections in the office may be easier because of the face-to-face interactions. However, with the rise of remote work, some employees may not meet all of their teammates in person. 

Make the first move in finding ways to connect your employees with one another. Schedule regular in-person meetings, set up engaging team events, or build habits your team can follow daily. 

Building good relationships with your employees can help improve their teamwork. It can also hopefully avoid cliques forming among those working in the office and those working remotely.  

Learning to incorporate an effective hybrid model can help retain and attract talents. It shows an ability to adapt to the times and a genuine trust in your employees. Find more tips and insights on navigating the future workplace in Laws of Attraction. 

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