Singapore Workplace Culture 2026
Singapore Workplace Culture 2026
From always-on expectations to sustainable performance
Stay ahead of Singapore’s evolving hiring landscape with insights into the workplace trends shaping talent expectations, employer priorities and the future of work.
Conducted in partnership with Milieu Insight, the study surveyed 600 employees and jobseekers and 200 employers and hiring decision-makers in Singapore.
More flexibility, greater pressure: Singapore’s workplace is becoming more demanding
The study reveals a workplace that is more flexible, but not necessarily less demanding. Compared with 2019, 27% of employees and 30% of employers report greater flexibility and work-life balance. At the same time, more than half of employees say workplace culture has become more stressful (52%), while 46% say their job scopes have become more demanding. Employers report a similar shift, with 48% observing greater workplace stress and 45% seeing more demanding job scopes.
Employers recognise the risks of always-on work, but policies are not keeping pace
Among employers whose organisations expect always-on working, 81% acknowledge a long-term downside. While 66% see short-term gains, they also recognise the longer-term risk of burnout; a further 15% associate always-on expectations with potential disengagement and turnover. Yet this awareness has not consistently translated into action, with nearly half of employers (48%) saying their organisations have no plans to introduce related policies in the foreseeable future.
Bridging the gap between support offered and support experienced
Employers are more likely to say they offer workload conversations (40%) and boundary protections (36%), while fewer employees say they receive them (22% and 19%, respectively).
Employees and employers broadly agree that responsibility is shared: 55% of employees and 45% of employers say both sides contribute equally to always-on working.
Ultimately, the opportunity is to create a workplace where employees know what to switch on for, when they can switch off, and how good performance will be recognised.