This was announced by Singapore's Ministry of Manpower some time last month. The reactions to this, were not, as one might have expected, greeted with much fanfare. Employers, of course, weren't overjoyed by the prospect. As for employees, reactions have been mixed, but much of it negative. This being Singapore, I probably shouldn't be too surprised.
Reactions
Predictably, some employers are upset that now it's going to be a recommendation, and they might even be (gasp!) counselled for not adhering to guidelines. I can almost see these employers obstinately digging their heels in and declaring that they should be allowed to run their company how they see fit, oversight be damned.Employees, on the other hand, have had the most varied reactions. There are some who have gone through decades of the traditional work model, commuting and all, and are decrying what they see as the entitlement of the modern-day employee. The sentiment seems to be: I put up with all this, it's not such a big deal, why can't you? What makes you so special?
There's, of course, the people who welcome this new development, and have been working for companies that already impleement some form of Flexible Work Arrangements. I count myself among these. Some people need Flexible Work Arrangements due to things going on with their lives - children, caretaker responsibilities, disabilities, among other things - and such arrangements would be a boon. I have no such responsibilities or disabilities, but my lifestyle has been a lot healthier after being allowed to work from home. There's a greater degree of control over what I eat and when I exercise and sleep, for instance. I've made it work for me really well.
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| More wayang? |
And then there's the people who would welcome Flexible Work Arrangements, but view this move as lip service, nothing more. Just another cheap way to get popular support ahead of the next Singapore General Elections. After all, if it's "just" a recommendation and not legislation. If employers still have the final say as to whether or not they will allow Flexible Work Arrangements, this new development has no teeth. It is, as they say, wayang.
These people, are, however, just thinking of themselves, and stamping their proverbial feet crying that they want change and they want it now, dammit. That's not how things work right now, and that's certainly not how things have ever worked. Real, sustainable change, takes place over time. And it tends to begin with conversations like these. Change is lasting when all parties concerned benefit, and there's just no way to ascertain that without actually trying it.
The main issue here is trust. Trust between employers and employees, to be exact. Employers don't trust employees not to abuse what they see as an unearned privilege, and employees don't trust employees not to use things like Flexible Work Arrangements against them, where promotions and pay raises are concerned. I'm going to attempt to be fair here - both sets of concern are valid. There are employees who will abuse Flexible Work Arrangements shamelessly, and there are employers who will decide that your contributions aren't contributions if they can't actually see you working.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Is workplace flexibility a good thing?
Well, that really depends on whether we can make it work. The answer is going to be vary wildly with different business models.As the only software developer in the department, with my own boss shuttling to and from different locations islandwide daily, in-office presence does not appreciably add to my work. Given that my own residence is at opposite ends of the island from my workplace, the daily commute to the office and back would leave me in no real shape or inclination to entertain any work communications outside of working hours. Working from home eliminates that commute, and also eliminates the need for me to watch the clock in order to catch the company bus, which can be a real hassle if I'm in the middle of a delicate software operation. Working from home allows me to work uninterrupted, if need be.
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| Working without being disturbed. |
Not having to share the internet connection with everyone else in the office is a real plus, too.
It has not been all smooth sailing, however. There's been times when colleagues have called me and not gotten a swift response. Most of it is because they try to contact me on Microsoft Teams outside of working hours, and on WhatsApp during work hours. (This is really strange to me. If employers don't want to encourage us to use our personal mobile phones while we're working, why contact us on WhatsApp?). And sometimes I resist strenuously when I'm called into the office with only a day's notice. My lifestyle is currently so regimented that something like this needs to be scheduled.
Employers (and some Managers) need to understand that not a single one of your employees sees the company the way you do. The company is your domain - you are ultimately in charge of people, profits and culture. Whether or not you have different departments handling these things is irrelevant; the buck stops with you. This is your kingdom.
For employees, this is just a place where they work, get paid and go home. Especially if they are mere grunts. Things like love and devotion are (and rightfully so!) reserved for family and friends. Do you, for example, imagine that any of them would work for you if they weren't being paid? If the answer is yes, you're delusional and this blog has nothing to offer you that a trained psychiatrist could. If not, you can probably see why your employees don't view their presence in the office the same way.
Fairness has also been named as a concern. Employers worry that allowing Flexible Work Arrangements for some would cause resentment among those who don't benefit. And indeed, there are some employers who would feel that way.
As excuses go, however, fairness probably ranks among the most disingenuous. What's "fair"? Do all employees benefit the same from the business? Do they all get paid exactly the same? I would wager my immortal soul that this isn't the case. Software developers, receptionists, drivers - all can be part of a company while delivering different value, and therefore get paid differently. Even two software developers doing the exact same job won't get paid the exact same wages - that would depend on market factors, perceived value and whatever you allow employers to get away with paying.
Some employees get paid more simply because they negotiated harder when it counted. Some employees get more benefits because they're prettier. It's obvious that not everyone gets the exact same treatment anyway, with or without Flexible Work Arrangements, so what's this "fairness" they speak of?
Why not legislate?
Why not just back up the words with action and force companies to do this? Sounds good, doesn't it? Unfortunately, kids, this is the real world. When you legislate, there's a lot that goes with it. Legislation is an administrative nightmare waiting to happen because legislation requires enforcement. When legislation occurs, you can no longer choose when to enforce it and when not to enforce it. Enforcement, or lack thereof, has to be consistent. You either always enforce it or never enforce it.Companies come in several models, sizes and shapes. Not every company has a five-day workweek, dental benefits, or a ping-pong table. All for good reason - because every company has their own limitations and constraints.
Some companies need Singapore less than Singapore needs them. Those are the ones that pay well, and antangonizing them makes no bloomin' sense.
Some companies already implementing some form of channel to request Flexible Work Arrangements, which may not may not conform exactly with the guidelines. Getting on their cases with legislation is a lot of work for very little value. Why quibble over little details with someone who's already in agreement with you in principle?
It's not simply a matter of enshrining Flexible Work Arrangements in law. That is a child's point of view. Adult professionals need to be better than that.
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| Making it a law? |
The Singapore Government has motives for doing these things. That's not to say that they're incapable of bad decisions; far from it. But they generally don't even take these steps without some kind of reason, even if that reason is sometimes completely stupid. In this case, employee welfare is only part of the picture.
Ultimately, Singapore needs to be seen as a first-world country. God knows we've done plenty towards that end - low crime, high GDP, stable and dependable political leadership, an award-winning airport. And workplace flexibility is one of the things needed to attract foreign talent to our shores.
What Flexible Work Arrangements companies want to provide, should ultimately be down to how badly they want to compete for talent. The Singapore Government shouldn't have to be involved at all, legislatively that is. If these companies just want wage slaves who will work for cheap, why begrudge them that? Some people literally have nothing but hard work to offer. They will work for little or no benefits. Should they starve instead, for the lofty principles of Flexible Work Arrangements? That's not my call to make at all, but my answer would be a resolute no.
When I was just a simple web developer, there were only tiny companies that had very few benefits who would hire me. Better positions were closed off due to a limited skillset and experience. Today, I can look back in disdain and say that these companies are now beneath my capabilities. But the fact remains that tf these companies had not existed to employ me and help me level up, I wouldn't have made it halfway this far.
You can say that they exploited me and that's true... but it's equally true that I exploited them right back.
In conclusion
This move annoys many employers and a perplexing number of employees. There is no winning with this one.If this is indeed some cynical ploy of the Singapore Government to score political points ahead of the General Elections, this would be the dumbest move ever.
Stay flexible,
T___T
T___T
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