Workplace closure rule catches businesses off guard

Singapore

SINGAPORE'S move to close nearly all workplaces from next week caught businesses by surprise, even as most have gradually implemented business continuity measures amid the unfolding virus outbreak.

The government on Friday ordered companies to shutter work premises and work remotely for a month starting next Tuesday. It will make exceptions only for companies in key economic sectors and essential services, such as food establishments, markets and supermarkets, healthcare facilities and key banking services.

Furniture retailer Scanteak was one of the first firms to announce that it would comply by closing its showrooms from April 7. In an e-mail to customers on Friday evening, it said its office staff will work from home to answer queries and support service requests.

However, firms in some of the excluded sectors said they will be contacting government agencies over the weekend to seek urgent clarification for their businesses.

Simon Ng, founder of security training firm Leacov Singapore, said: "We have 1,200 desperate job seekers who have signed up with us to obtain the mandatory security licence for April."

Landscaping company Mao Sheng Quan Ji noted that the government's directive counts "landscaping for public safety" as an essential service, but not all projects are easily defined as essential or nonessential. "(In some cases), the client may have to make a call as to whether we still have to provide our landscaping services," said managing director Choo Kim Chuan.

Some firms that support others in essential services are wondering if they will be exempted from the government's directive. Jack Wong, chief financial officer of transport engineering firm Wong Fong Industries, said the firm supports the government's move but also notes that its revenue will "essentially become zero" if it does not qualify to remain open.

Also in a grey area are those in the legal and professional services sectors, like TSMP Law Corporation and Crowe Singapore.

TSMP's joint managing partner Stefanie Yuen Thio noted that hard copies are still required for some legal documents, and expressed concern about the stability and security of telecommuting technology like video conferencing software Zoom. In-house tech support teams should be allowed to access the office to ensure that operations are not disrupted by breakdowns or hacking attempts, she argued.

Firms that can continue operating may still be impacted in other ways. For instance, Tay Paper Recycling said its shredding segment - which accounts for 10 to 20 per cent of overall revenue - will see reduced business with the closure of offices.

Meanwhile, companies that can remain open, including Asia Polyurethane Manufacturing, are enforcing remote working where possible and safe distancing in the workplace. BH Global, a supplier and retrofitting service provider for the marine industry, already has more than half of its workforce working from home and is arranging for more to do so by next week.

Said John Cheng, director of Cheng Yew Heng Candy Factory: "I'm hoping that with the new measures, public transport won't be so crowded and it will lower the risk for (our essential workers) coming to work."

Coway Engineering & Marketing, which provides essential services to the aviation industry, will need to shift from split-team operations to having as many staff as possible work from home. "We will need to get everybody a laptop, and it will take some time for us to figure out and get all the necessary equipment," said managing director Lien Whai Cheng.

Industry bodies saw the workplace closures as disruptive but necessary to curb the local spread of Covid-19. "There will be more economic pain for businesses," said Ho Meng Kit, CEO of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). However, "this is a practical way of managing the crisis".

SBF will launch a COVIDBiz Helpline on Monday to help businesses navigate government advisories, grants and measures, and other business issues related to the virus.

The Singapore Manufacturing Federation will help manufacturers adopt pre-approved digital solutions for telecommuting and workflow management. Employers looking to implement long-term telecommuting measures can also tap on the Enhanced Work-Life Grant for Flexible Work Arrangements.

The construction industry may get some relief as the government relooks its policy of not waiving foreign worker levies, Minister of Manpower Josephine Teo said on Friday. The Singapore Contractors Association said, "There is nothing much companies can do, but it is critical that we all help to flatten the infection curve given the critical situation we are at."