Getting hybrid work right in Singapore

THE world of work has undergone tremendous shifts in the past two years. The pandemic altered everything from our outlook towards work, to how we work, and where we work. No one knew what was coming, and what was to change forever. Organisations were thrown into the deep end and had to respond to these rapid changes in managing remote work and the distributed workforce. In the space of a couple of years, “hybrid work” became more than just a buzzword.

Glancing around, taking the temperature of the world of work in the middle of 2022, it is clear that hybrid work is the way forward and is here to stay, at least for the workforce in Singapore. According to KellyOCG’s 2021 Global Workforce Agility Report, close to 3 in 4 (72 per cent) executives in Singapore – compared to 59 per cent globally and 58 per cent in APAC – say their businesses will adopt hybrid work models. This is especially important as the Singapore government has allowed all workers to return to the office from April 26, and many companies have since made it mandatory for employees to work on-premises for at least three, if not all five days of the work week.

The Kelly OCG report also highlights that 63 per cent of the executives understand the value of hybrid work for long-term business success. However, it comes with its own caveats and challenges, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

For example, in a financial institution like a bank, which is built on personal relationships and direct interactions and connections, not just between the clients and the bankers but also between various departments, low-touch hybrid work can be challenging.

From an employee experience standpoint, work and a workplace that supports the workforce across the entire employee lifecycle has gained new-found importance. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index report showed that almost half of Singapore workers surveyed were considering quitting their jobs in 2021, courtesy of ‘The Great Resignation’.

Talent retention becomes one of the biggest challenges for HR leaders as they try to maintain company culture, keeping channels of communication and collaboration open and transparent for a hybrid workforce as they move between physical and virtual workspaces.

All in all, organisations need to approach hybrid work with clarity. They need to have clear policies charted to avoid confusion and biases. And use the right technology to enhance not just productivity but also the overall employee experience.

But is it as easy as it sounds? The answer is in the details.

In spite of robust investments being made in HR technology, the on-ground adoption has been lacklustre. The C-suite's efforts to introduce new technology aligned to their people’s needs have met with apprehension. This indicates the gaps that exist between the leaders and the staff, the technology potential and its actual value realisation, and most importantly, the idea of hybrid work and its real-world application.

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The Singapore solution

Facilitate user adoption: Last November, Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) introduced an HR Tech Transformation Programme (HRTTP) that aims to support enterprises in implementing HR technology through HR process re-engineering, redesigning of impacted HR jobs, and managing HR job transitions arising from the HR technology adoption.

Prioritise flexibility: The Singapore workforce wants flexibility from their employers. At least 3 out of 5 days, they prefer to work remotely. For this to become the new reality, organisations will have to put in effort towards having information, clarity, and policies around hybrid work. Organisations will need to reskill and upskill their workforce to enable them to understand the technologies that enable hybrid work. They also need to deploy technology that’s agile and intuitive, and employees need to be made aware of the importance of data security while working remotely.

Practise open communication and provide seamless connectivity: In Singapore, almost 24 per cent of employees have expressed that communication needs to improve when in hybrid work mode. Regardless of where the employees are, they need to be connected to the organisation, literally and metaphorically, even while in hybrid or remote work mode. Employers need to be cognizant of the biases that may creep in and adapt the right tools and technology to create a collaborative and open work culture for both the hybrid and remote workforce.

Focus on diversity and employee well-being: There are more than 7,000 multinational companies and over 1.1 million foreigners working in Singapore, making it a true city-state of diversity. Organisations will have to have robust policies around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in place for both hybrid and remote workforces. Employee well-being is another important aspect, and here again, having clear policies and support around both physical health and mental health for the hybrid and remote workforces is critical.

Indeed, implementing a successful hybrid work model for your business doesn’t have to be difficult. Mercer’s Global Talent Trends 2022 reveals that the C-suite’s most important priority in 2022 is ‘redesigning work to improve agility’. This underlines the need for the right tech to be embedded in the flow of work, adoption to be driven through change management, and culture recalibration – all of which are essential for hybrid work to work.

The writer is vice president and head of APJ expansion at Darwinbox