Here’s how to prepare for flexible work arrangements if you are an employer
THE recently announced Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests require employers to, as far as reasonably practicable, consider employees’ formal requests for flexible work arrangements (FWAs) from Dec 1, 2024. The three types of FWAs that can be requested pertain to a flexible place of work, flexible working hours (with no change in total working hours and workload), and flexible workloads.
This is a landmark shift in the Singapore employment landscape as FWA requests that can currently be brushed off will soon have to be properly considered by employers, and such requests can only be rejected if employers have reasonable business grounds for doing so.
In order to be prepared for a potential influx of FWA requests, as well as to ensure organisational work processes and systems are prepared for such arrangements, employers should prepare ahead of the effective date. This article sets out some steps for employers to consider.
Examine work processes
Review organisational work processes and identify the roles where FWAs may be introduced, and the extent to which the FWAs can be introduced. For example, if a particular role can have flexible hours, employers should consider if staggered work hours or a compressed work week would suit a role or team better. There are many organisation-specific or role-specific factors for employers to start considering now.
Engage employees
To better understand and anticipate future employee FWA requests, employers may wish to consider conducting company-wide surveys and arranging one-on-one or focus group discussions with staff.
Employers can also use such discussions to explain the need to balance FWAs with the needs of organisations. They may even consider implementing pilot schemes so that any operational issues can be addressed early, to facilitate a smoother transition to FWAs.
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Draft FWA policies
Well-prepared employers should have full clarity of their FWA policies before Dec 1. FWA policies should be finalised and communicated to prospective and existing employees before the effective date. This sets proper expectations for employees on where employers may be able to accommodate requests, and where they are unable to.
Employers should also provide proper training to supervisors and human resource personnel to equip them with the right skills to manage employees on FWAs, and to explain and justify the organisation’s FWA policies to them.
Prepare forms
Some standard forms are provided in the guidelines, such as a template for an employee to submit a formal FWA request and another one for an employer to respond to the formal request. Employers may wish to spend some time tailoring these templates to their own organisations.
The FWA request form could, for example, include specific details such as the type of flexible working hours (for instance, staggered or compressed hours), the employee’s proposal on certain outcomes, and reminders for standards of accountability, quality and timelines.
There may even be room for a team request template, to permit a team (rather than an individual) to detail how it would organise itself to collectively take on the same workload after the implementation of the FWAs (for example: team member A covering certain hours and team member B covering other hours, in a team-based flexible working hours request).
Consider the need to amend existing agreements
The introduction of FWAs would likely mean changes to the terms and conditions of employment agreements. For example, a telecommuting arrangement would involve a change of terms that require an employee to work only from the office.
Employers should consider whether they should prepare new agreements (such as a telecommuting agreement in this case), or addendums to the original employment terms.
The above steps are just a flavour of the work that employers should embark on before the effective date. The earlier that organisations ready themselves, the more prepared they will be for navigating the new landscape come Dec 1.
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