Working From Home No Longer Default Mode, Up To 75% Of Staff Can Return To Workplaces
Many workers in Singapore have spent the better part of 2020 and early-2021 working from home.
However, this will soon change as the government is looking to ease some of the Covid-19 measures for workplaces come April.
On Wednesday (24 Mar), Minister Lawrence Wong – who’s also co-chair of the Covid-19 multi-ministry task force – announced that up to 75% of employees can now work from their workplaces at any one time.
Employees will also not be required to work from home for at least half their working time.
Staff no longer need to spend half of working time at home
According to Chanel NewsAsia (CNA), up to 75% of staff will be allowed to return to their workplaces from 5 Apr.
This is a substantial increase from current guidelines that require only up to 50% of employees to work physically from their workplaces.
Other similar measures will also be eased.
The current law requiring employees to spend half of their working time at home will be lifted, reports The Straits Times.
Split-team arrangements will also not be compulsory. Companies can, however, retain these arrangements for business continuity purposes.
Employees must wear masks at all times while in office
That said, companies are still strongly encouraged to stagger their employees’ start times and implement flexible working hours.
These measures will help minimise crowding and interactions at shared spaces, which will in turn reduce the chance of transmissions.
Despite the easing of measures, companies must adhere to other prevailing safe management measures, such as:
- Regular cleaning of office
- Safe distancing demarcations
- Ensure employees wear masks at all times
Enforcement actions, such as company closure, will be taken against firms that fail to comply with these measures.
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Featured image adapted from TheSmartLocal.Â
