S’pore NMP Proposes 4 Days Work In Office & 1 At Home After Covid-19 For Better Balance

NMP Proposes Flexible Work Arrangements After Covid-19 For Better Work-Life Balance

The need to adjust to a new way of life amidst the Covid-19 outbreak included nationwide calls to work from home.

While the end of ‘Circuit Breaker’ marked a return to old ways for many, the new arrangement might become the norm for others.

Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday (5 Jun) discussed the future of work-life balance for Singapore workers, and proposed some changes worth standing behind.

5-day work to split between home & office

According to The Straits Times (ST), Nominated MP (NMP) Mohamed Irshad suggested a flexible work schedule for all.

Instead of working all 5 days in the office or other sites, their time can be split into 4 days at work and 1 day where they get to work from home if they wish.

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Employers can further tweak the perks by offering flexible work hours each day.

He cited successful firms like Microsoft which operate on this model, with almost 40% better productivity. New Zealand is also considering the change to improve work-life balance.

Perhaps with less rigid schedules, work may become less stressful, which in turn could boost morale and afford workers with more time for family and other personal matters.

Extra paid childcare leave for working parents

In the same vein, MP Louis Ng proposed more government-paid childcare leave, which will at least get parents through Phase 2 post ‘Circuit Breaker’.

With children still on rotational Home-Based Learning (HBL), parents will have to continue monitoring them closely.

For many, being home themselves too adds on more domestic responsibilities on top of their existing workload.

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ST reports Mr Ng’s explanation that many parents have resorted to unpaid leave, which may be hard on their finances in the current climate.

As such, government-paid childcare leave will greatly ease both their employers’ and their own burdens.

Covid-19 highlighted the need for more balance at work

As work from home inevitably blurs the lines between professional and personal time, it raises the different stress points Singapore workers have been experiencing.

More than anything, this Covid-19 measure has highlighted the need for better work-life balance.

We’re glad that our leaders are helping to voice our concerns, and we hope that we can look forward to some changes soon.

Featured image adapted from InsideRetail.asia.