72% of S’pore workers want flexible hours or 4-day work week: Survey

Workers in Singapore want flexible hours, expect hybrid work to become a norm

A study by the ADP Research Institute has found that many workers in Singapore desire more flexible work hours, even as companies adopt hybrid working models.

More specifically, they want flexibility in deciding when they work, instead of sticking to strict hours.

The study also gathered perceptions on mental health awareness at the workplace as well as overtime work.

Desire for flexible work hours strong among Singapore workers

In the study titled ‘People at Work 2023: A Global Workforce Review‘, the ADP Research Institute shared findings on various work arrangements that have emerged since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first is the hybrid work model, which allows workers to choose where they work — whether at the office, remotely, or a mixture of both.

Workers in India lead the pack in the Asia Pacific (APAC) with 44% having such freedom. In contrast, only 24% of employees in Singapore say they enjoy this privilege. However, some (34%) see it eventually becoming the norm.

Other flexibilities include the option to choose when they work, which 74% of APAC workers say they want. Among these, 72% of Singapore workers surveyed voted in favour of flexible hours, which may come in the form of a four-day work week.

However, they were more confident in Singapore companies adopting a hybrid work model than the four-day work week, which had more votes among Australian workers.

Employees in Singapore putting in more hours than what they’re paid for

When it comes to welfare, a little more than half (52%) of respondents in Singapore didn’t feel like they could discuss mental health openly at work.

46% said they were “always, often or sometimes underpaid”, while less than half were satisfied with training and development and career progression opportunities.

Despite the less-than-favourable figures, the ADP study found that workers in Singapore are still highly committed.

According to them, workers here are sacrificing eight hours and 11 minutes of unpaid time each week.

You may read the full report here.

Also read: S’pore Firms Encouraged To Adopt Flexi-Arrangements Like 4-Day Work Week When Suitable

S’pore Firms Encouraged To Adopt Flexi-Arrangements Like 4-Day Work Week When Suitable

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Featured image adapted from simarik on Canva.