Demystifying flexible work arrangements

In one month's time, Singapore's tripartite guidelines making it mandatory for employers to give consideration to on flexible work arrangements (FWAs) will come into effect. Since the original announcement in April, these guidelines have been the source of considerable angst for employers, particularly SMEs who had not previously considered the concept.

Is there any easy way to clear up the confusion? People Matters dropped by the FlexForward segment of Canon Singapore's 'Think Big' Leadership Business Series last week, where TAFEP (the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices) gave a keynote on the question.

Here are six common misconceptions about flexible work arrangements, from TAFEP principal manager James Pang's presentation.

It is compulsory for companies to have FWAs - MYTH

Flexible work is not an entitlement for employees: the guidelines make this clear. Employees have to take on the responsibility of discussing their proposed arrangements with colleagues before applying, so that everyone has a clear idea of who will be affected and how.

Currently, around 30% of companies in Singapore do not have flexible working arrangements in place. It is not compulsory to implement FWAs, nor will it become compulsory after the guidelines kick in.

FWAs always involve working from home - MYTH

Working from home is only one form of flexibility. There are multiple types of flexible work, and they can be very simple, sometimes not even requiring . For example:

• Flexible lunch break - instead of a single fixed time slot (e.g. 12-1pm), a choice of different time slots (e.g. any one-hour time slot between 12-2pm).
• Flexible start/end time - a range of starting and ending times as long as the employee completes the full number of total hours required

Requests for FWAs must automatically be approved - MYTH

Companies can reject an application for flexible work if there are business reasons for doing so. For example, if an employee's FWA would create the need for the company to employ an additional person and thereby incur otherwise unnecessary costs, that is an acceptable reason for rejection.

On the other hand, business reasons should be tempered with common sense and compassion. If an employee has genuine medical or caregiving needs, employers should at least make the effort to cater to the request.

FWAs mean a lot of paperwork - MYTH

The guidelines require every company to have a process whereby employees can request FWAs. But this process can be as simple as an informal request to the supervisor, in person or even via a text message, for a different lunch hour - something so casual that almost every company may already have a similar practice in place.

For more complicated FWAs, such as actual remote work/working from home, a formal request can be made, and the process would be much the same as other personnel requests: set down on paper (or electronic form), evaluated by someone with the authority to grant it (supervisor, department head, etc) and then recorded by HR. A formal reply then has to be given within two months.

FWAs mean the employee's performance will drop - MYTH

Flexible work is still work, and supervisors have the responsibility of ensuring that FWAs do not interfere with the employee's performance. This does not mean micromanagement. The guidelines state that supervisors need to ensure that clear deliverables and expectations are set, and engage with employees on FWAs to get an idea of whether the arrangement is working as intended. 

Only young people ask for FWAs - MYTH

The need for flexible work is not just a demand coming from Gen Z - it can arise for practically everyone in the workforce, simply because they may have caregiving needs or medical needs. Parents of all ages may need accommodations for their children. Some, including those in their 50s or older, are looking after elderly parents who may have regular medical appointments. Others may have medical appointments of their own.

More resources on the flexible work guidelines can be found on the Singapore Ministry of Manpower's website.