No Big Increase in Public Transport After People Were Allowed Back to Office on 28 Sept

Recently, it was announced that more employees will be allowed to return to their workplaces from 28 September onwards.

A notion that probably did not agree with some of the working population.

And yet, at the same time, the question begets;

Would this latest development prove risky in the long run, considering how it technically paves the way for higher capita per public transport ride at any one time?

Well, it seems that we have our answer now.

No Big Increase in Public Transport After People Were Allowed Back to Office on 28 Sept

As it turns out, the answer is no.

There was no significant increase in public transport, despite the change in workplace guidelines.

According to Zaobao, more employees were allowed to return to work from 28 September onwards, but this has not caused an outstanding increase in the influx of people and vehicles on the subway and expressway yesterday morning.

Observers stated that during work hours yesterday morning, there were only slightly more vehicles on the expressway than before.

No crowd was spotted at the Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place MRT stations in the Central Business District (CBD) as well.

Apparently, the notion is attributed to the fact that many employees are returning to their companies at staggered timings, and that some companies and organisations continue to let their employees work from home.

As such, those who are required to return to the office still remain a minority, despite the change.

“The company continues to adopt more flexible work arrangements,” said 32-year-old Chen Jingwen, who’s from the financial industry. “Employees can sign up to return to the company, but most colleagues are used to working from home, so they will not come back for the time being.”

“Many companies should still be on the sidelines, so most of my colleagues did not come back to work, only those who need on-site operations have to return to the company,” said 46-year-old engineer Zhang Yamin.

Meanwhile, public relations company Brand Cellar is one of the aforementioned employers that chose to give employees the option to return, rather than enforce it on them. In fact, Executive Director He Hui Fen said that she still prefers employees to work from home in order to reduce the risk of infection.

“I don’t care much about where employees work, as long as they complete their work efficiently. However, some employees are happy to be able to go back to the office because they don’t have a table suitable for work at home, and it’s better to be in the office. Work faster and face-to-face discussions are more efficient.”

Though of course, there are those who preferred going back to their office, as it offered more productivity than the alternative.

“It is ideal to have the option of going back to the office and working at home,” said public relations consultant Xu Xiaoting. She added that she could communicate directly with colleagues in the office, and it was a more ideal environment for brainstorming sessions.

Still Sticking To The ‘Default’ Method

According to the Public Service Department, working from home and attending meetings online continue to be the ‘default’ work methods adopted by the public sector.

However, employees can now return to their workplaces if required, as long as they follow safety management procedures and related regulations.

Yet, even so, public services should continue in a digital form wherever possible.

“Each agency will ensure that among the staff working from home,” said a spokesperson for the Public Service Department.

“No more than half of the number of people who return to the office will be at any time, and half of them should arrive at the office after 10 am to avoid peak travel. Time period.”

Relaxed Restrictions On General Workplaces

On 23 September 2020, it was announced that restrictions on general workplaces amidst the Coronavirus will be relaxed:

More employees who initially worked from home, it was declared, will be able to return to their physical workplaces.

However, employers must ensure that the said employees are operating from home for at least half of the time.

No more than half of those who originally worked from home can be in the workplace as well.

For more details, you can read this article here.

With that said, we hope that the move will be a successful one and that it may, hopefully, be the first of many new-age measures that will bring our nation back to normalcy again. Because if there’s one thing we need right now…

It’s that.

By the way, speaking of rules, are you aware that they’re now enforcing the mask rule at eateries?