Poll Shows 75% of S’pore Workers Don’t Want to Return to Workplace as WFH Won’t be the Default Mode from 5 April

By
Zhi Hao
-

On 24 March, millions of tears were shed.

It was, after all, the day that the inaugural Work From Home (WFH) scheme was officially announced that it will be scrapped as the default mode of work.

Instead, up to 75% of staff will be able to return to their workplace from 5 April onwards, much to the chagrin and tears of many embittered home-dwellers. As Kaira Gong so famously sang in the 2006 National Day Parade song ‘My Island Home’:

“This is my home… she’s everything to me.”

But life, it appears, is simply not as fairytale-like as Disney wants you to believe.

Now, you may perceive it to be a huge exaggeration. Surely people aren’t really that disappointed by it, you reason. Also, doesn’t that NDP song refer to Singapore and not your mancave?

Well, let’s just say that you’ll be really surprised.

Though it’s hardly incomprehensible, considering all the perks WFH brings.

Poll Shows 75% of S’pore Workers Don’t Want to Return to Workplace as WFH Won’t be the Default Mode from 5 April

According to The Sunday Times, an online poll has unveiled a startling statistic.

Apparently, three out of four respondents do not actually, in contrast to 99% of employers, wish to return to their workplace.

That’s a whopping 75% of nearly 2,600 poll takers.

According to the news report, advocators of the WFH scheme felt that it allows them to spend more time with family members, and handle responsibilities at home in an efficient manner.

At the same time, they are able to save on transport and meal costs, which are usually unavoidable at workplaces.

However, some of them acknowledged that time spent at the office is necessary, especially for tasks that are only doable at their workplace.

As such, a hybrid working model appears to be the prime solution for a portion of these respondents.

Meanwhile, half of the remaining 25% expressed that they missed their colleagues.

Some said that they felt isolated while working at home, which led to their willingness to return to their workplace.

Cons

It should be noted that while the WFH scheme has come with its own unique set of pros, it has also spawned particular risks.

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), around 40 work injuries at home have been reported from April 2020 to February 2021.

Slips, trips and falls are said to be the most common type of injuries.

One worker even sustained a toe fracture, after a bench fell on her foot while she was working at home.

No, this isn’t a joke, though we wonder how working from the office would prevent that.

Not Everything’s Bad

Despite the declaration, you may be relieved to know that the newly-imposed work scheme will not entirely discriminate against all the WFH-happy personnel out there.

For one, working hours in the office will still have to be staggered to prevent congestion.

Flexible working hours should also be allowed for those who wish to separate their working hours between home and the office.

And for two, the consensus is that working from home is still the ideal solution.

As such, employers must make sure that no more than 75% of employees – who can work from home – are in the office at any juncture.

Virtual meetings should be held wherever possible as well.

For more info, you can read this article here.

Featured Image: Shutterstock.com / ProStockStudio

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

Read Also:

Advertisements
 
Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]