Flexible work arrangement guidelines can be a chance to improve HR practices in Singapore, says expert
Flexible work arrangement guidelines can be a chance to improve HR practices in Singapore, says expert
More help will be given to firms to upgrade their human resource practices so employees can better use flexible work arrangements.
File photo of office workers in Singapore's central business district. (File photo: iStock)
SINGAPORE: The labour movement is urging employers to evaluate staff performance based on their output rather than the number of hours worked, so that flexible work arrangements (FWAs) can be effective.
All employers must have a process in place for workers to make formal requests for flexible work arrangements from December, when new tripartite guidelines come into effect.
Being outcomes-based involves companies coming up with a set of goals to be achieved, said Ms Yeo Wan Ling, director of National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) small- and medium-sized enterprises arm U SME.
“This goes beyond the number of hours that an employee puts into the work and it focuses on what the outcomes and the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are,” she said. She added that more frequent check-ins between employees and their bosses will ensure that goals are on track to being met.
Similarly, Institute for Human Resource Professionals CEO Aslam Sardar said that as employees get more opportunities for workplace flexibility, companies “also must have greater awareness of potential biases in the way we appraise employees”.
“We should move away from the thinking that ‘I need to see you in the office to know that you're working’. So, less presence-based, and move more towards what we call performance and output-based,” he said.
Ms Yeo said outcomes-based contracts between service buyers and providers – for instance, in the cleaning and security sectors – are also important.
“Many a time, when contracts do not reflect this, this will also adversely affect the kinds of appraisals that's put upon the employees,” she added.
Ms Yeo said that for FWAs to be successful, a culture of trust within the workplace must be built. These arrangements must benefit the company as well.
“This will ensure that there's actually longevity. So within this itself, it is important for us to look at proper HR (human resource) practices to be put in place, proper documentation to be put in place,” she said.
HELP TO IMPROVE HUMAN RESOURCES PRACTICES
To aid employees in using FWAs better, more help will be given to firms to upgrade their human resource (HR) practices.
“For any flexible work arrangements to be sustainable. It is important for companies to also relook at their HR policies,” Ms Yeo said.
From next month, targeted training programmes will be rolled out progressively to help companies ease into the change in December. This ranges from masterclasses for business leaders to hands-on workshops for supervisors and HR practitioners.
The focus will be to develop critical FWA implementation skills like performance appraisal and job redesign. If done right, these are expected to boost productivity of companies.
OPPORTUNITY FOR FIRMS TO IMPROVE
The FWA guidelines can be an opportunity to improve their internal HR practices because they stipulate a structure in which requests are made and are to be evaluated, said Mr Aslam.
“When you have such structured processes in place, it's very clear for everyone - the managers, the employees, as well as the employers - how to navigate such requests, and anything with such clarity, increases the standards," he said.
The guidelines also provide an opportunity for companies to look at job redesign, he added.
“While it encourages flexibility, it also opens the door for many companies to really ask: ‘Do we need to change workflows? Do we need to change processes to support these FWAs?’ And how can that translate maybe to greater productivity as we redesign the job to support this?” he said.
He said that one important and immediate thing that organisations need to do is raise the standard of communication.
While stakeholders believe FWAs will bring about several benefits, employees who spoke to CNA had mixed views.
While some said that this would help workers, especially if they have additional caregiving responsibilities, others said they expect to face challenges.
"It'd be harder to communicate because in the office, when you need something then it's easy to see someone and I say, 'hey, help me with this',” said one employee.