A new study sheds light on the growing trend of remote working arrangements in Singapore
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Over 60% of Singapore employees work remotely every week, and almost 50% do so for at least half the week, according to International Workplace Group (IWG).
The emergence of this mobile workforce has been driven by technological change, globalisation and changes in employee expectations, according to IWG, the parent group of leading workspace companies including Regus and Spaces.
IWG has released a study based on the insights of over 18,000 business people across 96 companies. It found that every week 70% of employees are working at least one day a week somewhere other than the office.
More than half (53%) work remotely for half of the week or more, whilst more than one in 10 (11%) people work outside of their company’s main office location five times a week.
The survey has also indicated that in Singapore, 63% of employees are working at least one day a week somewhere other than the office. Almost half (47%) work remotely for half of the week or more, whilst one in 10 (10%) people work outside of their company’s main office location five times a week.
“People from Seattle to Singapore, London to Lagos no longer need to spend so much time in a particular office,” said Mark Dixon, founder and CEO at IWG.
“We are entering the era of the mobile workforce and it is hugely exciting. Not just for individual employees, but for businesses too. This is a huge shift in the workspace landscape globally, and businesses are now looking closely at what this means for their corporate real estate portfolios.”
The study by IWG also found that Singapore businesses recognised that offering flexible working strategies to their employees provided them with significant benefits:
- Business growth (92%)
- Competitiveness (92%)
- Productivity (82%)
- Attracting and retaining top talent (81%)
- Profit maximisation (90%)
The IWG survey found that flexible working not only reduces commuting time, but enhances productivity, staff retention, job satisfaction and even creativity. This is in addition to the financial and strategic advantages that it brings for businesses.
The move to flexible workspaces reflects the changing demands and expectations of the workforce. 81% of those surveyed agree that flexible working helps them retain top talent whilst 65% are now offering this to help them recruit.
Over half (58%) agreed that offering flexible working improves job satisfaction, demonstrating the need for businesses to provide working environments suited to today’s employees to maintain a first-class workforce.
The benefits businesses are experiencing are clear: a resounding 93% said that flexible workspaces enable employees to be more productive while on the move.
