The Straits Times: Singapore tech start-ups open up to having staff work from anywhere
The Straits Times
Published: 7 March 2022
Singapore tech start-ups open up to having staff work from anywhere
SINGAPORE – Tech start-ups are allowing staff to work from anywhere – even outside of Singapore – for up to a few months as companies seek to attract and retain talent and the pandemic changes work-life balance expectations.Permitting employees to work overseas for a short stint allows those who have families abroad to spend time with loved ones, and others to enjoy a change of scenery, said industry leaders and human resource experts.Mr Terence Zou, chief executive and founder of ride-hailing company Ryde, said: “Due to the pandemic, many of our employees were not able to go back to their homes to visit relatives and some have not been able to see family for more than a year.“We understand how incredibly volatile the Covid-19 situation is, with the ever-changing regulations and fluctuating pattern of border reopenings. With this, we became more flexible in allowing our staff to work from anywhere even if it means working from their homes in another country or at a hotel during quarantine.”Ms Deborah Woollard, chief people officer of MyRepublic, said that millennial and Gen Z workers in particular value the opportunity to travel abroad on the job, and many have been unable to do so amid the Covid-19 pandemic.She added: “This generation wants to travel particularly now, having had their wings clipped for a couple of years. They have that desire to explore the world and travel, to feel that they are empowered and trusted to balance work and other passions in their lives.”Last November, MyRepublic announced that employees will be able to work from any location for up to four weeks.A similar policy applies for all staff at tech giant Google.A survey here of 35 start-up founders and business leaders, conducted by the Action Community for Entrepreneurship in February, showed that 30 have implemented a work-from-anywhere practice.Ms Woollard said: “Giving our employees flexibility allows them to be at their best and we see this as a point of competitive advantage. Increasingly, employees will be looking for organisations that are providing open and flexible options of how work gets done.”For some employees, not being in the same country as their colleagues may be a source of anxiety, but start-up founders said measures are in place to ensure that they will not be left adrift.Ms Raena Lim, co-founder of fashion platform Style Theory, said: “We have taken steps to increase documentation, minutes and weekly written updates.“This means that even when an employee is working remotely, they’re able to be kept in the loop for important updates and conversations, at their own time.”The founders also said that corporate benefits, salary and career progression will not be compromised.Ms Lim added: ” In instances when our employees wish to move across regions, their performance, interests and aptitude will be assessed and taken into consideration to ensure that title and responsibility changes are fair.”Mr Zou said Ryde employs a corporate phone for use, and all employees are eligible for medical claims, and this does not change even if they are working overseas.However, the onus will fall upon the employee to ensure job performance remains up to par.Ms Woollard said: “You will need access to high-quality Internet and you do need to be able to maintain conducive hours to work with your teammates. If you are engaging with customers or stakeholders, you need to stay in the same time zone.”Human resource experts expect the trend of working from anywhere to continue in the near future. According to an Ernst & Young survey last March of more than 16,000 employees worldwide, including 200 in Singapore, 65 per cent of respondents born after 1980 want to work from anywhere or remotely full-time.Ms Karen Lee, director of people and strategic planning at talent recruitment platform Glints, said: “The importance of removing oneself from a work setting cannot be emphasised enough, in order to cultivate a healthy balance between work and life.“In an age where employees value well-being over potential job security, it has become increasingly important for organisations to adapt their policies to keep up with the times.”Ms Kelly Bowerbank Chua, associate director at executive search company Kerry Consulting, said: “The pandemic has definitely created a mindset shift among employers, and the trend is hence likely to continue, especially among industries that are seeing a talent crunch.”
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