Employers and workers should adopt 'flexible mindset' on 4-day work week: Gan Siow Huang

bunnygal
2022-09-13

SINGAPORE: Employers and workers should adopt a "flexible mindset" on a four-day work week, Minister of State in the Manpower Ministry Gan Siow Huang said in Parliament on Tuesday (Sep 13).

She added that a four-day work week may work well for some employers and employees but not others.

A four-day work week is one of many types of flexible work arrangements, and the ministry, together with our tripartite partners, strongly encourages employers and employees to be open to flexible work arrangements in all its various forms to identify and adopt those that best suit their unique business needs and their workers' needs," Ms Gan said.

She was responding to a question from MP Melvin Yong (PAP-Radin Mas) on whether studies were being conducted by third parties to examine the feasibility of a four-day work week in Singapore.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is not aware of any ongoing studies by third parties, said Ms Gan, who added that reports of four-day work week pilots implemented in other countries appeared mixed.

These included pilot programmes in Ireland, Japan and Spain. In Belgium, employees have the right to request a four-day work week, but with daily work hours extended so that the total number of hours worked in a week remains the same, she said.

"So far, results appear to be mixed. Some of the key concerns that stakeholders have include the impact on productivity, business costs, and employee well-being," said Ms Gan

She added that while productivity improvements have been reported in some cases, this depends on the sector and job type.

"In some instances, reduced work hours have had to be compensated by hiring more labour," said Ms Gan.

"At the same time, employees are concerned that their salaries could be reduced due to fewer hours worked, while some could face increased stress when they work more hours than usual in a day to complete their work."

Mr Yong also asked if MOM intended to trial the four-day work week on a small scale among its officers or other parts of the public service.

He said this could facilitate training and upskilling as well as improve work-life balance for employees.

Ms Gan said that MOM did not intend to specify any trial or impose formulas for flexible work arrangements on the public sector, and noted the diverse needs of different sectors and job roles.

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

  • bunnygal
    2022-09-13
    bunnygal
    Source: CNA
  • MichT
    2022-09-13
    MichT
    3 days work week already tough for most of the younh couple that need to rum between work and fetching children after work from student care/childcare and also fix dinner )taobao or cook.
  • Lucky Antz
    2022-09-13
    Lucky Antz
    A good share. But may not work for everyone though. Have to consider other commitments and factors too. Those with kids, family and all. Some even working on 5-day work week have it hard to manage.
  • JaneLeon
    2022-09-13
    JaneLeon
    thanks for info
  • GerryLoh
    2022-09-13
    GerryLoh
    good sharing thanks
  • Shirleyopy
    2022-09-13
    Shirleyopy
    Good
Leave a comment
36