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The Ministry has affirmed that it would take in feedback received from employers in designing the Guidelines, and consider how best to support employers and HR practitioners, including from SMEs.
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower has shared that the Tripartite Workgroup for the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR) is currently deliberating the scope of the Guidelines that are set to be released in 2024.
The Workgroup is also actively consulting employees, HR professionals, and employers, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
This was shared by the Ministry in response to a parliamentary query on the current progress of the preparatory work for the Guidelines, and plans for training to equip companies to implement FWAs; as well as the main challenges or issues that have been surfaced by SMEs that may prevent them from implementing FWAs.
It was revealed that MOM has received feedback that many employees emphasised the importance of recognising the very diverse needs and constraints of different types of businesses, of striking a balance between accommodating employees’ FWA requests and not compromising business operations and outcomes.
Furthermore, some SMEs have also shared that they lack dedicated HR resources and have limited manpower to implement FWAs effectively.
MOM affirmed that it would take in the feedback in designing the Guidelines and consider how best to support employers and HR practitioners, including from SMEs, and added that the Workgroup will also make recommendations on how to promote the effective and sustainable provision and utilisation of FWAs, building on existing initiatives by the Tripartite Partners.
Additionally, the Ministry noted that workshops will be run by Singapore National Employers Federation and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, and the Playbook for Hybrid Workplaces developed by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals.
Photo: 123RF
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