Singapore’s Public Servants are being encouraged to return to the office for three out of five working days as a general guideline.
This follows an easing of COVID-19 measures, allowing up to three-quarters of an organisation’s employees who are able to work from home to return to the workplace at any one time, up from 50 per cent now.
The guideline, that came into effect this week (5 April), is part of a plan to shift towards a hybrid mode of work, instead of work from home by default, which has been in place for close to a year.
In a statement, the Public Service Division (PSD) said officers whose Agencies allowed them to work from home for more than two days a week could continue to do so even after 5 April.
“Split-team arrangements are no longer mandatory for many public officers, but may be retained for critical areas requiring safeguards for business continuity,” the statement said.
The PSD said it would also encourage staggered hours and hybrid ways of working where possible, to reduce travel on public transport during peak hours.
Public transport use is expected to rise in tandem with the return of more workers to offices.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said overall public transport ridership during 8-to-12 March was about 74 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels.
Meanwhile, the number of Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) commuters tapping out at stations in the Central Business District during the morning peak was about 40 per cent of usual levels.
In a statement, the LTA reiterated that commuters should refrain from talking and avoid taking public transport if they were unwell.
It also urged employers to stagger working hours.
There are about 153,000 Public Servants working in 16 Ministries and more than 50 Statutory Boards.
A newspaper poll of close to 2,600 people found that three out of four were reluctant to return to the office, even on a part-time basis.
Singapore, 28 March 2021
