Singapore ranked slowest in adopting new ways of working

Recent research The Modern Workplace 2018: People, Places & Technology by Condeco, has showed that while working patterns are becoming more flexible worldwide, Singapore has been the slowest to adopt new ways of working.

In the release, the workplace is shifting towards more flexible and remote working, with staff spending more time working from home, on the move or from multiple locations. In Singapore, 3% of companies don't offer flexible working at all, compared with 7% globally. However, 31% of those in Singapore said over half of their workforce works flexibly at least some of the time - lower than global standards (40%). According to the release, this might hint that flexible working has not advanced as far in Singapore as in some countries.

The research also found that the Millennials have shaped the workplace to meet their needs. That means a space that is more open plan, with fewer barriers between desks and multi-disciplinary teams working together in 'pods'.

69%  of those surveyed globally said they work in open plan, or mostly open plan, offices. This arrangement was least common in Singapore (60%), where working arrangements remain somewhat traditional, compared with other nations. On the upside, this was most common in Australia (84%).

This marks a significant change from previous generations, for example the cubicle office of Generation X or the personal offices of the Baby Boomers. The oldest members of Generation Z are now entering the workforce and they will likely move further towards flexibility, remote worker, and cross-functional teams with less hierarchy.

In the release, Peter Otto, product strategy and design director, Condeco, said: "This report demonstrates how the modern workplace is changing.”

"Flexbility and remote working are increasingly important to today's workers. Singapore has been slow to adjust to these changes and that could hold back companies that are trying to recruit the best international talent or collaborate with firms abroad,” he added.

Additionally, the research shows that the shift to flexible and remote working puts more emphasis on meetings to coordinate teams, who may be spread across a wide area but still need to be in close communication. This is highlighted by the report finding that workers are more likely to feel that there are too few meetings, rather than too many.

On that note, two-fifths of business leaders worldwide report an increase in video conference meetings, as teams coordinate over long distances. In comparison, 54% in Singapore said they had seen an increase in video conferences - almost double the figure for Australia (28%) and higher than the US (47%).

With just 12% citing the quality of meetings should be better, that sentiment was strongest in Australia (20%). Meanwhile, Germans (6%) and those in Singapore (9%) were least likely to be dissatisfied with the quality of meetings. Otto commented: "Meetings have a bad reputation as time-wasters but it's important that companies understand that this is not necessarily the case. Effective collaboration is essential for the success of every organisation.”

"To remain effective, modern companies must ensure that they commit to providing a variety of spaces to help their teams communicate and collaborate, along with a fast and efficient way to find and reserve space, at any time, on any device,” he concluded.

Lead Photo / Condeco

Infographic / Condeco