Nearly half, or 46%, of remote and hybrid workers in Singapore would consider leaving their jobs if employers forced them to return to the office full-time, according to research from HR services platform Employment Hero.

The research showed that 81% of Singaporean workers are keen to take on a permanent remote position while 88% of respondents would work remotely at least once per week. Meanwhile, 28% would like to work remotely every day.

‘Location fluidity’ was cited as one of the main reasons for Singaporeans to want to work remotely, with 30% of workers having moved further away from the office or taken a working holiday while working remotely. Additionally, the rise of remote work has also brought about fresh opportunities Singaporeans are keen to pursue. This was particularly prominent amongst Gen Zs who are 78% more likely to consider moving abroad. 

While 84% of employees worked remotely or in a hybrid style from 2020 and 2021, the return to a post-pandemic ‘normal’ saw 41% returning to the office full-time in 2022. Of these, 49% stated that their return was due to their employer’s directive.

Meanwhile, respondents also said that remote or hybrid work has been better for their work-life balance, mental health, quality of work, productivity, and innovation. Singaporean workers also believe that it supports diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), with 64% of workers from marginalised groups agreeing that remote work protects them from discrimination.

“With a majority of employees having returned to the office full-time, work seems to have returned to some form of ‘normalcy’ - but employers need to be wary of pushing employees back into the ‘traditional’ model of work and be mindful that talent won’t forget the positive impact working remotely or in a hybrid setting had on their mental health and work-life balance,” said Alex Hattingh, Chief People Officer at Employment Hero.

“We are in an era where employee working habits are shaping the employment landscape, Millennials and Gen Zs are driving working trends, and employers need to be willing to listen. The future of work is undoubtedly flexible; employers must adapt and engage with their workforce if they hope to successfully attract and retain great talent, or risk losing out,” Hattingh added.