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As I see it | As more in Asia work from home, firms should realise there’s ‘no one-size-fits-all solution’
- The debate over flexible work arrangements is intensifying as companies go back on their pledges to establish work-from-home as a right
- Instead of pushing back, leaders can undergo training on managing remote workers, while firms should look at success stories of organisations that have embraced hybrid work
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In 2022, it seemed the debate about remote work was largely settled – or so we thought. Employers appeared understanding of workers’ need for flexibility, not to be tethered to a physical office five days a week.
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It did not appear that most employees seeking the option to work from home (WFH) desired unlimited rights to do so post-Covid. Instead, many found flexible arrangements – WFH two to three days weekly – a net positive for their productivity and mental well-being.
However, a year on, the debate not only persists in many economies but is, in fact, intensifying. This may partly be due to employers reneging on pledges to establish WFH as a right.
They are attempting to counter perceived negative impacts of remote working: attrition resulting from weaker organisational ties, challenges monitoring productivity, and concerns about feelings of exclusion and isolation. These concerns are shared by some of the biggest names in the corporate world, from Tesla’s Elon Musk to Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase. Of course, the consequent white-collar rebellion has also been forceful, to say the least.
In Australia, unions have been challenging the country’s largest bank and the federal government over WFH rights. A June survey in Japan found that nearly half of the 1,085 workers polled, aged between 20 and late 50s, did not wish to return to the office, even with the health crisis largely under control.
Reporting from the Post on Hong Kong indicates similar division in the city, with employers and employees potentially on a collision course.
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Also in these pages have been our recent deep dive on the serious impact WFH is having on office demand across Asia, from Singapore to Jakarta, and the possible knock-on effect that could cause in the broader economy.
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