Breaking the Mould – The Rise of Remote Working in Singapore

Singapore’s widely held reputation as a fairly straight-laced, conservative society is in many respects well-deserved. Most people are well and truly familiar with the strong ethos of cleanliness and order typified by the strict rules on acts such as disposing of gum or trash on the street. The financial penalties for these infractions have led to the common quip that Singapore is a “fine” city.

The same perceptions extend to Singapore’s business culture and environment. Again, one could argue that this perception is based on relatively strong grounds in a country that has built itself into a regional and global powerhouse through dedication to hard work and rigid structures. However, as the world economy becomes more agile, innovative and flexible, Singapore is not being left behind. One of the prime examples of this is the way in which more and more Singapore companies are embracing the move towards flexible working arrangements.

Virtual Reality

While definitely not unheard of, as recently as 5 years ago, few companies were deviating from the traditional office working model for their staff. Today, around half of all Singapore companies offer some form of flexible working arrangement. This is a meteoric increase and truly highlights the enterprising and creative Singaporean business spirit. There are even some companies that are exclusively telecommuting, with no office space at all and all employees fully remote

Freed from the need to battle through snarling traffic or being crushed on the MRT, only to sit in a sterile office environment, companies such as these are creating a new and more efficient reality in which their staff are empowered to take control of their own productivity. The results speak for themselves and more and more local businesses are joining the list.

Why Remote?

There are so many important reasons why remote working is the future for many Singaporean firms. It will probably never be possible to have all employees telecommuting, however for those for whom it is feasible there are plenty of benefits:

• Remote workers are happier and more satisfied.
• Employees tend to be more content when working from home, which has been shown to give highly elevated levels of job satisfaction and employee retention.
• Empowered, trusted employees are, without doubt, happy employees. Happy employees are more focused and far more compartmentalized.
• Access to Greater Talent Pool: With geography no longer a limiting factor, companies can now draw the best talent from pretty much anywhere on the globe.
• Cost efficiency: Study after study shows that companies save significantly on rent and other office-related costs when they allow their employees to telecommute.

Don’t Take My Word For It

The benefits of remote work are so clear, that some of the world’s leading companies are encouraging more and more employees to ditch the commute. Google, Citibank, Cisco, American Express, Apple, Dell, Salesforce.com, Novartis, Lockheed Martin. These are just a few of the myriad of companies all over the world that offer telecommuting as an option for some or all of their workforce. These companies did not get to where they are by making poor decisions about how to manage their staff, so you can be sure that they have done their homework and realised the advantages that it brings to productivity and their bottom line. Basecamp, Slack, Google Hangouts, Skype, Trello, Yammer and GoToMeeting are just a few of the proliferation of tools available to ensure that remote teams can operate, collaborate and communicate effectively – In most cases even more so than if they were in the same building.

Virtual Offices for the Virtual Workforce

Servcorp virtual office solutions add another layer of possibility to the remote working landscape. At a mere fraction of the cost of a regular office, Servcorp can provide your venture with a prime address, dedicated receptionist services, boardroom and other critical business functions in a range of locations domestically and overseas. When your virtual team needs to come together, or you need to meet with clients, investors or other external stakeholders in a professional environment, it’s the perfect, cost effective way to access the advantages of an office environment before the team gets back to doing what they do best – working happily and efficiently in the other office in the cloud!