What Singaporeans think about working from home
The government recently allowed more people to return to their workplaces. Does this mark the gradual end of WFH? What do most Singaporeans think of it anyway? We asked some of them. (Names have been changed to, well, prevent any potential conflict from erupting. ;))
Kristina, 51, admin staff: “I’m actually happy and relieved to be going back to the office! Staying at home was unbearable because of a family member. At least I don’t have to deal with him all the time now!”
Cynthia, 41, shipping coordinator: “There are pros and cons. I did a lot more overtime while working from home, so actually felt more stressed. But I also got to spend more time with my 2-year-old son.”
Alex, 45, accountant: “Working from home is far less stressful as I don’t have to deal with the daily commute and worry about making it to the office on time. Eating at home is also so much healthier.”
Nancy, 42, bank executive: “I had more work to do and put in many more hours while working from home, but at least I felt safer. I would still rather work from home as some colleagues still insist on going to the office even when sick or coughing, and I have a high-risk family member at home.”
Sarah, 48, senior project manager: “I definitely prefer working from home. My company gives us monthly lunch credits with Deliveroo, and I don’t miss having to drive all the way to the office. It’s so much more convenient. And I can perform my duties entirely from home.”
Angela, 39, public relations: “Working from home is much more convenient for me as my husband and I don’t have to drop our kids off at their grandparents’ place, and I don’t have to wake up so early to commute! I’ve also had more time to go cycling in the evenings together with the children before it gets dark.”
Jared, 27, marketing & communications: “Working from home is definitely a better setup for me. I can do my job just as efficiently from my home; there’s no real need for me to be in the office. Zoom makes meetings very convenient.”
Serene, 31, human resources: “Working from home has been tiring and stressful for me as my company expected me to put in longer hours - including some late nights - because of conference calls. I wasn’t compensated for the extra time.”
Adhil, 52, civil servant: “Not much difference for me whether I work from home or the office. The main concern is what the total number of hours put in is. I have no preference.”
Mark, 50, lecturer: “The initial setup was quite painful for me, and the learning curve was steep because I’m not a technology person, but now that I know how to use the different tools, I would say working from home is fine. But probably not all the time, because there are some things that can still only be done at the workplace.”
Jennifer, 29, subeditor: “I like that I save a lot of time and trouble not having to commute, and for that reason alone I would choose to work from home all the time if possible, although some processes can be tricky.”
Adeline, 35, chemical engineer: “Due to the nature of my job, I still have to go back to the lab some days each week. But given a choice, I would pick working from home 100% of the time as that will give me more time with my daughter who was born earlier this year.”
Marcus, 49, teacher: “At first it took some getting used to, but once I had everything set up, I think working from home is more convenient. A lot of time is saved on not having to commute. Some students may even be more attentive when lessons are conducted via Zoom!”
Sherry, 33, operations executive: “Working from home is better as I get to spend more time with my kids who are still young. My dad also doesn’t have to come over to my place to help take care of them. But if there really is a need to go to the office then I guess there’s no choice.”
A survey published back in May this year found that 9 in 10 employees here want to continue working from home to at least some degree, so it isn’t surprising that the majority of those we spoke to favoured WFH. We personally hope the WFH trend will continue even after the pandemic, as more time saved and fewer carbon emissions ultimately means happier people and a happier planet!
Photo credit: Tirachardz | Freepik