About five in every six (84%) employees in Singapore feel that they are prepared for long-term remote work but face ongoing productivity challenges, although more confident that the average in Asia Pacific including Japan (81%), Dell Technologies’ inaugural Remote Work Readiness Index shows.
This study covers more than 7,000 working professionals aged at least 18 years, including 1,030 from Singapore.
The study revealed that the blurring boundary between work and personal lives was the most significant concern for employees, with 35% citing it as a top worry should remote work arrangements continue long-term. Respondents in Singapore also felt that employers could provide more resources for productivity to support them.
Less than two in every five (39%) felt that their employers were fully supportive of long-term remote work. When it comes to technology resources, nearly half (49%) felt that their employer was not doing everything they could to support effective remote working.
Additionally, only 38% felt that their employer was doing everything they could to provide them with the HR support needed to successfully work remotely.
“Employees had to pivot to a remote work arrangement overnight, and it is not surprising that they have concerns about long-term remote work,” said Eric Goh, VP and managing director for Singapore at Dell Technologies. “The good news is that employees are ready to continue working remotely, but they hope to see greater support from their employers.”
According to the research, employers have an ongoing task ahead to understand the challenges employees continue to face and to provide the necessary resources for successful long-term remote work.
In terms of technology resources, respondents said that they want employers to provide productivity equipment or tools (42%) and ensure that they have access to internal company resources (41%).
For HR support, they face challenges such as lack of in-person communication (44%), lack of team engagement initiatives and best practice training for remote working (39%), and lack of or insufficient learning and development sessions, including training for virtual tools (36%).
To successfully manage long-term remote work, more than half (51%) of respondents the employees surveyed want best practice training for remote working, learning and development sessions (46%) and team engagement initiatives (45%).
