_Beyond Desks: Return to Office (RTO)
Last week, we hosted an intimate breakfast event at our office, exploring the current and future state of work in a hybrid world "Beyond Desks". We were thrilled to have a diverse group of occupiers in attendance, including Daniel Chia from DKSH and Andrew Ong from Continental Singapore who joined our panel discussion to share their on-the-ground experiences with their workplaces in Singapore.
What is the current state of hybrid in Singapore?
Compared to the Western hemisphere, Singapore has seen a healthy return-to-office (RTO) rate over the last six to eight months, with most companies adopting a strong preference for a hybrid strategy where most workers are present two to three days in the office per week.
However, based on an informal poll of our audience, attendees predict an 80% return to office by January 2025, with a 4-day work-from-office schedule, a further increase from the current 60% average. These insights align with recent MRT data revealing a near-complete recovery in commuter levels during the work week, further solidifying the trend towards increased office presence.
Pull vs. Push Factors
As discussed by the panelists, the biggest challenge for management has been around building and maintaining trust with employees, but rather than mandating strict RTO policies and “pushing” people to come in, the popular approach has been to empower workers to choose when to come to the office, motivated by “pull” factors such as the ability to collaborate with colleagues or engage in focused work.
In line with market data, the anecdotal experiences discussed in the panel have been to observe a mid-week “bulge”, where peak occupancy is seen between Tuesdays and Thursdays. As such, their offices must be able to handle both the peaks and troughs of the hybrid working schedule.
What does this mean for occupiers?
- When predicting the right size for your workplace, consider the predicted peaks of your office occupancy rather than the average occupancy rate.
- Hybrid work is here to stay, and will be an important strategy to attract and retain the best talent for your organisation.
- While push factors for return-to-office can work in the short-term, it’s important to understand the pull factors for your employees to come into work
Stay tuned for more insights from our series, Beyond Desks, and if you have any questions, please reach out to our Occupier Strategy & Solutions team.
Related Reading
A Comprehensive and Effective Solution for a Company's Urgent Relocation
Igniting Collaboration and Innovation at ABCDE's Transformed Office