‘It’s not a two-way conversation’ —Some NUS staff unhappy with new five-day work-from-office policy

SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) will require all full-time employees to work in the office five days a week starting October, effectively ending the one-day-a-week work-from-home arrangement that had been in place since the end of 2023.

An NUS spokesperson told CNA that the change was introduced gradually, with some employees returning to a full office schedule from Sept 1, before being expanded to all full-time staff from Oct 1.

“Based on Singapore Ministry of Manpower data, close to 70 per cent of companies in Singapore had returned to full office-based work arrangements by 2023. NUS too recognises the value of in-person interactions in the workplace,” the spokesperson said. The university added that it still offers flexible work arrangements, though these are designed for specific job roles.

While the university has emphasised the benefits of in-person collaboration, the new policy has drawn unease among some staff members, particularly over how it was communicated.

Some staff who spoke to CNA under the condition of anonymity said that despite the university’s regular surveys on employee well-being, concerns about the pressures of returning to the office appear to have been overlooked.

“Respecting the balance that we need as human beings and having the opportunity for open, respectful and honest dialogue, those things were all missing,” one staff member said, adding that not all departments held town halls to address the change.

Another employee, who recalled previous flexibility in work arrangements, noted the university’s emphasis on health and wellness in its internal surveys. She said her colleagues had repeatedly highlighted the importance of retaining some form of remote work.

“Why are you asking us to do all these health and wellness check-ins and surveys when… it is not a two-way conversation?” she said.

“Whether or not they are (universities) should be aspirational, they should lead the way in society … This is not a people-centric approach, it’s just a system-centric approach,” another staff member told CNA.