Singapore — Nearly one in two — 49 per cent — of the Singapore workers are considering leaving their current employer this year, according to the Microsoft  Work Trend Index.

The Index uncovered employees need continued flexible remote work, leaders out of touch with how employees are faring and high productivity masking an exhausted workfo

The report says:

“In Singapore, we recently moved from being allowed to return to the workplace, back to where working from home is once again our default. As businesses adapt to disruptive change, business leaders must recognize that long-held assumptions no longer hold with their employees. They must now make choices that will impact their organizations for years to come. Business leaders now need to dig deeper to think about shaping their culture to attract and retain talent, foster collaboration and innovation, and deliver on the extreme flexibility that employees need,” said Joanna Lim, Modern Work and Security Business Group Lead, Microsoft Singapore.

“What’s interesting is that our customers are already starting conversations with us about creating evolving hybrid workplaces, and we anticipate having more of such engagements in the coming months as we help customers to respond and thrive in a hybrid world of extreme flexibility that is built on innovation and centered on employee experiences, collaboration and security.” she continues.

The report says business leaders in Singapore should not see hybrid work like business as usual. Instead, they should lead with kindness, flexibility, and humanise work for employees.

The survey reports that more than 82 per cent of the workers want flexible remote work options to stay. However, 66 per cent are also craving more in-person time with their teams. Meanwhile, 62 per cent of business leaders are also more likely to redesign office space for hybrid work.

The workforce also feels stretched.

According to the report, 58 per cent of the workers in Singapore feel overworked and 49 per cent feel exhausted, suggesting that high productivity does not equate to a healthy workforce.

Gen Z is particularly at risk and will need to be re-energised, with 70 per cent of this generation aged 18 to 25 in Singapore saying they are merely surviving or flat-out struggling.

Microsoft suggests that leaders look more at workers’ welfare, focusing on issues such as meeting overload or weekend work. The company also encourages regular breaks to let employees refresh and disconnect, and reduce the risk of burnout.

Denise Teh is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG