Freelancing and working from home has become more prevalent all around the world over the last year or two. Thousands of people are choosing to set up small companies or work independently to escape the 9 to 5 culture and to have more autonomy over where and when they work.
Many, however, are unsure of their entitlements, particularly work-from-home parents and so this article offers advice and information to those who have decided to take the leap from office bound employment and have opted to work from home.
Manage Your Own Time
Working from home has become a popular way to escape the rigours of an office or factory based job and in Singapore it comes with a range of formal and informal benefits.
In the first instance, people who spend more time working from home spend less time commuting and so have more time to spend with the family or to focus on other things. It is of course important to set up a time keeping system for when they are working, so both they and/or their employer can keep track of the hours they do work.
Many Singaporeans who work from home claim to have a much better work-life balance.
Work-Life Balance
There are a number of different ways an employee can achieve a better work-life balance and these include flexi-time, part time and teleworking. Adopting one of the options that allow a person to work from home can be beneficial to both the employee and the employer.
There are several reasons for this for example, employees tend to feel happier if they can come to an equitable arrangement and thus are more effective as workers. Also, employers can benefit from a number of grants.
Work-Life Grant
The Ministry of Manpower has a work-life grant in place and employers can use the money from the grant to help implement working from home arrangements for its employees.
There are two parts to the grant, money to develop the programme and then an incentive grant to subsidise the employee’s salary.
A Non-Discriminatory Practice
People who work from home cannot be legally discriminated against by their employer and have all the same rights as employees who are based in the workplace. For example, they can work or apply to work in any position in the company, no matter how junior or senior.
This is of course different for those who are freelance or classified as self-employed.
Employers are duty bound to consider employees who work from home for jobs at all levels. In addition, senior members of staff are just as entitled to work from home as staff who are lower down the ladder.
There are companies who specialise in helping people who are unsure of their rights as an employee. Using one of these companies to check on the employment laws and the potential benefits to be had from working from home is the best way to gain peace of mind and empowerment.
Modern technology has made it easier than ever for people to work from the comfort of their own home and therefore to be able to spend more time with their families.
All that remains for the practice to be adopted more widely is for employers and employees to recognise the benefits and to strive to reap them.
Also READ: Tips for Singapore mums to work from home!
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