S1E66: WFH vs WFO: Why are more companies making employees return to office?

Hybrid work arrangements were once widely seen as the future of work, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic upended the daily grind we were used to. Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests.Now, some businesses and employers appear to be changing course. Last week, the National University of Singapore raised eyebrows when it was reported that all full-time staff were required to work from the office five days a week, starting Oct 1. The move follows similar return-to-office mandates by big companies, both in Singapore and abroad, including Grab and Amazon. The discussion over where work should happen has been going on since the pandemic. However, if staff are pushing back on a full return, why do some employers still insist on moving ahead with these mandates? If returning to the office becomes a requirement, how should the workplace accommodate different work styles?In this episode of The Usual Place, I spoke with: Ives Tay, a learning and development consultant who has experience with adult education, training quality assurance and workforce development, and Nicole Chua, director in workplace consulting and People Strategy Lead in Asia-Pacific for global real estate services company JLL Highlights (click/tap above): 6:57 We can be productive in the office - and at home 9:12 WFH allows workers to break their day into focused blocks 13:52 Have the courage to speak with managers about policies 18:07 Are some ruining WFH for the rest? 19:45 Employees should be transparent about their movements 22:57 Government should address tensions over flexible work arrangements 29:31 Ensuring the WFH benefits remain 31:53 Is WFH short-changing fresh graduates? 35:27 Consequences for employers enforcing RTO measures Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected]) Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN Filmed by: Studio+65 Edited by: Eden Soh, Teo Tong Kai and Chen Junyi Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis Editorial producer: Lynda Hong Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday: Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast Feedback to: [email protected] SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX -- #tup #tuptrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.