Amid growing interest in the 4.5-day week system that President Lee Jae-myung has pledged, Singaporean office workers who are piloting the introduction of a four-day week system for the first time in Asia have mixed reactions. Workers who have not yet received benefits cannot hide their envy, but even those who are subject to the four-day week system say that it is difficult to take a real rest as they are not completely out of work even on holidays.
According to the Independent Singapore on the 9th, a worker who was not subject to the four-day week system posted a message asking for his opinion on the system, saying the two-day weekend was too short. The writer expressed regret, saying, “Two weekends are not enough to take a rest, do what you want to do, and take care of the housework.”
The comment that received the most sympathy from this article was, “I hope it’s a real four-day week.”
Another office worker expressed expectation, saying, “I think the balance of life will be better if the four-day week system is applied.” He said, “I spend the first day of my two-day break to relieve my fatigue from doing housework and working for five days, and I feel bad when I think about going to work on Monday when I only have a real day off on Sunday. If I take a break on Monday, I think I can really take two days off completely,” he added.
Singapore introduced a four-day work week system from December 1 last year. As a result, local workers will be able to demand a four-day workweek, expansion of telecommuting days, and adjustment of working hours without reducing salaries. However, the number of working days is differentiated by company and industry. Some industries allowed employees to adjust their work schedules.
Those who are subject to the four-day week system generally expressed satisfaction. A netizen who identified himself as a Singaporean teacher said, “I have to grade my homework on the weekend and prepare for next week’s class. I had a few Monday holidays in May, and it was great to have another day off so I could work and have my own time.”
However, the four-day week system has not been fully established. Singapore is a country famous for “work addiction,” and it is said that it is common for office workers to answer phone calls, answer e-mails, and write reports outside the company.
In an online comment, an office worker in Singapore complained, “I worked four days a week, but customers kept in touch even on my day off, so I ended up going back to five days a week.”
For this reason, Australia’s so-called “anti-contact law,” which allows office workers to ignore phone calls or e-mails related to work after work, is drawing attention. Since August last year, Australia has legally guaranteed that workers have the right not to be connected to respond to calls related to work outside of regular working hours. Workers and companies that violate the law have been fined.
Opinions on the four-day week system in Singapore are generally positive. Some surveys show that nearly half of local experts support the four-day work system. The Singapore Business Review reported that 49% of respondents said that the shorter working week would be more intensive and efficient, citing the results of a survey conducted by the job opening and job search platform Haze.
Thirty-two percent of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the current “work-life balance.” Flexible work policies are becoming a key factor in hiring decisions, with 38 percent saying they take this into account when evaluating job opportunities, and 39 percent citing it as a reason to stay at work.
The resistance to the four-day week system is also low. Only 6% of Singapore’s respondents expressed concern that they would have difficulty managing their workload due to their shortened workdays, while 10% said the four-day work week change would not make much difference because of their existing flexible schedules. About 35% said it would depend on the nature of their specific work role.
The Singapore Business Review analyzed, “Nevertheless, long-standing work culture and management practices must be greatly adjusted to widely implement the four-day week system.”
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung has pledged to make the 4.5-day week a key pledge since the presidential election, and ultimately aims to realize the four-day week. In April, he also emphasized the need for “drastic policy transformation for sustainable work-life harmony” and reaffirmed that “we will shorten the average working hours in Korea to below the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by 2030.”
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
