SINGAPORE — Whenever employees at DBS Bank’s office in Marina Bay Financial Centre feel like they need to take a break from work, they can head to the 42nd floor of the building, where, tucked in a corner away from plain sight, is a “wellness space”.
SINGAPORE — Whenever employees at DBS Bank’s office in Marina Bay Financial Centre feel like taking a break from work, they can head to the 42nd floor of the building, where, tucked in a corner away from plain sight, is a “wellness space”.
He added that the space will be up until September, after which his team will work on possible improvements. “It’s okay to take a break … to slip into a different mode to recharge for a while, and then getting back to work,” he added.The “wellness space” at DBS Bank’s office in Marina Bay Financial Centre houses, among other things, sleep pods where workers can take a short nap, a reading corner with relaxing music and yoga mats in front of a window with sweeping views of the city skyline.
The changes adopted by these companies reflect a trend of how organisations are redesigning their office spaces to prepare for a future where hybrid work is a permanent fixture. from both employees and employers, who had been accustomed with the traditional work-from-office model., with many employees clamouring for hybrid work arrangements — where workers have the flexibility to work from anywhere — to be the new normal.
Today, those who work from home will not want to return to the office just to fulfill a job role that they can easily do at home. “I encourage companies not to push back and think that the good old days will come back again,” said Ms Carmen Wee, founder and chief executive officer of HR advisory services firm Carmen Wee & Associates.
His objective: To reduce the number of emails sent among themselves, and to bring the team closer through collaboration. “We needed breakaway spaces which allow for discussions which could be noisier, versus spaces which are quiet. We also needed to cater spaces for people to meet in groups of four or five, or just two people or even just for individuals."
“Last time, you would own a cubicle, but now that we have gone hybrid, all the spaces are using clean desks, and you share spaces." However, as employers learn to adapt to new working styles, employees also need to be realistic with their expectations, and communicate them clearly as well. Mr Tan noted that this learning process may not be as simple as just calling a new hire back to the office daily, because other colleagues may still be working from home.
“When it comes to bonding, there is definitely merit in meeting face-to-face, you can observe body cues, you may, due to peer pressure, pay more attention ," he said. “If you’re doing remote work… you probably need more virtual meet-ups to compensate for one physical meet-up."Employees interacting in an ideation room at DBS Bank’s office in Marina Bay Financial Centre.
Indeed, the apparent lack of boundaries between work and home had been a recurring complaint of many employees as they worked remotely during the pandemic. Many ended up being overworked as they were afraid to say “no” when asked to do office-related tasks during their personal time.Ms Kuek said that it boils down to employees letting their bosses know about the various commitments that they have, rather than depend on the discretion of the employers.
When Covid-19 struck in 2020, DBS started a future of work taskforce to understand the new normal for working.
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