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Heart of the Matter Podcast: Would a 'right to disconnect' law work in Singapore?

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Australia is the latest country to propose legislation around the right for workers to disconnect after office hours. Changing work patterns and 24/7 availability have produced issues like burnout. But would legislation create more problems for companies or could this effect an important shift in Singapore’s work culture?

Steven Chia moderates the discussion with Raj Joshua Thomas, a lawyer and Nominated Member of Parliament, Dr Brandon Koh, an organisational psychologist at the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Dr Jaclyn Lee, chief human resources officer at Certis Group.

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The right to disconnect refers to a worker’s right to disengage from work and refrain from engaging in work-related electronic communications such as emails. (Illustration: Rafa Estrada)
Raj Joshua Thomas, Nominated Member of Parliament, who spoke against the idea of legislation:
What would it indicate to potential investors ... as to the character and the nature of our workforce? ... Will it create a culture that we will stop work at a certain point? (We have) nothing but human resources, can we afford to have that?
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Dr Brandon Koh, an organisational psychologist, who disagrees that such a law will lead to a drop in productivity:
(The right to disconnect) may change the meaning of putting in extra hours. Singapore is working hard (not) because bosses are always hard on (employees) but because people are intrinsically committed to their work.
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Dr Jaclyn Lee, the chief human resource officer for Certis, who says that rather than turning to legislation, employers should cultivate a better company culture:
(A law) can become too arbitrary and cripple productivity. The right balance is really a calibration (of the) culture of company leaders who need to have responsibility, trust, and respect. They must know how to draw boundaries.
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Jump to these key moments:

  • 1:26 What does disconnecting from work mean?
  • 4:22 Employers need to set the right culture
  • 8:21 When a law can complicate things at work
  • 17:33 Pushing for flexible work arrangements is critical

Find more episodes of Heart of the Matter here.

A new episode of Heart of the Matter drops every Friday. Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify for the latest updates.

Have a great topic for us? Drop the team an email at cnapodcasts [at] mediacorp.com.sg

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