Only 15% of SEA employees want to work full-time from office when restrictions ease —survey

Only 15% of employees in Southeast Asia said they would prefer to work full-time in the office once pandemic restrictions ease, the EY 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey showed.

According to SGV & Co., a Philippine member firm of the EY (formerly Ernst & Young) professional services network, the survey showed that post-COVID-19, those who did not choose the full-time office option said they would prefer to:

• work "anywhere" (32%)
• work remotely full-time (29%), or
• work in a hybrid work arrangement that would be a mix of in-office and remote working systems (23%).

The global survey was conducted in March using the responses of over 16,000 employees in 16 countries, of whom 1,037 were from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Figures

According to the survey, nine in ten employees in SEA seek flexibility on where they work while 60% said they would consider resigning without said flexibility.

Despite this, 78% of respondents said they are satisfied with their jobs while 91% said they plan to keep working in their current roles for at least a year.

Results of the survey also found that 73% said they want better technology in the office, 52% said they want companies to upgrade at-home hardware such as extra monitors and headsets while 51% said they would like reimbursement for high-speed internet and phone expenses.

Meanwhile, 67% said they would like to travel for business moderate to extensively once the pandemic is over.

According to Lisa Escaler, a workforce advisory leader for SGV, organizations must understand that the new normal has affected the concept of the workplace.

“Prior to the pandemic, the idea of a work-life balance had become a key workforce consideration for companies. But now, especially in the Philippines where employees have been forced to work from home… people’s perception of traditional workforce models and behaviors have changed drastically,” she said.

“Organizations will now need to include workforce transformation strategies in their post-pandemic planning,” she added. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News