WorkPro Work-Life Grant for Flexible Work Arrangements
WorkPro Work-Life Grant for Flexible Work Arrangements provides up to $160,000 of funding and incentives for companies to offer flexible work arrangements (FWAs) for employees. The objective is to help employee better manage work and family responsibilities to achieve greater work-life balance leading to higher morale, engagement and productivity at the workplace.
WorkPro Work-Life Grant comprises 2 components which companies can apply for either one or both components stated below:
- Developmental Grant helps companies initiate steps to implement FWAs and other work-life programmes and to defray part of the implementation costs incurred.
- FWA Incentive aims to get companies to support more employees on FWAs and to sustain work-life friendly workplace.
WorkPro Work-Life Grant of up to $160,000 for Employers
It is compulsory to complete the FWA pilot before formalising the FWAs.
Organisations can claim 80% reimbursement for consultancy fees and training for engaging approved Consultant to diagnose and implement Flexible Work Arrangements and for attending training course.
Organisations can also claim up to 50% reimbursement for IT infrastructure (e.g. notebook) and selected employee support schemes (e.g. lactation room) for Flexible Work Arrangements.
Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) Supported under WorkPro Work-Life Grant (WLG)
| 1 Flexi-time |
| An arrangement in which employees can vary their working time to suit their work and personal commitments so long as they work the total hours agreed for an accounting period, usually a week or month, in the office |
| An example is providing employees with the flexibility to vary their start and end time by at least a two-hour time band i.e., employees can start work between 7 am and 9 am and end work accordingly. |
 Normal Working Hours |  Flexi-time To Work Under FWA, Work-Life Grant |
| 2 Flexi-place |
| An arrangement in which employees perform work at their choice of location other than the office, e.g. in the employees’ home etc. The employees may be required to spend certain core times or days in the office to stay in touch with developments in the organisation. |
| Telecommuting is a flexi-place arrangement in which the job is performed at a location other than the workplace using information and communication technologies. It may be on a situational or episodic basis, i.e. need-based; or core, i.e. a routine, regular and recurring basis. Some common locations in which telecommuters work include the employee’s home, smart work centres, satellite offices, the client’s office, cafes and other suitable locations where employees may work while in-between meetings instead of going back to the office. Employees whose usual work routine requires them to operate out of clients’ or customers’ offices or specific locations are not considered as telecommuting |
| For Work-Life Developmental Grant, employees need to telecommute at least 2 times a month or 6 times over the 3-month pilot implementation of Flexi-Place Work Arrangement. For FWA Incentive, employees need to telecommute at least 24 times a year to count towards the utilisation criterion |
 Mother and Baby in Home Office |  Hotdesking in Flexible Office Space |
 Employee working on computer at home |  Employee working on laptop and smartphone in cafe |
| 3 Part-time |
| Employees working less than 35 hours in a week. These include those working half-days or only some days per week. |
| Excludes employees on compressed work-week and casual or temporary staff |
| Apart from hiring part-time employees, companies must also offer this FWA to existing employees |
 Waitress Working Part-time |  Part-time Job |
Eligibility Requirements for WorkPro Work-Life Developmental Grant for Flexible Work Arrangements
- Appoint a work-life ambassador from senior management to champion a work-life friendly workplace for employees and communicate work-life policies to employees.
- Have at least one employee complete the work-life training course.
Implementation Steps for Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) Pilots under WorkPro Work-Life Developmental Grant
Your organisation is required to complete the following process steps when implementing the FWA pilots:
- Assess specific FWAs that are suitable for implementation (i.e. meet business needs)
- Conduct a needs analysis to understand employees’ work-life needs and identify suitable FWAs.
- Develop an FWA implementation plan that includes a communication plan for engaging employees.
- Send at least 1 employee/employer to complete the work-life training that includes implementing FWAs and managing employees on FWAs.
- Pilot at least 2 new FWAs or substantially enhance existing FWAs for at least 10% of total workforce, or a minimum of 5 employees, whichever is higher for at least 3 months.
- Monitor the FWAs and consult relevant stakeholders on the FWAs’ effectiveness before making any refinements e.g. post pilot survey/feedback sessions
Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) Incentive
Amount | Up to $120,000 per organisation |
Disbursement | In tranches of up to $40,000 per year over 3 years |
Computation (on yearly basis) | Based on the number of unique Singaporean employees benefitting from FWAs: · $10,000 for the first 5 Singaporean employees using FWAs regularly · $1,500 per additional Singaporean employee using FWAs regularly (i.e. from 6th Singaporean employee onwards) |
The total incentive disbursed depends on the percentage of employees using the FWAs:
| Utilisation rate for FWAs | Total incentive | Annual payment |
| At least 20% of total workforce | Up to $75,000 | Up to $25,000 |
| At least 30% of total workforce | Up to $120,000 | Up to $40,000 |
Qualifying criteria for Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) Incentive
- Employers can receive a FWA Incentive of up to $120,000 (disbursed in three tranches over 3 years) if they sustain the FWA utilisation rate among their employees.
- Have formalised HR policy on 2 or more recognised FWAs and have communicated the HR policy to all employees. To receive subsequent tranches of payouts, the company must sustain current FWA utilisation rates at the workplace.
- Half of those utilising FWAs must be Singaporean employees.
- No more than 6 in 10 employees counting towards the 20% or 30% FWA utilisation requirements can be on the same FWA type.
- The grant computation is based on the number of Singaporean employees benefitting from FWAs. Eligible companies can receive $10,000 for the first 5 Singaporean employees using FWAs regularly and an additional $1,500 per additional Singaporean employee using FWAs regularly (from the 6th Singaporean employee onwards).
Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Incentive Payment Scenarios
Please refer to Ministry of Manpower’s Work-Life Grant Booklet, website on WorkPro Work-Life Grant and Hu-Tech Consulting’s Work-Life Grant for more information on Developmental Grant for Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) and FWA Incentive.
Benefits of WorkPro Work-Life Grant Flexible Work Arrangements
| 1 Help employers attract, recruit and retain workers in tight labour market. |
| 2 Enable employers to widen their potential recruitment pool to tap on employees of different demographic profiles and work experience and become more nimble in manpower deployment |
| 3 FWAs enable employees to balance their work and personal commitments. Help employees to be more engaged and productive with increased business results and productivity for the company. The more the employees are engaged in the company and feel appreciated, nurtured and trusted, the more they go the extra mile for the company’s success. 4 Reduced healthcare costs, absenteeism and medical leave arising from burnt out. |
Who is eligible to apply for WorkPro Work-Life Grant for Flexible Work Arrangements?
| All Singapore legally registered private organisations, including companies, educational institutions, societies, non-profit organisations, etc., with bona fide operations |
| Related companies (including parent company, wholly-owned/majority-owned/ partially-owned subsidiary, associated / affiliate companies, branch or any other employer with a substantial managerial or function overlap) should submit only one application |
How to Apply for WorkPro Work-Life Grant for Flexible Work Arrangements?
Benjamin Chan has been appointed as Approved WorkPro Work-Life Consultant to provide consultancy services to all Singapore registered private organisations on Work-Life Grant Application and Implementation. He has a Master Degree in Human Resource Management and is a Senior Practising Management Consultant (SPMC) of Singapore Business Advisors and Consultants Council (SBACC).
He has more than 15 years of extensive experience in consulting and working with SMEs and Multinational Corporations in different industries, SPRING Singapore, Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), among others.
Prior to consulting Benjamin has also acquired more than 15 years of professional working experience in government statutory boards, SMEs and Multinational Corporations in several industries at strategic and operational levels in Singapore and the region.
SMEs, MNCs, educational institutions, societies and non-profit organisations are most welcome to contact Benjamin at 98382688 for assistance and advisory on WorkPro Work-Life Grant.
