Companies implementing staggered work hours and telecommuting will have easier access to government funds.
Firms will now need only to have staff on flexi-work arrangements for one month, instead of six, in order to qualify for the Ministry of Manpower's Work-Life Grant.
This provides $2,000 for every local worker on flexi-work, up to 35 in each company. It does not cover company officers, such as owners, shareholders and directors, listed in the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority directory.
Companies can start applying under the new parameters from April 20, with the lower requirements applying after the "circuit breaker" period ends, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Low Yen Ling yesterday.
Most workplaces - aside from those offering essential services and in key sectors - were closed for four weeks from yesterday until May 4 in order to break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus.
Firms that can operate remotely have been encouraged to do so.
Ms Low told Parliament that the Work-Life Grant can be used to buy laptops, software and related equipment for telecommuting.
"In the immediate term, adopting (flexi-work arrangements) will help companies overcome the present challenges posed by Covid-19," she said during the debate on the supplementary budget.
"In the long run, (flexi-work arrangements) will help companies ride the wave of changing workplace norms, become a more inclusive, caring and also attractive employer and, thereby, attracting better talent."
She noted that companies which had already implemented flexi-work before the crisis, such as Singtel and law firm Allen & Gledhill, were able to start their business continuity plans much faster.
She added that the ministry has improved support for redeployment programmes under the Adapt and Grow initiative to help companies position themselves for the eventual recovery.
More than 100 firms have already applied for new redeployment programmes for the tourism, aviation, retail and food services sectors. This is expected to benefit more than 2,600 workers, she said.
Travel agency Sita World Travel, for example, has two employees who will be reskilled under the new Digital Marketing Place-and-Train Programme to support the company's online platform.
Orchard Hotel has almost 50 staff on the Job Redesign Place-and-Train Programme for the hotel industry, which prepares them to take on expanded job scopes.
"Despite cost pressures, both companies decided to take a longer-term perspective by holding on to their workers and helping the workers acquire new skills," said Ms Low.
"Employers who look after their staff are well-placed to gain from their workers' loyalty in the long run, especially when the upturn comes."
