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Assessment Instructions

1. Read the Writing Prompt
Carefully review the writing prompt provided.

2. Complete the Synthesis Grid
Complete the synthesis grid during class.
If time permits, you may begin working on your drafts.

3. Formatting Requirements
Use the provided template for your draft and final submissions, which should be in Microsoft Word Document format (not PDF, Text or Pages).
Please use 12-point Calibri / Arial font with double-spaced lines.

4. Word Count
Please include the final word count of your writing in the space indicated in the template. There is no mark deduction penalty for exceeding the word limit, but content beyond 10% above the word limit will not be considered for marking.

5. AI Declaration
Please complete and submit the AI Declaration Form before submitting your final piece of writing.

6. File Naming
Please edit the file name of the template to reflect your name and Section Group. For example, Capybara Tan_SG13_Synthesis

7. Draft Submission
Submit your draft paragraph writing to the Canvas draft submission portal before your consultation. Please upload it with ample time for your tutor to review it beforehand. You can check your similarity score on Turnitin.

8. Final Submission
Upload the FINAL version of your work to the Canvas final submission portal by the deadline, which is 11:59pm on the day of your Week 13 tutorial.
Late submissions within 48 hours will incur a 10% penalty, and submissions beyond 48 hours late will not be accepted, barring extenuating circumstances. Please reach out to NUS IT Care and your tutor if you encounter any technical issues; keep a screenshot of any error messages.

Tutorial group(s)	Deadline
G01, G02	Tue, 14 Apr 2026, 11:59pm
G03	Wed, 15 Apr 2026, 11:59pm
G04	Fri, 17 Apr 2026, 11:59pm

Writing Prompt

You and your classmates have been invited by the NUS Global Affairs Research Cluster to submit an academic essay discussing the feasibility of a “4-day work week” model in Singapore, which will be featured in a current affairs publication. You are tasked with exploring the benefits and challenges of a shortened work week.

Read the provided sources and synthesise the information you have gathered. Identify common themes and trends that emerge across the sources, and write a synthesis. The introductory paragraph has been written for you. You should:

· Write two body paragraphs of about 450 words

· Use information from at least two of the given sources

· Discuss the feasibility with respect to employee and/or employer perspectives

The Potential of 4-day Work Weeks in Singapore

The global discourse surrounding work productivity has undergone a shift towards the "well-being economy," characterised by the rising popularity of work models such as hybrid and flexible work arrangements, and the four-day work week. In particular, the idea of a four-day work week has seen increasing support by international pilot studies suggesting that this model can significantly increase work-life balance, reduce burnout and enhance job satisfaction for employees (Abrams, 2025; Seow, 2024). However, things may be “easier said than done” in Singapore’s context, with contradicting views on the feasibility of this model. While a Robert Walters poll indicated that nearly 70% of Singaporean employers thought it may be feasible (Seow, 2024), another survey by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) found that 95% of employers are currently unwilling to implement it, citing concerns over operational demands and potential increases in manpower costs (Salim, 2024). This essay will examine the feasibility of the 4-day work week in Singapore by analysing these conflicting sentiments in terms of both employee and employer aspects.

Adapted from: Zalizan, T. (2023, Sep 25). The Big Read: Is 4 the new 5? Clamour for 4-day work week but it may not be viable for all. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/big-read/big-read-4-day-work-week-work-life-balance-career-manpower-3793536

The Big Read: Is 4 the new 5? Clamour for 4-day work week but it may not be viable for all

Taufiq Zalizan

25 Sep 2023 06:00AM(Updated: 05 Nov 2025 05:36PM)

SINGAPORE: While other employees dive straight into work right after a weekend respite, Ms Nabilah Awang spends her Monday mornings exercising, settling some house chores or “just recharging” herself. Such luxury is made possible by her employer, a commodity price reporting agency, which has implemented a 4.5-day work week, giving her time off from work every Monday morning. “I know it's just some time in the day but those few hours really make a difference when you juggle work and caring for two children,” said the 30-year-old reporter who has two children aged two and one. “Now I don’t get that dreaded feeling on Sunday evening thinking about work the next day … Overall as a mother and an employee, I feel recharged for the week.”

But some who have tried four-day work weeks said work performance and productivity were affected while others added that such arrangements are not practical for their industry.

Mr Anand George, a partner at a law firm, said that in litigation, timelines are set by the court, resulting in a “trickle-down effect”. Developments in a case may occasionally crop up that necessitate urgent actions, he added. “The pace at which the work has to be carried out is not always in the hands of law firms.” Mr Anand added that while he could not speak for his firm, his personal view is that implementing a four-day week in his line of work is impractical.

For Mr Aminurrashid Hasnordin, his 10-month experiment with a four-day work week from mid-2020 yielded mixed results. “My team took less MC (medical leave). Maybe because they feel guilty missing any more work day since the work week was already short,” the chef and co-founder of food & beverage (F&B) business The Social Outcast said in jest. However, he saw his workers’ productivity drop somewhat as they either felt less rested if given staggered days off, or they would make mistakes, which “always happened when a worker comes back from the long weekend”. The entire team then sat down to discuss the issue and agreed to return to a five-day work week arrangement around mid-2021.

Last year, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and its partners “strongly encourage employers and employees to be open to flexible work arrangements” to best meet their respective needs, including a four-day work week. While the MOM had no plans to conduct four-day work week trials here, Ms Gan noted that results from pilots implemented in other countries appeared mixed.

Surveys, including one conducted by TODAY on youths, had shown a growing demand in Singapore for a shorter work week. The interest in such a work arrangement was not without caveats though, with some polls showing that workers were concerned about the manner of its implementation.

Mr Gabriel Nam, a partner at headhunter firm Page Executive, told TODAY this week: “Four-day or 4.5-day work week in theory is always a good and popular thing to do but in reality … it is more complicated than that and there will be a lot of practical and business considerations behind it.” Such considerations may include costs, lack of manpower and operational complexities in dealing with external partners or clients who expect continuous service beyond four days. He cited as an example how smaller companies in service industries would find it hard to adopt a four-day work week without potentially losing productivity and competitiveness.

Agreeing, Mr Samir Bedi of professional services firm EY added: “Moving to a four-day work week does bring concerns over the perceived loss of productivity.”

These concerns could indicate that some companies may be more suited than others to implement shorter work weeks, said business and human resource experts.

‘YES’ TO SHORTER WEEK BUT CONCERNS REMAIN

Various polls in recent years indicated a strong interest in a four-day work week, though some surveys found that employees did have some apprehensions about the arrangement.

· Three in four respondents of an online survey in June 2022 by recruitment firm Reeracoen said they prefer a four-day work week (of 10 hours each day) to the usual five-day work week (of 8 hours each)

· Two-thirds of 1,000 respondents aged between 18 and 35 polled by TODAY in September last year agreed or strongly agreed to Singapore moving to a four-day work week, even if it meant working more hours each work day

· A separate survey of 1,000 workers here that same month by market research firm Milieu Insight found that 37 per cent wanted a four-day work week “very much”, while another 44 per cent said they “want it, but have a few concerns”

Among the top concerns respondents of the Milieu Insight survey had were urgent tasks or work correspondences spilling into the non-working day, potential salary cuts or the stress of longer work days.

In a more recent poll conducted in March and April, Milieu Insight found eight in 10 workers in Singapore to be very supportive or somewhat supportive of their company participating in a four-day work week trial. Asked about the possible negative impacts that they believed such a shortened work schedule could bring, the respondents picked lower wages (39 per cent), burnt-out workers (27 per cent) and weaker office culture (25 per cent). One in four (26 per cent) of them thought there would not be any negative implications.

Young employees working regular five-day weeks told TODAY recently that they largely welcome the notion of a shorter work week. However, given that they already frequently work beyond their official hours to complete their tasks, they dread having to stretch their work days even longer to make up for the lost fifth weekday.

MOM data showed that actual hours worked per week had declined marginally from an average of 44.7 in 2017 to 44.3 in 2022 – but they still remained above the global standard 40-hour week.

A data analyst at a bank here, who wanted to be known only as Mr Goh, noted that dividing 40 hours in a four-day week would end up with an 11-hour work day including lunch. “For example, 8am to 7pm — that’s a bit extreme for a day of work that is not factoring in commute timings as well,” he said.

One civil servant, who wanted to be known only as Ms Goh, noted how the work of an entity in the public service is usually linked to or to support the function of other government-related organisations. “These entities may already have fixed operating days, so with the reduction of work days, they might be getting the short end of the stick since your support for them will be reduced,” she said.

At public relations company Mad Hat, its employees enjoy a four-day work week on the last week of each month. However, as with all PR agency firms, there is still an element of extended work hours, which sometimes spill into the designated long weekend, due to client-stipulated deadlines. Senior account manager Krisha Ramos acknowledged that spillover work is a given in the industry, and it does not diminish the joy she derives from the long weekends. “In the event that there's work needed on a Friday, it just means that I can clear that on my time and target without distraction or interruptions (as opposed to having an official workday Friday),” said the 29-year old, who has eight years’ experience in the industry. The “spontaneous long weekend getaways on a regular basis” and extra time for her to pursue her hobbies have allowed her to achieve better work-life balance, she said.

SOME SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDIES BUT NO GLOBAL NORM

While much of the conversation surrounding a shorter work week and better work-life balance could be traced back to the COVID-19 disruption which began in early 2020, Microsoft Japan was one notable company already experimenting with the four-day work before the pandemic. It ran a one-month trial by giving its employees long weekends in August 2019 and reported a 40 per cent jump in productivity, despite the cut in work hours from 40 to 32.

Panasonic, another multinational headquartered in workaholic Japan, introduced an optional four-day work week in early 2022.

Elsewhere, 4 Day Work Week Global, a non-profit based in the United Kingdom advocating for the implementation of four-day work weeks, has reported largely positive results from companies participating in trials that it has helped to organise since last year. In February, the organisation reported 56 of 61 companies in the UK that piloted the shortened work schedule from June to December 2022 decided to continue with the practice, with 18 of the companies making it a permanent policy. Employees reported improvements in their overall well-being, including mental and physical health. Meanwhile, employers benefited from a decline in worker absenteeism and turnover rates and a stable revenue despite the cut in total work hours.

Such pilots have since been expanded to companies in other countries, with largely positive results. According to 4 Day Week Global, the participating companies had implemented different methods of working time reduction with one objective in mind: “Meaningful” reduction in work time for employees with no pay cut.

Besides the straightforward long weekend arrangement in some companies, staff at other firms take the additional day off in a staggered manner to ensure the company’s services continue over five weekdays. Other businesses, such as restaurants, may require their staff to work longer hours for certain periods but compensate for it by giving them shorter working hours during the lull season, resulting in an average 32-hour work week overall.

In Singapore, business, human resource and labour experts told TODAY that it might be challenging to shorten work days in a similar manner here, at least in the near future.

Adapted from: nalaEmployment, (2024, May 21). 4-Day Work Week Success in Singapore Firms. https://www.nalaemployment.com/blog/4-day-work-week-success-in-singapore-firms/

4-Day Work Week Success in Singapore Firms

The idea behind the 4-day work week arrangement was simple – reduce the standard five days of work to four days, without reducing the employees’ pay. This would give them an extra day off every week, allowing them to rejuvenate and recharge.

Excited about the potential benefits, the management at Innovate Solutions (a tech company in Singapore) implemented the 4-day work week arrangement. They communicated the changes to their employees, explaining the goal of improving work-life balance and reducing stress levels. The employees were thrilled with the news, looking forward to the much-needed extra day off.

As the weeks went by, the positive impact of the 4-day work week arrangement became evident. Employees reported feeling more energized and motivated, leading to a significant boost in productivity. With reduced stress levels, team members were able to think more clearly, make better decisions, and work more efficiently.

Additionally, the extra day off allowed employees to focus on personal commitments, hobbies, and spending quality time with loved ones. This newfound work-life balance led to increased employee satisfaction and improved morale within the company.

Not only were the employees benefitting from the 4-day work week arrangement, but Innovate Solutions also saw positive outcomes. With a more motivated and efficient workforce, projects were completed faster and with greater accuracy. The reduced burnout levels resulted in fewer sick days and increased job satisfaction.

Realizing the success of the 4-day work week arrangement, Innovate Solutions became a shining example for other Singaporean firms. More companies began to adopt similar flexible working arrangements, promoting employee well-being and improving overall work efficiency.

The Effectiveness of a 4-Day Work Week Arrangement

One of the key advantages of the 4-day work week is improved productivity. By condensing the standard 40-hour workweek into four days, employees often experience heightened focus and motivation. This condensed schedule allows for longer periods of uninterrupted work, enabling individuals to accomplish tasks more efficiently. As a result, companies can see an increase in overall output and productivity.

Beyond productivity gains, the 4-day work week offers a range of benefits for both employees and employers. One notable advantage is the improvement in work-life balance. With an extra day off, individuals have more time to dedicate to personal commitments, fostering a healthier work-life integration. This enhanced balance can lead to reduced stress levels and increased job satisfaction, ultimately contributing to higher employee engagement and retention.

Adapted from: Salim, S. (2024, Nov 02). 95% of employers in Singapore say no to implementing 4-day work week now: Survey. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/business/quah-ting-wen-when-shell-stop-competing-and-the-infinite-mindset

95% of employers in Singapore say no to implementing 4-day work week now: Survey

Sharon Salim

Published Nov 01, 2024, 06:19 PM

Updated Nov 02, 2024, 12:06 AM

SINGAPORE – Bosses here are overwhelmingly against implementing a four-day working week, according to a new survey.

The survey found that only 5 per cent out of the 330 employers polled said they would instigate a four-day week, noting that it would improve employee well-being and job satisfaction. 79 per cent said they would not implement a four-day working week, while 16 per cent said they would not implement it, but would consider doing so.

“A small handful of employers, mainly from the information and communications, general and support services, and finance industries had respectively indicated that they will do so,” said a spokesperson for the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), which commissioned the survey.

The federation said a four-day working week involves employees working eight or nine hours a day – up to 36 hours a week – while receiving the same compensation as they would for a typical five-day working week, which usually entails staff working up to 44 hours.

A SNEF spokesperson said its survey reflected a broad cross section of the workforce, with participating employers coming from a diverse array of industries, including retail, real estate and building services, professional services, food and beverage, general manufacturing, electronics, and transport and logistics.

Employers who were not keen on a four-day working week cited concerns about the operational feasibility and implications that may not align with their business needs, such as running a 24-hour operation. Other reasons included being unable to raise productivity to offset reduction in capacity and higher costs due to extra manpower needed to plug the gaps.

“These results reflect the realities many employers face in today’s tight labour market and competitive business environment,” said SNEF executive director Sim Gim Guan.

“While a small proportion of employers are in favour of implementing a four-day work week, our findings indicate that, for most employers, the operational feasibility and economic implications make it a challenging proposition.”

Global public relations firm Grayling, which has an office in Singapore, has piloted a 4½-day working week for Singapore employees since August 2023. Staff with more than one year of service have Friday afternoons off. Singapore managing director Danny Tan said the firm has been encouraged by how the employees have responded to the initiative. He said the firm has seen a 20 per cent drop in the number of sick leave days taken, and lower levels of overall turnover. For instance, he said one employee left in the past 15 months, compared with the industry norm of 20 per cent to 30 per cent.

“From a business perspective, we have grown revenues and improved profitability compared with 2023. The team was also recognised with multiple public relations industry awards – one of the indicators that we have continued to produce creative, impactful work,” Mr Tan added.

But implementing a shorter working week is not without its challenges. Mr Tan said, initially, some staff had found it more stressful to complete the same amount of work. As a result, some employees would sometimes choose to forgo the extra half day off to maintain their output while also managing their mental well-being.

“The realities of working in communications also meant that some consultants were unable to utilise the time off due to a pressing deadline, work event or crisis situation. On balance, consultants reported being able to enjoy the extra time off about 66 per cent of the time,” said Mr Tan.