Mindef exploring ‘work near home’ arrangement for staff with satellite offices at Chong Pang Camp, former Spring S'pore building

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) is exploring a "work near home" arrangement, where some staff may be able to work from shared offices at selected military premises near their homes.

In a form seeking personnel’s feedback, which TODAY has seen, the ministry said it would conduct a trial to set up these satellite offices at Chong Pang Camp and at the former Spring Singapore building in Bukit Merah where they may be able to access on-site systems and emails.

In response to TODAY’s queries, Mindef said on Thursday (Oct 22) that it has been supporting suitable personnel in adopting remote work arrangements.

“We have enabled secure remote work devices and virtual meetings for our staff. We are also examining more flexible options to better support our staff who cannot fully work from home for various reasons,” Mindef said.

“These include exploring a ‘work-near-home’ arrangement where shared workspaces may be set up in selected Mindef/Singapore Armed Forces premises.”

This arrangement can help improve productivity and reduce commuting time, Mindef said. It did not specify when the trial will begin.

Since the start of the circuit breaker measures in April to curb the spread of Covid-19, some military personnel, such as those in administrative roles, have been working from home.

Some national service training, such as in-camp training and basic training for recruits, was also temporarily suspended but has since resumed.

“While work-from-home (WFH) has brought about new ways of working, extended periods of WFH have implications on productivity and workplace relations,” Mindef wrote in the feedback form, which sought responses from regular staff and servicemen on the proposed satellite offices.

“However, we are unlikely to have a full return to (the) workplace in the near term.”