Singapore Firms Make Changes To Their Office Space

SINGAPORE – Some companies in the city-state have redesigned their office space or added some features that were not present before the COVID-19 pandemic, as many staff return to their workplace in the past few months, according to a report from Today Online that was updated on Monday (29 August, SGT).

For example, DBS Bank has added features that would help its employees feel more at home. The financial firm added a “wellness space” at the 42nd floor of its office at the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC)

Tucked in a corner away from plain sight, the badminton court-sized space contains sleep pods and a reading corner, among other things.

Erwin Chong, Group Head of DBS corporate property strategy and administration, revealed that the space was opened in July as a pilot, in an attempt to make the workspace feel more like a home office.

The wellness space aims to make sure that staff, who may have been accustomed to creature comforts while working from home during the pandemic, can still enjoy similar conveniences in their workspace, he explained.

The space will be open until September. Thereafter, Chong’s team will make possible improvements to it.

Meanwhile, law firm Dentons Rodyk has renovated its office configuration to take into account some of the changes in the legal sector during the virus outbreak. In particular, it added rooms dedicated to virtual court hearings.

“We needed to have virtual hearing rooms, set up with all the computers… and it’s a new thing that we needed to do,” said Dentons Rodyk’s Chief Operating Officer & Senior Partner Loh Kia Meng.

“Now you don’t have to queue for one hour in court, just to have a 15-minute audience with the judge.

Over at property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), it is holding events that foster face-to-face interactions, which had been lacking during the pandemic.

These included providing free beers on tap every Thursday at the company’s Paya Lebar office, which has been a hit among its staff. There are also other social events like yoga, high-intensity interval training, and dance classes where workers can socialize.
“Coming into the workplace is not specifically for work, but actually recognising that there are other things that bring people together, and to make sure these things are happening,” added JLL’s Head of corporate real estate and workplace for Asia Pacific, Darren Battle.