DBS to Allow Employees to Work Remotely for up to 40% of Time

(Bloomberg) -- All employees at DBS Group Holdings Ltd. will be granted the flexibility to work remotely up to 40% of the time to address the “massive changes” brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company’s Future of Work task force found that more than four in five of its 29,000 staff were able to work seamlessly remotely, the Singapore lender said in a statement on Tuesday. However, some expressed that they preferred a hybrid work arrangement, which allowed them to stay engaged with colleagues.

The bank will also introduce a formal job-sharing scheme to give greater support to employees who need more flexibility. Under the scheme, two employees will be able to share the responsibilities of one full-time role. More part-time work arrangements will also be introduced, DBS said.

To keep up with industry changes, the bank also plans to upskill or reskill more than 7,200 of its staff, of which about 4,300 are based in Singapore. Staff will be trained in areas such as design thinking, data and analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.