Formal request, assessment and reply
From 1 December 2024 the guidelines require a process to consider formal FWA requests by employees who completed probation, regardless of job or sector. They cover flexi-place, flexi-time and flexi-load. Informal arrangements can continue, but a formal request must follow the employer’s stated process; where none exists, use a written request with the requested arrangement, frequency/duration, reason and proposed start/end dates.
Assess requests fairly using reasonable business grounds, such as cost, adverse productivity/output or impracticability given job duties. Personal disbelief in FWAs or a blanket absence of company policy is not sufficient. Discuss alternatives where the exact request cannot work. Give a written decision within two months, with a business reason if rejecting. The right is to proper consideration, not automatic approval.
Employee and employer templates
Annex A records employee name/department, date, proposed FWA type and details, duration, reason and intended start/end. Annex B records request details, assessment, decision, reasons and alternatives, providing a consistent evidence trail. Annex C clarifies formal versus informal requests, scope and business-ground examples. Agree any changed hours, workload and salary before starting, and set review dates.
Scope and start date
Launched in April 2024 and effective from 1 December 2024, TG-FWAR replaces the 2014 advisory and 2017 standard. It governs formal flexible-work requests. Successful informal arrangements may continue, but employers should still provide a route for formal requests when needed.
Employer and employee steps
Employers should adapt HR/work processes for productive flexible work and communicate formats, templates or required information beforehand. Respond within 2 months, though agreed arrangements can start earlier. Employees should follow the published process and request/use flexibility responsibly. With no specified process, submit a written request with the date, type of flexibility, frequency and duration, reason, and start/end dates if relevant.
Resources and support
TAFEP and IHRP provide employer information, case studies, templates, sector guides, workshops and briefings; TAFEP also provides employee information. FWA-enabled digital solutions may have grant support. Refer to the official FAQs below. TAFEP advises both sides, SNEF employers, and NTUC employees, including unionised workers needing request assistance.
Tables of reasonable and unreasonable reasons
The employer’s discretion must connect to business outcomes rather than personal preference. The guidelines distinguish the examples below.
| Reason | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Significant additional cost | Potentially reasonable when supported by business assessment |
| Significant productivity/quality/customer-service loss | Potentially reasonable when tied to the requested arrangement |
| Job cannot be performed that way / no feasible coverage | Potentially reasonable based on actual duties |
| Management does not believe in FWA | Unreasonable personal opposition |
| Supervisor wants to see a consistently satisfactory employee in office | Unreasonable without business evidence |
| Tradition or fear others may also request | Unreasonable blanket rationale |
All six Annex C questions and formal-request example
1. A formal request is written and follows the stated process; an oral request is informal. The example shifts Monday–Friday 8am–5pm to 10am–7pm for school drop-off from January to December 2025. If the employer requires an HR portal, a text/email alone is not valid; without an employer process, that written request contains the required dates, frequency, duration and reason.
2. Employers need not proactively offer every FWA, but should consider formal requests. 3. A clear policy can set the submission channel, approver, available forms and usage expectations; TAFEP provides a sample. 4. Assess the business effect, not whether management approves of the employee’s personal reason.
5. Appraise employees fairly using outcomes and objective criteria; discuss any changed scope and career expectations before the arrangement. 6. An injury outside the office can qualify for WICA if arising out of and in the course of work; workers should take care and employers should provide safety education. Discuss contactability, deliverables, review dates and continuation conditions.