Singapore’s first Smart Work Centres (SWCs) are set to roll out their services from the second quarter of this year, giving employers the option of offering their staff more flexible work arrangements.

Conveniently located at Jurong Regional Library, Geylang East Public Library and Toa Payoh Public Library, the SWCs are designed to cater to different modes of work and provide professional facilities similar to those found in the office environment. The three pioneering SWCs, the result of a collaboration between the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the National Library Board (NLB), will offer high-speed Internet access, print and copy facilities in addition to video conferencing services.

Regus, a company that provides flexible workspaces worldwide, was selected to set up and operate the SWCs under the Smart Work Centres Call-for-Proposal which was awarded in January 2014. The public can subscribe to SWC services from the second quarter of 2014.

The SWC is aimed at encouraging employers to adopt New Ways of Work, which is an initiative developed in consultation with Employer Alliance, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress – Women’s Development Secretariat and Singapore National Employers Federation.

New Ways of Work are enabled by advancements in technology that support a mobile workforce and open up new possibilities for companies and their employees. For example, the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) has already allowed IDA and industry partners to explore innovative work arrangements such as home-based telecommuting.

For businesses, New Ways of Work offer an effective and sustainable way to manage the growth in their office space requirements and enables them to be more cost-competitive in an environment where space is limited and rental costs are rising.

Employees adopting New Ways of Work can also save costs and be more productive with less time spent commuting to and from work. This is because the SWCs are situated near homes and are conveniently accessible via public transport. They may also be able to enjoy a better work-life balance with the flexibility to meet their own family needs or personal development while still delivering a full day’s work.

“The Smart Work Centres can help businesses, especially small and medium enterprises reduce operational costs by offering work facilities that they can use on demand,” said Mr Steve Leonard, Executive Deputy Chairman, IDA.

He noted that with the deployment of the Next Gen NBN island-wide, the Smart Work Centres also offer ultra-high speed connectivity to support organisations with data or bandwidth intensive work. “All these can help to boost productivity and accelerate the growth of high-quality Singapore-based companies,” he said.