Working from home key factor for staff satisfaction as Google tops list

Firm recognises that staff value flexibility, clinches honour for a third straight year

- Cheow Sue-Ann

The tech industry enthusiastically embraced work-from-home and flexible work arrangements when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, so it is no surprise that sector giant Google has again been ranked as Singapore's best employer.

The firm, which has clinched the honour for the third year in a row, recognises that flexibility and the ability to control their own schedules is important to employees, and that the option for hybrid work can have a huge influence on how staff regard their employer.

The tech industry has had a challenging year or so, with mass layoffs and company closures, but Google has stuck to its hybrid work arrangements, earning wide backing from its staff, as its top ranking in the Singapore's Best Employers 2023 list attests.

Consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G) came in second, followed by financial services company Wells Fargo. Tech giant Apple and jet engine maker Rolls-Royce make up the rest of the top five, out of more than 1,700 eligible organisations across 27 industries.

Singapore's Best Employers 2023 ranks the top 250 companies and institutions with at least 200 employees.

The list, which was released on Tuesday by The Straits Times and global data firm Statista, stems from an online survey of around 17,000 employees in September and October 2022.

Companies were given a score based primarily on whether their staff members would recommend their company to a friend or family member. The top score for 2023 was 9.13 out of a maximum of 10, while the score for the 250th place was 6.97.

Statista analyst Wu Ruoh-Yiang said that there was an improvement in overall satisfaction among surveyed employees for 2023 from previous years, with 20 industries out of 27 recording higher overall scores.