SINGAPORE, Oct 25 — Regional tech firm Grab has announced that its Singapore employees will be required to work five days a week in the office starting December 2, in a shift away from hybrid work practices following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Its CEO Anthony Tan said the return to a five-day workweek aligns with the company’s mission to drive faster growth, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported yesterday.

"Increasing face-to-face collaboration will accelerate progress and enhance integration across our ecosystem and business units,” he was quoted as saying.

But Tan also reportedly assured employees that those facing urgent personal situations could request to work from home or offsite.

He said a one-month "adjustment period” will be given before the mandate begins, to enable a smoother transition.

Citing an unnamed employee, the Singapore news outlet reported that Grab had warned its Singapore staff that "there would be disciplinary action against those who don’t comply” with return-to-office mandates.

The employee also told CNA that stricter measures regarding office attendance had been implemented earlier this year.

"Since returning to the office three days a week post-Covid, we’ve seen stronger team bonds, better problem-solving, and launched several key product innovations,” an unnamed company representative told CNA in response to its queries.