Post-Covid Flexible Work Arrangements and “Flexibility Penalty” from Manager Perspective in Singapore

Recent discussions on post-Covid normalization of flexible working arrangements (FWAs) have raised the issue of “flexibility penalty” — the disadvantages faced by employees who engage in such arrangements. However, there is a significant gap in literature regarding managerial perspectives on this penalty, particularly in Singapore. Using vignette survey experiment and semi-structured interviews, this study aims to examine (1) whether managers in Singapore hold negative perceptions toward workers using different types of FWAs; (2) how the potential flexibility stigma varies with workers’ gender-parenthood status; (3) whether the normalization of FWAs in organizational contexts or national policies can help mitigate the stigma.