FULL DISCLOSURE

APAC’s workforce has new expectations

While we've reported on FULL DISCLOSURE before, this article provides an APAC angle, detailing the trend’s anatomy, why it's relevant across the region, which brands are driving the movement, and of course, your key takeaway.

Our full 2023 APAC Trend Report features nine trends and dozens of innovations specific to Asia Pacific. The report is exclusively available to members of Amplify, our Trend Intelligence Platform.

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When just 38% of employees in Asia Pacific say their expectations are met at work, there’s an opportunity for brands to close the growing gap between what workers want and what employers are offering. In 2023, in spite of turbulence, skilled APAC workers who know their worth — and value their mental wellbeing — will continue to push for more information about workplace practices, WFH options, salary and career progression before they sign on the dotted line.

To attract and retain talent, brands need to practice upfront transparency. Are you in?

Why now?

WORKPLACE BELONGING
There’s a disconnect between APAC employees’ needs and what organizations offer, which is signaled by stats: 43% of employees feel like they belong in their workplace and 71% have considered a major career change last year. Job insecurity is also a huge issue: just 12% of workers in India and Singapore feel that their job or industry is secure. Beyond that, work-life balance, workforce diversity and upskilling are on workers’ minds. And let’s not forget pay: 76% of workers would consider looking for a new job if they discovered there was an unfair gender pay gap at their company.

OVER OVERWORK
Whether it’s lying flat, letting it rot or anti-996 movements, workers across the region are rejecting overwork culture. These sentiments have been building for years but were accelerated by the pandemic and the recent economic downturn, with both prompting many to reassess their priorities. The broader picture? The destigmatization of burnout and other work-related mental health issues. Although people in China and Japan are still dying from overwork, the tide is shifting. Under intense public scrutiny, companies including ByteDance, Alibaba and Microsoft Japan are (finally!) improving staff working conditions by shortening work hours and enhancing benefits. Where they lead, others will follow.

SoftGrid Computers

Indian tech firm forces staff to go home on time

As of February 2023, SoftGrid Computers's 40 employees get a daily notification to log off 10 minutes before their shift ends. At 7 pm, their computers automatically shut down. Shweta Shukla, CEO and co-founder of SoftGrid — a tech start-up based in Indore city in Madhya Pradesh state — says that the notification was part of the company's efforts to help employees enjoy a better work-life balance.

Leshi

Chinese video-streaming company gives staff a short workweek

Leshi — a video-streaming company founded in 2011 that's been called China’s Netflix — offers its employees a 4.5-day workweek. In a note distributed in January 2023, Leshi revealed plans to introduce half-day Wednesdays for all staff, allowing them to enjoy a flexible schedule and take extra time off as long as they work five consecutive hours on the day. The policy has no strings attached: workers don’t have to present an efficiency plan to complete five days’ work in a shortened week, and will still be on full pay.

Malaysian Pay Gap

Popular pay gap Instagram account creates Discord community

In February 2022 the popular Instagram account Malaysian Pay Gap set up a Discord community where members can discuss issues within their respective industries, find new jobs and share success stories. The social media account, which hit 225K followers in July 2023, is dedicated to exposing unfair pay practices and improving the salaries of Malaysian people. As well as highlighting sub-par employer practices, it also celebrates companies that treat their employees well.

Your key takeaways

SoftGrid Computers’ low-cost solution is easy to reproduce and its pop-up messages and automatic shutdown reminders are small measures that could have an outsized impact on employee wellbeing (and retention rates). What can you do to nudge employees towards a better work-life balance? Bonus points for playful and surprising missives that are more likely to cut through the noise.
While 4.5 isn’t quite the same as the increasingly popular 4-day workweek, it’s still a great start, especially in APAC’s tech industry where overworking is the norm. Could your company consider pioneering unconventional work conditions that improve employee wellbeing and attract new talent?
Brands increasingly find themselves in a GLASS BOX, with employees able to connect with each other and amplify almost any issue via social media or public forums. But ultimately this isn’t about brand-bashing; it’s about combatting unfairness and discrimination in the workplace. In 2023 and beyond, it’s time to work with employees, not against them.

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