Paper Title
WORK FROM HOME REALITIES: COMPARING DYNAMICS AND INSIGHTS IN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG

Abstract
As the global workplace adapts to post-pandemic realities, the movement toward working from home (WFH) continues to gain momentum, hence the need for more profound studies across cultures. Our research has examined WFH configurations in highly populated and international business centres such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Accordingly, this study presents a rich tapestry of data from 701 workers with WFH experience in Singapore and 683 in Hong Kong. Our inquiry touches on several key aspects of the WFH dynamics: First, the frequency with which employees prefer WFH and whether these arrangements are conducive to meeting their personal and professional needs. We also look at employees' well-being and level of engagement at work while focusing on work-family balance, mental health, and work engagement. This study particularly probed the support systems and barriers that would have a bearing on such WFH setups, focusing on organisational support and available resources/environment-imposed barriers. We also delve into job satisfaction and employee retention, exploring how WFH goal alignment correlates with these factors. The other core domain measured was technical self-efficacy, which assessed how the employees were equipped at home to handle technology. Incidentally, our findings suggest noticeable differences in perceptions concerning both cities, signalling the potential importance of aligning WFH arrangements with employee goals. Therefore, this study offers findings to compare and contrast the performance of WFH arrangements and the multiple essential facets of the WFH policies in both international business centres. From this, valuable insights might be derived that might assist in shaping optimal WFH policies and strategies in the future for better individual well-being and organisational achievements and a more sustainable workforce for cities of this kind. Keywords - Working from home (WFH), WFH effectiveness, Work-family balance, Job satisfaction, Organisational support, Well-being