As rules regarding work arrangements constantly change in the pandemic, it’s understandable that some firms may struggle to adjust. Unfortunately, some seem to have gotten into trouble lately, as the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported at least 640 complaints monthly about Covid-19 Safe Management Measure (SMM) breaches.
As it stands, the current workplace guidelines dictate that work-from-home (WFH) is the default until 24 Oct.
According to Channel News Asia (CNA), MOM had received approximately 640 complaints about SMM breaches monthly from Jan to Sep 2021.
Though they deem this number relatively stable, there have reportedly been spikes whenever the authorities tighten measures.
CNA also noted that between May and July, MOM received 3,500 such complaints.
They attributed the significant increase to the implementation of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) sometime in May.
Perhaps in hopes of curbing the frequency of such breaches, MOM shared some steps employees can take.
They told CNA that employees should first clarify their concerns about the appropriate implementation of SMMs with their employers.
Otherwise, they can anonymously submit a report through the MOM website.
Back in May, MOM had also announced that it had fined 11 companies for failing to ensure employees stick to WFH by default.
They thus warned that failure to adhere properly to SMMs can incur a fine or an order to cease operations.
Even if you’re confined in the workplace and away from public scrutiny, firms need to strictly adhere to SMMs to prevent virus transmissions among workers.
Breached measures unchecked by the authorities still pose a risk all the same, and although it may be tiring to follow these rules, the greater danger is still out there and needs to be treated accordingly.
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Featured image by MS News.
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