MOM To Take Action Against Firms Offering Incentives To Workers Who Don’t Take Sick Leave

MOM To Take Enforcement Action Against Firms With Attendance-Based Incentives

Sick leave allows employees to have a proper rest whenever they’re feeling under the weather.

Yet, it appears some companies have offered attendance bonuses which place staff who take sick leave at a disadvantage.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday (28 Feb), Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said that such firms may face “enforcement action” from next year.

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Should they violate such guidelines, firms may face penalties including a suspension of Work Pass privileges.

Firms with attendance-based incentives to face penalties from 2023

Responding to a Parliamentary question by MP Louis Ng, Dr Koh said companies with incentive schemes that take into consideration employees’ use of sick leave could face “enforcement action”.

Among them is the stripping away of Work Pass privileges for guilty companies.

Come next year, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) will be engaging and advising companies to put an end to such measures.

However, should anyone continue, TAFEP will recommend for the manpower ministry (MOM) to take action.

Companies should remunerate staff fairly and objectively

Dr Koh also said that attendance-related incentive schemes go against the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP).

The guidelines require companies to remunerate staff in a fair and objective way, taking into consideration their performance and contributions.

The Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness is currently looking into the scope and design to enshrine the TGFEP into law, shared Dr Koh.

Pest controller refused swab test to avoid forfeiting incentive

The subject of such incentive schemes came to the fore after a pest control technician recently received a jail term for refusing a Covid-19 test.

According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the 60-year-old refused a swab test when he fell ill as he did not want to forfeit a $100 attendance bonus.

The following day, the pest controller went to 5 locations and a police station as part of his job.

The court sentenced him to 5 weeks’ jail on Tuesday for exposing others to the risk of Covid-19.

Hope companies will incentivise staff through other means

Sick leave is an entitlement for employees to stay home and recuperate if they’re feeling unwell.

This is especially crucial during the pandemic, due to the risk of spreading Covid-19.

We thus hope companies will find other ways to incentivise and reward employees, to avoid jeopardising personal and public health.

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Featured image by MS News.