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On the topic of tracking of employees on medical leave, the Ministry affirmed that employers should not collect personal data in order to deter employees from taking sick leave.
Over the course of last week, Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) responded to a series of parliamentary queries (PQs) on strengthening workplace support for women, tracking of employees on medical leave, and the employment of S Pass holders in the public sector.
Excerpts from the PQs, for your quick read, are as follows:
Strengthening workplace support for women
On 23 September (Tuesday), MOM responded to a PQ on whether the Government will consider introducing regulations requiring employers to provide protected time for breastfeeding mothers to pump during working hours as part of strengthening workplace support for women.
MOM shared that given the varied nature of work requirements and arrangements, the Government takes an enabling approach to support employers rather than to impose regulations, and work with tripartite partners to promote an inclusive, supportive work culture for nursing mothers.
The Ministry added a few examples in which the Government does so, such as the Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony, which specifies workplace practices that employers should implement to support employees, including providing breastfeeding-friendly work environment and flexible lactation breaks, and The Employers’ Guide to Breastfeeding at the Workplace, which provides recommendations to employers to provide lactation breaks for employees.
In addition to these initiatives, MOM highlighted that the Government has also legislated the provision of lactation facilities by building owners under the Building and Construction Authority's Code on Accessibility.
Tracking employees on medical leave
A separate PQ on 25 September (Thursday) addressed the following queries about employees on medical leave:
- Whether the Ministry assesses that the Employment Act, Personal Data Protection Act, and Workplace Fairness Act are sufficient to address instances of employers tracking employees on medical leave;
- The policy rationale for not explicitly prohibiting such practices, and
- If a legislative review has been planned to better protect employee privacy and workplace trust.
The Ministry revealed that its approach is to safeguard key employment standards in legislation, whilst encouraging employers to adopt progressive workplace practices that are mutually beneficial for employees while meeting their business needs.
"In line with this approach, the Employment Act entitles employees to paid sick leave and employers are legally required to excuse their employees from work if they are certified unfit for work by a medical practitioner, for the wellbeing of the employee and their co-workers," MOM commented.
"Employers should not undertake personal data collection in order to discourage employees from taking sick leave when ill. At the same time, employees must use sick leave responsibly, and employers can conduct investigations if they suspect potential misconduct."
MOM added that if employees have any concerns with regards to their company's employment policies, one should surface the issue with the company's grievance-handling channel or approach their union if their company is unionised, or approach the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) for further assistance.
Hiring S Pass holders in the public sector
The above aside, the Ministry also tackled a few queries on hiring S Pass holders in the public sector:
- Number of S Pass holders employed across statutory boards and Government agencies;
- Hiring practices that are in place to ensure such roles are not filled by S Pass holders when suitable local polytechnic or ITE graduates are available, and
- Whether the Ministry will publish disaggregated public sector S Pass employment data for transparency and accountability.
MOM responded that of the 154,000 public officers, roughly 550 S Pass holders (0.35%) are employed in Ministries and Statutory Boards, and take up roles that require skills that are in shortage among Singapore's local workforce.
"As the number of S Pass holders is small, further breakdown would be of limited public interest," the Ministry noted.
"The Public Service adopts the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, and fairly considers all local candidates for job positions."
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