Time to take more flexible approach to sick leave

Trust between bosses and staff is needed for an honour-based sick leave to cover all illnesses

- Ang Qing

As one of the Singaporeans who form part of the 40 per cent who have not officially caught Covid-19 (yet), I have not enjoyed the benefit that was once unheard of in most industries here before the pandemic.

By this, I mean the right to take paid sick leave without a medical certificate (MC), or honour-based sick leave.

All it took was for the Singapore Government to declare that a person who tested positive for the Covid-19 virus can take sick leave without an MC, and such uncertified medical leave became a norm. This was to ease crowding at clinics and hospitals after patients with mild or no coronavirus symptoms overwhelmed the healthcare system here.

But when the pandemic is over, if it ever is, I hope this policy continues so that employees can take paid medical leave without an MC or a positive Covid-19 test.

In Singapore, employers are legally required to let employees take paid time off when unwell under the Employment Act, Singapore’s main labour law, which came into effect in 1968. It was meant to standardise conditions of employment across occupations as well as to abolish discriminatory practices.

This is with the exception of seafarers, domestic workers and public officers who are covered by other Acts due to their work.

Under the law, if certified by a medical practitioner to be sick, a worker who is employed for at least six months is entitled to up to 14 days of sick leave annually, or a maximum of 60 days for those who are hospitalised.

More than 50 years later, there has been no change to this quota.

Feeling unwell and unable to work, however, may not always require an MC.