SINGAPORE: A Singaporean worker sought help on social media after the company he had been working with for 6 months refused to pay for his four days of medical leave.
In a post on Reddit’s ‘Ask Singapore’ forum, the worker explained that despite meeting the requirement, he discovered he hadn’t been compensated for any of his medical leave days.
“As per the employee handbook and MOM law, I am eligible for paid MC/hospitalization leave after 3 months of continued service, even though I am under 6 months of probation,” he clarified.
The worker went on to explain that when he raised this issue with HR, they simply told him that ‘it’s common practice for employees not to get paid MC during probation.’
Unsure of how to proceed, he asked others in the Reddit community, “What should I do about this? I am considering confronting them again before raising this to MOM and quitting my job before probation.”
“Send the HR an email with screenshots from the MOM (Ministry of Manpower) website”
In the comments section, many Singaporean Redditors were puzzled by HR’s reasoning, saying that medical leave entitlement isn’t linked to probation.
They pointed out that as long as employees have completed the three months of service, they should be eligible for paid medical leave, regardless of whether they’re still on probation.
Some also urged him to escalate the matter to MOM if HR continued to dismiss his concerns.
One Redditor said, “Common red flag phrases used by HR are ‘it’s common practice.’ When doubts arise, and you receive such replies, dig into the MOM manual.
Raise the issue with MOM and prepare to leave the job, with or without backups. Nowadays, many employers are finding ways to cut costs wherever they can.”
Another commented, “Nonsense la, I was in HR. As long as [you’ve been there for] 3 months, you’re entitled to it. You can just screen grab from MOM and confront them about it.”
A third suggestion was to “Send HR an email with screenshots from the MOM website detailing your start date, MC dates, and all relevant information.
Get a black-and-white response from them saying that it is common practice to not pay for your MC, then report to MOM.”
What does MOM say?
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), sick leave entitlement is not dependent on whether an employee is on probation.
Employees are eligible for paid sick leave if the Employment Act covers them and they have worked for their employer for at least three months.
MOM also encourages employers to be “flexible” and consider offering paid sick leave even to employees who haven’t reached the three-month mark.
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)