IS IT LEGAL?
Mr Mark Yeo, director of law firm Fortress Law, said that companies are allowed to create their own policies for sick leave and enforce them through disciplinary measures, including termination, if workers are found to have breached medical leave guidelines.
Regarding Certis’ location-tracking policy, Ms Chan the human resource consultant said that its legality hinges on the Personal Data Protection Act and employment law.
“The key question is whether tracking an employee’s location while on sick leave is a ‘reasonable’ measure for managing the employment relationship.”
The policy can be challenged if workers feel that their privacy is unduly justified or if it is used to unfairly target or discipline employees, Ms Chan added.
HOW COMMON IS IT TO REQUIRE SICK WORKERS TO REPORT LOCATION?
The practice of requiring employees to stay home or share their live location while on medical leave is generally uncommon in Singapore, the experts said.
Ms Jaya Dass, Asia-Pacific managing director at human resources solutions agency Randstad Enterprise, said that in contrast, many companies are increasingly offering greater flexibility around paid medical leave, such as not requiring a medical certificate for one-day paid medical leave.
Mr Lee from Visier noted that some industries with critical operational requirements might have stricter attendance monitoring, but Certis’ policy appears to be an outlier.
“Generally, human resource best practices in Singapore lean towards fostering a culture of trust and accountability, rather than employing intrusive monitoring measures,” he said.
“The emphasis is typically on clear communication of leave policies and performance management.”
WHAT OTHER MEASURES CAN EMPLOYERS CONSIDER?
Rather than moving towards a “check and catch” culture, companies that are concerned about medical leave abuse should adopt more constructive alternatives, Mr Goh from the Singapore Human Resources Institute proposed.
This includes clearly communicated absenteeism guidelines and better supervisor training to identify patterns of concern without compromising dignity or privacy.
Similarly, Mr Lee said that employers should focus on strategies that promote a “high-trust, high-performance” culture.
If managers are concerned about productivity, they can focus more on monitoring performance trends and reviewing overall workload and well-being initiatives, he suggested.
“High absenteeism can sometimes be a symptom of broader issues like burnout, excessive workload or a toxic work environment,” Mr Lee added. “Addressing these root causes can be far more impactful.”
Ultimately, surveillance may drive short-term compliance, but long-term engagement comes from treating people as trusted contributors, not suspected rule-breakers, Mr Goh advised.
“At the end of the day, responsible people practice hinges on trust, accountability and empathy,” he added.
“When organisations invest in these foundations, most staff members repay that confidence many times over.”
