“If the company is really not taking it seriously at all, then we have no choice and will not hesitate to issue a stop-work order,” Singapore Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said at a press conference on March 31.
Her warning is aimed at firms that do not arrange telecommuting wherever possible. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) estimated, from inspections and other information, that only 40% of workers in the Central Business District were working from home.
Teo said there is “a lot of scope for us to do more, especially the private sector firms.” She told employers to let staff work from home as far as reasonably practicable. “If the nature of work can allow for work to be done from home, companies should ensure that all the employees work from home,” she added.
MOM plans to put more than 100 officers on checks of companies without flexible work arrangements, a five-fold increase on the current number. The ministry is also looking at fines and other penalties for companies that fall short of a serious effort.
Where home working is not possible
Teo accepted that some sectors, manufacturing among them, cannot easily move work to homes. Those firms should still put safe distancing measures in place for staff, including when they deal with outsiders such as customers or vendors.
She also urged staggered working hours, so employees do not all arrive and leave together. “Don’t create a situation where everyone has to arrive at the same time, take the same lifts, and create also this kind of situation where everyone has to leave at the same time and go to the bus stops at the same time,” she said.
The ministry has already acted on distancing. It has issued stop-work orders to 34 companies for failing to put safe distancing measures in place at their workplaces.
Sources
Sources
- MOM: Companies face stop-work order for not allowing telecommuting
- 129 stop-work orders issued to companies not implementing safe …
