Bosses Cannot Force Employees to Take COVID-19 Vaccines; Some Firms Giving Incentives if Employees take the Vaccine

This tragic year, we’ve all had to deal with extreme changes in our lifestyle thanks to the pandemic affecting everything, and working from home is but one of those.

To some, it might be a blessing, for you no longer need to drag yourself out of bed in the wee hours of the morning just to shower, change, and travel down to the office – even waking up 10 minutes before work starts is acceptable when you’re working from home.

Yet, these new working processes may present a new set of challenges to the managers of a company who want to ensure all their employees are fit for work – and with the vaccine, some may just be hoping for everything to go back to normal.

COVID-19 Vaccines Cannot Be Forced Upon Employees – But There Are Incentives

Fret not if you’re wondering whether you’d have to take the vaccine in order to continue going to work – for experts including human resource practitioners and business associations have said that it’s very unlikely that Singaporean employees will enforce the vaccine on their workforce.

Still, many will strongly encourage employees to get vaccinated.

Just like promising a lollipop to a child when you want them to eat their vegetables, some companies will be offering incentives to their workforce to achieve this – including giving staff time off as well as support for flexible work arrangement, said vice-president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) Mr Ang Yuit.

Or even better – a trip to Japan, in the case of interior design firm Design 4 Space.

Mr Richard Yea, the company’s chief executive, hopes for his 70 employees to receive the vaccine, and plans to offer such overseas company trips which were previously reserved for top performers only to them.

“In this trade, we have to meet with home owners frequently. If our staff are vaccinated, home owners will feel more comfortable engaging and interacting with us,” he added.

Wow, what a good deal.

Mr Ang added that unless there are specific internal operational reasons, it is unlikely for most companies to be too forceful in getting their staff vaccinated.

Singapore Business Federation chief executive Ho Meng Kit also echoes these thoughts, advising company management to take the shots first as a way to lead by example.

For more things that your boss can’t force you to do, you might want to watch this video to the end (and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):

No Need To Make Vaccinations Compulsory Amidst Low Case Rate

Lest you’re unaware, the vaccine plan laid out by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 14 Dec ensured that the programme was voluntary and completely free for Singaporeans and long-term residents, with the first batch having arrived here a week later.

Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, an infectious disease expert at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that there currently isn’t a pressing need to make vaccinations compulsory in light of the low case numbers.

“It will be unfair to force individuals to trade a low risk of infection with uncertainty about the long-term side effects of Covid-19 vaccines that are yet to be fully understood,” agreed Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

Although the risk of infection in public is extremely low, the risk of vaccinating is low as well, and employees are encouraged to take it up.

“Vaccination is putting up defences against the virus. It’s not just the government’s role, but everyone plays a part. It’s only as strong as the participation from everyone… It allows us to be safe individually and for the country to have herd immunity, and for the country to open up economically,” he added.

New and Loosened Workplace Regulations In Phase 3

From 28 December, Monday, Phase 3 opened to a great amount of relief and happiness that we could now meet up with more people and get a little bit of freedom back.

Following that, restrictions on employees returning to the workplace might also be loosened soon, with more updates to come in the near future, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on 15 December.

Employees should have the right to be concerned about fellow colleagues who choose not to get vaccinated, but those who do not receive it should also not be banned from entering the office, said PeopleWorldwide Consulting managing director David Leong.

“Technically, the risk of exposure is low when safe distancing practices are observed. It’s no different from today’s reality,” he added.

Global architecture firm Gensler’s regional managing principal of Asia-Pacific and Middle East Mr David Calkins has faith that the majority of their 54 employees at the Singapore branch are open to receiving the shots.

Hoping to continue having flexibility in their work mode for much of next year even as the vaccine becomes more globally accessible, Mr Calkins thinks that “we won’t have to provide much encouragement to those of us who are in client-facing roles and those who are hoping to be going on business travel in the future to take the vaccination.”

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