Comprehensive Guide to Part-time Employee Entitlements. Best practices for responsible retrenchment.

In this month’s newsletter, we’ve packed it with essential updates and insights for HR professionals. This edition includes a comprehensive guide to part-time employee entitlements and best practices for responsible retrenchment.

Plus, we bring you the latest on the new NWC guidelines effective 1 December 2024 and explore the hot topic of whether tracking employees truly boosts productivity.

–

Recruitment Agency Singapore

Guide for HR: Part-Time Employee Entitlements

Definition of Part-Time Employment
A part-time employee works less than 35 hours per week under a contract of service. Part-time employees are covered by the Employment Act, except domestic workers and seamen.

Contract of Service
A part-time employee’s contract of service must include:

• Hourly basic rate of pay (before allowances).
• Hourly gross rate of pay (includes allowances).
• Number of working hours per day or week.
• Number of working days per week or month.

1. Hourly and Daily Pay Calculations
For monthly-rated part-time employees, the pay is calculated as follows:

2. Leave Entitlements
Part-time employees are entitled to leave based on their working hours:

• Annual Leave: After 3 months of service, they receive prorated annual leave based on the full-time employee’s entitlement.
• 
  
  Note: The annual leave entitlement for part-time employees is granted in hours, and there is no need to convert it to days. 
   
• Sick, maternity, paternity, and childcare leave: Part-time employees are entitled to these leaves, with pay based on their working hours.

For more information on leave, click here.
 

3. Overtime Pay
Part-time employees are eligible for overtime pay if they work beyond their normal hours. Overtime pay depends on whether the hours exceed the full-time employee’s equivalent:

• If hours exceed part-time normal hours but not full-time: Paid at the basic hourly rate.
• If hours exceed full-time normal hours: Paid at 1.5 times the hourly rate.

4. Entitlement to Paid Public Holidays
Part-time employees are entitled to paid public holidays, which are pro-rated based on their working hours compared to full-time employees.

Part-time employees can agree with their employer to encash their public holidays and include the value in their hourly gross pay. This arrangement must be clearly stated in the contract of service.

Pay for Working on a Public Holiday
If a part-time employee works on a public holiday, they are entitled to the following:

• Basic rate of pay for 1 day’s work.
• Public holiday entitlement pay.
• One day’s travel allowance (if included in the contract).

The pay varies depending on whether the public holiday falls on:

• A working day: Paid for the hours worked and the public holiday entitlement.
• A non-working day or rest day: Different calculations may apply depending on contractual agreements.

5. Entitlement to Rest Days
Part-time employees are entitled to 1 rest day per week if they work at least 5 days per week.

Employers have the discretion to determine the rest day, which can be a Sunday or any other day. If the rest day is not on a Sunday, the employer must provide a monthly roster informing the employee of the designated rest days before the start of the month.

Pay for Working on Rest Days
If a part-time employee works on their rest day, the pay depends on whether the work was requested by the employer or the employee:


Source: Part-time employment (mom.gov.sg)

hiring agency singapore

Recruitment Agency Singapor

Fair Employment Practices 2023

The Ministry of Manpower has published the Fair Employment Practices 2023 report in September 2024. Below is a summary of the key highlights from the report.

Discrimination Among Employees
Workplace discrimination has steadily declined over the years.

In 2023, 6.0% of employees reported facing discrimination, down from 8.2% in 2022, 8.5% in 2021, and 24.1% in 2018. Similarly, 23.4% of job seekers faced discrimination in 2023, a decrease from previous years.

These improvements highlight the efforts of the Ministry of Manpower and partners in promoting fair employment practices.

The proportion of employees working in companies with formal procedures to address discrimination rose from 49.6% in 2018 to 63.2% in 2023. These procedures have proven effective, particularly in reducing age discrimination, which is the most common form.

However, fewer employees sought help after experiencing discrimination in 2023 (29.3%) compared to 2022 (35.3%), mainly due to fears of workplace retaliation.

The upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation (WFL) aims to protect workers from retaliation and ensure proper grievance processes, encouraging more employees to report discrimination without fear.

Resource: Guide to Workplace Fairness for Employers

Recruitment Agency Singapore

Discrimination Among Jobseekers
In 2023, 23.4% of job seekers experienced discrimination during their job search, a slight decrease from 23.8% in 2022 and significantly lower than 42.7% in 2018. The drop reflects ongoing efforts to promote fair employment practices.

Age discrimination remained the most common form (18.1%), followed by race (5.1%) and nationality (4.8%). While most forms of discrimination declined, age and nationality discrimination rose for the first time after years of decline.

The most frequent source of discrimination came from job advertisements specifying demographic preferences (45.7%), followed by employers asking for irrelevant personal information (28.3%) and being passed over due to demographic characteristics (28.3%).

To encourage fair hiring, practices like reviewing job application forms for relevance and clearly communicating why specific information is required are recommended.

Resource:  Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices 

Full Report: Fair-Employment-Practices-Report-2023.pdf (mom.gov.sg)

Recruitment Agency Singapore

Mental Health Guidelines for Employers Coming in 2025

By the first quarter of 2025, new mental health guidelines for employers will be launched by the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council to support staff with mental health challenges.

Announced by Minister of State for Education and Manpower, Gan Siow Huang, the guidelines will focus on three key areas: Recognise, Refer, and Reintegrate.

Employers will be guided on how to identify early signs of mental health issues, refer employees to professional assistance, and reintegrate them into the workplace sensitively. The guidelines, currently open for public consultation until October 31, also address tricky topics like performance appraisals and how to handle underperforming employees with mental health conditions without discrimination.

These guidelines aim to create more empathetic and supportive workplaces, ensuring that employees recovering from mental health challenges can work productively and healthily.

Source: Mental health guidelines for employers to be launched in 2025, now open for public consultation (straitstimes.com)

Recruitment Agency Singapore

88% of Singapore Employers Acknowledge Talent Loss Due to Work-Life Boundary Issues

A recent survey by Indeed reveals that 88% of employers in Singapore recognize the risk of losing talent due to poor work-life boundaries. Despite this, 78% are hesitant to stop after-hours contact, fearing productivity loss.

Regular disruptions to personal time lead to burnout and higher turnover rates, with 46% of employees considering leaving if a “right to disconnect” policy is ignored. Employers must prioritize boundaries to retain talent and ensure employee well-being.

Source: 88% of Singapore employers acknowledge talent loss due to work-life boundary issues Singapore News (theindependent.sg)

Recruitment Agency Singapore

Recruitment Agency Singapore

Disclaimer: Please use the information provided in this newsletter at your own discretion and risk. We are not responsible for any losses incurred by users in relation to the information provided in this newsletter and we seek your understanding.