Working From Home: Legal Issues and Concerns

 This article is written by Amardeep Singh Toor (Partner) and Alycia Tan Wei Wenn (Associate) (Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill) (LHAG) and was published  in September 2020. Reproduced with permission from LHAG.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has made working from home (WFH) become more commonplace than the daily commute to the office. Even with the gradual lifting of the movement restrictions in Malaysia, many employers continue to encourage WFH arrangements. There are undeniably many advantages, for employers and employees alike, in having a WFH arrangement. Employers should, however, be aware of the various legal issues and concerns that come with working remotely.

Confidentiality and cybersecurity

Confidentiality and cybersecurity are issues of paramount concern in every organisation. Leaking or disclosing confidential information constitutes a serious act of misconduct, even where it is unintended.¹   In the same vein, there are severe consequences arising from an employee’s act of providing unauthorised persons with access to company property, such as by divulging his login credentials for an internal system.² 

WFH arrangements create room for the unintended leakage or disclosure of confidential information by employees and give rise to potential cybersecurity risks. An example may be where an employee allows a family member to use his work laptop or leaves the laptop unattended while confidential documents are left open and/or easily accessible. Another possible scenario is where the employee does not use a secured Wi-Fi or a virtual private network when working on the laptop, hence leaving it vulnerable to a cyber-attack.

Considering the above situations, employers should take steps to ensure that confidential transactions, deals or documents are not in any way compromised by employees who are WFH. Documents should be stored under lock and key, especially if the employee does not live alone or if his workspace is frequented by others. Employers who provide work laptops to employees need to regulate their use to ensure that employees always keep them secure. Employers should also set out clear protocols for employees to follow in the event of a cyberattack so that employees are well-equipped to manage cybersecurity risks presented by WFH arrangements.

Health and safety

Every employer has a duty under the law to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health and welfare of all his employees at the office.³   It is relatively straightforward for employers to take such health and safety measures when their employees are working at a place under their control. Employers, however, do not have the same sway when it comes to an employee’s home.

Issues may arise should an employee sustain an injury during normal working hours while WFH. Employers may face difficulties in determining whether the injury can be classified as an “occupational” injury if the employee had sustained it while carrying out a non-work related activity. There should be clear instructions and procedures for reporting work-related injuries sustained during WFH arrangements.

Employers should also be wary that there may be a need to review existing insurance policies to ensure that their WFH arrangement does not contravene any terms and conditions of such policies.

Time management

While WFH can boost employee morale due to the obvious savings in costs and lower stress levels associated with commuting, WFH may also give rise to disciplinary concerns, especially in the aspect of time management.

WFH arrangements inevitably cause a blurring of lines between working and non-working hours. This may lead to employees working at irregular or erratic hours instead of their normal working hours. Employees may even be uncontactable during working hours, leading to unnecessary delays in completing tasks. For employees covered by the Employment Act 1955,⁴   WFH arrangements may also lead to dubious overtime claims if not properly regulated.

Employers will need to seriously consider effective steps to manage these disciplinary concerns arising from WFH arrangements. This may include the implementation of appropriate mechanisms to monitor timekeeping for employees, especially those who are entitled to overtime claims.

Assessment of probationers and performance

WFH arrangements present considerable challenges in assessing the performance of employees. This is especially so in regard to a probationer. It is trite law that employers need to provide a fair opportunity for a probationer to prove his suitability for permanent employment.⁵   In doing so, the employer would need to assess whether the probationer possesses the right skill, competence, temperament, aptitude, attitude and suitability.⁶ 

It may not be too difficult to monitor a probationer’s skill or competence while he is WFH. Without face-to-face interactions, however, employers may find it challenging to assess a probationer’s temperament and attitude having regard, inter alia, to the organisation’s corporate culture.

Employers may need to consider how they can reconfigure their employee performance management system, including yearly appraisals and performance improvement plans, to cater to WFH arrangements.

Conclusion

WFH arrangements are being increasingly accepted as part of the “new normal” and the practice appears to be here to stay as long as the global pandemic persists. With WFH being a relatively new practice among Malaysian organisations, employers may find themselves struggling to navigate through the waves of various legal issues and concerns that may come with the implementation of WFH arrangements.

It is imperative for employers to implement a written WFH policy to manage and address such issues and concerns as failure to do so can have serious implications.

Footnotes

1      Robert TI v ECM Libra Avenue Securities Sdn Bhd [2013] 1 ILR 112

2      Mohd Rosli bin Mohd Noor v Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd (Industrial Court Award No 2329 of 2019)

3      Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 [Act 514], s 15(1)

4      Employees who are covered by the Employment Act 1955 are as follows:

          (a) any person who, irrespective of his occupation, has entered into a contract of service with an employer under which his monthly wages does not exceed RM2,000 a month; or

          (b) any person who, irrespective of the amount of wages he earns in a month: (i) is engaged in manual labour; (ii) is a supervisor of employees engaged in manual labour; (iii) is engaged in the operation or maintenance of any vehicle used for transport of passengers or goods or for reward or for commercial purposes; (iv) is engaged in any capacity in any locally registered vessel but is not a certified officer; or (v) is engaged as a domestic servant.

5      Inti Iabs Sdn Bhd (Inti College Sarawak) v Frank Samuel Agong [2000] 3 ILR 204

6      Roslan Baba v Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd [2013] 3 ILR 216

 

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Beyond the movement control order: employment & HR issues

Authors: Donovan Cheah (Partner) and Zi-Han Lim (Associate) (Donovan & Ho)

www.dnh.com.my

With the movement control order (MCO) creating many novel workplace issues, many employers are still struggling to adjust to what it means to have “business as usual” during the MCO.

Once the MCO is lifted fully, workplaces will likely not be able to return to normal. The possibility of restrictions to promote social distancing to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus may become a necessity and thus, compulsory. The HR function will, therefore, play a pivotal role in balancing the welfare of employees, with the need to minimise interruptions to business operations.

As businesses look ahead, here are some employment and HR issues that employers need to consider:

          1. Implementing safety and sanitisation measures

Employers should re-evaluate their current safety measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the workplace. This include:

          • having hand sanitisers at every entrance of the Company’s premises

          • imposing a mandatory sanitisation policy for visitors

          • providing face masks

          • ensuring proper distancing in the seating arrangements for employees

          • putting up notices to remind employees of hygiene standards

          • imposing temperature checks on all visitors and employees prior to entry to the premises

          • imposing a stricter health policy such as prohibiting sick employees from working at the Company’s premises and requiring them to take sick leave, and

          • setting a travel policy to restrict non-essential business travel and to remind employees not to travel to high-risk locations even in their personal time.

          2. Remote working/work from home

The MCO has shown us that for some businesses, working in the comfort of your own house can still be productive. Employers are able to continue this even after the MCO has been lifted, or introduce a rotation policy where different departments can take alternate weeks off to work from home while the remaining ones can work in the office.

          3. Limit face-to-face meetings

The MCO has also demonstrated that many face-to-face meetings are non-essential, and businesses can still communicate with their customers and employees using technology. Employers can, therefore, limit the need for physical meetings by using software, such as Google Hangouts, Zoom, Whatsapp video calls or Facetime. This approach will also complement any work from home policy that is implemented.

          4. Security

If working from home will be considered the “new normal”, employers need to look into whether they have adequate infrastructure for cyber security to support remote working. There is an increased risk of a breach as employees may not be logged into your organisation’s network and may be using their own devices. As there is less need to meet people face-to-face, there will be a corresponding increase in the need for authentication and authorisation whenever employees are dealing with third parties, preventing attacks, such as phishing and malware. This is especially if the employees are dealing with sensitive or confidential information. As such, employers should re-evaluate whether there are any security gaps in their IT infrastructure that need to be addressed, as this is a worthwhile, long-term investment given that the way we work is now changing very rapidly.

          5. Cost-cutting measures

When the MCO is lifted in full and employees are allowed to go back to work, given the current economic climate, companies should still look into practical cost-cutting measures to ensure long-term sustainability of their operations. From an HR perspective, this could include eliminating or suspending non-essential fringe employee benefits, such as corporate gym memberships, company dinners and entertainment or lifestyle/clothing allowances. Discretionary bonuses or incentives can also be limited, reduced or removed.

          6. Reviewing HR guidelines

Given the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, HR guidelines and policies ought to be reviewed to ensure that they are adequate to support any measures that the Company intends to take and that they are also commensurate with the Company’s current financial standing and the overall economic climate.

As mentioned above, “nice to have” but not essential fringe benefits may have to be looked into especially if they are offered to employees in writing via company policy or in their contract of employment. Crucial policies that may impact the Company’s financial position and salary costs, such as retrenchment benefits, promotions, bonus and increment, must be re-looked at this juncture. Other policies that are worth updating would include IT policies/use of own devices policies, confidentiality policies and remote working/flexible working hours policies.

Preparation is the best defence against turbulent times, and thinking beyond the MCO may be crucial if a company intends to stay afloat.

(Note: For further information about our Asia Pacific Employment Law subscription, contact us at my-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Malaysia) or sg-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Singapore)).

What to do when an employee claims bullying during performance management?

Authors: Aaron Goonrey (Partner) and Isabel Hewitt (Lawyer) (Lander & Rogers)

This article was originally published in HRM Australia.

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A recent FWC case highlights the importance of good record-keeping when employees make bullying and harassment claims.

Every experienced HR practitioner knows that performance management is a useful tool for employers and employees to work collaboratively to improve an employee’s performance. 

However, in some cases, constructive feedback during a performance management process – even when delivered in a reasonable manner – can be difficult for employees to hear. So how should HR professionals and managers respond when an employee doesn’t take the news so well?

The answer to this question lies in a recent Fair Work Commission (FWC) decision involving an employee who claimed she was bullied around the same time she was placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP).

In the decision, deputy president Reg Hamilton said it would be “disappointing” and an “abuse of process” if a normalised practice arose out of employees bringing unsubstantiated bullying or other claims in response to an employer requiring someone’s performance needed improvement.

A fair reaction or an overreaction?

In this case, an employee brought an unfair dismissal application against her former employer, Berwick Waters Early Learning Centre, alleging that her decision to resign from her employment amounted to a constructive dismissal. 

She claimed the reasons for her resignation were her employer’s failure to address her allegations of bullying and harassment against the employer and “other pending matters”.

The alleged harassment included issues with her performance management and the “rough behaviour” of the centre director, who she alleged frequently yelled at her in front of other colleagues. She claimed she had no choice but to resign, as she felt the HR department did not investigate her bullying complaint. 

The employer denied the bullying allegations, claiming the employee had, “simply taken extreme exception to being brought into a procedurally fair and reasonable performance meeting”.

Interestingly, she was placed on a PIP on 1 November 2019 and brought allegations of bullying against her employer just 10 days later. In the employer’s opinion, the employee’s unsubstantiated claim of bullying and harassment made after the fact were a direct result of her objection to being taken through the performance management process. 

The employer’s records showed it raised numerous issues with the employee regarding her behaviour including lateness, health and safety issues, leaving employees and families waiting in the carpark, gossiping, not wearing the correct uniform and failing to provide daily plans. 

Ultimately on the evidence, the FWC found she was not bullied, and the employer did not act inappropriately. Accordingly, there was no constructive dismissal; the employee had just resigned, the FWC found.

In delivering the decision, the deputy president Hamilton noted that, in the context of the employee’s case, performance management discussions can be unpleasant but, “they are common and necessary, and do not constitute bullying or inappropriate conduct”. 

Key lessons for employers 

In this case, the FWC observed it is, “unfortunately easy”, to respond to performance management with counter-allegations of bullying. 

To safeguard against unsubstantiated bullying and harassment claims during performance management processes, employers should maintain best practice by keeping detailed records and notes when transitioning an employee onto a PIP.  

Should a bullying case arise from a disgruntled employee, evidence about the performance issues in question will be crucial in demonstrating the PIP was reasonable and warranted in the circumstances.

Before engaging in a performance management process, employers should consider the following questions:

• What are the performance issues being measured against?  
• Has the employee been given a reasonable opportunity to respond and improve on the performance issues?  
• Is the performance management unambiguous in terms of what is required? 

Being prepared to engage in performance management is key. This case illustrates that employers should not be apprehensive of possible claims if the reasons for performance management are genuine, appropriate and well documented.  

The reasoning in the decision of this particular case is not new. It is consistent with earlier decisions regarding performance management and counterclaims, including Amie Mac v Bank of Queensland Limited.  

In that case, the employee was placed on a PIP, in response to which she lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission for an order to stop bullying. The FWC found that placing her on the improvement plan was not unreasonable given the shortcomings in her performance, which had been brought to her attention over a long period of time.

These cases demonstrate that it’s crucial for employers to have transparent and reasonable performance management policies and processes, and accurate records of such processes that can be used to justify the performance management process for particular employees. 

(Note: For further information on workplace ethics in our Asia Pacific Employment Law and Singapore Hands on Guide - HR Manager subscriptions, contact us at sg-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Singapore)).

Emotional intelligence – valuable skill to create a harmonious workplace

By Kavitha Kesavan (Content Management Analyst)

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to be smart with emotions as it plays an essential part in fostering positive working relationships in an organization. IQ will get an employee hired, but EI is the ability to interact effectively while managing their own emotions and others’ emotions that will help someone move up the career ladder and determine success in life.  Individuals communicate better, reduce their anxiety and stress, avoid conflicts, improve relationships, empathize with others, and effectively overcome life’s challenges with high level of EI.

An interesting question and answer by Daniel Goleman is extracted from http://www.danielgoleman.info/social-skills-and-eq on social skills.

Q: Having good social skills is another component of EQ, but does that mean people who are shy or introverted don’t have as high an EQ? Again, how can one improve social skills?
Social competence takes many forms – it’s more than just being chatty. These abilities range from being able to tune into another person’s feelings and understand how they think about things, to being a great collaborator and team player, to expertise at negotiation. All these skills are learned in life. We can improve on any of them we care about, but it takes time, effort, and perseverance. It helps to have a model, someone who embodies the skill we want to improve. But we also need to practice whenever a naturally occurring opportunity arises – and it may be listening to a teenager, not just a moment at work.

Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of the best-selling book Emotional Intelligence, established the importance of EI to business leadership and defined five main qualities that make up EI.

Self-awareness 

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one’s own emotions and moods and know how this can impact ourselves, others, and our environment. Strong self-awareness means having a clear understanding of each own’s strengths and weakness and operating with humility and kindness.

Employees with low level of EI often demonstrate direct their mood swings to certain colleagues and employees with high level of EI will be able to understand their colleagues’ emotions and will be able to accept and accommodate accordingly. This may cause conflict and uneasiness in a workplace if the employees with low EI are not willing to seek ways to change their habits as it is difficult to work with such colleagues. Speaking out with a trusted people who will be able to help the employees and attending motivational courses will be to assist employees who are keen in the journey of creating a high EI workplace.

Self-regulation

Daniel Goleman said, “When emotions are running high, they certainly cannot be ignored – but they can be carefully managed. This is called self-regulation, and it’s the quality of EI that liberates us from living like hostages to our impulses.” Leaders demonstrating EI will keep their worst impulses and distressing emotions under control and remain stay calm and effective in the most challenging times, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be able to understand the stress that employees face on a daily basis in global, complex, and high-pressured work environments. An approachable leader with self-reflection will be able to retain talents at workplace as they will comfortable and motivated to work with an emotionally balanced leader and environment.

Motivation

Self-motivated people have a passion to work with extremely high standards for the quality and pursue goals with persistence. They are not solely motivated by money or titles, but find the motivation within themselves. A highly EI team will help improve productivity of the workplace tremendously as they have a personal drive to improve and achieve, committed to goals, take initiative to complete a task, and readiness to act on opportunities, and optimism and resilience.

Apart from self-motivation, EI also includes on how we motivate others in a team. People with positive energy and vibes often inspire others to be super motivated, especially during a challenging situation. This will help retaining good employees, and creating a sense of loyalty which means they are more likely to work harder for employers.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory is relevant in identifying factors essential for employee motivation. Usually a person beginning their career will be very concerned with physiological needs such as adequate wages and security needs to fulfill the basic need for food, water and shelter etc. Workplace hazards should be addressed and resolved immediately to ensure employee’s safety is guaranteed and they do not feel threatened.

Employees desire to work in an environment where they are accepted in the organization and have some interaction with others. Therefore, creating a workplace that harbors opportunities for participation and interaction with others to promote a sense of belongingness is encouraged.

The need for appreciation and respect is another important element for motivation.  A strong level of self-esteem can make you feel better and gives a boost to your confidence that can make you feel empowered and perhaps, even improve your relationships at workplace. Meaningful job title, job perks, awards, a nice office, business cards, workspace, etc. are also important to an employee’s esteem.

Self-actualized people seek fulfillment and change through individual development. Self-actualized employees have leadership traits and are always prepared for new enhancements and challenges in relation to their job and are prepared to move out of their comfort zone. Self-actualized people are humble, not disturbed by small matters and are able to accept their flaws for growth.

Empathy

Empathy is the capacity to feel compassion for others, put yourself in their shoes and have an understanding to help them in times of need. Offering a genuine response to people’s concerns and connecting with them will be able to retain talents at workplace. Allowing flexible working arrangements for employees that need to care for kids or elderly parents is an encouraged approach.

Employees are much more likely to work smoothly with a friendly face versus someone that’s cold or unapproachable. For instance, if a new co-worker is having trouble adhering to a particular workplace culture or policy, co-workers tend to assume that they are being negligent or otherwise aloof. However, chances are they require time to adapt to the new culture. Co-workers with high level of EI will give the new hire the benefit of the doubt, respect their way of getting adjusted to the new culture and make them feel comfortable in the workplace before passing judgment on their behavior in the office. Practicing patience with your co-workers is a key to demonstrate empathy.

Social skills

Social skills are the ability to interact with others that are considered as fundamental to human development (Odom et al. 1992).  Good relationships at workplace will help people to get along well with others and help to perform better at jobs as they will feel comfortable approaching their co-worker for a discussion. When you show respect for others by being polite and using good manners in the workplace, people will show respect for you. Active listening which means being fully engaged while listening to someone talk also represent a good social skill.

Gossiping is definitely NOT part of strong social skills even though gossipmongers tend to be “friendly” to get their message through to lower a colleague’s reputation in the eyes of other colleagues due to their jealousy or insecurity. Gossipmongers are indisputable cancer in the workplace.  Workplace gossip leads to attrition due to good employees leaving the company because of an unhealthy work environment. Gossiping tends to erode morale, hurt feelings and reputations, lowers productivity and creates divisiveness among employees as people take sides. A rule of thumb to identify gossips would be, “if you would not be saying that about me in my presence, then it should be avoided.” Warning or terminating a gossipmonger acts a deterrence to other employees to respect other co-workers and to keep the positive vibes ongoing.

A workplace with high EI culture encourages retention of employees, loyalty and improved work performance as a happy and healthy workplace environment is highly beneficial for employees’ productivity and profitability of organizations.

(Note: For further information on workplace ethics in our Asia Pacific Employment Law and Singapore Hands on Guide - HR Manager subscriptions, contact us at sg-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Singapore)).

COVID-19: Commendable retrenchment package by Grab Singapore

By Kavitha Kesavan (Content Management Analyst)

Ride-hailing and payments firm Grab announced that it laid off about 360 employees, or 5% of its workforce, to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. In a note to employees, CEO and co-founder Anthony Tan said that this is Grab's "last organisation-wide layoff" for 2020. COVID-19 was quoted as the “single biggest crisis to affect Grab”. Over the past few months, Grab has reviewed all costs, cut back on discretionary spending and reduced the salaries for senior management.

CEO and co-founder Anthony Tan sent out a note to employees in the morning of the day of the announcement to explain the reasons for the decision and apologised to staff. Employees were requested to be patient as leaders worked to facilitate the retrenchment exercise with a high degree of sensitivity and with utmost respect for privacy and encouraged employees to support each other. Anthony said employees can contact him directly via email if they had any questions or simply needed a listening ear, and he is glad to receive their feedback and will do his best to provide answers.

The fact that employees were told that they will receive an e-mail by 1pm on the day of the announcement is not a something to be encouraged as watching their inboxes to see if they will receive that e-mail is definitely not easy and causes anxiety. Informing affected employees about retrenchments via e-mail was regarded as insensitive. Employees were informed that they would be able to speak to their Business Managers and HR representatives personally in the days after the announcement.

However, the company offered the following commendable benefits to the affected staff:

• Severance payment of half a month for every six months of completed service.
• Enhanced separation payment, worth about 1.5 months of salary, for assistance during the     COVID-19 crisis and bonus for work done for 2020.
•  Medical insurance coverage until the end of 2020.
•  Maternity and paternity leave encashment for expecting mothers and male staff whose wife is   expecting is eligible for the benefit as of the last date of employment.
• Option to keep their laptops to support job search of employees.
• Access to sessions with a life coach and half a year’s worth of online career development tools which allows employees to continue growing in their personal and professional lives.
• Emotional support via the Grabber Assistance Program, for 3 months.
• Annual cliffs waiver for equity vesting, which allows staff to leave as shareholders
•  Encashment of unused accrued annual leave and unused GrabFlex credits under staffs’ Flexible Spending Account.

Retrenching staff should be the final option. However, if it still needs to be done, the process should be conducted with empathy, care and respect which includes sensitive communication and fair severance packages.

(Note: For further information about our Asia Pacific Employment Law and Singapore Employment Handbook Service subscription, contact us at my-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Malaysia) or sg-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Singapore).

COVID-19: a snapshot of how various countries in the Asia-Pacific help companies tackle the pandemic

Authors: Premsheila Khindria (Content Management Analyst) and               Kavitha Kesavan (Content Management Analyst)

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic which has led billions of people into lockdown. The governments of various countries are issuing numerous measures to contain the pandemic such as flexibility to work from home and reliefs for employees and businesses suffering due to the lockdown. In this article, we have briefly addressed how each of the 14 countries covered in our Asia Pacific Employment Law subscription has dealt with this situation, including measures to help employees stay employed and guidance to prevent the spread of the virus at the workplace. (Note: For further information about our Asia Pacific Employment Law subscription, contact us at my-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Malaysia) or sg-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Singapore).

Solidarity Budget - what's in it for you?

By Kavitha Kesavan (Content Management Analyst)

 Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Heng Swee Keat, announced the third round of support measures called “Solidarity Budget” which follows the Unity Budget announced on 18 February 2020 and the Resilience Budget of 26 March 2020 to help tide businesses, workers and households through the COVID-19 outbreak. Singapore will implement heightened safe-distancing measures from 7 April to 4 May 2020. An additional S$5.1b will be mobilised to see Singaporeans and businesses through this period. The following are the highlights of the speech.

Enhanced Jobs Support Scheme (JSS)

         • The Government will raise its wage subsidy for all firms to 75% of gross monthly wages, for the first S$4,600 of wages paid in April 2020, for each employee. Regardless of how much they earn, the maximum subsidy to the firms will be 75% of S$4,600 per person, which is S$3,450. In the Resilience Budget, the wage subsidy offered ranged from 25% to 75% for a few sectors (75% wage support for aviation and tourism sectors; 50% for the food services sector, and 25% for all other sectors).

         • First JSS payout will be brought forward from May 2020 to April 2020.

Self-Employed Person (SEP) Income Relief Scheme (SIRS)

         • About 100,000 SEPs will benefit from SIRS.

         • Extend SIRS to automatically include self-employed persons who also earn a small income from employment work. Self-employed persons are a very diverse group. Some are own-account workers, like taxi drivers, who engage in a trade or business but do not employ any paid workers. Others are sole proprietors, who own small businesses that have employees and a network of business relations.

         • Raise the annual value of property threshold from S$13,000 to up to S$21,000. This will include those who live in some condominiums and other private properties.

         • Eligible SEPs will receive three quarterly cash payouts of S$3,000 each in May, July and October 2020.

         • Other criteria remain unchanged.

Further measures to ease labour costs

         • Waiver of monthly Foreign Worker Levy (FWL) due in April 2020 to help firms with cash flow.

       • FWL rebate of S$750 in April 2020 from levies paid in 2020, for each Work Permit or S Pass holder.

Laws to ensure property owners pass on property tax rebate to tenants

         • A Bill will be introduced to let businesses and individuals defer certain contractual obligations such as paying rent, repaying loans or completing work for a period. The Bill will also ensure that property owners pass on the property tax rebate in full to tenants.

Rental waiver

          •  One-month rental waiver for office, commercial and agriculture tenants of government agencies

         • Stall owners in NEA hawker centres will continue to enjoy three months of rental waivers, while commercial tenants will continue to receive two months of rental waivers.

More finance support for enterprises

         • The Government’s risk share raised from 80% to 90% for EFS Trade Loan, EFS-SME Working Capital Loan and Temporary Bridging Loan Programme and applies to loans initiated from 8 April 2020 till 31 March 2021.

Cash payments for Singaporeans

         • All Singaporeans aged 21 and above will receive a one-off payout of S$600 in April 2020

         •  S$300 from enhanced Care and Support — Cash payout will be made in April 2020

         • Additional and enhanced cash amounts for all Singaporeans aged 21 and above in 2020 as per the following.

Assessable Income for YA2019	Additional + Enhanced Cash Payments	Total Cash Payment	Payment in April 2020	Payment in June 2020
Not more than $28k	$300 + $900	$1,200	$600	$600
Above $28k to $100k	$300 + $600	$900	$600	$300
>$100k  or owns more than 1 property	$300 + $300	$600	$600	−

           • The S$100 Passion Card Top-up in cash for Singaporeans aged 50 and above this year has also been brought forward to June.  
 • The S$300 payout for each parent with at least one child aged 20 and below had been brought forward to June. 

         (Note: For further information about our Asia Pacific Employment Law and Singapore Employment Handbook Service subscription, contact us at contact us at sg-sales@wolterskluwer.com (Singapore)).