Rules on Off-In-Lieu
- My Paper (25 March 2008) : Rules on Off-In-Lieu
- My Paper (17 March 2008) : No rule on off-in-lieu for holiday on rest day
Rules on Off-In-Lieu
- My Paper, 25 March 2008
Please refer to the letter by Ms Karen Lee Lian Yeng “No rule on off-in-lieu for holiday on rest day” (My Paper, 17 March).
For an employee on a 5-day work week, Saturday would be considered as a day off and Sunday, a rest day. Under the Employment Act, if a public holiday falls on a day off, an employee is entitled to one day off-in-lieu or be given one extra day's pay. If the public holiday falls on a rest day, the law provides that the working day following the rest day will be a paid public holiday.
No rule on off-in-lieu for holiday on rest day
- My Paper, 17 March 2008
I applaud the Government for encouraging employers to adopt a five-day work week in the past few years.
Now, government agencies and statutory boards are adopting this practice.
However I am very puzzled as to why there are no regulations to state that employees will get a day off-in-lieu for a public holiday that falls on their usual rest day.
Currently when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be, by law, a holiday.
But if the public holiday falls on a Saturday, which is the rest day for many employees who work five-day weeks now, a day off-in-lieu is not mandatory.
If we are encouraging companies to adopt five-day work weeks, shouldn't the regulations be amended accordingly?
A change must be made, if we were to encourage and promote work-life balance.