FAQs on COVID-19 vaccinations at the workplace

With the lifting of community Vaccination Differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS) fully, the tripartite partners are of the view that vaccination requirements would no longer be relevant for most jobs.

Therefore, employers that are imposing vaccination as a requirement for access to the workplace should review and remove this requirement unless there are genuine occupational requirements for the specific job roles, e.g. work that involves close interaction with or caring for vulnerable individuals. This applies to both existing and hiring of new employees. In case of disputes, employers would be required to justify why a particular job role requires vaccination.

Yes, you can have different vaccination requirements for different job roles as a matter of company policy. You should assess each job role based on its own occupational requirements, taking into consideration the relevant workplace health and safety and operational needs.

With the lifting of community Vaccination Differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS) fully, the tripartite partners are of the view that vaccination requirements would no longer be relevant for most jobs.

You should review whether the job role previously held by the employee on NPL still requires vaccination to be performed. If yes, you may consider offering other jobs that do not require vaccination to the employee on NPL. Ultimately, whether the employee on NPL can return to the workplace is subject to the availability of suitable vacancies and mutual agreement on the terms of employment.

While the Workforce Vaccination Measures (WVM) and VDS have been lifted, you will still need to comply with the prevailing requirements on the application and renewal of MOM passes for your foreign employees.

You may request for employees to show their vaccination status through their TraceTogether app and token, HealthHub app or the original physical vaccination card.

You may treat these employees and prospective employees as unvaccinated for the purposes of accessing the workplace if your company implements vaccination differentiated policies.

Employers have the rights to decide whether certain jobs may be performed from home, taking into consideration their operational or business needs.

You may discuss and mutually agree with your employees on the job requirements and remuneration if working arrangements need to be adjusted. If there is no agreement after considering options such as redeployment and no-pay leave, either party may choose to end the contract by serving the notice period. Such termination of employment would not be considered as wrongful dismissal.

You may wish to refer to the company's disciplinary frameworks for such breaches of company policy.

No, there are no prevailing regulations for the testing of vaccinated and medically ineligible employees. If you would like to adopt a company policy to regularly test these employees who return to the workplace, you should bear the costs of such tests.

Let us all do our part to make Singapore more resilient to COVID-19 transmission. Vaccinating children helps in their safety and health, and your employees can have greater peace of mind.

You should thus support your employees when they get their children vaccinated.

You are strongly encouraged to give time off to your employees for their children’s vaccination, including for any mandatory observation period post vaccination if the vaccinations are done during working hours. For employees who require a longer period away from work, they may take childcare leave or annual leave.

While vaccination or vaccination booster do not cause problems for the vast majority, some individuals may experience common side effects, similar to other vaccines (such as pain or swelling at injection site, fever, tiredness). Most side effects will resolve within 3 days. In such instances, you should consider granting additional time-off for employees to rest.

Employees who suffer severe side effects from vaccination should seek medical attention and apply for sick leave. For employees who do not have sufficient sick leave, do exercise compassion and flexibility.

If you terminate your employee’s contract as a last resort due to failure to meet genuine occupational requirements, you will need to provide the necessary notice.

The employer is deemed to have fulfilled their obligations under the Retirement and Re-employment Act, if they:

• have considered the available re-employment options within the organisation, and
• made suitable job offers to their retiring employees.

For employers who continue to implement vaccination-differentiated requirements for job roles that require working on-site as a matter of company policy due to genuine occupational requirements, no Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) is required if a medically eligible but unvaccinated employee does not take up such a job offer because he is unable to fulfil the job requirements.

Yes. You may exclude medically eligible but unvaccinated employees from medical benefits associated with COVID-19 (e.g. insurance coverage) as a matter of company policy.

However, you cannot exclude such employees from medical benefits required under any legislation (unless they are on no-pay leave). You will also need to seek your employees’ or unions’ consent if you are varying contractual or collective agreement.

In very rare instances, employees may experience serious side effects after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, such as a severe allergic reaction. The Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for COVID-19 Vaccination (VIFAP) provides a one-time goodwill financial assistance to persons who experience serious side effects that are assessed to be related to COVID-19 vaccines administered in Singapore. Refer to MOH website for details on VIFAP.

Any claim under WICA for serious side effects due to COVID-19 vaccination will be assessed on a case by case basis. If such a claim does arise, the employer is required to file an incident report and the case will be assessed accordingly.

Yes, employees will be covered under WICA if they have contracted COVID-19 due to work.