Apply for flexible work schedule

A Corppass account is required to transact with MOM. Apply for a Corppass account If you don’t have one.

Your Corppass admin or sub-admin must assign your Corppass account:

1. Log in to Corppass.
2. Go to eService Access tab.
3. Choose Employment Standards Online (ESOL) as one of your company’s eServices.
4. Assign Employment Standards Online (ESOL) eService to your Corppass account.

Before applying, you must do the following:

• Ensure that your employees will continue to receive their monthly basic salary while working less than their contractual hours.
• Have a good track record in safety and health, and ensure your employees will not be subjected to hazardous work environment.
• Observe the maximum 12 hours daily working limit and monthly 72 hours overtime limit.
• Get consent from more than 50% of your affected employees or seek consent from the union in the case of unionised companies.
• Put in place a profit sharing or incentive scheme for your employees who participate in the flexible work schedule.

1. Log in to your Corppass account.
2. Go to Assigned eServices tab. You should see Employment Standards Online (ESOL) listed as one of your assigned eServices.

If Employment Standards Online (ESOL) is not listed as one of your assigned eServices, please ask your Corppass admin or sub-admin to assign the eService to you.

You must download and complete this form:

• Name list of employees affected by the scheme.

You must also provide the following details:

• Company particulars
• Nature of company’s business including information pertaining to the business activities of your company.
• Reason(s) why flexible work schedule is needed and to provide supporting information relating to your company’s operations, products and services that are seasonal of fluctuating in nature, and thus requires flexible work schedules.
• Date of implementation of flexible work schedule
• Name of Union, if your company is unionised.
• Written agreement / consent from the union(s) or affected employees (in the case of non-unionised companies) to support the flexible work scheme. The agreement / consent should indicate that the scheme has been clearly explained and communicated to the affected employees.
• Latest copy of employment contract or letter of appointment signed by your employee.
  Note: Ensure that key employment terms are indicated in the employment contract.
• Pay slips and time records of 5 employees for the most recent 6 months, combined to a single PDF file.
• Detailed proposal of scheme, including information such as:
  
  • Percentage of overtime cost over your company’s total manpower cost.
  • Average overtime earnings over a period of time (e.g. 6 months or 1 year).
  • Contractual working hours and days per week, specifying any rest period or any period which the worker is not required to work under certain circumstances.
  • Monthly, two monthly or quarterly roster.
  • Annual leave entitlement.
  • The required notice period for termination of employment and formula in calculating the salary in lieu of notice.
  • Date where payment for overtime work would be made to your employees.
  • Profit sharing or incentive scheme for your affected employees.
  • Opt out procedures or forms

Find out more about flexible work schedule.

FWS allows employers to seek exemption from the statutory provisions on payment rates on overtime, work done on rest days and public holidays.

Under this arrangement, employers are also allowed to compute working hours over a longer period for overtime pay, instead of the current requirements in the Employment Act, i.e. pay overtime for hours worked beyond 8 hours daily or 44 hours weekly.

See examples of flexible work schedule.

FWS is relevant to employers who face business downturn and excess manpower in the short term as a result of COVID-19, but want to retain their manpower in anticipation of a business recovery by maintaining the salary of workers even under reduced workload.

For employers that need further cost-cutting measures to tide over longer period of poor market conditions, you can consider other recommended measures in the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment, e.g. shorter work week, no pay leave, wage freeze or cuts.

For FWS application due to COVID-19, you need to submit:

• Reasons for application.
• Employer's declaration form
• Consent form signed by affected employees
• Union's consent form (if your company is unionised)
• Proof of communication to affected employees of the FWS, e.g. circulars, announcement during town halls, etc.
• Contractual working hours and days per week.

You can get a short-term approval of up to 4 months to implement FWS. This is to help you manage operating costs, e.g. overtime payment during period of COVID-19.

Employers who need a longer period will be considered if justifications are provided.

Employers and employees (or union, if unionised) must agree on the limit of work hours that can be used to offset overtime. This should take into consideration the work patterns, e.g. cyclical demands, and is subjected to the maximum hours of work under the Employment Act.

As an employer:

• You cannot carry forward unused hours and cannot deduct salaries for these unused hours.
• You cannot deduct your employees’ salaries for unused hours when they resign or are terminated, unless there is mutual agreement with them.