Certis scraps policy requiring staff on sick leave to share live location after union steps in
"Certis, which is unionised under USE, has agreed to do so, and there will be no location tracking of officers on medical leave," Ms Shirley Loo, USE's executive secretary said in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The decision came days after Certis' medical leave policy drew criticism following an employee's tip-off to the media.
The Singapore-headquartered company, which also has operations in Australia and Qatar, recently mandated that employees on medical leave must remain in their declared residential addresses in Singapore. If found to be elsewhere during unannounced house visits, they would be asked to share their live location via WhatsApp, or attend video calls, said a current officer in his letter to the media.
Requesting anonymity, the officer said: "I personally experienced this policy when I was on sick leave and asked to share my live location... This created immense psychological stress and violated my right to privacy. I complied under fear of reprisal."
The officer added that he was at his parents' home when asked to share his location.
According to an internal employee memo seen by ST, two Certis officers were dismissed in April 2025 for "malingering", a term referring to the falsification of illness.
Both officers were found to be overseas during a house visit, according to the memo. It added that Certis maintains a resolute stance when addressing disciplinary matters such as "falsification of records, misconduct, sleeping on duty and cases of absent without leave".
In a statement to ST earlier on July 1, Certis clarified that these employees were not dismissed solely because they were not at home while on medical leave.
"Termination of employment is decided upon the severity of an officer's misconduct, such as proven malingering, and only taken as a last resort after an extensive and fair process," said the company spokesperson.
He added that Certis visits officers at their homes or the hospital only when they are on frequent or extended medical leave.
"In rare instances, we have asked officers to share their live location, but this is only done where necessary to ensure their well-being, purely voluntary and is always handled with care for privacy," said the spokesperson.
"The intent of such follow-ups is not punitive. Rather, it is to understand if our officers require further support and also to help manage our manpower planning more effectively," he added.
Certis said the policy was also necessary to help maintain operational readiness and ensure fairness, especially as it faces challenges in recruiting and retaining officers.
"The policy is not designed to penalise employees but to address instances of system misuse," the spokesperson said, adding that a very small number of front-line officers had been found to have misused their medical leave.
"There have been situations where officers took MCs (medical certificates) to travel overseas. These irresponsible behaviours affect overall team resourcing and are unfair to colleagues who need to cover additional shifts," said the spokesperson.
But Certis also acknowledged the need to work with its union partners to review its current processes, and confirmed that it would stop the controversial policy of requesting live locations from officers on medical leave.
Ms Loo from USE, an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress, said the union is working with Certis to improve its internal communication so that its policies are clearly explained to officers.
She added that the union does not condone any abuse of medical leave, which undermines trust and affects other officers' well-being.
"We will work with Certis to manage any alleged abuse of medical leave cases through fair and proper processes," she said.
Both Certis and USE also agreed to co-organise regular monthly engagement sessions, providing a platform for ongoing dialogue with front-line officers.
In response to ST's query, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on June 30 said there could be legitimate reasons why an employee might not be at home when ill, and this should not be taken as conclusive evidence of misconduct.
The ministry said employers must not discourage their staff from taking sick leave, which is a statutory entitlement. Employees should be able to take sick leave to address their health needs and use it responsibly.
MOM also encouraged employers to regularly engage their employees to address concerns and ensure that their policies are well-communicated.
"This will help to build trust between employers and employees, and create a positive workplace culture."
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