Using MC to skip work's bad for you

Using MC to skip work's bad for you
PHOTO: Using MC to skip work's bad for you

SINGAPORE - About one in five Singapore employees - 18.3 per cent - admit that they feign illness to get medical leave, according to a survey conducted by recruitment portal JobsCentral.

And of these people, about half, or 50.9 per cent, revealed that they would do this at least twice a year, while 27.3 per cent said they would skip work three to four times a year.

Close to half of these people, or 42 per cent, said they would feign illness as they did not feel like working, while 30.7 per cent cited plans outside work.

The survey was conducted online, involving 256 hiring managers and 3,299 employees, from August to October.

The top three reported ailments were headache and giddiness, with 41.5 per cent using it as an excuse; diarrhoea and food poisoning (18.3 per cent); and stomach cramps (10.7 per cent).

The majority of employers - 77.7 per cent - said they would check on sick staff who were absent, with 82.7 per cent of these employers relying on medical certificates to verify their employees' claims.

The survey also found that December was the most popular month for calling in sick.

JobsCentral Group chief operating officer Michelle Lim said workers who fake illness to dodge work "risk jeopardising their jobs and careers".

She added that the survey showed there was, by and large, mutual responsibility and trust between employers and employees.

She said: "A large majority of employees are honest when it comes to taking sick leave, and few employers are so mistrusting of their employees to resort to invasive checks."

Ms Gwen Lim, human-resource division manager at recruitment firm Robert Walters Singapore, attributed the trend to the accessibility of medical certificates.

She warned that being suspected of faking medical leave will affect one's business integrity and performance review.

"For every new position that jobseekers apply for, the reference check with previous employers is of utmost importance," she said.

Mr Josh Goh, assistant director of corporate services at human-resource consultancy The GMP Group, said feigning sickness could be a sign that workers are getting disengaged.

"Employers will need to evaluate whether their employees' personal well-being has been compromised."

Still, feigning sickness shows "disrespect" for other people's time, as other staff will need to cover for those who are away.

"Other employees will find it frustrating...and leave the organisation if the issue is not addressed," he warned.

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