Staff Rostering in Singapore: An Employment Act Guide for SMEs
How Singapore SMEs build shift rosters that respect MOM rules on rest days, hours, overtime and public holidays, plus when to move off Excel and WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to publish a staff roster in Singapore?
If you decide an employee's rest day and it is not a Sunday, MOM says you should prepare a monthly roster and tell the employee their rest days before the start of each month. This applies to employees covered under Part 4 of the Employment Act, including part-timers under Part 4 who work at least 5 days a week. A roster published before the 1st of each month is the simplest way to show you have done this.
Who is covered by the rest day and overtime rules in Singapore?
The hours of work, overtime and rest day rules apply to employees covered under Part 4 of the Employment Act. According to MOM, that is a workman earning a monthly basic salary of S$4,500 or less, or a non-workman earning a monthly basic salary of S$2,600 or less. Part 4 does not cover managers or executives, and MOM has a self-assessment tool to check coverage.
How many hours can a shift worker work in Singapore?
MOM states that employees covered under Part 4 cannot work more than 12 hours a day, except in specific situations such as accidents or unforeseeable interruptions. For shifts of up to 12 hours a day, contractual hours can average up to 44 hours over a continuous 3-week period. Overtime is capped at 72 hours a month unless the employer gets an exemption.
What do I pay staff who work on a public holiday in Singapore?
By default, MOM says an employee who works on a public holiday should get an additional day's pay at the basic rate of pay. By mutual agreement, you can instead give a public holiday in lieu. Time off in lieu is only an option for employees who are not covered under Part 4 of the Employment Act.
What happens if a public holiday falls on an employee's rest day?
MOM says that if a public holiday falls on an employee's rest day, the following working day will be a paid public holiday. If it falls on a non-working day, such as Saturday for someone on a 5-day week, the employee should get either another day off or one extra day's salary at the gross rate of pay.
When should a Singapore SME switch from Excel or WhatsApp to rostering software?
The usual signals are more than one outlet or site, rotating rest days, frequent shift swaps, and payroll disputes about hours or public holiday pay. If you are rebuilding the roster every month from scratch or reconciling WhatsApp messages at month-end, a system that checks rest days, crew minimums and public holidays for you will usually pay back in saved admin and fewer mistakes.
An insight from Rampage Connect — a Singapore digital marketing and web studio. Contact: hello@rampageconnect.com