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SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee took to social media to share that his employer is attempting to deduct his salary over claims of lateness without providing any proper proof.
Posting on the r/askSingapore forum on Wednesday (April 30), he explained that he is currently employed in a full-time role where there is no formal time-tracking system in place — no timesheets, fingerprint scanners, or clock-in/clock-out procedures.
Despite this, the employer allegedly accused him of being “late every day” and is now refusing to pay over $100 in outstanding reimbursements, claiming that the amount will instead be deducted as a “lateness” penalty.
According to the employee, the accusation is unfounded. “Most days I’m the first to reach the office, but sometimes due to train delays or oversleeping, I’ll be late by around 15 minutes,” he wrote.
“I asked for a timesheet to prove that I’m late ‘every day,’ as they mentioned, and the only thing they gave me was a text saying, “This period to this period” I’m late. No timesheet, no ACTUAL PROOF — just he say, she say. In the contract, there wasn’t any mention of lateness deductions or how they would be calculated,” he continued.
Unsure of how to proceed, he asked others in the forum, “Can they foul play and deduct my salary without actual proof showing I’m late? And anyhow, bomb an amount to deduct?”
“Stingy bosses are like that”
In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor responded, “Bro same. SME 99% of the time is like that one. Just threaten to bring it up in court. They have no evidence against you.”
Another commented, “If there’s no HR and no clock-in system, their ‘late deduction’ is just vibes. File a complaint with MOM. They can’t just guess your lateness and withhold salary. That’s wage theft.”
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A third remarked, “Stingy bosses are like that; when you are early, they keep quiet; when you are late, they mark you. They only see the bad but not the good. This type of company is not worth working in.”
Others, meanwhile, chimed in to give the employee some advice on how to prevent this kind of situation in the future. One suggested, “Make it a point to be early. If you know you will be 15 minutes late due to train delays, then go 30 minutes earlier. Do not give them any opportunity to say you are late. Send an email to your boss first thing in the morning, drafted on the day before.”
Another added, “Start taking a photo every day when you reach your workstation and when you leave it at the end of the day, ideally of a clock or something, but the metadata in the photo alone should be enough.”
MOM: Salary deductions for lateness must be fair
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires employers to keep detailed records of working hours for employees covered under the Employment Act. When it comes to salary deductions due to lateness, employers are encouraged to first seek an explanation from the employee and refrain from imposing penalties if a legitimate reason (such as an emergency) is provided.
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Conversely, employees are expected to uphold punctuality. If they anticipate being late, they should notify their employer as soon as possible to avoid any potential misunderstandings.
MOM also stresses that any salary deduction for lateness must be proportionate to the duration of time missed. For example, if an employee arrives 30 minutes late, only 30 minutes’ worth of their wages may be deducted.
Read also: ‘Are job vacancy postings even real?’ — Jobseeker questions whether SG companies are truly hiring after he applied for ‘many jobs but only got a single HR call back’
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
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