Emerging HR Practice in Singapore: "No Medical Certificate" Required!!

Since last year March or April 2010, my company started practicing "no medical certificate" if you need to take half day or one (1) sick leave. This is one of the positive action taken by the company management. I just hope the employees don't "miss-use". I guess it worked well for my organization is because it is a regional management office and most of the employees are of middle and senior management staff category who 'clocked' more eleven (11) hours a day.

In recent month, I received a few emails and calls asking if my company was into the "no medical certificate" practice for one (1) day sick leave. I happily mentioned to them "Yes" but some of them were 'skeptical' about the practice.

For the 'skeptic' ... I shared with them the following ...

• in India and Indonesia - most companies only require the employees to produce "medical certificate" if they are taking medical / sick leave more that 2 days (meaning 3 days).
• why no medical certificate required? The countries I mentioned above, medical facilities are not easily accessible and it can be expensive for low wages employees to seek medical treatment and ask for medical certificate.
• practice self-healing or medication. Feedback from our employees: sometimes they are just dizzy or having a mild flu. They only need to rest at home and self medication e.g., taking 'Panadol' (Paracetamol).
• company policy / precaution - since our management office is small, we always advise  our employees that if they are having flu, please stay at home - don't come to office and spread it to other... maybe this is why in Singapore during the flu season it became an epidemic! 
• can be a 'cost saving' effort. If every time our employee need to take medical / sick leave and the management impose them to submit a medical certificate from the company doctors ... ask yourself ... who is paying for it ... end of the day ... it is still the company bearing all the cost and if it is a co-payment scheme ... at least 80% of the cost is bear by companies.

With these sharing, I would like to stress that for the 'no medical certification' policy to be successfully accepted by company management and the HR community ... the key word is 'trust'.