Employers and business associations yesterday welcomed a set of guidelines on how to tackle Covid-19 vaccinations at the workplace.

The advisory was issued by tripartite partners the Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

One key guideline for employers is that they should not make vaccination mandatory for staff.

However, those in higher-risk settings may make vaccination a requirement as part of company policy. In such cases, employers can adopt several measures for staff who decline vaccination, such as redeploying them to other suitable jobs with lower risk of Covid-19 infection.

However, terms and conditions for redeployment should be mu-tually agreed upon between bosses and staff if there are no existing redeployment policies within the organisation.

The SNEF cautioned that implementing a vaccination requirement as company policy "carries with it additional obligations".

"Employers should consider the specific circumstances that they are faced with and the implications before implementing such a policy," the federation said in a Facebook post yesterday.

Singapore Business Federation chief executive Lam Yi Young said the majority of employers are likely to find the advisory helpful.

"These guidelines will help employers better prepare their workplaces to ensure the safety and health of their employees, and ultimately pave the way for workplaces in a post-pandemic world," he told The Straits Times.

Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, said that employers and employees generally recognise the health and safety benefits which getting vaccinated affords.

"For exceptions where employees do not want to go for vaccination, I am sure that employers will not and should not force it on them," he said.

But given that some front-line jobs involve a lot of social interaction, employers may have a preference for vaccinated employees to take on these roles.

In such a situation, redeployment of staff may be necessary to manage their operational risks, Mr Wee said, noting that the association supports such redeployment decisions, if needed.

Some employers told ST that it may be too early to decide between redeploying staff or practising differentiated leave policies based on vaccination status, which could involve putting those who choose not to be vaccinated on no-pay leave if they have to serve stay-home notice, for example.

Mr George Kokkinis, general manager of Greek restaurant Bakalaki, said over half of its 30-odd employees have been vaccinated. The rest have registered for their jabs.

"In my opinion, vaccination should be mandatory for someone who wants to work in food and beverage. If a cook doesn't want to be vaccinated, we can't assign him to do something different," he said.

A mechanical engineering graduate who wanted to be known only as Mr Yeo, 25, said that as a job seeker, it was good to have clearer guidelines on what firms can make mandatory.

"Hopefully, if employers put differentiated leave policies in place, these will not be too harsh, and it is something I think my peers will also be more mindful of when we are looking for jobs," he said, adding that he has yet to book his vaccination slots.

"I think it is fair that employers can make it mandatory for staff in higher-risk settings to be vaccinated, especially if it helps to minimise disruptions to work operations," he added.

A spokesman for the Singapore Contractors Association Limited said a high vaccination rate will be a key condition for any relaxation of safe management measures and the testing regime currently in place at worksites.

NTUC assistant secretary-general Desmond Choo said in a Facebook post yesterday that the tripartite advisory will serve as a guide for employers and employees in dealing with the new normal, as more people get vaccinated.

"Both employers and employees must maintain constant and transparent communication so that we can build the necessary resilience at workplaces. We have a social responsibility in keeping each other safe," he said.