To handle the personnel affairs of one’s business, one should know the prevailing rules & regulations of the Labour Laws.

One business woman “Daw Su Su Wai” after having worked for more than 15 years as Manager at a firm decided to establish her own business.  Being a small business, she was unable to appoint an HR Manager; thus, she managed to handle herself.  In the beginning, business was running smoothly until the day when one of her staff was hospitalized owing to appendicitis.  Since she herself was once an employee, she bore not only the cost of her medical treatment but also provided food during her hospitalization.

Upon payment of her salary, Daw Su Su Wai deducted the days she was hospitalized as leave without pay. Thus, her staff was dissatisfied: Daw Su Su Wai was not aware of the existing Rules & Regulations of the Labour Laws – for an employee on medical leave with a doctor’s approval, a deduction is not allowed by the employer – Daw Su Su Wai thought that if an employee is absent from work, her pay  should be deducted accordingly.

Moreover, she was not aware of the fact – if an employee is not injured while at the workplace, the employer need not bear the cost of the medical expenses.

The dispute occurred: Daw Su Su Wai did not realize that the medical expenses she bored for her staff cannot be replaced with the deduction made from her entitled salary.

In view of the above incident, an employer should take note of the rules & regulations concerning the responsibilities of the employer and the entitlements of the employees.