In brief

The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) decision in JJH v. JJI [2026] SGECT 10 clarifies the content of an employer’s duty to take reasonable care of its employees’ health and safety while also setting out the principles of what constitutes a “forced” resignation amounting to a dismissal under the Employment Act (EA). When faced with an employee requiring accommodations due to their medical condition, an employer must at the minimum investigate the employee’s claims and needs through engagement with the employee to discharge its duty to take reasonable care. An employer cannot solely rely on its operational considerations and/or internal policies to justify refusing any accommodations. Furthermore, the definition of dismissal under the EA includes an employee being forced to resign where the employer’s conduct has left the employee with no practical alternative but to resign.

In this Client Alert, we take a closer look at what this decision means in practice for employers dealing with employees who require accommodations due to their medical condition.

Chia Ning Whang, Trainee, has contributed to this legal update.

Download the full version of Singapore: Employers’ Duty to Take Reasonable Care.

 

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