A circular was issued yesterday by Singapore Airlines to its staff, seeking to calm the rising wave of disquiet over the past couple of days since one of their stewardesses, Vanessa Yeap, was found dead in her San Francisco hotel room last week.
The 38-year-old SIA veteran had informed her colleagues that she wasn’t feeling well when they landed in San Francisco. The official cause of Yeap’s death has yet to be determined.
Her unfortunate death raised some concerns among some folks who’ve personally experienced the allegedly problematic medical leave policy in SIA — cabin crew often avoid taking sick leave for fear of affecting their chances of getting a promotion, to the point that they force themselves to work despite being genuinely ill.
The Straits Times managed to get their hands on SIA’s circular, which reassured staff that deserving cabin crew will not be denied promotions just because they fall sick sometimes. How the current scheme works is that employees have incentive points docked every time they submit a ‘casual’ medical certificate — for common ailments such as the flu and coughing episodes. ‘Serious’ MCs would involve hospitalisation, and those won’t be penalised.
According to the circular, the MC component only makes up six percent of the annual appraisal, and other factors are considered when it comes to promotions.
The system of docking incentive points was put in place to prevent MC abuse, SIA said — especially when it comes to “unpopular” flights.
Cabin crew who spoke to The Straits Times, however, remained disheartened that SIA “sees nothing wrong with the current practice”. Well-intentioned it may be to weed out those who abuse the sick leave system, but it still penalises everyone else — even those who are genuinely ill, said one steward.
