What Singapore F&B’s Ought To Know About Covid-19 Safety Measures

Despite repeated announcements and media coverage of the new regulations F&B establishments have to implement to curb the spread of Covid-19, some F&B outlets have been outed for failing to follow the rules. All Singapore F&B businesses operating in Phase 2 have been informed that they are to follow a set of Safe Distancing Measures and Alcohol Consumption regulations to prevent the spike of infections. We recap all the necessary measures to implement at your establishment and what you should instruct your staff so that you won’t be faced with fines and suspensions of your business.

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1. Safe Distancing Regulations F&B’s have to follow

Failure to adhere to the safe distancing measures may result in a fine of up to $10,000, jail term of up to 6 months, and the closure of your F&B establishments. 

2. Alcohol restrictions

F&B owners must strictly follow the alcohol restrictions that have been put in place by the government. All F&B establishments must prohibit the selling and consumption of alcohol by 10.30 pm daily.  F&B business that fails to abide by the time for the sale of alcohol regulations will face a penalty of up to S$10,000, imprisonment of up to six months for first-timers and up to $20,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months for second offenders, and closure of your F&B establishment. 

As seen in a recent news article, there are a handful of F&B establishments that tried to trick enforcement officers by selling alcohol in teapots after 10.30 pm which resulted in them receiving fines and the closure of their business. 

Remember, it is always never worth breaking the rules just to earn the extra income from the sale of alcohol after the time frame because your overall losses will be greater than losing that sale of alcohol - You have to pay the hefty fines and closure of your business for a period of time!

3. Guidelines that employees have to follow

Before the start of your employees working shift, employers must ensure that their staff adhere to it by reiterating the regulations to them. Employers can also send reminders to their Whatsapp group chat to remind them of the guidelines. 

Employers have to: 

1. Ensure that their staff work and break hours are staggered –  F&B establishments are encouraged to reduce the number of employees working on the same shift and this can be done by arranging staggered shifts for employees. This is to ensure that not too many people are enclosed in an area together and this ensures that there is a safe distance of 1 meter between all staff.
   
   

2. Health checks and safe entry – Staff should be the priority of the F&B business as they are the ones needed for an F&B establishment to function. All Staff have to take their temperatures twice a day, check in via Safe Entry before entering the outlet and wear their mask at all times.
   
   

3. Ensure that all employees wear their mask at all times. - Masks must cover their nose and mouth. Employees can remove their mask only when they are eating, drinking. Employers have to ensure that they provide their staff with masks to replace due to workplace conditions (E.g. BOH staff may need to replace their mask due to the humidity in the kitchen)
   
   

4. Ensure that employees observe personal hygiene - Employers should provide hand sanitizers to staff to use. Besides that, FOH staff should ensure that they sanitize/wash their hands after clearing the dishes that customers have used to prevent any accidental spread of the virus. For BOH staff, ensure that they wash their hands regularly after touching raw food and after cooking.
   
   

5. Ensure that cleaning of equipment be done regularly- Staff have to ensure that the common equipment used (Woks, Table tops, cloths, Cutting Boards, etc), and common areas (utensil station, children’s play area) are frequently sanitized

4. How can Front of House staff (FOH) ensure customers adhere to safe distancing measures? 

As mentioned in one of our previous articles - Staff Scheduling, during peak periods, there should be 3 - 4 staff working at the FOH serving customers and seeing to customers' needs. Brief all FOH staff at the beginning of each shift so they are more organized and know their main duties for that duration.

One staff member should be stationed at the entrance of the F&B establishment to ensure customers adhere to the 1-meter distancing rule, Safe Entry, Temperature, and Mask check. Once the customer has performed all these, the second FOH staff can lead the customer to their seats. Here, staff will have to remind customers to keep their masks on at all times other than when eating or drinking. You can delegate one staff member to take orders (or use contactless ordering) and another one on the floor to clear and sanitize tables. 

Let's take a look at how FOH staff can ask customers to adhere to the safe distancing measures.

1. FOH staff must enforce and ensure that:1. ≤ 5 people on each table and no intermingling between tables - Before the start of service, FOH staff should ensure that each table is spaced at least 1 meter apart. Once the service begins, the FOH staff should ensure that each table has ≤ 5 people.
   

   For households with ≥ 5 members can book ≥ 1 table to share a meal. Before the entry of F&B premises, staff can request to check diners identification cards to verify their claims and may reject diners nicely if they are not from the same household. Once the check is complete, the waiter/waitress must seat them separately with no more than 5 people per table. Staff must remind customers to refrain from the interactions made across different tables. 
   

2. Queue management - FOH staff have to ensure that markings are placed on the floor to indicate a meter gap and they have to ensure that customers abide by the markings.
   

3. Health checks and Safe Entry - As mentioned earlier, one FOH staff will be placed at the entrance of the F&B establishment to ensure that all customers perform their safe entry, health checks and having their mask above their nose before entering the premises of the F&B. Owners/Managers should give stationed staff permission to turn away customers who are not feeling well (with a temperature ≥ of 37.5 degrees Celsius) and customers who refuse to perform safe entry and adorn their mask properly.
   

4. Hygiene matters- Besides reminding customers to wear their masks, staff have to ensure that communal amenities (Condiments, Drink Dispenser, Food Samples) must not be provided for customers to take aka “self-service”. 

 Click here for the safe measurement checklist. 

To minimize risk, ordering systems like iCHEF have introduced contactless ordering to be done, where customers can order their food using their mobile phones. This function is great as it reduces contact between customers and your staff, furthermore reducing potential human errors (Staff keying in the wrong orders for the customer).  For F&B establishments that are looking for contactless ordering solutions that are subsidized by government grants, click here to find out more. 

5. How can F&B businesses ensure that customers abide by the rules and regulations? 

F&B Businesses can:

1. Put up signs in their shopfront to communicate the safe distancing measures to their customers

2. Make use of the social media platforms that they have and do up a handbook on the regulations that their customers have to abide by. This ensures that customers are aware of the measures they are taking and they will not be inclined to try and break the rules. 
   
   

   You may use this as a reference for your posters:

There is a huge responsibility for Front of House staff as they are ones who have to manage the crowd and ensure that customers follow the rules. Giving your staff full support is important as it can be demoralizing dealing with difficult customers who refuse to heed multiple reminders. Empower your staff to respectfully and politely ask the customers to leave the premises if they are putting your restaurant at risk.

“ LANCE ARMSTRONG: THE RISKIEST THING YOU CAN DO IS GET GREEDY”

— https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/232405-the-riskiest-thing-you-can-do-is-get-greedy

In short, no doubt that during these tough periods, having customers will increase your F&B Sales and revenue but it will not be worth it to close your F&B business and lose a few weeks of revenue due to the unabiding of government regulations and unabiding customers. You also have to remember that your staff livelihood depends on you so don’t get greedy!

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Caroline Yap is the editor and intern at iCHEF Singapore. She manages iCHEF Club, a growing community of F&B owners in Singapore – organizing events, an online newsletter, and the F&B Entrepreneur Bootcamp, the only regular workshop on opening a new restaurant in the country. In her spare time, she loves drawing, painting, and creating new visuals. Her love for Korean food runs deep such that you can spot her at any famous Korean Restaurant in Singapore.

Comprehensive Guide on MOM Regulations For F&B

We heard from you! We know that there are tons of MOM regulations F&B businesses have to abide by, so we created the complete guide of MOM regulations for F&B. In this comprehensive guide, we will touch on employment regulations and what goes into an employment contract. 

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First things first, let’s lay the foundations of what YOU need to take note when hiring employees for your F&B business. Let’s hop into the key features of the Employment Act.

1. Full-Time Employment

Full-time employment in F&B refers to employees who are service professionals and is required to work no more than 6 days, 44 hours per week. Full-time professions in F&B are titled as General Manager, Executive Chef, Head Chef, Waiter/Waitress position. He/She will be receiving company benefits such as staff meals, discounts, and more.

Employers MUST produce a pay slip for their employees during the month of remuneration and MUST pay for their employees Central Provision Fund (CPF).

MOM Age Regulations

As legislated by MOM, the legal age to work in Singapore is 17 years old. However, F&B owners are allowed to hire youths from the age of 13 years old.

Youths between 13 years old to 15 years old are NOT allowed to handle kitchen equipment (eg, Fire stove, Ovens, etc).

*Source: https://www.smeportal.sg/content/smeportal/en/bizguides/human-resources/2017/guide-to-hiring-staff-in-singapore.html

2. Employment of Foreign Workers

Foreign Workers Age Regulation

Employers must ensure that foreign workers aged are 18 & above to be eligible to work in Singapore. 
Besides that, they can only work up until the age of 60.

Before proceeding with the signing of the contract, Employers have to ensure that:

1. Workers possess a valid work permit before the commencement of duties

2. Only work for the employer and the agreed job scope stated in the contract (No moonlighting)

" What are the 3 types of employment pass ? "

The 3 types of employment pass that are eligible and F&B owners can look out for are:

*Source: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits

" What are the Validity dates for all Passes? "

The validity of all passes last for:

1. 1-2 years (Can be renewed after expiry)

2. For every S and Work Permit pass workers that you hire, a levy charge will be imposed.

   *Disclaimer: The more foreign workers you hire, the higher levy charge you will face

3. Part-Time Employment

Part-timers can supplement your workforce. Jobs commonly performed by part-timers are serving, bar-tending, etc which can help to increase efficiency for an F&B establishment. 

Below are a few regulations that F&B employers should take note of: 

1. Part time employees are under the contract employment to work < 35 hours per week.
   One way to manage staff’s schedules to ensure their hours are within this scope is to use a HR management system.

2. Part-timers are entitled to overtime pay/ public holidays pay of 1.5 times their normal hourly pay.
   For example: Jane earns $8/hr on a normal day, however she worked on Hari Raya Haji, thus her employer must pay her $12/hr for that day

3. Employees are to provide part-timers with at least a 1 off day per week 

4. Full-Time/Part-Time Contract

Each FT/PT Employee Contract must contain in the following order:  

1. Appointment position
   Employers may start with stating the employee position that he/she may be holding.
   For example, Jack will perform duties of an head chef 
   

2. Working schedule
   This consists of the number of days and hours the employee is required to work.
   For example, Number of working days and hours per week: 6 days, 44 hours per week
   

3. Probation clause
   Employer may include a probation clause to ensure that the employee is suitable for the role
   (Probation can last up to a year)
   

4. Job responsibilities
   Employers must include this so that it will be clear for the employee to perform his/her duties.
   For example: Jack will have to construct new menus, assist his staffs in meal preparation, report to management in Jonus Kitchen
   

5. Remuneration package
   Under this package, it will include salary, bonus, leave, overtime, public holiday pay etc.
   Employers will have to:
   5.1. State the salary rate, and the date for the first paycheck
   5.2. Include a statement reflecting the need to pay for Central Provident Fund (CPF) as required by the law.
   

6. Employee benefits
   Employee benefits can consist of provision of meals, healthcare, staff discounts etc. 
   

7. Code of conduct

   Employers are to clearly state their values, regulations and expectations of how their employees should perform on their job.
   

8. Termination
   Employers must include the duration of notice that the employee needs to provide in the event of terminating their employment.

   For example: After 1 month of service, Jack is required to give the 1 month’s notice to terminate his employment.
   
   
   Click here for the sample of employment contract
   

Phew, it was a long yet fulfilling guide one isn't it? We have come to the end of our Comprehensive Guide on MOM regulations. Remember to provide your monthly CPF for your employees, follow the rules and regulations to avoid any penalty from the government!

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This article is written in collaboration with HRMLabs, a HR system for SMEs, that streamlines attendance-taking, shift-scheduling, leave management and more.

Caroline Yap is the editor and intern at iCHEF Singapore. She manages iCHEF Club, a growing community of F&B owners in Singapore – organising events, an online newsletter and the F&B Entrepreneur Bootcamp, the only regular workshop on opening a new restaurant in the country. In her spare time, she loves drawing, painting and creating new visuals. Her love for Korean food runs deep such that you can spot her at any famous Korean Restaurants in Singapore.

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New F&B Owner FAQ: How many foreign workers can I hire?

New F&B owner FAQ: How many foreign workers can I hire?

Your foreign worker quota can be confusing because there are different permits and levies, depending on nationality and skill level. 

First, it depends on the number of full-time local employees you have (the quota is a percentage of the number of local workers you hire). 

Second, you have to pay a monthly levy for each foreign worker employed, and this levy is tiered. 

Which levy tier depends on the number of foreign workers you have in employment – the closer you are to the maximum quota, the higher the levy.

So what combinations of local and foreign workers will be enough for your manpower needs? 

Before we begin, some basics you need to know

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1. Types of work passes/ permits available

Employment pass: For professionals, managers, and executives. Candidates must earn at least $3,600 a month. No quota/ levy.

S Pass: For mid-level skilled staff. Candidates need to earn at least $2,200 a month.

Work permit: No minimum qualifying salary. Valid for up to 2 years.

Dependant’s Pass: For spouse or unmarried children under 21 years of eligible Employment Pass to S Pass holders. 

Dependants of Employment Pass holders can get a Letter of Consent to work in Singapore if they find a job here.

Dependants of S Pass holders will need to apply for a Work Permit, S Pass or Employment Pass instead. They will have to meet the eligibility criteria for these passes.

 

2. Levy (Tiered)

As long as you employ work permit holders, you will have to pay the levy, which starts from the day the Temporary Work Permit or Work Permit is issued, whichever is earlier.

The levy payment is via GIRO and will be deducted on the 17th of the following month. 

If you don’t pay the full levy on time, you may face the following penalties:

• You will be charged a late payment penalty of 2% per month or $20, whichever is higher, for late payment.

• Your existing Work Permits will be cancelled.

• You won’t be allowed to apply for or issue Work Permits, or renew existing Work Permits.

• You may face legal action to recover the unpaid levy.

• If you, your partners or directors head other companies, these companies will not be allowed to apply for Work Permits.

Read about levy waivers here http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker/foreign-worker-levy/apply-for-levy-waiver

 

3. The levy for higher skilled workers is cheaper 

 

4. Non-Malaysian work permit holders require a security bond

You need to buy a security bond of $5,000 before the worker arrives in Singapore.

The bond is in the form of a banker’s or insurance guarantee to support the security bond.

It will be forfeited if you violate conditions such as failing to pay salaries on time, failing to send employee back when work permits are expired or revoked, or if your worker goes missing.

5. The foreign worker quota  (based on the number of local employees)

Your foreign worker quota is calculated based on the latest 3-month average number of local employees in your company. Use the foreign quota calculator to find out how many you can employ.

Any late or non-payment of CPF contributions will affect your quota and may cause your workers to be allocated higher levy tiers.

• Local full-time employees are defined as Singaporeans or PRs under a contract of service with a minimum salary of $1,100/ month. 2 local part-time employees (earning $550 - $1,099/ month) count as 1 full-time employee.

• The company director is considered a full-time employee if he/ she earns at least $1,100.

Business owners of sole proprietorships or partnerships and employees who receive CPF contributions from three or more employers are not counted when calculating your foreign worker quota.

6. For newly set up companies

If you haven’t made any CPF contributions yet, your quota for first month will be calculated based on your first CPF contribution, instead of the normal 3-month average.

Examples of F&B setups

and the number of foreign workers you can employ

Kiosk/ cafe with no seating, takeaway only

No. of employees needed: 3 (2 in the outlet on any given day)

Breakdown: 1 local full time employee, 1 work permit holder (Levy = Tier 3, $800/mth), 1 PT

Small cafe with seating (no hot kitchen)

No. of employees needed: 5 (min. 3 in the outlet on any given day)

Breakdown: 2 local FT, 1 work permit holder (Levy = Tier 2, $600/month), 2 PT (equivalent to 1 FT local)

Small restaurant/ bistro

No. of employees needed: 4 BOH (3 cooks, 1 dishwasher) + 4 FOH

Breakdown: 3 local FT, 2 work permit (Levy = 1x Tier 2 + 1x Tier 3 = $1400), 3 PT (equivalent to 1.5 local FT)

Full-service restaurant

No. of employees needed: 6 BOH (4 cooks, 2 dishwashers) + 6 FOH 

Breakdown: 6 local FT, 4 work permit (Levy: 1x Tier 1 + 1x Tier 2 + 2x Tier 3 = $2650) , 2 PT

7. Working hours

Employees are not allowed to work more than 12 hours per day.

Off days: You must provide at least 1 rest day per week. If the rest day is not a Sunday, you should prepare a monthly roster and inform your employee of the rest days before the start of each month. The maximum interval allowed between 2 rest days is 12 days.

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Cheryl Tay is the editor and marketer at iCHEF Singapore. She also manages iCHEF Club, a growing community of F&B owners in Singapore – organising events, the blog, an online newsletter and the F&B Entrepreneur Bootcamp, the only regular workshop on opening a new restaurant in the country. In her spare time, she attempts to read every book that’s ever won a literary prize and watches cat videos. Like any proper Singaporean, her love for food runs deep – especially spicy food. Chili is life. 

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