Singapore civil servants get a day off to work at charities

The public service will also adopt at least 50 charities next year.

A senior officer in each ministry will be appointed to champion and facilitate volunteerism among employees in the ministry and its statutory boards.

These moves, coming in Singapore’s jubilee year, seek to signal the commitment of the country’s largest employer to building a culture of volunteering and caring.

“A culture of volunteerism is essential for fostering a caring and cohesive society in Singapore,” Peter Ong, the head of the civil service, said at the opening of a three-day exhibition on the public service’s past and future.

The civil servants, however, have to use their one-day leave to volunteer at an Institution of Public Character, which is a charity held to a higher standard.

The leave is part of their unrecorded leave, which is capped at 14 days a year and typically used for approved reasons such as parental care and marriage.

Civil servant Mok Yee Soon, 28, who volunteers with Lion Befrienders, said: “It gives me more opportunities to volunteer based on the charity’s needs.”

Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin lauded the move, saying on Facebook that the government should walk the talk.

Gerard Ee, chairman of the Charity Council, said it would encourage many who do not ordinarily volunteer to give it a go.

“It could also lead to private-sector workers asking their bosses: ‘Why don’t we have this too? After all, one day is not a lot.’”

Some small companies, however, could find it a burden to give an extra day of leave, said Victor Tay, vice-chairman of a Singaporean organisation that champions corporate social responsibility.

“Businesses know they need to be good corporate citizens to succeed, but volunteering is still very much on a voluntary basis.”