Team Handbook (Overseas)

The Software Practice, a software development firm located at 138 Cecil Street, #12-02/03, Cecil Court, Singapore 069538 (Co. Reg. 201118383N) hereinafter referred to as the “Company”

Individuals who render and perform the services for the Company hereinafter known as the “Contractors”

1. General Contract Terms and Conditions#

1.1. Unless otherwise agreed in the Contract, the work arrangement is remote, within the same country where the Contractors reside in i.e. work from home.

1.2. The Contractors need to ensure that they have stable internet connection and power supply during working hours.

1.3. The Company is result-driven and does not track the clock in/out times. Thus, the working hours are practically flexible, as long as the Contractors complete their work at the satisfactory level. Contractors shall be accountable to utilize their flexible work arrangements in a responsible and prudent manner. Contractors will still be expected to adjust their working arrangements when necessary to meet business needs and remain mindful of business confidentiality and work safety policies even when working remotely. For example, the Contractors will need to coordinate their schedules with their team’s members to allow team meetings and discussion.

1.4. The Company reserves the right to suspend, modify or terminate indefinitely any and all flexible work arrangements for reasons including, but not limited to, the disruption of business operations, change in job or business requirements, staff shortage, or negative impact on the individual’s performance and work. In the event of such suspension, termination, or modification of the flexible work arrangements scheme, the Company will give staff two (2) weeks’ written notice to make any required adjustments.

1.5. Confirmation of service is subjected to satisfactory performance as evaluated by the Company.

1.6. Contractors are expected to adhere to a standard of professional conduct and integrity. This ensures that the work environment is safe, comfortable and productive. Contractors should interact with co-workers, managers, subordinates and customers with mutual respect and common courtesy. General cooperation between co-workers and supervisors is expected. Any non-compliance with the Company policies may be subjected to disciplinary actions, including termination.

2. Attendance#

2.1. Contractors who will be absent from work should notify their Project Manager(s) and HR/Ops in advance, or as soon as possible in the event of an emergency. Contractors who are absent from work without notice are considered tardy and may be subjected to disciplinary actions.

2.2. Contractors need to submit their leave application via the ZOHO People platform. The guideline of this process can be found in the Leave Application and Public Holidays [1] .

2.3. If a Contractor absents himself / herself from work for more than two (2) working days without valid reasons, he / she is deemed to have broken his/her contract of service. In this situation, the Company reserves the right to terminate the contract without prior notice.

3. Renumeration#

3.1. The starting salary of any Contractor will be determined by the Company in line with the job appointment and consideration of relevant qualifications and working experience of the Contractor.

3.2. Contractors will receive their monthly salary through their bank accounts on the 1st of the following month unless otherwise stated.

3.3. Contractors from Sri Lanka will receive their monthly salary through their bank accounts on the 15th of the following month.

3.4. All new Contractors will furnish the Company with (i) Contractor’s name as per bank account, (ii) bank name and branch and (iii) bank account number. Contractors will inform the Company of any change to their bank account particulars.

4. Reimbursement#

4.1. Approval Process

1. Seeking Approval: Contractors are required to submit a written request for reimbursement to the Operations team before incurring any expenses. This request must be submitted via YouTrack TSP Helpdesk System. This request should include details such as the purpose of the expense, estimated cost, and any supporting documents or receipts.

2. Approval Confirmation: Upon receiving the request, the Operations team will review it and provide written confirmation of approval via reply in YouTrack TSP Helpdesk System. This written confirmation serves as the official approval for the reimbursement.

3. Expense Incurrence: Once approval is received, contractor can proceed with incurring the expense. It is crucial to keep all relevant receipts and documentation for the expense.

4. Submission for Reimbursement: After incurring the expense, contractor must submit a new reimbursement request via YouTrack TSP Helpdesk System along with the written confirmation of approval from the Operations team and all supporting documents.

5. Reimbursement Process: Reimbursement requests will be escalated to Finance upon receipt of all required documentation. Finance will notify contractor via email once the reimbursement cost has been transferred.

5. Probation#

5.1.  New Contractors will be required to fulfil the probationary period as stated in the Contract.

5.2.  Discipline may be in the of form of probation, which is set in clause [9]

6. Medical Benefits#

6.1. Contractors are entitled to 14 days of paid out-patient sick leave.

7. Annual Leave#

7.1. The number of days of paid annual leave given to Contractors can be found in respective contracts. Contractors need to submit their leave application via the ZOHO People platform. The guideline of this process can be found in the Leave Application and Public Holidays [1] .

7.2. In the first 3 months of service, Contractors are allowed to apply for paid annual leave. If the Contractors are to leave or to be terminated from the Company within their first 3 months of service, the salary that is equivalent to their approved annual leave will be deducted from their final payroll.

7.3 The Annual Leave shall be taken at a time or times as shall be approved by the Company. The time at which the Annual Leave may be taken is at the discretion of the Company, but not more than 10 consecutive working days of the Annual Leave may be taken at any one time.

7.4 The Contractors may carry forward a maximum of 7 days of unused annual leave to the next calendar year. However, any carried-forward leave must be utilized by the 30th of June of the next calendar year. Carried-forward leave cannot be extended to cover the remaining 6 months of the year and cannot be further carried forward to another subsequent year. Unused carried-forward leave will be forfeited if not utilized within the stipulated timeframe. Exceptions may be granted in extraordinary circumstances, subject to the discretion of the Company.

7.5 There will be no year-end encashment for unused annual leave. Unused annual leave will not be converted into cash or any other form of compensation at the end of the calendar year.

7.6 If the Contractor has taken more Annual Leave than he is entitled to, he hereby consents to and the Company is hereby authorised to deduct the value of the days taken in excess of his accrued entitlement from the final salary payment due.  Alternatively, the Contractor will be entitled in his final salary payroll to receive payment for any holiday accrued but not taken.

7.7 The Contractor will be paid his normal basic remuneration during any period or periods of absence from work due to incapacity for a total of up to 14 working days (i.e. Monday to Friday) in any 52 consecutive weeks of Services under this Contract.  Thereafter, the payment of remuneration and provision of benefits shall be at the Company’s discretion.

7.8 Annual Leave will be pro-rated in the years in which the Contractor joins and leaves the Company and the resulting entitlement will be rounded up to the nearest half day.

8. Maternity Leave#

8.1. Maternity leave eligibility and entitlement are as per the regulations of the Contractor’s residential country.

9. Paternity Leave#

9.1. Paternity leave eligibility and entitlement are as per the regulations of the Contractor’s residential country.

10. Disciplinary Actions#

10.1. The Company reserves the right to discipline and / or terminate any Contractor who violates company policies, practices or rules of conduct. Poor performance and misconduct are also grounds for discipline or termination.

10.2. Actions such as, but not limited to, engaging in acts of discrimination or harassment in the workplace, possessing, distributing or being under the influence of illicit controlled substances, damage, destruction or theft of company property, equipment or assets, performing any act, engaging in any conduct or course of action or making or publishing an adverse, untrue or misleading statement which has or may reasonably have the effect of demeaning the name or business reputation of the Company and/or its Clients, are considered grounds for disciplinary action. The Company reserves the right to determine the severity and extent of any disciplinary action based on the circumstances of each case. 

10.3. Discipline may take the form of oral warnings, written warnings, probation, suspension, demotion, discharge, removal or some other disciplinary action, in no particular order. The course of action will be determined by the company at its sole discretion as it deems appropriate. 

11. Grievance Handling#

11.1. The Company takes all grievances seriously and assures that confidentiality will be maintained throughout the grievance procedure. There shall be no disciplinary action taken against contractors who appeal to the superior of the immediate supervisor. This is to assure contractors who are not familiar with a grievance process, and may be hesitant to raise grievances for fear of reprisals from the management.

11.2. Contractors can file grievances when

• They have been victims of workplace harassment.
• Their health and safety have been compromised.
• They’ve witnessed poor supervisor and/or management behavior.
• There are unjust changes made to the employment agreement.
• Policy guidelines are violated.
• There is a dispute between coworkers, suppliers, and/or management.

11.3. Contractors can file a formal grievance via help@thesoftwarepractice.com

11.4. Head of Operations will conduct the investigation and work with relevant parties to resolve the grievance.

11.5. All grievances reported will be treated with utmost privacy and confidentiality. Only a limited number of authorized personnel in the company (Head of Operations and senior management) will have access to this information. Rest assured that this matter will not be disclosed to any other parties.

12. Termination / Return of Company Property#

12.1. Contract with the Company is on an at-will basis and may be terminated voluntarily or involuntarily at any time. 

12.2. The duration of notice period can be found in respective contract.

12.3. Upon confirmation of the Contractor’s appointment, the Contractor may resign upon giving written notice of his / her intention to resign. It is within the Company’s discretion to agree in writing to a shorter notice period or to the Contractor’s immediate resignation upon the payment to the Company of a sum to be agreed in lieu of such notice.  The Company may terminate a Contractor’s appointment at any time by way of written notice or payment to the Contractor of salary in-lieu, according to the Contract.

12.4. Any misbehaviour or misconduct on the Contractor’s part, and any dishonesty, insubordination, moral turpitude or breach of Company’s practices or policies shall be sufficient grounds for the Contractor’s dismissal without notice.

12.5. Upon termination, Contractor is required to:

• Continue to work until the last scheduled day of service
• Turn in all reports, paperwork required to be completed by the Contractor when due and no later than the last day of work
• Remove his / her possessions from the Company’s premises and immediately deliver to the Company all means of access to the Company’s premises and all Company property including but not limited to Confidential Information and Work Product and copies thereof that are within the Contractor’s possession, custody or control.

13. References#

[1] Leave Application Guideline