Daily Briefing: Lasting Power of Attorney application to go digital; Travellers may opt out of serving SHN at official facilities

And Australian HR platform Employment Hero launches in Singapore.

From ChannelNewsAsia:

A proposed amendment that would digitalise the making of a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) could cut the waiting time needed to register an LPA from an average of three weeks to an average of eight working days, excluding a three-week mandatory waiting period.

An LPA allows an appointed person to make medical and financial decisions on another person's behalf should they lose mental capacity.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development is proposing to amend the Mental Capacity Act to allow LPAs to be made and registered electronically.

This would be done through a new system called the Office of the Public Guardian Online electronic system.

Singaporeans would no longer need to print and submit hardcopy documents, or physically affix their wet-ink signatures and seals - steps currently required for hardcopy LPA deeds.

Read more here.

From HumanResourcesOnline:

Effective 2 November, travellers from selected countries will be able to opt out of serving their stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated government facilities, for arrivals on or after 4 November.

This will apply to travellers from Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Finland, Estonia, Fiji, and Norway, apart from countries that Singapore has "unilaterally opened up to," the Multi-Ministry Taskforce announced on 27 October.

In a press release, the Taskforce said the new requirements would be subject to the travellers fulfilling the following criteria: they have not travelled to any other country apart from the above-mentioned countries in the last consecutive 14 days prior to entry; and they are occupying their place of residence alone, or only with household members who are also serving SHN with the same travel history and SHN duration.

For Singapore citizens and permanent residents, the application must be made prior to arrival via the Safe Travel Office website; whilst the other demographics of travellers may apply to opt out as part of the entry approval process.

All travellers should also note that they must present the approval to opt out upon arrival in Singapore.

Read more here.

From DealStreetAsia:

Australia-based integrated HR, payroll, and benefits platform Employment Hero has launched localised versions of its service in Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, according to a press release.

The launch includes the rollout of its Global Teams service, a new professional employer organisation solution designed to democratise the talent landscape and help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sustainably scale and compete on a global stage.

The platform aims to help SMEs in these markets adopt better HR processes and performance management.

“Despite looming uncertainties, there are new avenues for SMEs to innovate and adapt to the new norms of working,” said CEO and co-founder Ben Thompson.

Employment Hero is backed by global human resources firm, SEEK, which made a $21.30m investment in 2019.

Read more here.