Seek Help on Workplace Harassment
(Affected Individuals)

Why Seeking Help on Workplace Harassment Is Important

Workplace harassment poses a risk to your health and safety, and may affect your ability to work. Seeking help means taking charge of your personal safety, health and wellbeing at the workplace, contributing to a safe and conducive environment for all to carry out their work without fear of being harassed.

Contact TAFEP for advice and assistance

If you have experienced harassment at the workplace, you can contact TAFEP for advice and assistance.

We are here to listen and advise you on possible actions that you can take. This could include tapping on your organisation’s internal grievance handling and workplace harassment management procedures, and seeking emotional support or counselling through other avenues. All cases are treated with strict confidentiality.

Where you would like TAFEP’s help to seek recourse, we will contact your employer to ask that they carry out an investigation (e.g. interviews with affected parties and witnesses, review of documented evidence) in a sensitive way with due regard to the confidentiality of the matter, and address your concerns. TAFEP will also require your employer to put in place policies and procedures to prevent future incidents of workplace harassment. 

If you are a platform worker or self-employed person and have experienced harassment while working for your client, you can also approach TAFEP for advice and assistance.

Harassment within or outside the workplace may also be an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA).

What to Do If You Witness Harassment

Without compromising your own safety, try to stop the harassment by:

• Approaching the victim to provide support.
• Distracting the harasser or seeking help from others.
• Calling out the undesirable behaviour.
• Alerting and seeking help from management or security personnel.

If the incident has already happened, you may:

• Accompany the victim to inform the HR/management, or alert the HR/management personally of the incident.
• Advise the victim to lodge a police report if needed.
• Share evidence such as documents, photographs and video recordings if available.

If your organisation does not have a policy to manage harassment, you may contact TAFEP who can engage and work with your organisation to align its policies and practices with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will TAFEP go down to my company and investigate my harassment report?
   TAFEP typically engages companies over the phone or email. Your company may be asked to investigate into the incident(s) of harassment and address your concerns. If necessary, TAFEP will also work with your company to align its policies and practices with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment.
   
   
2. Do I have to reveal my identity to the company? I wish to stay anonymous.
   If the matter is specific to you, sharing your identity can help the company look into the incident more clearly and address your concerns more effectively. 
   However, we understand that you may have concerns about revealing your identity. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can still contact TAFEP for further advice and assistance.
   
   
3. What evidence do I need to support a harassment claim?
   Keep a detailed record of the incident (date, time, location, what happened, any witnesses). Supporting evidence that you can provide include emails, messages, texts, screenshots of relevant social media posts or comments.
   
   
4. Can I seek monetary compensation from my company?
   
   You may wish to seek legal advice as TAFEP is not able to determine or negotiate for monetary compensation. If you are seeking monetary compensation for any Employment Act-related matters, you can approach TADM for advice.
   
   
5. What if my company does not have a workplace harassment policy?
   You can still report harassment incidents to your supervisor, senior management or HR even if your company does not have a formal workplace harassment policy. The company should still investigate and address your report. 
   
   If the company does not act on it, you can contact TAFEP. We can engage and ask your company to investigate into the incident and work with it to put in place proper workplace harassment policies and processes.
   
   
6. What if I am not comfortable approaching my company’s supervisor/ director/ senior management (or HR) since he/ she is the harasser?
   You can report the harassment to your company’s HR (or senior management/ regional HR, including HQ HR for MNCs). Under the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment, harassment cases should be handled independently and impartially by neutral parties with no conflict of interest. If the report involves senior management / the highest authority in the company (e.g. CEO/ owner), the company should appoint an independent third party to investigate the matter to help to ensure fairness and proper handling of the case. If your company did not take action or follow up adequately, you can contact TAFEP for advice and assistance.
   
   TAFEP handles cases irrespective of the alleged harasser’s position within the organisation and may request your company to conduct an independent, fair and neutral investigation in accordance with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment. TAFEP can also review and strengthen your company’s policies and procedures to manage workplace harassment reports, so that employees can report harassment through proper internal channels in future.
   
   
7. What if the harassment report involves the highest authority in the company (e.g. CEO/ owner)?
   Under the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment, harassment cases should be handled independently and impartially by neutral parties with no conflict of interest. If the report involves the highest authority in the company, it is recommended that the company appoints an independent third party to investigate the matter. This helps to ensure fairness and proper handling of the case.
   
   
8. I do not want to report to my company as it will not do anything/ My company investigated into the report but the action taken was insufficient or no action was taken. What can I do?
   You can contact TAFEP for advice or consider other options, such as approaching CMC.
   
   While TAFEP is unable to direct your company to revise its action or take more severe action against the alleged harasser, TAFEP can request your company to review its investigation findings and address your concerns. If necessary, TAFEP will also work with your company to align its policies and practices with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment.
   
   
9. If I have already made a police report, can I still contact TAFEP?
   You can still choose to contact TAFEP even if you have already made a police report. A police report deals with possible criminal matters, whereas TAFEP plays a different role of working with companies on their workplace harassment policies to manage such harassment reports. 
   
   If you choose to contact TAFEP, please share your situation and the status of your police report with us, so that we can explain the options and available support.
   
   
10. Can I still contact TAFEP if I have already made an internal report to my company?
    It would be advisable to wait for your company to conclude its investigation first. You can contact us for assistance if your company did not handle the report properly. TAFEP can then engage and ask your company to investigate into the incident and work with it to align its policies and practices with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment.
    
    
11. Will I have any protection against unfair dismissal if I file a workplace harassment report against my company?
    If you believe you were unfairly dismissed for reporting workplace harassment, you may file a claim with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM). The claim must be submitted within one month from your last day of employment.
    
    
12. What if my company takes legal action against me if I make a report?
    We understand that this can be a concern and is worrying. Companies are expected to handle reports fairly and without retaliation under the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment. TAFEP will advise the company to respect this principle when looking into your concerns.
    
    However, TAFEP is not able to provide legal advice or manage legal disputes. You may wish to consider seeking independent legal advice if necessary. 
    
    
13. Can I withdraw a harassment complaint after filing it with TAFEP?
    Yes, you may choose to withdraw your report. However, we may still follow up separately with your company to check that the issue is addressed for the protection of other employees.
    
    
14. I am an Ordinary Branch (OB) union member, but I do not want to go to the union. What can I do?
    As an OB union member, it is recommended that you reach out to your company’s union representative for a one-to-one consultation and advice on your employment-related matters. He/ she will be able to provide guidance, advice and consultation on various aspects of workplace matters, policies, legal and practices.  
    
    Nonetheless, if you have concerns approaching the union or find that your concerns are not resolved, you can contact TAFEP and we may be able to advise you further. 
    
    
15. I am a Platform Worker/ Self-Employed Person. What can TAFEP do for me?
    If you are a Platform Worker and a member of a Platform Work Association, you can approach your Platform Worker Association for assistance first. If the matter remains unresolved, you can contact TAFEP and we will typically ask the platform operator to conduct a proper investigation into your concerns and resolve the issue directly with you.
    
    If you are a Platform Worker but not a member of a Platform Work Association, or are a Self-Employed Person, you can contact TAFEP. TAFEP may ask the platform operator or company to conduct a proper investigation into your concerns and resolve the issue directly with you. 
    
    If you wish to pursue the matter against the individual, you may consider civil or criminal options as listed above (such as applying for protection under the PHC, approaching CMC, making a police report or filing a Magistrate’s Complaint).
    
     
16. How does TAFEP handles harassment reports?
    TAFEP may ask the company to investigate the matter according to the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment and address the issue with the employee. TAFEP will also work with the company to align with or put in place policies and processes based on the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment, so that employers are able to report harassment incidents internally.