Are You Ready for the Workplace Fairness Act?

The Workplace Fairness Act (WFA) takes effect at the end of 2027. That may sound far off, until you consider what getting ready involves.

The WFA builds on fundamental principles of the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) - making employment decisions based on merit, not personal characteristics. The difference now is that these expectations carry legal weight. Employers who make adverse employment decisions such as in hiring, appraisal, training selection, promotion, or dismissal based on protected characteristics will face administrative financial penalties and, in serious cases, heavier civil penalties.

But compliance is only one reason to act early. Employers who practise fair employment know the practical value. Decisions grounded in clear, job-related criteria are defensible when questions arise. When employees experience consistency in how decisions are made, they are more likely to trust the process. This trust encourages them to raise concerns before issues escalate, and contributes to them staying in the organisation longer. Conversely, when people leave because they felt unfairly treated, word gets around. In a tight labour market, your reputation as an employer matters more than many realise.

What the WFA requires

The WFA prohibits adverse employment decisions based on protected characteristics across three stages of the employment cycle:

• Pre-employment: decisions related to hiring, such as screening applicants, inviting candidates for interviews, and making or not making an offer of employment
• In-employment: decisions related to performance appraisals, promotions, demotions, and provision of training
• End-employment: decisions regarding termination of employment, with or without notice

The WFA also requires a documented grievance handling process – a written process that commits your organisation to inquire and review each grievance, communicating the outcome, keeping records, and protecting confidentiality. Employees must be informed of this process in writing.

Fair employment practices take time to implement well. This includes drafting, reviewing and clearly communicating grievance handling processes, as well as ensuring hiring, promotion, and performance review decisions are supported with documented, job-related reasoning. Managers must also be trained to apply such practices consistently and with confidence. These do not happen overnight.

Assess where you stand with the Workplace Fairness module in the FPEIndex

To support this, TAFEP, in collaboration with the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP), has developed a new Workplace Fairness module - designed as a self-check for alignment with both the WFA and the TGFEP - in the Fair & Progressive Employment Index (FPEIndex), a free online self-assessment tool that helps employers evaluate how their current practices measure up.

The FPEIndex uses a modular format that can be completed on a flexible basis so you can focus on what matters most to your organisation. Beyond compliance, the FPEIndex covers broader dimensions such as Leadership, Systems, and Communication.

The Workplace Fairness module maps directly to WFA requirements. It starts with general awareness of the WFA and TGFEP, then looks at practices across the three employment stages. For example, it covers areas like whether job advertisements use non-discriminatory language, whether performance appraisals use objective standards, and whether there is a documented grievance handling process.

This comprehensive set of indicators helps employers to understand how fair the organisation’s employment practices are throughout the employee life cycle, from how prospective employees are selected to whether they have clear recourse in the event of disputes.

Once you complete the assessment, you receive:

• Practical recommendations on where to strengthen your practices
• Analysed results showing how your organisation performs against industry peers
• A downloadable report for further planning

The Workplace Fairness module takes about 20 minutes to complete, providing a good starting point before WFA kicks in. The results and recommendations will help you build a workplace that is not only compliant, but also harmonious and inclusive.

Get started at https://fairprogressive.sg.