HR professionals prepare for changes due to workplace fairness Bill

Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 14 Jan 2025
Author: Sharon Salim

The Workplace Fairness Bill makes it unlawful for firms to employ workers based on their age, race and other criteria.

Human resources (HR) groups have given their thumbs-up for the landmark Bill tackling workplace discrimination that was passed in Parliament on Jan 8, giving workers greater protection against biases on grounds like age, race and nationality.

But they noted that more can be done to better protect workers’ rights, especially for smaller businesses with fewer than 25 employees, which will be excluded from the legislation for five years after it comes into effect.

The Workplace Fairness Bill specifies that it is unlawful to make employment decisions, such as hiring, firing and appraisals, based on five sets of characteristics:

Age
Nationality
Sex, marital status, pregnancy status and caregiving responsibilities
Race, religion and language
Disability and mental health conditions

Under the legislation, employers will also have to set up grievance-handling processes and inform employees about the procedures.

Employers must conduct inquiries, document the process and communicate the outcome to aggrieved employees, whose confidentiality must also be assured.

The legislation will prohibit retaliation – such as dismissals, salary deductions or harassment – against staff who report workplace discrimination.

In response to the Bill, Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) chief executive Aslam Sardar said small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those without dedicated HR functions, may face challenges in implementing the processes, due to the lack of guidance and resources.

Mr Sardar highlighted that the legislation represents not just a compliance mandate, but an opportunity to strengthen organisational culture and enhance workplace practices in Singapore.

He added that IHRP provides training and resources, such as the Human Capital Diagnostic Tool (HCDT), that can help equip employers with the necessary guidance to get through this transition effectively and confidently.

For instance, its workplace mental well-being playbook is designed to give actionable guidance, in the form of case studies, experts’ insights and illustrations, to help organisations support employees’ mental well-being at the workplace.

Similarly, the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) said it will focus on equipping organisations with tools, such as short professional development courses and in-house training, to embed fairness into their core practices, while providing “targeted support for small businesses”.

An SHRI spokesperson added that the institute has hosted workshops and engagement sessions related to the workplace fairness legislation, especially for those companies without established policies or those seeking to strengthen their HR frameworks. This includes an eight-hour course on managing workplace grievances and harassment.

HR groups and professionals The Straits Times spoke with said they are preparing for changes internally, which include plans to conduct training for HR teams.

Ms Juliet Tan, founder of HR consultancy firm Emplifi specialising in SMEs, said: “For an HR outsourcing and recruitment firm like mine, I am able and interested to train my clients’ managers, over 80 of them at one go. Most SMEs would not be able to conduct such trainings without in-house HR capabilities.”

Ms Tan has 10 staff under Emplifi, with a 500-strong client headcount. She added that it was “still early” to conduct training due to the exemption and the timeline for the Bill to take effect for SMEs, which are Emplifi’s clients.

Ms Tan, who is also a member of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), said larger companies with HR managers and teams “should have plans” to conduct trainings.

“I expect it will become a recurring annual training for managers and employees in larger firms and enterprises,” she added.

Mr Adrian Choo, chief executive of Career Agility, which developed an artificial intelligence-powered career diagnostic tool, said that while it is good that the Bill clearly states the penalties for workplace discrimination which gives enforcement power to the authorities, more can be done.

For one thing, he pointed out, many SMEs are exempted from the legislation for five years.

He added: “Companies should also not be allowed to ask these (discriminatory) questions during job interviews, and such information should not be included in companies’ job application forms.

“The penalties should extend to these (areas) as well.”

“It is also good that besides race and religion, the legislation will also protect marital status – especially married or divorced individuals – as well as mental health conditions,” he said.