The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), have jointly issued a Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment to help employers and employees prevent and manage workplace harassment.
After the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA)1 was passed by Parliament in March 2014, a Tripartite Workgroup on Prevention of Harassment at the Workplace, which comprises stakeholders from the Government, unions, employers, HR professionals and subject matter experts was set up to develop the Advisory.
Both employers and employees have an interest and responsibility in preventing harassment at the workplace and managing it properly if it happens. The Advisory provides guidance to employers and employees on preventive measures to adopt to ensure a safe and conducive workplace.
It also recommends proactive management and remedial actions that employers and affected persons can take if harassment occurs at the workplace.
The tripartite advisory released today (Dec 23) offers tips on how employees can protect themselves, avenues to seek help if affected by harassment, as well as recommendations on proactive management and remedial actions that employers and affected persons can take if harassment occurs at the workplace.
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Under the Protection Harassment Act, a police report can be made if a person is believed to have committed an offence. These offences include harassment, alarm or distress (whether intentional or otherwise), causing fear or provoking violence, threatening, abusing or insulting public servant or public service worker, and unlawful stalking.
The advisory also suggest measures for employers to ensure a safe and conducive workplace environment free of harassment and workplace bullying lobbies. The steps for the same include implementation of a harassment reporting line to facilitate timely reporting of harassment cases. This could be in the form of a hotline for employees to explain their grievances, in case they do not wish to be identified.
The tripartite partners and workgroup members will actively promote the adoption of the good practices recommended in the Advisory. SNEF has developed a course for employers on ‘Prevention and Addressing Workplace Bullying and Harassment’. Affected persons who require assistance and support can refer to the resources provided in the Advisory.
In drafting the Advisory, the tripartite workgroup also sought the views of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) and Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC).
news source & image credits: todayonline.com
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