Small businesses in Singapore aim to stamp out workplace gender bias
- Claire Lee
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore are seeking to stamp out gender bias and harassment in the workplace, partnering with labour union NTUC to set up policies such as proper grievance handling procedures and disciplinary actions.
NTUC will also provide training materials, webinars, and a sample human resource policy manual that SMEs can use to improve gender equality and anti-harassment policies and practices in their firms, reports The Straits Times.
The initiative, led by NTUC’s women and family wing (U WAF), aims to increase participation of the programme to another 60 SMEs by year end.
“Not everybody is able to articulate what they feel. U WAF is training not only employers on what to do when someone reports [discrimination] and general female grievances, we are also training employees to substantiate their feelings with an articulation of why they have a grievance,” said U WAF director Yeo Wan Ling.
READ: Singapore moves to help older PMEs transition to new jobs
A survey by NTUC and PAP women’s wing of around 3,000 workers held over January and February this year also revealed that 23% per cent, or nearly one-quarter of respondents believe there is gender discrimination in the workplace, where one in 10 women surveyed said they were passed over for a promotion or career advancement opportunity, twice as many compared to male workers in the poll.
