Singapore’s upcoming Workplace Fairness Act (WFA) marks an important shift in how organisations approach fairness at work. What has long been framed as good practice will increasingly need to be backed by clear processes, consistent decision-making and stronger accountability. The Act was passed in two stages in 2025, with implementation aimed for end-2027, giving employers some time to get ready.
For employers, that means that this is the right time to review their decision making and communication processes for hiring, appraisal, promotion, training and dismissal. It is also a chance to move beyond compliance and build a workplace culture that people trust.
At Catalyse, we encourage organisations to do this through the RISE framework (Respect, Inclusion, Safety, and Empathy). These are not abstract values. They can be translated into day-to-day practices that reduce risk, strengthen culture and help people do their best work.
Why is Workplace Fairness Important?
In Singapore, many employers already see fairness as part of good management. But once employees start to feel that decisions are opaque, biased or unevenly applied, the impact is felt quickly across morale, trust and retention.
1. It affects whether good people stay
When employees believe they are being judged fairly, they are more likely to stay engaged and committed. When they feel that promotions, opportunities or treatment depend on favouritism, stereotypes or inconsistent standards, they start looking elsewhere.
In a tight talent market, fairness is not just an HR issue. It affects your ability to attract and retain capable people.
2. It shapes trust in leadership
Workplace culture is built through everyday decisions. Who gets stretch opportunities? Whose concerns are taken seriously? Who is allowed flexibility without penalty?
Employees notice these patterns. Even where there is no bad intent, a lack of transparency can damage confidence in leaders and make teams more cautious, less open and less willing to speak up.
3. It supports better performance
When employees believe they are paid fairly, they are 36% more likely to exert extra effort. Furthermore, equitable profit-sharing correlates with a 28% increase in employee commitment.
Fairness is one of the foundations of psychological safety, and psychological safety matters for both performance and innovation.
4. It reduces legal and organisational risk
The Workplace Fairness Act will prohibit employers from making adverse employment decisions based on protected characteristics such as age, nationality, sex, marital status, pregnancy, caregiving responsibilities, race, religion, language, disability and mental health conditions. It will also require firms to put grievance-handling processes in place.
Understanding the Workplace Fairness Act
The Workplace Fairness Act strengthens protection against workplace discrimination while preserving Singapore’s emphasis on fair, merit-based employment and amicable resolution of disputes. The law prohibits adverse employment decisions on the basis of protected characteristics and also covers discriminatory job advertisements and company policies.
The core components of the Workplace Fairness Act that leaders must prepare for include:
- New Statutory Tort of Discrimination: This creates a new legal avenue for individuals to seek damages for harms caused by bias, even when no formal contract exists.
- Comprehensive Coverage: The mandate extends beyond recruitment to cover the entire employee lifecycle, including training, promotion, and dismissal, ensuring fairness in workplace practices at every touchpoint.
- Strengthened Enforcement: Where disputes cannot be resolved internally, the framework emphasises mediation first. Claims may then proceed to the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT), and larger claims may be heard by the High Court. Claims up to S$250,000 can be heard at the ECT.
Practical Fairness Examples at Work
The best way to prepare is not to wait until 2027. It is to start reviewing the places where unfairness most often shows up: hiring, progression, flexibility, grievance handling and leadership decisions.
To start, you can incorporate RISE principles to ensure fairness in your workplace:
1. Neutral, Skills-Based Hiring and Promotion (RISE Principle: Respect)
A fair workplace assesses people on their ability to do the job, not on assumptions linked to age, gender, family status, nationality or disability.
In practice, this can include:
- using standardised interview questions
- agreeing assessment criteria before interviews begin
- avoiding informal “culture fit” judgments that are hard to define
- documenting reasons for hiring and promotion decisions
- ensuring job advertisements focus on genuine role requirements
This reflects respect in action. It shows employees and candidates that they will be assessed on capability, performance and potential.
2. Flexible Work Arrangements that do not punish caregivers (Rise Principle: Inclusion)
Flexibility is often where fairness becomes real. A workplace may say it values caregivers, but if employees who ask for flexibility are seen as less committed, the message is clear.
Fairness means designing flexibility so that it is workable, transparent and not career-limiting. This may include:
- clear criteria for flexible work arrangements
- consistency across teams
- training managers to assess output rather than face-time
- making sure employees who work flexibly are not overlooked for advancement
This is especially important for caregivers, parents and employees managing health needs. Inclusion is not only about representation. It is about whether people can participate fully without being penalised for their circumstances.
3. Safe and credible grievance-handling processes (RISE Principle: Safety)
Under the Act, employers will be required to have grievance-handling processes in place. But having a policy is not enough. Employees must believe the process is safe, fair and worth.
Good practice includes:
- more than one reporting channel
- clear timelines and process steps
- confidentiality safeguards
- protection against retaliation
- trained managers and HR teams
- neutral fact-finding where required
For more serious matters, especially where there may be conflicts of interest or senior respondents involved, external support may be necessary to preserve trust in the process.
A fair process is about whether people believe the organisation will respond with seriousness and integrity.
4. Fair support and accommodation (RISE Principle: Empathy)
Empathy in the workplace means recognising that employees do not all experience work in the same way. Some may be managing caregiving responsibilities, returning from extended leave, navigating disability or mental health challenges, or dealing with major life changes. Fairness requires organisations to respond with flexibility, thoughtfulness and consistency, rather than forcing everyone into the same mould.
Practical examples include reasonable accommodations, supportive return-to-work arrangements, and managers who know how to balance business needs with genuine care for employees’ circumstances.
5. Managers who know how to make fair decisions (RISE Principle: All four)
Many fairness problems do not begin with malice. They begin with poor management habits: assumptions, inconsistency, avoidance, defensiveness or lack of documentation.
That is why manager capability matters. Leaders should know how to:
- give feedback consistently
- handle complaints properly
- make objective people decisions
- recognise bias in themselves and others
- respond constructively when concerns are raised
If your managers are not ready, your policies will not be enough.
What organisations in Singapore should do now
The organisations that will be in the strongest position are not those that wait for enforcement. They are the ones already reviewing their systems and strengthening management practice.
A practical starting point would be to:
- review hiring, promotion and appraisal processes
- audit policies for discrimination risk
- establish or improve grievance-handling procedures
- train managers and HR teams
- document decision-making more consistently
For SMEs, this does not have to mean building something overly complex. The law itself recognises that firms vary in size and capability, and firms with fewer than 25 employees will be given more time before the requirements apply.
Build fairness before it becomes a problem
The Workplace Fairness Act sends a clear signal about the kind of workplaces Singapore wants to build: fairer, safer and more accountable ones. But legislation alone will not create trust. Culture, leadership and everyday practice still matter.
That is why the work should start now.
At Catalyse, we support organisations to review policies, strengthen grievance-handling processes, train managers and build workplace cultures where fairness is not just stated, but felt. If your organisation is preparing for the Workplace Fairness Act, we can help you take practical steps that support both compliance and culture.