Singapore · Support at work
Shaken by harassment at work: finding support in Singapore
You may need someone to listen, a safer way through tomorrow, and advice about reporting. Those are different needs. You can take them one at a time.
If you feel targeted or harassed at work in Singapore, start with your safety, then choose one person or service to approach. When safe, make a private factual note of what happened. You can ask TAFEP about workplace options and seek emotional support separately; you do not need to settle the legal label before asking for help. Calming yourself is not your responsibility to make someone else's behaviour acceptable.
In this fictional example, Priya leaves an office near Jurong East after a colleague repeatedly makes insulting comments about her during a team call. On the MRT home, she drafts a long reply, deletes it, and starts again. She is worried about tomorrow's meeting, but also about paying rent if things become difficult at work.
This is an invented situation, not a client story or a finding about an employer. A useful first question for Priya is smaller than “Should I resign?”: “What do I need to feel safer tonight, and who can help me understand tomorrow's options?”
Put safety before the perfect response
If someone is threatening you or you feel unsafe, move towards a safer place and seek help from nearby people or security where possible. Do not stay alone with the person to finish an argument or gather more evidence. For immediate police assistance, call 999; if it is unsafe to speak, use SMS 70999. These are the Singapore Police Force's emergency routes.
You do not have to confront the person as a test of courage. The Ministry of Manpower's guidance includes seeking help, using a buddy system when safety may be compromised, and approaching workplace channels or TAFEP.
What counts as harassment depends on the circumstances. MOM lists examples including threatening or insulting behaviour, cyberbullying, sexual harassment and stalking. This page cannot determine whether a particular incident meets a legal test. Describe what happened when you ask for advice, including a single incident that concerns you; you need not wait for it to happen again.
Give tonight a smaller job
After you are somewhere safe, try separating three things: what happened, how you feel, and what needs a decision. “I was insulted in front of the team,” “I feel embarrassed and frightened,” and “I need advice before the next meeting” can sit beside each other without becoming “I have ruined my career.”
This is a practical way to organise a difficult evening, not a treatment or a promise that the feeling will go away. You could try:
- Notice where you are now. Put your feet on the floor and name a few things you can see around you. If that feels unhelpful, stop and choose something ordinary, such as sitting with a trusted person.
- Ask for a specific kind of company. Try, “Could you listen for ten minutes? I don't need you to solve it or contact anyone yet.”
- Choose a time to revisit the next step. If there is no immediate danger or time-sensitive action, write down whom you will contact tomorrow. You do not have to spend the whole night rewriting a reply.
For Priya, this might mean calling her sister, having dinner, and putting one question on paper: “Who can explain the reporting process if I am worried about being identified?” The difficulty at work still matters. She is giving herself support while she works out what to do.
Make a factual note without turning your evening into an investigation
TAFEP recommends recording the incident's date, time, location, events and witnesses, along with relevant supporting messages or emails. Keep what you already have safely and privately. Do not put yourself at risk to obtain more, access someone else's account, or post accusations publicly.
An original example to adapt privately
What happened: During Monday's 3pm team call, a colleague made a comment about me. I wrote the words I remember below and marked where I am unsure.
Who was present: The people on the call.
What I already have: The relevant message in the work chat.
My immediate concern: I am expected to meet this person alone tomorrow.
My question: Who can advise me about a safer arrangement and the reporting process?
A note can be brief. Separate what you directly saw or heard from what you suspect. Keep sensitive information private; there is nothing to fill in or upload on this webpage.
Choose the route that matches what you need
You can need emotional support and help with the workplace situation at the same time. One conversation does not have to do both jobs.
For a concern inside your organisation
Check the company's grievance or harassment procedure for the appropriate person: HR, a manager or a designated neutral contact. If the concern involves your manager, look for an alternative route. MOM's workplace grievance guidance includes approaching senior management or your union, as well as counselling support. It also directs cases involving physical harm or threats of harm to the police.
An original opening could be: “I want advice about a workplace incident. Before I share details, could you explain who will see them, what happens next, and whom I can approach if the concern involves my manager?” You can also ask about an immediate practical arrangement, such as having another person present at a meeting. Asking does not guarantee that an arrangement will be approved.
For advice about workplace harassment options
You can contact TAFEP on 6838 0969 or use its official online contact route. TAFEP's affected-individual guidance explains that, when you seek its help for recourse, it may contact your employer and ask it to investigate. TAFEP's advice role is different from personally conducting every workplace investigation.
Confidential handling is not the same as guaranteed anonymity. TAFEP says you can still approach it if you are concerned about revealing your identity. Ask what information would need to be shared before deciding your next step. If your concern includes possible retaliation, mention it; no webpage can promise a particular response, job protection or outcome.
For emotional support
A trusted person can listen without investigating. A counsellor can be a separate source of support for the emotional impact. If your employer offers an employee assistance programme, ask the provider about access, confidentiality and what information, if any, goes back to the employer. Do not assume every workplace has the same arrangement.
If you are supporting a colleague, ask, “Would you like company while you contact someone, help putting your questions in order, or just someone to listen?” Avoid taking over or contacting the person they are concerned about without discussing it. Immediate danger calls for urgent help.
When the impact needs more support
If distress persists, worsens or makes sleeping, working or everyday life difficult, speak with a doctor or qualified mental health professional. You can describe what has changed without diagnosing yourself. Support for your health need not wait for a workplace process to finish.
Singapore's Ministry of Health lists national mindline 1771 for round-the-clock mental health support by phone, text and online chat. Call 1771 or find the text and chat options through the official page. If you feel at immediate risk of harming yourself, seek urgent help at a hospital emergency department; do not wait for a workplace reply.
If your separate concern is about availability and workload outside working hours, our after-hours work messages guide covers that different problem. Reply-boundary scripts are not a solution to threats or harassment.
For now, choose one manageable next step: a call for company, a private factual note, or a question to the appropriate service. You deserve support while the bigger questions remain unresolved.