Getting ready for the Workplace Fairness Act: a checklist for Singapore SMEs

Singapore's Workplace Fairness Act (WFA) makes it unlawful for employers to make adverse employment decisions because of protected characteristics such as age, nationality and race. MOM says it will take effect by end-2027. That sounds far away, but the work it asks for, a written grievance process, fair hiring criteria and decisions you can explain later, takes months to put in place in a busy SME.

This guide covers what the law protects, who it applies to and how claims work, then gives an 8-step checklist to start this quarter. Every legal point links to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), TAFEP or Singapore Statutes Online.

What the Workplace Fairness Act is

The WFA was passed as two bills. The first, the Workplace Fairness Bill, passed in Parliament on 8 January 2025. It sets out the protections and what employers must do. The second, the Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill, passed on 4 November 2025. It sets out how workers can bring a claim. Together they form the Workplace Fairness Act. (MOM: Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill press release)

Both Acts are on Singapore Statutes Online, listed as uncommenced (meaning they are not in force) as at 16 October 2026: the Workplace Fairness Act 2025 and the Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Act 2025.

When it takes effect

The Act isn't in force yet. In written replies to Parliament on 7 October 2026, MOM said the WFA is "scheduled to take effect by end-2027". (MOM: written answer on pregnancy-related discrimination) MOM has not announced an exact start date, so check back before you finalise your timeline.

Until then, the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) already apply. TAFEP says all employers in Singapore are expected to follow them, and those that don't may face MOM scrutiny and have their work pass privileges curtailed. Most of the checklist below is already expected of you today.

Who it covers

Small firms with fewer than 25 employees will be exempted from the legislation. They must still follow the TGFEP, and the tripartite partners will review the exemption in five years. (MOM: fact sheet on the Workplace Fairness Bill)

If you have 30 to 300 staff, plan on the Act applying to you. Near 25? Prepare anyway: headcount in construction moves with every project.

What it protects

The Act protects five groups of characteristics (TAFEP: guide to workplace fairness for employers):

• age
• nationality
• sex, marital status, pregnancy status and caregiving responsibilities
• race, religion and language ability
• disability and mental health conditions

The TGFEP will continue to cover discrimination based on other characteristics. (MOM: passing of the Workplace Fairness Bill)

For a site-based firm, nationality and language ability are worth a careful look. Many crews mix Singaporeans, Malaysians and work permit holders, and language is often used as shorthand for "fits the team".

Which decisions it covers

The Act covers adverse employment decisions at every stage of employment: hiring, in-employment decisions such as appraisals, training and promotion, and dismissal. (MOM: fact sheet on the Workplace Fairness Bill)

There are exceptions. An employer may base a decision on a protected characteristic where it is a genuine occupational requirement, in four situations: reasonable job performance, health and safety, privacy, and legal or regulatory requirements. Religious organisations may also make decisions based on religion. (Same fact sheet.) If you rely on an exception, write down why at the time you decide.

Your two duties: handle grievances, and don't retaliate

Grievance handling. The WFA will require employers to put in place processes to handle grievances "professionally, sensitively and at the firm-level". (TAFEP: guide to workplace fairness for employers) MOM's fact sheet says the employer must inquire into the grievance, review it and tell the employee the result, must tell all employees about the process, and must keep the employee's confidentiality throughout. (MOM: fact sheet on the Workplace Fairness Bill) MOM has also said employers will have to investigate workplace harassment and discrimination grievances. (MOM: written answer on workplace harassment complaints)

No retaliation. The WFA prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who report discrimination or harassment. TAFEP's examples include wrongful dismissal, unreasonable denial of re-employment, unauthorised salary deductions, taking away contractual benefits, and harassment. (TAFEP: guide to workplace fairness for employers) If a worker raises a grievance about a supervisor, that supervisor shouldn't be the one deciding the worker's next appraisal or re-employment offer alone.

Retirement and re-employment age in Singapore: a 2026 guide for SMEsWho qualifies for re-employment, when to make the offer, and what HR must do.cova.sg/resources/sg-re-employment-age-guide

What happens if a worker makes a claim

The second Act sets out the route (MOM: Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill press release):

1. Your grievance process first. Workers are strongly encouraged to raise the matter internally first.
2. Mediation. If that doesn't resolve it, the worker and employer must attempt mediation before a claim can go any further. The worker must ask for mediation within time limits set under the Act. (MOM: dispute resolution bill factsheet)
3. A tribunal or court. The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) hear claims up to and including $250,000. Larger claims go to the High Court. Lawyers can't represent parties at the ECT, and all claims are heard in private.

There are safeguards against frivolous or vexatious claims: employers can apply to strike them out, judges can strike them out on their own, and costs may be awarded against the person who brought them.

Penalties. Separately, the State can act against employers who break the rules. The tools include directions, administrative financial penalties and heavier civil penalties, as well as directions to attend educational workshops. (MOM: passing of the Workplace Fairness Bill)

What to do now: an 8-step checklist

1. Write down your grievance process

Put it on one page. Say how a worker raises a concern, who handles it (and who handles it if the complaint is about that person), how it's looked into, by when the worker hears back, and how to escalate. TAFEP's guide to workplace fairness for employers links a grievance handling handbook, a sample policy, a lodgement form and a report template you can adapt.

2. Tell every worker about it

The Act will require you to tell all employees about the process. (MOM: fact sheet on the Workplace Fairness Bill) TAFEP suggests the handbook, orientation and circulars. For site crews, add it to the induction, put it on the site notice board and explain it in the languages your crews use.

3. Keep grievances confidential

Decide who can see a grievance and limit it to them. Record and file grievances confidentially, as the TGFEP expects. (TAFEP: grievance handling) A complaint in the site WhatsApp group fails this test straight away.

4. Fix your hiring criteria and job ads

Write each role's requirements before you look at candidates, and apply them to everyone. The TGFEP asks you to avoid age, gender, race, religion, nationality, marital status and family responsibilities as selection criteria in job ads. For a physically demanding job, state the physical requirement, not an age group. If you need a language, say why. (TAFEP: Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices) TAFEP's fair recruitment checklist is a quick way to review your ads and application forms.

5. Give a reason for every decision

A decision on hiring, training, promotion or dismissal should come with a written, job-related reason. "Not suitable" isn't a reason. "Doesn't hold the forklift licence the role needs" is.

6. Keep your records

The TGFEP asks employers to keep interview, assessment and job offer records, and performance reviews, for at least one year. (TAFEP: Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices) Store them where they can't be quietly changed later.

7. Train your managers and supervisors

The TGFEP expects training for all managers and supervisors involved in handling grievances. (TAFEP: grievance handling) TAFEP offers a 40-minute WFA e-learning course for HR, people managers and business leaders, and complimentary e-learning courses on fair hiring and on implementing a grievance handling process. (TAFEP: guide to workplace fairness for employers) In construction, include site supervisors: they nominate people for courses and recommend who stays when a project ends.

Training management for Singapore SMEs: SkillsFuture funding, providers, approvals and recordsSkillsFuture subsidies, SFEC and Absentee Payroll, choosing a provider, and running booking, approvals and certificates.cova.sg/resources/sg-training-management-smes

8. Check where you stand

TAFEP points employers to a self-assessment on fairprogressive.sg.

How Cova helps

Cova is HR software for Singapore SMEs. Here's how it supports the checklist today.

A reason on every no. Training, leave and form requests sit in one Approvals inbox. Rejecting a request needs a reason, which the requester sees. Nobody can approve, reject or send back their own request, HR and Admins included. Approvals works on a phone too, so site supervisors can decide from site.

Fair access to training. HR chooses which courses need a manager's approval, course by course or a whole category at once. Every step of a training request is recorded with who did it, when and why.

Named decision-makers. On a form, each approval stage can go to the requester's manager, a role such as HR, or a named person. Only the form's owner, its approvers and people the owner shares them with can see the responses. That applies to HR and Admins too.

A trail that can't be edited. Entries in the company Audit log can't be edited or deleted, by HR, Admins or anyone else. Only HR and Admins can read it.

A confidential grievance channel. Want a confidential grievance form, with named handlers and a full history of every step? Yes, we build and set this up for your team.

Manager training on record. HR can add its own courses, such as an in-house briefing on your grievance process, and book them for anyone. Each person's training tab lists their courses.

The steps removed: no hunting through chats for why a course was refused, no rejection without a reason, and no spreadsheet of decisions that anyone can edit.

Ask the Cova team for a quote for your headcount and the modules you need.

Approval workflows for Singapore SMEs: leave, training and onboarding without WhatsAppWhy chat approvals fail, what a good approval flow needs, and how to apply it to leave, training and onboarding.cova.sg/resources/sg-approval-workflows-smes Choosing an HRIS in Singapore: a buyer's checklist for SMEs and site-based teamsWhat to check before you buy an HR system: leave rules, work passes, training records, approvals, PDPA, mobile access and pricing.cova.sg/resources/sg-hris-buyers-checklist

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules were checked against the MOM and TAFEP websites and Singapore Statutes Online on 16 October 2026. Always check the linked pages for the latest position.

Sources

• MOM, Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill press release (4 November 2025)
• MOM, Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill factsheet
• MOM, Passing of the Workplace Fairness Bill (8 January 2025)
• MOM, Fact sheet on the Workplace Fairness Bill first reading
• MOM, Written answer to PQ on pregnancy-related discrimination (7 October 2026)
• MOM, Written answer to PQ on workplace harassment complaints (7 October 2026)
• TAFEP, Guide to workplace fairness for employers
• TAFEP, Grievance handling
• TAFEP, Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices
• Singapore Statutes Online, Workplace Fairness Act 2025
• Singapore Statutes Online, Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Act 2025