Mental health in the workplace has gained growing attention in recent years, reflecting its impact on both wellbeing and performance. For too long, people have quietly struggled with anxiety, depression, burnout, and other conditions, worrying that speaking up could cost them their jobs or their reputations. In Singapore, there are growing efforts to address these concerns in a more structured and systemic way.
The Workplace Fairness Act 2025 was passed by Parliament on 8 January 2025 and is intended to take effect in 2026 or 2027, with the aim of protecting employees from discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics (Allen & Gledhill, 2025). One of the most significant shifts this legislation brings is the explicit inclusion of mental health as a protected characteristic. Importantly, this includes mental health conditions, reflecting a broader recognition of their relevance in the workplace.
If you have been following discussions about the Workplace Fairness Act and are unsure how it applies to you, this article provides an overview of what it may mean in practice.
What the Act Actually Covers
The law is broader than many people realise. Under the Act, mental health conditions refer to any mental disorder diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner, and these protected characteristics account for more than 95% of discrimination complaints received by the Ministry of Manpower and TAFEP (Singapore Legal Advice, 2025).
What this means practically is that your employer cannot:
- Refuse to hire you because of a mental health diagnosis
- Deny you a promotion or development opportunity on those grounds
- Make your working conditions unreasonably difficult because of your condition
- Share your mental health information without your consent
Employers are also required to implement grievance handling processes while protecting the confidentiality of those who raise concerns (Withers Worldwide, 2025). This supports a more structured and safer process for employees to voice concerns where necessary.
Why This Matters: The Reality Behind the Numbers
The introduction of this legislation reflects broader patterns observed in workplace mental health.
Research shows that 72% of workers in Singapore fear career repercussions if their workplace finds out about a mental health issue (Jain, 2025), and 55% of Singaporeans, especially younger workers, would feel negatively about themselves if they were experiencing a mental health challenge (Ipsos, 2025).
That is a staggering number. More than two-thirds of the workforce silently carry something, too afraid to ask for help or accommodations. And when people return from medical leave or a period of absence related to mental health, the difficulty does not always end there. Stress after returning to work is a real and commonly overlooked part of the recovery journey, one that workplaces are only beginning to acknowledge.
Nearly half (45%) of Singaporean employers are hesitant to actively employ individuals with mental health conditions, placing Singapore behind smaller Southeast Asian markets like Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines in this area (Singapore Business Review, 2025). The gap between policy intention and lived experience is real. But legislation like the Workplace Fairness Act creates a framework that pushes organisations to close that gap, not just in writing, but in practice.
What Employers Are Now Expected to Do
Compliance is not simply about avoiding legal trouble. It is about building workplaces where people actually feel safe enough to do their best work.
Under the Act, employers with 25 or more employees will be required to have proper grievance handling procedures in place. This means there needs to be a clear, accessible process for employees to raise concerns about discrimination, including discrimination tied to mental health.
Beyond the legal floor, forward-thinking organisations are going further. Training managers in mental health literacy, offering confidential counselling access, and fostering cultures where help-seeking is normalised rather than penalised are all steps that matter deeply.
During parliamentary debate on the Bill, it was highlighted that workers with milder mental health conditions may benefit from access to therapy or psychological support, even outside of clinical settings. This reflects a growing recognition that workplace mental health support needs to be multi-layered.
Mental health support is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Some individuals may require clinical intervention, while others may benefit from practical workplace adjustments or supportive management. For some, simply knowing that they can have a difficult period without fear of negative consequences can make a meaningful difference.
What This Means for You as an Employee
If you are living with a mental health condition and currently employed in Singapore, here is what you should know.
You have the right to raise a concern through your employer’s internal grievance process if you feel you have experienced discrimination.. You are not obligated to disclose your diagnosis to your employer unless it directly affects your ability to do the job. And if your employer retaliates against you for raising a concern, that retaliation is itself a violation under the Act.
You are also not alone in finding this complicated. Knowing your rights and feeling confident enough to exercise them are two very different things. That is where professional psychological support can play a real role, not just in managing your mental health, but in helping you navigate difficult workplace dynamics with clarity and resilience.
A More Humane Direction
Legislation does not transform workplace culture overnight. However, it helps establish the conditions for meaningful and sustained change. When mental health discrimination carries real consequences, employers are given a concrete reason to take wellbeing seriously, and employees are given something they have not always had: a reason to trust the system.
The Workplace Fairness Act represents a more humane direction for Singapore’s working world. It acknowledges that people are whole human beings, not just productivity units, and that their mental health is inseparable from their ability to contribute, grow, and thrive at work.
If you are struggling with your mental health in the workplace and are not sure where to turn, professional support can make an enormous difference. ImPossible Psychological Services offers compassionate, evidence-based psychological care to help you navigate work-related stress, burnout, anxiety, and more. Reach out to ImPossible Psychological Services today and take that first step towards feeling better, not just at work, but in life.
References
Allen & Gledhill. (2025). Workplace Fairness Bill passed in Parliament to protect employees from discrimination. https://www.allenandgledhill.com/sg/publication/articles/29823/workplace-fairness-bill-passed-in-parliament-to-protect-employees-from-discrimination
Ipsos. (2025). Singaporeans deem mental health as the biggest health problem. Ipsos. https://www.ipsos.com/en-sg/singaporeans-deem-mental-health-biggest-health-problem
Jain, V. (2025). Singapore’s Mental Health Index Plummets: What’s happening beneath the surface? People Matters. https://sea.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/wellbeing/singapores-mental-health-index-plummets-whats-happening-beneath-the-surface-47722
Singapore Business Review. (2025). Nearly half of employers hesitant to hire individuals with mental health conditions. https://sbr.com.sg/hr-education/news/nearly-half-employers-hesitant-hire-individuals-mental-health-conditions
Singapore Legal Advice. (2025). FAQs on Singapore’s new Workplace Fairness Act. https://singaporelegaladvice.com/faq-singapore-workplace-fairness-act/
Withers Worldwide. (2025). Singapore’s Workplace Fairness Act and its impact on women in the workplace. https://www.withersworldwide.com/en-gb/insight/read/singapore-s-workplace-fairness-act-and-its-impact-on-women-in-workplace