During this ½ day session, participants will be guided on the following :

Introduction & Singapore Context

1. Why termination practices are under scrutiny: unpaid salaries, sudden shutdowns, CPF gaps

2. Clarifying scope: day-to-day terminations and organisational restructuring

Termination of Employment: Core Legal Requirements

Focus: What HR and business leaders must get right in any termination, discussing

1. Termination with notice and payment in lieu

2. Termination for misconduct (procedural due process, investigations)

3. Termination for poor performance (documentation, fairness and timelines)

4. Wrongful dismissal risks and TADM/ECT pathways

5. Final salary, unused leave, CPF payment requirements

6. Common procedural mistakes that escalate into disputes

Lessons from Recent Singapore Cases

Focus: Real consequences when terminations and closures are mishandled. Examples drawn from recent cases involving

1. Abrupt business shutdowns – Why? Change in strategy, declining financials

2. Last-minute or no-notice terminations

3. Employees left without salaries or CPF

4. Breakdown in communication and documentation

Discussion centres on:

1. Where termination standards were breached

2. How HR could have intervened

3. What proactive compliance looks like in practice :

A compliant termination workflow

A restructuring timeline (if required)

Media and internal communication risk

Communication plan for affected and remaining staff

Activity: Group evaluation of short termination scenarios (performance, conduct and notice-related)

Responsible Restructuring & Redundancy Compliance

Focus: Structuring lawful and defensible workforce reductions

1. Redundancy vs termination: legal and practical distinctions

2. MOM/Tripartite requirements for retrenchment

3. Selection criteria and documentation

4. Notice periods, benefits and ex-gratia norms

5. Salary and CPF settlement during financial distress

6. Filing retrenchment notifications

Activity: Work through exactly what constitutes fair, compliant restructuring in Singapore

Communication in Termination & Restructuring

Focus: Delivering difficult messages correctly

1. Preparing termination conversations

2. Managing reactions (shock, anger, appeals)

3. Organisational announcements during restructuring

4. Controlling rumours and ensuring message consistency

5. Protecting leadership and the organisation’s reputation

Practical Drill: 2 short, scripted conversations—(1) individual termination, (2) team briefing following a restructuring announcement

Wrap-Up & Takeaways

1. Key compliance points for termination and restructuring

2. 3 high-risk mistakes to avoid

At the end of the workshop, participants would be able to :

1. understand how to and carefully manage termination of employment (with cause, without cause, misconduct, poor performance and redundancy)

2. execute routine and complex terminations compliantly, including notice, payment in lieu, documentation and procedural fairness

3. recognise failures from recent cases involving sudden closures, wage arrears and poor communication

4. manage restructuring and retrenchment processes while meeting MOM and Tripartite standards

5. handle communications clearly, consistently and defensibly

6. develop a practical framework to minimise legal disputes, employee claims and reputational risk

Business owners, HR professionals, practitioners, executives and any other personnel involved in HR related work or issues in Singapore