While the upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation is a major milestone in Singapore’s fight against discrimination, one critical ingredient may be left out of our fairer future: reasonable accommodations.

The interim report by the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness notably leaves out the right to request reasonable accommodations—that is, adjustments or modifications to an employee’s role or work environment that can help meet their specific needs.

Reasonable accommodations are key in supporting a wide range of workers: people with disabilities, caregivers, pregnant women, older persons and more.

Yet although the pandemic may have normalised flexible working arrangements, other reasonable accommodations remain frustratingly out of reach. Employees might worry they are inconveniencing their company and potentially hurting their career, while employers may worry about how such measures could impact their bottom line.

How can companies create policies to help all individuals thrive? How do such inclusive measures in turn benefit the companies, themselves?

Join Anthea Ong, Yap Qian Yin, Dharesheni Nedumaran, Corinna Lim and Darren Ho for a panel discussion on reasonable accommodations in the workplace.

This event is pay-what-you-can. Suggested donation of $5 per head.

About our Speakers

Moderator: Anthea Ong

Anthea Ong served as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2018–2020 in the 13th Parliament of Singapore. She is a mental health advocate, social entrepreneur, impact investor, certified executive coach, published author and certified yoga instructor, amongst many other roles. An experienced board member and savvy board chair, she also served on several boards and committees including UN Women.

She enjoys bringing disparate groups of people together, especially where this highlights their common humanity amidst their differences. A sought-after speaker on human-centred leadership, mental health and social entrepreneurship, Anthea has also published more than 30 articles and authored two books. With a foreword by the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong, her latest book ‘The NMP Scheme: Are Unelected Voices Still Necessary in Parliament?’ was launched last year in Parliament by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Prior to devoting herself to civil society and social impact work full-time, Anthea spent over 25 years in the corporate world as a C-suite leader.

DPA: Darren Ho, Board Member, DPA

Darren heads the digital arm for mm2 Asia Ltd, a listed company on the SGX. Under his care, he oversees the digital transformation of the organisation and the rollout of new digital initiatives and businesses, particularly in the areas of customer loyalty, web3 and artificial intelligence. He is also a mental health and wellness advocate and inclusion ambassador for invisible disability. In his spare time, he competes in tennis and pickleball tournaments and races on the Ironman circuit.

AWARE: Corinna Lim, Executive Director, AWARE

Corinna Lim is the Executive Director of AWARE, the Association of Women for Action and Research. Lim joined AWARE as a member and volunteer in 1992 and has been a women’s rights activist for close to 30 years.

Since becoming Executive Director in 2010, she has been responsible for a range of initiatives including the setting up of the Sexual Assault Care Centre, the only specialised service in Singapore that provides support to sexual assault victims. She also led teams at AWARE to successfully advocate for the enactment of the Protection from Harassment Act, the repeal of marital rape immunity, better access to housing for single parents, gender equal workplaces and greater support for low income families and caregivers of the elderly.

In recognition of her contributions to civil society and the advancement of women’s rights, Ms Lim received a Fulbright Scholarship (1998 – 1999). In 2021, she was appointed as the 8th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore by the Institute of Policy Studies.

Yap Qian Yin

Yap Qian Yin is a former paralympic sailor who has been sailing since 2011. At the age of 17, she experienced complications from chemotherapy for leukemia treatment and was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Qian Yin represented Singapore in numerous international competitions. Highlights include winning the first Singapore Gold medal for the Incheon 2014 Asian Para Games and 2015 ASEAN Para Games held in Singapore. She also participated in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. She has since picked up wheelchair badminton on top of sailing.
Currently, Qian Yin is a Business Analyst with Accenture Singapore. Aside from her work and sports, she is a volunteer with SmartBFA in enabling barrier-free access for Singapore and giving motivational talks to schools.

Dharesheni Nedumaran

Dharesheni (Sheni) is a global Diversity & Inclusion specialist, with more than 10 years international experience spanning tech, NGOs, global businesses and government. She has worked on data-driven projects and programmes with underrepresented communities, tailored to countries’ regulations and culture.

In her current role as Mediabrands’ APAC Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Sheni works across a network of more than 4,000 media and marketing professionals in multiple agencies across 13 Asia-Pacific countries. She leads the development of a long-term strategy and roadmap to increase representation, create a culture of belonging and contribution, and promote respect, equity and fairness.

Accredited with Campaign Asia’s Women Leading Change Award for Diverse & Inclusive Workplace for Mediabrands Singapore in 2022, Dharesheni has a Master’s in Work & Organisational Psychology from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where she was also an alumni speaker.

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