People of TAL

Rani

Mediator, Foreign Workers Mediation

TADM

The most challenging part of my work is to have to deal with emotionally charged individuals during mediation.

I once mediated a case where the employer was somewhat aggressive towards his worker. When the employee rejected his settlement proposal, the employer became angry and threatened to go to the media to “expose” how a TADM Officer was helping employees to cheat him. 

At that moment, I was a little taken aback by his accusation. He eventually backtracked when I stood my ground. The case was eventually resolved when both parties came to an amicable settlement. 

Employees can also react emotionally at times. Some migrant workers paid quite a large amount of agent fees to secure their jobs in Singapore and work hard to pay off their debts, while supporting their family in their home country. When their employers terminate their employment, they can become very distressed. At the same time, some employers may also experience financial difficulties. Thus, we have to continue to show empathy, and remain impartial and fair to both employees and employers.

Even though we have to deal with challenging and stressful situations, it’s important for us not to take things personally, or let our emotions affect our judgement. The strong sense of camaraderie in our office definitely helps - my colleagues are always ready to help one another out, and we learn from our collective experiences.

Despite these challenges, I find my role as a mediator very fulfilling, as it allows me to help both parties resolve their disputes and make a positive contribution to their lives.