Calling colleagues 'sayang' counts as sexual harassment

SHAH ALAM - Extramarital affairs and calling a colleague “sayang” or “dear” will result in disciplinary action being taken against those involved.

According to a letter distributed by the Public Services Commission (PSC) on April 7, these were among the forms of harassment and offence of civil servants.

The statement stated that using terms such as “sayang” or “dear” by any civil servant to the point of disturbing the victim, it is considered as written or verbal sexual harassment.

For the offence of physical sexual harassment, it involved actions such as touching, groping, kissing, pinching, rubbing, hugging, getting close among others by civil servants.

Civil servants sending indecent pictures and text messages with sexual connotations or “sexting” through platforms like WhatsApp will were considered a form of visual sexual harassment.

In the letter, it stated that all the offences were subjected to disciplinary action in accordance with Rule 4A of the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993.

A letter distributed by the Public Services Commission (PSC) on April 7.

During the process of lodging a complaint, the victim must specify the harassment against them such as it made them feel uneasy, insulted or disturbed.

The victim must also include information of place, time and date of the incident as well as the workplace where it happened.

The PSC Promotion and Disciplinary Division letter also explained that civil servants involved in an intimate relationship was also categorised as an offence and could result in disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, for other offences stated in the letter included going Awol (absent without official leave), not clocking in for work, using fake medical certificates, drug-related offences, issuing unauthorised public or social media statements and violating government procurement procedures.

The punishment for each offence would be determined by the Disciplinary Board based on the Regulations whether it is a warning, fine, forfeitures of emoluments, postponement of wages, reduction in salary, demotion or dismissal.