Tripartite Guidelines and Standards

Find out about the Tripartite Guidelines and Standards that encourage employers to offer flexible work arrangements and support work-life harmony for their employees.

Last updated on 21 October 2026

Mother changing a baby beside a stroller, with checklist icon on a purple background

Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR)

Developed by Tripartite Partners, the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests set out how employees should request for FWAs and use them responsibly, and how employers should properly consider and respond to these requests based on business needs.

More information can be found at go.gov.sg/tgfwar-resource (opens in new tab).

Tripartite Standards

Did you know that the Tripartite Partners – the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) – introduced the Tripartite Standards in 2017 to promote fair and progressive workplace practices? Through this, employees and jobseekers can easily identify employers with progressive workplace practices.

Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs

Caregiving is a huge responsibility and it can be challenging to balance your caregiving and work commitments. This is why the Tripartite Standard encourages employers to be more supportive during stressful periods of caregiving and to provide additional unpaid leave for employees.

Employers who adopt this Tripartite Standard agree to:

Offer employees up to four weeks of unpaid leave per year if their child is below the age of two and:
- is born (a) premature, or (b) with congenital conditions, or (c) as part of multiple births; or
- has any medical conditions, subject to a discussion with the employer.
Offer employees up to two weeks of unpaid leave per year to care for immediate family members who are hospitalised, during or after hospitalisation.

Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony

Prioritising employee well-being benefits both employers and employees. Good work-life practices can boost employees' morale and performance. Employers can attract and retain talent, as well as benefit from increased productivity and competitiveness. The Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony was introduced to support all employees to better manage work and personal aspirations.

Employers who adopt this Tripartite Standard agree to:

Offer and inform employees the types of FWAs, the process to request for them, expectations on responsible use of FWAs and discuss suitable alternatives.
Train supervisors to evaluate applications for FWA objectively, set work expectations, manage and appraise employees on FWAs fairly based on work outcomes.
Provide at least two employee support schemes* (e.g. family day, subsidised health screening, staff recreation areas) for all employees based on their needs.
Provide at least two enhanced leave benefits** (e.g. compassionate leave, extended childcare leave) and encourage employees to utilise maternity, paternity, childcare leave and annual leave.
Use technology to support work-life strategies.
Discuss arrangements for employees with caregiving responsibilities, such as the option to reduce work hours (with a commensurate reduction in pay), or other forms of flexible work arrangements (e.g. flexi-time or flexi-place).
Establish and communicate available work-life polices, and the application processes to employees to support their well-being and productivity, and prevent burn-out.
Review the effectiveness of their work-life programmes on a regular basis.

*The list of possible employee support schemes can be found here (opens in new tab).

**The list of possible enhanced leave benefits can be found here (opens in new tab).

Find out about the application process for the different Tripartite Standards here (opens in new tab).

Identify companies with the “Tripartite Standard” logos on mycareersfuture.gov.sg (opens in new tab)

FAQs

1. Does the Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests mandate that my employer provide FWAs or have a FWA policy?

The Guidelines do not mandate that employers must agree to the FWA request, but will require employers to put in place processes to properly consider and respond to employees’ requests to FWAs.

2. Are there any guidelines on how my supervisor should evaluate my request for FWAs?

Supervisors are expected to assess requests for FWA requests objectively, based on business-related grounds. They should consider factors such as:

The needs of the job and suitability of the employee.
The performance expectations and assessment (e.g. work deliverables and targets, and how the employee’s work performance would be assessed for the duration of the flexible work arrangement).
The impact on business operations, employee’s working conditions, including compensation, benefits and safety, if applicable.

The aim is to establish positive workplace norms and enable employees and employers to have constructive discussions to work out FWAs that are mutually acceptable.

3. Will my career prospects be affected if I take up FWAs?

It will be useful for an employee to have an open discussion with his/her supervisor to align expectations on work deliverables before taking up FWAs. Supervisors should continue to abide by the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and adopt fair and objective appraisal systems, such as assessing work performance based on achieved outcomes.

4. Where can an employee go to for assistance if they are unable to resolve disputes relating to TG-FWAR?

Employers and employees are strongly encouraged to discuss and resolve disagreements on FWAs through the firm’s internal grievance handling mechanism. Employees whose employers did not adhere to the Guidelines can also approach TAFEP for assistance on formal FWA requests.

5. On the Tripartite Standard for Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs, what is considered a preterm birth, and what are the covered congenital conditions?

Preterm: A preterm birth is defined as one that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy, in line with the World Health Organisation’s definition.¹

Congenital Conditions: “Birth defects/congenital anomalies/congenital disorders/ congenital malformations” are defined as structural or functional anomalies that occur during intrauterine life and can be identified prenatally, at birth, or sometimes may be detected later in infancy, in line with the World Health Organisation’s definition.²

Some examples include congenital malformations of the nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems, malformations of eye or ear (e.g. congenital cataract), cleft lip and palate, congenital malformations of genital organs (e.g. hypospadias), congenital malformations and deformations of musculoskeletal system (e.g. polydactyl) and chromosomal abnormalities (e.g. Down Syndrome).

¹ Source: World Health Organization (www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/ (opens in new tab))

² Source: World Health Organization (www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs370/en/ (opens in new tab))

6. I have some feedback on an organisation that has adopted the Tripartite Standards. Who can I contact?

Please submit your feedback to ts@tafep.sg.

If the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices receives substantiated feedback related to how the adopter's HR practice does not align with the Tripartite Standards, they may contact the organisation to clarify if it meets the specifications of the Tripartite Standard.