SINGAPORE: A local family clinic has resorted to taking legal action against an ex-employee who has made allegations of mistreatment online after attempts to get the ex-staff to take down the post went nowhere.
The former employee, Facebook user Shef Goh, aired her grievances on social media on 28 March about Bidadari Clinic and her manager. She claimed that on her third day of work, she was left to manage the clinic alone without any guidance or training. Goh also accused her manager of not providing assistance or support, even when she was present.
Claiming that her manager told her to “bear with it” when she wanted to leave work an hour earlier since she had a fever, Goh said that the manager suggested that any medical leave she took would count as no-pay leave.
Goh also alleged that she did not receive her salary after resigning from the clinic. She indicated that she was forced to take a shorter notice period when she left the job and that her boss has blocked her on all communication channels, leaving her unable to receive the pay she is owed.
Bidadari Clinic has rejected these claims.
The clinic initially refrained from responding to the allegations to avoid making the dispute public. The management, however, decided to issue a statement on 31 Mar after the situation escalated, with some members of the public leaving prank calls and fake Google reviews, affecting the clinic’s standard of care and reputation.
Asserting that they possess screenshots and paper trails to properly document their account of events, Bidadari Clinic revealed it has bank statements to prove that Goh was paid promptly for her prorated February and March service.
It added that it was Goh who requested a shorter notice period due to her personal circumstances and that it has documentary proof of these requests from her over WhatsApp and email.
As for the claims that she was made to work while she had a fever, Bidadari Clinic said that Goh did inform the clinic that she was sick, but they advised her to see the doctor on duty so that an MC could be given. The clinic said it did not force her to work while sick.
The clinic also has screenshots and evidence of WhatsApp and email exchanges with the employee up to and beyond 27th March 2023, disproving Goh’s claims that she was “blocked everywhere”.
Bidadari Clinic said that it takes a serious view of allegations of mistreatment and is committed to improving its processes and the working environment if there are merits to the claim. However, in this case, they expressed disappointment at having to discover baseless claims gaining traction on social media.
The clinic asked Goh to replace her post with a public apology by 2 April to minimize further damage to their reputation. It revealed that it had engaged legal counsel and has involved the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management.
Goh, however, has yet to take down her post.
Bidadari Clinic updated yesterday (5 Apr) that it has tried reaching out to Goh on various platforms, to no avail. The clinic has since made a police report and plans to send Goh a letter of demand to remove the false allegations. It said:
“We would like to share that we have tried reaching out to the Ex-employee via various medium such as via email, via TADM platform and encouraged her to take down her post on 28th March 2023, which is filled with false allegations. However up to today, the post remains online. The post has been online for more than a week and has been widely circulated.
“We have since made a police report of the incident and in view of the ex-employee refusal to retract her false allegations and take down her post, we have limited options but to seek legal assistance to serve her a letter of demand to take down her post.”
Thanking Singaporeans for the outpouring of support it has received, the clinic added, “The objective of this letter of demand is not to inflict financial damages on her but to reduce the harm she has caused to us by reducing the spread of her false allegations further. We hope that she will comply.”