‘Take it home for personal use’: Car rental company officials exposed after sending explicit emails about job seekers, Singapore News

SINGAPORE — A whistleblower has leaked explicit emails to social media from shop managers at car rental company Ethoz Group — exchanges that may breach employment practices regulations.

The emails contain sexual innuendo about women who had applied for jobs at the company. Some of the exchanges also included photos of the potential contestants.

In an email, the writer said, “Young and pretty, fine. But I’ll take her home soon for personal use to generate my energy, and I’ll show her my long-lasting energy.”

Another said in another email thread: ‘If not…may consider bringing his (potential girlfriend) home for his private use.’

It is not known when these emails were sent.

Screenshots of eight emails were uploaded on Monday, February 7, five of them with photos of the candidates.

In an email, the author described a contestant, whose photo was attached, as “a massage girl.”

The Ethoz group, which provides motor vehicle repair services and offers rental, leasing and financing of motor vehicles, confirmed the emails involved in the exchanges between its workshop managers.

The workshop is located in Tampines.

Ms Cindy Oh, chief executive of Ethoz Group, told the Straits Times: ‘We take the matter very seriously and will not tolerate such behavior in our workplace.

She said the screenshots appear to have been taken by former employees who worked in the workshops.

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The company intends to fully investigate and take appropriate disciplinary action, Ms Oh added.

Ms Amarjit Kaur, a partner at the employment law firm Withers KhattarWong, said victims can accuse shop officials of harassment and worry or distress.

This could result in offenses under the Protection from Harassment Act (Poha).

Their actions could also violate employment rules.

“Given that these were managers who assessed candidates with a view to recruiting them on behalf of the company, it can be found that the company violated the tripartite guidelines on fair employment practices for s ‘be engaged in discriminatory hiring practices based on a candidate’s appearance or race,’ Ms. Kaur said.

But she noted that it can be a valid defense if officials believe the words they use would not be seen by victims.

“Because the comments were made in a ‘shop management’ email group regarding potential hires who would not have access to it and were not part of the company, managers could seek to use it to protect themselves,” she noted.

Ms Kaur said the mere fact that the company’s email was used will not automatically make the company responsible for the actions of the executives.

However, she added that women can try to seek redress in court and obtain monetary compensation against perpetrators under the Poha.

“However, applicants will face the hurdle of overcoming the defense that managers are likely to raise, namely that they had no reason to believe the words would be seen by applicants,” she said. declared.

This article was first published in The time of the straits. Permission required for reproduction.