Industry leaders say 'zero' bullying complaints in 2025 may not be due to lack of misconduct
Malaysia's Labour Department did not record any incidents of alleged workplace bullying over the past year – a situation that experts say is likely to be a case of under-reporting in organisations.
Human Resources Minister R Ramanan said last month that there were "zero complaints" of workplace harassment or bullying in Malaysia over the past year.
"In 2025, the labour department recorded 13,374 complaints on employment issues. However, as of December, there were zero complaints of workplace harassment or bullying recorded," Ramanan said as quoted by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
But industry leaders believe that this situation is not due to a lack of misconduct, but because of under-reporting in workplaces, FMT reported.
"Many employees could be unsure of their rights, fear repercussions or feel embarrassed to come forward," Arulkumar Singaraveloo, CEO of the Malaysia HR Forum, told the news outlet.
"Without a clear understanding of their rights, legal protection and reporting avenues, employees are unlikely to escalate matters, especially when the law is still new and few instances of its enforcement are visible."
Syed Hussain Syed Husman, president of the Malaysian Employers Federation, also noted that overly defensive behaviour could be at play amid fears of criminal liability.
"The fear of criminal liability could make managers hesitant to...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Support us by becoming a premium memb...