ECCT Human Resources Committee Workshop & Lunch 

How to better address sexual harassment complaints and create a safe and diverse workplace

Guest speaker:
Howard Shiu, Partner, Baker & McKenzie
Sing Yueh, Lead Associate / Taiwan I&D Lead, Taiwan Work & Rewards Consulting, Willis Towers Watson US LLC Taiwan Branch

Moderator:
Judy Huang, Regional Communication Head for Electronics, Head of PR & Communications Dept and Government Affairs, Merck Group Taiwan

Panelists:
- Howard Shiu, Partner, Baker & McKenzie
- Sing Yueh, Lead Associate / Taiwan I&D Lead, Taiwan Work & Rewards Consulting, Willis Towers Watson US LLC Taiwan Branch
- Crystal Chan, Head of Human Resources, Bayer Taiwan Co., Ltd.
- Pamela Tsai, Head of HR and Administration Division, Nomura Asset Management Taiwan Ltd.

Date & Time: 10:00-14:00, Friday, 4 August 2023
Venue: B1, North & South Gate, Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei / 香格里拉台北遠東國際大飯店 B1樓 洛北秀南園
Address: 201 Tun Hwa South Road, Section 2, Taipei /106台北市大安區敦化南路二段201號

Agenda
09:30-10:00: Registration
10:00-10:10: Opening remarks & introduction of speakers
10:10-11:30: Session 1 presentation by Howard Shiu
11:30-11:40: Coffee break
11:40-12:20: Session 2 presentation by Sing Yueh
12:20-12:45: Setting for lunch/networking
12:45-13:20: Lunch
13:20-13:55: Moderator-led Q&A/panel discussion
13:55-14:00: Photo & gift exchange      

The surge in recent high-profile sexual harassment (or #MeToo) cases in Taiwan has raised concerns and triggered discussions about the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. In fact, among the various types of employee misconduct, sexual harassment has been mostly addressed in Taiwanese law. Taiwan's Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Act of Gender Equality in Employment both require employers to provide a friendly and safe working environment and provide detailed regulations for the process of investigations of sexual harassment complaints. Employers are expected to treat all sexual harassment complaints with great seriousness and handle the cases in a fair manner. However, implementation is difficult and fraught with risks for both employers and employees. This workshop will offer advice and share lessons from HR experts as to how companies should handle sexual harassment cases and work to create safe, friendly and diverse workplaces.

Presentation #1: How to better address sexual harassment complaints in the post #MeToo era
By Howard Shiu

Taiwan has seen a surge of “#MeToo” cases since the end of May this year, after multiple allegations of sexual harassment were made against famous public figures, including politicians, actors, singers, TV hosts, scholars, and YouTubers. Since May, new complaints against famous people have been made every day, and most of them seem to be credible.

Because sexual harassment is considered a very serious offense in Taiwan, most of the accused face the so-called “social death”. They are required to apologize publicly and pledge not to appear in the public arena again. Some are simply condemned and shunned by the public, and they might also lose their career and business opportunities forever.

Meanwhile the companies/institutes where the accused work, will also be closely examined. In cases where the general public thinks the company/institute is trying to cover up the sexual harassment complaint, the persons who handled the complaint might also face the same social death, and the company/institute will be severely criticized.

Considering the significant impact of sexual harassment complaints and the associated legal risks, every company and manager who might need to handle such complaints should have a clear understanding of the connotations and impact of sexual harassment, how to prevent and address it when they receive a sexual harassment complaint, and how to comply with legal requirements to avoid or at least minimize any subsequent legal issues. The speaker will share his insights and experience on how to investigate sexual harassment complaints and handle relevant issues.

Presentation #2: Creating an equal and safe workplace
By Sing Yueh

A focus on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) is a business necessity for sustainable talent, wellbeing, meeting ESG commitments and better business outcomes. DEI matters to talent and their experience, consumers, stakeholders, investors and communities. What can organisations do via DEI to help shape a better workplace environment to prevent sexual harassment and eliminate unconscious bias in the workplace? The speaker will share Willis Towers Watson’s (WTW) own experiences of DEI solutions to demonstrate how WTW creates a better work environment for employees.

About the speakers

Howard Shiu, is a Partner at Baker McKenzie Taipei, Taiwan and Co-chair of the ECCT’s Human Resources committee. He concentrates his practice on labour and employment laws and dispute resolution. He was noted as a Recognized Practitioner by Chambers Greater China (2023) and Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 (2023) for his strong expertise in employment contracts for multinational corporations and excellent understanding and knowledge of the labour market. He has considerable experience in conducting sexual harassment investigations, assisting and representing local and foreign corporations in labour and employment matters, including resolution of labour disputes, employment issues in merger and acquisition transactions, negotiation of collective bargaining agreements with unions, mass severance, and compliance of employment regulations.

Sing Yueh, is currently as a chairperson of Willis Towers Watson Taiwan’s Inclusion & Diversity committee and a Senior Project Consultant for WTW Taiwan since 2017. She has over eight years of experience in HR consulting. Her expertise includes career management, total rewards design, strategic analysis, performance management, leadership development, talent assessment, change management and DEI consulting service. She received her master’s degree in human resource management from New York University.

Cost: NT$2,700 for members; NT$3,000 for members' guest(s); NT$26,000 for table of ten
(This is a Workshop with Lunch included, your urge to book your seat(s)/ table(s) early to avoid disappointment.)

To cancel without penalty, written cancellations must be received by 3 August 2023.

Contact: Meredith Sun Tel: 2740-0236 ext. 219 / meredith.sun@ecct.com.tw