Singapore Court Rejects Wrongful Dismissal Claim After PIP Failure on September 30

Singapore’s Employment Claims Tribunal dismissed a wrongful dismissal claim on September 29, 2026, ruling that a senior social media executive was not unlawfully terminated after failing a performance improvement plan. The woman, who began work in January 2024 and agreed to expand her role to include creative duties, was placed on a three-month PIP in November 2025 and did not pass. She resigned in March 2026 and sought S$4,000 in compensation, but the tribunal found the employer had just cause.

How the case unfolded

The woman joined the company as a senior social media executive on January 8, 2024, and passed her two-month probation. From March 2024, her role expanded to include creative functions as part of a company-wide consolidation. She consented to the change but said she agreed based on the company’s promise of adequate training and mentorship.

In November 2025, the company placed her on a three-month PIP targeting four areas: creative ideation and video production, production and execution, photography and styling, and content planning. When the PIP ended in March 2026, the company assessed that she had not met the requirements.

The tribunal’s key findings

Tribunal magistrate Kevin Ho Hin Tat found that although the woman resigned, she did not do so voluntarily. The redeployment roles offered were substantially different from her actual work, so the tribunal treated her departure as a dismissal rather than a resignation.

However, the tribunal ruled the dismissal was lawful. The employer had a structured PIP with clear targets and appraisals, genuine performance concerns, and the woman had agreed to the expanded role and performed it for over 1.5 years. Her claim of promised support was not backed up by evidence, and she did not raise concerns during the PIP process.

What this means for employees and employers

The ruling establishes three critical lessons. First, forced resignations can be treated as dismissals under Singapore law if an employer’s conduct leaves an employee no genuine choice. Second, dismissal is not automatically wrongful if the employer followed fair procedures, documented performance issues, and had legitimate business reasons.

Third, documentation and evidence matter. Employees should get any change in job scope in writing, speak up early if they need training or support, and keep records. Employers must run PIPs fairly, document them thoroughly, and offer genuine redeployment options.

The compensation claim

The woman initially sought S$20,000 in compensation but later reduced her claim to S$4,000, equivalent to one month of her salary. She argued her dismissal resulted from performance issues in creative functions she had never been contractually appointed to perform. The tribunal rejected this argument, finding that she had consented to the role expansion and worked in those functions for more than 18 months before the PIP was imposed.

Final Thoughts

The September 29 ruling clarifies that performance improvement plans can justify dismissal if structured fairly and documented properly, even when an employee claims they lacked promised support. Singapore employees must document role changes and raise concerns early to strengthen any future legal claims.

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