In 2020, Singapore Police Force (SPF) officer Reema Razif won the hearts of Singaporeans when she unfailingly reported for duty despite being 30 weeks pregnant.
As an expectant mother then, she continued to endure the harsh demands of the job without complaints as she found it fulfilling.
Source: Facebook
Fast forward to the present day, Ms Reema shared unexpected news — she has resigned from her 11-year career.
Detailing her experience in a now-viral Facebook post, she claimed that there were instances of unfairness in job expectations and feedback as she was with child.
To clear the air, SPF has publicly responded to her allegations, stressing their stance against workforce discrimination practices. They also offered an explanation for some of Ms Reema’s grievances.
On Tuesday (7 Jun), Ms Reema shared a Facebook post detailing her thoughts and motivations behind her decision to quit the SPF.
Source: Facebook
After 11 years of being committed to the force, she made the brave decision to quit without a backup plan after receiving support from her loved ones.
Despite all the difficulties that came with policing, Ms Reema said helping others – no matter how big or small the task may be – was the best fulfilment for her at that time.
Unfortunately, she said it wasn’t enough. She was apparently told that her performance grade had dropped as she was pregnant. She was also advised to “take up some projects” during her maternity leave.
These remarks did not sit well with Ms Reema. The mother of four shared that during her tenure with SPF, she had worked through all of her pregnancies, often putting her job before herself.
She also revealed that she had gone into labour on two out of her four pregnancies while at work, even going into the hospital while in full uniform.
The turning point for Ms Reema was when she noticed that after her previous social media post went viral, she received strict instructions to decline further exposure.
Despite her powerful story, she said she was “condemned” for the viral photo, which made her realise that she was just another employee.
The most telling sign was that even on her last day of service after 11 years, she did not even get a farewell card.
Before ending her post, she stressed that her words were not directed at the organisation.
This is me sharing MY personal experience as an individual.
Ms Reema’s post caught the attention of SPF.
A day later, on Wednesday (8 Jun) night, SPF issued a statement on their Facebook page in response to Ms Reema’s account of her working experience. They noted that she had resigned on 2 May due to personal reasons.
Source: Facebook
SPF emphasised that they do not penalise pregnant officers. Instead, they provide other forms of work arrangements to ensure their well-being.
Illustrating their point, they pointed out that Ms Reema was mostly deskbound when she was pregnant. She was given light duty assignments and wasn’t required to work when on maternity leave.
As for her performance evaluation, SPF did not elaborate, only mentioning that she received a grade similar to her colleagues in the Police Land Division.
Stressing their firm stance against discrimination in the workplace, SPF said officers have proper channels to lodge complaints, such as their unit commander, the police headquarters, and the ministry headquarters.
The complaints will be “looked into seriously”.
Finally, with regard to Ms Reema’s viral Facebook post in Apr 2020, SPF explained that there are public sector policies that prohibit officers from making comments on issues related to their agency without authorisation.
Hence, Ms Reema was told off by her supervisor for not seeking permission. However, she was not penalised.
After dedicating much of her life to an organisation she believed in, it’s regrettable that Ms Reema has misgivings about the circumstances that led to her resignation.
Based on accounts provided by both parties, it would seem that various aspects require more clarity, which may be best solved through face-to-face communication.
Now that Ms Reema and the force have expressed their thoughts on the situation, we can only hope that they find a way to resolve the tension amicably.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Choo Yut Shing on Flickr.
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