Previously, Tangs made the headlines for asking a promoter to take off her hijab before working.

In today’s racially-sensitive Singapore, you know that shit is going to hit the fan.

And it did, for Tangs.

Tafep is investigating them and politicians spoke up, including our Madame President herself.

Despite Tangs explaining that it’s part of the grooming standards required by all frontline staff, President Halimah Yacob said that Singapore is a society that embraces diversity, and she hopes that employers will similarly embrace it too.

She added that during the Covid-19 pandemic, actions such as depriving someone of their livelihood might increase anxiety and cause unwanted problems.

So have her words been heard?

Apparently, it has.

Tangs Now Officially Allows Frontline Staff & Promoters to Wear Religious Headgear After President Halimah Weighed in On the Issue

Previously, Tangs had said that it intends to allow frontline staff, including promoters, wear religious headgear during work.

On 21 Aug 2020, Tangs announced that employees and brand partners (like the promoter who was hired by a booth owner) are allowed to don religious headgear while working in the departmental store with immediate effect.

In their statement on Friday, Tangs said that they have heard and understood what people are saying.

Describing themselves as a “Singaporean company” with a “multi-racial and religious workforce”, Tangs said they must respect the cultures and practices “on all accounts”.

“As a Singaporean company with a diverse and multi-racial workforce, we must respect cultural and religious practices and requirements on all accounts.

“We have made an immediate change to ensure a policy that uniformly respects all our employees and our brand partners.”

It was added that in their corporate office and back-of-house, their Muslim colleagues are already allowed to don their hijab during work.

Previously, when Tangs first got onto the headlines, many netizens turned up in droves to flame Tangs on their Facebook page and threaten to boycott the departmental store.