Now Info Dept apologises for 'sexist' guideline

The Information Department has apologised for posting a guideline on "how to be a good female boss” on its Facebook page.

According to its Facebook posting today, it said that it merely wanted "to share information posted on MedikTV's Facebook page".

"It is not an official guideline and was not intended to offend anyone.

"We apologise if it had offended anyone," it said.

The apology came a day after MedikTV, which originally posted the guideline on its social media account on Sept 12,apologised over the matter.

Both MedikTV and the Information Department have since removed the guideline from their respective Facebook pages.

MedikTV is the official Health Ministry portal, which features information and tips on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, from trivia to off-beat topics like genital well-being.

The guideline appeared to be part of MedikTV's infographics series meant for sharing on Facebook.

MedikTV's "guideline for female bosses" was re-posted by the Information Department on Tuesday, with a caption saying that female bosses can be "rigid" and "nags".

“Not all female bosses are like this. But because of a drop of blue dye, a whole pot of milk can be contaminated. To be a good woman boss, these are a few tips that can help you!” read the caption.

The eight tips are as follows:

• Relax' and stay calm in all situations, whether normal or tense.
• Hold frequent discussions with subordinates, especially male employees.
• Do not show ego and power in front of subordinates, especially while giving instructions.
• Do not be too stern and fierce.
• Good in getting support from your subordinates.
• Create a calm and cheerful environment while giving instructions to subordinates.
• Give power to subordinates in performing their duties.
• Do not over-control subordinates to the point of irritating them.

Prior to MedikTV's posting being discovered, there had been an uproar over an Education Ministry-endorsed manual to detect early signs of homosexuality among school children.