New allegations of workplace abuse against NOC's Sylvia Chan from purported current and former employees

[UPDATE: Oct 21] Spokespersons from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) told AsiaOne that they have "received feedback from members of the public about allegations against Night Owl Cinematics (NOC)".

TAFEP is currently in touch with the company to look into the matter.

MOM and TAFEP also advised employers to keep their workplace safe by preventing and management workplace harassment, and that they have a legal obligation to pay employees their salary on time.

They also reminded individuals who encounter workplace harassment and have their salaries withheld to contact either TAFEP or the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) early for assistance.

They added that individuals with knowledge of any criminal conduct should report such incidents immediately to the Police.

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Just when we thought that allegations surrounding Night Owl Cinematics' (NOC) co-founder Sylvia Chan were over after she addressed bullying allegations in an Instagram post last Wednesday (Oct 13), more people have come forward to share their experiences working with her. 

On Tuesday, MustShareNews published an article containing accounts from unidentified NOC staff about Chan's alleged mistreatment at the workplace.

Despite warnings to seek the company's consent before speaking to external parties, the group explained that they chose to break the silence as they "wanted the assurance that NOC will one day be safer for all employees", and for "an individual to take responsibility for her actions".

AsiaOne has not been able to independently verify the reporting by MustShareNews.

Shortly after, a blog named #EndTheSilence surfaced online containing more allegations against Chan, which were of a more serious nature — such as misusing company funds, sexual favours and infidelity. 

One paragraph wrote: "We have exhausted all means of trying to get our voices heard in NOC by talking to key members of the management team as appointed by Sylvia — such as Sylvia herself, the accountant, her lawyers, and more but to no avail." 

Since then, the blog has been making its rounds on the internet, and has gone viral on various social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Discussion threads can be found on HardwareZone and Reddit, with one thread upvoted over 2,600 times. 

A nine minutes and 46 seconds long YouTube video, posted by an account with the same name as the blog, has also been circulating online, garnering over 220,000 views in a day. 

The video contains footage of Chan in a Zoom meeting, and captures her responses as her co-founder and ex-husband, Ryan Tan, calls her out. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnrQng41HtU[/embed]

During the meeting, Tan sounds rather agitated as he tries to hold Chan accountable for her "management style", and the lack of employee welfare. However, his words seem to fall on deaf ears as Sylvia appears disengaged, and even responds to his statements with a smirk. 

Many clips of Chan's response have been reposted across social media, with netizens criticising her reaction towards the concerns of her employees. 

Background of the NOC saga 

Since Oct 1, leaked audio clips and screenshots showing Chan bullying and mistreating employees have appeared on the internet, most of them stemming from an anonymous Instagram account, known as sgcickenrice. 

Two weeks later, NOC released a statement addressing the situation, calling the posts "a massive crusade against the public image and reputation of NOC and its employees". 

Subsequently, sgcickenrice also received a cease-and-desist letter, imploring them to remove the posts about Chan and NOC. 

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4-myTJwVm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link[/embed]

Following suit, the Instagram account engaged its own legal services, sending the media company a lawyer's letter, indicating that NOC has not "alleged that [the accusations] are untrue".

AsiaOne has reached out to Chan for comment again. She has not responded since Oct 1 when the allegations first surfaced.

We have also reached out to the Ministry of Manpower for comment. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com