Uphold culture of respect, JP Morgan reminds staff

E-mail memo sent after viral video of employee verbally abusing security guard at condo

The man was filmed verbally abusing a security officer at his Whampoa condominium in a viral video. PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM YOUTUBE

JP Morgan, the employer of the man filmed verbally abusing a security officer at his Whampoa condominium in a viral video, has reminded its 3,000 Singapore-based employees to uphold a "culture of respect" in their daily conduct.

This comes even as the man is understood to have filed a police report alleging that he had been doxxed over the incident.

In an internal e-mail memo yesterday seen by The Straits Times, Mr Edmund Lee, senior country officer of JP Morgan's Singapore offices, said: "Our people, services and commitment to integrity have made JP Morgan one of the most respected financial institutions in the world. We all have a shared responsibility for preserving and building on this strong reputation."

Mr Lee, who heads JP Morgan's operations here, added: "All of us... are expected to demonstrate the highest standards, including respect and dignity for others... inside and outside of the workplace."

When contacted by ST to confirm the e-mail, JP Morgan repeated its statement on Sunday that it is looking into the video and declined to give any details of the employee.

The viral incident allegedly took place last Friday night, when the man had some guests over at his condominium for Deepavali.

In the video uploaded to YouTube on the same day, he is seen expressing his displeasure virulently after being told by security officers that he needed to pay parking fees for guests visiting the condo, exclaiming in anger that he had bought his apartment for $1.5 million and that it was not a Housing Board flat.

He also swore at one officer, who has made a police report.

The Union of Security Employees and two security agency associations, as well as Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and labour MP Zainal Sapari, have weighed in to speak up for security officers.

Remote video URL

Meanwhile, details of the man's condo unit and mobile phone number, as well as his alleged pay, have been published online. This could run afoul of "doxxing" laws prohibiting the publication of identifiable information about a person with the intention to harass them.

Police confirmed yesterday a report against harassment had been filed with them relating to the case.

Mr Tharman and Security Association Singapore president Raj Joshua Thomas have both urged the public to remain calm and let police investigations take their course.

The Senior Minister said in a Facebook post on Sunday: "We should absolutely avoid threatening or harassing the resident concerned. A police report has been made by the security officer, and we should leave it to the police to handle."

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 30, 2019, with the headline Uphold culture of respect, JP Morgan reminds staff. Subscribe