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HE E-MAILED a prospective employee, asking her to be his 'special designer girlfriend'. Mr Shankar Venkataraman, 45, who owns a publishing firm, sees nothing wrong in sending such e-mails to staff and job applicants. But the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices disagrees. It has denounced his indecent proposals as 'inappropriate and unacceptable'. One woman who applied for a job with his company was so outraged by his brazen come-on and subsequent lack of remorse she contacted The New Paper on Sunday. Mary (not her real name) had applied for a graphic designer position at eShan Publishing in January. The 23-year-old, a trained graphic designer, was offered a job soon after. But her joy turned to shock when she got an e-mail from Mr Venkataraman asking her to be his 'special designer girlfriend'. She recalled: 'I sent out my resume and the owner of the publishing company e-mailed me back, asking to meet me. 'I met him. He seemed like a normal guy and gave me encouraging comments about my portfolio.' Several days later, Mary e-mailed Mr Venkataraman with an idea for a publication that his company was about to launch. He replied to say he liked her idea. But she was horrified to read the rest of his e-mail. It read: 'I do hope that you are perfectly single... I have a lots (sic) in store for a romantic partner, for I do not know whether you would understand, that certain creativity too requires that proximity and feel. 'I am sure you know that creativity does not happen under office environment or employer-employee setting. I will soon be starting to travel... so I do wish to have you as my special 'designer' girlfriend and travel companion.' Mr Venkataraman added that he hoped, through his publications, to promote open relationships in society. Mary, who is currently working as a temp with Singapore Press Holdings, said she was 'disgusted' by his request and sent an e-mail politely rejecting his romantic overtures. She replied that she regarded him as a potential boss and requested some 'decency' in his behaviour. But Mr Venkataraman was undeterred. He wrote in another e-mail: ''Decency' and 'respect'... are deterrents to creativity... it builds a communication gap, in turn affecting the creativity. In my own finding, creativity requires that 'dirtyness' to be born... 'As I anticipated, your response too was predicted (sic) in a world filled with norms... But I feel good that a channel is (sic) been created and that I chose to be 'indecent' early, so that no undue decency builds up and obstructs in future.' Mr Venkataraman's company employs three women and four men, The New Paper on Sunday understands. Mary said: 'I spoke to one of his employees, who put me in touch with a female colleague who said she had also received e-mails containing sexual propositions.' The woman declined to be interviewed as she is still working in the company, but gave The New Paper on Sunday permission to use excerpts of her e-mail correspondence with Mr Venkataraman. In one e-mail broadcast to a group of his employees, Mr Venkataraman repeatedly referred to himself as the company's 'captain'. He stressed the importance of trust among co-workers, and urged those with an 'uncomfortable state of mind' to leave the company. He wrote: 'I would also not hesitate to disclose that our 'Physical Sexual feeling' is nothing but a natural urge... 'To either sex, the partner is just an outlet or a companion, and its like going to pee together or like having a coffee together... A spouse is nothing but an attached bathroom or outlet.' He went on to offer himself as an 'outlet for all incontinence'. He said: 'I have no qualms to announce that I am available for SEX relief, for I do envisage that as members of this vessel, we may get a special treatment and its best we keep things between ourselves, rather than looking for an outside avenue, which can endanger the journey. 'So anyone is free to press the 'attendant' button on the vessel for this.' In another e-mail he wrote to a group of his company's writers, he said he was in 'dire need' of a soulmate and travel companion. Mr Venkataraman signed off the e-mails as eShan, his pseudonym. The New Paper on Sunday contacted him via e-mail and asked if he saw anything wrong in trying to initiate romantic and sexual relationships with his employees through his e-mails. We also asked Mr Venkataraman, an Indian national with permanent residency here, if he felt Singaporean women were too conservative. He did not reply directly to the questions. Instead, he challenged us to publish his e-mails. He said: 'It's good to note that some seeds I have sown are showing results... How about you publish those e-mails and this e-mail of yours, and I reply through my publication'' When probed further, he said: 'Your questions... show that you have closed your mind in many ways, and your picture is complete.' In another e-mail to The New Paper on Sunday, he described himself as 'someone who has finished 'family' life', who has chosen a career in publishing to 'break all traditional barriers'. Refusing to answer our questions, he said they were 'media blackmail' and 'extortion of information by ransom'. He added: 'Your questions are absurd and narrow-minded, and is (sic) only reflection of how humanity has degraded and thus life itself... 'But from my e-mails you can see that I am not into cheapskate sex. I proposed to the girl in question, since I found her having the potential and talents for some of my creations that are planned.' He said he was merely exercising his right to propose. 'I just did not make a standard proposal, as it was after a few exchanges which gave me the intuition that the person has the capacity for elevated thinking.' THERE are no laws against sexual harassment in Singapore. But is it a serious enough problem here' In a study released in 2008 by Aware, more than half of the 500 people surveyed said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment at work. The majority of victims were women aged 21 to 25. Most were harassed by either a colleague or superior. Human resource (HR) practitioners said enough measures are in place to safeguard against workplace sexual harassment. Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, said many employers have policies to address sexual harassment in the office. Penalties for improper behaviour, he noted, include disciplinary inquiries and, in some cases, dismissal. 'Employees should be able to approach their supervisors or HR department for help,' he said. In cases involving top personnel, they can opt to lodge reports with the authorities, Mr Ang added. Asked if there was a need for better legislation, he said: 'I don't think sexual harassment is an issue which can be easily dealt with through legislation. '(It) is a very personal issue, and the law cannot dictate who an individual works with, and what a working relationship should be like.' Similarly, Mr Paul Heng, founder of HR firm Next Career Consulting Group, feels it would be difficult to establish laws specifically for sexual harassment. He said: 'Individuals have different values and personalities - it would be difficult to legislate sexual harassment.' THE Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (Tafep) has spoken to Mary and Mr Shankar Venkataraman about the incident, its spokesman said. She said: 'Based on the information given by both parties, the approach taken by the employer in recruiting and selecting staff is inappropriate and unacceptable. The employer has been advised accordingly. 'There are responsible employment practices and standards of behaviour which all employers are expected to comply with when offering jobs.' Imposing roles or activities unrelated to work, she noted, is considered 'an abuse of power' on the employer's part and is 'exploitative of job seekers who are in need of a job'. She added: 'Such behaviour has no place in an employer-employee relationship.' Ms Corinna Lim, executive director of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), told The New Paper on Sunday that those who believe they have been sexually harassed should make a police report. They should also seek legal advice either from lawyers in private practice or at free legal clinics. Though there is no specific law against sexual harassment in Singapore, Ms Lim said that in some cases, it may be possible for perpetrators of sexual harassment to be charged under the law. The former lawyer referred to Section 509 of the Penal Code, which states that individuals intending to insult the modesty of any woman by saying any word, making any sound or gesture, or exhibiting any object, can be jailed up to one year, fined, or both. Under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance Act), those who use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with the intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress to another person may be fined up to $5,000. Aware conducts a Legal Clinic twice a month to provide women with free legal information and advice. For more information, call the Aware Helpline at 1800 774-5935 or e-mail [email protected]