The practitioner's guide to compliant HR in two of APAC's most unforgiving markets — work passes, the 36 Agreement, termination. With the cultural layer no lawyer's memo covers.
Non-compliance is criminal. No grace period on the rate tables.
One unfiled hour of overtime is criminal exposure for the company.
Settlements run 3–12 months' salary. Reinstatement orders happen.
Two country chapters and a cross-region layer. Every section states the default that works, flags the common mistakes, and points volatile numbers to a dated appendix so the guidance stays current.
The guide tells you what to know. The kit is what you open on a Monday morning when something is actually happening.
Operating in both markets? APAC Complete is $329 — $29 less than buying both editions separately, and adds the cross-region playbook you can't get any other way.
Not legal theory. Not AI-generated genericism. The defaults, the decision trees, the traps — from someone who has seen the outcome and impact of setting up the groundwork properly on work-pass paperwork, 36 Agreements, and managing the mutual-separation conversations.
For strategic advisory — org redesign, role architecture for the AI era — Ami operates through Arias Work ↗. Ground Rules is the operational layer: the guide you need before you need the strategist.
The baseline every leader, HR practitioner, and operator should know before running people operations in Singapore and Japan — the defaults, the decision trees, and the traps, drawn from 15 years of doing it firsthand. It is not legal advice; where a situation genuinely needs licensed counsel, the guide tells you exactly when to bring them in.
Yes. Verified against current Singapore and Japan legislation as of publication — CPF rates, EP/S-Pass thresholds, the 2026 parental-leave changes, 36 Agreement caps, MOM requirements. Every rate table is date-stamped inside the file so you know exactly what point in time each figure reflects.
Yes. At $179–$329 it falls within most companies' no-approval expense limits. Use it as a professional-development or compliance resource.
PDF. Instantly downloadable after purchase, designed for screen and print, and Ctrl+F searchable — because the moment you need this guide, you need it fast.
Buy the Singapore or Japan Edition now at $179. If you later expand to the other market, contact us for a loyalty upgrade toward APAC Complete.
Yes. If the guide doesn't deliver on what's described here, email within 14 days of purchase for a full refund — no explanation required.
Ground Rules is the guide that changes that.