Key takeaway: The Workplace Bullying Prevention chapter of the Occupational Safety and Health Act formally takes effect on July 1, 2026. On June 23, 2026, the Ministry of Labor announced the two implementing regulations: the Regulations Governing Workplace Bullying Prevention Measures and the Regulations Governing Local Competent Authorities' Handling of Complaints of Workplace Bullying by the Top Person in Charge. A business of any size must act immediately once it becomes aware of workplace bullying; companies with 10 or more employees must establish and publicly disclose a complaint channel, those with 30 or more must adopt written prevention measures and set up a complaint-handling unit, and those with 100 or more must form an investigation team and a reconsideration investigation team.
1. Timeline of the New Law: From Third Reading to Implementing Regulations
The new dedicated chapter on the prevention of workplace bullying added to the Occupational Safety and Health Act passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan in December 2025 and was promulgated by the President, with an express effective date of July 1, 2026. One week before implementation, on June 23, 2026, the Ministry of Labor formally announced two key implementing regulations:
The Regulations Governing Workplace Bullying Prevention Measures — set out the principles for determining workplace bullying, together with the procedures for accepting complaints, conciliation, forming investigation teams, conflict-of-interest recusal, investigation decisions, reconsideration and remedies. They are the direct basis on which companies build their prevention systems.
The Regulations Governing Local Competent Authorities' Handling of Complaints of Workplace Bullying by the Top Person in Charge — where the respondent is the company's top person in charge, workers may file a complaint directly with the local competent authority, so that an outside public authority steps in to investigate, avoiding the conflict of interest inherent in "the boss investigating the boss."
2. What Is Workplace Bullying? The Legal Definition and Key Elements
Under the new law, workplace bullying refers to a situation in which, while a worker is performing duties at the place of labor, personnel of the business entity exploit a relationship of position or power to exceed the scope necessary and reasonable for business, persistently engaging in offensive, threatening, ostracizing, isolating, humiliating or other improper words or conduct, causing harm to the worker's physical or mental health; where the circumstances are serious, persistence is not required — in other words, a single incident, if serious enough, can also constitute workplace bullying.
In practice, three elements are decisive: first, abuse of a relationship of power or position; second, exceeding what is necessary and reasonable for business purposes (ordinary work direction, performance evaluation and management do not, in principle, constitute bullying); and third, harm to physical or mental health. The line between management conduct and bullying is often the central battleground of internal investigations and the disputes that follow.
3. Tiered Employer Obligations: Which Tier Applies to Your Company?
| Company size | Measures required by law |
|---|---|
| All businesses | Upon becoming aware of workplace bullying (whether or not a complaint is filed), must take immediate, effective and appropriate action. |
| 10 or more employees | Establish a workplace bullying complaint channel and disclose it publicly. |
| 30 or more employees | Adopt written prevention measures and complaint and disciplinary rules, disclose them publicly, and establish a complaint-handling unit. |
| 100 or more employees | Upon accepting a complaint, form an investigation team and a reconsideration investigation team; external professionals must make up no less than one-half of the members, neither gender may account for less than one-third, and participating members must complete relevant training. |
| Top person in charge is the respondent | Workers may file a complaint directly with the local competent authority; an investigation team is formed from externally retained professionals, and external members must constitute a majority. |
※ The controlling requirements are those of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Regulations Governing Workplace Bullying Prevention Measures; an employer that becomes aware of bullying but fails to take the necessary action faces administrative fines.
4. After a Complaint: How Do the Investigation and the Conciliation Mechanism Work?
After receiving a complaint, a company must — in accordance with the Regulations — accept the complaint, provide necessary assistance, investigate and reach a decision, observing conflict-of-interest recusal and confidentiality toward the parties throughout. Notably, the new system introduces a dedicated conciliation mechanism: in practice, a considerable share of suspected bullying cases originate in poor communication or differing perceptions, while formal investigation procedures are time- and resource-intensive and add psychological pressure on the parties. During the investigation, therefore, at the complainant's discretion, an appropriate conciliator may help both parties communicate and seek a resolution.
The key safeguard: the complainant controls the conciliation — if the complainant is dissatisfied with the conciliation process or its outcome, they may terminate it at any time, and the employer must then proceed with the investigation. For parties who disagree with the investigation's findings, the Regulations also provide reconsideration and follow-on remedy procedures.
5. Six Steps for Companies (Applicable from July 2026)
First, map your obligation tier: confirm the statutory obligations that correspond to your headcount (the 10/30/100-employee thresholds). Second, adopt written rules: prevention measures, complaint channels and disciplinary rules, publicly disclosed to employees. Third, build complaint and record-keeping workflows: complaint intake, deadline control and document retention, so the process is auditable. Fourth, prepare investigation capacity: line up a roster of external professionals in advance (lawyers, psychologists and others); companies with 100 or more employees should also complete training for investigation team members. Fifth, training and awareness: educate managers and employees on prevention, with the boundaries of management conduct as the focus. Sixth, use government resources: the Ministry of Labor has published guidance manuals and template forms, built a database of qualified investigators and a reporting system, and subsidizes the cost for SMEs of engaging external investigation professionals.
6. The Role of Lawyers Under the New System
The new law requires that external professionals make up at least half of the investigation team in companies with 100 or more employees — and lawyers are the archetypal qualified external professionals. Having a lawyer serve as an external investigation committee member does more than satisfy the statutory composition requirement. More importantly, if an investigation is materially flawed in its procedure, a re-investigation may be ordered — lawyers know the statutory procedures and how to handle evidence, ensuring the investigation is "done right procedurally," while lending it credibility as a disinterested third party.
LegalAI Law Firm offers a Workplace Bullying Compliance solution for the new chapter: from building prevention systems and complaint rules, to tracking case-handling deadlines on a monitoring platform, to practicing lawyers retained as external members of investigation teams — one-stop compliance support for employers.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Taiwan's new workplace bullying prevention law take effect?
The Workplace Bullying Prevention chapter of the Occupational Safety and Health Act passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan in December 2025, was promulgated by the President, and formally takes effect on July 1, 2026. The two implementing regulations — the Regulations Governing Workplace Bullying Prevention Measures and the Regulations Governing Local Competent Authorities' Handling of Complaints of Workplace Bullying by the Top Person in Charge — were announced by the Ministry of Labor on June 23, 2026.
Do only large companies need to comply with the new workplace bullying prevention law?
No. Regardless of company size, once an employer becomes aware of workplace bullying or receives a complaint, it must activate its prevention mechanisms and take immediate and effective action as required by law. Companies with 10 or more employees must establish and publicly disclose a complaint channel; those with 30 or more must adopt written prevention measures and complaint and disciplinary rules and set up a complaint-handling unit; those with 100 or more must also form an investigation team and a reconsideration investigation team.
After receiving a workplace bullying complaint, must a company always run a formal investigation?
Not necessarily. The new system includes a conciliation mechanism: during the investigation, at the complainant's discretion, an appropriate conciliator may help both parties communicate and seek a resolution. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the conciliation process or its outcome, they may terminate the conciliation at any time, and the employer must then proceed with the investigation. This design reflects the fact that many cases stem from poor communication or differing perceptions, while formal investigations are time-consuming and stressful for the parties.
What if a small or medium-sized enterprise lacks the capacity to investigate on its own?
The Ministry of Labor has built a database of qualified workplace bullying investigators to help companies select external professionals with legal, psychology or human resources backgrounds to take part in investigations, and it subsidizes the cost for SMEs of engaging external investigation professionals. Companies may also retain lawyers to serve as external investigation committee members, ensuring both procedural legality and credibility.
References
- Ministry of Labor press release (June 23, 2026): Ministry of Labor issues implementing regulations and supporting measures as the OSH Act's new workplace bullying prevention rules take effect
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor: Workplace bullying prevention resource center
- Text of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Regulations Governing Workplace Bullying Prevention Measures (Laws and Regulations Database of the Republic of China)
This article was compiled by our lawyers with the assistance of LegalAI's AI legal assistants, based on the public sources listed above. It is for general reference only and does not constitute legal advice on any specific matter. For the application of specific obligations, please rely on the competent authorities' announcements and the official text of the laws, or consult our lawyers.