PETALING JAYA: Office trysts or referring to colleagues as "sayang" or "dear" can land a civil servant in hot water, according to the latest government circular sighted by a Malay daily.

Civil servants could land in hot water for using terms such as “sayang” or “dear” when speaking to colleagues as such expressions of endearment are now considered a form of sexual harassment.

PETALING JAYA: The directive by the government in classifying acts of sexual harassment coincides with several landmark cases in court, says a legal practitioner.