<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Feb 10, 2009
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Hire on merit <!--10 min-->
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'But I urge employers not to lose sight of our long-term goal of making fair employment an integral part of our corporate culture,' Mr Gan Kim Yong said. -- PHOTO: TNP
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->EMPLOYERS are urged to make fair employment an integral part of the corporate culture, in good times or bad.
'The principles of fair employment remain relevant to employers, whether in an upturn or now in a downturn,' said Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong at a conference on fair employment practices on Tuesday morning.
=> So why didn't he and his Papaya running dogs fire themselves for FCUK UP performance, despite being the BEST PAID in the world?
He feared that in the current economic climate, many firms will be preoccupied with cash flow and other business issues and some might put the fair employment agenda on the backburner.
'But I urge employers not to lose sight of our long-term goal of making fair employment an integral part of our corporate culture,' he said.
'Even in the downturn we need to press ahead with efforts to shape the behaviour and mindsets of employers to hire on merit. Those who put in place enlightened hiring practices now will be more attractive to talent and job-seekers when the economy recovers and the job market tightens.'
Mr Gan said fair employment is not limited to the hiring practices.
There are other in-employment practices that businesses should internalise, including the need to properly handle grievances, administer performance appraisals, and manage dismissals and terminations.
Singling out McDonald's for fair practices, Mr Gan said firms can learn from the fast-food chain which believes that every member of its crew has the potential to be a manager.
'Many of McDonald's management staff had started out in junior positions, and had risen through the ranks based on their ability and job performance,' he noted, citing one employee, Mr Jeffrey Tan, who joined McDonald's in 1979 at 20 as a part-time crew, and rose to become Director of Operations in March 2007.
Mr Tan now heads McDonald's operations in Malaysia.
Urging employers to act fairly and responsibly towards their workers as they cut costs to get through the recession, Mr Gan said: 'When human resources are poorly managed, there could be negative spillovers that may lower staff morale, tarnish the firm's reputation, and ultimately impact the firm's bottom-line in the long term,' he said.
'It is therefore in the interest of businesses to ensure that their employees' concerns and needs are properly and sensitively addressed.' A key part of the strategy in tackling manpower management challenges is for companies to closely involve and consult their workers when making decisions, he added.
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Hire on merit <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
'But I urge employers not to lose sight of our long-term goal of making fair employment an integral part of our corporate culture,' Mr Gan Kim Yong said. -- PHOTO: TNP
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->EMPLOYERS are urged to make fair employment an integral part of the corporate culture, in good times or bad.
'The principles of fair employment remain relevant to employers, whether in an upturn or now in a downturn,' said Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong at a conference on fair employment practices on Tuesday morning.
=> So why didn't he and his Papaya running dogs fire themselves for FCUK UP performance, despite being the BEST PAID in the world?
He feared that in the current economic climate, many firms will be preoccupied with cash flow and other business issues and some might put the fair employment agenda on the backburner.
'But I urge employers not to lose sight of our long-term goal of making fair employment an integral part of our corporate culture,' he said.
'Even in the downturn we need to press ahead with efforts to shape the behaviour and mindsets of employers to hire on merit. Those who put in place enlightened hiring practices now will be more attractive to talent and job-seekers when the economy recovers and the job market tightens.'
Mr Gan said fair employment is not limited to the hiring practices.
There are other in-employment practices that businesses should internalise, including the need to properly handle grievances, administer performance appraisals, and manage dismissals and terminations.
Singling out McDonald's for fair practices, Mr Gan said firms can learn from the fast-food chain which believes that every member of its crew has the potential to be a manager.
'Many of McDonald's management staff had started out in junior positions, and had risen through the ranks based on their ability and job performance,' he noted, citing one employee, Mr Jeffrey Tan, who joined McDonald's in 1979 at 20 as a part-time crew, and rose to become Director of Operations in March 2007.
Mr Tan now heads McDonald's operations in Malaysia.
Urging employers to act fairly and responsibly towards their workers as they cut costs to get through the recession, Mr Gan said: 'When human resources are poorly managed, there could be negative spillovers that may lower staff morale, tarnish the firm's reputation, and ultimately impact the firm's bottom-line in the long term,' he said.
'It is therefore in the interest of businesses to ensure that their employees' concerns and needs are properly and sensitively addressed.' A key part of the strategy in tackling manpower management challenges is for companies to closely involve and consult their workers when making decisions, he added.
