Singapore – Fair employment practices should be made an integral part of the nation’s corporate culture as it widens the pool of candidates from which an employer can recruit from, said acting minister of manpower Gan Kim Yong. 

At the Conference on Fair Employment Practices this morning, Gan stressed the need for employers to remain fair to their workers in the downturn, even though many may now be preoccupied with business issues. “Some companies might be inclined to put the fair employment agenda on the backburner,” continued Gan.

He pointed out that companies which implement enlightened hiring practices during these tough times will be more attractive to talent and job seekers when the economy recovers.

Gan went on to add that fair employment pratices is not only limited to recruitment. Businesses should also internalise the handling of grievances, administering performance appraisals and managing terminations and dismissals. All decisions should be made based on merit, he said.

Gan also highlighted the employees should not be poorly managed as the impact would be detrimental to the staff morale and tarnish the firm’s reputation. “It is therefore the interest of businesses to ensure that their employees’ concerns and needs are properly and sensitively addressed.”