Harsh job conditions scaring candidates off

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Retaining talent has become the most challenging task for HR professionals and companies in today's rapidly-changing job market. Employers have made every effort to secure their talent as long as they can. But not all the efforts are reasonable and decent.

A job applicant stirred up a heated discussion on Hong Kong Discuss Forum by sharing his experience online.

The applicant said he applied a job at a renowned large-scale edible birds' nests company. He was confident to get the job after three rounds of interviews. At the final round interview, however, the HR manager raised three conditions that eventually stopped him from considering the job. So what were these deadly conditions?

1. Employment will be terminated if the new hire is late twice during the probationary periodThe HR manager added that the company has a very strict policy on employees’ attendance and punctuality and all staff shows up on time for work.

Asked if in case of a traffic accident, the HR manager said employee can apply for exemption maximum twice a year after passing the probation.

2. If the applicant decides to accept the offer and sign the employment contract with the company, he needs to issue the company a cheque for an amount equal to one-month salaryThe HR manager said the cheque will be returned to the employee after three months if he passes the probation.

However, if the new hire decides to quit during the probationary period, the cheque will be unreturnable.

3. No sick leave allowanceIf the employee takes sick leave four consecutive days or more, sickness allowance equivalent to four-fifths of the average daily wages will be given in line with Employment Law in Hong Kong.

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