Employers need ‘guts’ to ‘work out of the box’ says HR expert
Employers need to have ‘guts’ to implement changes that they believe in and would be out of the box but is the right choice, Lowe Joo Yong, Lecturer of National University of Singapore told a Colombo conference last week.
Speaking at the ‘Employers Symposium 2013’ held at Water’s Edge last week and organised by the Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC), he said, “Today’s generation who are categorised as ‘generation Y’ needs social media as a part of their job
Lowe Joo Yong. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
career. They think beyond the old people. Everyday they want to be connected and updated with Facebook and messages.” Generation Y may not be able to live without the Internet because it is so powerful and a most important part of their lives, he added.
Career is no longer considered as a job today. It is the real life experience and particularly so with the young generation. When looking at things out of the box it’s contrary to the feelings and career practices. Things that are out of the box are the actual things that are inside the box in terms of what is seen as best practices of both the employer and the employee.
Mr. Yong mentioned that loyalty of an employee is not just working in an organisation for a long period of time, but being committed to the organisation. Loyalty is measured in terms of longevity, he added.
He noted that stability in an organisation is the constant mutual understanding between the employer and the employee. Amidst turbulence within an organisation it is the employer who can provide and maintain the stability.
EFC Chairman, Sunil G Wijesinha in his welcome speech said, “The world of work today is very demanding and challenging. The effects of globalization and the turbulent economic environment have caused some formidable challenges to employment.” Employers therefore have to be very innovative, flexible and quickly respond to the needs of the customer. On the other hand, workers also need to respond to the needs of the labour market which keep changing depending on the requirements. In this scenario the theme ‘working out of the box’ is extremely relevant, he added.
He also stated that all stakeholders employing in Sri Lanka need to look at work arrangements from a different perspective and ascertain as to where changes need to be made to be more efficient and productive in the way in which work is done.
EFC Director General, Ravi Peiris in his vote of thanks said, “The EFC has over the years endeavoured to be sensitive and relevant to the means of employers. Today Sri Lanka has been categorized as a country which has the status of a middle income emerging market. This necessarily requires us to penetrate into the knowledge economy more than ever before and explore every single opportunity. Therefore ‘working out of the box’ is a must for all stakeholders in employment, not necessarily employers. It includes workers, trade unions, government, Ministry of Labour and Department of Labour.”
Mr. Pieris emphasised that employers need to remove barriers that prevent any particular category of workers from obtaining employment, ascertain the aspirations of the younger generation who are about to enter employment and create the correct myths in work-life balance to ensure a happy and a healthy workforce.