EDITORIAL: Enlightened Singapore firms show the way

In these uncertain and challenging times brought by the outbreak of the coronavirus, grateful Singaporean workers will long remember the enlightened employers and businesses that continue to hire them, keep them on the payroll, or redeploy them in new roles rather than cast them aside. DBS Bank and the Dairy Farm Group are among the trailblazers that look not just at the long term, but also at the well-being of those who are in their ranks. Other major employers would acquit themselves well by following their lead. DBS, for one, has committed itself to still hiring around 2,000 people here this year in spite of the economic downturn caused by Covid-19. It has also said there will be no layoffs among its 12,000-strong workforce and that all staff, including those unable to work because of circuit breaker restrictions or branch closures, remain on full pay.

It is similarly reassuring that more than 150 Singaporean and permanent resident staff from seven hotels have been redeployed to Cold Storage, Giant and Guardian stores under the Dairy Farm Group. They are working in roles such as cashiers, sales assistants and retail assistants for one to three months. In this case, there is a happy fit between a labour shortage which the group is facing – in part because more than 500 staff have been unable to return from Malaysia owing to its movement control order – and surplus labour caused by falling demand in hotels. What is instructive is the initiative that has been shown by the group, which is working with the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union to expand the programme, depending on manpower needs.

What employers such as these two represent is an attitude of mind, creative and forward thinking, and preparedness to face adversity rather than taking the easy way out by reducing salaries or shedding jobs outright. Granted, these are companies with heft and the resources to ride out the storm. But they also recognise the need to keep certain essential services going even when there is a significant slowdown in economic activity.

Companies that step up to the plate in such times send an important signal to the wider business community, and to society at large, that they intend to pitch in and play their part to keep Singapore going. It means that smaller enterprises, suppliers, sub-contractors and consumers can continue to have access to funds and supplies. They also give hope to this year’s graduating class of students that theirs will not be a lost generation, devoid of opportunities and hope – even if job openings in the short term are not an exact fit. The current crisis is like no other challenge that Singapore has been through. It is at times like these that companies distinguish themselves as organisations with a wider social mission and purpose beyond the bottom line. Singaporeans, as consumers and taxpayers, will remember.