from st forum.
Blow the whistle on discrimination against older
workers
I REFER to the letter, 'In her 40s, back with a degree - but no
job' (ST, Feb 3), by Ms Sharon Lee Soh Leng.
Blow the whistle on discrimination against older workers
It is one of those sad stories that make people sometimes lose
faith in the prevailing hiring practices and workplace
accreditation systems.
It is ironic that some companies and organisations spend so much
money and effort on getting recognised for workplace excellence -
for example through achieving the People's Developer Standard, and
by coaching and developing staff to reach greater professional
heights -but do not act consistently upon their beliefs when it
comes to hiring older workers who have taken up the Government's
challenge to upgrade their skills. The myth that younger employees
are better, healthier and more energetic must be debunked. There
are scores of younger workers who cannot take the heat and job-hop
all too often.
What the older workers lose out in terms of age, they more than
make up in experience, character and maturity of thought.
To improve herself, Ms Lee would, most probably, have had to leave
the security of her previous job, pluck herself from a familiar
environment and be deprived of the warmth and smiles of loved ones.
Despite all these, she triumphed and this speaks of the tenacity,
courage, resilience and passion in her.
To live a fulfilling life without regrets, one must follow the
heart, dare to dream and be willing to embark on the journey of
self-renewal and unlimited possibilities. I recall how I felt
encouraged when listening to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong make
his inaugural National Day Rally speech at the NUS University
Cultural Centre two years ago. To paraphrase from memory, he said
the Government would give us wings so that we might fly, be exposed
to the world, blossom, and then come back enriched and contribute
to Singapore.
Yet it seems to me that when some of us like Ms Lee fly back to
make our contributions, we become disillusioned and have our wings
clipped and dreams dashed.
Our society cannot move forward if employment practices limit human
potential. I urge the authorities to tighten the process of
monitoring organisations that do not adhere to the guidelines spelt
out in the code of responsible employment practices which advocate
that staff should be treated fairly and be recruited based on
skills, experience and capability.
The whistle must be blown on companies that discriminate, based on
age or otherwise, and the appropriate penalty meted out.
Lena Soh Kwee Kim (Ms)
