SINGAPORE: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was
clearly manifested in this economic downturn when tripartite
partners came together to issue guidelines to firms on how best to
manage excess manpower and to save jobs, said Manpower Minister Gan
Kim Yong on Tuesday.
This, despite a Trade and Industry Ministry survey which found that
only three in ten companies practise CSR.
Mr Gan said: "Companies were urged to save jobs by implementing
alternative ways to manage their excess manpower, such as through
shorter work weeks or to send their workers for training during
downtimes and consider retrenchment only as a last resort.
"This creates a win-win situation for both the company and the
workers as the company is able to retain experienced workers and
reposition itself for the eventual upturn, while the workers are
able to keep their jobs."
Out of the 1,900 companies surveyed, two-thirds or 66 per cent
indicated that they had no plans to retrench workers. As for the
rest, four out of five of them postponed their retrenchment
decisions as a result of the guidelines.
Mr Gan said such efforts to save jobs are a clear example of how
CSR can work.
CSR, however, is not without its critics. There are those who feel
that businesses can contribute to society by doing what they do
best, which is to remain profitable and to generate wealth and
employment.
There are also some who argue that CSR is a distraction which can
lead to a misallocation of funds.
Nonetheless, more Singapore companies have signed on to the United
Nations Global Compact, which champions CSR practices globally,
since 2005. From just ten firms, the number grew to 72 in
2009.
Thomas Thomas, executive director of Singapore Compact for CSR,
said: "We want to tell organisations and companies that we can
achieve environmental, social and economic progress together.
People, planet and the profits can go together."
To provide a better understanding on CSR, a book has been published
by the Singapore Compact for CSR to showcase the success stories of
ten businesses which practise it.
- CNA/so