Workplace

Bettering workplaces to retain talent

According to survey results on trends in human resources (HR) and the working environment carried out by Anphabe, difficulties in the job market in recent years have made it easier for employees to fall into uncertainty and anxiety.

The survey published in March, was carried out from the second quarter to the end of the third quarter of 2020 with 53,000 workers in Vietnam participating.

It shows that many workers expect to receive more attention, commitment, and leadership from business leaders, as well as become more empowered at work to increase the connection between employees and businesses. Some 60 per cent of employees in the survey said they will work harder and stick more closely to business practices if that business prioritises investment and improves operations.

Meanwhile, more than half of the participants do not intend to change jobs but are instead willing to accompany the company to overcome difficulties because they believe in the corporate vision and strategy. This is a reason for businesses to improve, restructure, and increase employee benefits to keep staff stable in the context of the growing labour market.

Protecting rights

For many years in the top 10 sustainable businesses in Vietnam and last year receiving the title of outstanding enterprise for employees, Nestlé Vietnam is one example of a strong working environment for employees. Up to 85 per cent of the total 2,300 employees of the company are satisfied with the salary and benefit policies they are enjoying, and employee resignation rate ranges from 7.3 to 7.8 per cent, according to the company.

Truong Bich Dao, HR director of Nestlé Vietnam, said people are the most important factor for the company. Even in the difficult situation caused by COVID-19, the company has protected employee rights and incomes, raised salaries, and organised training courses for improving skills for employees, at a cost of over $780,000 per year.

Not only affirming to be one of the leaders in implementing optimal personnel policies and the best working environment, Nestlé Vietnam also pioneers commitments on women’s empowerment and gender equality with many activities aimed at the community, contributing to increased sympathy and a deeper connection between employees and businesses.

Nestlé Vietnam is not the only company that understands the importance of this, because in the list of 100 best workplaces in Vietnam over the years is typically the presence of other familiar businesses such as Vinamilk, FPT, Coca-Cola, Honda, Viettel, and SABECO, among others.

FPT strives to build an environment that attracts young and dynamic employees by always encouraging them to create, develop their talents, and support startup projects.

Chu Quang Huy, chief HR officer at FPT Corporation, previously shared, “FPT does not keep people with just salary or a remuneration policy. What we do is offer learning and practice. At FPT, everyone has the opportunity to express themselves, to be able to live as themselves, and to live in an environment of solidarity and teamwork.”

Finding a common voice

Meanwhile, the remuneration policy is not inferior to foreign companies, and the development and nurturing of financial personnel is the secret for Vinamilk to both ensure quality human resources and develop a team of successors for a new stage of development towards the goal of being in the top 30 dairy companies globally.

In addition to businesses that have received the trust of their employees by creating a culture of connection and development, many employees nowadays are also ready to leave their roles after years of working to find a better environment if they are unable to find a common voice on issues related to leadership and rights. There have been cases where employees organised mass resignations or sued the company when they felt their rights and interests were not respected.

The results of Anphabe’s Human Resources Happiness survey over the years show that Vietnamese employees are less and less attached to any one company, and this decline has been seen continuously over the past five years, from 71 per cent in 2016 to 53 per cent by 2020.

Up to 35 per cent intend to change jobs within the next year, an increase of 11.1 per cent compared to 2018. Just over 7 per cent of this group are employees who have made efforts but still want to leave, while the remaining 28 per cent belongs to employees who do not put in effort and actually cherish the intention to change jobs.

By Hoang Oanh

According to Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the capital city of Hanoi, Mr. Dam Van Huan, the Hanoi Election Committee has received 72 dossiers of the candidates for the upcoming National Assembly election, including 30 self-nominated candidates.

Delegates agreed on a preliminary list of Hanoi’s 72 candidates for the 15th National Assembly election.

These dossiers all meet the requirements of procedures, conditions for nomination or self-nomination and ensure the structure of candidates who are women, young, ethnic minority, religious followers, party members and non-party members according to the announcement of the National Assembly Standing Committee.

The second consultation conference held on March 17 voted to approve the list of 72 candidates. 82/83 delegates (98.8%) agreed on this preliminary list of 72 candidates and other related issues.

The meeting proposed the following issues: a number of issues on the results of the first consultation, including the number of delegates for Hanoi; the case of the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) which does not have the structure of a State economic group; the status of candidates for the 15th National Assembly election; the participation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s officials in the National Assembly; and issues related to candidates who are business representatives.

Chair of the Hanoi’s Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Nguyen Lan Huong, said that the Standing Committee of Hanoi’s Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee would send the minutes of the 2nd consultation meeting to the National Election Council, the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Hanoi Election Commission.

The Standing Committee of Hanoi’s Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee will hold meetings with representatives of the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at district and commune levels where the candidates for the 16th National Assembly reside and representatives of agencies and organizations where employ the candidates.

From April 21 to March 13, the Standing Committee of Hanoi’s Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee will collect voters’ opinion at the place of residence or workplace.

Huong Quynh

As a 108-year-old global event, it’s well known and respected, at least in most modern and progressive cultures – but how much has it aided women’s lives in Vietnam?

Vietnam celebrates the value that women add to their culture twice. As part of the movement highlighting women’s issues on March 8th and then later on October 20th celebrating the nation’s women in a softer fashion, a little like Valentine’s Day although on both occasions feminine achievements in science, culture, education and other contributions, charity work for example, are awarded.

All good and well, I suppose, but are the local lasses better off yet? Vietnam has been pretty good on the legal front with the 2007 Law on the Prevention and Control on Domestic Violence, which has been upgraded twice to include more robust definitions of violence to aid prosecutions. However, domestic violence is still a very serious issue, often hidden behind family dynamics and the common local perception by men that it’s all right to belt a woman to ‘keep her in line’. Many Vietnamese men I’ve spoken to are surprised that it’s considered a bad thing.

Like so much of this nation – attitudes and behaviors are going to take a long time to modify and a lot of this depends on an education system still struggling to upgrade itself to the demands of the twenty-first century vs the traditional ways that are still enforced in local communities and households. I suspect that this and the next generation, through education and changing social attitudes, thanks to social media, TV and local training, will learn to give women more respect.

The 2006 Law on Gender Equality has also helped women gain entitlements in the workplace and ownership to land and businesses as well. Yet that’s only half the story. The gender pay imbalance is still every bit as bad as some Western countries despite Vietnam having one of the highest rates of participation in the workforce. In the informal work sector – working from home, small businesses (not to mention all the little street stalls!) women actually outnumber men but sadly earn about half of male incomes. Keep in mind that the gender pay difference is even worse in a number of other Southeast Asian countries so the fact that there’s any improvement in Vietnam should be a positive thing.

There are hundreds of projects operating across the nation to alleviate and improve female lives. The UN, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank fund a huge amount. A lot of these projects are organized by the Vietnam Women’s Union, founded in 1930.

As part of this year’s celebrations, the union is planning a campaign: ‘safety year for women and children focusing on educational efforts in the areas of school, family, work, social networks, food safety and hygiene’. The Ministry of Public Security also pledged to assist in the enforcement of the laws protecting women and children as part of the union’s project, particularly domestic violence and human trafficking.

The union also hosts the annual Kovalevskaya Award, which honors scientific achievements over the past year. Both events kick off just before March 8th to gain media awareness ahead of the main events which are largely ceremonial.

An intriguing project I discovered by accident from a Facebook comment is a local one in Hoi An (where I live) involving waste management disposal and giving jobs to poor local women, including supplying bicycles and equipment. Funded out of a United Nations small project grants fund and operated with the help of the Hoi An Women’s Union, the project has reduced the waste by 70% to the local landfills by sorting out recyclables and other waste. It might not seem like much but this again is yet another example of locals helping locals.

It’s estimated that if women could fully participate the world economy in all countries, it would create a mindboggling 16 trillion dollars in newly created global wealth. Equally, although less acknowledged, are all those unpaid contributions to our lives by women – mothers, carers, bread-winners and the support they give communities. All our lives depend on the women around us.

There’s a lot I haven’t covered in this story – the ‘MeToo’ issues, women’s health, educational access (especially higher education), ethnic women and lots more – still that means lots more to discuss and write about. So even if I’ve skimmed over a lot, these issues won’t be ignored, by me or others.

Also I’d like to acknowledge the work of the foreign women in the Quang Nam area who also contribute to the women (and kids) of Vietnam. Jackie Wrafter at The Kianh Foundation, Tanya Carmont and others at SwimVietnam, Mai McCann at Hearing and Beyond (deaf kids), Linda Burn at Children’s Education Foundation and Karen Leonard at Lifestart.

So on this coming Women’s Day, ladies everywhere, I salute your cleverness, bravery, patience, innovation and ability to keep going, even when it’s heartbreaking hard. Happy International Women’s Day!

The urban planning project, covering over 2,700 hectares, aims to manage the local population and improve infrastructure in the capital’s “historical downtown districts” of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung.

To reach the project’s population reduction goal, from the current 880,000 to 670,000 in 10 years, the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture said the capital would move citizens out of downtown areas, while also relocating facilities like universities, hospitals and administrative entities, among others.

Hanoi would also balance its resources and capital to invest in the synchronization of both technical and social framework infrastructure, while focusing on developing satellite cities and eco-cities to create new population centers, which should reduce population density downtown.

Nguyen Duc Hung, deputy director of Hanoi Urban Planning Institute, said the capital also plans to avoid building skyscrapers in downtown areas.

“Within the next decade, Hanoi would see a reduction of around 215,000 people in four inner districts,” he noted.

“Aound 120,000 people would be relocated as new roads are built and intrusive public structures are removed. Meanwhile, 100,000 people would be relocated together with administrative entities.”

Duong Duc Tuan, deputy chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee, said besides the four districts, Hanoi’s other historical downtown zones include Tay Ho District and an area from Ring Road 2 to the right bank of Red River. These areas currently house around 1.2 million people, and the number is expected to drop to around 800,000 by 2030, Tuan said.

The Old Quarter is defined as an urban area with historical and cultural value, serving commerce, services, tourism, and accommodations purposes.

Buildings in the Old Quarter are limited to up to four floors, or 16 meters in height, in accordance with the planning project.

Hoan Kiem Lake and its surrounding areas are defined as Hanoi’s “scenic” locations, acting as cultural, administrative, commercial, service and tourism centers, also including accommodation.

Old urban areas are home of structures considered historically, architecturally and culturally of value. These areas include workplaces, homes and centers of commerce and finance. Buildings along these old street areas would only be allowed to have up to six floors, 22 meters in height.

A certain section is defined as areas of restricted development, where construction of high-rise buildings as accommodation would be limited, and buildings could only be up to seven floors, or 25 meters, high.

According to the project, high-rise structures would be situated along ring roads and roads leading to downtown areas, among others. At such areas, the city would strive to reduce building density to make room for trees and parking lots.

Changes in company management direction, on top of harships suffered last year, can lead to additional stress for employees

Information handed to VIR shows how one employee, who has since quit and is filing a lawsuit, had his desk searched and items removed while he was on sick leave, apparently to investigate violations of company policy. He was also allegedly barred from leaving the building at one point by two colleagues blocking the path to an elevator.

The incident, which was caught on CCTV footage shown to VIR, adds some weight to murmurs of discontent at the workings of the company in the past year. A new CEO and other senior leaders were appointed at the end of 2019 and potential changes in work culture, along with the lingering pandemic effects, have reportedly caused a number of workers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to quit after suffering from stress or depression.

A former head of marketing for the company in the country told VIR that she quit at the end of last year after officials searched her emails and other divergents. A human resources lead also explained how she left the role in the middle of last year with similar complaints. Both former LG workers said that many others were being forced to show their emails and hand over laptops, and several resigned from the company as a result.

Company documents sent to the employee who was barred from leaving a Hanoi building earlier this year said that he had used his annual leave without seeking permission. However, the worker said that he had submitted the three-week leave request to the company’s payroll app, along with submitting a medical certificate confirming that he was suffering from stress.

“I sent the medical certificate to the human resources division of the company. This was leave with proper cause, as stipulated in the Labour Code and the Law on Social Insurance,” the man explained.

After returning from leave, the employee had found his desk ransacked with his laptop taken, drawers emptied, and other documents removed. He claimed that no information was communicated towards him regarding the event and that no evidence corroborating his supposed misconduct has yet been provided.

Last month he submitted his resignation from LG and decided to file a lawsuit, claiming to have enough evidence to prove that the company violated his privacy rights and exerted pressure on him to force him to resign. He had previously worked for the company for 10 years.

“This was a violation of my privacy rights,” he insisted. “What if my private information was revealed or my property is lost? Someone should take responsibility.”

One former senior member of the company laid the blame for a seemingly poor working environment square at the feet of the new upper management team. “The new Board of Directors of LG is doing business in Vietnam without understanding or taking into account our laws as well as our lifestyles. I don’t know how they can survive if they carry on like this,” the ex-worker said.

Indicative of some level of turmoil at the company, when contacting LG Electronics Vietnam Haiphong, VIR received a terse reply from an unknown staff member who said that “the head of PR and marketing has quit and so no-one can answer media queries”.

LG Electronics Vietnam Haiphong is a South Korean-invested company which set foot in Vietnam in 1995 to manufacture and distribute electronics, appliances, and mobile devices. Besides the office at Landmark 72 in Hanoi, the company operates a billion-dollar factory complex in Trang Due Industrial Park in nearby Haiphong city.

Brian Kwon, former head of LG’s Mobile Communications and Home Entertainment arms, took the helm as CEO from December 2019.

Lai Ngoc Thanh-Lawyer Deputy director, LLA Legal Items such as laptops, drawer contents, and documents on site are property of the company, and that company has the right to manage the usage of these items. However, deliberately seizing and checking such items, or logging into computers, emails, and others items the employee has without the agreement or presence of the employee in question are violating their privacy rights if they contain information related to their private life. Article 21 in the 2013 Constitution of the country stipulates that everyone has the right to inviolability of private life, personal secrets, and family secrets; and has the right to protect his or her honour and reputation. The security of information about private life or secrets shall be guaranteed by law. Everyone has the right to privacy of correspondence, telephone conversations, telegrams, and other forms of private communication. Also, no-one may illegally break into, control, or seize another’s correspondence, telephone conversations, telegrams, or other forms of private communication. These rights are also noted in Article 38 of the 2015 Civil Code, which highlights the right to a private life and personal and family secrets – these are inviolable and protected by law. The collection, preservation, use, and publication of information about the private life of an individual must have the consent of that person; likewise, the collection, preservation, use and publication of information about secrets of the family must have the consent of all family members, unless otherwise prescribed by law. The safety of mail, telephones, telegrams, and other forms of electronic information of an individual shall be ensured and kept confidential. The opening, control, and keeping of these forms of information may only be conducted in cases provided by law. Parties to a contract may not disclose information about each other’s private life, personal secrets, or family secrets that they know during the establishment and performance of the contract, unless otherwise agreed. In case of infringement, the violators will be fined an amount of VND10-20 million ($435-870) according to Article 102 of Decree No.15/2020/ND-CP dated February 2020 stipulating penalties for violations in the fields of postal services, telecommunications, radio frequency, IT, and electronic transactions. If violation causes serious consequences, they can be claimed for appropriation of another person’s mails, telegraphs, telex, faxes, or other documents which are transmitted via the postal or telecommunications network in any shape or form, according to the Article 159 of the Criminal Code 2015, which was amended in 2017. If an employee requests leave in line with the company’s regulations along with a medical certificate from a hospital, and the company still claims “voluntarily leave” and applies penalties to that employee, the two sides enter a dispute on labour discipline. The current legal framework stipulates very clearly for employers what to do if disciplining employees. For example, discipline applies on violations/acts that are noted in regulations of the company, and the violations should be proven clearly. Discipline should be participated in by a local trade union, and the discipline should be recorded on minutes. If violating any part of the above, disciplining the employee may be illegal. In that case, the employee is advised to file a complaint to the leaders of the company and contact a trade union or local labour federation for help on filing a lawsuit to protect his or her rights.

By Hara Nguyen