By S. Hadi Abdullah                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
OUR country is experiencing a fast pace of growth with                                                                                                
multiple projects on-stream. In this tight labour market,                                                                                             
people are being paid more than their real value while staff-                                                                                         
pinching is common.                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
There is a need for employers and employees to look again at                                                                                          
these issues.                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah                                                                                          
Aziz has advised the young to look for job satisfaction and                                                                                           
not keep on job-hopping.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
M. Zain Majid of the Malaysian Employers Federation is                                                                                                
concerned that salary increases are "not matching                                                                                                
productivity." This is not good for the economy in the long                                                                                      
run. We already see some companies moving overseas, while                                                                                             
others talk of further mechanisation.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Another development is the individualistic nature of our                                                                                              
supervisors and managers. Students in my class (practising                                                                                            
managers) say they will work for the person who pays the most.                                                                                        
Among the candidates for the Tun Abdul Razak Youth Leadership                                                                                         
Programme recently were those who had held five different jobs                                                                                        
in the last five years.                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
These young job-hoppers do not learn sufficiently from their                                                                                          
present jobs before moving to another.  Senior managers                                                                                               
complain that some of the young people have moved so fast that                                                                                        
they do not know much about the current job they were holding.                                                                                        
The sad fact is that these people are spending most of their                                                                                          
time covering their incompetencies.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
While a good salary is important, meney should not be the sole                                                                                        
criterion. Some sense of belonging, a feel for what your                                                                                              
organization is doing, perhaps the relationships you have                                                                                             
built, even training younger executives, should be factors to                                                                                         
consider.                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Top managers and CEOs, on the other hand, must look at their                                                                                          
work-force as parents would do their children. Employers must                                                                                         
want the best for their workers, be patient and encouraging;                                                                                          
help them build on their strengths; teach them new things,                                                                                            
praise them when a job is done wey. In short, they should                                                                                             
strive at being caring and concerned.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
They must also ensure that young staff members are given                                                                                              
challenging jobs so that they thirst for "conquest" and have a                                                                              
sense of achievement. Employers should provide freedom and                                                                                            
empowerment. The boss should not interfere all the time, and                                                                                          
should know when to let go.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
The workplace itself must be conducive. The headquarters of                                                                                           
Jan Carlzon was only three levels high but had a swimming pool                                                                                        
and coffee house which gave it a casual ambience. According to                                                                                        
Ikujuro Nonaka, professor of knowledge at University of                                                                                               
California, Berkeley, this casualness helps improve                                                                                                   
productivity and creativity.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Staff should be given the opportunity to take part in projects                                                                                        
out-side their normal work area. This would give them a change                                                                                        
and at the same time help them see things from a different                                                                                            
perspective.                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
The boss should ensure that there is no favouritism and should                                                                                        
be as objective as possible by obtaining different view points                                                                                        
or listening to both sides of the story.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
At the same time, bosses should not hesitate to haul up "black                                                                                   
sheep," tell them where they fall short, and perhaps transfer                                                                                    
them to a more suitable job. The "chopping block" should be                                                                                 
the last resort.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Says Tan Sri Konusuke Matsushita: "More important than                                                                                           
competence is aptitude and assigning him a job accordingly is                                                                                         
a major management responsibility."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
Some Asian thinkers like Gaby Mendoza say the individualistic                                                                                         
nature of Westerners is one reason for their dismal                                                                                                   
performance in business today. He says Asians should build on                                                                                         
their nature of caring for others, teamwork, gotong-royong,                                                                                           
loyalty and paternalism.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
Douglas McGregor, the MIT scholar, said many years ago that                                                                                           
"paternalism has become a nasty word, but it is by na means a                                                                                    
defunct management philosophy."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
It would be good for our young to think as much of the future                                                                                         
as the present. Harold Geneen of AT&T had said that in his                                                                                        
early years of employment he went for experience and knowledge                                                                                        
more than the salary because learning about the job, the                                                                                              
company and its people was very important.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
He was prepared to acquire this experience even if it meant                                                                                           
that he could be "lagging" behind his friends in the short                                                                                  
run. In the later part of his life, money and position came                                                                                           
easily. He used the experience, discipline and knowledge to                                                                                           
make his company grow ten-fold.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
In a study on general managers some years ago, Prof John                                                                                              
Kotter of Harvard University concluded that a successful                                                                                              
manager usually grew up in one organization. A good example                                                                                           
would be Jack Welch who spent over 20 years with General                                                                                              
Electric.                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Kotter's recent study on MBA graduates shows the same trend,                                                                                          
with one difference - many of them are starting their own                                                                                             
businesses.  Thus, constant movement works against one's best                                                                                         
interest.                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Yes, we should work hard, seek fair compensation, move up the                                                                                         
corporate ladder and enjoy the fruits of honest labour. What                                                                                          
is worrying is that we nmay be too concerned with what we can                                                                                         
get at the shortest possible time.