Fewer orders and low production output. While most companies would opt for making workers redundant, more progressive ones like ABB Pte Ltd choose to not affect workers’ incomes and livelihoods.
“We follow the company’s philosophy closely. As far as possible we will avoid letting any of our employees go. We must go through tough periods together and turn situations like these into opportunities for our workers,” said ABB Power Products Division Operations Head Eng Wei Qin.
In June this year, the company introduced the four-day work week for its workers but it was only meant as a temporary measure.
“Why we went for that option was because many of the workers had not cleared their annual leave since 2016. So we implemented the four-day work week for them to clear their leave, but this isn’t suitable for the long-term as the amount of paid leave is limited,” said ABB General Manager Jacknason Chua.
Working Together
The company subsequently turned to the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to tap on the Manufacturing Resilience Tripartite Programme (MeRP).
Through the MeRP, ABB is receiving funding for the training cost and absentee payroll when its workers go for courses during the lull period.
The company, SISEU and e2i worked with training provider NTUC LearningHub to curate a series of Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification courses for the employees. They range from lean thinking at workplaces to housekeeping rules, self-discipline, and standards in the maintenance of a clean and tidy work environment.
“When output was high, we barely had the time to do this. Now that the production output is low, we look at this as a good opportunity,” concluded Mr Chua.
