Last Friday, I went to Labuan to conduct the 1st Site Meeting for the Oxygen Generation Plant Project in the HBI Plant which we are doing for a Client. This Client also owns SFI, the Sabah Forest Industries.
We have done a number of small projects for SFI. But for the HBI, this is the 1st project. In my mind, I always assumed that the reason that we were selected to bid for the Oxygen Plant was probably due to some kind fellows in SFI who had introduced us to them.
Finally, the chap in HBI told me how we were introduced. Not by SFI but through two persons who had worked in our firm. One a university student who had a short training in our firm. The other is an Engineer who had worked in our office for a number of years. Both had good words for us and recommended strongly to the HBI staff who had a hand in the selection of consultants.
Well, it should always be a life policy not to say harsh words to any of your staff even though they are truly useless or lousy. Be reminded to have no ill feeling when they leave your company.
I remember I used to have an engineer whom the contractor told me that he demanded favour in the form of money. I didn't confront him or fire him but decided to improve the procedure to minimise the chance of graft. Believe it or not, he is now with a government department who is our client of one of our projects. Well, if I had fired him or spoken harshly against him, you can imagine the disaster we would be facing now.
Another old case. One of my draftsgirls told me she had been harassed by another male colleague. I could have fired him but that could be disastrous because there is a possibility of us being sued for wrongful termination. So, I called him and in a very rational and gentle tone told him. "You have been accused of sexual harassment and if you are reported to the Labour Department, your future will be ruined. The best is for you to resign voluntarily so that this issue will not be pursued by her". In the end, he resigned. He still has his dignity and his reputation is not blemished. Whenever we meet, we are still friends.
2 comments:
I think it is a good practice never to humiliate anyone unecessarily. People need their dignity to carry on.
That incident about the sexual harrassment sounded very dramatic. What did the guy do to the draftsgirl that was considered sexual harrassment? He must be very bold to even try such a thing. Wasn't he scared of getting caught in such an act?
The girl told me that this man very often came to her place and blew air to her face. He had been telling him to stop but he kept doing it. Sometimes, he would say thing liked "I like to marry you". Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer and came to see me.
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