developer as much concerned with staff stress as structural ones
There is a time for work. There is a time to relax. This week Lai See consulted a couple of Sun Hung Kai Properties human resources and training managers to learn how they help employees cope with pressure.
SHKP since last year has organised a stress management programme for its staff at its Wan Chai headquarters. Once a month, it gathers hundreds of staff for lunch-break workshops covering topics such as emotional intelligence or religion - ranging from Christianity, which company owners the Kwok brothers practise, to Buddhism and others - aimed at improving mental health.
Outside office hours, SHKP organises courses such as tai chi, swimming, gardening and cooking. A company choir gives a focus for the employees' singing talents and will make its debut this year with performances of Christmas carols.
The projects spring from concern by top management that staff have faced intensifying work pressures since the Asian crisis, added to by events such as the 2003 Sars outbreak.
Chairman Walter Kwok Ping-sheung, for example, once lectured staff on how to deal with adversity. The best way, the company believes, is through learning.
