The company sees the ageing population and equal opportunities as its two most important problems
THE AGEING POPULATION and equal opportunities are the main social issues facing Hong Kong, and they have particular relevance to corporate human resources planning.
Their weight on the public agenda is set to increase, so how a company reacts to these issues can affect the operation and image of a good corporate citizen.
IBM China/Hong Kong has made an early start to address these issues. The company has about 1,600 employees in this market, and five years ago it implemented a diversity programme to promote talent and equal opportunity among employees and help older staff balance the demands of career and family.
The programme is being driven by a diversity council led by a senior executive with membership comprised of staff representatives from across the company.
According to Christine Ng Sook-ming, the council's leader since last year, the diversity programme aims to nurture a culture of inclusion and acceptance of staff attributes and strengths to breed and retain diverse talent in the company and optimise the benefits they bring.