09 Oct 2010
COMPANIES in Singapore are getting into initiatives to bring positive change to the community or promote good workplace practices.
Such initiatives come under the clunky phrase "corporate social responsibility" (CSR), which has taken root deep enough for a series of annual awards to be launched to recognise the best efforts.
The Singapore Compact for CSR, a national body launched in 2005, this week gave out five awards and two "special mention" prizes, from the 60 nominations it received.
ThaiExpress Concepts, which runs casual dining outlets such as Thai Express and Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe, and real estate developer City Developments Limited (CDL) are among this year's winners.
ThaiExpress Concepts was recognised for hiring people with disabilities, former offenders, at-risk youth and senior citizens. These employees now make up 3 per cent of its 1,400 employees, a proportion that is likely to go up, said its head of human resources Terence Lim.
CDL has been honoured for its in-house commitment to environmental sustainability. It has been encouraging employees to recycle paper and save water and electricity.
The other award winners are NTUC FairPrice for being a community developer, Singapore General Hospital for being the best workplace, and paper merchant PaperlinX Singapore for promoting use of sustainable sources of paper.
The two special mentions went to Siloso Beach Resort, for its environmentally sensitive approach to development, and Tolaram Group Singapore, which is involved in manufacturing, services and real estate and which set up foundations to help disadvantaged people in Estonia and Nigeria.
Singapore Compact vice-president Seah Kian Peng said the awards are aimed at turning the winning companies into role models.
And the body is upbeat about more firms becoming members and following through with actions in support of CSR.
Last year, membership of the Singapore Compact stood at 239; today, it is 341.
Madam Halimah Yacob, a member of Singapore Compact's management committee, said today's discerning consumers may be going for products from companies practising CSR, and today's discerning potential employees may choose to work for such companies.
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