Employers urged to emulate Lee Kuan Yew’s care for employees

SINGAPORE: Commemorating the late Lee Kuan Yew’s 100th birthday last week, the daughter of the late MP Ho See Beng has penned a heartfelt forum letter urging employers to follow the example set by Mr Lee in caring for their employees’ health and well-being.

In the letter published by the national broadsheet, MP Ho’s daughter – Ho Meow Choo – reminisced about an incident from the past that showcased Mr Lee’s concern for his subordinates’ welfare. In 1966 or 1967, her father, the unionist and MP Ho See Beng, was hospitalized at the Singapore General Hospital due to a bleeding stomach ulcer.

Ms Ho and her family were visiting her ailing father one evening when a senior nurse entered the room with surprising news – the Prime Minister himself was on his way to visit. The nurse discreetly drew the curtains, and the family made way for Mr Lee’s visit.

This poignant memory from the past resonates strongly with the ongoing discussions about employee health and well-being initiatives that companies are actively promoting in today’s corporate landscape.

However, Ms Ho Meow Choo drew a significant distinction in her letter – the absence of meaningful actions bosses took to demonstrate their care and support for their subordinates’ health and well-being.

Stressing the need for employers to go beyond rhetoric and engage in tangible actions, she called for more initiatives and gestures from bosses that directly convey their commitment to the well-being of their employees, similar to the way Mr Lee visited her ailing father in the hospital.

Ms Ho wrote: “Today, there is so much talk about employee health and well-being initiatives that companies are promoting. But they are not focused on meaningful things which bosses could personally do to show their care and support for their subordinates’ health and well-being.

“I believe more could be done in this regard, just like how Mr Lee visited my father.”