Brian tracys

Changes in company management direction, on top of harships suffered last year, can lead to additional stress for employees Information handed to VIR shows how one employee, who has since quit and is filing a lawsuit, had his desk searched and items removed while he was on sick leave, apparently to investigate violations of company policy. He was also allegedly barred from leaving the building at one point by two colleagues blocking the path to an elevator. The incident, which was caught on CCTV footage shown to VIR, adds some weight to murmurs of discontent at the workings of the company in the past year. A new CEO and other senior leaders were appointed at the end of 2019 and potential changes in work culture, along with the lingering pandemic effects, have reportedly caused a number of workers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to quit after suffering from stress or depression. A former head of marketing for the company in the country told VIR that she quit at the end of last year after officials searched her emails and other divergents. A human resources lead also explained how she left the role in the middle of last year with similar complaints. Both former LG workers said that many others were being forced to show their emails and hand over laptops, and several resigned from the company as a result. Company documents sent to the employee who was barred from leaving a Hanoi building earlier this year said that he had used his annual leave without seeking permission. However, the worker said that he had submitted the three-week leave request to the company’s payroll app, along with submitting a medical certificate confirming that he was suffering from stress. “I sent the medical certificate to the human resources division of the company. This was leave with proper cause, as stipulated in the Labour Code and the Law on Social Insurance,” the man explained. After returning from leave, the employee had found his desk ransacked with his laptop taken, …

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Brian Spence * Brian Spence The warrior Achilles is one of the great heroes of Greek mythology. According to legend, Achilles was extraordinarily strong, courageous and loyal, but he had one vulnerability: when his mother dunked him into the River Styx, whose waters conferred the invulnerability of the gods, she had to hold him by the heel and so left him with an area of weakness – one that eventually proved his undoing. Thus, when we speak of an otherwise indomitable person having a flaw that might not be easy to see, but can easily be their downfall, we talk of their “Achilles’ heel”. So, what has Greek mythology got to do with Việt Nam in the here and now? Well, it’s that I perceive a real Achilles’ heel evident in the business culture. One of the first things Westerners learn when trying to get to grips with Asian culture is the concept of “losing face”. While everyone loathes the pains of shame and embarrassment, avoiding any loss of face in business seems like an overriding principle here. As with Achilles and his mythological heel, that focus can become a weakness that negates many strengths. It can also lead to great harm. Strength in vulnerability In my experience in the Vietnamese M&A and consultancy arena, it is a sad fact that seven out of ten business owners will not admit to vulnerability or weakness, or indeed the need for support and external advice of any kind. Such is the loss of face they fear, concessions like this are actually anathema to many otherwise very incisive and wise people. My observation over several years in Việt Nam is that the owners of family businesses often do not share responsibility for their management because they view this as a weakness. This results in many family businesses being unable to reach the heights that other more internationalised ones can reach. They impose an artificial glass ceiling above which the owner will not allow their employees – or indeed themselves – to …

[Read more...] about What ancient Greece can teach modern day Việt Nam

Brian Spence * Brian Spence The warrior Achilles is one of the great heroes of Greek mythology. According to legend, Achilles was extraordinarily strong, courageous and loyal, but he had one vulnerability: when his mother dunked him into the River Styx, whose waters conferred the invulnerability of the gods, she had to hold him by the heel and so left him with an area of weakness – one that eventually proved his undoing. Thus, when we speak of an otherwise indomitable person having a flaw that might not be easy to see, but can easily be their downfall, we talk of their “Achilles’ heel”. So, what has Greek mythology got to do with Viet Nam in the here and now? Well, it’s that I perceive a real Achilles’ heel evident in the business culture. One of the first things Westerners learn when trying to get to grips with Asian culture is the concept of “losing face”. While everyone loathes the pains of shame and embarrassment, avoiding any loss of face in business seems like an overriding principle here. As with Achilles and his mythological heel, that focus can become a weakness that negates many strengths. It can also lead to great harm. Strength in vulnerability In my experience in the Vietnamese M&A and consultancy arena, it is a sad fact that seven out of ten business owners will not admit to vulnerability or weakness, or indeed the need for support and external advice of any kind. Such is the loss of face they fear, concessions like this are actually anathema to many otherwise very incisive and wise people. My observation over several years in Viet Nam is that the owners of family businesses often do not share responsibility for their management because they view this as a weakness. This results in many family businesses being unable to reach the heights that other more internationalised ones can reach. They impose an artificial glass ceiling above which the owner will not allow their employees – or indeed themselves – to go beyond in their …

[Read more...] about What ancient Greece can teach modern day Viet Nam