Compassion has its place

"Can I request that I not go to KL next month?" Stephie requested. "My exams' are around the corner and I am very stressed out."

Companies can only thrive when their people are energised, engaged, nimble and responsive.

Yet if energy - emotional, mental and physical - is needed for productivity, how can companies ignore the demands that the human body makes everyday? Most companies spend more on carpets than on employee health and well-being.

To me, happier, healthier employees make more productive employees. I make the physical health and overall well-being of my staff my business. I was taught that a real leader treats his warriors as his most dynamic and precious assets. I am genuinely concerned with their welfare and I know that my ability to accomplish my mission is tied to their individual and collective success.

This does not mean that we cannot give orders or make unpopular decisions, but it does mean that we must be aware of the effects of our actions on the lives of others.

Shirley (right), Rae (centre)