Can you be generous while doing business or doing your daily chores?

Monday August 2, 2010



Monday Starters - By Soo Ewe Jin



If an ice-creamseller who toils in the streets come rain or shine can be so considerate towards the disabled, what about those of us who work in the comfort of our air-conditioned offices?(see pic below)



I WAS touched by the picture of an ice cream seller in Penang that appeared in The Star on Saturday in the Thumbnails section.



The vendor, though not shown in the picture, had put up a sign on his motorcycle that read, “Percuma untuk orang kurang upaya”.



By this simple action, the vendor shows us what a big heart he has.



I strongly believe that little actions like this speak volumes and I am sure the reader who sent in the picture was motivated by a desire to spread the positive message.



But human nature is such that we tend to highlight the wrongs more than the rights.





If an ice-creamseller who toils in the streets come rain or shine can be so considerate towards the disabled, what about those of us who work in the comfort of our air-conditioned offices?



We love to rant and rave and hurl brickbats but find it difficult to say thank you or do something to address the situation we are unhappy about.



For example, I have seen other pictures sent in of inconsiderate people taking up parking spots meant for the disabled.



Such images make us angry but they rarely prompt us into action.



Looking at the picture again begs the question: if an ice-cream seller who toils in the streets come rain or shine can be so considerate towards the disabled, what about those of us who work in the comfort of our air-conditioned offices?



It is estimated that there are about 1.3 million people with various forms of disability, but only slightly more than 230,000 have registered with the Welfare Services Department.



The Persons With Disabilities Act was passed in August 2008, as part of our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.



Among other things, the Act states that persons with disabilities shall have equal access to the following in Malaysia: public facilities, amenities, services and buildings, public transport, education, employment, information, communication and technology, cultural life and recreation, leisure and sport.



The Government has a policy of having at least 1% of the disabled in its workforce, but this is good on intent but poor in reality.



The private sector, meanwhile, is “persuaded” to hire the disabled, and while there are an increasing number of companies that do so as part of their corporate social responsibility agenda, most still prefer to give charity cheques than pay cheques.



If you are working in the human resources department of your company, or has some say over who to hire, you should think like the ice-cream seller. He saw a need, and he acted upon it.



For example, when you walk into any office, chances are you will see a pretty receptionist attending to simple needs like accepting your documents or pointing you to the right person. That is something a person with any form of mild disability can easily handle.



I went to the Petaling Jaya police headquarters last week to settle a parking summons and I was pleasantly pleased to see two women, in civilian clothes, manning the counters.



Previously, it was always traffic policemen in full uniform, doing this simple clerical task. Perhaps the next step would be to have the disabled at such counters instead.



So, think along the same lines, and the next time there is a vacancy in your office, challenge yourself to ask if you could convince your boss to employ a person with disability instead.





Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin believes that as more of the disabled enter the workforce, then we will have no choice but to make all our social amenities disabled-friendly.
 
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/2/business/6777390&sec=business