Managing Partner & Head of Dispute Resolution Bazul Ashhab shares with The Business Times’ Views From The Top what measures the firm has put in place to support staff’s mental well-being amidst COVID-19
Oon & Bazul’s Managing Partner, Bazul Ashhab, was quoted in The Business Times’ Views From The Top article titled “Showing care and concern”.
The article was first published in The Business Times on 11 May 2020.
Showing care and concern
THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: How may employers best support their staff’s mental well-being, especially in a crisis?
Bazul Ashhab
Managing Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution
Oon & Bazul LLP
Communication is critical during a crisis. At Oon & Bazul, the first thing we did was to assure that we will do all we can to preserve jobs and avoid any pay cuts in the interim. This helped allay fears about job losses and salaries, a big worry for many Singaporeans.
We also formed a COVID-19 response group and put in measures to support our people’s mental well-being. These include:
- Weekly virtual chats with staff to ask about their well-being and to assist them with any issues that they may have both personal and professional. Issues like domestic violence and avenues for help are discussed at these sessions.
- Fortnightly meetings with different teams to provide updates and ensure interaction with teams across the firm.
- Flexible working hours to help support parents with young children on home-based learning.
- A mentorship arrangement to provide staff with assistance when needed.