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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the HR Excellence Awards 2013 Presentation Ceremony tonight (October 8):
Francis (President of the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, Mr Francis Mok), David (Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, Mr David Li), fellow Panel judges, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I am honoured to be here tonight for the HR Excellence Awards 2013 Presentation Ceremony. I would like first to offer my warmest congratulations to winners of these prestigious Awards. The Awards represent the gold standard for human resource practitioners in Hong Kong and serve as recognition of the exemplary management practices adopted by your organisation.
As Chairman of the Panel of Judges for the Awards, I must say that the very competitive selection exercise this year proved a very tough but instructive experience for me. I was deeply impressed by the high standard and calibre of the finalists and their presentations.
I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (HKIHRM) for staging this meaningful and significant event. For over three decades, the HKIHRM has been dedicated to promoting continuous learning as well as facilitating mutual exchange and collaboration in human resource management. The Institute has been a driving force in uplifting the professionalism and competence of human resource practitioners. The HKIHRM is also a highly valued and long-term partner of the Government and, in particular, the Labour Department. We have been joining hands in promoting good people management practices for the well-being of our working population and the sustainable economic development of Hong Kong.
The adoption of excellent human resource management practices makes perfect business sense. In a knowledge-based economy like Hong Kong, an enterprise's ability to attract and maintain a talented and committed workforce is the key to business success. With the present tight labour market situation, to win in the race for talents, not only the terms and conditions of employment must be competitive and fair, an enterprise's employment policies have to be people-oriented.
As society becomes more affluent and pluralistic, employees are having different aspirations towards work and life. A family-friendly workplace that can help employees balance their work and family commitments is critically important in fostering a cheerful and dedicated workforce. It also helps build happy families, which are the foundation of social stability and prosperity.
Over the years, the Labour Department has been playing a facilitating role in promoting family-friendly employment practices through different publicity channels and diversified activities in collaboration with relevant government departments and organisations. Building a family-friendly working culture requires the concerted efforts of all sectors of the community and I am very pleased to have HKIHRM's unfailing support in our endeavour at all times.
In closing, I would like to share with you a quote from the renowned scientist Albert Einstein. He said, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
Ladies and gentlemen, to put in place a work-life balance and family-cherishing culture, I hope that we can continue to move forward together by advocating and sharing innovative ideas and exemplary practices like those recognised by the HR Excellence Awards tonight.
Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:34
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