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The Hong Kong Institute of Housing Supports Standard Working Hours Legislation. Implementation Should Be Considered According to Industry.

The Hong Kong Institute of Housing
2013-11-29 15:38 5316

HONG KONG, Nov. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong Institute of Housing ("HKIH") supports the Standard Working Hours legislation (SWH). Work life balance is crucial in improving the working environment and quality of life for local workforce, which in return, helps to enrich the atmosphere of cohesiveness in the society. From the perspective of property management profession, enforcing SWH will inevitably lead to an increase in the demand for manpower and salary cost. Hence, HKIH recommends the government thoroughly studying and understanding the feasible SWH in different trades of the market, and also suggests a free autonomy be given to both the management companies (employers) and the practitioners (employees) in compromising the mutually accepted SWH.

As a professional body of property management, HKIH concerns most about the change of workload and shortage of the frontline manpower. Currently, the majority of frontline security workforce and customer services personnel are operating under a system of two 12-hour shifts round the clock. With the implementation of the SWH, it would be unavoidable to change the system to three shifts, i.e. this would immediately increase 30% of the frontline manpower strength, naturally, there will be an increase in wages, and property management fee will have to rise accordingly to reflect the extra expenses. From the experience learnt under the statutory minimum wage, in order to maintain the same management fee level, some owners had tried to cut the management costs by reduction of property management headcount which the additional workloads would be shared among the remaining reduced manpower; or by reduction of fringe benefits, delay or reduce the repairs and maintenance projects etc. As such, the overall management service standard and building maintenance progress would severely jeopardize the safety of the building or even the environment. HKIH's Corporate Members have always strived to provide top quality service to owners and occupants of buildings. It is therefore recommended that the government should carefully review all possible impacts that may cause to property management industry before the SWH is legislated.

Other than the quality of service, HKIH also concerns about the net income or take home pay earned by the property management front-line practitioners. In order to meet the SWH as outlined by the legislation, income will inevitably be reduced. Some of the operational practitioners might look for additional part time job or to work over-time trying to compensate for the loss of revenue. The ultimate long hours working will affect the health of the practitioners and is opposing the original desire of providing work life balance for them. The drop in income would slash employment incentives, and will also discourage workforce mobility to commercial areas such as Central and Mid-Levels where serious manpower shortage problem has already existed.

HKIH would like to stress the support of a work life balance for frontline practitioners. In order to cultivate employees' sense of belonging, HKIH suggests some soft side and positive reinforcement for employees which include attendance bonus, transportation or accommodation allowance, double pay or best/long service staff award etc. However, the ultimate support from owners is the key of the success. On the other hand, HKIH suggests that the government should fully study and explore different industry practices in the market, so that appropriate SWH can be set to suit different needs practically. The government may also consider allowing companies (employers) and employees a flexible autonomy, so that employees who have financial burden can compromise with their employer with a mutually agreed SWH which at the same time will not infringe their work life balance principle.

Ms Cora YUEN, President of The Hong Kong Institute of Housing said: "Observed from the implementation of prevailing statutory minimum wage, the government should consult all affected trades in the market, and widely solicit comments and views from stakeholders. We all are most unwilling to face an undesirable outcome like pushing up of the inflation rate, decrease of productivity rate or uneven distribution of job opportunities which forms the detrimental hurdle to the stability and financial development of Hong Kong."

Source: The Hong Kong Institute of Housing
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