By Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily

A senior who is a consultant for a public-listed company is well familiar with the development of large companies in this country.

He told me, "A big boss rang me up at three in the morning, much to my shock, not knowing what was actually coming up.

"When asked, he told me he couldn't sleep for several nights in a row, worrying about the millions of ringgit in financial losses he was already suffering after his factory was forced to stop operating throughout the MCO.

"But he said he still had to pay the salaries, EPF, Socso, etc. of of several hundreds of his workers.

"I'm burning cash every single day and simply don't know what to do now."

That senior sighed, "Big bosses look gorgeous from the outside but that does not mean they do not have any worry at all.

"As a matter of fact, they're shouldering pressure many times heavier than ordinary people, especially during such an unusual period of time.

"If an ordinary man has to worry about two or three things, these bosses will have to worry about 20 or 30 even things, especially those who have built their businesses from scratch."

Moreover, it is very difficult for big companies to look to government help. The government can only afford to assist people at the grassroots level as well as SMEs and micro businesses. Big companies will only have themselves to look to for help.

The problems of big companies are not exclusively those of their owners. They entail also the issue of employment as well as the overall economy of this country.

The MTUC has urged the government to come up with urgent measures to stop employers from laying off workers within a specific duration in a bid to protect salaried individuals earning between RM4,000 and RM8,000 a month (those earning below RM4,000 have already been covered).

MEF is against this proposition, arguing that many companies are on the brink of collapse and if they are not allowed to retrench workers, they may be unable to keep running and may have to wind up very soon, resulting in more job loss.

Moreover, if they are not allowed to lay off workers, investors may be hesitant to invest in this country.

Economists are taking the neutral stand. They have their own views on this.

An economist has said manpower resources need to be managed within the existing legal framework and the needs of the company itself. The sudden shift in the rule of the game may impact investment and business sentiment.

He suggests that both employers and employees should sit down and talk about salary cuts, retrenchment benefits and flexible working hours.

I actually agree with this economist. Business operation represents a symbiotic relationship between the business owner, the management and grassroots workers, all contributing to an organization's success in their own ways. When the company is doing well, they share the bonuses, but when the company is in hot water, they should also share the burden together.

Modern businesses today no longer operate in the way their predecessors were running during the early years of capitalism, whereby employers exploited their workers to the fullest so that they could maximize their profits; nor should they operate like those during years of aggressive socialist tide whereby employees fought tooth and nail with their employers for their rights through union pressure.

The success of a company stems from the concerted effort of its owners, management and workers towards a common goal, and this is made possible with a healthy system and more personalized approach in management.

Having said that, there are many bosses–as well as workers–who are selfish and self-centered. They don't bother about the well-being of the other party.

The country needs to restart its economic locomotive as soon as the MCO is lifted. Business owners and employees must be accommodating and empathetic towards each other, or we are not going to see an end to their conflicts.

As for the big boss who couldn't go into sleep, he came to a consultant who is looking at things in a very human manner. He told the boss, "No matter how big your problem is, you must take good care of your employees.

"Imagine, you owe all that you possess now to their hard work. You should not abandon your workers when the company is in trouble!"

Hearing that, the boss believably had part of the answer to his worries, and was better prepared to confront the challenges lying ahead of him.