Is there such a thing as responsible retrenchment?

Gan Kim Yong, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Manpower, said the new guidelines on management of excess staff will “send a clear message to employers on the need to leverage on the tripartite framework” between the government, employers and workers’ unions, so that any retrenchment can be conducted in a “responsible manner”.

A sprinkling of euphemisms and jargon can’t mask the unpleasantness of “responsible retrenchment” while appearing to be decent and fair, such as the one that occurred recently at DBS Bank.

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And now for the bad news…