Good relationships in the workplace were critical to the future success of Vietnam's economy, an International Labour Organisation (ILO) official said at a two-day conference on "Strategies for Workforce Development: Keys to Success in the 21st Century, which concluded in Hanoi on September 20.
This required good communication mechanisms in the workplace, where workers could speak freely with managers on a regular basis to make sure they understand each other’s point of view and could solve their problems by talking rather than by striking.
As well as from training in workplace safety, discipline and different kinds of skills, which managers need to encourage their workforce, it is also necessary for them to possess "soft skills" in human resource management.
In a bid to help Vietnam develop good workplace relationships, the ILO has implemented the first phase of the ILO/Vietnam Industrial Relations Project, funded by the US government. A series of Industrial Relations Advisory Service Centres have been set up in the cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong, and Da Nang as well as in the provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Hai Duong. The second phase of the project will then help Vietnam improve its labour laws.
