Dear Editor,

It was interesting to read the Post’s article on May 9 regarding staff poaching in the banking industry.

It is fair to mention that it has been happening in all sectors, not just banking, as Cambodia has a limited labour supply. As a Cambodian citizen, I welcome the collective fund initiative which will ultimately contribute to the development of banking skills for the country if it is really brought into existence one day.

The reality is that no one can turn 50 years old without starting their life on day one. When a new organisation is set up, a number of others will be affected.

I remember a number of years ago, when my application to a relatively new financial institution was successful, my line manager at my previous employer mentioned to me at the end of the exit interview that she hoped this entity would stop poaching her staff. I did not agree on her “poaching” term because I applied to a job advertisement; I had not been approached by anyone.

I understood that a former staff member of that organisation had joined that same institution before. When working at the new company, a colleague told a group of people that one day when he was in his office at his previous employer, he was called by a headhunter who finally brought him to where he was. This firm is now well established and may have experienced what a number of employers had encountered years ago.

It is my personal observation that some local managers rush to move on by trying to claim their identified successors are ready. On the flip side of that coin, some expat managers do the opposite to enjoy their lifestyle in Cambodia. Their staff are smart enough to realise this selfish act. Then we can guess what unhappy employees will do.

Furthermore, people are reactive by nature. Some managers try hard to praise their staff when they resign. Sorry, it is too late. It is easier to engage staff every day to earn their loyalty, which no “poacher” can buy.

Bin Devin

Phnom Penh