Page 97 - The Ethics of ASEAN

CHAPTER
8

Ethics of the ASEAN Human-

Centric Workplace

ow will ASEAN develop an ethical and sustainable workplace for future
generations? The question is timely for two reasons. First, because the Covid-19
Hpandemic changed how companies manage their workforce as employees used
communication tools to be productive while staying isolated at home. When this dialogue
took place a year into the pandemic, it was already clear that traditional ways of working
would change over the long term. Timely also because the ASEAN workplace is changing
its identity, from a low-cost execution-based workforce to a more skilled, fast-developing
and entrepreneurial workforce fuelled by foreign investment and ASEAN youth creating
their own companies.
The ethics of the ASEAN workplace relates to the architecture of ASEAN where work
spans two pillars. In the ASEAN Economic Community pillar, work is largely understood as
human capital. In the ASEAN Socio-Economic Community pillar, where work ethics reside
along with human rights, ASEAN is committed to a people-centred workplace as declared
in the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration: 1

WE HEREBY AGREE TO: Continue establishing a people-
oriented, people-centred and rules-based ASEAN Community
where all people, stakeholders and sectors of society can
contribute to and enjoy the benefits from a more integrated and
connected Community encompassing enhanced cooperation
in the political-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars
for sustainable, equitable and inclusive development.

This dialogue is also important because the ASEAN Human Development Organisation
discusses its vision of the future of work as a human development experience, ideally for
everyone.

1 KUALA LUMPUR DECLARATION ON A PEOPLE-ORIENTED, PEOPLE-CENTRED ASEAN https://asean.org/
wp-content/uploads/2012/05/26th-KUALA-LUMPUR-DECLARATION-ON-A-PEOPLE-ORIENTED-PEOPLE-
CENTRED-ASEAN-Final.pdf retrieved 12 July 2023
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