When will wake-up call come for SMRT management?

The latest findings that SMRT employees have been falsifying records is indeed shocking, but on the ground, it just seems like Groundhog Day to the public, with train delays happening regularly.

Lives have even been lost, as in the case last year when two SMRT workers were killed by an oncoming train near Pasir Ris station while they were checking on a track fault.

We may have escaped a near-miss accident with the flooded tunnels at Bishan last month, and the burning question in the public’s mind is this: What needs to happen before there is a leadership change in SMRT?

The revelations of ongoing critical and serious lapses in the company has clear and wide implications. When Mr Desmond Kuek took over the reins at SMRT, he did not start with a blank sheet; there were gaps to address.

Despite promises from SMRT that it was implementing processes to prevent similar incidents from occurring, the evidence so far does not gel with the promises made.

Many corporations engage external human resource firms to conduct employee feedback, with questions crafted to target the various departments. Employees are also asked to give their feedback on their direct line manager, and the management team leading the company.

I have personally taken part in these strictly confidential exercises and find them very useful. The results can be very shocking and serve as wake-up calls to senior management and line managers.