•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Even when an employee receives an 11-month salary bonus in a year, some still leave after more than a decade with the company. The leader interviewed says the decision is rarely about what is obvious.
“The person left because they want a different environment,” Thong said. He added that staff movement is not automatically negative, noting that high pay, a good environment, opportunities to go abroad, kickoff events, and year-end parties do not guarantee long-term retention.
Thong said the key question is not only whether employees stay, but what happens when they remain: whether they develop, are happy, and have freedom. If they leave, the company should consider what they take with them.
He emphasized that even if someone matures within the company and later moves on, that can still be viewed as success. In his view, money has never been the ultimate answer in staff movement. People leave for many reasons, including environment, relationships, or simply the need for change.
“There are things that even with good governance a company cannot fully ‘cover.’ In the end, the company keeps the system. The worker always has the right to leave,” he said.
Thong described the office as more than a workplace. He said the office functions like a showroom, while lunch is free and served with a daily-changing menu, alongside coffee available for staff.
For many employees, happiness at work can be straightforward: a stable job, attractive pay, and a relatively low-pressure environment. However, he said younger generations such as Gen Z and Gen Alpha often want more—doing what they love, gaining experience, and receiving transparent recognition.
Thong argued that happiness cannot be engineered in a top-down way. Instead, he said the company should create an environment with as many opportunities as possible for employees to reach it, adding that happiness only becomes measurable when those involved speak up.
He cited the Phuc Sinh office design as an example, describing it as being arranged like an art space with valuable paintings. He said clients from the Netherlands and the Middle East have been surprised by the setting, and that he sees staff feel proud in those moments.
He also noted that partners who return home sometimes buy paintings by Vietnamese artists to display in their own offices, saying: “Beautiful office at Phuc Sinh, thus there are versions far away.”
Thong believes long exposure to a beautiful environment can help people grow to love beauty and feel more comfortable, reinforcing loyalty through repeated “small moments.”
Thong pointed to a practical example: if employees earn nearly twice as much within a year and still leave, the issue is unlikely to be only about money. He said the company’s approach must therefore address broader needs beyond compensation.
Thong said he is also a collector of paintings and that, at Phuc Sinh, everyone plays at least one sport. He described sports as not only a way to stay fit, but also a method to reduce anger and stress.
“Running 30 minutes reduces anger and stress a lot,” he said. He added that if sports were mandatory, he would not impose it heavily, implying the focus is on creating conditions rather than forcing compliance.
He also discussed broader societal change, saying more young people are choosing different life paths—such as marrying later, having no children, or not marrying at all. He referenced overseas partners where “half do not marry” yet still live comfortably, and said the share of single women after 35 is also rising in his environment.
Thong said he does not judge these choices, calling them a natural consequence of a society with more options. “Our generation had more constraints. Now you have better foundations and a place to return to, so they are willing to stop when they are not happy,” he said.
Thong said every choice has a corresponding cost, and he sees this clearly in the younger staff he works with. Rather than redefining them, he said he chooses to adapt.
“I must create an environment that offers as many opportunities as possible, not force them to be like the previous generation,” he said.
He also described how the leader’s role changes over time. In the early years, he said he acted as a “garbage bin,” listening to every issue. As the organization grows, he said that responsibility is shared.
“Now you handle problems well on your own. I only provide overall direction,” he said. In his view, a mature organization is not one without problems, but one where people are mature enough to resolve their own issues.
Thong concluded that stability in a volatile world is not simply a company with few changes or no turnover. “Because a person leaving is not a failure. But retaining someone who no longer wants to stay is the problem,” he said.
By Truong Thu Huong, Market Life News, 04/26/2026 22:56 (GMT +7).
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
