1. Be Nice to your Secretaries, Administrative & Support Staff!

According to the latest ManpowerGroup’s Talent Shortage Survey 2013, Secretaries, Personal Assistants, Administrative Assistants & Office Support ranks top of the list for Top 10 Most In Demand Jobs In Singapore!

From its 8th Talent Shortage Survey, Manpower Singapore found that as the global talent shortage continues to intensify, 47% of employers in Singapore are experiencing difficulty finding staff with the right skills. This is particularly true for positions in Office support, Supervisors and Labourers as compared to Production Operations, Accounting & Finance and Engineers in 2012.

So be nice to them or you will be in for a hard time getting a replacement!

2. Work-Life Balance Is Not Exactly Encouraged

Although the Human Resource Department of many organisations openly embraces Work Life Balance or at worse Work Life Integration, the notion is unfortunately not believed by its management. In fact, three-quarter of Singapore employers believe it is important their employees work over the weekends or after office hours!

Yes, the above was one of the alarming findings obtained from 2 surveys commissioned by JobsCentral. A total of 256 employers and 3,299 employees from all occupational levels and industries participated in the surveys which ran from August to October 2012.

58% maintained it is important their employees remain contactable, regardless of whether they are on vacation. 46% of employers went to emphasize that they would contact their employees who are on leave.

"Expecting employees to work beyond normal work hours has become the norm, possibly from cultural issues like equating extra effort to good performance or economic reasons like trying to improve worker productivity. However, highly stressed workers with an unsatisfactory work-life balance are not sustainable in the long term and you can expect to see problems like employee burnout, inefficiencies, and a high turnover rate,” says Michelle Lim, Chief Operating Officer of JobsCentral Group.

Not hard to figure out why we are the most unhappy nation in the world.

3. You Better Have Good Relationships With Your Boss

The same survey also touched on how an employee’s relationship with his or her boss can significantly affect their work experience.

While the majority of Singapore’s work population (69.1%) say that they share a good working relationship with their superiors, those who indicated a lack of satisfaction in their employer-employee relationship (30.9%) experienced significantly greater unhappiness in multiple job aspects such as work demands, autonomy and most importantly lack of advancement opportunities.

Not exactly asking you to butter up your boss for a good bonus but it is always good to establish good relationship especially with your direct superior in Singapore.

4. Avoid Paying Extra Income Tax

Nobody likes to receiving notifications or reminders to file their income tax returns but it's a ritual that we need to perform in order not to land yourself into more serious non-compliance scenarios.

Instead of whining and doing a sloppy job, why not take a closer look at IRAS tax reliefs and rebates and see if you are eligible.

Do your homework and you may be pleasantly surprised by the savings!

5. Get Protected!

If you are drawing above S$4,500 monthly salary, give yourself a pat on the back because you have just made it to the top 20% income earners in the country! Incidentally S$4,500 is also the threshold that covers 50% of all Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs).

Unknown to many PMEs and even Singaporeans, NTUC has set up a Professionals, Managers and Executives (PME) Unit to look after their needs and interests, particularly in the areas of protection, placement and progression as PMEs are a growing segment of Singapore workforce.

If you are a PME earning up to $4,500 monthly, take note of your protection coverage below, depending on which one of the 3 groups you fall under: PME union member in company who has a collective agreement (CA) with union. Your union can represent you in 4 areas - unfair dismissal, retrenchment, breach of contract and victimization.

If negotiation between the union and company fails, the dispute will be escalated to MOM. As a last resort, if MOM mediation fails, the dispute will be escalated to the Industrial Arbitration Court (IAC) who will rule in favour of either your union or company.

Here’s one example:

PME Union member + non-unionized company (no CA with union)

You are eligible for tripartite mediation (MOM, union, company) in 3 areas namely, salary claims, retrenchment and breach of contract.

Non-union member

Without union membership, only MOM can mediate with your company under terms of theEmployment Act (EA). However, NTUC has also pushed for better coverage for PMEs who are covered by EA.

Mr Patrick Tay, Director of PME Unit and Legal Services Department of NTUC, who champions for the rights and interests of PMEs in Singapore, shared that from first half 2014, around 300,000 PMEs earning up to $4,500 will receive extra protection under the general provisions of the Employment Act (e.g. unfair dismissal, public holiday and sick leave benefits), instead of only salary claims now.

MOM has released a comparison table of current EA and future EA provisions. To read, please click here.

- See more at: http://sbr.com.sg/hr-education/commentary/...h.z0F7iT4Y.dpuf

Singapore’s air conditions remain at a level categorized as “unhealthy” as the worst smog in 16 years caused by forest fires in the Indonesian island of Sumatra enshrouded parts of the island city and Malaysia.
The city-state’s Pollutant Standards Index indicated 109 at 6 a.m., the National Environment Agency said on its website today. This is a drop from 155 at 10 p.m. last night, the worst level since 1997 when it reached 226, according to the Straits Times.



A man takes pictures in front of the Marina Bay Sands hotel as it is blanketed by haze in Singapore on June 17, 2013. Photograph: Roslan Rahman via AFP/Getty Images
“The hazy conditions are expected to persist for the next few days,” the agency said on its website. “Weather conditions in the region have become drier and an increase in hotspot activities has been observed mainly over Sumatra region.”

The Malay Peninsula has been plagued for decades by forest fires in Sumatra to the west and Kalimantan on Borneo island to the east, according to S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. The fires hit a peak in 1997, when haze cost the economies of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore an estimated $3.5 billion, based on figures published in a report by the Center for International Forestry Research.
Malaysia’s Terengganu and Pahang registered readings of more than 100 on the country’s Air Pollutant Index at 5 p.m. yesterday, according to the country’s Department of Environment. Levels of 101 to 200 in Malaysia and Singapore signal the air is “unhealthy” to breathe.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-17/s...year-nadir.html

‘Singaporean core’ in financial services.

The Government of Singapore’s drive to pressure banks in the city state to hire Singaporeans was underscored last weekend when Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said locals must be better represented in top front-office roles.

Tharman and Tan Chuan-Jin, the acting Manpower Minister, started ’active’ discussions with the CEOs of all the major institutions about a year ago about developing a Singaporean ‘core’ in financial services. Guy Day, global chief executive of Ambition, a recruiting agency, said this has become a politically sensitive issue, “…and the government has been keen to demonstrate its desire to ensure adequate opportunities are available to Singaporeans.”

Speaking about the promotion of a ‘Singaporean core’ in financial services, Tharman told reporters that there were differences between the banks. “Some have Singaporeans much better represented in the range of functions, others have Singaporeans pretty much in the middle and back office. So it depends on the bank. But the local banks do a better job clearly,” he said.

A number of the domestic banks, such as United Overseas Bank, have graduate management training programmes to develop the skills and experience of locals. Craig Brewer, director of banking and financial services at Hudson Global Resources, said many foreign banks are also investing in management development programmes. BNP Paribas, for instance, is planning a banking campus in the Lion City.

Singapore recently announced a raft of measures aimed at promoting employment of locals, including – among others, making it more difficult to employ foreigners. Although unemployment is low – at around 2% – roughly one-third of the workforce comes from abroad. Reuters reported in March that complaints about alleged bias against Singaporeans in workplaces accounted for half those received last year, according to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices, an organisation backed by the Manpower Ministry. And Singaporeans are quick to point out that the steep rise in living expenses is due to the influx of expats pushing up housing and other costs.

Finance skills are still very much in demand, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s Skills In Demand list, but recruiters are saying that while jobs at senior levels ‘for the right person’ are still available, the window has pretty much closed for entry-level candidates.

Day said Ambition hasn’t seen candidates at middle and senior management level experiencing a denial of work visas. “But there is unquestionably greater scrutiny at lower levels and anecdotally we have seen some visa applications declined.”

Brewer said overseas-based talent is still considered an option when a niche or specialised skill cannot be sourced from the local market. His view is supported by that of Victor Teoh, deputy MD of RecruitPlus Consulting, who believes that the financial services pie remains big enough to accommodate both local and foreign talent, based on merit and a level playing field. “Even if employment pass [Singapore's work permit] conditions are refined, there will still be ample opportunities for foreign finance professionals.”

Brewer said the growth in the number of Singaporeans working in middle- and back-office functions follows the emergence of this sector in the past decade. “In a short time, Singapore became recognised as a global hub when foreign and local banks established back-office centres and employed Singaporean graduates from a range of backgrounds.”

But, he added, front-office banking is still a very specialised area. “Employers obviously prefer to source from the local market as domestic knowledge and experience can be a valuable skill set, but in specific cases the need to source from abroad may come into play depending on the requirements of the role.”

Finian Toh, a manager in the banking and finance division of Robert Walters Singapore, said the management of banks – both foreign and domestic – could start filling these roles by attracting Singaporeans who currently work abroad and have developed front-office skills comparable to expat counterparts. “They could also identify high-performing individuals by merit and groom them for higher level positions.”

Teoh maintains, however, that the hiring of more locals for senior roles will require a different approach from employers. “The proposed refinement to employment pass conditions should address ‘beyond the numbers’ [quotas] issues,” he said, referring to Tharman’s comment that employment of Singaporeans should not just be a ‘numbers game’.

Toh believes that quotas, especially at senior levels, are unlikely as “it is impossible for the Government to impose (them)”. Ambition’s Day agrees that quotas are improbable, saying they are not a popular nor necessarily effective mechanism. “If certain skills and experience are not available in the local market and need to be sourced from outside Singapore, this needs to be accepted. We should be more concerned about why it is happening, which brings us back to adopting a more progressive approach to human resources, especially in terms of developing a bigger pipeline of local talent at a leadership level.”

- See more at: http://sbr.com.sg/source/efinancialcareers...h.8joD2vmu.dpuf

Tip #1: Raise Your Self-Awareness
You must first understand, and be honest with yourself. If you know your strengths, weaknesses, emotions and behaviours, you can work on them and obtain personal mastery in all areas of your life.

For example, do you have self-limiting beliefs that hold you back from achieving success? Such self-limiting beliefs could be thinking that: you are not good enough, you don’t have what it takes to succeed., These self-limiting beliefs are negative and can “poison” your mind and block you from achieving your highest potential. If you notice this about yourself and how it is hindering your success, you can shift your mindset and start to make positive change.

Tip #2: Think, Speak and Act Positively
Everything starts from the seed of your thoughts. Thoughts creates Feelings and Feelings creates Actions and Actions creates Results.

If you want a positive result, start by thinking positively. If you think negatively, the result will be negative. Negative thoughts can ruin your goals. For example, if the thought of doing a cold call makes you feel uneasy, you will dislike making these calls. Eventually you will reduce and lose your sales call opportunities.

Start with a positive thought and you will set the right intention for a positive outcome. For example, reframe your thoughts to: “I can manage any cold calls and it is easy to engage my prospects.”

Tip #3: Act, in Spite of FEAR
Everyone has fears. For example, public speaking, giving a sales presentation, or objecting your boss’s decision.

Fear actually arises from your thoughts.
Find your inner strength to conquer and ignore the “fear” and still ACT on what you need to do. The action of doing will eventually void the fear. Acknowledge the fear and accept that “unknowns” will always be a part of the journey.

Tip #4: Move Out of Your Comfort Zone
It's human nature that when one is comfortable, they will try to stay at that same position for as long as they can. This applies to areas such as your work scope and your sales targets.

If you want a breakthrough, you need to move out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself, by taking steps to learn and grow in many different ways.

Your future will not change if you stay the same.

Tip #5: Empower Yourself
By empowering yourself to do more than expected, more than your job scope, you are allowing yourself to explore more of your own potential.

Have initiative and not wait for bosses or clients’ instructions. You can empower yourself and others around you to constantly create and explore new ideas. For example, you can suggest new and efficient ways to do things or offer new services to clients. Your efforts will be noticed and you could receive a pay rise or promotion.

Tip # 6: Set Realistic Goals
Set realistic and achievable goals for yourself. Track your progress periodically so that you can ensure that you are on the right track. Progressive achievement will boost your confidence, and keep you moving ahead.

Tip #7: Learn from Mistakes and Setbacks
It’s ok to make mistakes and have setbacks in life. In fact, these are lessons that can help you to improve and become stronger. Nobody is perfect. Take this opportunity to find solutions in life so that you can learn and grow.
Try these tips, and you may realise new potential that will emerge from within yourself that will help you achieve greater success in your career and business.

- See more at: http://sbr.com.sg/hr-education/commentary/...h.0XJBndpk.dpuf