Office romance still frowned upon in Singapore

 

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AsiaOne
Monday, Feb 13, 2012

 

57 per cent of Singapore workers polled said they would not date a co-worker, according to an online job survey.

Of those who indicated they were against office romances, about 49 per cent of male respondents, while 64 per cent of female respondents said the same.

For the others who are open to dating, or have dated a colleague before, more men (44 per cent) than women (36.1 per cent) are willing to begin a relationship with someone from the workplace.

The survey also found that both genders were most open to dating a peer at the office (60.8 per cent men and 49.4 per cent women). In contrast, 60.5 per cent male respondents were averse to dating their superiors, while 75.8 per cent women respondents were not likely to date their subordinates.

The survey by Singapore online job portal, JobsCentral, had a total of 2,281 respondents, and was conducted online from August to September 2011.

Younger employees aged below 30 were more open to office romance, with 46.4 per cent indicating so they would date a colleague, or have been in a relationship with one. But 64.9 per cent of older workers aged 41 to 50 frowned on such liaisons.

Of those who have admitted to engaging in an office romance, close to 80 per cent said they were not treated negatively by other colleagues after their relationship was made known. But out of those who have dated a subordinate, 23.3 per cent faced the most hostility, compared to 19.3 per cent who dated someone of a similar rank.

And your designation in the office is a deciding factor too, when it comes to starting a workplace relationship. Managers and directors are most cautious, while associate professionals and technicians are most open to embarking on one.

Miss Michelle Lim, COO of JobsCentral Group, noted that Singapore workers are wary of potential gossip surrounding office romances, so they either keep clear of it, or keep such a relationship under wraps. And they also draw a clear line between work and romance.

She has this advice for those who are thinking of dating someone from the office: "It is advisable that you also socialise with other people in the company. More importantly, keep work strictly separate from your personal relationships.

“For managers, if you are seeing a subordinate, it is often not enough to just make sure you remain impartial. You should let your boss know about the situation. In many cases, the company may require one of you to transfer to another team to prevent issues like unhealthy gossips, allegations of favouritism and management difficulties."

Office romance not always a bad thing

 

 

Tue, Feb 14, 2012

my paper

 

Office romance not always a bad thing

 

by Rachel Chan

 

WITH people clocking long hours at work these days, it is not surprising that some of them do eventually fall in love with their co-workers.

And unless one's company has a strict no-dating policy, it would not be remiss of an employee to openly express romantic interest in his or her colleague, say human-resource (HR) and dating experts.

In fact, it is perfectly acceptable for an employee to present a bouquet of flowers - on special occasions such as Valentine's Day - to his girlfriend at the office, said Ms Violet Lim, co-founder of dating agency Lunch Actually.

For those who prefer to stay low-key, sweet nothings can come in the form of online messages.

These days, most companies take a neutral stance towards office romance as people are spending more time at the workplace, which, as a result, has become convenient hunting ground for marriage mates, said Mr Josh Goh, assistant director of corporate services at staffing and HR consultancy The GMP Group.

"Employers are aware that a no-office- romance policy could be a bit intrusive and may have negative repercussions on its employer brand," said Mr Goh.

"Most of the time, they would expect their employees to behave like adults and know where to draw the line between professional and personal lives."

Human-resource manager Ivy Tan, for example, has witnessed her fair share of happy endings during her 11 years at a professional-services firm.

"It is common for team members to work till 2am or 3am, so they have limited time for socialising. It is very common to see them marry their colleagues, bosses or subordinates," said Ms Tan, who now works for a Japanese firm dealing in printing and imaging products.

Companies usually have no issue with their staff members dating or marrying one another, she said.

However, employees involved in office romance should take steps to protect their professional image, said Mr Goh.

In cases where the couple's professional relationship is one of supervisor and subordinate, they should be mindful not to show favouritism towards each other, said Mr Goh.

Some companies require their staff to declare if their spouse is working in the same department or in the company, so that the management can decide whether there is a conflict of interest.

As for day-to-day behaviour, public display of affection is a big no-no because it could make others feel uncomfortable and tarnish one's professional image, said the experts.

"The dating couple should be mindful that the workplace is still a place to conduct business and not a place to display affection openly," said Mr Goh.

"Dating employees should not be exchanging confidential information about the company or colleagues."

It is also good practice to keep the romance under wraps until both parties are certain that they are serious about the relationship, to avoid unwanted gossip and potential embarrassment when things do not work out, Mr Goh advised.

And should the romance sour, do not make irrational decisions like resigning without first finding another job.

"Employees should assess the circumstances, such as their career progression within the company, and the impact of the break-up. Resignation should be the last resort," said Mr Goh.

Instead, speak to the immediate bosses about spending some time away from the office, or ask for a transfer to another department or location.

Said Ms Lim: "If all parties are mature, and can deal with office romance properly, one should not rule out the possibility of finding love at the office."

7 ways to avoid working overtime

		Friday, Feb 10, 2012 AsiaOne (Singapore)
7 ways to avoid working overtime
By Ellen Joy Anastacio The sight of employees still at the office after official working hours is not an uncommon one in Singapore. For some, it's because the work for the day couldn't be finished on time, while others stay back to show their boss that they are hardworking. Recent studies show, however, that working overtime, especially over a prolonged period is not good for you. In fact, a 2003 US study says that long-term job strain is worse for your heart than gaining 40 lbs in weight or aging 30 years. More recently, research from the University of College London shows that working overtime may double a person's risk for depression. According to the study, employees who worked 11 hours or more each day were between 2.3 and 2.5 times more likely to develop a major depressive episode than those who worked seven-to-eight-hour days. Paul Farmer, chief executive of leading British mental health charity Mind, told health website WebMD that it's not just the pressure and intensity of the long working hours that affect us, but "they affect us because we don't have enough time for all the other things we need for good mental health, such as good quality sleep, relationships, and opportunities for rest and exercise". And the bad news is, these tradeoffs may not even benefit your career. "In Singapore there is a tendency for employers to value diligence as a positive trait in employees. This may sometimes equate to the need for employees to work longer hours to show this, " Ms Joanne Chua, Associate Director of Human Resources, Supply Chain and Secretarial divisions at Robert Walters Singapore told AsiaOne. She continued: "However, in recent years, some employers have equated this to the inability of employees in managing their time efficiently and effectively. This is especially so if employees put in long hours but not deliver the results required by managers. Hence, employees should not work overtime for the sake of "showing" their bosses their diligence." Ms Karin Clarke, Randstad Regional Director, Singapore & Malaysia, concurred: "While working late can demonstrate commitment, if employees are not productive enough during office hours, management may view those employees who regularly stay back late as inefficient and unable to deliver within normal work hours." Some employees may protest however, that they may have no choice due to the amount of workload dumped on their desks. To avoid working overtime, Ms Clarke and Ms Chua share the following tips: Click on thumbnail to view Ms Clarke concluded: "As with many things, balance is key. While demonstrating your commitment to your job is important, it is also important to be as productive as possible and perform to your best ability during office hours." "The focus should be on productivity, not working long hours just for the sake of doing so," agreed Ms Chua.

Tea cafes try to woo coffee fans in urban India

Tea cafes try to woo coffee fans in urban India

Diksha Madhok | Reuters | Wed Feb 8 2012

No-frills cafes serving better-quality and a wider range of teas are changing the image of tea as a cheap, down-market brew.

New Delhi, India, February 8, 2012

A first-time visitor to New Delhi might think Indians are addicted to coffee.

There are at least 10 coffee shops in Connaught Place, the city's financial and commercial hub, most within sight of each other and doing well.

But if somebody wanted to enjoy a cup of tea at a similar sort of cafe devoted to tea they'd be out of luck, even in the world's second-largest tea producer - and a country where people drink nearly eight times more tea than coffee each year.

The lack of a single national franchise centred on tea, known in India as chai and served in a glass, has come into especially sharp focus now that coffee giant Starbucks is poised to make its entry into India.

"You can find nice coffee anywhere, but finding a perfect cup of chai outside is really tough," said Smiti Singh, a Bangalore-based software engineer, who drinks at least four cups of tea a day.

Vriti Malik, a marketing professional in New Delhi, spends 1,400 rupees ($29) on coffee a week and wouldn't mind spending the same on tea, but the flavour just doesn't measure up.

"If it is good chai, I would not mind spending money," she said. "I would like to see a lot of different flavours of tea, and healthy stuff like green tea."

No matter what people say, much of the problem is image. There are numerous tea vendors who set up shop under a tree or on the streets in India, but the quality of chai they offer for five rupees (10 cents) is often suspect.

India's growing urban middle-class would rather pay a few extra rupees for the clean, posh settings offered by coffee shops.
In addition, selling tea has been traditionally considered a down-market job. Coffee shops, on the other hand, have always been associated with a Western, fashionable lifestyle.

Young, urban Indians have embraced the coffee culture, where home-grown brand Café Coffee Day is the biggest player, followed by Italy's Lavazza.

In January, Starbucks announced plans to enter the competitive market with 50 outlets by year-end through a tie-up with Tata Group, the country's biggest business house.

While these cafes, including Starbucks, do offer chai on the menu, none of them caters exclusively to tea lovers.

Now, though, a new wave of educated entrepreneurs hopes to capitalise on this gap, keeping the essence of Indian chai but offering a modern setting.

TEA TIME?
When 36-year-old Harvard graduate Amuleek Singh Bijral decided to quit his job and open tea shops, people were perplexed.

"Selling chai is considered the last way of earning your livelihood," he said. "But the fact of the matter is that tea is a very large business in India."

Bijral opened a tea retail chain in Bangalore called Chai Point in 2010. While roadside tea stalls offer just masala chai, tea brewed with spices and herbs, the former engineer offers a variety including lemon tea and green tea.

He also is trying to promote tea as a healthy drink rich in antioxidants, which can boost the immune system.

"People were grateful that we were giving them a clean glass of chai in an affordable and very hygienic setting," said Bijral, who says he sold his millionth cup of tea in January and is set to open an outlet in New Delhi next month.

Ankit Bohra also ventured into the tea business last year, after submitting tea cafes as a business idea while an MBA student in Mumbai.

He subsequently put the idea into practice by founding Tapri, a shop in the western city of Jaipur that sells 40 kinds of tea.

"Consumers are looking for a change," he said. "They have been having coffee at coffee shops for so long, that they were yearning for a new concept."

Bohra, who says his idea has already been copied by other start-ups in Jaipur, plans to open another Tapri outlet soon.

Both Chai Point and Tapri have tried to steer away from setting up as upscale cafés. A glass of tea costs less than one-fifth the cost of a cappuccino at coffee shops.

While there are a handful of upscale tea restaurants such as Infinitea in Bangalore, which says it tries to lure patrons with a "refined palate", they haven't sprung up across the country.

"In India, the perception is that you need not pay that high for chai," said Bijral, who said he was sure his no-frills cafe would be a hit.

Bohra agreed that chai should stay close to its roots.

"Chai is a common man's drink," he said. "The moment you start sophisticating it, it loses the essence of chai."

Korean-Japanese billionaire to give away fortune

Korean-Japanese billionaire to give away fortune

 

by Shin Hyon-hee, The Korea Herald/Asia News Network|07 November 2011

 

Han Chang-woo, a Korean-Japanese businessman who founded Maruhan Corp, Japan's largest operator of pachinko parlors, said Saturday he will donate all his wealth, worth S$2.1 billion, to help improve relations between the two countries.

"I'd like to give away all the money I've made before I die. I can assure that my personal assets, except for the company to be handed over to my son and some money for my wife, will be used for the inter-development of Korea and Japan," Han told reporters in Busan.

The 80-year-old Korean immigrant was ranked Japan's 17th-richest person by Forbes last year with net worth of 132 billion yen (S$2.1 billion).

A self-made entrepreneur, Han stowed away on a ship to Japan in 1947 to shake off poverty in the aftermath of the Korean War. He launched Maruhan in 1957 after graduating from college there and expanded the business into food franchises, construction, leisure, advertising and banking and insurance. The gaming guru now generates 30 trillion won ($27 billion) in annual revenue.

Han is also known for his social contributions. When a tsunami and earthquake rocked Japan early this year, he offered 10 billion won to residents in hard-hit regions. His company has been helping build hospitals in developing countries like Cambodia and Myanmar, while hiring people with disabilities at home.

"I'm no longer interested in making money but in how to spend it," Han said. "These days I'm thinking about social responsibility activities all the time."

In addition to his personal donation, Han said he plans to boost his culture fund based in Japan to 140 billion won and an education fund to 10 billion won, which he initiated last year in his hometown of Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.

Evergreen founder to donate entire fortune

Evergreen founder to donate entire fortune

 

by The China Post/Asia News Network|08 February 2012

 

Philanthropist Chang Yung-fa, the founder and chairman of the Evergreen Group, has pledged to give away all his wealth, approximately NT$50 billion (S$2 billion), primarily via the Chang Yung-fa Foundation.

A 2011 Forbes estimate put his net worth at NT$50 billion.

Evergreen's billionaire founder, 84, told local media that he is worried about the increasing poverty in Taiwan, and encouraged everyone to chip in for charity. A life punctuated with charitable endeavours and good works can be sublime, Chang said.

"I will give the total amount of my money to charitable causes. My children have shares in stock holdings to sustain themselves, and if they want more they have to earn it through hard work," Chang said.

In a new oral autobiography, Chang chronicles his firm dedication to philanthropy and view that corporation responsibility should give back to the society.

The Chang Yung-fa Foundation, established in 1985, has set up a charity network through which each year more than 1,000 donations, totaling tens of millions of New Taiwan dollars, are given for medical aid, emergency relief, funeral subsidies and other charitable purposes.

Firm believer of karma

Chang said he is a firm believer in karma and that money comes around and goes around, so fortune is not something that will stay.

"My charitable endeavours are the fountain of my joy. It allows me to sleep better at night knowing that I have made a positive impact," Chang said. "And my career successes this life are the legacy of the good I sowed last life, so I need to humbly assume more responsibilities."

Chang touched on a mix of causes that include education, and his recent support for the so-called "1992 Consensus." Chang stressed the difference between charity a quick solution; and philanthropy, a systemic change to long-term problems.

"I will quietly do what I believe is right under the radar. My foundation will carry on the charitable work even after my death."

The self-made billionaire who built his empire from the ground up encouraged youth to follow his success story, and continuously reflect and refine on their life. And most importantly, "always do good, or at the minimum don't do any harm."

Wealth gap widens in Taiwan

As the wealth gap widens in Taiwan, more and more entrepreneurs, such as tycoon Terry Gou, who leads Hon Hai Precision and Wowprime Chairman Steven Dai, have vowed to do more for charity.

Their efforts should not only be viewed as an providing entitlements for the underprivileged, but rather as a movement to jump-start the motion of good will, and for society to follow suit.

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By Lockerz

12 simple santizing tips to a germ-free workspace

Thursday, Feb 02, 2012
YourHealth, AsiaOne

Eating food at your desk is probably more hazardous than off the toilet floor.

Skeptical? Well, according to a 2011 study in office hygiene by Initial Hygiene, work stations in Singapore offices are teeming with a shocking 450 per cent more bacteria than a toilet seat.

And what are the dirtiest spots in the office? They are the surfaces office workers touch the most.

The arms of the chair took the dubious honour of being the dirtiest spot in the office, followed closely by the reception chair handle and the pantry kettle handle.

Also read: Work stations 450% germier than toilet

The researchers concluded that while cleaning companies are often engaged to carry out daily cleaning in the office, emphasis is placed on cleaning only common high-traffic areas, where frequent contact from employees is noticed.

However, what is a bigger cause for concern is that unlike toilets and kitchen sinks, where most exercise caution in preventing the spread of germs, office spaces instill a sense of false security in hygiene standards.

In another hygiene study quoted by the Irish Daily Star this year, 40 per cent of those surveyed said they believed their phone was the germiest spot in the office – yet despite acknowledging this, 90 per cent said they would use another person's phone without cleaning it first.

Also read: 8 things in the office slowly killing you (which you are unaware of)

The report also said that many surveyed did not believe their arm handles were so germy.

Another study, conducted by Staples Advantage last year, found that a shocking 70 percent of employees admit to coming into the office while sick.

With Singaporean workers spending increasing chunks of their lives in the office - a recent survey found that one in five employees here work more than eleven hours daily - such attitudes towards office hygiene can be disastrous for one's health.

Here is a list of the 12 simple steps you can take to protect yourselves from the billions of bacteria and germs that are thriving on your mouse, keyboard and desk:

12 tips to a germ-free workspace

Click on thumbnail to view. Story continues after photos.
(Photos: Internet, Reuters, ST)