Opinion: Poor Employment Practices – Lack of Compensation Package
Our Poor Employment Practics – Lack of Compensation Package
Written by: Gilbert Goh
Many people who were retrenched during the recent recession lamented how badly they were treated after been laid off by their companies. Though retrenchment is generally expected by many people when there is a down turn, more can be done by the authorities to ensure that compensation is paid out when someone is being laid off.
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A Year Best Left Forgotten
2009 – a year best left forgotten
Written by: Gilbert Goh
Transitioning.org is happy to have celebrated this year with our loyal readers. Many have told me that 2009 is best left forgotten. Many also hope that the new year 2010 will be a better year for them. I couldn’t agree more.
This year also marked the death of our favourite pop icon Michael Jackson and more significantly America chose a black man as their President for the first time.
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A Year of Trials and Triumphs (ST 19 Dec)
Dec 19, 2009
A year of trials and triumphs
If you imagine the Singapore scene as a boxing ring, what would you say were the biggest matches to enthrall, excite and exasperate Singaporeans this year? Today, we review 2009 – in five bouts. Enjoy.
SINGAPORE VS RECESSION
NO DOUBT about it, this was the bout that hogged the headlines – Singapore pitted against Recession, the fearsome superheavyweight that threatened to deliver the sucker punch.
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Email From A Helpful Reader
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Pregnant? You’re fired (Sunday Times 8 Nov)
The tough economic times – and more generous maternity benefits – appear to be prompting increasing numbers of firms to fire pregnant women or deny them their full entitlements.
There were 119 ‘pregnancy- related’ complaints lodged with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in the first nine months of the year – up from 72 for the whole of 2007, and 95 last year.
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The hiring gates re-open (Today 23 Oct)
The hiring gates re-open
05:55 AM Oct 23, 2009
by Lin Yanqin yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg
THE layoffs of the past nine to 12 months are starting to catch up with employers.
As the Singapore economy turns the corner and with potential growth ahead, more employers here plan to hire staff in this final quarter – more than at any other period this year – according to the latest report on manpower outlook by Hudson.
Some employers are already starting to restore pay cuts or shortened work hours, said the recruitment consultancy.
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Email from a retrenched reader: felt betrayed (15 Oct)
Dear Mr Goh,
Many thanks for your encouragement in your web/ blog site.
My name is Nick and have been just retrenched (07 Sep 2009). Not only was it unexpected, this job was introduced and recommended to me by my very good friend whom I have known for more than 10 years.
During the weeks leading up to my retrenchment, my friend started to ignore me. Friendly chatter via visual greeting and email proved futile as he seemed to be isolating himself from me. I had foolishly thought that he was undergoing some personal crisis, but when my manager asked me to his office and produced a check for 1-month’s notice in lieu of my service, I died inside (emotionally).
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Concerns raised about possible abuse of Jobs Credit Scheme (CNA 11 Oct)
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 11 October 2009 2055 hrs
Concerns raised over possible abuse of Jobs Credit Scheme
SINGAPORE : The government is looking into whether the Jobs Credit Scheme fits into its long-term economic strategy for Singapore.
It will announce its decision on the future of the scheme on Tuesday.
But a more immediate concern for some workers is whether the scheme, which helps companies offset a portion of wage costs, is being abused.
This was raised at a dialogue with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport, Lim Hwee Hua, on Sunday.
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Jobs credit needs more focus (My paper 8 Oct) – my letter
THANKS to the Jobs Credit scheme, the number of retrenchments has slowed down and many workers still have jobs, despite the difficult economic environment.
Jobs Credit has effectively put money into all businesses, and has provided those which are doing poorly with a lifeline. Some businesses which are not doing too badly have used their Jobs Credit funds to reward their workers by increasing their pay or putting them into training resources.
However, one is left to wonder why money is being pumped into companies that are thriving. In future, the Government could perhaps create a more targeted scheme, in which only struggling businesses benefit.
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7 Lessons I learned From The Recession
I have read widely that the economic crisis may be already over and many have cheered such positive news. It is like dawn breaking out on a very prolonged period of darkness. We can finally see some light at the end of a very dark long tunnel. For many, they rather erase such a depressing period from their memory. If they can press delect on those negative moments out of their life – like they have always done on many of their rejection emails from potential employers after yet another interview failure, they would. The past twelve months have knocked many of us backward and some even suffered tremendous financial distress from failed investment, home foreclosures and bankruptcies. Many have lost a fortune in a very short period what they have saved over many years and decades.
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Jobs credit scheme (ST 3 Oct)
Oct 3, 2009
JOBS CREDIT SCHEME
Extend and sharpen this precision weapon
By Tan Khee Giap, For The Straits Times
THE Jobs Credit scheme (JCS), introduced in the Budget this year to encourage companies to retain headcount during the recession, has attracted some controversy. Some have even questioned whether it is justified or effective.
It is useful here to review the primary rationale for the scheme. By assessing the direct and indirect policy outcomes of the scheme, we can arrive at a better conclusion as to whether it should be renewed or modified going forward.
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More than 100,000 employers to receive $890 million (Asiaone 22 Sep)
More than 100,000 employers to receive $890 million
Tue, Sep 22, 2009
AsiaOne
More than 100,000 employers, with whom about 1.4 million local workers are employed, will receive $890 million from the third payment of Jobs Credit on September 30, 2009.
Eligible employers will receive a letter of notification from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) by Thursday, September 24. This letter will inform them of the amount of Jobs Credit they will receive for the third payment.
Employers do not need to sign-up, as eligible employers will automatically be granted the Jobs Credit. This includes those who did not qualify during the first two installments.
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Facing Joblessness With Confidence – Be Prepared
This article was reproduced here in Jan 09.
Many who visited this blog site I believe will have been retrenched or preparing for retrenchment. However, it is not the end of the world yet.
The unemployed need to prepare themselves well if they are retrenched. Those with severance package definitely have the upper hand to wait out the prolonged down turn. Those without will face the future with less confidence.
Nevertheless, staying prepared for retrenchment even if one is working now help.
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She quit job as secretary to be a cabby (Asiaone 18 Sep)
She quit job as secretary to be a cabby
For the sake of her three children, she switched jobs from being a secretary to a taxi driver.
Her husband complimented her career move by becoming a taxi driver himself and they even became partners at work.
Four years ago, Mdm Yu Xiu Yun, 37, resigned from her secretarial job to pursue a career in the male-dominated taxi driving industry.
At the job interview, she said she had grown tired of her former job and resigned to spend time at home taking care of her children who were still schooling.
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Job interview cues that say “hire me” (New York Times 21 Sep)
Sep 21, 2009
WORKING LIFE
Job interview cues that say ‘hire me’
No set rules but courtesy and common sense give applicants the edge
NEW YORK: It is always fun to hear hiring managers recall the most boneheaded mistakes they have seen job seekers make during an interview: showing up in flip-flops, say, or taking a cellphone call while meeting the company president.
But that kind of cluelessness is rare. More common are the subtle missteps or omissions that can cause one candidate to lose out to another. If one person is sending out the right signals and behaving in the right way through each step of the process, he or she has a much better chance of landing the job – even with an inferior resume.
