(2008/02) Feb 2008 MTBs


Stephie, so good that your job has such flexibility for job rotation. Mine doesn’t, colleague wana take over my portfolio my boss also disapproved! So sickening. What department are you in now? yeah, I think I can only stay put doing the same thing in dealing, but not my current job :p
 
bkk,
ya mindset MUST change.

another thing must change - which is that caring for kids is assumed to be the PRIMARY responsibility of the MOTHER. once EL tried to help me change J's diapers at shopping center. then he came back without doing so - WHY? COS ONLY FEMALE TOILETS HAD CHANGING FACILITIES!!

if govt want to increase birth rates - really have to be more progressive in their thinking and think OUT OF THE BOX. stop simply throwing more and more $$ incentives like baby bonus, tax rebates etc. it ain't working but they continue to persevere.

(helloooooooo.....anyone from relevant ministry reading??? hahaha....please update your policies accordingly please! for example the 4 months maternity leave should be converted to 4 months maternity OR paternity leave. if dad wants to care for the newborn - why isn't it allowed???)

qingling,
i realize my mandarin very bad. can only read second name. can help with the hanyu pinyin? hehe
 
hee..

何志誉 (He Zhi4 Yu4)
何智聪 (He Zhi4 Cong1)
何智轩 (He Zhi4 Xuan1)
何杰轩 (He Jie2 Xuan1)

jiejie's chinese name is 何芷绚 (He Zhi3 Xuan4)
 
qingling
H's chinese name same as Jessica Liu (Liu Zhi Xuan). Not too sure if stroke for xuan is same though. Nice
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tongtong
it's rotation among departments. more to expose the staff into different areas. so called for purpose of career advancements. i'm in support division. once govt implement a new scheme/change policy etc, we'll be busy like mad, especially if the timeline is tight. like announce this month, implement in 1 or 2 months time. really can peng san.
 
tongtong
i like changes as well. but after being with the co for so many years, i roughly know the culture of each dpt and what they usually do on day to day basis. so, i told boss that i dont' wanna rotate. if not because of the childcare issues e.g. can't afford to work OT/travel, need some work flexibility, etc, i would have moved on to other co for higher pay few years ago.
how come you don't wanna switch to PT?

Gar
ya, i agree with you totally. gov only gives $$ inventive and forget about the other many many factors that can encourage married couples to have more kids. all the perks that gov gives are only to encourage women staying at the workforce.

bkkgal
i think that's not a lot of gov/stat board offering PT position. a recruitment agent ever told me that if I want to look for PT job, might as well stay put in the same co. 'cos most of the co are unwilling to offer PT positions 'cos they think that it's a disruption of work.

qingling
i will choose 何智聪. initially like 何智轩 but it sounds similar to jiejie's name, maybe next time when ppl call one of them, they will get confused.
 
hi, i have not posted for a long long time. Only participated as a silent reader. I am also a Feb 08 mum, not sure if anyone of you recalled...

i have to voice out on the PT issue. My girl grew up in infant care, and now she is in Child care near office. I guess she is very used to this kind of environment and thus when she is still falling sick often, we find it hard to put her with a private nanny instead. I can only pray that she will outgrow all these soon....

even if we go on PT, we still take up one headcount within the division. thus a lot of bosses are unwilling to let you go on PT. er and going on PT does not mean your workload is for PT, workload still the same, u got to entertain phone calls at home etc, and end of the day still expected to deliver same outcome/output. people arrange for meeting, arrange for dateline without considering you are on PT. worse still if you find urself having to fit your PT schedule into others' arrangement.

and worse of all, PT does not only mean cutting pay, it means cutting bonus, cutting on MAC, cutting down promotion etc. no, does not mean u deliver outcome/output you are considered done. people will judge u by the days youare absent. and u must expected a delay to your career progression.

During my recent performance review, my boss remarked that I have clocked 50 days of leave (MC + all kinds of leave) for last year. Er this is also including compassionate leave. to her, absence = time away from office = lesser outcome. and case closed. I believe she is just trying to make me admit that I need to put my girl in front of career. But i refused to. I told her frankly that I do everything I can at work and I give my best. but i cannot give you forecast on my girl sick leave etc. yes, i have to dropped everything and go when she is sick. But I never take long leave for holi, never have any long breaks. but slog all my time at work so long as my girl is healthy. I have to knock off on dot every night. But I do not think I short change the organisation in anyway. I do not laze around, do not go for tea breaks. but who appreciate? Mgt is just waiting for u to admit, yah i have a kid, and thus i got to go slow, please penalise me :p

hmmm these are some of my feeling and observation for sharing.
 
Qingling,
I like zhi4 cong1.

Sunny,
sometimes I think the policy makers are not really serious about increasing birth rate. As in economic devpt comes first. The attitutde seems to be if not enough heads then can always import foreign talent right? So I think it's a lost cause.

Furthermore a lot of politicians earn enough for their wives to be SAHM... And therefore they may not even walk the talk!! Much less be able to empathize with the masses n issues we face.

iPhone
I want to vote it sanity saver award
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for all those long hours with baby in arm I would hv gone mad of not for it. Can surf n post haha
 
Stephie, you are in stat board too?

Sunny, I forsee that switching to PT will kill me deep, because the workload will never be reduced by half. I will still do the same portfolio n workload will pile even higher, ? I will get half the pay but same level of stress, what’s the point? My job requires lots of review and brain work, so I better stay healthy than being too stressful :p

Hey Winnie, I share the sentiment as u, so I turned the PT offer down. Are you on PT arrangement now?
 
garfield
me wanna get iphone. wanted to wait for the new iphone 4g. but now hubby told me his coy got promo for iphone. so going to grab one soon. believe it will save me from some late nights. cos sometimes busy during day time and can only surf net at nite after shawn has slept. with iphone i can surf while travelling to and fro work, during lunch, etc.
 
Winnie
ya I remember you

re PT that's why mindset must change. It's not simply allowing it but structuring it so that it's truly PT not full workload and half pay.

I've worked in two American MNC and their PT in America is truly PT cos job scope agreed at the start of each year. And it's really half. In SG unfortunately depends on boss so a bit heng suay one.

Stephie
gd for you! Ya really can save time plus multi task!
 
tongtong, no, i still keep myself as full time loh. will take leave if required. cos i want to be there for my girl esp if she is sick. and i am looking forward to 10 yrs service so that the annual leave allowance can be increased ! looking foward....
 
winnie
me too looking forward to 10 yrs of service. the add'l 7 days of annual leave is indeed v enticing. it's also part of the reason why i never consider jumping ship :p
 
hi all...

re PT..i also wun go on PT la. Even though my boss is nice and all, he himself also said very lugi one! Cuz the output required would not be half definitely.

mindset change is probably the most difficult thing around.

I'm in stat board since 2001. Changed department only once (just before Ruth was born) - cuz was very bored with the old job scope.

Actually i thought of changing earlier but was so comfy in the old job (where i could leave on time everyday and even had time for tea/coffee breaks etc.) It was geting abit too simple for me and very little progression available (due to the limited jobscope) but my life focus was not on work.

After marriage and baby, somehow, my workload has like tripled at least in this new jobscope. It provides much more progression and exposure - but many times, I need to work in the nights after Ruth sleeps..and sometimes need to trouble my hubby/parents to look after ruth while i work late (can be until 10/11pm).

But i'm fortunate la. I have plenty of leave (next year 10 years liao..will have additional days again! yay!), plenty of family support, and also, i live 5 minutes walk from work. I get free corporate passes to attractions (zoo/bird park/sentosa/science centre etc) and rebates on many things ilke phone/internet/yearly subsidy on specs/sportswear etc.

So I won't be leaving as yet...and neither do I see myself leaving in the next 5-10 years.

Of course I think about 'outside' sometimes but I never have the impetus to change job. In my industry, there's quite a lot to learn and it's rather interesting to me. heh.

I agree with Gar...on own business taking up even more time and probably generating less pay! But above that, it imposes a bigger mental burden cuz survivability of the company is your responsibility as oppose to being an employee.
 
tong..i have 21 days now..above that will have the childcare/sick leave (i think about 5-6 days), medical leave 30 days, family care leave 2 days, non-certified mc 2 days, and well, the rest is 'on demand' lor like compassionate leave, marriage leave, etc.

also have newborn gift, marriage gift, etc.
 
lezy
if i am in your position, all the more i won't think of leaving. where to find such good deal like yours!

tongtong
for newcomers, the leave entitlement not that much. this is also another reason why it's better to stay put in current orgn. like lezy, there's also new things to learn. faster than i expected. down side is, new things come in, old things still stay. so it has or will come to a point where it's a struggle to cope. thankfully, my colleagues are all very nice and RO is understanding too (or at least show appreciation thru perf appraisal which translate to PB).
 
lezy
in fact, my co's benefits are about the same as yours. wonder if you are in the same co as me. haha...

winnie
what you mentioned is so right! i though i will get promoted this year. but, i think 'cos of the change in work arrangement, the chance to get promoted is gone! i remember about 2 months ago, my boss even asked me whether work or family is more important. i choose latter. oh well... god knows what's in her mind when she asked that qn.
you are not on PT arrangement, but you know what a part timer experiences. are you in HR line?
 
sunny/lezy
my leave entitlement also similar. but i don't have the non-certified mc 2 days, only have eldercare leave of up to 5 days for each parent and childcare leave (need to produce MC kind) for up to 5 days per kid. the eldercare leave will come in useful if, touch wood, my mum (the caregiver) is not well and i need to take care of my kids instead. the basic like medical leave, annual leave and unconditional childcare leave should be the same
happy.gif
. think quite standard for govt.

sunny - where's your workplace located?
 
sad to say - those genuine PT cases are usually european or american companies. cos back in their home country, HR is very powerful (partly due to their belief in human rights etc. blah blah). i had a biz associate - he told me that back in France, the company office was designed such a way that EVERY employee had a window seat so that he/she could look out to de-stress. another story was every employee was entitled to an annual spa holiday to de-stress. so you can imagine how seriously staff welfare is taken.

singapore is more steeped in confucian values where you are supposed to xi sheng xiao wo wan cheng da wo (sacrifice yourself to accomplish a larger purpose) - so individual interests always take a back seat for the greater good (company / country). we will never be given that kind of benefits cos it will increase cost of doing biz which will make singapore an unattractive place which means coys will relocate their regional HQ blah blah. this is true also lah, so gotta just accept it lor.
 
re: maid
bkk,
so drama of the maid issues.
hope the next one is the right one.

pauline,
ur maid very poorthing leh.
her family like treating her as a 'yao2 qian2 shu4' like that.


re: relationship with in-laws
i am quite ok with MIL but don't like the way FIL handles my gal.
he's the traditional kind of ah gong who will spoil my gal if she cries. sometimes he also give some funny advices, i just turn into deaf ear. after that complain to my hb. :p
good thing is that they are not the naggy type, so i just 'buat bodoh' about his 'advice'.


re: work
sunny,
i am with this co for 5 years. but i am now in my 'uncomfort zone' instead of the comfort zone.
there are lots of things that i dun like about here and have been trying to change. now i give up and feel that better to change myself rather than change those stubborn culture/people/system.
furthermore, i feel that i've already reached the point that there's nothing new for me to learn. i need some excitement or else i will continue rotting here.


re: working PT
i think it's only possible for those people working as frontline support - e.g. customer service officer
it's not possible for people like us working with portfolio, project.
what Winnie said is very very true, it's not only the salary suffer, increment, bonus will be prorated accordingly.


re: own business
i calculated before. it really needs lots lots of transaction in order to be able to earn the same amount of $ compared to what i am earning now.
the effort is so much that i don't think will be able to cope it if need to tend to kids at home.
if going to rent a place/stall/shop, normally it will be working 365 days a year because you are still paying the rent even you not doing business.


re: crying baby
gar,
have you tried rocking baby vertically?
we feel it's easier to stop their crying compared to rocking sideway.
how about trying the 'white noise' method?
take care..
J looks like jie jie a lot!!


re: names
QL,
i vote for Jie2 Xuan1.
Mainly Xuan1 is the connection with jie jie. Zhi4 Xuan1 is nice but same hanyupinyin with jie jie then not very nice already.


CONGRATES SNOWBELLE!
 
heee er, my leave is the same as what lezy mentioned, does that make sunny, lezy and myself from the same place hehehhee.

if our employer needs to give us each a window seat to de-stress, hahaha, we wont have so many of us couped up in a small cubicle in the centre of the office heheee.
 
congrats snowbelle.

Ql, i hv the same opinion as xy. My son's hanyupinyin initial is xyz. =D

garfield, j is so sweeeetttt. Now i feel like having a girl too. XD she looks like jiejie.

Ladies, i'm 10wks preg today! Still 30wks to go. 0_0 been v tired, small appetite. Thank God tt i wasnt feeling as bad as the last preg.
 
winnie,
fat hope for us to have a window seat to de-stress!!
we are packing our stuffs in the office cos they are going to shrink our desk about 25% of it's original.
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clover,
congrates!
twins? :p
 
Away for an afternoon and so many posts ah!

Maternity/Paternity benefits/PT work
Nobody here from Public Service Division? Maybe we should feedback to REACH or MCYS.

Gar, when I was very preggy with SM, UJ had to bring K to the toilet when we are outside. He also could not find a toilet, always end up using the handicap toilet otherwise bringing her to male toilet is not nice. For changing SM also hard to find changing rooms. Singapore is not child-friendly - just try bringing your pram to Orchard Road, how many stair cases must you negotiate to get between ION and Luckyplaza? Pity the wheelchair bound too
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Winnie, you are so right. In the statboards/civil service, I think you need to get 3 yrs straight Bs to qualify for promo consideration right? If you take no pay leave or maternity, your promo clock is restarted again.

Stephie/sunny/lezy, keke I also waiting for 10 yrs next yr - 28 days leave! haha. I resigned to my fate already. no promotion nevermind, as long as i can leave on the dot to see my girls, i'm happy.


The mindset here is so backward. I cannot imagine govt allowing the men to take paternity to share the load. It's still a paternalistic society. Men gotta bring in the bacon. Anything that rocks the economic boat will not be considered. If the men take a month off, who will pay for that month? The govt? Don't u think the 3 days PL is so laughable?
 
Winnie
yar i rem u sharing abt your confinement lady in the early days..

My boss always says worklife balance is a priviledge. Actually, there's no such thing as worklife balance. It's a myth, an urban myth.

Clover, congrats again!
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Xy, yup true lor. I very bad, I told her if your family does not want to be good you then u spend all your $$$ in sg for yourself. See whether they will change their attitude of not.
 
bkkgal
re: promotion
not true, i've seen case of back to back promotion. this year promote, next year promote, following year promote. it boils down to how much your boss like you and how powerful your boss can push thru your promotion. of cos, this is exception than norm.

xiaoyun
my RO asked me a few times to move to the window seat i am at now. i rejected repeatedly. then boss xia sheng zhi, no choice hv to move. i didn't want to shift from previous seat as i was comfortable there. but window seat or not, no difference cos i always leave the blind down :p

clover
congrats!

garfield
feel like pinching J. aiyo, she's so adorable. so angelic.
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Stephie, wa, you got window seat. So good, at my previous workplace, only the directors got window seats ie. DHR, COO, CFO, CEO etc. As for us worker bees, raining outside we also won't know. haha.
 
pauline
my division occupies the corner of the office space. hence, have other window seats in add'l to DD and D's room.
 


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