The article pictured above was published in ST print editon on Saturday 12 July. It also had a section on what 3 employers had problems with.
First, I would like to tell my side of the story as an employee.
1) Pampered. It may be true that employees are more demanding but if HR can focus on our concerns and engage employees more, it can be a rewarding experience.
For example, you mentioned that we want to go home on the dot at 6pm while foreigners are more willing to stay back after office hours to learn new skills.
Many of us who are married need to fetch kids from childcare centres or risk getting fined.
For singles like me, I still have to go home and do housework such as laundry and washing.
Foreigners don't mind working late as their main motivation is to work long hours, collect OT pay and shift allowance and go back and buy their landed property or springboard to greener pastures after a few years of service in Singapore.
If I am told that I can withdraw my CPF in 4 years time and buy a landed property in Singapore, most of us will also be willing to do that as well.
Frankly speaking, working long hours doesn't mean that one is productive. In some research studies, many creative things and innovation are invented when one's mind is in the percolating phase.
2) Mediocre. Whether or not we are mediocre also depends a lot on boss's leaderships. The most talented athlete will not be able to shine if the coach is not there to support us.
Some bosses are also mediocre and pampered and demand many things without giving us the tools or help necessary and prefer to be served like Empress Dowager. These bosses expect employees to be paid to troubleshoot the problem without getting their hands dirty.
3) Expensive. Things are getting really expensive too. It eats into our psyche. Employers complain that we are too expensive. I prefer employers could channel that frustration to the landlords and suppliers who can anyhow raise their fees for no reason. If things were cheaper, most employees may not demand pay increase.
4) Timid. There's a reason why we need to be timid. Most bosses don't really like employees who suggest new things as it could be seen as interfering or insubordinate of behaviour.
CJ
TRS Contributor
