From The Straits Times
By Cassandra Chew
Published 27 Aug 2010

MIDDLE managers are key to the success of work-life balance strategies in the workplace but are often left out of the process when it comes to implementing such measures.

The involvement of line-managers and supervisors, in addition to that of bosses, makes a critical difference to the effectiveness of work-life strategies, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Health and Manpower) Hawazi Daipi said yesterday at the Work-Life Conference 2010.

'An effectively implemented work-life strategy helps employees better meet their work demands and personal needs which will, in turn, benefit the employer,' he added. 'From the employee's perspective, better work-life harmony means less tension between work and personal lives, and a better quality of life overall, resulting in improved ability to perform at their best at work.'

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From The Straits Times
By Jennani Durai
Published 25 Aug 2010

NANYANG Technological University (NTU) looks set to wrest the honour of having the highest proportion of generous graduating students among Singapore's three main universities.

Seven in 10 students from its 5,000-strong graduating class this year made donations to the university through the graduating class gift, a tradition of the universities here as well as most universities worldwide.

Over at the Singapore Management University (SMU), half the graduating cohort last year did so. As for the National University of Singapore (NUS), the proportion who gave last year was 17 per cent.The final tallies for both universities this year are not in yet, but figures suggest they are behind NTU's.

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From The Straits Times
By Kor Kian Beng
Published 24 Aug 2010

ONE common view is that fewer foreign workers here will reduce competition for jobs and lessen the social impact that their presence causes.

The Government's concern, on the other hand, is that a cutback would cause labour shortages in some industries and slow economic growth.

But labour chief Lim Swee Say believes there is a way to address these contrasting concerns and still have the best of both worlds.

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From The Straits Times
By Jonathan Kwok
Published 23 Aug 2010

IF YOU find it hard to concentrate because the guy in the next cubicle just cannot stop going on and on about his private life, don't fret, you are not alone.

Recruitment consultancy Robert Walters has found that talkative co-workers are the most disruptive ones in an office - almost half of the respondents in its survey said such colleagues wasted most of their time.

Chatterboxes even ranked higher than other distractions such as personal calls, text messages, e-mail messages or the Internet, according to the survey conducted here and overseas recently.

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