A study shows that 75% of employees who volunteer through work report feeling better about their employer.   Beyond work-life balance, millennials aim for work-life integration where their personal and professional lives blend together. Corporate giving helps them meet this goal and engage further with the company they work for. Giving back to the community also helps to boost the reputation of the company, improve the corporate culture and attract and retain good employees

Generation X workers are born between the years of 1964 to 1980. With many Baby Boomers departing the workforce due to retirement and Millennials trying to gain a foothold in the workforce, Generation X workers are considered valuable resources. Here are 4 ways to engage generation X workers:   1. Provide training and development Generation X workers has weathered economic recessions, corporate downsizing and retrenchments. They understand the importance of upgrading themsel

You might be the best manager in the world but you are only as good as the talent you have working for you. Where do you find it and how do you keep it? With social media becoming mainstream in our lives, many companies have also leveraged on and integrated the use of social media in recruitment. Using video technology to interview a candidate for a job halfway around the world, trawling Linkedin and other job search portals for suitable candidates and promoting job openings

From the 18 year old intern to the 65 year old senior manager, every generation brings with them their own attitudes, mindsets and experiences to the workplace. What we can all agree on is that there is no single approach to managing them all. In many organisations today, five generations are working side by side. They are the Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z. Each generation has widely differing sets of expectations and perceptions of

Your resume is effective and you have been invited to the job interview. You will probably think, well, I’ll just turn up and be myself. This is fine, but it won’t get you the job! The best person for the job, if you talk about the right skills, experience and achievements doesn’t always pass the interview. Too many candidates miss out on their dream job because of common blunders made during the hiring interview. These are the 8 common mistakes you need to avoid in interview

According to a study , 41 percent of businesses estimated the costs of a bad hire to be over $25,000. With today’s focus on leaner and more efficient organisations, each employee plays a more critical role. Hiring is no longer what it used to be. How well do you perform the task of hiring? What characteristics makes one candidate more attractive than the others? Finding the right person for the job is a complicated process. It can be hounded by favoritism, inadequate trainin

Mention Facebook, Google and Apple and most white collar professionals will jump for joy at the thought of being offered a chance to work at these companies. Happy employees=Happy customers=Successful companies. The most sought after places to work at not only offer generous perks and benefits or a fun workplace (think pinball machine or well-stocked pantry). More importantly, it offers a strong supportive culture where employees feel appreciated for their work and place emp

Too many companies pay lip service to the adage that “people are our greatest asset”.While products were considered king in the industrial age, today’s business success is more likely centered on something less tangible: ideas. It is no longer about fine-tuning production process to achieve results with the same number of workers. It is about identifying, soliciting and managing talent to produce outstanding ideas and build a differentiating value that supports long-term succ

Going on a business trip overseas? Business customs vary tremendously around the world. The basic business card that you carry with you serves as an introduction of who you are but how you present yourself in different cultures is important as you do not want to offend your clients. Here’s a guide to business greetings and business card etiquette around the world: China Greeting: Handshake with everyone-starting with the most senior and oldest person first. Name card: Given a

Imagine this:You are just trying to complete the quarterly report for your boss peacefully, with a coffee and croissant at your side. Suddenly, Debbie is standing next to your cubicle, griping about how she has been working long hours and hasn’t take leave in a long time. You know how painful it is to hear her whine all the time. Anyone who has worked with chronic complainers will know that such behaviours over the long haul irritates everyone at work. Whiners whine to form r

Yelling or swearing at an employee or verbally abusing him or her.Having your contributions or work purposefully ignored.Singling out an employee for unjustified criticism or blame. These are just some examples of workplace bullying. A bully torments, frightens and intimidates other people. Bullies can be disruptive, insulting and create violence at the workplace. Bullies become bullies when they find that they can get away with it and bullies are bullies because they have no

Successful mentoring involves building a quality relationship between mentor and mentee. While it is often assumed that the mentee drives the progress of a mentoring relationship, the mentee needs to invest equal time and effort on their part to make it a productive two-way communication. The most satisfied mentees are the ones who recognise that each meeting has the potential to help their mentors advance their careers too. Here are some tips for the mentor on how to prepa

Did you know that 80 percent of CEOs polled have had mentors?   Having access to mentors have given potential leaders insider knowledge and access to power and resources. Mentoring is about helping another person learn through a one-to-one relationship. Being a mentor brings benefits to yourself and the mentee. Mentoring can make a positive difference in someone else’s career. To set yourself up for successful mentoring, the mentor needs to have an understanding of the mento

It may be a new task, new skill or new process that it is necessary for the manager to coach their employees on.Here are 5 practical steps to coach your employees for success: https://www.noodlefactory.com.sg/course/5-practical-steps-to-coach-your-employees-for-success 1. Prepare the employee Introduce the need for you to coach your employee on the required task Seek your employee’s commitment to improve by learning the required task Ask for ideas and suggestions from the

Coaching relates primarily to performance improvement, in a specific skills area. What are the fundamentals of being a good coach?  Here are the 3 essential qualities a good coach needs:      1.  Be accessible By making yourself accessible, you can observe how the person being coached is performing. Also, it creates a space and opportunity for discussions. If you are hardly available or maintain regular contact with your coachee, he or she may be hesitant to approach you with

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple. As time goes by, almost everything becomes obsolete or irrelevant. All products and services stand in perennial need of renewal or replacement. Thus, there is a need to innovate or you risk going out of business. Innovating is about making something new, thus altering or renewing. It is not about conjuring something out of thin air. The starting point is usually the status quo or how thin

Studies have shown that bringing pets to work can increase productivity. This year, 22 June 2018 is Take Your Dog to Work Day. What better way to celebrate than to bring your furry friend (s) to your workplace? Here are 7 reasons why your company should celebrate take a dog to work day: 1. Free cleanup crew There will always be someone there to finish leftovers at lunch meetings. 2. Chief Barketing Officer Who doesn’t want to have a Chief Barketing Officer join the team? 3. M

"One day, offices will be a thing of the past”,Richard Branson, Entrepreneur and Founder of Virgin Airlines   Today’s offices go beyond the boundaries of physical offices. We are on the fourth industrial revolution and the business world is constantly being disrupted by digital transformation. For businesses to thrive in this ever-changing environment, many are currently setting up or have set up virtual teams for different aspects of their businesses. What are virtual teams

You have probably noticed that projects don’t always run according to plan. Too many projects start life doomed to failure. Poorly defined business objectives and unrealistic delivery deadlines are very common. Managers rarely inherit a fully fledged and effective team. Putting together a great team, whether for a new project or initiative, requires more than technical skills. Building the right team is one of the factors critical to the success of any project. Here are 5 sec

When you become a manager, it isn’t just your job title and responsibilities that change. Your idea of work and your identity evolve too. The nature of your work changes when you go from an individual contributor to a manager. As an individual, you focused on your contribution to the team. As a manager, you have to set the direction for your team and coordinate resources to achieve business goals. As you adapt to this new way of working, there are several skills you need to a