Smith Leong's 100 Days at NTUC

Who wore it better? My colleagues said that I look more like a chef from 18 chefs.

For those who are unfamiliar, 100th day is an important milestone for the new secretary general (SG) of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). And no, I’m not the new secretary general (yet) LOL. Current Secretary General, Ng Chee Meng reached that milestone last Sept and got interviewed by Straits Times. Nobody interview me so I own self write own self lor. What to do? 

This article marks my 100th day at NTUC and to say that the journey has been great is probably an understatement. And no, I’m not saying this just because I am with NTUC, or my boss made me do it. I’m truly saying this from the bottom of my heart.

Missing in action 

Now you know this is probably one of the many reasons that I’ve kinda been missing in action on this space. Not because NTUC is overworking me but my focus in life has shifted. For now, more than anything else, I need the headspace to think about my work in the organization. It is not that I am having a writer's block (pfff.. Come on. Writer’s block. Me?) but more so that all I think about is probably just work these days. And maybe you. (Generally, if you think it is you, it is you lor.)

How it happened?

Remember these 2 readers of mine? One of them Whatsapp’ed me and jio’ed me to work at NTUC lor. KIDDING!!! Met these 2 ex-SG during a dialogue some time ago. Yet to have the chance to take one with the current SG despite seeing him often enough during union visits.

If you have been following this space, you would remember reading loads of my adventures over the years, including adventures of me on the ground covering NTUC’s activities such as Project Refresh, Todo Todo, which got me started volunteering as a Career Guide, Job Shadowing a NTUC Health health care worker, and even to visiting a Nursing Home. And no, it has nothing to do with my NTUC Fairprice wedding photoshoot.

Those experiences taught me a lot and got me feeling a lot. (Yes, I am a very emotional cancer so no one should be surprised.) So when my NTUC point of contact aka current boss aka my “jiejie” from NTUC approached me and told me there was an opening that I should apply for, I asked myself why not?

What is my role at NTUC?

I joined the organization formally to do Social Media Training and Community Engagement work. Yea, part of my work is about educating people on better and smarter use of Social Media. The work spans from Social Media literacy to championing staff to play his or her part together with the organization to share the labour movement’s work, to creating Social Media contents to recruit, retain and engage members. You may be surprised by the number of people out there who don’t follow mainstream media. So despite NTUC’s best efforts to push our messages to the public through mainstream media, some people still have no clue what NTUC really does. Many thought we’re just a supermarket (that’s FairPrice btw). Like my friend once told me, SINGAPORE GOT UNION MEH?

The journey so far…

In one word, eye-opening.

One big pull factor for me to join the labour movement is the opportunity to be a part of something bigger. Much bigger and more impactful than my past work in the private sector. It is not just about chasing numbers and closing sales, or pairing social media influencers with clients so that they can selfie themselves holding some face cream next to their prettily made-up faces. It’s about what we can do to help workers.

I can’t be an effective trainer if I don’t know enough. So since I joined NTUC 100 days ago, I’ve always been that kaypo new staff who tries to gate-crash other people’s events so I can see more with my own eyes, feel it, and then advocate it. How can I sell something that I do not believe or feel right about? Actually given the way I tell story, I kinda think I could but that’s not the point. LOL. #shameless I know.

So what have I learnt about the labour movement’s work in these 100 days?

In a nutshell, we are fighting for 3 things that are the basics of what every worker needs - Wages, Welfare and Work prospects. Simple concept of fighting to give every worker a better job, better pay and better life. It is a simple concept that everyone can understand, but yet at the same time it’s something that is not exactly easy to achieve alone. There are different reasons why people have jobs. Some say they work for passion but more often than not how many people can say that? So the most basic reason why people work is for Wages. You need to be fairly compensated for your work, your experience, and of course the value you bring to the company.

What about Welfare? Some of you might be thinking about your bonuses, medical coverage, or whether you get to fly business class for work trips. Sometimes we lead a life so comfortable that we take things for granted and not see the smaller things that matter? For example, some months ago, Labour MP, also my ex-teacher, Mr. Zainal Sapari highlighted the importance of having proper rest areas for low wage workers. For most of us who have worked at an office building would probably have seen it before. How some cleaning aunties and security officers are given tiny rest areas with bad ventilation, if any. In fact, I’ve even seen some who have to resort to eating at stairwells or even on the steps of MRT stations. Have you considered the fact that they work at the same office building for as many hours as we do? But while we have own workstations, most of these low-wage workers do not even have a proper place to put their bags, let alone a space to rest and eat. They may be blue-collared workers but they are no lesser than any of us. If we don’t champion for their rights, who will? Believe, you, me, small changes like this can go a long way. The workers will rest better and be less prone to falling sick with a better working environment. They’re likely to be more motivated to work too. This too will benefit companies from lower absenteeism and lower staff turnover. That’s a win-win, isn’t it?

Work prospects. We all want better jobs, but how do we do it? Yes, the government has given us SkillsFuture Credits, and I’m a big fan of this initiative. But let’s be honest with ourselves here, how many of us actually did use the $500? Even for those who have utilized your SkillsFuture Credits, how many of you spent it on something that actually helps you in your employability or with your work? I recall moderating a dialogue and someone asked what was the point of training. He went for a course and HR did not increase his pay anyway. But do we only upskill and upgrade ourselves only if a pay raise comes along with it?

We live in a VUCA world now and digitalisation is disrupting every industry with lightning speed, and there is also economic uncertainty brought about trade wars and geo-politics in the region, we cannot bank on our companies and our jobs to be permanent. No one can guarantee that the lifestyles that we’ve been enjoying will be here forever if we are not prepared for disruption. The more versatile and multi-skilled we are, the more adaptable we will be. Property market, stock market, and job market… any or all of this might crash one of these days, and we can’t just be waiting for government handouts to stay afloat. To quote the House Stark, winter is coming.

Our best and only chance of staying afloat is to be prepared. We have to make sure that we are ready for all the future jobs so that even if we lose our current jobs, we will be ready for the next job immediately.

One of NTUC’s recent initiatives is the Company Training Committees (CTCs). CTCs is a joint effort that comprises management staff and union leaders, to help nurture "Worker 4.0". It is not just about going for courses to fulfill HR’s KPI. It is a joint effort to identify what is best for workers and the organization to digitalise and transform to Industry 4.0. CTCs are so that workers can stay updated, acquire skills, earn better pay, when they effectively help their organizations to increase their productivity or revenue. It is one of those things that I tell my mentees a lot before they go for job interviews, “Before you ask what the organization can give you, why not first ask how you can add value to the company?” The only way everything gets better is when it is a win-win situation. NTUC believes in this, and advocates understanding from both employers and workers, and help to facilitate such that all the stakeholders come together to win together.

One of my favourite activities since joining NTUC has gotta be our Secretary General’s union visits. Yea, He visits all of the unions, one by one, spending time to listen to their concerns and challenges and he also takes the chance to update the unions what NTUC has been working on. During these union visits, I get to hear concerns from a diverse group of workers of different demographics from different industries. Most are very real, and some are really very interesting. 

I’m not at liberty to share the information, but all I can say is that what we read online ain’t always the true representation of what the ground feels. cough* statutory cough* retirement cough* age cough*.

In my short 100 days here at NTUC, I’ve come to understand that regardless of your life stage or career stage, as long as you are willing to be helped, you will get help. Simply because #everyworkermatters.

My new family

I can’t stress enough the importance of having good co-workers. We work hard and we play hard. Life is no bed of roses and there are some days that are not as good as others. I would be lying if I am telling you that I’m feeling 10/10 on a daily basis at work. These people make life a lot enjoyable. My boss would ask me on a weekly basis, “How happy are you?”

I’m a social animal and I need my dose of social activities and these guys are giving me what I need. Considering the fact that I’ve known some of these people for more than 3 years now, it is actually not difficult for me to settle in comfortably. Regardless of whether they’re from my same team or not, everyone has been very helpful and ever-ready to offer support and opportunities.

Erm… I do strange things in office sometimes. Sometimes only, I swear.

I know I’m kinda a creep, I’m kinda of a weirdo who sometimes does kinda strange things in the office. I would like to thank everyone for accepting me for who I am. Or at least ignore me for the times I break into dance at my desk for no reason at all. LOL.

I don’t want this to sound like one of those blog posts I write when I am leaving the company, hurhur… But hey, it is what it is, and thank you, everyone! I really appreciate everyone so far. Those random after-work dinners, coffee runs during office hours, silly little texts during the day (and NIGHT, LOL!), daily lunches that are filled with laughter, all the pointless office shenanigans, and even work events in the evenings or even over weekends... I enjoy every bit of it. I guess I am pretty lucky. I’m a STAR! But, no lah, I do not cry cry cries in my lonely heart. (Get the reference? Congrats if you do not. It means you are pretty young. Still.)

Challenges

I also teach people how to play with their food during lunch time.

I’ve been self employed for a very big part of my life and there is a slight curve when it comes to the transition. Not exactly a big one but yes there is one. MY OFFICE OUTFIT. SERIOUSLY GUYS!!!! You have no idea how many people who knew me from before were laughing at me during my first week at work. “LOL! WHY ARE YOU IN SHIRT AND PANTS!!!” Because I need to uphold my professional image and also because it is in my staff handbook lah!! OIE!

Many of my friends have asked me if the red tape is killing me. Guess everyone knows and assumes that bureaucracy is inevitable in big organizations. Looks can be deceiving. Many people assumed that I’m the sort who cannot live with rules and systems. But hey, I actually am the guy who enjoys systems and proper processes. If there is no system in place, how can I know what boundaries there are and where my playgrounds and sandboxes are? LOL. Jokes aside, I suppose I’m also very lucky to have very open-minded boss and boss’ boss, and they have both given me more freedom than I’d expected to explore and do things my own way. No, it’s not like I just go in and smile and I get things my way (I know I’m cute but life ain’t THAT easy). Of course I justify my actions and why I want certain things certain ways.

Moving Forward.

I know it is kinda fast to ask any girl to marry you just after dating for 3 months but I do see myself being part of this for a long time. I know it is too early to say but the truth is I am really enjoying my time there, my work, the opportunities given, and of course the people. Whatever may come, I am ready. (I think?)

I really hope that I can do more for the organization and the people. I also hope to see everyone taking more pride in being part of the organization, care more about our work, and share more of NTUC’s work with their own friends and network so that more people knows what is happening and more people will come forward to both help and receive help.

I may just be one of the many workers in the organization but I sure hope I wouldn’t be just another face in the crowd. And also not screw anything up. LOL.

And If this article is too boring for you, here’s some OOTDs to make your time worst worth.

xx,

Smith 

( I promise I will try to update this space a little more from time to time.)