What is Fair Consideration Framework?

After yesterday's post, it appears that many have forgotten or are unsure what Fair Consideration Framework by MOM is. So I decided to do yet another picture explainer about what FCF is.

FCF is basically the framework to ensure Singaporeans get a fair chance of getting a job. FCF will also put companies on THE watchlist if you are one of those 'triple weak' companies.

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It is not easy being a cleaner.

"I had to wipe semen off the floor every morning"

Recently I bumped into an old acquaintance of sorts (I hope she is not reading this.) and she was telling me about her job as a property manager and all the dirty (both literally and figuratively) deeds she heard from some of her cleaners.

Some of the stories she shared got me thinking if they really happened in Singapore.

1. I had to wipe semen off the floor every morning

Random staircase sex image.jpg

This auntie was working in one of these really old buildings in Singapore that has many nightclubs. So according to her that there will always be inconsiderate people having sex at the staircase and not clean up after.

She tried to complain to the security team but they just brushed her off.

"Nvm lah auntie. People having a good time. Why must we go and disturb? Any way we can watch free show via CCTV."

2. Some guys flashed me on purpose

It is really not easy being a cleaning lady where one of the many jobs include cleaning of the male toilet. For those of you who are familiar enough with the male toilet will know that there are standing cubicles with no doors. This other cleaning lady actually got flashed by a young man.

"He looks like he is around 20 or 30 yrs old. I wasn't offended or shocked at all. I just told him, "Boy ah, auntie almost 60 years old. What shape and size never see before? Don't need to show me okay?" but too bad he ran off before I could finish the sentence." , my, erm friend, related to me the story while I was laughing my head off. 

And all I could think about is him not washing his hands. 

3. Getting fired for being smelly

Sadly this uncle in his 60s was an odd job cleaner. He was being paid on a daily basis and was working at this place for six months before he got fired and started working with my friend's company.

The supervisor merely told him that he was very smelly and had bad personal hygiene and not suitable for the work. They fired him after six months with immediate effect. This is unacceptable in all the ways.

Not only did his job require him to do a lot of physical tasks that made him perspire, he also did not have a proper rest area. His rest area was a hot little corner hoarded up in a basement carpark.

How do you expect him to smell like a flower every day?

--

We all know that there are no elves that will fix our shoes or sew our clothes while we sleep. All our bins, toilets, common areas and more are being taken care of by cleaners. However, how often do we really think about them? How tough is their job? Where do they even rest or have their meals? If you ever need some cleaning agent or trash bags, do you even know where to find them within your office or buildings?

Guilty as charged. Some times we really overlook all these things in our lives. Especially when we are living in a time where it is all about "me". We are living in a time where it is just about ourselves. Personal achievements over the little things in life.
--

In recent news, it was announced that cleaners will have to undergo a mandatory Workplace Safety & Health course from 2022 to make sure they are aware of and take precautionary measures against occupational risks such as slips and falls.

I am glad that while everyday people like you and me may have neglected these invisible heroes, there are people fighting for not just their welfare but also for their wages and work progress.

Besides the compulsory safety course, cleaners will also have to sign up for a second Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) module validated and endorsed by the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC).

These initiatives, which were put forth by the TCC and come under the Progressive Wage Model framework, were accepted by the Government.

The Progressive Wage Model (PWM) is a wage progression pathway that helps to increase workers’ pay through skills upgrade and improved productivity. It is applied to the cleaning, security and landscape sectors, while the model was mandated for lift technicians last year.



In the last budget, my ex-teacher and also labour MP Mr Zainal Bin Sapari fought for the following things for older/poor low wage cleaners. For those of you who are unfamiliar, he has always been advocating for the low wage workers’ rights for a while now.

1) Revise employer’s CPF contribution rates for mature workers aged 55 and above, up to age 65. - checked.

2) Low wage workers to receive mandatory Annual Wage Supplement to reduce income gap. - checked.

3) Employers to bear outpatient cost and outpatient consultation fees (healthcare cost). - While there is no updates publicly on this but this is something that I am sure something will happen eventually.

In March this year, MP Zainal also wrote a blogpost and in parliament, highlighting the need to provide rest areas for outsourced workers.

In his recent Facebook post,

"It was a basic need that was lacking when we engaged these workers on the ground. MOM agreed and the tripartite partners worked together to produce an advisory. Cheers to MOM and the tripartite team for working on this."

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ReUnion - An Exhibition by NTUC.

I told myself to blog about something else out of work for my next blog post. Like my current favourite food or the shows I've been watching on NetFlix, (Stranger Things 3 is reallllly good!!) but as I sat down in front of the computer in the middle of the night thinking of what to share, my mind can't help but wander back to something work related. 

ReUnion - An Exhibition by NTUC. Although I'm relatively new to the organisation (as a legit staff), I felt a sense of pride when I stepped into the exhibition for the very first time.

Of course, the intention of this post is not to tell you the full history of NTUC and why we played an important role in Singapore's history. The intention is to show you some of the nice pictures I took at the ReUnion exhibition. Yeah, it is always about me LOL. The exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of our watershed event - THE Modernization Seminar.   

So what exactly is the exhibition about? Is it just to talk about NTUC's contribution in/since 1969 and stroke our own ego? I wish I could say yes and just sum the article up now but it is far from that. The exhibition takes you back to the 1940s and through to the current day, and explains the role trade unions played then and now.

You will also get to see some of the interesting artefacts. 

So what exactly happened in 1969? In short, after Singapore's independence in 1965, (you SHOULD know this HARLO!!), many workers felt that trade unions were no longer relevant with the new labour legislations so union membership declined from 120,000 to 90,000. There was a need to re-examine how the Labour Movement should exist to better represent and help workers. And the rest is history. (That you should know and can learn by visiting the exhibition.)

Besides learning about our history, there are also other interesting activities that you can be part of.

Augmented reality application where you can put on Mr. and Mrs. Lee's watch. Why the watch? You gonna be at the exhibition to find out!

A little customized "slide show" showing you some of the very interesting archive images.

Also a GIF Photo Booth! 

Interestingly I've also signed myself up as a volunteer guide with the museum for this event, so if any of you want to visit, DO LET ME KNOW!!!

Details: 

Venue: National Museum of Singapore, Glass Atrium, Level 2. 

Date: 4 July to 10 November 2019. 

Time: Opens daily from 10am to 7pm. 

Fee: Admission is free.

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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.)

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Is Kampung Spirit dead in Singapore?

What is Kampung spirit to you? Is it simply a matter of knowing your neighbour’s name? Being friends with your neighbours? I mean we know how difficult it is these days for various reasons (or excuse. LOL). For starter, we are not at home as much as our grandparents who really lived in a kampung back in the days and that gave us very little opportunities and reasons to keep the whole kampung spirit alive.

I’m saying it’s difficult but I’m not saying it’s impossible. I do remember being rather close with my neighbours growing up. We use to play together, run around the corridor, playing block catching, and probably partly because my neighbours were really nice and lend me all their toys. This whole friendly neighbourhood thing needs two hands to clap. I remember the last time I tried saying hi to my new neighbour and all I got was a weird “do i know you?” stare. #TrueStory.

You guys remember project refresh? Yeah, it’s that event where Young NTUC partners with the North East Community Development Council (CDC) to aggregate stakeholders within the North East District to help their residents. This includes GRCs/SMCs, SACs, schools and corporations who provide essential goods and services such as furniture, appliances, pest control services, as well as cleaning and painting equipment and supplies.

Life works strangely in full circle for me. So right after the previous event where they help the residents at Punggol where I am staying now, their latest project which happened before Chinese New Year happened at my “hometown” – Tampines.

The 12th iteration/edition of Project Refresh returned with the highest number of volunteers ever. Some 1,000 volunteers from unions, schools, corporate organisations, grassroots and Tampines residents stepped up to refresh the homes of low-income seniors and seniors, who are living alone in Tampines.

I met these two young ladies, Yan Tong and Wendy at the event. They are both 1st time volunteers at Project Refresh and also residents of Tampines.

After talking to them, I learnt that Yan Tong found out about this event via a direct mailer which she found in her e-mail for being a NTUC Member because of her PLUS CARD. I was pretty amazed/amused at the same time that someone actually reads those mailers! I mean there are a lot of stats that shows the fact that the conversion rate of edm has been on a decrease.

After reading the email, Yan Tong decided to be part of the event and try something new. Meanwhile she also invited a few friends to come along and that’s how Wendy ended up at the event as well. It must be a good day for them since they got to help out in the neighbourhood and also met me in the process. Right? RIGHT? RIGHTTTT??? XD

Besides cleaning the unit they also spent some time talking to the resident which they find it really meaningful not just because of the cleaning but actually having an opportunity to make a new friend.

Me being me… I have to ask some difficult questions right?

“Since we are on the subject of spring cleaning… Have you spring clean your own house?”

Them;

“Actually no. HAHAHAHHA. Can don’t tell my mum about it?”

See! Putting others before themselves. Good people lah. However, I forgot to check if they are single, else I can also help to promote them and hope they find true love. LOL. (Damn kaypo I know. Typical uncle and auntie… Truly one of the many signs of aging.)

Besides them, other volunteers from the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) and Tampines grassroots also contributed their time not only to clean the houses but also come together to put a smile of the residents’ faces in different ways such as help with Chinese New Year decorations such as Chinese calligraphy writings as well as red packet lantern making and more to decorate 59 Chinese households. Volunteers also extended the spirit of celebration and brought cheer to the homes of Malay and Indian residents by giving handmade cookies, mandarin oranges and red packets to less-privileged families.

Remember your primary school Chinese education where they taught us the saying of 远亲不如近邻 as well as 远水救不了近火？If your answer is yes, your Chinese teacher would be proud of you. So I guess that’s the meaning of Kampung spirit isn’t it? Getting help from your neighbours when you need it.

P.S. But please don’t tell people you read this article and anyhow go knock on your neighbour’s door and ask them to clean your toilet because Smith said so lah. Help lah!

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Working with Millennials. What are the employers looking for?

“It’s not good to hire the right people in my business now, do you face the same problem?” 

I guess this has always been a problem for SME business owners like myself and this is just one of the many complains that we talked about everytime we gather around over a coffee. 

And one fine day this person gave me a pretty interesting answer. 

“Maybe you just ain’t doing the right thing to attract the right people.” 

More often than not we will put the blame on the problem when we face it instead of asking ourselves if the problem lies within us. 

While we were having such conversations, one of the other questions that always pop up would be about how we handle and work with younger staffs. I guess it’s very common for employers to find that the kids these days just isn’t as good regardless of attitude or quality of work. Don’t quote me, it’s not my words but more of what I hear from others. The narratives are always revolving around the fact that “they are spoilt.”, “they are too privileged.”, or even like “they are too soft.” 

Well, not Elijah, Head of Business Development from Shopee. I guess we do not need much introduction for this e-commerce platform. In fact I’m such a big fan that I log in daily just to browse items to kill time. (Goodbye productivity. :x)

I digress. So I actually met Elijah at the recent Todo Todo Skills Marketplace @ Central Singapore. If you find this name familiar, that is probably because you heard me talking about it last year. So much has changed over the last year. It was also because of this event where I found out more about being a youth career guide which I ended up being one. The journey has been more than rewarding so far. 

So just a little refresher in case you are unfamiliar with Todo Todo Skills Marketplace; The event is a joint effort by National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and People’s Association (PA) to form a new career support initiative, specifically for fresh graduates and young professionals, managers, executives (PMEs). The two partners, with a combined youth network of 750,000, launched the new integrated online-to-offline approach to help new job entrants achieve professional success.

With this initiative, youths no longer need to wait for luck and opportunity to meet the right people to guide them but instead they actively seek help within the network. The network does not provide you with successful businessmen telling you about how good they are but instead, we are talking about fellow young adults who have been in the workforce for about 10 years where they can share their own experiences that are more relatable.

Elijah was one of the guest speakers for that day. Besides him , there were other talks/masterclasses, career sharing session by youth career guides like myself, and also networking sessions where you can talk to industry professionals from/hiring employers from different companies such as Mileslife, FinTech Academy, Tata Consultancy and even Shalom Movers. You might be wondering if Shalom Movers were there to hire movers but fun fact for you guys, they are actually hiring staffs for different functions like digital marketing person.

So Elijah was sharing with me about his very own experience with working with millennials and interestingly he has nothing but praises for them. Here’s some answers I managed to get from the man himself. 

Your comments about working with millennials.

They are the hardest working generation. 

They don’t treat a job like 9-5, it’s their life.

It’s not just a job. Overtime is not an issue. 

They care about the environment and more. It’s about purpose and value, and they have to make sure it’s inline with their own beliefs. 

So what do you look for when it comes to hiring? 

1 word - Attitude. Skills can be learnt easily but attitude is what that counts. 

What’s the most sort for skill these days? 

Data Scientist and Digital Marketer.

Is Shopee and their staffs 4.0? 

We are born digital. We are all about making sure we are ready for any changes in the industry. We make sure our staff are constantly innovating and staying relevant in the industry. The industry is very volatile so we have to evolve and be resilient to changes.

One tip for our millennials and work. 

As cliche as it sounds, “"Do What You Love, and You'll Never Work Another Day in Your Life”. 

Conclusion...

So I guess there is no shortcut to success when it comes to working with them. As an employer you have to be yourself, you have to talk to them to know them and know that they want. It is no longer just about money. 

I guess good Human Resources practice especially these days is all about how the organisation give the employee a sense of purpose as compared to back in the days during our parents’ era where it’s all about employers paying staffs money to do their work and call it a day. 

As much as we commonly like to call the millennials the strawberry generation, everyone has to start somewhere and employers need to give them some time to grow and invest even more time to know them better and help them to be the best version of themselves that will benefit the organisation.

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#SethAsks - What is volunteerism?

“Papa, where are you going? You must work today?”

Although Seth still doesn’t know his days accurately yet he do know that on certain days I shouldn’t be working because both him and the wife will be at home instead of being in school.

“No Seth, I’m going to an event. Papa volunteers on an ad-hoc basis with NTUC.”

Many parents like to simplify answers to their children but not me. I do not believe in the whole “you will get it when you grow up” thing. I believe that as long as we make an effort to explain ourselves, your child will eventually get it.

“Can I go with you? Event. Got popcorn?”

I was kinda surprise that he actually remembered Project Refresh which I brought him along previously. Or rather the popcorn he ate.

“No Seth, Papa is going to be busy at the event.”

“Why? What you do? Why?”

Like every kid has went through, my son is currently in the “WHY, WHERE, WHAT, WHO,” stage. He is very curious about everything.

Although I did say that I love to explain things to him, I was in a bit of a hurry because I spent the whole of my morning, despite waking up early playing with my newly purchased Nintendo Switch. I know, I can mix up my priorities every now and then. So I told him I would explain it to him when I get back and show him some pictures. (Which I totally thought he would have forgotten by then but who knows this kid has a memory of a woman. LOL.)

I started asking myself when I was driving to “Pasar Fiesta”, an event by Young NTUC U Heart (U Heart), in collaboration with OrangeAid, NTUC Income’s community development and involvement arm. “Pasar Fiesta” is a pop-up supermarket, that is aimed at reaching out to and helping under-privileged Yio Chu Kang residents offset their monthly expenditure.

How do I explain volunteerism to a 3 years old?

Do I just tell him that it is an act of kindness to help others? Wouldn’t that be a little too brief and lacks a bit of depth since helping someone crossing the road also falls under that category of act of kindness but I wouldn’t really call it volunteerism.

What about me just flipping through the dictionary and share with him the meaning of it? That can be pretty straightforward and easy. Then I asked myself, what is volunteerism to volunteers and the bigger question of “WHY”.

I’m a through and through cynic when it comes to things like these especially after reading articles online about the inconvenience brought by voluntourism. If you are unfamiliar with that term, you can probably guess that it just means volunteerism and tourism. It is something where people pays money to go to the less fortunate countries and “help out”. While they were there, they ain’t exactly into helping people but more for their own personal gains such as tax evasion, glorifying themselves by taking loads of pictures of them pretending to build a school which the villagers might have to tear down the wall after the event due to poor workmanship, and even as basic as wanting to gain some positive karma for themselves.

Me? I would not exactly call myself a noble person or even a selfless person till a certain extent. Truth is I just got associated to these events because of my work and more often than not I wouldn’t say no when I get “jio-ed” by the other volunteers. I tag-along mostly because my friends needed help and I am the “why not” kind of guy.

Upon reaching the event, I was telling my friends about what happened and the convo between me and my son. Ya, that’s pretty much me now, one of those annoying parents who is always talking about their child like their prize possession. So they actually introduced me to these two volunteers who have been with U Heart for years.

“Ask them ask them, they are very friendly and you probably can get some answers for your son or write on your blog or else you always no updates.”

You see, people like to encourage me to write things on my blog which I appreciates from time to time but it’s never about not having a story to tell, it’s really more about how lazy I am sometimes LOL. Hopefully I can inspire some of you guys to give back to the society. That’s being a positive influencer right? So I guess I shall try to use my influence in a more positive way instead of just telling you where to eat and get fat like I did. LOL.

“Taking Care of Others.”

Thuvinder is the general secretary of Union of Telecoms Employee of Singapore or better known as UTES. He first started being part of the union in 2006 when they were looking for volunteers to be a union leader.

What is his motivation behind volunteering?

I mean if you did not put your primary school education to a waste, you would have figured out that he has been a volunteer for 12 years. 12 years is no joke seriously. If you had a kid 12 yrs ago, you would be at the edge of your seat this year because he is going to take his PSLE! (For context lah.)

From my short chat with him I can tell that he is a very passionate and big man. (no pun intended). His motivation is as simple as seeing the smile on others’ face. It’s that simple.

So what is volunteerism to him?

“Volunteerism is about taking care of others. Taking care of workers in a Union Context.”

“It’s all heart.”

Nurhafizah is an exco with UTES and has been a volunteer for around 5 years. What started off as a challenge and self-improvement for her introverted self later became something more rewarding than she expected.

The social element of volunteering with UTES is something she finds really rewarding. It helps her to be more confident, give back to the society, and it’s something different from “just work”. It gives her an extra sense of purpose.

So what is volunteerism to her?

“It’s all heart. It’s meaningful work.”

Pasar Fiesta

So what happened at the event?

Approximately 250 volunteers from the unions, grassroots and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) participated in this initiative serving a variety of functions, these include helping to man stalls and serving as befrienders to the residents. This event touched over 1,700 underprivileged families. Beneficiaries from each household would be provided a trolley bag to “shop” (for free!) at Pasar Fiesta that was held across five distribution sites within Yio Chu Kang. They received some standard items such as a tin of Milo, a can of Tulip Chicken Luncheon Meat, a packet of Myojo Chicken Abalone Bowl Noodles and a tin of Julie's Assorted Biscuits. On top of these items, they would also get to “shop” for other canned foods, beverages and snacks.

Young NTUC’s learning partners – NTUC health, FindJobs, NTUC LearningHub, NTUC Membership and Growthbeans – were also present to meet residents and help them understand how they can improve their employability as well as source for new employment.

After a year of attending various voluntary work with NTUC, I must say that there is something for everyone. It’s not always about painting houses, or career guiding, or even donating money, there are a lot more than that. One can choose to challenge oneself and do something one is uncomfortable with to grow or simply do what you are best at and have fun during the process!

So what is volunteerism to me? What did I tell Seth at the end of the day?

 

“Volunteerism is… Love.”

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