With a considerable proportion of farmers in Asia and in the world staying home due to nationwide movement restrictions as well as anxiety of being infected with COVID-19, Singapore’s food supply chain, while still intact, has nevertheless had to bear the aftermath of the decrease in worldwide production abilities in factories and farms.

Augmenting the supply chain drama in Singapore and beyond has been the phenomenon of panic-buying by many kiasu (‘fear of losing out’) consumers.

Certainly, these sobering times have prompted many of us in Singapore and beyond to rethink our supply chain systems and to avoid a global…

Ghosting on people, in most cases, is unacceptable.

The past few weeks, if not months, have been trying on most of us living in this world.

Not only is COVID-19 ruining people’s lives and plans, but it has also led to a major economic recession and a global standstill.

Many of us have been forced to work from home and to adapt to different circumstances at work and at home.

Our professional, social, and personal lives have taken a hit — thanks to this microbe.

Tons of articles out there have waxed on the importance of proper work-from-home etiquette as…

Beware of webcam hackers and other Internet threats.

COVID-19 has forced many of us worldwide to work from home all of a sudden.

Clients whom I have been working for have been compelled by stricter governmental measures both in Singapore and abroad to shift to ‘all-remote’ working arrangements.

In our scramble to find viable (and hopefully free) tools to conduct our business meetings and transactions online, we might have overlooked the fact that online web hackers and their prevalence might make or break the personal and professional privacy that we desire.

This is especially so in an uncertain era such…

1. I Found Myself Clock-Watching

In the recruitment business, a recruiter can either be very busy (which can be a good thing because he or she can be working on or closing highly billable deals) or left idle (due to a lack of jobs to place or a lull in hiring processes).

In short, there is always something to do (or there should be always something to do) in recruitment. And that is not entirely a bad thing even with the shortened lunch breaks and ‘tea-times’.

Having been always motivated by tangible goals and the processes that lead to these goals, I found myself towards…

Remember the annoying co-worker who likes to hover around your manager/management to lavish over-the-top praises on them, whether these praises have valid grounds?

Tired of incompetent colleagues who seem to be getting promoted over other hardworking and able staff — simply because of the former hang around management like bees to honey?

Getting more frustrated when some colleagues refuse to do what’s beyond the minimum for teamwork projects but are the first to offer help to the C-level suite in your company?

Well, your sentiments are not uncommon.

I have been through such feelings myself in some of my previous…

With your abilities to effect successful change, improve business processes as well as manage company turnarounds.

If you are one of those professionals whose career strengths lie in restoration, repair as well as rejuvenation, you might want to consider (or have already considered) a career in interim management.

Perhaps you are unsure whether to take the plunge into the interim management industry due to the relative instability of such a career (as compared to a stable, in-house managerial position, since your value as an interim manager would be defined by the success of your previous assignment).

However, if you find…

Introduction

You may associate business travel with a lot of stress even if you might not actually go on the trip. This is because you might have to plan your bosses’ or colleagues’ trips at short notice. Corporate travel planning certainly involves a great deal of hassle, from booking flights and accommodations as well as minimizing costs for your company. Even travel arrangements to neighboring Southeast Asian countries may give you headaches because each Southeast Asian country has its own set of government regulations and unique hospitality environment. On a regional basis, traditional players such as hotels and travel agencies…

Because by your own efforts to deal with him/her, narcissism is mostly incurable.

Many researchers have commented on the symptoms of narcissism and have outlined a few characteristics such as a reduced ability to learn from others, resistance to change because of excessive reliance and arrogance on one’s own way as well as an inability or blatant refusal to recognize one’s own flaws.

Such features tend to be masked under the veneer of extroversion, charisma, and competitiveness and manifest themselves in various aspects of the narcissist’s life, such as in his/her family, workplace, community, etc.

Put it simply, once you…