My experience working in civil service...

[Lala81]

I've known a few people who took 6-12 months unpaid leave sabbatical.

 

Many of the spouses accompanying those who go HMDP also have taken such leave.

 

But even in civil service, if u take such a sabbatical, implication is your career progression is gone. It's more for those family people or pple who don't care anymore. 

Edited March 3, 2017 by Lala81

[Victor68]

Child care leaves is something debatable. 1 year got 365 days, so that few days or months leaves will decide if you should have more children?

 

A overall work life balanced work environment is more important. Those without children or grown up children not important? They maybe grand parents, uncle or aunt that are also helping out.

 

A stronger labour law that limit number of work hours allowed per day will do wonders.

[oleandero]

my friend took 4yrs unpaid leave from cs to accompany spouse overseas for work.

 

i was surprised that it was okay. i mean if its pte, u can just tender resignation already.

 

so its good to be in cs in certain cases.

[Philipkee]

duh... unpaid is unpaid.

you can still arrange to take unpaid leave with your boss and take that haitus off work.

why does it have to be mandated?!?

 

unpaid leave also == to no income. having a kid is already blardy expensive to begin with, loogee one month pay summore?!? nao pai ah?

 

somemore, unpaid leave == bonus prorated, who the hell want that?!?

 

reading between the lines, making it unpaid will also result in more people not utilizing it. then later will come out to say, "see, the scheme is there, but no one is utilizing it. no i dun give. give liow no one take!"

TMD!

 

 

I am guessing based on experience in hospital. If you want to take no pay leave you also need a reason for it. Just because you agree not to be paid does not mean the management will approve. Valid reasons must be given.

 

So I believe making this a valid reason will help people who are not in civil service to get the leave. Cos there may be private sector employers who want documentary proof even for no pay leave and having this announced in parliament will help in such cases. Of cos if you are saying what about unscrupulous employers and so on no comments on that.

 

Losing one month of salary plus pro rated bonus must be seen in the context of one more month with the child. Unless you are living paycheck to paycheck would you rather earn 10k more over your lifetime (an example of salary. Can be lower can be higher) or earn 10k less but have one more month to spend with your child? Unless you are really living hand to mouth and will die or starve with one month plus less salary.

 

I learned one thing in life. I used to say don't waste one month salary on unnecessary experience. Then I realise after a while the money will be earned back but when I never experienced the experience when I had the chance I never have the chance to do it again. It's gone forever.

 

Two cents

Edited March 3, 2017 by Philipkee

[Kusje]

I am guessing based on experience in hospital. If you want to take no pay leave you also need a reason for it. Just because you agree not to be paid does not mean the management will approve. Valid reasons must be given.

 

So I believe making this a valid reason will help people who are not in civil service to get the leave. Cos there may be private sector employers who want documentary proof even for no pay leave and having this announced in parliament will help in such cases. Of cos if you are saying what about unscrupulous employers and so on no comments on that.

 

Losing one month of salary plus pro rated bonus must be seen in the context of one more month with the child. Unless you are living paycheck to paycheck would you rather earn 10k more over your lifetime (an example of salary. Can be lower can be higher) or earn 10k less but have one more month to spend with your child? Unless you are really living hand to mouth and will die or starve with one month plus less salary.

 

I learned one thing in life. I used to say don't waste one month salary on unnecessary experience. Then I realise after a while the money will be earned back but when I never experienced the experience when I had the chance I never have the chance to do it again. It's gone forever.

 

Two cents

 

If your employer won't allow you to take non-mandated no-pay leave for legit purposes, don't you think it is likely they will tekan you when you come back anyway?

[Othello]

Friend of mine took unoaid leave twice when RSAF hubby posted overseas. Came back twice with job, though might not necessarily get old job back depending on availability. Stat board by the way... It helps when she is also a good and responsible worker

[Mustank]

Zheng hoo kang so good, no wonder all the ft want

[Jusnel]

SMLJ.

 

Does this even make any sense at all?

Make some sense

 

Taking unpaid leave sits better with company coz it's unpaid. No financial loss to the company except that they have to look into your workload disbursement. It makes management decision making easier to approve this kind of leave.

 

The message is the govt is telling us that it's up to us to take this leave coz it's unpaid. We sacrifice our pay to take leave, so it's our discretion to use it.

 

The govt is smart. They don't wan to be burdened and faced criticism from companies, yet they provide more "welfare" avenue for us.

 

Scholars at work.......

[Fuelsaver]

Child care leaves is something debatable. 1 year got 365 days, so that few days or months leaves will decide if you should have more children?

 

A overall work life balanced work environment is more important. Those without children or grown up children not important? They maybe grand parents, uncle or aunt that are also helping out.

 

A stronger labour law that limit number of work hours allowed per day will do wonders.

work life balance is an illusion i think, or i haven't met any good superior and company before?

 

my limited knowledge tells me that in a country w only human capital, we can't afford work life balance. govt may like to paint a nice picture or lead by example but that's becos they can budget for it. many local firms may not b able to afford such budgets.

 

strong labor law is like strong consumer law - won't apply much in our pro-business culture..

 

dunno what the future holds for s'pore really, when we r dependent on big nations..

[DACH]

I think what she is trying to say is this.

 

1) the current parental leave and such which are paid are not fully utilised for a few reasons. One is there is no need for it and one is because of pressure at the workplace.

 

2) giving extra paid leave might not be useful as employers in the private sector might choose the easier way out and that is to sack the person taking extra paid leave. Having it unpaid might just sit better with private sector employers. Extra paid leave which is claimable to the gift (so private employers will not face the pinch)might happen in the future as this is the trial period.

 

3) sometimes it's not the money but the employee physical presence is needed. Your example is wrong. The correct example is you earn 5k a month. You can get another 5k in bonus but you will not be given because you don't need it. Which is kind of stupid for her to say it so bluntly.

 

4) I believe she has a kpi to meet so before she start throwing money to parents (1 is civil servant) must be assured money well spent and tfr increases otherwise people will slam her for giving more money to parents while tfr never increase (and need more foreigners still) when the money could be better used elsewhere.

 

Two cents. Not a pap supporter but just giving unbiased and neutral view.

Just to add on.

 

5) they do not want to pay for the additional money to pay the additional month leave and that might make them to tax more money from the people to pay for that. But they are not going to do it (for now) because people will feel its unfair and make more noises after having to pay more taxes.

[Jamesc]

Don't do it.

 

Its a trap.

 

If you take 6 months or a year off

 

and when you come back

 

your department is running even better

 

you will lose your job.

 

There again maybe cs don't work this way.

 

I have never joined them.

 

[Jamesc]

But what I would really like to know is

 

if you take 1 year no pay leave

 

will you still get 14 days annual leave?

 

[Othello]

But what I would really like to know is

 

if you take 1 year no pay leave

 

will you still get 14 days annual leave?

 

 

of cos, free to use during the period. No approval needed, Own Time Own Target 

[Fuelsaver]

But what I would really like to know is

 

if you take 1 year no pay leave

 

will you still get 14 days annual leave?

 

eh, mai prata lei, NO PAY still wanna get paid ah?

 

i think u must twang alot during ur ns days...

[Still2016]

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

 

INTERVIEWS

 

Former EDB Chairman Philip Yeo’s latest biography sheds light on leadership pitfalls

 

“Neither Civil Nor Servant” is a no-holds- barred biography on his contributions to Singapore’s economic growth post-independence.

 

ANNE LOH

 

Former EDB chairman Philip Yeo played a pivotal role in Singapore’s development from Third World to First through his work in the military, economic and biomedical fields.

 

Known for making things happen at breakneck speed during his four decades in public service, he gained a reputation as an outspoken maverick who nevertheless got things done, from jump-starting industries to talent recruitment. He created Jurong Island for the energy and chemical industry by reclaiming seven islands; started MNC-sponsored EDB scholarships as an ongoing means to replace EDB officers; corralled the best brains of the country into A*star (Agency for Science, Technology and Research); and spearheaded biomedical research by attracting international pharmaceuticals to do their R&D in Singapore. The following edited excerpt from Neither Civil Nor Servant – The Philip Yeo Story sheds light on his leadership style.

 

AN OPEN BOOK Through 10 interviews with Philip Yeo, and 40 with those who’ve worked with him or known him, readers will gain an insight into the heady days of Singapore’s early nation-building.

 

What is the rationale behind your firing-squad approach to managers?

 

Like Dr Goh (Keng Swee), I don’t believe people can change. So the best way to change an organisation is to burn it down and start afresh. That means I sack the whole lot of managers. In every organisation, there are three types of people: the emperors at the top, the workers at the bottom, and the eunuchs in the middle.

 

The ruler says, “I want my pyramid,” and the workers are the people who build it. The eunuchs are the ones who shuffle papers. They don’t do any real work. Their objectives are to keep the emperor happy. How to do that? Keep the emperor entertained or distract him with other preoccupations. Eunuchs destroy empires. It was true in China and also in the West. The Ottoman Empire was brought down by eunuchs too. All they did was create problems between the emperors and the commanders who did real work out in the battlefields.

 

Who are the eunuchs in the Singapore context?

 

We call them “staffers”. I advise CEOs and top civil servants to go into the field, visit the companies and spend time with the workers. But many still prefer to hold meetings and presentations. They create another layer and it is a layer filled with staff ers. Soon, the leader will be infected with eunuch disease.

 

What is eunuch disease?

 

It is when a leader surrounds himself with staffers and he becomes increasingly isolated. It is a common cancer in pyramidal organisations. The best organisation structure is flat. If I’m the emperor, I would want to see the generals myself. Increasingly, the emperors in Singapore do not see their generals because there are so many layers.

 

How did Singapore get to this stage? Is it because as society becomes more developed, it requires a more complex governance structure?

 

No, it’s how the leadership has evolved. There are so many papers which need to be submitted, and then summarised for the management. Why can’t the leader read the paper himself? Dr Goh used to demand that a paper be no longer than one page and it must be written in simple English. He always said: short and sharp. If you cannot tell me in one page or in five minutes, it means you have no clarity of thought. I have no patience because a damn idiot wants to write his grandmother’s story.

 

Is this a result of how talent is recruited?

 

The organisation wants stability. There must be a balance with some turmoil. If it is all stability, it gets really boring and a maverick won’t want it. He will run away. You will get people who are honest and respectable, but you won’t get mavericks. These are the people who follow rules – “Yes, Sir, I will do this.”

 

They are your obedient kids in schools and teachers like them. They grow up to be good eunuchs. They sit down and don’t move around. They are better than the guy who cannot sit still, the kind who has an itchy backside and will get into trouble.

 

I used to get into trouble in school. I finished my work fast and I made noise in class. The teacher made me stand at the blackboard. I’m happy to stand. Better than sitting in the stupid chair.

 

How much of this increasing bureaucratisation is seen in Singapore today?

 

The management is too involved in day-to-day matters. They become administrators rather than leaders. Let me tell you a story. When Lee Kuan Yew was in charge, he called me to Istana one day. He was still Prime Minister and I was EDB chairman. I sat down. It was just the two of us.

 

“Can you bring investments to Woodlands?” he asked me.

 

“Can you put an MRT station there?” I replied.

 

Finished. I walked out. Our conversation lasted less than a minute. I knew he called the Minister of Communications right away and said that Woodlands must get an MRT station. I quickly got TECH (Texas Instruments, EDB, Canon and Hewlett-Packard – Semiconductors) to get set up in Woodlands, way before the MRT station was even up. I pushed for projects to go to Woodlands. I didn’t write a memo. I didn’t have to answer him on how we were going to do it. He took my word and I took his word. He wanted something and I delivered.

 

Today, ministers overwork – doing everything and appearing everywhere. When there were issues with CPF, the minister answered. Where was the CPF chairman? When the trains broke down, the minister answered. Where was the SMRT chairman? In the past, the civil servants would take charge.

 

Now, the Admin Officers are quiet. That is a sad thing. In my time, permanent secretaries were permanent in their postings. Today, we should call them “temporary secretaries” because they get rotated every few years. There’s no reservoir of experience… they are constantly rotated and they have no depth.

 

How does this contrast with the Old Guard leaders?

 

The Old Guards were politicians. They built a nation from next to nothing. They didn’t care about the nitty gritty. Just get the bloody job done. Bring in investments, create jobs, build up an army. They didn’t have time to discuss with you “on the one hand and on the other hand”. They sketched the big picture, they told you what they wanted and they left you alone to do it. It’s based on trust.

 

Do you think Singapore can remain exceptional?

 

It depends on exceptional people who’re willing to serve. It’s up to the present leadership and the future generation. I’m concerned about Singapore’s economy. What’s the next engine of our growth?

 

Is it tourism? But do you create good jobs with tourism? You don’t need highly qualified people. All you need is a tour guide. Look at Formula One. For a few days, all the chauffeured cars and the hotels are occupied. It’s like the Singapore Airshow. It’s a one-week event and the tourists leave after that. These are not sustainable, everyday industries. These are icing on the cake.

 

So far, I haven’t seen anything new that can create good and sustainable jobs. After biomedical sciences, what’s next? Space? What are we selling to our young people? What’s the new dream? It is a harder job today for EDB. But we must keep trying.

 

How do you think you will be remembered in Singapore?

 

Not my problem.

 

Neither Civil Nor Servant is published by Straits Times Press. The book is written by Peh Shing Huei, Singapore Literature Prize-winning author and former news editor and China bureau chief at The Straits Times.

[Jellandross]

Thanks for the good read. Sounds like the current lot is leading us into a bleak future. So there must be a bunch of these in the parliament right now?

 

Edited March 4, 2017 by Jellandross

[Showster]

My thoughts are that the problem is that Politicians of the old guard type will not quite be able to rise up the ranks in today's system.

 

They take too much risk and stand out like sore thumbs.

 

Those that do today are those that are 100% safe, not even 99%.

[Victor68]

Recently, during a radio show, they interviewed the founder of Plan B who was a former CEO of a MNC. I thought I heard him said, the government should not brings in top civil servants from the uniform group but to have people from the real corporate world with real exposures and experiences. He gave this piece of suggestion to a minister that smile with no reply.

 

The morale of the story, as long as this group of people are in power controlling, you need a 'coup' to change this mindset.