Blog

Singaporeans Are Progressively Doing Business Over Instant Messaging

Once viewed primarily as a secret language used by teenagers, instant messaging (IM) has now evolved into a communicative tool for businesses. The likes of communicative tools such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Skype etc are gradually welcomed in the workplace, to support or even replace traditional forms of communications.

Singapore is experiencing this shift in a major way and it definitely comes as no surprise. Singaporeans are already using instant messaging more than other markets, with 76% of people using it every day, primarily through Facebook and WhatsApp.

IM is no doubt gaining momentum in the workplace as the benefits it offers for businesses are aplenty. Here are some of the IM's pros that businesses can stand to gain.

Finding The Right Business Partner For Your Startup

Starting a business is no doubt challenging. Despite the recent surge in startups across the world, we have also seen a fairly large number of these startups pulling out of the market in less than two years. Of course, this does not mean that setting up a business is equivalent to setting yourself up for failure. It is possible to overcome the high barriers of entry in any business startup. Understandably, facing these barriers to entry can be challenging if you were to go at it alone. That is why most entrepreneurs will choose to launch their company with one or several other business partners to lighten the load.

The advantages of starting a business with a couple of business partners are aplenty. From a business context, a business partner has a rather broad definition. It could mean having someone to work alongside you to build your business, or perhaps individuals or companies who contribute in specific areas, such as marketing, payroll etc. While there are definitely plenty of business partners available, the key here is to find good business partners that will contribute to the success of your startup.

If you are on the lookout for business partners but not sure where to start, here are some tips to find, evaluate and eventually work with a prospective business partner.

Here's Why You Should Not Be Surprised When Your Employees Leave

There is a saying that: employees do not leave companies, they leave their managers. However, this is true only to a certain extent. There are numerous reasons why your employees might leave - higher pay elsewhere, career progression, pursue further studies, start their own business etc.

However, there are certain patterns to why employees decide to move on from what it might seem to be the perfect employment.

Here are some of the tell-tale signs that might indicate your employees' intention to leave sooner than you think.

Is Your HR Department Overstepping The Ethical Boundaries of Employee Data Usage?

Ethics in the workplace is broadly defined as the prescribed standard of conduct that people in the workplace should adhere to in their work relationships.

However, ethical issues in businesses have always been complex and blurred. With the emergence and advancement of new data technologies, this has simply exacerbated the unclear boundaries.

The advancements of technologies in the workplace, particularly in the HR department, has allowed employers to amass and analyse large volumes of employees’ data. These employees’ data can easily be extracted through text contained in company documents, email exchanges or instant messaging in office or even via social media.

The need to collect employees’ data was primarily driven by the obligation to ensure legislation or contractual compliance within the organisation. Additionally, employees’ information are collected for HR administrative matters as well, such as payroll, taxes filing, salary disbursement and for record-keeping in certain cases of legal matters.