How to Negotiate a Salary Increase in Singapore

Negotiating a salary increase can help you maximize your earnings in the Lion City. Although Singapore’s salaries are among the highest in the region, the cost of living is also high. If you are considering a salary negotiation, here are some ways to increase your confidence and make the task less nerve-wracking.

#1: BE PREPARED

Before entering any negotiation, it is crucial to do your research. Preparation can help you reduce your nerves. Research the industry’s average salary for your designation, the company’s financial performance, and any related economic factors.

You can use Salary Comparison tools online, which are designed to give you a comprehensive overview of key roles and their respective salaries. For instance, you can check out MOM’s Salary Comparison feature to compare your salary across organizations of various industries, establishment sizes, and employee types. This free feature comes with colorful graphs, which makes the information easy to understand.

#2: DESCRIBE YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS

When negotiating a salary increase, display your accomplishments to underscore the value you bring to the company. Highlight any projects you have led or have been involved with as well as the recognitions or awards you have received.

Do not forget to focus on the numbers! You can try to deny it as much as you want, but businesses revolve around making profits and growing numbers. Use statistics as direct proof of your contributions to the company. For example, in the past two months, I have brought in three new clients, which resulted in an 80% total increase in the company’s sales.

#3: IGNORE YOUR PREVIOUS SALARY

Ignore your previous salary. While it is always better to earn more than in your previous job, using your last drawn salary as a benchmark is by no means a good gauge. You have gained so much experience, skills, and knowledge since then. Instead, look at your objective value to the company.

#4: IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS

When talking about value, your added skills and abilities can help the company to flourish. Turn the tables into your favor by having appropriate education, expertise, and experience. Start by focusing on investing in seminars, workshops, and courses.

Best of all? Most of these resources are available at no cost. In the comfort of your own home, you can acquire Google and Microsoft certificates online. There are other online platforms that offer free courses such as Centre for Excellence and Coursera.

#5: BE SPECIFIC

When stating your intent for an increase, you need to be specific and provide a realistic range. This will give the company some flexibility in meeting your expectations while also opening the floor for negotiation.

#6: CONSIDER OTHER BENEFITS

As an HR Consultant, I often give a brief background about the company and emphasize its company benefits to draw candidates closer to the organization. If your company is unable to meet your desired salary increase now, you can consider negotiating other benefits such as flexible working hours, childcare allowance, improved health plans, training opportunities, or additional vacation leaves. Can you imagine having your company shoulder half of your childcare fees or overseas workshop costs? These benefits add to your overall compensation package.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

BOTTOMLINE

In conclusion, negotiating a salary increase can be challenging. However, with sufficient preparation and the right approach, it can also be a rewarding experience. Remember to do your research, highlight your accomplishments, be specific, invest in knowledge expansion, and consider other benefits. With these tips, you can successfully negotiate a salary increase and maximize your earnings in Singapore.

Sources: 1 & 2

Read More...

Extremely Drained from Work? Here are 5 Ways to Feel Less Tired

There’s something about working eight hours a day that leaves us feeling exhausted. Whether you constantly deal with difficult clients or completing an important project, a day at work can leave you unmotivated to do anything else. How are you supposed to meet up with your friends or to teach your child how to accomplish his homework?

Feeling depleted or burnout due to work demands can manifest in a variety of ways such as:

a. having negative, cynical, or pessimistic feelings about your job,
b. finding it difficult to be productive, and
c. feeling less confident about your work.

If you experience any of these symptoms, it may be time to start identifying the triggers that may contribute to your fatigue and consider making changes to achieve a healthy work-life balance.

WHAT IS STRESS-RELATED FATIGUE?

When you are heavily suffocated with stress in the workplace, you can experience stress-related fatigue. Feeling emotionally and physically down can be due to being sedentary at work, consuming too much sugar and caffeine, not taking enough breaks, and being in a stressful work environment. You may deal with this type of fatigue because of heavy workload, job insecurity, or other life and work stressors.

#1: SKIP ON CAFFEINE

We cannot deny the stimulating effects of caffeine, but if you do not want to spend the entire night scrambling around, drinking espresso after work is probably not a good idea. Try munching a banana instead.

You will be surprised by how a banana boosts your productivity! Bananas are a fantastic source of carbohydrates, natural sugar, and vitamins. All of these helps increase your energy levels.

#2: TAKE A POWER NAP

During your lunch break or after work, you can consider taking a power nap. If you can find a quiet space to rest, napping earlier in the day is better to avoid ruining your nighttime routine.

Even a 20-minute nap will help revitalize your body and make you feel fresh. However, be sure to set your alarm to prevent oversleeping. Otherwise, you’ll wake up feeling groggy.

#3: EXERCISE REGULARLY

After an exhausting day at work, you might feel that exercise is the last thing on your mind. Believe it or not, regular exercise will make you feel less tired in the long haul. Walking and physical activity can help manage stress and increase your energy levels.

Do this gradually. Build up your stamina over time until you reach the recommended goal of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (e.g., cycling, doubles tennis, or brisk walking) as well as strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (i.e., legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

#4: DRINK MORE WATER

You’ll likely notice a change in your mood, ability to concentrate, and energy level when you are dehydrated. In fact, studies have shown that being just half a liter dehydrated can elevate your cortisol levels. So, keep fatigue at bay by drinking water sufficiently. Drinking enough water can help reduce the negative psychological and physiological impacts of stress.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

#5: CONSIDER TALK THERAPY

Research shows that talking therapies such as counselling or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) might help fight fatigue or tiredness, caused by stress, low mood, or anxiety. Ask for support from your trusted social circles or seek professional help.

Sources: 1, 2, 3,  4, & 5

Read More...

Why Is Professional Development Important To Career Progression

a man giving a thumbs up to a lady at work

Introduction

Growing up, we all dreamt of becoming successful in our professional careers. But how do we measure this success? Before we begin, let’s make one thing clear. It’s all about perspectives, and perspectives are always subjective. So becoming a manager of your current team is a success, and for us, it could be something as trivial as getting traffic on a single article.

While success can differ from person to person, one thing remains unchanged, and that is progress. You can only progress in your career when you embrace growth and, more importantly, professional development. And that is precisely what we will talk about today – stay tuned to find out!

Why Is Professional Development Important To Career Progression?

Several professional short courses in Singapore discuss not just why professional development is important but, more importantly, how to develop yourself professionally for career growth. But have you ever wondered why professional development is so important?

Professional development is something that we all need to embrace career growth – how will you grow professionally if you don’t expand your knowledge base and update your skills? So without wasting any more time, scroll down to discover why professional development is so important for your career progression.

1. Expands Your Knowledge Base

There’s no denying that professional development can expand your entire knowledge base. At the same time, it can expose experienced and young professionals to multiple new ideas, boost their expertise and solidify their entire knowledge base in their individual fields. And that’s not all.

Professionals who are always on the lookout for new learning opportunities will also benefit greatly from all kinds of professional development. When your knowledge base expands, your skill set automatically grows, thereby increasing your scope for obtaining better growth and training opportunities in a professional sphere.

2. Increases Your Hireability And Earning Potential

Of course, professional development will increase your hiring and earning potential. When you embrace professional development in your career, your knowledge base expands, and subsequently, your skills get updated. This, in turn, boosts your earning potential. And not just that – it also boosts your future hiring potential.

Professional certifications, designations, and even credentials – most of these can be easily accessed and even obtained online – almost always provide simple methods for increasing any professional’s market value. Any professional with all the right skills always seeks and makes the most of upskilling opportunities – these professionals are always more bankable.

3. Boosts Credibility And Confidence

Professional development enhances both your credibility and confidence. By boosting any professional’s expertise via professional development, both their credibility and confidence in work life increase. After all, no professional would like to miss out on upskilling and learning new skills in their niche or, more importantly, their industry.

Training opportunities and professional development certification courses enable both experienced and young professionals to build credibility and confidence as they keep acquiring new skills and even professional designations. This is true for most career options making professional development vital for career progression and growth.

4. Provides Networking Opportunities

Of course, professional development provides plenty of networking opportunities. Several such opportunities like conferences, workshops, or even other such events motivate professionals to actually branch out for meeting other professionals within the same industry. People you meet at these events can help with future career opportunities.

When a professional is ready for change or just planning to go up in their career, it is their professional relationships and, ultimately, professional network that comes in handy. This is the network you are building while embracing professional development. These conferences are your networking opportunities so that you can use them wisely when the time comes.

No Career Growth Without Professional Development

So now that you know why professional development is important for career growth, what are your thoughts on learning from your mistakes and embracing growth?

As we mentioned in the beginning, success is very subjective in its appeal and approach, but at the same time, only one thing remains constant – and that is your professional development and growth.

Tell us what you think about developing yourself professionally for embracing growth. And while doing so, feel free to share your professional experiences with us in the comments below.

 

Read More...

7 Simple Ways to Stay Positive at Work

Psychology defines attitude as a set of emotions, beliefs, and behaviors toward a particular object, person, or event. It involves a person’s perspective or mindset.

What does it mean to have a positive attitude at work?

There are times when it is crucial to have a positive mindset at work. Whether you are meeting with difficult clients or giving an important presentation to your supervisors, you need to solve problems with zestiness to arrive at a beneficial outcome.

Having and practicing a positive attitude is not about being blindly optimistic or avoiding negative scenarios. Instead, it means being realistic about people and situations at work, while acknowledging both failures and successes. With a positive attitude, setbacks are not interpreted as a sign to give up because they motivate the person to begin improvement and problem solving.

When you feel exhausted or disappointed because of constant work-related failures, it is harder to keep a positive attitude. Thus, you have to learn strategies to maintain a positive attitude at work. Maintaining this will enable you to stay productive, motivate others, and achieve your organization’s goals.

#1: INTERACT WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE

It only takes a few rotten apples to spoil the barrel. Surrounding yourself with co-workers who complain about everything can make you see the world in a different light. You might think that radiating your positivity can help change them, but that is not always the case. It is best to surround yourself with positive people.

Connect with people who ignite innovative ideas, enjoy their tasks, and who are interested in many things outside of work.

#2: ALTER YOUR VOCABULARY

Your overall work attitude can improve by adjusting your vocabulary. Consider replacing negative words with positive words in conversations and performance appraisals. Let your team members know what they are doing right and how they can improve in other areas rather than only focusing on what they are doing incorrectly.

#3: FOCUS ON THE SOLUTIONS

Focusing on the solutions will enable you to think of the best ways to address an issue. If you feel that a co-worker is not contributing to the team, consider assigning the person to a new task or offering one-on-one coaching.

#4: SMILE MORE

Smiling more often may improve your mood, according to studies. It can also help clients and co-workers feel more comfortable when interacting with you. Make an effort to smile several times throughout your workday.

#5: SHOW YOUR GRATITUDE

Appreciating others and extending your gratitude are priceless gestures that can impact a person. Selfless acts of kindness most often result in appreciation from your co-workers or your boss, which can make you both feel good. For instance, you can give a card or a simple gift to your co-worker who recently got married.

#6: REWARD YOURSELF

As much as you appreciate others, you must also reward yourself. Improve your attitude while at work by rewarding yourself when you attain milestones or small wins. For instance, you can take yourself out to your favorite restaurant after accomplishing a certain number of tasks throughout the week. Doing something you love can help motivate you to continue working.

#7: TAKE (MUCH NEEDED) BREAKS

Taking breaks during the day can help lessen stress and negativity. Go for a short walk during your lunch break or do some light stretches when you have time. To ensure that you have more time to slow down at the end of your shift, consider completing your complex tasks earlier in the day.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

If you are feeling immensely stressed, it may be beneficial to your mental health to take a day off work.

Sources: 1 & 2

Read More...

Work Efficiency Tips for People with ADHD

People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can experience different challenges at work. These challenges include struggling to finish tasks, difficulty in prioritizing assignments, and feelings of boredom.

Pinpointing effective strategies to help you cope with these challenges can greatly impact your work success and overall happiness.

#1: TIME YOUR TASKS

Use a timer to adjust the schedule of each work task. Be realistic about the time you need to accomplish something. Plan for urgent tasks and prioritize as some things take longer than you think. For some people, thirty minutes of work followed by a 10-minute break is beneficial. For others, a shorter work or break period may work better.

#2: PREPARE YOUR STATION

Prepare your workstation to stimulate concentration. A conducive working station looks different for everyone. Personally, I prefer working in a quiet area with a comfortable and a table. Do you prefer to work with the blinds half open or closed? Do you prefer to be sitting on a pillow or a hard bench? Prepare your environment for focus.

#3: START WITH THE FUN

Do the interesting tasks first. Once you get the fun stuff done and have your dopamine high, your body would want more things to be accomplished. This will lead you to finishing the rest of the uninteresting tasks.

#4: HAVE BREAKS

Give yourself a transition time between tasks. For mentally challenging projects, you can set a 10-minute break to take a walk or to sip a cup of joe. Use this time to psych yourself up for the next task on your to-do list.

#5: AVOID MULTITASKING

Multitasking hurts productivity and causes people to lose time switching between tasks. This statement pertains to employees with or without ADHD. Staying focused on a task is necessary to get it done. If you frequently multitask, you will have a tougher time completing the necessary tasks. Do things one at a time.

#6: SPLIT COMPLICATED TASKS

Adults with ADHD tend to have difficulty with long, multi-step tasks. For complicated tasks, you can split it into manageable chunks. Break the large tasks into smaller steps that are not as intimidating. This will help you keep up your momentum as you focus on the next doable step.

#7: LIMIT DISTRACTIONS

While you are at work, try to limit the distractions. Request a private space in the office and shut the door to block out distractions. If this is not possible, you can politely ask for your spot to be placed away from the main work area. Of course, these options are not always available.

#8: SEEK SUPPORT

A supportive co-worker or an understanding manager can help you stay on task and be your source of support. Some people have found it helpful to share information about ADHD to their employers. Sharing your condition and seeking help can make work more successful.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Boosting your focus at work often involves a bit of experimenting. Keep track of which strategies you are using and monitor your progress. Should things get increasingly difficult you can seek the help of a mental health professional to manage your symptoms.

Sources: 1 & 2

 

Read More...