How To Motivate Your Employees Without Spending Money

There is an abundance of books, articles, speeches, and workshops that claim to know the secrets behind employee motivation. However, not all of these “secrets” work due to the lack of research behind them. This is why it is important to search for methods which are backed by the principles of Science, Social Studies, or Psychology.

Here are three of the well-renowned theories of motivation which can help you increase workplace productivity:

THE POWER OF GOALS

Goal-setting Theory suggests that properly set and well-managed goals increase employee’s motivation. To apply this theory at the workplace, a manager can assign some SMART goals to his or her employees.

Goal-setting and feedback go hand-in-hand. After communicating the goals, you shall track the performance of each employee in order for them to know if they successfully reached them. Proper execution of feedback will enable the employee to adapt the desirable behavior.

If a goal is met, reward your employee by giving recognition. You can personally acknowledge the achievements and efforts of your employees thru group memos, writing an email, handing a personal note, or awarding a certificate.

THE POWER OF OWNERSHIP

Proponents of the Job Characteristics Model states that jobs will have motivating potential if they offer variety, task significance, and task identification among others.

Let me focus on one aspect: task identification. It is the extent to which an employee feels accountable for the outcomes of the job to the point that it becomes an integral part of his or her identity. Increase task identification contributes to performance and job satisfaction.

Boost this aspect by letting your employees contribute to the planning, reporting, and evaluating phases of the projects.

THE POWER OF OBSERVATION

There is a tendency of people to work harder if they know that they are being watched or observed. Researchers dubbed this tendency as the “Hawthorne Effect”. It is named after a series of studies that was conducted at Hawthorne’s Western Electric Company. The studies measured the influence of physical working conditions on productivity. Rather than the physical changes in environment, employees were motivated to work harder as a reaction to the attention given to them.

Apply the Hawthorne Effect at the workplace by asking for your employees’ suggestions regarding their preferences in the working conditions. Then, ensure that you know what your employees are up to by providing regular feedback.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Keeping your workers motivated is easier said than done. May these theories and its applications help you to accomplish your duties as managers or business owners!

Sources: 1,  2, & 3

Read More...

Overcoming The Common Interviewer Biases

An interview for a possible job opportunity or salary increase is ultimately founded by an interaction between two or more individuals. Due to the nature of human behavior, both the interviewer and the interviewee are subjected to Psychological biases and errors.

What my background in Psychology has taught me is that these biases can be conquered. Awareness of the different biases is the first step!

AFFECT HEURISTIC

In Psychology, affect refers to the person’s overt display of feelings and emotions while heuristic allows people to make judgements swiftly and efficiently. Putting these two together will produce the Affect Heuristic. The Affect Heuristic is an error in judgement due to interpreting the world based on the person’s current mood.

For instance, if the interviewer had a horrible day due to domestic conflicts then, he or she may project negative feelings onto you. 

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

This error goes hand-in-hand with the negativity bias. Negativity bias happens when individuals give more emphasis on the bad experiences rather than the good ones. Hence, you have to be careful with the pattern of your feelings and thoughts!

CONFIRMATION BIAS

As the name suggests, Confirmation Bias is the tendency to listen solely to the information that approves one’s preconceptions.

Say your parents instilled the idea that superior employees are products of local universities only. As an interviewer, you encountered aspirants who graduated from private schools such as PSB Academy and EASB. You may be more inclined to apply your preconceptions to make false judgements about their abilities.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Spend a substantial amount of time in evaluations to overcome this bias and increase rater’s accuracy.

ANCHORING BIAS

Anchoring Bias is the tendency of some people to rely heavily on the first piece of information they receive. For instance, you are negotiating your salary. The first offer that you make will establish a spectrum of “reasonable” possibilities and the following counteroffers will be anchored by that initial offer.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Negotiating a salary is a conversation that aims to reach an agreement with someone whose interests are not perfectly aligned with yours. Make your first offer count despite of the Anchoring Bias by researching all the necessary information such as the average pay for your position.

CONTRAST EFFECT

Contrast Effect is the “magnification or reduction of perception as a result of previous exposure to something of lesser or greater quality”. A candidate who understands the essence of this effect will immediately volunteer after a poor candidate in order for his or her ratings to be optimum.

Reduce the Contrast Effect by delegating a standardized criteria where you base your decisions on. Thus, your interviews, discussions, and evaluations must all be structured.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

May you apply your knowledge of these common cognitive biases to your next interview! 🙂

Sources:  1 & 2

Read More...

POSB offers the Save-As-You-Earn (SAYE) programme to everyone, providing a bonus interest rate of 2% per annum (From 3 Aug 16)

POSB SAVE AS YOU EARN ACCOUNT

Programme from 1970s makes a comeback, providing a bonus interest rate of 2% p.a. on customers’ monthly savings 

In the latest media release, POSB announced today (3 Aug) that the iconic POSB Save-As-You-Earn (SAYE) programme will be reintroduced.

First launched in 1974, the programme was introduced to encourage Singaporeans to cultivate a habit of setting aside a portion of their salary as savings.

In June this year, POSB offered this programme exclusively to full-time national servicemen (NSFs) to recognise their contribution towards national building under the POSB “Save As You Serve” (SAYS) programme. This special scheme allows full-time national servicemen, or NSFs, to enjoy a bonus interest rate of 2 per cent per annum.

In the lead up to the nation’s 51st birthday, POSB, Singapore’s oldest and most loved bank, announced that they will expand the savings programme to include all Singapore customers, effectively bringing back the POSB SAYE.

To participate, customers simply need to have a DBS/POSB savings account where their monthly salary is credited to. They can then sign up for a POSB SAYE account where a stipulated amount (between SGD 50 to SGD 3,000) is transferred every month from their DBS/POSB salary-crediting account. The bank will then provide a bonus interest rate of 2% per annum on their monthly contributions in their POSB SAYE account. For more information or to sign up for an account, visit www.posb.com.sg/saye

How much you can save

“It was really convenient for me because our salaries were credited into POSB as well so it was very natural to open POSB SAYE which auto-deducted from my salary every month. My pay was very low then so without the scheme, it would be very easy to spend everything when it comes in!” – Jasmine Yeo, 44, POSB customer

POSB is also marking National Day this year with the launch of the POSB Gallery at the National Library Building. The POSB Gallery showcases how POSB has grown with Singaporeans through the years since its founding in 1877. Featuring precious artefacts from the past, ranging from old POSB passbooks from colonial times to the iconic POSB Lucky Draw Drum used in the 1970s, the gallery tells how POSB mobilised an entire national savings movement and played a key role in the development of Singapore. The bank also hopes the gallery will inspire Singaporeans to share their own POSB memorabilia to add towards its collection, which will go towards a larger exhibition for its 140th anniversary next year. More information on the POSB Gallery and how to contribute POSB memorabilia is available at www.posb.com.sg/posbgallery.

Finally, to thank Singapore customers for their support and to celebrate everything Singaporean, POSB will waive PAssion membership fees for Singapore’s fastest-growing card – the PAssion POSB Debit Card – for five years. On National Day, POSB will also offer 5,000 1-for-1 tickets to selected local attractions, as its gift to the nation. Customers can sign up for this card via DBS/POSB iBanking or visit any DBS/POSB branch for instant issuance.

[fancygallery id=”5″ album=”113″]

Images: POSB Singapore

Read More...

Magnificent Cafés In Singapore That Fit The Student’s Budget

As café rates continue to soar, searching for a spot that offers good food minus the shocking price tag becomes difficult. I totally get that! So, here is a humble list of trendy and affordable cafés of every kind.

Go out and makan with your friends!

1. FOR THE SWEETEST STUDENT: WINDOWSILL CAFÉ

Windowsill Café serves the finest pies and tarts, which go for approximately S$8 per slice. The brains behind it are two brothers named Jonathan and Sean Gwee. Food has been their longstanding passion as they operated some food stalls from Pandan Valley to Takashimaya. Their pies and tarts are crafted with close attention to details and mixture of honest ingredients. When you are here, do not skip on their highly-recommended flavors such as S’mores, Strawberry Lemon, and Banana Cognac.

With the aesthetically pleasing slice of pie and a cup of hot coco (with latte art), you can definitely take the perfect #FOODPORN shot!

Location: 95 Soo Chow Walk, S575382

2. FOR THE PHO-BULOUS PUPIL: LITTLE VIETNAM RESTAURANT & CAFÉ

Little Vietnam Restaurant & Café is a popular place where you can find budget-friendly yet authentic Vietnamese food. Your pocket and your belly will be satisfied after one seating as the average price per person is only S$12. You and your peers will enjoy the extensive menu of the classic Pho, noodles, and rice dishes.

Image Credits: chubbybotakkoala.com

Image Credits: chubbybotakkoala.com

It is a good idea to drop by Little Vietnam after school because their operating operating hours is from 12 noon to 11:30 pm.

Location: 511 Guillemard Road, #01-25/29 Grandlink Square, S399849

3. FOR THE LASAGNA LOVER: SUPER DARIO LASAGNE

A true-blooded Italian, Dario of Super Dario Lasagne, brought the first café that showcases lasagna as their star. It is always a good idea to reward yourself for a well-executed homework by devouring one (or two) of Dario’s bountiful plates of homemade lasagna for as low as S$9.80. The menu is coupled with drinks, breads, salads, and desserts.

Image Credits: facebook.com/sdlasagne

Image Credits: facebook.com/sdlasagne

Check out their delicious menu, here: superdariolasagne.oddle.me.

Location: Super Dario Lasagne Café, #04-17 City Square Mall, S208539

4. FOR THE TENSION-FILLED INDIVIDUAL: TO-GATHER CAFÉ

“Created with Togetherness in mind,To-gather is a home away from home for the young and the young-at-heart (except the fridge is never empty here).” This statement encapsulates the essence of To-gather Café.

It offers generous portions of Western food that cost below S$18. If you feel satiated already, you can share your meal with your beloved friend. That is what togetherness is all about after all!


Consider sipping a cup of their hot Espresso (S$3.20), Café Mocha (S$4.50), or Tea ($4.50) to ease your academic or work stress!

Location: 84 Bedok North Street 4, #01-25/27, S460084

5. FOR THE HEALTHY LEARNER: VEGGIE COTTAGE

Camouflaged within the neighboring grocery stores is a beautifully casual café called Veggie Cottage. It serves a wide array of Asian and Western vegetarian food such as Avocado Salad, Claypot Tofu Rice Set, and Spaghetti Bolognese. They also sell cupcakes to satisfy your sweet tooth.

With seriously inexpensive prices ranging from S$2.50 to S$10.80, you will surely wear a smile while browsing their menu.

Location: 13 Dalhousie Lane, S209682

You do not have to be a student to enjoy these great places with budget-friendly prices! 🙂

Sources: 1 & 2

* Get a FREE Samsonite Black Label Richmond Spinner 75cm luggage worth S$950 and $20 cash rebate 
when you sign up for a HSBC Revolution credit card at www.hsbc.com.sg.

Read More...

What You Need to Know About Starting a Business in Singapore

When it comes to things that many people believe adults must achieve at a certain point in their lives, one of those things happens to be the ability to put up their very own business and earn a good amount of money each month successfully. While not everybody aspires to be an up and coming entrepreneur, it is hard to deny that this profession has its very own set of alluring benefits, such as the prestige that comes with being the owner of your very own company as well as the fact that you could make quite a killing in terms of profits if your business manages to take off. The thing is that businesses are not easy to start up. In fact, they can be downright difficult, if not seem nearly impossible to pull off. But with the right know-how, you should be able to overcome all the odds and start a very successful business. In this article, we will give you a lot of handy tips so that you can make better decisions when it comes to starting your very own company in this very prosperous country.

Deciding What Industry to Break Into

Of course, as with any venture, you will need to consider what type of product or service you will be offering your customers. You cannot offer it all, not unless you were a superhuman businessperson who could flit from one category to another. It would be incredibly tough to try and figure out a marketing strategy for every single type of target market that you wanted to reach and sell to. If you are more creatively inclined, you might want to start an ad agency or a creative studio that provides great visual content to a lot of other businesses by using a business-to-business (otherwise known as B2B) strategy. One of the problems you might have to overcome is the fact that a lot of businesses have started outsourcing to freelancers because they often charge less than a huge ad agency would for a marketing campaign.

You could also just go into the food industry by putting up your very own restaurant and serving the recipes that only you have come up with. However, that would come with its own set of problems, too, such as deciding how much of each ingredient you should buy each week so that you are sure that you are providing your customers fresh components each time you serve them a meal. Having tons of food expire on you before you could even use them could put your bank account in the red much faster than you expected.

You can take into consideration a lot of recent property news from Singapore while you browse for good locations on the super useful sight called Property Singapore. Which industries seem to be booming right now? What are the forecasts by the experts when it comes to the field that you want to try building a career and a name in? What are the things you need to consider for the specific field that you want to build the business in?

Finding the Right Business Space

Whether you need to put up an office or want to build a retail space from scratch, you have to consider a ton of things, including how big the shop should be, as well as where you should put it. If you are just trying to start an office and you do not really need to invite clients over that much, then you can probably get away with starting your office in a location that is not as busy or expensive. However, you will have to contend with the fact that you might have a hard time hiring people if your office is too out of the way for a lot of people who have the skills that you are looking for. On the other hand, if you would like to put up a small store that features all of the products that you would like to offer, then you might want to choose an area that is very close to your target demographic, according to an article by Entrepreneur. Of course, the fact that you are considering Singapore to be your base operations can offer you a ton of benefits, according to the Ministry of Manpower. The country has many free trade agreements that might work to your company’s advantage, and they have laws that can protect your original ideas, too.

Starting a business can be tough, but it does not have to be impossible. As long as you make wise decisions, you should be able to break into whatever type of industry you want, and be successful while you are at it, too. Keep these tips in mind and you will surely make waves across the country with your offerings.

Read More...