Hiring Older Workers (Part 4)

Sent email and tried calling SNEF a couple of times yesterday in the morning all the way till mid-day. Didn't get a response from them. (haiyaz-sigh, they're not interested in doing my biz)..ok take it elsewhere. Call our Gahmen agency - WDA workforce development agency, (whoa impressive leh), got proper call centre setup, tell them that SNEF didn't call me and all that. Before the day is out I got a call back from WDA officer and received the application forms for the grant. Perhaps I'll ask about the FREE HR COURSE also - its free, why don't want right (the basic Singaporean mentality)?

Hiring Older Workers (part 3)

The move towards making Singapore a "Age Neutral" workplace - is ideal, but also for many it is a requirement to stay alive (not just for the mature worker, but also for the business).

I've sent an email to Singapore National Employers Federation (or SNEF), about the grant scheme to hire older workers. Hope to shed more light on this for all the people who read. Ozone barter - one of my companies will be attempting to apply for this grant if it works out for us. It makes sense as it provides us with the experience of mature workers. So stay tuned to this space.

Coffee Talks

Ever wondered which coffee sells the best?

Let me tell you - a branded coffee. Any of our daily "CuP of LiFe" or as I sometimes like to call it my elixir, if it were branded, you would be willing to pay for it. Spinelli and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf some of the foreign entrants onto our uncultured (in coffee terms) territory, being a marketplace of -local roast (normally with additives into the grounded coffee), which gives it that local Flava - which on some occasions I am attracted to.

What exactly am I driving at - you might ask, its actually a post about branding. Many local SMEs do not brand themselves because they feel that they have no need to brand themselves, to differentiate themselves from the competitors, and to obliterate the noise and communicate directly with their target audience. They do not see it on most occasions is because traditionally Asians do not go out and BLAB about their business - as it being "the best, the fastest, the brightest" It the product/service sells it sells itself - no need to do all these bells and whistles - the whole exercise is pointless.

Starbucks focuses on creating a community environment when selling coffee. Their main business model is pivoted on the selling of Cafexperience. Drink Coffee - experience the lifestyle. It no longer focuses on t he beverage but the experience drinking the coffee. Although the coffee isn't fantastic (by die-hard caffine addicted white-collars), yet many still are willing to part with that their pretty dollar for a cuppa.

I just had dinner with some non-business people (courtesy of St Margaret's Sec School) and the topic of Starbucks came up. 2 Teenagers totally SWEAR-by starbucks, they claim that Starbucks is the place to be - to see and to be seen. (ouch, oldies like us prefer to see than to be seen, especially in a caffine heightened state of agitation). Apparently, our generation Z prefer starbucks over to Spinelli or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Probably given its clear and distinct branding. Its promotion of its lifestyle position in the F&B industry

Local counter-part Ya-Kun is what I would imagine as being equivalently successful in establishing a clear brand message to consumers, while the others like Wang Jiao, Ah Mei Cafe, Killiney Kopitiam are sending mixed and distorted signals.

By this observation, it sends shivers down my spine because it becomes apparent to me that by trying to do more or try to do everything, we confuse people, eventually the signal by not being clear, reduces the ability for a brand to stand the test of time. So it sorta means - Brand now or die shortly. From another standpoint - some SMEs don't do it because of finance. Our GAHMEN has noticed this and has undertaken to provide grants to help SMEs brand themselves. Although I am not certain how easy (or difficult) it is to get these grants, but I hope someone who has gotten the grant, can share their experience on their branding.

How to Hire Older Workers part II

After reading the attention grabbing headlines on my Todayonline - that sneaks into my inbox at about 7am, I thought I had to post it up for all to read. The thing that I felt was a bit silly was the "Free HR Course" which comes as the sub-header.

As if a Free HR Course is going to help SMEs hire mature workers?

Its not going to happen. No it's not that we cannot hire mature workers, SMEs can benefit from the experience these older employees can inject into the company - BUT, SMEs are generally unstructured and fairly unsystematic organisations - even if they grow to the size of having 20-50 staff. These mature individuals will have difficulty becoming accustomed to this unruly, unsystematic and random manner of operating a business.

What SMEs need is not a FREE HR COURSE but more help in drawing in these older workers to want to work for them. SMEs not just have a problem hiring mature workers, they have a problem hiring any type of employee - be it young and immature or old and experienced.

Ask any SME business owner "what is their numero uno problem in operating their business" and they would reply - Hiring capable and talented people to work for them.

I'm not sure about the $400K grant, having processed grants (when I was once employeed), sort of spooked me a little. But anyone used this grant before? Hope to hear your comments.

BTW - I'm hiring too. So if there's anyone that's looking for a job, pls email to yiantay@hotmail.com