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.

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

How to Hire Older Workers - Free HR Course?

WANT TO HIRE OLDER WORKERS? HERE'S HOW

Free HR courses to help small firms hire and retain mature workers

Cheow Xin Yicheowxinyi@mediacorp.com.sg
MORE help is on the way for SMEs looking to hire older workers.
Following the 2005 "Advantage! Scheme" to spur firms to recruit, retrainor re-employ mature workers over 40, smaller businesses can now get helpin implementing their human resource (HR) policies to retain their workersbeyond the retirement age of 62.
Yesterday, the Enterprise Development Centre @ Association of Small &Medium Enterprises, supported by Workforce Development Agency (WDA),offered "Advantage! for SMEs", a new initiative for SMEs that providesfree HR-related courses starting in September.
"We have received feedback from SMEs that they are unsure how they canbenefit from the (Advantage!) scheme as many of them have only a handfulof older workers in their companies," said WDA chief executive Mr Ong YeKung.
"The new initiative is a practical way for SMEs to receive some assistancein implementing re-employment policy, even if they do not apply for thefinancial grant," he said.
Under the earlier scheme, companies can apply for a grant of up to$400,000 to fund efforts in hiring seniors.
The schemes play a role in preparing companies for a new law on re-hiringmature workers that is scheduled to kick in by 2012.