Rate how family-friendly is your employer

TRUE or FALSE?
Your employer scores 1 point for being family-friendly with each TRUE, or 2 points if you think your employer deserves an extra point

1. Your employer gives benefits for spouse and children e.g. medical, scholarship awards etc
2. Your employer gives time-off and extra leave when you’ve worked extra hours
3. Your employer gives maternity/paternity leave, gynae, delivery and vaccination benefits
4. Your working hours are flexible
5. Your workplace location is flexible
6. You are entitled to compassionate leave when there is a death in your family
7. You are given housing according to the size of your family
8. Your spouse or children are allowed to be employed in the same workplace
9. Your job does not separate you from your family
10. You have childcare at the office
11. You have a nursing room for mothers
12. It is not a problem to bring your family along on your business trips
13. Your organisation culture allows you to talk about your family, decorate your workspace with family photos etc
14. Your boss has often asked about your family (talking about his own family does not count)
15. Your employer sponsors educational courses on family / parenting
16. Your employer sponsors family counseling
17. Your company calendar includes events for the whole family, e.g. dinners, family days etc
18. It is not a problem to excuse yourself from a project, meeting or added responsibility due to family
19. Your HR manager knows you’re married with kids, and roughly how old they are
20. It is acceptable for your spouse or children to be waiting around with you / for you at work
21. Your employer gives disability benefits for the family
22. Your employer sponsors special needs education for the family
23. Your employer sponsors special medical treatment when insurance doesn’t cover it for the family
24. Your employer gives single parent benefits
25. You don’t work on weekends

SCORING – Total times 2 to get percentage

e.g. 40 x 2 = 80%

RATING
90 – 100 Excellent, your employer deserves an award
70 – 88 Worth keeping the job, even if the pay is low
50 – 68 You have great family-friendly benefits
30 – 48 Still above average
20 – 28 Typical acceptable standard
10 – 18 You are probably complaining already if you have young children
0 – 8 Nobody will blame you if you choose to be a stay at home parent

FB Report Card? Haha!

Hey I know why I like this report card…

It doesn’t have E for Fail…

Social networking apps have done a lot for this urban generation. Sure we have been hacked and phished and all that, but in real life, we also get mugged and harassed… Apps have made it possible for us to survive the daily stress at work, in the traffic… Even when we can’t take leave, at least we can escape reality for a little while… although when you’re having fun, it’s never enough.

We’ve also come to appreciate the diversity of life. It’s fun reading about other people’s exploits, watching their videos and being able to like, comment, tweet whateva… I mean, I may totally lack the guts and the budget to sky dive, but at least my friend allows me to be a part of it…

As evil as life can get, with all sorts of criminal minds lurking across cyberspace, social networking has also become a platform for less criminal but equally damaging activities… like bullying… nevertheless, we are hopeful that the same channel can be used for good… to mobilise this generation to greater heights by doing socially, politically and technologically benefical things…

I’m just a typical end user… happy to share my day and get a take on what’s happening around the world whenever my friends update their apps… Let’s hope more funky devices get invented… It get’s gradually boring to limit my apps on certain devices only…

Oh yeah, but kudos to Yahoo!… I love my centralised access of social apps from my webmail… and kudos to HTC for an affordable android platform which functions stylishly!

Weekends…

Just recalled one sermon that was preached ages ago… the concept of 7 days in a week was made to keep us healthy in every sense… how important is the weekend, think about it… Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Top Ten Money Drainers

In a 2010 global survey at major cities, the following top ten money drainers are:

#10 – Using ATM services which are not from your bank

#9 – Gambling and lottery

#8 – Buying coffee and snacks at gourmet cafes

#7 – Smoking

#6 – Impulsive shopping from catalogues, TV and product roadshows

#5 – Buying branded groceries

#4 – Eating out

#3 – Unused memberships (gym, holiday, direct selling, credit card, satellite or cable TV etc)

#2 – Credit card shopping (online shopping included)

#1 – Mobile phone

So next time you wonder where your money went, check the list.

Your EQ score is 44

It’s been a long time since I did a self-assessment test, and so here are the results of my EQ test.

Range 35 – 44:

You have slightly above average EQ – with room to grow!

You are likely sensitive to the emotional climate of the people around you – your peers, friends, family and key clients.

You are well aware of the effect your behavior has on others. Still, while you may be adept at tuning into others and their needs – you must remember your own! Don’t be afraid to honestly communicate these difficult needs and feelings. The world is well stocked with martyrs – it doesn’t need any more!

Think also about your passion for work (or whatever constitutes your main roles in life – manager of people, doer of tasks, ‘meeter’ of clients’ needs, etc). We spend countless hours in our given roles – sometimes without much joy or satisfaction. In the process we become tranquilized by the trivial. Sedated by the small details of life. Sure, the laundry needs doing, the groceries need getting, the kids need chauffeuring, the deadlines must be knocked off, but we also need to stop and remember what gives us great joy and meaning. If we fail to remind ourselves (on a regular basis), we risk becoming hostile and cynical. We lose our purpose. And this translates to a diminished ability to be effective, at ease and fulfilled.

Areas to work on:

Ask yourself: – What situations generally create tension and stress for you? How are you handling these situations? – What negative thoughts play over and over in your mind on a regular basis? Are these a true picture of reality? – Are you afraid to share your needs and feelings with others? Is it because you are taking care of everyone else – being a martyr – or acting ‘the strong, silent type’?

What 3 things give you the greatest meaning in your life? If you work on gaining clarity in these areas, you will move toward maximizing your full potential and finding greater effectiveness, happiness, and fulfillment in your life.

As William James said:

I have no doubt whatever that most people live, whether physically, intellectually, or morally, in a very restricted circle of their potential being. They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness… much like a man who, out of his whole body organism, should get into the habit of using and moving only his little finger…

We all have reservoirs of life to draw upon, of which we do not dream.