Work life

The coronavirus pandemic has shined a light onto societal and economic systems across the world, exposing all kinds of flaws in the way we work - especially around remote work , the treatment of essential workers, and workers' rights. Before all of this, it was common to believe physical company headquarters needed to exist, employees couldn't be as productive working from home , having in-person meetings was essential, and being vulnerable amongst coworkers was taboo. Now, that's all been flipped on its head. I recently spoke with three leaders to explore these fallacies. Here's what they revealed. Flaw #1: Upskilling was a possibility, not a priority. Sean Chou, CEO of cloud-based enterprise software company Catalytic , thinks COVID-19 exposed our short-sightedness when it comes to prioritizing employee upskilling. "COVID disrupted every aspect of how we work," said Chou. "As a result, we're seeing many positions evolve and employees being thrust into new …

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Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Jim Denevan is probably best known as the mastermind of Outstanding In The Field (OTIF), bespoke culinary experiences set in farm vineyards, beaches, meadows, fishing docks, and city streets across the U.S. and beyond. But chef Denevan is also a talented multimedia artist who creates eco-friendly, geometric sand paintings—called “land art”—that only exist for a short time before they succumb to the elements. Using a rake and stick as his tools, he creates works so perfect and symmetrical that they look engineered. Now a new documentary, Man in the Field , tells the extraordinary story of this creative genius, an artist and chef whose background is as unique as has been the course of his life’s work. About Outstanding in the Field Since 1999, well before farm-to-table became an overused buzzword, Denevan came up with the idea of bringing chefs and farmers together in natural settings. He gathered food enthusiasts …

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Chronic stress causes exaggerated levels of cortisol, and this is 'toxic' to the brain. This is particularly important in the context of ‘burnout’. Content warning, trigger warning: This article contains mentions of suicidal thoughts and suicide. One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart - Linda Poindexter What would it be like to start a rock band without a lead singer or lead guitarist? That’s how a 40-year-old bootstrapped entrepreneur felt when his co-founders left the business, leaving him stranded. His mobile payments and e-commerce startup was facing financial stress and the founder, without any technology background, was the lone figure on the stage, facing a storm. “You can’t run a band, if all you know is how to write passable lyrics,” says the founder who wants to remain anonymous, as he is still looking to raise funds. The company made two stinging errors, by his own admission. “We …

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DETROIT: As a young adult, Javier Evelyn didn't always carry his epinephrine autoinjector, which dispenses the medicine he needs if he has a food allergy reaction. It wasn't cool to carry a clunky piece of equipment, he recalled. "I did not carry my device with me at all for most of college, so I was just really fortunate, to be real with you, when it came to not having any big scares as I was more independent down the road," said Evelyn, 38, a Chicago area native who is allergic to some tree nuts, fin fish and casein, a protein found in cheese. Evelyn, who has a tech background, moved to Detroit in 2013 and decided to create a more convenient device. His innovation: a cellphone case with an attached epinephrine auto-injector. "I really wanted to solve a problem that was personal to me," he said. "Something I cared about deeply. Being that I have this lifelong problem and I never really carried an EpiPen growing up because I thought it was not cool to carry.... Fast-forward in …

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Illustration by Suneesh K. Note to readers: Healing Space is a weekly series that helps you dive into your mental health and take charge of your wellbeing through practical DIY self-care methods. Think of yourself as a wrestler up against a worthy opponent. Your aim is to dislodge his balance without disrupting your own. You play a mental and physical game simultaneously. You mind your footwork, keep up stamina and agility, but also map your opponent’s concentration, movements, and weaknesses. He does the same to you. It’s an invigorating round that lasts an hour. You’re fatigued but will collect a sweet cash prize at the end and go home. Now imagine playing multiple opponents. Now imagine the prize is survival. Now imagine there is no hour to the round, it extends indefinitely. There is no home to return to when the fight is done, that’s the venue. The result is what you are feeling now: burn out. Burn out is an extended stressor with no known time limit. It consumes …

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We’ve all had to make the adjustment from heading to the office to completely working-from-home, so having a place that allows you to give your best when you’re working, and relax when you’re done with the grind gives us that work life balance we SMDC’s Shore Residences does just that. With a location that puts everything within reach, business and lifestyle areas are just a short walk or a bike ride away so residents can spend more time doing things that they love. The SM Mall of Asia is just around the corner, and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is just a few minutes away, while central business districts like Makati and BGC are easily reached with the help of many road networks. This mega complex not only gives you accessibility and connectivity but also makes you feel like you’re on a constant vacation, making it an ideal home for both professionals and entrepreneurs. But what makes Shore Residences truly special? It’s their commitment to giving the everyday …

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Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Monday, Oct 18. 9 more Singaporeans die from Covid-19 complications; 3,058 new infections Latest deaths took Singapore's virus death toll up to 233. READ MORE HERE Seven more nursing homes planned in next two years in estates such as Tampines, Punggol These are part of efforts to beef up Singapore's eldercare support system in the face of a greying population. READ MORE HERE New attraction to be developed in Somerset; part of broader plan to rejuvenate Orchard Road The attraction should also make use of technology and innovation to improve visitors' experience. READ MORE HERE No one helps as woman raped on Philadelphia train No one intervened or called for help. READ MORE HERE Red alert! What can you do to help bring carbon emissions down? Use our interactive carbon calculator to find out how your everyday choices can make a big impact. READ MORE HERE AI …

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Anyone can seem cool. Wear the right clothes, drive the right cars, take the right vacations, carefully craft social media updates ... Seeming cool is easy. Actually being cool is anything but. I'm not cool. (I'm as average as they come.) But I do know some cool people. Here are some of the things that make them cool. 1. They've done awesome things I don't know about. Why don't I know about the awesome things they've done? Because they just do them. And if I ever do find out, I'll find out in person. From a casual conversation. Or even accidentally. But not through social media. Why? Cool people see the experience as the end result -- not sharing that experience with as many people as possible. 2. They don't think work/life balance. They just think life . Drawing a line in the sand to create an artificial work/life boundary never works. Why? You are your business. Your business is your life, just like your life is your business …

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Pope Francis sits at a table during lunch in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Sunday, November 17, 2019. Pope Francis is offering several hundred poor people, homeless, migrants, unemployed a lunch on Sunday as he celebrates the World Day of the Poor with a concrete gesture of charity in the spirit of his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday decried that the “greed of a few” wealthy people is compounding the plight of the poor and lamented the lack of concern about growing income gaps between the haves and have-nots. Pope Francis celebrated a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica dedicated to heightening awareness about poor people worldwide. “We go our way in haste, without worrying that gaps are increasing, that the greed of a few is adding to the poverty of many others,’’ Pope Francis said in his homily, with poor people among the people accorded seats in the basilica for the Mass. Keeping a tradition of his papacy, …

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SINGAPORE - To avoid the proverbial mistake of preparing for the last war, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) needs to change the way it works, said the agency's chief executive Mervyn Tan. This includes how the agency delivers capabilities for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and increasing collaboration with start-ups, he told reporters on Saturday (Oct 16). While a more deliberate, sequential development process will still be relevant for multimillion-dollar defence projects that serve Singapore for decades, software must be continuously improved, Mr Tan said. DSTA is also looking at more tie-ups with academia and the private sector, including those not conventionally associated with the defence industry, such as those at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence (AI), 3D modelling and gaming, he said. Crucially, there is a need to invest in its talent, and train DSTA engineers to also have digital skills - from programming and cyber security, to user …

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