When businesses in Singapore were told that telecommuting for all employees would be the default to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep them safe, Sing Fuels did not quite face teething troubles. Sing Fuels had adopted a flexible work arrangement for many of its employees prior to COVID-19.

While enterprises were scrambling to adjust to the unexpected shift in working arrangement on the fly, Sing Fuels were well prepared for a smooth transition for its people; providing adequate equipment, guidelines on using collaborative tools e.g. Teams, etc.

Sing Fuels was also quick to realise that remote working was not going to transpire as temporary solution in view of COVID-19 and, instead, would be redefined as a New Normal. This in turn has exposed us to a myriad of opportunities and benefits along with new responsibilities for both the employer and employee. Recently, Sing Fuellers participated in a survey and shared their views on Flexi-Work Arrangements. Their positive comments were as follows:

Lower Expenses & Time Wastage

Albeit a small country, it may still take an hour or so for many to reach work during peak hours in the morning. Inevitably, with working from home, all staff save time and money in commuting. With this extra time in hand, many were able to allocate it to doing things enjoy; work out, cook, attend to chores. This has definitely brought about a positive impact on us.

Enhanced Productivity

According to the survey conducted internally, 80% of us felt that they were much more productive while working from home compared to office.  A few factors that contributed to this was that there were less distractions at home, more time to complete daily tasks and better cadences with their managers. Undoubtedly, our deliverables overall have been up to the mark and the Management is consistently formulating methods to improve our productivity.

Better Collaboration with Overseas Colleagues

75% of our colleagues found communicating with our colleagues overseas, on different time zones, easier. Although the communication was prevalent before COVID-19, colleagues were far lesser worn out doing so from their homes.

Now, it’s not always rainbows and sunshine when we make a sudden shift. With the Pros, comes the cons. A few of us did not find Working from Home as beneficial. Their comments are as follows:

Reduced Camaraderie

We missed the vibrant synergies shared with our Team members. Whilst in office, a problem (if any) could have been solved in a jiffy with immediate brainstorming and communication. However, while at home, we often fail to identify as quickly if a team member is available.

Social Isolation

Speaking to your favourite co-workers over a screen is never the same as seeing them in office and giving them a Hi-5 first thing in the morning. We missed the boisterous lunch time, a pat on our back for a job well done and the mini celebrations for small triumphs. The feeling of isolation and being disconnected can be a tormenting. Hence, it has always been important for each one of us to check in on our colleagues regularly.

Unplugging from Work

23% of our colleagues found working from home to have a negative impact on their work-life balance. More than often while we are working from home, we tend to be so engrossed, we fail to segregate some Me/Family time from Work hours. We may even find more distractions at home that halts our focus and hence the stretch in working hours.

In conclusion, for any shift to be successfully adopted, clear guidelines should be set and the organisation on a whole should be open to learn along the way and improvise. Over the months, Sing Fuels have learnt that a blended approach to flexible working arrangements may circumvent any productivity issues. Rest assured, its people will be well involved and informed in the new work arrangements with the company.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the impact it has had on the world’s economies has been so tremendous that it has unravelled everything that various organizations and its workers have endured over cycles of global crises.

Let’s be real, one of the many challenges’ employees experience within this pandemic ranges from losing one’s job and potentially a sense of identity in the company to staying unemployed for a prolonged period.

While companies and the people they serve are all grappling with uncertainty and stress, Sing Fuels Human Resources professionals are championing sustainable and evolved recruitment strategy actively. Their priority has been to ensure their revamped and strengthening of HR strategies/approach does not stifle Sing Fuels’ growth.

Our HRs are starting to wonder if their job title should actually be, Chief Human Sustainability Officer. Hmmm…

Sing Fuels’ belief that ‘our people are our greatest assets’ have not been let down this pandemic.

Means of job interviews have changed. While we are working remotely and keeping our distance, interviews are not conducted in the office as they usually are. Thanks to digital hiring and collaboration tools, we have been able to connect seamlessly with our prospective employees.

Conducting employee onboarding virtually during such unprecedented time have certainly not been easy. Despite the hurdles, Sing Fuels have spearheaded a successful virtual onboarding program for 4 new recruits. Designing a five-day welcome program that covers the company culture, values, introduction to various departments/colleagues and ‘Getting to Know You’ have aided new hires to stay engaged all while curbing the stress levels for all the facilitators.

Continuous enhancement of the virtual onboarding program has been of utmost importance to the HR team at Sing Fuels. Post five-day welcome program, the new hires are welcomed to participate in a survey that takes less than ten minutes to complete. Their qualitative feedback has certainly helped us in identifying the areas of improvement. To find out more about what our new hires have to say about our onboarding program, click here:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sing-fuels_singfuels-cargotrading-bunkertrading-activity-6682242559059779584-r8J8

All in all, Sing Fuels is glad to have made the new hires feel welcomed to the family and ensured that they are equipped with the tools and instructions needed to navigate the journey ahead.

Such news has certainly boosted our teams’ morale and made them more resilient.

It’s amazing how technology connects us all and we couldn’t be more grateful for it.

There is so much more the HR department must share, and they shall in the following weeks.

Till next time, yours truly,

Sing Fuels Human Resource Department

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”- Peter Drucker

As we all are aware, individuals’ lives and employment across the globe has been significantly impacted by COVID-19, and their working experience has been disrupted.

Sing Fuels have taken this tumultuous period in good stride and invested time and effort in formulating strategies to ensure a positive working environment and employee experience is maintained during the pandemic.

Like many other enterprises, the pandemic has forced us to improvise our style of working, adopt new technologies and reassess our internal operations and communications.

Vivid Communication Strategy

While we adopt a remote working style, collaboration and communication amongst colleagues have changed the traditional employee experience.

The Management has embraced proper and timely communication with all employees to boost their preparedness of any situation. They have also encouraged employees to voice out their challenges, concerns, queries and feedback on the new working style via company-wide surveys. These in turn have enabled the company to understand and support its family better.

Emphasis on Company Values & Culture

Sing Fuels value and culture is a priority. We believe with the continuous upkeep of a strong & vibrant company culture and clear message on the company’s mission & vision, employees stay more engaged and productive. Aligning employees’ visibility on the company’s goals have dramatically given more attention.

We are actively cultivating values such as inclusion and individuality to further promote comraderies. Leaders and managers of Sing Fuels are driving cross-functional collaboration to address and solve company’s most pressing problems which leads to effective team building and positive attitudes towards work.

Staying Connected and Engaged

Despite being physically disconnected, our Team Leaders have stepped up their game in connecting and engaging all colleagues. Regular cadences, feedback sessions and an open-door policy has allowed employees to get hold of information they need, have better goal/task clarity and stay productive. More employees are encouraged to participate in two-way conversations where they are free to convey their thoughts and suggestions.

Additionally, exploiting the benefits of appropriate communication and collaboration digital tools such as Microsoft Teams has proven beneficial for all employees’ experience.

Empowering our Colleagues

The pandemic has not deterred Sing Fuels’ employee growth and development. A sense of purpose definitely has an overarching impact on business processes and ultimately, the end results. Hence, a conscious effort has been made within our organization to further recognize our talents and their persevering spirit. Six new appointments have been announced to groom our role models. Their work and efforts have been rewarded fairly which has boosted our colleagues’ morale and experience substantially. They also play a critical role in educating and encouraging their team members to continually innovate and deliver brilliant work results. Click here to view our new and proud appointments:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sing-fuels_singfuels-cargotrading-bunkertrading-activity-6689850823058444288-clOt

Virtual Celebrations

Delivering cakes to colleagues’ doorstep is just one of the means by which Sing Fuels is searching unorthodox ways to celebrate special occasions. Celebrating staff & their family members’ birthdays and commemorative days have not been put on hold. In fact, virtual celebrations over Zoom are conducted monthly. Nobody says No to a Zoom Party, right? Even if a mere small smile creeps onto our family’s face, it makes our day. Hover over to our LinkedIn page to see how we celebrated Father’s Day:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sing-fuels_to-the-awesome-dads-in-sing-fuels-family-activity-6681156838290968576-O0lt

Creating a positive work environment is certainly not the easiest and it demands plenty of patience and time. Colleagues take time to react and adapt to changes. However, when we consistently educate, be transparent and duly recognize their efforts, we eventually build and foster a resilient workforce amidst a positive working environment.

“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – George Washington