Category: Management

• Just Don’t Understand

  12.19.08 |Management| Permalink | 1 Comment

  I don’t understand why top management wants to spread bad news a week before Christmas. Although I am not affected by it but those affected will not have a good Christmas. It is just so sad for them. For me, I would want to hear bad news after Christmas break and not before.

  I am really disappointed with top management. It is just so cruel. I mean what messages are they sending across? That they are agile in giving bad news? When we need them to make agile decision, it is not done so.

  I really pray hard for those affected. Yeap it is related to the global financial meltdown.

• Bank Mergers Causing Turmoil

  03.23.07 |Finances, Management, Service| Permalink | 6 Comments

  The first bank account I had in Penang was Ban Hee Lee Bank. Later it merged with Southern Bank and now it became CIMB. Imagine, how many times I had to change my ATM card and bank book. This is not the major problem, it is when they merge systems between banks. Do you know that the records from the previous bank are all gone? Ok not gone but it is kept some where and at times goes, it will not be retrievable.

  What was my headache? The bank sent me a letter stating that on March 16, I will not be able to access my old bank Internet banking. I need to register on March 18 to hop to the new Internet banking. No problem there. I did that and found out that there are no transaction historical records. Sigh. I called up the helpdesk, the agent told me the IT team cannot transfer the data from old to new system. Hey I am from IT, I know it can be done, just the matter whether they want to do it or not.

  Worst is the bank manager called me up to say he cannot simply send out account statements. I told him other banks are sending me monthly statements, why is there a problem? I guess not in their process. :snooty:

  If you want to change system, please do not create problems for your customers. You can send out statements for that month to all your users. By the way, my account is a passbook account. I cannot change to statement account. Actually I can, I need to close the passbook account and create a new statement account. Sigh.

  I tell you, the old Internet banking system has a very terror feature, if you want to transfer money to other banks, you can key in all the info. The back office will actually take that info and generate a bank cheque to send to the other banks. Thumbs down service.

  Let’s hope the CIMB Internet banking is good that I don’t have to enter the bank ever again. The queue in the bank is just crazy.

• Best Workplace in US – Google

  03.01.07 |IT, Management, Technology, US| Permalink | 3 Comments

  I received this a few days ago in my mail box. Wow, Google voted the best place for employee to work for in US by Fortune 5000. You have to see it to believe it. Google workplace is like a vacation home for employees. It is like a new generations or new age workplace. As long as Google is making a huge profit and successful, they can naturally do whatever they like. They claimed that the Google workplace builds employees loyalty, motivation, creativity and drive performance. See for yourself and support your jaw.

  
  
  

• Parking

  10.05.06 |Management| Permalink | 10 Comments

  My company has a lot of employees and each has their own cars. Put 1 and 1 together, you get parking problems. Worst now we have 2 companies in 1 location, more parking problems. Management claimed that there are sufficient parking spaces for all employees. Some lots are really far away, it is like walking from 1 end of mid valley to the other. The only fortunate thing is we do not have to pay for parking.

  Some of the things people do to overcome the problem.

  1. Come very early, get a good spot right in front of the building.
  2. Get pregnant, you get a reserved car park.
  3. Work from home.
  4. Car pool with other colleagues.
  5. Create virtual parking lots.
  …..

  Management just kicked item #5 off the list. Picture below.

  
  
  

• Motivational Seminar

  09.20.06 |Information, Management, Myself| Permalink | 9 Comments

  Yesterday, my company organized a seminar by Lawrence Walter Ng. It is a very interesting seminar to motivate us. The main objective of this seminar is not motivation but how we should change our ways to serve our customers.

  What is so cool about this seminar? Have you been to a seminar where everyone is motivated to participate, one way or another in a game, Q&A or volunteering to go up stage. There were more than 300 attendees. I must say the style of the trainer were very good. He is one of best speaker in Asia and he is a Malaysian. I am impressed by his work. There is just so much energy in the seminar.

  If you are stress, depressed, not motivated with work/life or sad, just attend his seminar. He will teach you something that makes you see your life/problems in a different approach.

  For example:

  No Failures, Wrong Result, Change Strategy

  There are no failures in life. We are not failures. However there are things we do that produces wrong result. Therefore we need to change strategy to produces the right results.

  Often we hear these negative words:

  – There are so many problems…
  – I got scolded from my boss
  – So difficult, cannot do…
  – I don’t know…
  – I’ll try …
  – No Problem.

  Change it to positive thoughts:

  – There are so many problems -> There are so many challenges.
  – I got scolded from my boss -> I got a message from my boss.
  – Difficult -> Interesting.
  – I don’t know. -> I find out.
  – I’ll try. -> I do my best.
  – No Problem -> My Pleasure.

  By the way, he also gives out seminars to students who find problems in studying. The seminar is called “Art of Learning”. Pretty cool guy! He made me do a lot of silly things in the seminar itself that I never thought I will do. 😛

  More info here: http://www.lwseminars.com/seminar.htm

• Insurance Claim

  03.05.06 |Information, Management, ProductReview, Service| Permalink | 11 Comments

  
  
  

  How come when someone sells insurance to you, they can absolutely be like an angel? Bowing to all your wishes and never saying “No”. The opposite of this is when you try to claim, the customer service officer can really give you a hard time. Don’t ever buy insurance from XIX Company (*name changed, but you get the idea*) because the claim department officers are very unprofessional and the claims policy is ridiculous.

  One day my hubby was telling me that my PIL is whining because he cannot claim his hospital bill from the insurance company. You know, elderly people treasure every sen very valuably. He was trying to claim from his company insurance policy because he had the accident when he was working. Apparently he has submitted all his hospital bills to the insurance agent. After a few months, the insurance rejected his claim because of a missing deposit receipt. You know, you have to make a deposit before you can admit to the private hospital, in case you cannot pay.

  It is absolutely ridiculous right, in a logical manner that the claim was rejected even though the true copy of the hospital bill is in tact but the deposit receipt is missing. The agent asked PIL to go back to the hospital to issue another but the hospital will never issue another receipt, the best they can do is to certify a copy. The insurance company refuse to accept certify copy. PIL was so upset because he went to the hospital a couple of times. Everyday he complained to us.

  I decided to help him out, made a call to the claims department. No one have a definite answer to the claims. The officer asked me to write a letter to appeal. The manager said there is no guarantee the appeal will go through, it depends on the committee.

  Me: Why is the deposit receipt so important when you have the actual hospital bill?
  Mgr: It is our company policy. *policy to give the customer a hard time* Furthermore, it will prevent the customer to claim from other insurance company.
  Me: I am a having a hard time just to claim with the original actual hospital bill from your company. Do you think other insurance company will let me claim using a deposit receipt???!!!
  Mgr: *speechless for a few seconds* Please submit an appeal letter.

  What a disappointment? I wanted to complain them to Bank Negara. Anyway, I thought of giving the company a chance, draft out an appeal letter for my PIL to sign and send. After a month later, PIL whine again because no news from them. I decided call.

  Me: I have sent the letter of appeal a month ago.
  Officer: We didn’t receive anything, the computer showed no record. *Excuses*
  Me: Can I fax the letter to you?

  She gave me the fax number and I faxed it in. After a few more weeks, I called in to check the status else they will probably sit on it. With claims, you have to call in every now and follow through, give them a hard time too.

  Officer: The cheque has been issued and has been send to the Penang branch on Feb 12.
  Me: My PIL has not heard from the Penang branch.
  Officer: You just have to wait for them to call you.
  Me: Can I call them?
  Officer: If you want, I cannot stop you.
  Me: *How RUDE!!!* :wall:

  My PIL received the cheque after calling the Penang branch agent. The cheque was RM160 less than the original amount. In the letter, they put “out of goodwill that they have approved the claim” Good will my foot!! :shoot:

  Anyway, the whining stops.

  *Note, by the way, if any of you have trouble claiming with your insurance company after dealing with them and still negative, you can bring your case to Bank Negara.
  Website: http://www.bankinginfo.com.my/index.php?ch=19&pg=31*

• Don’t You Love My Company?

  04.13.05 |Management| Permalink | 2 Comments

  I am starting to love my Company, it is a MNC (Multinational Company). MNC is famous for good benefits for the people. Besides the priority focus on Performance, Results, Speed and Accountability, it is also very people focus.

  

  On certain days, I can work from home, when I don’t have on site meeting. I deal with foreigners a lot and do have many virtual teleconferences (meetings with different ppl from countries) at home. The infrastructure (telephone, remote access, notebook and etc) is all paid for, by my company. I have a foreigner as my reporting manager who is very understanding, measure by my performance, not how many hours I work, recognizes accomplishments with results. With working from home, I can be with my children while I work. Isn’t that nice?

  Recently my company decided to add more UMPPPHH to the C&B benefits. I get RM1000.00 yearly for children medical expenses which mean free immunization jabs, free children medicine and free children doctor consultation are all paid for. Hospital bills are also covered under the company insurance package. They top up the employer EPF % for my retirement fund.

  My husband company’s covers even maternity bills, gynae visitation & consultation for first 5 kids. Nope I am not having more children. Two is just nice.

  All in all, I think companies should be more family focus and people orientated besides always focusing on company profitability. As one of the top 10 best companies to work for in US, states “When employees are happy, the customer will be happy too”. YEAH!