After working more than a year in the private sector, Yasmin felt that it was time to move on. Today, that decision proved to be one of the best moves she has made for her career. She shares why and what made her thrive in her current role.

By Ruth Wong

Yasmin D/O Abdul Latif is a Section Manager in the Finance Services with Vital.org, a department under the Ministry of Finance (MOF) that supports over 100 government agencies in key areas like HR, Learning & Development, Travel, Finance, Payroll & Claims and Vendor Management. Vital.org brings together common services within the public sector to leverage economies of scale, improve operational efficiency, and achieve cost effectiveness.

Where every employee matters
“It has been my goal to enter the Civil Service, but I did not want to do this immediately after graduating because I felt that it was necessary to gain some audit exposure as well as some private company experience,” says the Nanyang Technological University alumnus who graduated with an honours degree in Accountancy.

So after a short stint in the private sector with a well established international audit firm, she was ready to serve the Civil Service and follow the footsteps of her extended family of public officers, including cousins who are teachers and nurses, and join the Vital.org family. Since then, she has been with this organisation for over two years now.

On how she feels about working in the public sector and specifically Vital.org, the 27-year-old highlights, “There is openness and trust among everyone here. There’s communication across the hierarchy and greater sharing of information. Officers are free to express their honest views and opinions without any apprehension. Supervisors are also receptive to what their subordinates have to say.”

She found that her superiors are not only great motivators who are ever ready to guide and to share their experiences, they are also understanding toward their subordinates’ personal needs, something which she experienced at her father’s demise.

“My bosses showed concern and they offered to assist me with the urgent approvals of finance transactions that were received towards the end of the day just so that I could leave office on time to attend the prayers,” she says with gratitude.

The positive working relationships are further enhanced through frequent bonding sessions such as outings to farms, parks and more, so that everyone could also have fun together.

It is in such an environment that Yasmin found herself thriving. During staff appraisal, her direct supervisor has been open with affirming her good performance, and encourages her to take on new responsibilities. Yasmin enjoys working on team-based projects which hone her problem-solving abilities and sharpen her technical skills.

Today, as a young and promising supervisor to four staff, Yasmin finds the current stage of her career as the most satisfying. She enjoys grooming the younger officers who are at where she was and how she felt when she first joined the agency. She is also continuously benefiting from the generous sharing and imparting of knowledge and experience from her senior officers.

With work-life harmony, Yasmin finds she has time to indulge in her favourite pastime and to even pick up new interests. “In my free time, I bake cookies and cakes. I also love making pizzas for my family. Recently, I started to do jewellery beading using crystals and managed to complete a bracelet for my mum,” she says.

Multi-generational workplace
Joining Vital.org has also nurtured Yasmin’s repertoire of people management skills.

Vital.org is a multi-generational workplace where the youngest employee is only 19 and the oldest, 67. As a Section Manager, she oversees about 10 officers of diverse age groups.

It is not always easy balancing the needs and aspirations of all her team members, Yasmin reflects, “I try to understand and appreciate the weaknesses and strengths of all my staff. As a supervisor, I try to bridge the generational divide and complement all strengths from the senior staff’s experience and skills in building agency relations to case management, with that from the young generation, who may be tech-savvy and work faster.

With this insight, she creates opportunities for the older and younger staff to work together, thereby harnessing strong teamwork and rapport among her staff who leverage on one another’s strengths.

Interestingly, it is also this opportunity to work with and learn from colleagues of different age groups that she identifies as one of the most rewarding aspects of her work. She points out, “The diversity inherent in multi-generational workplace is a plus point as everyone gets to benefit from a wide range of perspectives.”

Her job has also allowed Yasmin to be involved in various process improvement projects and deepened her knowledge of financial processes. This in turn has made her more confident in handling operational issues independently.

“I have become more positive and confident since joining Vital.org. The support, encouragement, guidance and trust shown by my superiors and fellow staff have made me develop into a more confident person. Without their leadership and assistance I doubt I would have gained so much and progressed this far over the two years,” she opines.

She adds, “If you want to work in an environment with nice colleagues and supportive superiors, Vital.org is definitely the place.”