By Melainne Chiew

“Friends” – it seems harmless enough. Usually, it’s two (or more) individuals searching for that quaint connection, or some company to while away another lonely, loveless Friday night.

But what if that “friend” is your boss?

While statistics show a considerable amount of reservation that an office worker would have toward a boss-subordinate relationship, numerous studies show that even being friends is considered a taboo. According to MSN-Zogby, only 14% of the people polled consider their boss a personal friend.

So where is the line eventually drawn between a manager and his or her employees?

By Juliet Soh

Public relations professionals are found to be the unhappiest workers in Singapore for two years in a row, according to an annual survey by JobsCentral, one of Singapore's leading job portals.

A total of 2,385 respondents took the 2011 JobsCentral Work Happiness Indicator Survey, which was conducted online from August to September this year. This survey has been conducted every year since 2009.

PR professionals scored 53.5 in the JobsCentral Work Happiness Indicator this year and 50.4 last year, also the lowest score in 2010.

The top 5 job functions with the unhappiest workers in Singapore are:

Entry-level jobseekers expect higher wages for their first job, according to an annual survey by JobsCentral, Singapore’s most popular job portal for university students and graduates.

A total of 3,255 respondents took the 2011 JobsCentral Employers of Choice Survey (University Edition), which was conducted online from April to May this year. All respondents are from National Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University, from the graduating classes of 2009 to 2016.

Apple Inc. is the most popular employer among entry-level jobseekers in Singapore, according to an annual survey by JobsCentral, Singapore’s most popular job portal for university students and graduates. This is the second consecutive year the technology giant, which is known for its popular gadgets such as iPhone and iPad, has clinched the top spot in the survey.

A total of 3,255 respondents took the 2011 JobsCentral Employers of Choice Survey (University Edition), which was conducted online from April to May this year. All respondents are from National Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University, from the graduating classes of 2009 to 2016.

By Juliet Soh

97% of the employers reported that hiring skilled professionals in the second half of 2011 will continue to be a challenge, according to the latest survey conducted by Robert Half Workplace, a recruitment firm.

The industries that faced the most difficulties in Singapore are: Finance (28%), followed by Accounting (18%), Compliance (18%), Operational Support (14%), and Audit (8%).

Of the companies that are hiring, 70% of the new positions are for junior level professionals, 56% for middle management and 12% for senior management/director level staff.

By Juliet Soh

With a competitive job market and higher expectations from jobseekers, career fairs must offer more than just job opportunities. JobsCentral took the lead in offering an exclusive networking session, on-site interviews and free seminars in addition to jobs in the JobsCentral Career & Learning Fair 2011.

The annual event, in its 6th year running, attracted a visitorship of more than 50,000 and hosted 109 exhibition booths. Employers from many industries are represented, including a strong showing by tourism and hospitality employers including Singapore Tourism Board, Duck & HiPPO, Fairmont and Swissotel, InterContinental Hotels Group, Sentosa Leisure Group and Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

By Winifred Tan

If you’ve ever read New York Times bestseller Who Moved My Cheese?, you’ll understand why moving with the cheese – or adapting to change – is key to staying relevant in today’s business world.

This is particularly so in a multicultural and cosmopolitan talent hub like Singapore, where human capital forms our greatest competitive advantage. Only by continually equipping our workforce with the requisite skills to improve productivity will we continue to stay ahead of the competition and enjoy sustainable economic growth.
With younger generations of employees increasingly breaking free of the ‘rat race’ to look for fulfilling careers and ‘enlightened’ employers, it becomes the responsibility of HR professionals like yourself to establish good talent management programmes and employee support schemes that will both groom and retain high-potential staff.

provided by

by Joe Light

More from WSJ.com:
Milk Sharing On the Rise
How Long Do You Take To Get Ready
Missing Out on Milestones

More than three-quarters of departing employees say they wouldn't recommend their employer to others, the worst percentage in at least five years, according to exit interviews aggregated by the Corporate Executive Board Co., a research and advisory services firm.

In 2008, just as the recession began, only 42% of employees said they wouldn't recommend their employer. The 2011 data were based on exit surveys of more than 4,300 employees from 80 companies, most with more than $2 billion in annual revenue.

A severe drop in employee satisfaction could impact companies' recruiting efforts, since prospective employees tend to trust former employees the most when choosing where to work, said Brian Kropp, a managing director with the CEB.

By Anthony Balderrama

As we’ve mentioned before, co-workers play important roles on your workplace experience. They, at the very least, can annoy you. They can make life better (or at least more romantic). And they can just be weird.

According to Linnda Durré, Ph.D., co-workers can also be toxic. She doesn’t mean they get on your nerves, but they actually cause you harm on some level. As the author of “Surviving the Toxic Workplace: Protect Yourself Against the Co-workers, Bosses and Work Environments That Poison Your Day,” she knows a thing or two about identifying harmful associates. Luckily, she has advice that doesn’t just help you identify problems but that also teaches you how to address the issues. Today’s guest blogging duties come from Durré herself.

Here are 10 toxic co-workers and how to deal with them, according to Durré.