The Trend Towards Flexi-Hours and Work From Anywhere

Talk about flexi hours has been around for some time now but the execution is slow in coming especially among the more established organizations. Start-ups somehow understand this as the new work trend and adopted it quickly. I think for the others, it’s a situation of when things don’t need fixing, you do nothing.

But when talent is scarce to come by and the ones you want to keep decided spending time with family makes more sense at certain point of their lives, employers need to give “flexi hours” a good hard look.

And frankly, it’s not so hard to implement flexi hours, thanks to technology. So if your work can be done with a phone, computer or internet line, that basically means you qualify for flexi hours.

Some time back, one of my Consultants decided to cut down on her working hours as she wished to spend more time with her young children. I have no problem introducing flexi hours because the nature of our work is such that it’s possible to work from home. If a meet up either with client or candidate needs to be done, it’s possible to schedule the appointment that suits both parties and not necessarily need to be at the office.  As for other tasks such as research and screening of candidates, the Consultant can perform them via a computer with internet access and all these can be done in the comfort of one’s home. So it was a win-win situation for us. My Consultant gets what she wanted and I managed to keep a good staff.

But certainly not all jobs qualify and make the case for flexi hours. We can’t expect a job as a Receptionist to qualify for that. If a job is office-bound, i.e., you are hired to be present at the office or the site so called your work place, such as Site Supervisor or Retail Shop Sales Assistant, then flexi-hours might not be applicable. So if your job is valued on piece-meal basis or by the results you generate and the process of how you get it done is immaterial, then flexi-hours makes huge sense. Think Writers, Programmers, Consultants and Designers.

The other factor that is worth a mention would be those that have proven to be reliable in an environment in which no or limited supervision is required. And that can only be established when an employer had already built some level of trust with the said employee, hence such implementation without doubt will be successful. 

With our work revolves around technology more and more each day, and people increasingly advocating a work-life balance, i.e., quality life, the idea of flexi hours in employment is going to be more of a reality than ever before.

In fact, people are already talking about working from our smartphones. Our whole office is in that little device, almost everything can be accomplished with it. So I guess flexi hours and work from anywhere are work trends that are here to stay.

Can My Hobby Turn Into A Career?

Hobbies are activities that we enjoy doing when we are free. Imagine indulging in our hobbies all day long and without any feeling of guilt. Such luxury can happened only if the hobby has become our vocation. I bet this is everyone’s dreams. But how many of us can do that? In reality, most of us dragged our feet daily to a place or activity that we dread and hope the day will be over soon so that we can return to the activity that we enjoy doing. That’s why we have “Monday blues” at the beginning of the week and “Thank God it’s Friday” when the work week is finally over. The line between work and play is thickly defined for most of us.

But in recent years, we witnessed a wide range of jobs churning out from hobbies and not only that, these vocations has the potential to provide good career security too.  In other words, it’s possible to have pleasure, fun and money at the same time.

So, what are some hobbies that had turned out successfully to great careers or businesses?

• Crafts/Design/Painting to Designers/Artists/Gallery Owners
• Cooking to Chefs
• Gardening to Landscape Designers/Nursery Owners
• Keeping pets to Pet Groomers/ Pet Shop Owners
• Outdoor games/sports to Professional Sportsmen/women
• Photography to Professional Photographers
• Singing/Playing musical instruments to Music/Voice Instructors and Pop Singers
• Journaling/Blogging to Full-time Writers
• Playing and Spending time with kids to Child Care Center Owners

But before you ditch your day job and jump into your “hobby-vocation”, it would be helpful to run through a check-list such as the following:-

• Are you really passionate about your hobby? For instance, a person may think his hobby is keeping pets but in actual fact, the time spend with his pet is lesser than his time watching TV series. In this instance, the person’s “real” hobby is probably watching TV more than taking care of pets. You got to be honest about your true passion. Some hobbies are merely for therapy purposes and you have no wish to indulge in it on a regular basis.

• Your hobby has to be “employable” or “marketable”? In other words, there must be a demand for your skills, services or products that you made.

• Can it give you the income to meet all your current commitments like putting food on the table? This is a crucial point and that’s why many who already had a family with kids to feed may not even think about entertaining such notion. A solution to it is to start out on part-time or freelancing basis first. Some photographers started out that way. When they first began, it was merely shooting for their friends on weddings and special events but as their work slowly speaks for itself, the demand for their services grow and suddenly the idea of a full time business became feasible.

If it has to be a business venture, do up a business plan first. And make sure you have enough cash to sustain for at least six to nine months. And if you wish to be employed, be ready to start at a lower salary than what you are getting right now. A Project Manager in IT wanted to switch her career to being a Make-up Artist would have to be willing to sacrifice her five-figure income initially. There is no guarantee that you are able to earn similar income in the future. So be ready for monetary sacrifices. But if this is what you are willing to risk, go for it!

Do your homework. Research the pros and cons of your vocation. Talk to people who are already in the industry. You may like pets but to be a pet groomer, how prepared are you to have a full schedule of appointments on your weekends and public holidays? There might be things that you cannot compromise such as your family time during weekends. In such situations, your hobby probably should remain as hobby.  

Patience, patience and patience. Endurance and perseverance are traits that you need to have because the primary reason of turning hobby to career or vocation is usually not due to the economic feasibility but the desire of doing things that you enjoy. Therefore, money is never the main motivator and as such, success may take a while to savor.  Having said that, the old adage, “love what you do, and the money will follow” may still come true.

So, how crazy are you about your hobby? Enough to turn it into your career? For those who had weighed the pros and cons and have decided to take that plunge are indeed the happy lot that can truly experience the wisdom of this quote, “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

So You Think You Want To Be Self-employed?

It was some time ago now that I chucked my job and became self-employed. Why do I become self-employed? Is it for better money? Is it because I wanted to escape the stress of climbing the corporate ladder? Well, it’s certainly not because of the money for many who are employed earn much better. I often say it’s because I hated to be told what to do by someone else...:)

You probably have a good reason why you wanted to consider self-employment. But like any career move, it’s good to take the time to think deep and wide for this one. Unlike employment in which you can give up by handing a resignation letter, the stakes are higher when running your own business.

Well, besides having to slog it out during the initial period (ranges from months to even years) learning and doing things that perhaps not your strengths such as handling financial figures and going out making contacts with strangers, I felt there are some primary stuff that you need to consider before you take the plunge - stuff that will determine whether you have the package to make it or not.

1. What is the world you want to create? It simply means a vision and without a clear picture of what you want to achieve, you won’t last very long. When things did not turn out as expected, you would simply give up. Well, not everyone wants to make a million and going into self-employment may simply means you get to do what you love. Yet, you still need to visualize the world you wish to create.

2. Do you have some reserves? You can plan and budget well but sometimes things just don’t fit nicely according to your schedule. A hint: most of the times they don’t anyway. So, do you have enough reserves that you can rely on? Are you ready to go without pay for a few months?

3. Can you handle uncertainties well? In other words, do you have the mental strength? The uncertainties can be daunting. The market is changing all the time and you need to change and adjust that includes getting your hands dirty, charting into unfamiliar territory and taking risks. When the money is not coming in, what do you do? Sit and sulk? Mental strength is so crucial for there might be a lot of naysayers telling you that you won’t make it.

How do you stay positive and focused all the time? Speaking from experience, it’s easy said than done. I certainly experienced times when I have my doubts and to tell you that I can always perk myself up is a lie. I felt one of the things that had helped me is to surround myself with positive people. You need that as it takes a lot to stay motivated so that in turn, you can motivate and inspire your team. In this case, I’m thankful to my spouse. The fact he is also running his own business helps much. His empathy, support and encouragement during the tough times mean a lot.

Laughter, humor and other positive elements such as an inspiring book help too. You need to learn to stop and think, evaluate and restrategize and above all, not to take yourself too seriously. When things failed, you can basically say, "ok, it's a mistake. Learn from it and let's move on..." I must say experiencing failure is part and parcel of the whole deal and it's not a bad thing anyway. You get the opportunity to stretch your creativity and to know you are capable of doing so can be a very fulfilling experience.

I cannot stress enough the uncertainties you might face. So, if you are employed and happened to rank stability as one of the most important things in career or life, I can tell you right way that self-employment is not cut for you. I have friends that started with much excitement but the unpredictability stressed them out so much that they have to call it quits within a short span of time.

If you are unsure whether self-employment is your thing but seriously thinking about it, perhaps going part-time may help you to test the water. Guess what, some businesses continue to stay as part-time businesses and that might be the better option and probably what you are looking for.

Popular Part-time Jobs In Malaysia

7 Most Popular Freelance Jobs

Part-timers or Freelancers?

A new clause in the Employment Act 1955 is introduced in Malaysia that will take effect from Oct 1, 2010 in which part-time workers’ benefits and rights are protected. They will be entitled to EPF contributions, Socso coverage and medical entitlements based on a pro-rata basis. (Read more here)

I applaud the initiative in giving protection to part-time workers but I’m not too convinced on its ability to lessen the country’s dependence on foreign workers by increasing the participation of the latent workforce that amounts to about 6.5 million people mainly consists of housewives, disabled citizens, students and undergraduates.

If we are to ask any of the 6.5 million people who had decided not to work part-time, I fear the majority answer is not because they do not get the benefits like EPF and Socso. That probably had never even crossed their minds.

The reality is that most do not get into part-time jobs because they either simply do not need the extra income or they have other priorities that are more important in their lives at this juncture, i.e., family with young kids or studies. Using benefits to lure them to work may not be the right tool to use.

And this regulation may not augur well with employers. It simply costs too much to hire a part-time staff now.

I agree 6.5 million untapped talents are a waste but there is a better way of getting them to be involved in being part of nation building. Take housewives, for example. Their priority is their school-going children through spending time at home, cooking, building relationships and chauffeuring them to schools and places. They may have some free time in between these activities and they can be put to good use by earning some extra cash. The best work option has to be home-based, work that probably can be done via a laptop and an internet connection.



And this is the new trend and companies see the benefit of outsourcing work to freelancers – pay per job arrangements. Their freelancers are their contractors and not employees and therefore not subject to the Employment Act regulations. Now, if you are an employer, which option would you prefer?

It’s food for thought , don’t you think so?

Click here to find freelancers in Malaysia

Getting Freelancers - The Pros and The Cons

Freelancers Advertise Service For Free - Allyhunt.com

Freelancing has fast becoming a trend in the market place nowadays. Besides counting on current clients or friends for jobs, where else can a freelancer make his or her service known?

Allyhunt.com, launched in July 2007 and now one of the fastest growing job sites in Malaysia has a unique feature not available in other conventional job sites. They have a “Freelancers” section that allows job seekers the option to advertise their services as freelancers. The service is provided free. There are 8 skill groups, i.e., design, editorial, education and training, financial and business services, health and grooming, IT, media and entertainment, and sales and telemarketing for freelancers to choose their area of expertise. Freelancers have the option to put a link to their websites, besides the opportunity to upload their work samples into their profiles to vouch for their credibility. They can also name their price, i.e., displaying their hourly rate.
Employers or anyone for that matter who are interested in outsourcing a piece of work to a freelancer can scan through Allyhunt pool of freelancers that are in the hundreds now. The contact details of the freelancers, either in the form of an email address or hand phone number is displayed prominently at the top of each freelancer profile, making the connection with the respective freelancers easy and convenient. Besides, this is a FREE service extended to employers, with no commission charged.

Freelancing is getting more popular nowadays. With more work that can be carried out with a mere lap top and an internet connection, employers see the benefit of outsourcing some project work to freelancers instead of hiring additional full-time staff. With the employment landscape changing according to times, it is important for Allyhunt to precisely serve the various needs of employers and job seekers.

And should the employers be interested in advertising a freelancing job, they can do so through purchasing a job posting package via Allyhunt. Good news to employers who are scouting for “value for money” package as Allyhunt is offering a package of one year unlimited job postings at a special rate of RM500 only that also comes with FREE resume database search of their 50000 job seekers and growing. Employers can post their full-time, contract, part-time or freelancing jobs with this package.

Allyhunt can be accessed at www.allyhunt.com