slosh down the pepper!

Induction

I attended an induction program yesterday, held on the 32nd level of the tower situated in the CBD. Almost 60 of us attended the full-day program, which is meant no more than an orientation for newbies. The irony was that 50% of the inductees had already been with the bank for nearly 6 months and beyond. Our HR facilitator revealed that there was no body else to do her job while she was on a 3-month maternity leave. I guess that more or less concluded the importance of us new staff in the organization.

The induction began by introducing us to the history of the organization. I was surprised to learn that the bank has established itself in Singapore since 40 years ago! I was even more amazed to discover that we have a company band and choir, and a song! We were even made to rise and sing the song!

The facilitator did away with the usual ice-breaker games, but she made us go through the efforts of presenting ourselves to the whole lot with our name, unit, previous employer, likes & dislikes of the current employer.

One common complaint was "slowness" of the bank, in everything, from the systems to the pace of working, and even the lifts and gates. It was said that the fast-closing gate scratched one girl's new car, and that was why the guards had resorted to slowing the opening and closing of the gate to prevent similar incidences from happening. As much as it is antagonizing, I believe it is this slower pace of working that led to better 'work life balance', the euphemism for "NO OT". That was one of the 'likes' mentioned by a lot more people who enjoyed their regular working hours. "Family-oriented" was also frequently quoted when describing the bank.

Lunch was not catered. So I went with YS, ZQ, J and K to Imperial Bak Kut Teh located along a stretch of shophouses. At $5.90 per set which comprises of a bowl of rice, a bowl of sliced pork soup, sides of preserved salted vegetables and braised bean curd and bean curd sticks, it was worth it. The sliced pork was tough and a bit oily, but the soup was peppery and not too dilute. The $1.00 homemade lime juice I ordered was disappointing though. It tasted sugary instead of being sour.

What followed after lunch was boring. Lecture after lecture on business continuity plans, anti-money laundering and IT security, none of which is new to me in fact. Except for the video where the bank simulated a scenario of a bomb blast and how the staffs reacted to the situation as per the business continuity plan, the rest of the 'lessons' bore me and made me dozed off.

The afternoon's refreshments were much better - pies, muffins, Malay kueh, cakes, and puffs - probably because the senior management was supposed to join us for the tea break. It was an informal session for us to meet those big shots of the bank, so that we would not embarrass ourselves if we chance upon any of them during our course of work. There was an incident where a branch staff had asked the Chairman to take a queue number without recognizing him. I quite agree with that, it is sad to realize that you do not know whom you are working for.

I was delighted when the induction ended at 5.30pm, half an hour ahead of the scheduled 6pm. This meant that I could end my gym workout (at nearby Chevron House) earlier and rushed home to catch the 9pm Channel 8 drama!

posted by slingwoof @ 10/02/2007 09:05:00 PM