Latest news with #flexibility
CNA
2 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
They live abroad but work in Singapore. Meet the 'super commuters'
Mr Rayson Koh, 29, rents an apartment in Bangkok where he lives, but every month the Singaporean flies back to the Republic to attend work meetings as a financial adviser, splitting his time between the two cities. It had always been Mr Koh's dream to live overseas. So in January 2024, he packed his things and moved to Thailand, using the Thai language skills that he picked up during his university days to his advantage. 'My job as a financial adviser gives me a lot of flexibility. Since we are self-employed, we're actually allowed to plan our schedule. With that, I decided to come to Thailand a lot more,' he said. He added that much of his job can be done online, such as processing claims for his Singaporean clients. He returns to Singapore only to attend courses and meet his clients in person when they want to purchase new products. Mr Koh is an example of a 'super commuter' – an individual, often middle-class, who resides in one city but travels a long distance, often by air, to another for work. While there are no official statistics about the number of Singaporean super commuters, 2024 research from Stanford University indicated that the share of super commuting workers in 10 US cities has increased by a third since the start of the pandemic. Many become super commuters to cut expenses. They are not necessarily wealthy business travellers and are more often trying to take advantage of the better salaries paid in one country – Singapore, for example – and the more affordable housing and other expenses in another. For instance, Mr Koh pays S$1,000 (US$785) a month for a whole apartment loft in Bangkok. He said that he would have to fork out six times that amount if he were to do the same in a comparable location in Singapore. Overall, he estimated that he has cut his living expenses by 20 per cent by living in Thailand, even after factoring in the cost of commuting. Individuals like him do this for a variety of reasons, according to career development coach Samantha Ng from Abundanz Consulting. She said that they might be at a stage of life where, financially, it makes sense for them to adopt a lifestyle that gives them more time to prioritise what is important to them, whether it is a slower pace of life or the ability to explore a new country. 'There is also a possibility that individuals make such a choice out of necessity, because living in Singapore is a lot more expensive than commuting,' she added. Looking at the bigger picture, veteran economist Song Seng Wun said that transport connectivity has improved tremendously over the years, so he believes that the super commuting trend is likely to continue. Living abroad also benefits Singaporean business owners keen on creating wealth from a growing Asean region. 'The power of the Singapore brand name is very important, whether it's in the medical space, education or just providing a service. So it always attracts that trust,' said Mr Song, who is an economic adviser at CGS International Securities Singapore. BIGGER AND CHEAPER Super commuters told CNA TODAY that bigger Asian countries opened up more business opportunities and were less competitive than Singapore. Business owner Sam Sng, 37, moved to Guangxi in China to explore new opportunities after feeling that his digital marketing agency had reached a point of stagnation in Singapore that he 'couldn't break through'. In a larger market such as China, Mr Sng said that clients' budgets for projects and the volume of e-commerce orders are higher, bringing in more profits than he would reap in Singapore. Mr Sng owns two more businesses in taxation and consulting, serving clients in both Singapore and China. Each month, he spends two weeks in China and two weeks in Singapore, where his wife and daughter still live. Another super commuter, Mr Gordon Ho, 28, who has relocated to Bangkok, said the market is 'so big in Thailand that there's really no need to compete neck-to-neck'. When he initially met other professionals from similar trades in Bangkok, he was cautious about sharing too much information with them because he did not want his 'trade secrets to go out'. 'In Singapore, if we are in the same industry, chances are we will not be talking to each other because that person might know someone else and just take the deal. So it becomes very secretive,' he said. But the more he networked with people in Thailand, the more he realised that there were many areas where they could collaborate. His mentality shifted and he became more excited to meet these industry peers. Mr Ho made the move to take a floundering contact lens company to Thailand, sensing better business due to a growing cosmetics market there. He has since passed on the business to his wife to manage while he works as Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Thailand country head, connecting Singaporean students with learning and internship opportunities in the country. Brand studio founder Brandon Yeo, 29, who is also based in Bangkok, said the culture in Thailand has also been a boon for him, both in business and personally. He was 'boxed into a small echo chamber' in Singapore that made it hard for him to think differently, he said. But in Thailand, he said, people are less judgmental and have more appetite for risk. 'Singaporeans are always under pressure to make sure that all of their time is efficient and fully maximised. When I was studying at the National University of Singapore, we discussed very money-minded things,' he said. 'But here, Thai people treat me with the love of a friend. It just felt more real, like there weren't any hidden motives of trying to sell me property or insurance. When someone meets me, it is really just to meet.' In terms of lifestyle, the greater physical expanse of neighbouring countries means more travel opportunities within the country for weekend getaways or entertainment options. Mr Yeo said that when he is on road trips to certain provinces in Thailand, he sees no one within his field of vision, just grass and tall trees – a stark contrast from the dense concrete jungle he grew up in. 'For someone like me in the creative space, we need varied stimuli. When you are always looking at the same things, it's very hard for you to think differently,' he said. 'I vividly remember when I was stuck on a project, I didn't have any fresh ideas. And then when I changed my environment, I went to a different province, the inspiration just hit. That kind of change has an effect.' Lower prices are a major plus point for super commuters as well. While not every item may be cheaper, most of those interviewed by CNA TODAY agreed that the cost of living is more affordable overall. Meals in Bangkok are half the price of an average hawker dish in Singapore, said Mr Yeo, adding that he typically pays less than S$2 for a Thai meal. He also felt that starting a family would be impossible in Singapore because of the costs involved. However, in Thailand, he is now married to a Thai wife and has two young children and they live comfortably. Mr Yeo recalled how his own mother, who single-handedly raised him, missed out on witnessing his milestones such as winning school awards because she was too busy working. So he now wants to make sure that he and his wife are present for their children. The lower costs and the fact that his wife does not have to work make that goal realistic, in his opinion. 'Dual-income families are the norm in Singapore. And for example, spending about S$2,900 each month is the bare minimum to support a family of four. 'That is assuming there is no recreation, no tuition, discretionary spending, hospital fees or insurance costs. For that amount, we can thrive and be comfortable in Thailand.' FLYING FATIGUE Despite the financial benefits of this arrangement, frequent flying is riddled with downsides. The career coach Ms Ng shared a list of cons, such as how spending three to nine hours travelling leaves one with less time to work. She added that super commuters also need to consider the possibility of traffic jams, flight or train delays and weather disruptions. 'All these can lead to an increase in stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation and other health issues,' she said. Corporate lawyer Joel Shen, 44, experiences this firsthand. He primarily lives in Jakarta but regularly commutes between Singapore and different parts of Indonesia for work. He said: 'After a season of high frequency travelling – it was something like 11 flights in six days – I suffered complete burnout. It was so disorientating. Every day I woke up and didn't know what city I was in. 'I got lost in hotel hallways. I was confused because I kept going to the wrong room in the hotel, remembering the previous room number from the previous day.' He added that he would trip over things because he would forget that he was in a different hotel room, with a different layout. The lowest point came when he touched down at Changi Airport in September 2024 after a conference in Bangkok. He was lightheaded and breaking out in cold sweat. The colour had completely drained from his face and his colleagues thought that he was having a heart attack. They considered calling an ambulance but in the end, it was just a scare. Mr Shen took a taxi home and spent the next few days resting. Mr Shen admitted that he does not lead the healthiest lifestyle, due to his super commuting life. 'Frequent travelling means that you are often getting up at unsociable hours. You're having irregular meals, getting into a city when everyone's asleep and leaving before people have woken up. 'It's got an impact on your social life, obviously, because you miss milestones and birthdays and celebrations and so on with family.' The loneliness can be overwhelming, others said. Mr Sng, the business owner who splits his time equally between China and Singapore, said that he does not like the feeling of returning to an empty house after work. In Singapore, he gets to go home to his wife and child, whereas in China he is isolated from his support system. Then there are logistical problems, which can lead to financial losses. Mr Yeo recalled how he missed two flights in the last five years of commuting, because he forgot to adjust his phone settings to accommodate for the time difference between Singapore and Thailand. He now makes sure to arrive at the airport four or five hours early in order to prevent similar accidents from happening again. Mr Ho also pointed out that the cost of his flights add up over time, because he does not only commute between Guangxi and Singapore, but also flies to different parts of China such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen for work. Career coach Ms Ng noted: 'For those who are environmentally conscious, they are likely to feel guilty for the high carbon footprint they produce from flying or driving.' BLURRED LINES ON IDENTITY Apart from the impact on an individual's mental and physical wellbeing, super commuting also raises concerns about identity and how governments perceive the individual's residency status. Assistant Professor Liu Jiaqi from Singapore Management University said that the decoupling of physical residency from legal citizenship – that is, when Singaporeans do not live in Singapore – challenges assumptions often taken for granted by policymakers. These include issues concerning loyalty and national obligations. The professor who researches global sociology said: 'Positioned in a grey zone between local workers and members of the diaspora, super commuters challenge conventional ideas of national belonging. 'Super commuters can become objects of suspicion. Questions may arise about their loyalty, from either or both societies, especially when they are perceived as economically benefiting from one country and socially and politically identifying with another.' Prof Liu also added that super commuters may be scrutinised for spending their Singapore-earned income abroad, reinforcing perceptions of disinvestment from the local economy. 'If this trend continues to grow, it will be important to observe how society and policymakers respond to its implications on economic redistribution, cultural affiliation and the politics of mobility.' His colleague, Associate Professor Yasmin Ortiga, added that migrants struggle when state categories and policies fail to recognise the complexity of the identities they hold dear. The sociologist who teaches a course on migration and urbanisation explained that it is simpler to think about the distribution of benefits and welfare when you have citizens living and working within their own nation. 'Super commuting can make things complicated because it becomes trickier to determine where people can make claims for state protections and support. In an ideal world, they should be able to draw from resources across borders, but that is rarely the case,' she added. Indeed, the duality of Mr Yeo's identity has raised questions from family and friends. It is something that he constantly grapples with, especially as he does not want to be defined by a single geographical location. Living in Bangkok, Mr Yeo said that people often ask him which country – Singapore or Thailand – he considers home. He would respond that to him, home is not a physical location, but the people with whom he spends time. For now, that means Thailand, where he lives with his wife and son. But at the same time, he said he will always be proud to be a Singaporean. 'Am I Singaporean? Of course I am, from the way I speak. However, something I learned is that identity and belonging doesn't need to be tied to a postal code.' BROADER REPERCUSSIONS ON THE ECONOMY Super commuters also have to consider the issue of taxes, as they could qualify as tax residents in more than one country. Ms Eugenia Tay, a partner at KPMG in Singapore who specialises in personal tax and global mobility services, said: 'Individuals may overlook that income is often taxed where the work is physically performed, beyond their country of residence or pay. 'This varies by country and can catch commuters off-guard. Without proper planning, these individuals may face higher tax costs, increased compliance complexity, and reduced access to tax reliefs or benefits in either jurisdiction.' She added that they may be required to file multiple tax returns in the country of work and the country of residence to meet the rules, deadlines and paperwork requirements of each country. These complications extend to manpower laws, which can affect the employers of super commuters, noted Ms Karen Ng, who is the regional head of expansion at human resources company Deel. 'Without a unified system, human resource teams often face fragmented oversight and legal risk when hiring remote employees or managing working arrangements like super commuting,' said Ms Ng. Hence, she highlighted the growing need for businesses to adopt flexible, compliant solutions to manage a globally distributed workforce. Global employer services leader Sabrina Sia from Deloitte Southeast Asia added that it would be prudent for Singapore employers to seek advice to review any super commuting or remote work arrangements to ensure that they are fully aware of the tax risks and reporting requirements before agreeing for their employees to undertake such arrangements. On the flip side, SMU's Prof Liu said that super commuting generally produces positive effects on the local economies of neighbouring countries where these commuters reside. 'By earning income in a strong foreign currency, super commuters channel purchasing power into local consumption and help support the livelihoods of local families, who often depend on the financial resources they provide.' But in Singapore, this might affect the amount of Goods and Services Tax (GST) that the Singapore government is able to collect from super commuters, said Deloitte's indirect tax leader Richard Mackender. 'If the trend of super commuting were to become so widespread that there is a noticeable reduction in GST receipts overall, the Singapore government has other options it could consider to make up the revenue. '(This includes) higher passenger taxes on flights or increased entry fees at the land checkpoints,' added Mr Mackender. So, in the end, she said that although the tax 'mix' might change, the tax system could be managed so that the total tax receipts remain the same. On top of these issues, with Singaporeans moving abroad, might this lead to a 'brain drain' as talent leaves to be based elsewhere? Mr Song, the economist, felt that this is not a problem because it 'works the other way' too: When overseas Singaporeans share the country's culture with people abroad, it also attracts talent from those countries to work here. 'Even with people leaving, our population is still growing. So in that sense, Singapore is constantly undergoing that change, the internationalisation,' he said. NAVIGATING LIFE ABROAD Even as the super commuters who spoke to CNA TODAY said they have no regrets about adopting this lifestyle, they admitted that adjusting to a different environment can be tricky, especially when the living standards in their new home might not match up to those in Singapore. Mr Tan Quee Peng, the managing director of an architectural firm, spends a quarter of his time in Singapore and the rest in Vietnam. His company is headquartered in Singapore but has offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, which he leads. 'Here (in Vietnam), I get blackouts on the streets – suddenly there's a power overload and it's complete darkness, because infrastructurally, it's a developing country," he said. "There's a lot for the country to catch up with to increase power, have better quality road connections, and drains.' Mr Yeo agreed, saying that it is common to see potholes in Thailand – a rarity in Singapore, which has well-maintained public amenities. But that is a trade-off that he is willing to accept. Unfamiliarity with local cultures might bring about unexpected inconveniences, but also surprising encounters. That was the case for Mr Shen, the lawyer in Jakarta. When he had just moved to Indonesia, he did not know about Lebaran, the Indonesian name for the Muslim holiday known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri in Singapore and Malaysia. He also did not realise that unlike in Singapore, where the public holiday for Hari Raya is a single day, Indonesians mark Lebaran with a two-week public holiday. 'What I hadn't realised was that the entire country shuts down for two weeks and nothing happens. Everybody who works in Jakarta goes home to spend time with their family, and I was stuck in Jakarta,' he said. By the time he realised it, it was too late for him to make any holiday plans because all the flights leaving Indonesia were full. But a client unexpectedly called him and invited him to stay with her family at a villa in Bali at the last minute. He said: 'I stayed, and met many of their wonderful friends passing through. Some of my closest friends today in Indonesia are people I met during that stay, and that was a complete eye opener and taught me how warm and hospitable Indonesians are.' On the flip side, super commuters told CNA TODAY that they feel frustrated when their family members have misconceptions about the country they are staying in. Mr Ho recalled: 'During Chinese New Year, I get questions like 'Are you scared of getting kidnapped and shipped to Myanmar?' But we're talking about central Bangkok! We're not talking about the outskirts of Thailand.' Mr Sng said that some family members think that because he is overseas, he is "playing" all the time and touring different places. But in fact, he spends most of his time working and returning home once his work is finished. BEFORE EMBARKING ON THE LIFESTYLE While all the benefits of this lifestyle may seem appealing, there are several considerations worth looking into before becoming a super commuter, according to career coach Samantha Ng. She said that wannabe super commuters should think why they are making such a move and for how long. This is to ensure that they are not doing it based on impulse, which may lead to undesired outcomes. 'Sometimes the idea of breaking away from the corporate lifestyle is very enduring. However, one can feel equally lost and aimless if we are not mentally prepared for what's next,' she added. Another key factor is how the move that they will be embarking on fits into their career development plan. In an ideal situation, they should make sure that what they are doing brings them closer to their life purpose. 'Additionally, if this move requires the involvement of partners, spouses, parents, or children, they must undergo the same thought process so that everyone is aligned,' she stressed. Mr Sng said that his wife has known him for seven years and understands his need to travel for work. 'We have a baby now so a lot more expenses are coming in.' But he said that he intends to stop super commuting in about 10 to 15 years, so he can be more present when his now 16-month-old daughter is going through her teenage years, which he believes is the period he 'needs to be more attentive' towards her. Right now, super commuting means that they are apart much of the time, and he does not always get to witness his daughter's milestones. 'When I brought her to China last year in December, I saw the first time she started to walk. That was a nice moment.'
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Five stretches you should be doing every day according to a flexibility expert
If you want to add some mood-boosting movement into your day but, for whatever reason, you don't always manage to get a workout in, you don't necessarily need to commit to a long run or sweaty HIIT session. Stretching can be a welcome alternative, helping soothe sore muscles and providing a welcome break from the stresses of a busy schedule. Everyone can benefit from stretching, and the good news is that it's easy to do. If you're wondering where to start, try this seven-minute routine from flexibility expert Tom Merrick – better known to his one million YouTube subscribers as the Bodyweight Warrior. 'For most people, the biggest benefit they're going to get from [stretching to develop] flexibility is that feeling of losing restriction and gaining freedom to be able to move, even if that's just bending over to pick up something or play with the kids,' he says. Below, Merrick has shared five stretches he does every day and recommends for everyone to ease tight hips, improve shoulder health and improve flexibility in knees, hips and ankles. The five stretches you should be doing every day 1. The 90/90 'The 90/90 is one of my favourite general stretches for the hips,' Merrick says. 'It hits every single angle you're going to require, covering both internal and external rotation of the joint, with the focus of bringing more movement and more awareness into the hips.' He says that most people he sees are 'very locked up around the hips'. As a result, 'their back then ends up doing a lot of the movement for them'. 'Also, if you're sitting a lot in the day, you're going to get some compression and tightness of the glutes, and they then have an impact on other lower body positions like the squat,' Merrick adds. 'If we get more movement into the hips, I've found that's one of the best ways to help people feel more free and move better.' How to do it Sit upright with your right thigh perpendicular to your torso and your left thigh directly out in front of you. Your knees should both form a right angle, and your hands can be placed on the ground behind you for support. From here, lift both knees so they point at the ceiling, then allow them to fall in the opposite direction so your left thigh is perpendicular to your torso and your right thigh is extended in front of you. Continue to transition between these two positions, holding each side for a few deep breaths, for 90 seconds to two minutes. In this video, Merrick demonstrates some methods you can use to elevate this stretch or target specific muscles and movements. 2. The couch stretch This is another stretch that targets the hip flexors – the muscles around the pelvis, responsible for bringing your knees towards your chest – as well as the quadriceps on the front of the thigh. 'If you're doing sports like running and cycling, or you're doing a lot of sitting, it can cause this tightening up of the quad and hip flexors,' Merrick says. 'The nature of these activities means you're encouraging that flexed forward, tightened position [of the hips]. The couch stretch provides more of an extended position – the opposite experience to the stuff you would normally do day to day. 'It's also a really nice one because a lot of hip stretches won't include knee flexion [bending], which is going to stretch our rectus femoris – part of the quad muscle.' How to do it Place your left knee on the floor against a wall so your shin extends vertically upwards. Step your right foot forward so you're in a lunge position, with your left thigh and torso forming a straight line. Think about tucking your hips by squeezing your glutes (buttock muscles), and trying to pull your rear knee forward to contract the hip flexors. Place your hands on the floor inside your right foot, beneath your shoulders, for support. Hold this position for 60 to 90 seconds on each side. You can deepen this stretch by moving your torso more upright. Merrick says the couch stretch can be scaled to suit most fitness levels too. If you're new to flexibility training, you can start by keeping your hands on the floor for support and leaning forward over your front leg. As your flexibility increases, you can sit more upright to increase extension at the hip and flexion of the knee. 3. The squat This one might sound more like a strength-building exercise than a stretch, but Merrick says being able to hold a solid squat position 'demonstrates a reasonable flexibility at several joints including the ankle, knee and hips'. 'This is a fundamental human position, and it's a useful one to be able to get into,' he adds. 'If you're going to do any form of resistance training, you're probably going to come across a squat, and if you have kids or want to pick something up from the ground, you're going to want to be able to access this low position.' How to do it Stand with your feet roughly hip-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outwards. Keeping your chest up and your spine long, sink your hips down into a deep squat position. If you find yourself falling backwards, or you're unable to keep your chest up and your spine long in the bottom of the squat, hold onto a sturdy anchor point in front of you for extra support. Hold this position for 60 to 120 seconds, or watch Merricks' video for some variations to try. Most people will find they fall backwards when they try to get into a deep squat position, Merrick says. This is due to a lack of flexibility at either the ankles or hips, which forces the spine to round and more weight to be placed towards the back of the squat. To remedy this, he recommends practising sitting in a deep squat position while holding a sturdy anchor point in front of you, focusing on keeping your chest up and maintaining good positions. 'This comes down to the SAID [specific adaptation to imposed demand] principle,' says Merrick. 'If you want to get better at X, do X more, so find a way you can sit in a squat comfortably, then you can spend some time wiggling about, moving, and trying to get a good stretch.' 4. The hang Like the squat before it, Merrick says the hang covers a lot of bases. It can aid overhead flexibility for improved shoulder health, stretch a range of muscles around the shoulder joint including the latissimus dorsi in the back and pectorals in the chest, and it provides decompression of the spine too. 'During the day we might get a lot of compression in the spine just from being on our feet, moving around, sitting down,' he explains. 'Hanging allows gravity to pull that spine down and lengthen it.' How to do it Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and your hands roughly shoulder-width apart. Take your feet off the ground to support your weight through your grip. Think about pulling your chest in to create a straighter body position. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. If you are unable to support your bodyweight, use a lower pull-up bar and keep your feet on the ground to support some of your weight. Slowly reduce the weight taken by your feet over time to progress this move. Hanging can also develop your grip strength, which has been identified as an 'indispensable biomarker' for older adults in a review published in the Clinical Interventions in Aging journal. This is because it indicates good generalised strength, bone density and other important health markers. 'We know that grip strength is a really important factor, one for sports but also for longevity,' Merrick says. 'From hanging, we're going to naturally build some strength in the grip – being able to hang for between 30 and 60 seconds would be a good target for most people.' 5. The elephant walk into pike hold The hamstrings are the large muscles that run down the back of the thigh. In his time working with people to improve their flexibility, Merrick says tightness in this area is one of the main things that hampers clients' freedom of movement. 'If you want to work on more advanced flexibility, the hamstrings are almost like a key. If you unlock them, it lets the hips tilt and move more freely, which then is going to make you feel more flexible in general for things like squatting. So stretching the hamstrings in one form or another is great.' He says the elephant walk, where you reach towards the ground and straighten one leg at a time to stretch your hamstrings and shift your hips, is his favourite position for achieving this. How to do it Stand upright with a slight bend in your knees, then reach your hands towards the ground in front of you. With your hands on the ground for support, straighten your left leg while keeping your right knee slightly bent. Hold this position for a second, then switch sides. Continue to do this for 60 seconds, then straighten both legs and try to place your hands on the back of your lower legs, using them to pull you deeper into the stretch. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Should you try stretching? Stretching shouldn't be your only form of exercise – strength training and raising your heart rate with some form of cardio are key ingredients when cooking up a fit, functional body. But stretching can be a great way to enjoy a more relaxed form of movement while enjoying the many benefits listed above. 'It's universal, everyone can benefit from stretching,' Merrick says. 'The benefits really come down to the application. If you lift weights or do most other sports, the ability to put your arms overhead and squat down are two pretty crucial elements.' 'And we're all going to have to pick something off the floor at some point, so you would want to be able to touch the floor at the bare minimum – ideally, you would be able to get your palms down with straight legs. If you can do those three then you're going to have more than adequate flexibility to take anything that life throws at you.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
6 Ways Companies Can Adapt Compensation For Today's Complex Workplace
The world of work has changed significantly in recent years, and the evolution is ongoing. The workforce has become more global, flexible and skills-focused, and economic factors, including inflation, supply chain challenges and more, are weighing on leaders' minds as they seek to balance innovation with financial restraint. Companies are rethinking and revamping their compensation strategies not only for these reasons, but also to address changing employee expectations, remote work and the growing competition for top talent across borders. Modern strategies like performance-based incentives, lifestyle benefits and flexible pay structures are designed to reward impact while supporting employee well-being. To explore how companies are making these shifts work in real time, below, members of Forbes Human Resources Council share the innovative compensation approaches they're using to attract and retain top talent in a changing world. 1. Balance Fairness With Market Competitiveness Our compensation strategy adapts to inflation and global talent competition by balancing fairness with market competitiveness. For example, we offer performance-linked incentives that reward impact and contribution, ensuring employees are motivated beyond fixed pay. This approach helps us recognize talent meaningfully while staying aligned with business goals and market realities. - Sourabh Deorah, 2. Expand Salary Ranges Through Remote Hiring Remote working has allowed us to adjust our salaries—we've created a wider range to fit specific job families and role types. Historically, we would be limited to the specific local geography, but now we have an expanded market. This creates not only more options and a larger candidate pool, but also an expanded salary range. - Jake Zabkowicz, Hudson RPO Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify? 3. Adopt A Skills-First, Location-Agnostic Pay Model Our mantra is 'FAIR': flexible, agile, impact-driven and relevant. We've shifted to a skills-first, location-agnostic pay model, benchmarking compensation globally and linking it to role criticality, not geography. For example, we introduced retention-linked bonuses and mid-cycle corrections for niche tech roles to stay competitive and reward impact, not just tenure. - Ankita Singh, Relevance Lab 4. Introduce Lifestyle Spending Accounts We introduced a lifestyle spending account to reframe compensation as care. It's not a perk; it's a proxy for trust. Instead of prescribing benefits, we fund what fuels people's lives—wellness, caregiving and creativity. That shift is helping us compete globally, retain top talent and sustain performance without sacrificing humanity. - Apryl Evans, USA for UNHCR 5. Align Incentives With Outcomes And Lifestyles Our strategy has evolved to blend competitive base pay, performance-based equity and flexibility. Inflation, remote work and global competition have shifted the focus from just compensation to aligning incentives with outcomes and lifestyle, helping attract top talent in a global market. - William Stonehouse, Crawford Thomas Recruiting 6. Offer Total Rewards That Meet Real Employee Needs The war for talent in top niches is ongoing. Now more than ever, employers are looking outside the box. An area of compensation that employers of choice should look into is total rewards perquisites, such as student loan repayment, tuition assistance, childcare discounts, remote work with annual reimbursement budgets for home office needs, and wellness programs. - Nakisha Dixon, Helios HR LLC
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
British billpayers saved £300m through energy flexibility in 2024, figures show
British billpayers saved more than £300 million by switching the time at which they turned on their washing machines or ovens, according to figures released by the industry body for network operators. The data shows households and businesses reduced their bills by changing the time or day they used electricity – such as by cooking or washing earlier or later in the day, or setting electric cars to charge at specific times. In the past when most of the UK's electricity generators were fossil-fuel power plants, supply of electricity adapted to demand. Today as the wind and the sun influence when renewables are being produced, incentivising users to adapt their demand to when there is a lot of supply can help take pressure off the grid. Flexibility can also be a valuable tool to optimise capacity while longer-term infrastructure upgrades are planned and delivered. The Energy Network Association (ENA) on Thursday said electricity networks in Great Britain secured a record high of 9 gigawatts (GW) of flexibility last year. In turn, a total of 22 gigawatt-hours of flexibility was harnessed across the network – enough to power almost 7,000 average UK households for a full year, according to the figures. It represents a three-fold increase since the previous year, which is the biggest jump since data collection began in 2017, ENA said. The industry group also revealed that flexibility is projected to deliver over £3 billion in savings over the next three years. This will be driven by lower contributions to infrastructure costs, reduced connection charges and the increased use of low-carbon energy sources, it said. Dr Avinash Aithal, head of open networks at ENA, said: 'It's been tremendous to see the boom in the flexibility market over the past year. 'Flexibility is becoming more mainstream thanks to industry efforts to remove barriers to participation and simplify the market processes overall. The outcome of our efforts are now clear to see, with significant savings for consumers and the wider energy industry. 'Great Britain is now a global leader in energy flexibility,' he added. 'Together, ENA and industry have paved the way for the whole of Great Britain to participate in and benefit from the energy flexibility market.' Last year, a majority (80%) of flexibility came from non-fossil fuel sources – 10 times the capacity of the UK's largest solar farm, ENA said. While the majority of flexibility services came from commercial organisations, householders can also reap the benefits of using electric car chargers and heat pumps, for example, at non-peak times. It comes as Ofgem said the energy market needs more complex time-based tariffs to encourage consumers to use power at different times. The regulator's chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, told MPs that the tariffs would in some cases 'dramatically reduce bills'. The tariffs, also called time-of-use (TOU) tariffs or multi-rate tariffs, offer cheaper electricity at times when there is lower demand on the National Grid.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Hidden Cost Of A Broken Calendar: Why Time Poverty Is A Leadership Problem
A vice is tightly pressing an antique pocket watch. Concept of being busy. A technician checks her schedule on Sunday night. Her shift changed. Again. Her child's care, her commute, her second job, her time—reshuffled in a moment. Meanwhile, her company proudly touts its flexible culture. We say we value empathy and autonomy. But the calendar tells another story. If you want to understand performance, start with the calendar. Not the strategy calendar. The real one. The lived one. The one packed with 7:30s that shouldn't be meetings, shifts that change overnight, deadlines that move faster than thinking, and breaks that disappear before they begin. That calendar tells you what your culture actually values. Behind every disconnected employee, every frustrated customer, there's a work schedule in the background. One that may look fine on paper but feels brutal in practice. Hours that collide. Meetings that sprawl. Shifts that keep changing. And a quiet expectation that people will just adjust. And the pace is intense— though not always productive or efficient. A Microsoft study showed that employees are averaging 6.6 hours of overtime each week, attending 29.6% more meetings than they would like to, and are experiencing an average of 4.7 cancelled and rescheduled meetings per week. It's easy to blame burnout on individuals. It's harder to admit that many of our time structures are broken by design. The Data Behind The Feeling A new study titled the American Job Quality Study by Jobs for the Future, The Families & Workers Fund, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, and Gallup puts numbers to what many already feel. Only 35% of U.S. workers have a high-quality schedule—one that's predictable, stable, and includes some degree of control. The rest? About one in four face schedule unpredictability. Another one in four deal with unstable weekly hours. And nearly four in ten have little or no say in how their time gets structured. The definition in the study is simple: A high-quality schedule means you know your hours at least two weeks in advance, your weekly time doesn't swing wildly unless you want it to, and you have input into key details—like how much you work, when you work, or when you can step away. Take those things away and what's left isn't flexibility. It's volatility, hidden under a culture of availability. The study also found that one in three part-time workers without a college degree has a low-quality schedule. These are often the same workers who run retail floors, power essential services, and interact with customers every day. When their time gets broken, so does everything else. Time Poverty Is Structural This isn't just about poor planning. It's time poverty, a chronic lack of usable, discretionary time. Not just how many hours someone works, but how much of that time they actually own. The traditional definition—used by economists and development agencies—describes time poverty as working more than 12 hours a day, including unpaid labor, leaving little room for rest or care. That framing still matters, especially in contexts of gender and labor equity. But it no longer captures the full picture. In today's world, time poverty shows up in more ways than it used to. For some, it's unpredictable shifts, last-minute schedule changes, or constant reshuffling of personal responsibilities. For others, it's back-to-back meetings, nonstop notifications, and the pressure to always be available. Whether you're chasing hours or running out of them, the result is the same—no rhythm, no margin, no time you can really call your own. This isn't just about overwork. It's about the fragmentation of time. The erosion of control. The slow disappearance of depth, recovery, and anything that feels truly uninterrupted. You can be time-poor with a demanding hourly job. You can be time-poor with a high-paying desk job. It's not about class or title. It's about coherence. And more of us are losing it. The American Job Quality Study findings reflect this. Workers with low-quality schedules are more than twice as likely to say their job regularly interferes with their personal lives. Fifty-seven percent say that disruption happens often. Those with high-quality schedules are much more likely to say the opposite—that their job rarely intrudes. Scheduling Quality Insights Time Equity Begins With The Schedule Companies often point to flexibility as a solution. But flexibility without control is just chaos in softer language. Whether you're at your desk in an office, on a factory floor, behind a counter, or out in the field, if your hours are constantly shifting, you're not in control. If learning is encouraged but never protected, it's performative. If your schedule can be changed at any time, your autonomy is an illusion. These aren't isolated problems. They are structural ones, and they cut across roles, industries, and titles. This is where the leadership gap shows up. Well-being is endorsed but never scheduled. Growth is discussed but rarely resourced. Reflection is admired but squeezed between meetings. We ask people to give more, do more, grow more, without first giving them time they can trust. Rhythm Over Routine Routine is easy to fill. Rhythm is harder to build. But it's rhythm that sustains performance. Unstable schedules break attention. Overfilled calendars break presence. Unpredictability breaks trust. You can't learn when you're bracing for change. You can't lead when your day is always reactive. And you are stretched in all directions. Rhythm isn't about predictability for predictability's sake. It's about giving people something solid to build their energy, their focus, and their future around. The Leadership Responsibility This isn't a workforce issue. It's a leadership one. Work doesn't begin with the annual plan. It begins with the hour. Because how time is structured is how value is signaled. What does it feel like to live inside a workweek here? Who controls their time? Who's always adjusting? Who gets space to think and breathe? And who always gets the leftover slots? We talk about equity in many forms—pay, promotion, opportunity. But time equity may be the most foundational of all. It determines what's possible before anything else can. The Infrastructure Of Trust Leaders often chase transformation by aiming big. But culture shifts through smaller decisions—calendar invites, meeting rhythms, margin for rest and depth. A high-quality schedule is the infrastructure of trust. It shows that leadership understands time isn't a neutral resource. It's an emotional one. A structural one. A human one. Work isn't just what gets done. It's how time gets lived. And when time is owned, protected, and shared with intention, the rest of performance follows.
