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Topic: Building a valuable employee life cycle within Viriya

1) A culture of strong mutual support especially from coworkers

Prior discussion:
Opinions on reorganization announcement
-The announcement clarifies and got us in touch with the whole organization's services and  room for growth and is an exciting one.

-Apprehensive:
How are all the mentioned aims going to come together/unfold and when push comes to shove,

2)A system for feedbacks/opinions of staffs' to really be heard

E.g. Where a feedback does not only reach the supervisor (Beyond staff to supervisor level)

3)Have a buddy system/structure (especially to lookout for each other's self-care).
E.g. Alphonsus's initiated once a week workout group, Hui ting's meditation group. (These groups are good opportunity to talk and be in touch not just about their work.

4)Having/making sure there is stability first before reorganization. E.g. enough manpower first

5)More care for staffs initiatives like the weekly "Self-compassion" break

6)Supervisor's regular "check-ins" on supervisee's workload

How:
Confidentiality and enforcement that supervisor will still check with supervisee before he/she implements a directive based on feedback.

7) Building up a culture of better collegial relationships within Viriya
How:
Team bonding activities

8)Keep up the intangible supports like grab vouchers (They are appreciated) :)

9)Inculcate a culture of respectful communication (Multi level) .e.g. even when mistakes are made.

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Responses to the re-organization announcement:

Newer colleagues don’t feel much about the reorganisation.

Some have already received a heads-up, sees that it is a good and effortful change and hence prepared for the change but calls to question if this new reorganisation could be adding on to the manpower constraints(?) (i.e. going back to normal) (particularly for WH). This is because new additions to the centre still need some runway time to adjust. Some express mixed feelings, there has been confusion over the past few years due to uncertainty and changes made.

Concerns on the lack of supervision.

1. Immediate questions/concerns:

Split teams don’t feel very helpful wrt supervision due to uncertainty, lack of presence to observe work progress.

With the change in HOD, unsure of who we are reporting to (e.g. what's the direction going to be like?)

Building a valuable employee life cycle within Viriya:

Staff welfare is very important - voices being heard, preventive measure of staff burnout (e.g. More leave - family day, birthday leave etc. ?), staff benefits. This is esp. given how many of us work on weekends, longer hours than usual.

Manpower concerns - We understand that we have to plan it in advance and let our clients know so we can be fully free from work while on leave. Yet, sometimes unable to get others to help cover our slots, being on leave but not feeling entirely free from work.

Competitive salary can be helpful in incentivising and retaining talents within the organisation, becoming more structured in order to maintain the growth of the organisation.

Importance of feedback and acting on/making tangible what is being shared

Re-sourcing people; supporting people in their work (e.g. B2B)

We also feel that at times VCS can get over ambitious and has vague job scopes, would be good if we are clear on our roles and what is expected of us (defining work boundaries) to prevent burnout from overworking.

Redrawing service boundaries/ starting up another FSC/ satellite office in the west

Building up a compassionate workplace (being mindful of workload, capability of staff)

- To construct a supportive workplace that is more compassionate and inclusive. More support can be implemented for staff undergoing burnout or going through a difficult period. One suggestion includes expanding the definition of compassionate leave (beyond loss of loved ones) to "self-compassion" leave.

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Growing Effective Staff Management & Leadership Style within Viriya

(1) Responses towards reorganisation
- Helpful; an opportunity to improve internal communication
- Respect, open communication; the organisation recognises that everyone has strengths (individual contributions) + teamwork (different divisions need to be connected and work well together)
- A period of adjustment; structure helps us work in an organised manner (Eg: specific person in-charge)
- Clarity is important; To be on the same page (Eg: regular updates). More communication and cohesion needed from within.

(2) Strategies to move forward
- More transparent communication within organisation (Eg: quarterly updates of staff movement, policies etc); beyond a professional level, to a more familial level
- Open communication can help to welcome new staff

(3) Feedback to layered structure, compared to previous flat structure
- Accessibility; Makes decision-making more accessible. People will be more open/ comfortable to share to reporting officer.
- Efficiency; If decision-making is faster, plans can be more efficient. Changes can also be made quicker.
- Diversity of ideas; More people have the opportunity to share their input to the reporting officer

- Concern #1: Possibility of conflicts if there are more opinions; how do we resolve conflicts, even with reporting officer? There is a need to respect differences in opinions, not take things personally if your ideas are not accepted, be open-minded to promote open communication.

(4) What is the best supervisor-supervisee fit?
- Match skillsets; Important for supervisee to know their own strengths and weaknesses, consider who they need as a supervisor. Management can help match the strengths of supervisor to abilities of supervisee.
- Establish goals at the start of working relationship, so that they have something to rely on and monitor their progress overtime.

- Suggestion: A review process to review supervisor-supervisee fit.
- Concern #1: Staff in different programmes have to report to different supervisors. Hence, communication is not streamlined.

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(1) Flat vs Layered Org Structure
- As org grow bigger, hierarchical structure is necessary for communication of info - e.g., having clearer agendas and focus during meetings;
- Layered: more specialisations and options when considering future career development/opportunities
- Communication and decision making process will be expedited with new Centre Heads
- Possible challenge: Info from the TOP may be distorted/filtered out
- Structured org will be more effective as each division can focus on. their respective areas
- Heads given more authority to make decisions.

(2) Challenges to the Changes
- People will feel apprehensive and uncertain of the new changes.
- Challenging to make transition within short time (i.e., 1st July).
- External factors: i.e., COVID situation and regulations, Ministry's policy changes
- May have extended time taken to clear decisions (i.e., going directly to ED may be faster than going to e.g., RO > CM > ED)
- Possible changes in team members and/or supervisors
- Maintaining the safe space for supervisees to provide feedback

(3) Resolving these Challenges
- Doubts/uncertainties should be discussed openly amongst the teams. Current Heads to support the people.

(4) Supervisor-Supervisee Fit
- Efficient vs Effective
- More understanding on the working style and personality of supervisee (and matching of supervisor with the individual)

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How different was the organisation now and before?

- It's a good new way of re-organising and new structure compared to the past.

What are your responses to the re-organization announcement?

- Happy that there is restructuring and now staff with seniority are given opportunities to take on HOD (leadership) roles.

- Staff looking forward to professional development

What immediate questions / concerns might you have?

- Nil

What are some ways to help you or your teammates transit from current to reorganized structure?

- For staff that have been here for years - re-organisation of the teams especially with two team leads leaving, is going to pose as a challenge.

- Individually, we need to know much more about different programs, structure and teams (strong internal communications) so that we can ultimately guide new teammates

- Support is necessary during transition

What can VCS Management Committee, Senior Team do?

- In the interim period, we could be tapping into seniors staff from other services to help us with the current situation

What can you as a staff member do?

Topic 3: Building a Trusting & Positive Collegial Relationships in Viriya
How could we achieve this goal that will be meaningful to you?

(1) With restructuring, communications within VCS will change, what types of communication platforms will you propose for VCS to adopt to promote a clear and vibrant communication system? (Essential Question)

- Currently, usage of e-mails and WhatsApp groups are still a great way of receiving communications within VCS

- Some staff suggested the usage of Telegram as well

- Perhaps one platform for staff to view current news and another to make suggestions

(2) How would you help to promote a clear and vibrant communication system in VCS?

- Some answers similar to question 1

(3) How do you think supervisors could help to promote a clear and vibrant communication system?

- Whichever info received from talks, TLs would communicate via their own teams' regular meetings.

- After Covid happened, some TLs may not have enough time to pass down messages to team members. Will need to look into this.

- Great if all supervisors have a standard message to pass down should there be any information to disseminate to each TL's team members.

(4) If there is a regular “Meet the Staff” session by Management Committee and Leadership Team, what would you like to be covered in these sessions?

- Feedback from past month's events

- Finish answering of questions on pigeonhole would be great

- Can discuss what things were done well and what else needs to be improved within the organisation

- Good to check on how supervisees are also coping also (Vice versa). Sometimes supervisors themselves are also facing high workload, staff may not feel too good speaking to supervisors regarding their own issues.

- Suggested to have an informal makan session with  to discuss any problems us staff are facing

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Career & professional development pathways in Viriya

With the restructuring and reorganization, do you believe that you will have a better career pathway or be able to see your career pathway?

- Yes, more services and structure helps us to see an overview of the available career options, however it may be unclear how staff can start moving in the direction of their interest.

- It may be helpful if there is an online platform of career opportunities such as career options/choices for staff to look through on our own time before deciding and bring it up during appraisal etc.

What might be some of your concerns when discussing career mapping exploration?

- Difficult to find balance in exploring options while still holding onto current workload, compromising on the quality of work.

- Transitioning may not be smooth while trying out other pathways while holding onto current portfolio

- Holding multiple portfolios and doing general work (not in depth), staff may feel that they do not experience the scope deep enough to know what to specialize in

- Staff may be unclear of the timeline for their professional growth or exploration of paths, when is the "appropriate time" to alert management regarding such development

What would help you to have a better career pathway or see your career pathway?

- Shadowing or have mentorship would help to gain exposure of the paths we are interested in before deciding to specialize in/change career pathways

- Structured timeline of professional growth (e.g 2-3 years in fsc before specializing) would be helpful for staff to understand and look forward in professional growth

- Varied needs of staff, some prefer specialisation, some prefer portfolio of job roles.

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How to create collegial relationships in Viriya.

Summary / Themes
There is an overall feeling of anxiety, excitement, and relief in response to the re-structuring .

Overall, the discussion underscores the importance to have the need to be heard, to feel safe and to feel competent.

Constant and consistent feedback loop is critical. Frequency of staff engagement should be higher in the initial change management process. Concrete platforms: quarterly engagement sessions in varying group size and management level, depository for feedback and questions, monthly meal meeting with management, etc.

Communication plans and platforms need to balance between addressing anxiety about providing anonymous feedback and taking ownership (with integrity, transparency, open culture, and teamwork).

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What are your feelings, concerns or questions to the sharing in the first part of Town Hall? (reaction to Reorg?)

1. Exciting to see the growth
2. Looks cool. Waiting for more information on manpower. To help with the sharing of workload.
3. Important to have the right people for the reorg to succeed. (Recruitment for example)
4. A sense of relief and assurance.
5. Uncertainty. Manpower and caseload issues and concerns regarding to what it will mean to work on the ground.
6. More layers of reporting place larger distance between the senior management and the ground staff.

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Collegial Relationships - With restructuring, communications within VCS will change, what types of communication platforms will you propose for VCS to adopt to promote a clear and vibrant communication system?

1. Example of SSNet - Alignment and constant feedback loop.
2. People will continue to be anxious, even after today.
3. Create a communication plan.
(Who needs to communicate and how often. )
4. Sharing of upcoming plans, concerns, help needed, wins.
5. Newsletter
6. How to facilitate 360 communication more frequently and not have to wait for formal sessions only.
7. Monthly breakfast sharing with CEO - meet the staff session (small group)
8. Communication needs to be more frequent during initial period of change management
9. How will the communication plan address the additional layers.

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Career and Professional Development Pathways in Viriya

Responses towards the various pathways
(1) Expansion of the professional tracks into other areas
- From Social Service Professionals track to Corporate Development track

(2) Well-defined roles and expansion of scope in service deliveries ranging from Community Mental Health, family services

(3) Communication and clarification of the direction of the various pathways; however despite the uncertainity, there is still a sense of excitement towards this change

(4) Wary of the various changes and how despite the various townhalls over the years, there's still a lack of stability within the organisation.
Concerns over the influx of new staff and whether it would be overtaxing on the staff through the this new journey.

(5) Question over lack of a HR department and how it is a concern for this organisation

Thoughts and belief towards more opportunity and training through this development pathways; whether the career matching will be well planned.
- Matching through staff's own interest and the services available
- Need for more ongoing and intentional conversation, self introspection and space to reflect and evaluate where would one wish to go for their own professional pathway

- Very niche service and development track as a psychologist (Expansion through the undertaking of various portfolio and roles)

- Restructuring provides the opportunity for one to explore other tracks

- In terms of our own professional development, it is dependent on the worker's on iniative and proactiveness to grow and develop to understand how they can develop.
- Feasibility of going into other services is dependent on various factors
1) Manpower allocation
2) Other services direction

What do you think the supervisor or management can do to support to assist one's professional development
- Availability of supervisors and reporting officers
- As much as supervisor can be there to advocate for us, the professional development is based on the IDP and our personal responsibility to
- Need for mentors to share about one's pitfalls, looking out for our own blindspots. External mentors to mentor younger workers. Distinguish the need for non supervisor mentors outside of the organisation to faciliate one's professional development. (It cannot be someone who's not in the direct contact in the supervising process in order to be more objective)
- Mentors for new workers, experienced workers
- Need for more guidelines,  SOPs, training for younger staff

Comparison btw other social service organisations and other private organisations
- the presence of safety and boundary setting
- importance on the kind of supervisor one have to help one grow
- There is no segregation btw the various roles in the organisation, everybody is valued regardless of designation. (Some voiced that when working in other orgs, social workers tend to be more valued over others)

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Change in organisational chart:

1) Good change
- Looking forward to it though its a lot of changes and unknowns
- Good to have lesser subdivisions
- Tapping on every individual's strength; specialise and focus on more specific areas of work to reduce gray areas (potentially reduce gaps in communication)
- More beneficial for the service users
- Potentially less taxing/stressful on staff with structure in place

2) A bit complex
- How the each division are going to work with one another?
- How to measure outcome?
- Good to have breakdown from the big picture to help everyone to understand the change better?
- How are the staff being supported during the adjustment?
- Maintain open feedback channel (preferably in smaller group; utilising the existing teams in the centre)

Branding & Future of Viriya

1) Unsure where we are heading
- Comprehensive and variety of services offered but what are we trying to achieve?

2) What can we achieve? (i.e. perception of future VCS)
- more focus on mental health, community and research
- putting the pieces together :)
- Finding the identity and the niche (i.e. Associate Viriya  with xxx service)

3) Other potential areas to look into in the future?
- Housing (i.e. single parents, LGBT etc)
- perhaps to focus on existing gaps in existing problem areas

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Concerns for the reorganization:
- With the expansion, how will the services be differentiated and not overlap with each other?

- How can one tap on the other services (beyond their own) for their casework, any processes in place to do the link up for their clients?

- Whether change will really be made?
- Currently, a lot of confusion regarding role clarity

Branding and Future of Viriya
1. How do you think the reorganization might better help the VCS mission?
- more organized (sub-teams, HOD, etc.), reduce confusions, no need to report to so many people, less conflicting opinions
- good that we have multi-disciplinary approach

2. Regarding Core Services & Programs
- Must have: HRM
> a lot of confusion regarding role clarity now, HR can help to clarify employee work roles and benefits;
> takes a long time to approve for change of client's account number, would be easier to report this straight to HR
> to have someone to go to, e.g. to submit medical claims
- Must have: Volunteer engagement and community partnership (VCS has lack of volunteers)
- Good to have: Division of Community Mental Health
- Training programs to target to admin and program staffs too (not just social workers, etc.) so as to improve their delivery
- Research team is important, helps in improvement of the organization and the programs

3. What do you see as community's needs in the next 10 years?
- mental health awareness, support and programs
- elderly issues (burden of elder care will continue to increase over the years)
- housing issues (due to higher cost of living)
- covering basic needs for middle-income (those who don't qualify for lower bracket but still need aid)
- gap in skills (due to fast digitalization). How do we help them with their job security and up-skilling? Because different people have different capabilities, some just not as tech-savvy
- mental health services to support older adults and caregivers