Let’s Talk About Leadership and Life

For Nur Rafidah Rosdi, her leadership journey began some 12 years ago when she became an Executive Committee member in the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union (SISEU).

She has risen the ranks of the union to become SISEU’s General Treasurer today. As a person, Ms Rafidah, who does marketing and branding at TÜV SÜD PSB, is down to earth, approachable and passionate; traits many people would associate with an effective and strong union leader.

She credits the union for giving her opportunities to grow as a leader, and is especially grateful to former SISEU General Secretary and current Advisor Lim Kuang Beng for mentoring and inspiring her to become a stronger leader.

What does leadership mean to you?

Nur Rafidah Rosdi: In my opinion, real leadership comes from within; it is when you do things from your heart. And when you are doing things because you have a passion for it, it is the best way to stay true to yourself.

By having a passion for something, you develop a sense of motivation. This passion will continuously help to keep you motivated, and whenever you start to doubt yourself, no matter what the outcome is, you will feel satisfied knowing that you are following your heart.

I also learnt that leadership is all about being in the moment. It is by contributing with integrity, providing meaningful feedback and insights that help deliver significant change and value-add.

How do you strike a balance between personal and professional life?

Truthfully, it’s challenging to strike a balance in today’s current workplace. But I must focus on what matters to me and prioritise my time wisely.

Despite my busy schedule, I will try to attend family gatherings, be it luncheons, dinners, outings, movies and weddings. I ensure that all dates are blocked in my phone’s calendar so as not to miss them.

For example, I can attend a union event early in the morning, then catch up with friends over coffee, then rush back home to my family, then head off again for another event or attend a wedding reception in the same evening.

In between, I will check my office emails. Because of this, I always plan my schedule.

Are women given enough support at workplaces today? What more can be done?

With the commitment of many employers in making workplaces fair and inclusive and also, with the law mandating equal employment opportunities, we have seen stereotypes, practices and outright discrimination against women at workplaces either reduced or disappear.

The issue of women leaving the workforce has a variety of reasons, and it is often attributed to the difficulties they face in balancing a job and family.

Many women quit their jobs after giving birth to their first child, and the hurdles they face as they return to work while raising children are compounded by long working hours. This forces women to make a tough choice between their families and their careers.

Therefore, employers should listen more to women’s career concerns and desires. Employers should also have some flexibility in designing flexible work arrangements.

The cost of day care services for children can be very significant, and hence, it will be helpful to have more provision for subsidies.

What advice would you give to female workers who want to create a family-friendly workplace?

Communicate, communicate and communicate! Help to find a solution that works, present alternatives for all groups involved and make the family-friendly policies more feasible and palatable for everyone.

I remember when a colleague approached me to ask about flexible work arrangements. Our working hours are from 8.30am to 6pm on Mondays to Thursdays and 8.30am to 5.30pm on Fridays. She needed to leave office half an hour earlier every day to take care of her aged parents.

However, her request was turned down by her boss. The reason given was that it would disrupt her work.

So, she came to speak to me asking for advice. By the way, at that time, she was a non-union member. I told her to talk to her boss again, ask him to do a trial for a week and then monitor the situation.

The boss accepted the proposal for her to work on a flexible work arrangement. She joined the union and has been a member since.