I was shocked beyond words reading the letter by Yeh Siang Hui in the ST Forums. In particular, I was put off by his declaration that "a pregnancy in the workplace is nothing but bad news". With narrow-minded people like him, I wonder how many of his female colleagues will suffer should he become their superior one day.

As I read through the letter, I realised too that everything that he mentioned seemed to go against not just government efforts to encourage higher birth rates, but also throwing the call for more grace to the dustbin. It is also people like him who will probably and can only rule with an iron fist; not that there’s anything wrong, but I feel that this impairs creativity at work and spells a mundane work life.

Ever wonder why people enjoy working at Google?

Maternity leave not a perk

I REFER to Tuesday’s letters, ‘Working mums penalised in other ways’ by Ms Mabel Tan and ‘Pregnant employee bullied by manager, now stay-home mum’ by Ms Swee Bee Lan.

Their letters suggest they expect employers to reward pregnant employees in the same measure as other employees, even though a pregnant employee who takes maternity leave is (other factors being equal) inevitably less productive than her single or non-pregnant colleague in a similar position in the company.

This would be unfair, not only to the employer, but also to other employees who have to cover the duties of their pregnant colleague.

Consider this: Two employees each have 120 units of work to complete in a year. One becomes pregnant and goes on maternity leave, completing only 90 units. The other has to cover her duties, thus completing her own 120 units, as well as the 30 units of her pregnant colleague - a total of 150 units.

In such circumstances, it is right and legitimate for an employer to reward the worker who has been more productive, more than the worker who has been on maternity leave, whether by a bigger year-end bonus, better promotion prospects or more days of leave.

The rationale is simple. The measure of reward and recognition an employee receives is commensurate with the level of her contribution. An employee who chooses to become pregnant and take maternity leave chooses to compromise her level of accountability to her employer.

In the same way, if I cover the duties of a pregnant colleague over and above fulfilling my own duties, I rightly expect to be recognised by my employer.

There is nothing discriminatory in an employer rewarding one employee over another on the basis of different performance levels, regardless of the reason for the disparity in productivity. Ms Tan and Ms Swee’s labelling of such corporate practices as acts of discrimination reeks of petulant resentment.

A pregnant worker surely cannot expect her employer or colleagues to regard her pregnancy with the same joy and excitement as her family or friends - as, after all, a pregnancy in the workplace is nothing but bad news.

In respect of colleagues, their workload will increase (not necessarily with any assurance of extra reward). In respect of the employer, the pregnant worker not only does not contribute to the company during her maternity leave, but she actually causes loss to the company as she continues to draw pay for zero productivity during that period.

It is therefore perfectly understandable - and human - for an employer or a colleague to exhibit signs of dissatisfaction.

Ms Tan and Ms Swee should therefore think twice before labelling the less-than-enthusiastic response to their pregnancies as ‘discriminatory’.

Yeh Siang Hui

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_267806.html

And oh, if I were you, I’d be careful on what I say about him:

NUS- Faculty of Law - Alumni Directory

Notices

The Law Society of Singapore (no longer available)

Article extracted on 18th August 2008

Yes, the Singapore team has finally emerged as runner-ups in the table tennis team women event in Beijing 2008 Olympics. Yesterday, Singapore faced World No. 1 team China in a match that saw the latter winning 3-0. Feng took an unexpected lead in the beginning but that was about as close as we could in our bid for the gold medal. Soon after, Wang trashed Feng, followed by Li Jiawei, who was also trashed by Zhang Yining. Finally, in the first doubles, Singapore lost, but not without giving a good fight. If you have missed the games last night, do check out the live blogging done yesterday. Indeed, it was one of the most exciting matches that I have ever watched as I held my breath every time a game starts.

We were also commenting on how Feng’s performance was unexpected and speculating if this would be Li Jiawei’s last game professionally. Everyone will most probably remember Feng as the life saver for a silver medal in the last singles match against South Korea and how Li Jiawei seemed to have fretted. However, I still think the women’s table tennis team have done an excellent job and that we should all be proud of them. One thing I felt strongly thought, Feng is Singapore’s gain and China’s loss.

Silver, but they’re our Golden Girls

Much to be proud of even though Singapore lost to juggernaut China

By Marc Lim, Sports Correspondent

BEIJING: The medals were silver, but the mood felt like pure gold.

Singapore’s women table tennis players finished their Beijing adventure as runners-up to the world’s most formidable team from China.

In Beijing and across Singapore, the country’s first Olympic medal in almost half a century was reason to cheer. And how they roared.

Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei were all smiles at the end of their 92-minute battle. They lost 3-0, but this proved the longest game the Chinese champions had fought in the tournament.

All around them, from team officials to Singaporeans in the stands of the Peking University Gymnasium, there were only proud faces, Singapore flags raised high, and loud cheers.

Poignantly, it was Mr Ng Ser Miang, the International Olympic Committee executive board member from Singapore, who presented the medals to the silver medallists and gave each of them a hug of congratulations.

He said afterwards: ‘At the Athens Games, Jiawei came so close to winning a medal. Winning it now makes today’s medal all the sweeter.’

Beijing-born Li said: ‘I am very excited to win the silver medal. It is my way of repaying Singapore for having confidence in me and grooming me all these years.

‘I’m really happy and feel like crying.’

She had wept after last Friday’s epic 3-2 semi-final win over South Korea. That battle lasted almost four hours and earned the Singapore trio their date with China last night.

But beating world champions China in front of 5,000 boisterous fans - including Chinese President Hu Jintao - was always going to be a tall order.

Not to mention that Singapore had not beaten China in the team event in two previous encounters, losing 0-3 and 1-3 in the Asian and World Championships.

Feng Tianwei, the heroine in the battle against South Korea, gave Singapore an unexpected lead, taking the first game 11-9 against 2000 Olympic singles champion Wang Nan.

But that was about the closest Singapore came to winning on a night when China showed why they are the undisputed champions of the game.

Cheered on by the flag-waving home crowd, Wang recovered to win 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 and take the first game.

Li, who had suffered a heartbreaking bronze-medal loss at the 2004 Athens Olympics, also took the first game against world No. 1 Zhang Yining.

But after the 9-11 loss, Zhang - a former teammate of Li’s at Beijing Shichahai Sports School in the 1990s - stormed back 11-3, 11-4, 11-7.

Two games up and with the atmosphere becoming almost carnival-like in the arena, it was left to Zhang and world No. 2 Guo Yue to seal China’s victory.

They made light work of Singapore’s Li and Wang Yuegu, winning 11-8, 11-5, 11-6.

Wang Nan confessed afterwards that nerves had affected her performance.

She said: ‘As table tennis is China’s national sport, everyone expects China to win the gold. I was very nervous, but as soon as I got involved in the match, I shook off the nerves.’

Singapore had expected Feng to face Zhang in the opener and then for Li to take on Wang Nan in the second game.

Both Feng and Li had beaten Zhang and Wang Nan respectively in matches earlier this year.

But a tweak to China’s usual line-up wrecked Singapore’s plans.

Still, Singapore coach Liu Guodong maintained that his team played to their best, and went as far as to rate them 100/100.

‘It’s impossible to beat China. We prepared for the other teams. We met opponents that we did not want to meet, like South Korea, but we managed to beat them,’ he said.

‘China are the best, but among all the other countries, we are the best.

‘Our mission was to deliver a medal and we won the silver. We can be very proud of that.’

The pocket of Singapore fans at the final yesterday agreed.

Said 29-year-old Neo Yong Aik, a Singaporean working in Beijing who was there with two friends: ‘It would have been nice if they had won, but just being here today is special.

‘To see the Singapore flag being raised at the Olympics, it is truly historic.’

Singapore National Olympic Committee president and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean called the team’s effort ‘tremendous’.

President S R Nathan, who is in Henan, sent his congratulations too, saying: ‘In the finals, our team met a formidable team with a world reputation; they did their best and therefore have no reason to be disheartened.

‘In my eyes, they remain proud.’

marclim@sph.com.sg

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Prime%2BNews/Story/STIStory_269285.html

Article extracted on 18th August 2008