CORPORATE LIFE ISN’T THAT BAD AFTER ALL!

It is said that there you can’t really make true friends at work; is it really so?  While I acknowledge that there may be some black sheep who would be out for himself/herself only and may even go to the extent of backstabbing you to excel further at work, I beg to differ.

One may ask how is it possible?

Yes, it is indeed possible!  I do have ex-colleagues whom I still get in touch with even after leaving the company for more than 10 years.

I truly believe that great relationships at work help to foster a more cohesive working environment. The most important factor is sincerity; if you are truly sincere towards one, the other party will feel it and in turn, reciprocate. However, there are other ways to nurture friendships at work; and one best way will be sharing.  As the saying goes, “Caring is sharing!”

TRAVEL SMART & FREE TRAVEL!!

With Singapore becoming the most expensive city to live in, I’m sure anyone will appreciate the idea of having cash savings  A smart way to save money is to reduce costs whilst commuting each day - Think of how much money you could have saved from your daily expenses if MRT rides are free or even getting cash rebates if you travel more on MRT/LRT rides!

Well, dream no more - Have you heard of the Free Pre-Peak Travel (FPPT) where early morning MRT rides to 18 designated MRT stations* in the city area before 7.45am on weekdays (excluding public holidays) is free? Missed the cut-off timing for free travel by a few minutes?  Fret not, you are still eligible for 50 cents off your train fare as long as you exit at any of the 18 stations* between 7.45am and 8.00am on weekdays (excluding public holidays).

Mind you, the FPPT scheme has been extended till this coming 30th June and I am not sure if there will be further extensions. Why not share it with your colleagues too (apart from your family and friends) and get them to take full advantage of this scheme whilst it is still available!

The 18 designated stations are:
*Bayfront, Bras Basah, Bugis, Chinatown, City Hall, Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut, Downtown, Esplanade, Lavender, Marina Bay, Orchard, Outram Park, Promenade, Raffles Place, Somerset, Tanjong Pagar and Telok Ayer.

P/S: For those whose point of entry is from any of the 18 stations, they will not be eligible for free MRT rides or $0.50 off train fares.

Apart from cost savings, travelling early allows one to benefit from a more enjoyable commuting experience with lesser crowds!


Find it being too early to leave your house earlier?  Why not ‘jio’ your colleagues for a workout at the gym near your office before starting work, and begin to lead a healthier lifestyle?  With the high medical fees in Singapore, I have always joked with my friends - one can die but not fall sick in Singapore!  Having a healthier lifestyle will mean lesser chances of falling sick.



Also, don’t you think it’s cool?  While working out together, there will be more chances for interaction and you also get to exchange tips on fitness! Now isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?

After the gym session, head over for breakfast with your colleagues together where you get to make small talk and get to know each other better. Over time, friendships will surely grow.



If gym sessions are not your cup of tea and you prefer home-made breakfasts, why not have a mini potluck breakfast session with your colleagues whereby a few of you take turns to prepare something for all to enjoy over breakfast? Don’t you think it’s fun to have a “mini party” to kick-start each working day?

TRAVEL SMART MOBILE FOOD TRUCK ROADSHOW

Earlier in March, I attended the LTA’s Mobile Food truck Roadshow at One Raffles Place together with Meryl; the Mobile Food Truck distributed 2000 lunch sets over 2 days!

At the Mobile Food Truck Road show, we got to learn about the various LTA’s Travel Demand Management schemes, including the (1) Free Pre-Peak Travel (FPPT), (2) Off-Peak Pass (OPP) which is available for frequent commuters that are willing and able to travel during off peak periods and (3) Travel Smart Rewards (TSR).


I mentioned earlier that everyone will appreciate cash savings; and what’s even more attractive is getting cash rebates if you travel on the MRT/LRT - Travel Smart Rewards (TSR) is formerly known as INSINC during its pilot stage (if you have previously signed up for INSINC but are not aware of the changes)

To my surprise, there was still a huge crowd of commuters who are totally unaware of the TSR scheme, despite most Singaporeans being internet-savvy! Free goodie bags and Jollibean vouchers were also given out to those who sign up for the TSR on the spot.

Hence, this initiative was indeed a good outreach programme by LTA!



Office workers working near One Raffles Place gladly queue to enjoy a free meal while learning more of the benefits of the different travel demand schemes available.




During the road show, we were briefed on how TSR works. Commuters who make decongesting trips between 6.15am - 7.15am or 8.45am - 9.45am on weekdays each week will be rewarded with more points. Depending on the number of decongesting trips they make, a commuter will be classified as either: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum statuses.  The membership statuses will be adjusted on every Friday; dependent on each individual’s past seven days’ travel pattern. The higher a commuter’s membership status, the more points and hence, higher chances he or she has of winning attractive prizes in the lucky draw.

I also got to learn more about the Corporate-Tier Travel Smart Rewards (TSR), whereby organizations can sign up with LTA and help their employees enjoy an immediate signup bonus of 1,000 points. On top of this, these employees will earn 2 extra bonus points per km when travelling on the MRT/LRT network during decongesting periods.

Points earned can be redeemed for cash rewards via the Travel Smart Rewards portal (http://www.travelsmartrewards.sg). Participants can opt to accumulate points and exchange them for cash directly whereby $1 will be credited every time 1,000 points are being accumulated. Alternatively, commuters can choose to play the online game and stand to win monetary prizes of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and $200 as well as a monthly lucky draw prize of $1,500.



Instead of 3×, 4×, 5×, 6×, those under Corporate-Tier Travel Smart scheme will earn 5×, 6×, 7×, 8× points per km for decongesting trips!

If you are unsure if your company has already signed up with Travel Smart Rewards, simply check with your company's HR department!

Do propose to your HR department if your company has not yet jumped onto the bandwagon.  This will definitely be a win-win situation for both the company and employees; employees will be motivated to reach office earlier whilst enjoying greater benefits from Corporate-tier TSR!

Sign up for TSR https://travelsmartrewards.sg/r/DgddTstd/ and get rewarded when your friends sign up upon your referral!

Comments

  1. Thanks for the info. A good post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing, I never knew the existence of Travel Smart Rewards.

    ReplyDelete

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