Friday 30 May 2014

AUN-ADB CLM Project Phase 3 Kick-Off Meeting

The AUN-ADB CLM Project Phase 3 will be held from 2014 to 2016. Three quality assurance (QA) training workshops coupled with a QA documentation project will be held in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar over the 3-year period. The objectives of the project are to:
  • enhance and strengthen the knowledge on QA system implementation and management particularly based on AUN-QA system, 
  • build up a pool of qualified university QA personnel team in CLM countries, 
  • establish QA system and ensure QA implementation to leverage the quality of education management in CLM countries, and 
  • provide CLM countries with higher education quality recognition for harmonizing university QA system across ASEAN.
The kick-off meeting was held on 26 - 27 May 2014 in Phuket, Thailand involving the AUN Secretariat and the appointed trainers. Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, AUN-QA Expert (Singapore) led the meeting with a presentation of the project followed by the train-the-trainer session.


Thursday 1 May 2014

Nurturing Workplace Happiness

According to research from iOpener Institute,  happy employees are 2 times more productive and they are likely to stay in their jobs 5 times longer than unhappy employees. They are 6 times more engerised and are likely to take 10 times less medical leaves than their unhappy colleagues. Happier workers also tend to help their colleagues 33% more than their least happy colleagues. They are 36% more motivated and are likely to achieve their goals 31% more than unhappy employees.
The Workplace Happiness DNA is a holistic approach for aligning and internalising an organisation’s purpose, practices, people and culture to nurture a happier workplace.


·         Happy Purpose
In the purpose economy, organisation’s existence goes beyond profits. Altruism is the moral purpose of organisations to make all stakeholders happier. Happiness should be an inclusive purpose.

·         Happy Practices
The happy purpose has to be translated into happy practices that aim to nurture happy people and a happy culture.The design and implementation of happy workplace practices to nurture a happy culture, and to attract and retain happy people is a crucial ingredient of the workplace happiness DNA. 

·         Happy People
Only 10 percent of personal happiness is beyond the control of individuals.  The other 90 percent can be achieved by hiring happy people and nurturing them with the happy mind, happy heart and happy habits.

·         Happy Culture
The ingredients of a happy culture and how it can be sustained in the long term promote workplace happiness as a way of life.