She gave up job for daughter's PSLE

Some consider the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) one of the toughest hurdles in a child’s education.

And it shows in the way parents and children react to it.

The stress it brings has led to some parents quitting their jobs to be with their kids.

Some even quit more than a year ahead of the exam.

Others end up seeing psychiatrists to help cope with the mental stress – theirs, not their kids.

Madam Bernice Koh, 38, decided to leave her job as a secretary after 16 years despite her boss begging her to stay.

Her reason: Her daughter, Cherie Lim, 11, will be taking her PSLE next year.

She says: “When I was working, my daughter would wait for me or my husband to come back before she came to us with problems in her homework.”

“And sometimes I would be too tired, so at least when I quit, Iamable to rest and help her whenever she needs it.”

Madam Koh says PSLE stress has already affected Cherie.

It began when her grades dropped drastically. Cherie, who scored 80s and 90s in her Primary 4 exams, even started to fear mathematics, her favourite subject.

Madam Koh says: “When her grades slipped, she looked more deflated and was not motivated when it came to schoolwork.”

This change in attitude prompted Madam Koh to quit her job to be a constant source of support and motivation for her only child until her PSLE.

She discussed resigning from her job with her husband, an IT project manager, and they both agreed that it would be best for Cherie to have at least one parent who is always home.

Madam Koh says she now takes her daughter to and from Ai Tong School, takes her lunches to school and makes sure that she is there should she have any questions about her schoolwork.

“Now my main role is just to be there for her,” she says.

Trying to balance a PSLE-taking child’s needs and working at the same time has taken a toll on some mums.

More are taking leave of absence just to prepare for this exam, say human resources practitioners and experts.

“It is now more common compared to five years ago, says Mr Anthony Peck, 40.

The general manager at HRsingapore, which provides HR services and training, says: “Most mothers usually take time off just a few weeks prior to the exam, although I have heard of some instances when mothers go as far as requesting for a year of no-pay leave or even quitting when their requests are denied.”

PSLE stress was in the news two weeks ago when a Pri 6 boy ran away for three days just before the PSLE oral exams. He apparently wrote in a letter that he was stressed out by the coming exams.

While the oral exams have concluded, the written exams begin next month. Most Pri 6 pupils have finished their preliminary exams a few days ago.

Ms Ng Bee Bee, 41, an accounts manager, took three months of no-pay leave.

Those three months also helped reduce her stress, says Ms Ng, who sometimes works long hours.

She says: “It definitely helped because I don’t have to think about work and can focus on helping my son with his preparation.”

She wanted to help her son, who is sitting the PSLE this year, pace himself for the tough year ahead.

She chose to do it at the beginning of the year, from February to April.

Ms Ng says: “I wanted to make sure that he kept to a timetable from the start so that he doesn’t get overworked by the end of the year.”

A 38-year-old junior college teacher, who wanted to be known only as Ms Koh, took one year of no-pay leave from September last year for her son,who is now in Pri 5.

Ms Koh, who thought that preparation should start early, contemplated quitting her job but was told by her principal that her career still had room for progress and urged her not to resign.

While she didn’t quit, Ms Koh has applied for another year of no-pay leave so that she can see her son through his PSLE.

Constant parental supervision does not add strain to their child’s already stressful lives, say these parents.

Mrs Elizabeth Wong, an administrative manager, who took two months’ no-pay leave, says that they are simply there to provide for their children should they need any help, comfort or guidance.

She says: “The school is already giving my son so much work, and there are still supplementary and enrichment classes.

“It is up to me to make sure that he doesn’t burn out.”

But giving up your job to ensure PSLE success for your kids requires sacrifices and risks, say HR practitioners.

It is not that easy if your work in a small or medium-size enterprise (SME), says Mr Peck, because there are fewer resources at hand and they are most likely to be short of manpower.

Mr Chan Chon Beng, 58, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, says: “SMEs can be badly affected because productivity will be significantly reduced.”

He also says there is a risk of mothers losing their jobs after they take a long leave of absence.

“Sometimes, employers find a replacement who performs as well as the mother who temporarily vacatedher job,” says Mr Chan.

That is why the executive director of Singapore Human Resources Institute, Mr David Ang, 64, says it is better to quit and go back when you’re ready.

“It benefits both the company and the mother,” he says.

10 ways your job is bad for your health

When Monday morning roles around and we stumble out of our comfy beds, we all have that sneaking suspicion that somehow this isn’t good for us.

It turns out that our suspicions are right; your job is bad for your health and in this article we tell you why those long hours, boring days and stressful tasks are bad for us.

The emails
 
When emails became a part of our working lives we all celebrated. No more letter writing, no more communication problems and no more dodgy half-readable faxes. However, researchers have found that the birth of emails was not as good as we first thought.

They found that people who check their work email regularly are in fact more stressed and less focused than those colleagues who have no access to their work email.

Death by office chair 
 
Although we can’t all do yoga or bop around to the latest dance craze whilst typing up our paper work, sitting down at your desk could be killing you.

Studies have found that those adults who sat down in a chair for 11 hours each day had a 40 per cent increased risk of dying than other workers who only sat down for an average of four hours every day.

Boredom makes you sick
 
If the very thought of work makes you want to yawn then pay attention: boredom can make you sick. The University of Lancashire found that workers who were continuously bored turned to coffee, smoking, alcohol and chocolate in an effort to try and perk themselves up.

As well as picking up bad habits, other researchers found that workers who complained of chronic boredom were two and half times more likely to die before the expected age due to either a heart attack or a stroke.

To work or not to work?
 
Although very few people would choose unemployment over paid work, it would seem that our mental health may benefit from not working opposed to working in a job we hate.

The Australian National University discovered that people who felt like they had no control at work, or had low pay or little recognition for their efforts had poorer mental health than the participants who were unemployed but who later moved into a better job.

Out of office? 
 
We all do it. We clock off, leave the office, fight our way through the thousand other commuters and once safely inside our front doors, BING – a new work email.

The distinction between office hours and downtime has never been so blurred and this is having a negative effect on our health. Studies have found that those workers who check their emails at home after work have higher levels of stress and poorer concentration.

Longer hours make you smoke
 
Did you know that, on average, Americans work 1,778 hours in total? Wherever you are in the world it is likely that you are facing an increase in the amount of time you spend at the office.

Yet, these increased hours are having a major impact on our health and studies have found that these longer hours can lead to you smoking more, exercising less and seeing the doctor less frequently. 

Night owl shifts 
 
We all know a shift worker and we all know that they have very odd sleep patterns. Although their night-owl ways seem harmless enough it would seem that this unnatural sleep cycle is causing shift workers serious problems.

People who work shifts are more likely to have type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and women who work shifts are more likely to develop breast cancer than those women who snooze their way through the nights.

The promotion
 
Lets crack open the champagne and blow up those balloons – a promotion is surely a reason to celebrate? Well, according to studies your promotion may not be quite as good as you originally thought.

Although a heavier pay packet may have its perks, the stress and extra hours associated with climbing the career ladder can lead to a decrease in workers’ mental health by around 10 per cent.

Desk jobs give you wrinkles
 
Many of us get that 3pm slump, but if you have a desk job do you ever actually slump down onto your desk? If propping your head up on your hands sounds all too familiar, be aware that touching your face constantly in this way can lead to dry skin and premature ageing.

Work on your core muscles and your back to build the strength that should help you resist leaning on your hands at work.

Anxiety
 
It’s a sad and shocking fact but out of every nine workers in your workplace will develop some sort of anxiety disorder within their lifetime.

A study in New Zealand found that one in seven women and one in 10 men who had high levels of pressure at work had difficulty with their mental health and half of the participants had some sort of anxiety disorder as a result of work.

Nursing home/child-care workers
 
According to health.com, nearly 11 per cent of those people working in this field report a bout of major depression.

Food service staff
 
A combination of low pay and exhausting jobs make this the no. 2 career that can cause depression.

Social workers
 
Dealing with every imaginable crisis can make this a very demanding, stressful job.

Health care workers
 
Doctors, nurses, therapists are included in this group of people whose jobs entail erratic, long hours where lives are literally in their hands.

Artists, entertainers, and writers
 
The combination of irregular paychecks, uncertain hours, isolation, combined with their lifestyle may contribute to their depression. According to the website, creative people may also have higher rates of mood disorders.

Teachers
 
Teachers get all sorts of demands from all sorts of people - from their students, parents to the schools themselves, plus they take home their work most of the time.

Administrative support staff
 
Unpredictable days plus taking orders from all directions while they hold very little control may be the cause for depression for people who hold these jobs.

Maintenance and grounds workers
 
Frequent night shifts, irregular hours, and being called on when something goes wrong to clean up other people's messes make this a tough job.

Financial advisors and accountants
 
Being responsible for handling other people's money and bearing the guilt if their clients start losing money can make them depressed.

Salespeople
 
Long hours, coupled with uncertainty of income due to working for commissions may cause depression.