Come Dec 1, all companies in Singapore must have a formal process in place when their staff ask for flexible work arrangements. This has become a major talking point centred around balancing business realities and employee needs. Steven Chia and Crispina Robert cut through the weeds with Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Manpower and Education, Aslam Sardar, CEO of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals and Tan Wan Ting, founder and CEO of digital marketing agency Weave Asia. See...

In this first episode of a brand-new CNA podcast called Deep Dive, hosts Steven Chia and Crispina Robert talk sports. How has the Singapore sporting infrastructure changed since Joseph Schooling won gold in 2016? Former national swimmer Mark Chay and CEO of Sport Singapore Alan Goh are guests.  Previously called Heart of the Matter, Deep Dive is now hosted by Steven Chia and Crispina Robert. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your favourite news podcast Heart of the Matter returns for a new season with a brand new look and sound. Called Deep Dive and hosted by Steven Chia and Crispina Robert, the podcast continues to give fresh perspectives on the hottest news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia is the latest country to propose legislation around the right for workers to disconnect after office hours. Changing work patterns and 24/7 availability have produced issues like burnout. But would legislation create more problems for companies or could this effect an important shift in Singapore’s work culture? Steven Chia moderates the discussion with Raj Joshua Thomas, a lawyer and nominated member of Parliament, Dr Brandon Koh, an organisational psychologist at the Singapore...

Feedback on littering offences has increased, and rat-related problems are on the rise. Coffee shop toilets continue to rate poorly. Will plans to increase surveillance and name and shame litterbugs work? How long can Singapore rely on an army of cleaners? Steven Chia speaks to Andrew Khng, chairman of the Public Hygiene Council, Dr Serene Koh, director of The Behavioural Insights Team; and Rosie Ching, Principal Lecturer of Statistics from the Singapore Management University. See...

Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons in Singapore schools came under public scrutiny recently because of discussions on the Israel-Hamas war. How can contentious issues be discussed in classrooms and what skills do teachers need to navigate children in an increasingly polarised world? Steven Chia explores this with Dr Thavam Kanagaratnam, master specialist at the CCE branch of the Education Ministry, Philibert Leow, principal of Jurongville Secondary School and clinical...

Some of the first batch of residents who moved into Singapore's newest HDB town have complained of lack of shops, poor internet connection, condensation issues with the centralised cooling system - the first of its kind in a residential estate. Are teething problems to be expected when building a new town or have buyers' expectations changed? Woo Jun Jie from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and Nicholas Mak, a real estate analyst, discuss with...

It was recently announced that casual racism allegations will be investigated as disciplinary breaches in the police force. But are guidelines always so clear cut? Where are the grey areas and how can organisations deal with it? Dr Mathew Mathews, head of the Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab, Aamir Bana, an undergraduate at Yale-NUS College and Jerviel Lim, head of people and culture at Tatsu Works have an honest conversation about how we should deal with casual racism in our society...

There’s been a worrying rise in the number of young people arrested for drug abuse, with the youngest just 14 years old, says the Central Narcotics Bureau. Despite Singapore’s zero tolerance on drugs and years of intensive messaging, liberal attitudes among young people appear to be stubbornly sticky, with cannabis the choice of drug. How should anti-drug messaging be tailored better to suit a generation that’s consuming a largely social media diet? Otelli Edwards finds out from Dr Lambert...

From significant top-ups to SkillsFuture credits to ITE students getting incentives to upskill, Budget 2024 is a shift in the kind of society the new fourth generation, or 4G, leadership wants to shape. Steven Chia gets views from Terence Ho, associate professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Professor Lawrence Loh, director of Centre for Governance and Sustainability, National University of Singapore.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of retrenchments went up in 2023 and workers are facing the brunt of a more volatile business environment. What kind of help do workers need? And what's on their Budget 2024 wishlist? Steven Chia speaks to Cheng Hing-Nan, lead coach at Workforce Singapore, Gerald Tan, projects director at Avodah Solutions and Lai Yong Liang, an urban farmer with Grobrix. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Out of 81 countries, 15-year-olds in Singapore topped the Pisa table in reading, math and science. But how important are these metrics in a world where social and creative skills have become critical and artificial intelligence is taking centre stage? Steven Chia gets answers from Liew Wei Li, director-general of education at the Ministry of Education, associate professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education, and parent of two and lecturer, Ian Tan.  See omnystudio.com/listener...

E-commerce giant Lazada’s retrenchment exercise resulted in criticism of how it was handled, including its lack of consultation with the union. But what role can unions play when companies need to let employees go and what happens when employers don’t fulfill their tripartite obligations? Steven Chia sits down with Patrick Tay, assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and Sim Gim Guan, executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation.  See...

Commuters have expressed frustration since the Land Transport Authority announced that EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards cannot be used on buses and trains from June. Why is there a shift to the SimplyGo system? What is the difference in payment types? And what could the authorities do better to communicate the change? Steven Chia gets answers from Sumit Agarwal, professor at the School of Business at the National University of Singapore and Walter Theseira, who heads the urban transportation...

Patients have reported waiting for days to get a bed at a public hospital. Health experts say the biggest reason is that there are issues transiting to proper care after discharge. Otelli Edwards speaks to public health specialist Dr Jeremy Lim, Duke-NUS Medical School's Dr David Matchar and Jeremy Lee, assistant chief operating officer at the National University Hospital.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last of our top three episodes from the archives, we look at the scourge of scams in Singapore. With increasing sophistication from the fraudsters, is public education enough? Should banks pay for some of the losses? If so, how can liability be fairly decided? Steven Chia speaks to Jansen Chow, co-head of fraud, asset recovery and investigations practice at Rajah & Tann law firm, Assistant Professor Nydia Remolina, from the Singapore Management University’s Yong Pung How School of...

In the second of our top three episodes from the archives, we explore how bad actors operate in money laundering crimes. How do property agents and bank staff separate a legitimate transaction from a shady one? And what makes this type of crime especially tough to crack down on? Steven Chia speaks to Adam Maniam, director of dispute resolution at law firm Drew and Napier, Associate Professor Soh Kee Hean from the Singapore University of Social Sciences and former director of the CPIB, and...

In the first of our top three episodes from the archives, we ask - why are teenagers as young as 14 interested in extremist religious content? What do online games have to do with this trend and how can family members spot the red flags? Steven Chia speaks to Dr Omer Ali Saifudeen from the Singapore University of Social Sciences, Dr Mohamed Ali, co-chairman and counsellor with the Religious Rehabilitation Group and Nicholas Khoo, co-founder and former chairman of the Singapore Cybersports and...

With its lease not renewed, Raffles Town Club is the latest in a line of private clubs whose land is being repurposed by the government for other uses. Aside from land restraints, is there a future for clubs like these in Singapore where generational aspirations are changing? Steven Chia speaks to Desmond Tay, president of the Club Managers' Association (Singapore), Jean Low, CEO of social club 1880 and chief research officer at Mogul.sg, Nicholas Mak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

A recent CNA investigation showed that it is easy for kids under 18 to go on dating apps and chat with strangers online, making them more vulnerable to sexual predators. Should there be greater legislation to protect children and what can parents do to prevent their children from becoming victims? Steven Chia speaks to Shem Yao, manager of digital wellness at TOUCH Wellness Group, Jiow Hee Jhee, associate professor and programme leader at the Singapore Institute of Technology and Marilyn Low,...

From groceries to electricity and water prices, many Singaporeans are feeling the pinch as inflation stays stubbornly high. Is the sandwiched generation hit as hard as those in the lower-income group? And how far can government support go? Otelli Edwards gets answers from Ong EeCheng, senior lecturer at NUS, Ava Gao, a parenting coach and mum, and Loh Yong Cheng, lead of the advisory team at Providend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a recent CNA Commentary, Dr William Wan from the Singapore Kindness Movement argued for some regulation in dealing with inconsiderate behaviour on public transport which drew some strong reaction from readers. But why do some people behave badly in a public space? What stops others from confronting them and should more be done? Michelle Tay, director of the Singapore Kindness Movement, and Associate Professor Ho Kong Chong, head of Urban Studies at Yale Nus College are this week's...

According to the Forward SG report, people want more than just material success in life. Has the idea of a good life evolved? What impact will that have on the way the country is governed? Steven Chia gets answers from June Yong, Lead, Insights at Focus on the Family and mother of three, Dr Mathew Mathews, head of IPS social lab and Ho Ching Wee, a 25-year-old software developer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent DBS and Citibank outage in October left many people unable to pay for their transactions and draw money from the ATMs. What goes on when critical banking infrastructure goes black? How are data centres part of this and should we really revert to carrying cash again? Steven Chia gets answers from Dr Patrick Thng, director of the Master's programme for financial technology and analytics at the Singapore Management University and Ashish Kakar, research director for IDC Financial...