1 April 2024
Come discover Bernie Yong’s inspiring journey from childhood curiosity of human behaviour to talent management expertise. You’ll also gain insights into her approach to fostering team inclusivity and achieving daily productivity in this captivating Voice of Averis.
- Hi Bernie! We want to get to know you. Tell us more!
Ever since I was very young, about 8 or 7 years old, I’ve always been interested in human behaviour. I would hang out with my mom all the time although I have 3 younger siblings. So, whenever she goes out for high tea, I would follow her to meet her friends and wonder why a person would say certain things and behave in a certain way. That’s when I knew that studying human behaviour is definitely something I wanted to pursue.
When I completed my Form 3, I told my dad, “You know what? I think I want to go to New Zealand.” I was very fortunate because he told me that when I’m ready, just let him know and he’ll make the necessary arrangements. When I got to New Zealand at the age of 16, I enrolled myself in a psychology and human behavioural profiling course. Since then, I’ve also worked as a profiler.
- What is your role in Averis?
I’ve been in Averis for two years and I oversee several things but my main focus is talent management as well as learning and development.
I look after the succession planning and career development aspects – what sort of competency gaps we are looking at, what sort of training is the most relevant to employees, the skill set required in the workforce, and so on. My job requires me to be constantly updated with the current trends of these studies and to advise key leaders with the best L&D solutions. My key leaders are also important to me, they’re my stakeholders.
- What does your average day at work look like?
I usually start off the morning by catching up with our Management Associates, the pool of talents that I’m in charge of. I’m always eager to hear how their week has been and also to check if there’s anything that they need to run by me.
Subsequently, I would prepare for back-to-back meetings with various team leads. We would discuss how they plan to improve from the current state, what are some of the barriers or other challenges they face, are more training required, do we need more people or resources to be added into various projects, etc. That’s basically how my daily meetings are.
- How do you achieve an ideal work-day productivity?
I like to break it down into chunks. The first 3 hours of my day, which is before lunch, would be dedicated to connecting with various team members and from there, I’ll get to lay out my plans for the rest of the day or week. I like laying things out clearly so that I can go on and focus on other things during the second half of the day.
I believe that’s where good productivity lies – networking with people first, and then the second half is clearing out emails, having meetings, doing the paperwork and all of that stuff. My strategic thinking usually kicks in during the afternoon and by 6PM, I’ll just call it a day so I can have a bit of a refreshed mind.
- In your opinion, what is the best thing about our company’s culture?
The best thing about the company is the ‘complementary team’ spirit that all of us possess. In 2023, I had the opportunity to become the Averis Recreation Club (ARC) president, where I led the employee engagement side of it. I really applaud the company because they actually do invest in employees by allocating a certain budget for us to organise more employee engagement related events.
When there are events, we all naturally get to bond. Since we emphasise a lot of that, we get to build rapport and have that connection with each other. Not only that, it also allows us to get to know more people from the inter-department as well.
- Fave quote to live by:
“Do what you love, but do it in a way where you’re making a value and making an impact as well.”
I like this quote because it says a lot – you may pick whatever you like to do. No one’s going to judge you based on your own choice or preference, but remember to do it in a way where it creates a positive impact and value.
This is something that I would think about everyday, each time when I make a decision, each time I make an initiative, that’s something I’ve followed through as well.
There are plenty of opportunities to learn and level-up at Averis. If you’re thinking about building a career in the global business shared services field, join us! Send over your updated resume to recruitment@averis.com today and we’ll be in touch.