Bill Gates regains world's richest man title: Forbes

Singapore, Feb 24: Last week Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry revised their 2020 GDP growth projections downwards to -0.5 to 1.5 per cent, confirming fears of economic fallout from the coronavirus COVID-19. Just three days earlier, while visiting Changi Airport, the Prime Minister told the media that the country is bracing for a significant hit on the economy and the possibility of a recession.

In the budget announcement on February 18, various measures to help affected companies were announced.

This included a jobs support scheme to help companies retain workers that will see the government offset 8 per cent of wages up to SGD3,600(USD2,600) per worker, per month, for a three-month period. Companies will also get a 25 per cent rebate on their taxes for the year capped at SGD15,000 (USD10,800) per company.

There will be additional support for sectors directly affected by the virus outbreak such as tourism, aviation and retail. Qualifying companies will be given property tax rebates and can apply for temporary bridging loans to ease cash flow. Rebates will be offered on aircraft landing and parking charges as well as rental rebates for shops and cargo agents at Changi Airport.

Overall, the economic package will cost Singapore some USD 4.6 billion, well in excess of the USD 500 million some analysts had predicted. The resulting spending plan including the virus economic package will see a budget deficit of SGD 10.9 billion or 2.1 per cent of GDP, the highest since the Asian financial crisis of 1997.

It is hoped that with financial support, companies in Singapore will not only be able to ride through the current rough patch but be able to position themselves better to take off once the economic crisis brought upon by the contagion is over.

Which then are the Singapore companies that can potentially ride out the current storm and emerge stronger?

Aviation and hospitality firms are among those most impacted by the virus outbreak and Singapore Airlines (SIA) comes to mind. SIA is a well-run company but has seen its share price fall about 5.2 percent since the beginning of the year. In the short term, revenue and profits will no doubt be affected but it will recover in the long run.

Hospitality sector companies like Ascott Residence whose main sponsor is Capitaland, Southeast Asia's largest landlord, and CDL Hospitality, have seen 1.5 and 5.5 percent (respectively) shaved off their share prices since the start of the year.

In reporting financial results for the quarter which ended in December on February 14, Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said that due to the virus, they are seeing large changes in buying patterns. With widespread home confinement, there is a growing demand for delivery services including online food and grocery delivery, as well as office apps and streaming entertainment.

Similarly, in Singapore, with more people staying and working from home, the three main food delivery services, Grab Food, Foodpanda and Deliveroo, are doing roaring business. All three are privately held.

In late January, as the scale of the outbreak became more apparent, investors began pouring money into health-product firms in Asia that they think will benefit from the virus outbreak.

Bloomberg reported that when Chinese pharmaceutical companies like Da An Gene Co, Xilong Scientific and Shanghai Kehua Bio-Engineering said they have developed kits for detecting the virus, their stocks soared to hit the 10 per cent daily limit. Firms manufacturing protection gear and air-cleaning equipment climbed more than 10 per cent in Japan, while Malaysian rubber gloves producers climbed at least 5 per cent.

Naturally, many would view that pharmaceutical companies that have the technology and expertise to develop drugs to treat patients with the virus or are able to develop a vaccine, would stand to benefit from the coronavirus outbreak.

Firms like and Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, MSD, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi are the pharmaceutical behemoths that dominate the global vaccine market.

However, industry experts speaking to the BBC warned that a pot of gold is not necessarily waiting for any company that successfully develops a vaccine. Although the global vaccine market is expected to grow to USD60 billion this year, it is costly and time-consuming to develop and pass it through for use by the general public.

It is also unclear if Indian pharmaceutical firms will be able to benefit from the demand for medicines that can treat or prevent the virus.

India is the world's largest manufacturer of generic drugs and it supplies 20 percent of the world's drugs by volume. However, it sources 70 percent of its raw material from China. If supplies are disrupted beyond a month to a month and a half, they may see a slow-down in production. According to a CNN report, the companies that are most impacted by material shortages are GSK India, Pfizer (PFE) and Cipla. Other companies like Aurobindo Pharma, Cadila Healthcare and Sun Pharma are said to be carefully monitoring the situation.

Washington D.C., May 5: Working from home has become the new normal ever since the outbreak of coronavirus and in today's time the work duties can be easily dealt with by means of mobile devices at home.

However, this easy use of technology, mobile devices for that matter, has the potential to blur the fine line between work and the other daily life routines.

But, contrary to the belief, a study at the University of Jyvaskyla reveals that the mixing of work and other daily life routines may have more benefits than previously assumed, and points to the importance of boundary-spanning communication.

A smartphone enables phone calls, email, and file transfers from the comfort of home. The study shows that there may be more effective ways to maximise the benefits of smartphone use, without diminishing employees' flexibility and the use of these technologies.

"People often forget to talk about positive effects, such as autonomy and freedom the employees gain when they have the flexibility to schedule their work," said Postdoctoral Researcher Ward van Zoonen from JYU, who with his colleagues examined the use of smartphones for work matters outside working hours.

The study paid special attention to the benefits of talking about domestic matters with the immediate supervisor outside the working hours given to an employee.

"This reduces the conflict between work and other life," van Zoonen said.

"If people in an organisation strive for more dialogue between employees' different life domains, it is possible to create a functional environment where people can talk about different matters."

The research findings show that when employees communicate across boundaries and talk at work about their life in other respects, they can receive new kinds of support and understanding from their immediate supervisor.

"This kind of communication creates a low threshold for contacting one's supervisor, which helps employees build a balance between the different domains of their lives and strengthens their organisational identification," said Professor Anu Sivunen describing the findings.

This means that tight working time restrictions to protect employees might not be beneficial after all, if they hinder reaching the positive results indicated in this research.

For the study, a survey was taken of 367 employees who were asked questions such as -- how much they talk about their work with their family, and how much they talk about their family with their immediate supervisor.

"Both supervisors and their employees answered the surveys, and the study actually focused on their mutual communication," Sivunen said.

"Usually people at workplaces are interested in how communication within the work community is succeeding. It is often forgotten how an immediate supervisor can take an employer's other life into account and thereby help the employee gain work-related benefits."

"Communication with one's immediate supervisor during flexible working hours, also on matters other than work, could ease the daily lives of many employees if they could share the possible challenges of their family life or free time with their supervisor in these settings," Sivunen added.

According to the study, such a practice could make the supervisor aware of the employee's situation as he/she works from home and the related impacts on their work performances.

An uncertain prognosis, severe shortage of resources and the imposition of unfamiliar public health measures that infringe on personal freedoms along with large and growing financial losses are undoubtedly contributing to the widespread psychological and emotional distress associated with COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of people to work from home world-wide. Today, due to constant exposure to increasing numbers, an intense fear of contamination have a massive psychological impact on people who are working from home.

Kuhoo Gupta, Healer and Founder of The K Junction talks about wellness during work from home as the situation is resulting in people being vulnerable to severe mental illnesses. Staying positive and optimistic while working from home during pandemic can be heavily challenging.

Gupta states its critical to maintain your mental well-being and immune system, as people with mental upheavals are prone and susceptible to various flu or inflammations. Your bodies immune system reacts abnormally which diminishes the capability of it's function.

The only key to manifesting a wonderful well-being is to try and calm one's mind and focus on constructive and wellness activities, to find a path towards making ourselves more resilient while working from home. Gupta shares 5 tips you can start doing today to improve and enhance your positive outlook.

Remember! Your workplace should be a sacred space where you are able to find a sense of comfort in your work environment. It should help you feel positive, healthier and happier, more like a protective zone.

Fabricating a Positive Workstation

There should be a separate workstation so that one can concentrate while working from home. It would be great if the work desk is stationed somewhere near a window or a balcony door so that one can welcome sunlight, fresh air and a view of plants & birds during the day. Try to have an ergonomic setting of your table and chair so that you keep your posture right while working the whole day. Keeping one or two indoor plants near your work desk will help to make it interesting.

Keep your laptop charger wires and other stuff neatly on your desk to avoid overwhelming yourself. Motivation quotes around you will help to make you overall positive. Keep your notes diary and pen handy at your desk. It will always helps to keep some colorful artifacts around you to make the atmosphere a little cheerful.

Declutter Your Workstation

Avoid the pilling up files and unnecessary stationery at your workstation. Clutter is responsible for the confusion and problems all around and it leads to distraction; thus, a clean desk reflects power which enhances positivity and creates a tranquil workspace that will help your mind focus on productivity. It is important to declutter your work desk once in a few days because physical clutter translates to mental clutter.

Gratitude Notes in workstation and how to manifest

It is a great morning practice to write at least five things you are grateful for. It helps to shift the focus from negative to positive, from scarcity to abundance. One can write gratitude statements on Post it notes and put them at the work daily. This will raise the vibrations and help you stay grounded and positive. You can also compile affirmations and prayers that you resonate. Whenever you take work breaks, it is a good idea to read these.

Crystals to imbibe positivity at workstation

Selenite is a great crystal to spread light and positivity around. Black tourmaline absorbs negativity and is great to shield you from it during lockdown. Shungite is a great crystal to reduce the effects of electromagnetic radiations around you. You can place it near your wifi router, laptop and other devices to reduce the EMF pollution effects on you and your family. Clear quartz is great for energizing you after a tiring meeting. Just hold it in your left hand with eyes closed for five minutes and visualise beautiful energy entering your body and soul.

You can combine this exercise by holding black tourmaline in your right hand and visualize all the tiredness and unwanted energy draining into the black tourmaline. Tiger eye is very effective in eliminating the scattered brain and it allows us to make confident decisions. Green Aventurine neutralizes stress and anxiety from work, allowing us to keep calm.

Lepidolite is known as the Peace Stone, making it one of the best crystals for peace. It improves our overall mood, calms us, soothes us, and reduces our anxiety with a peaceful sense of happiness.

Sodalite is a great crystal for peace because it turns fear and stress into peaceful feelings. It also helps in better communication and can help while making crucial presentations & meetings.

Fluorite is great for healing and rejuvenating the mind and body. You can close your eyes and sit quietly with Fluorite while imagining your body being filled with an incredible energy that puts you at ease with yourself and the world.

Pyrite, also known as abundance stone, is great to put over your business card to manifest abundance at work.

Don't forget to clean your crystals regularly to harness their maximum energy.

Meditate, Do Pranayam and Stay Hydrated!

It is important to take short breaks to maintain productivity at work. Being summer, it is a good idea to get up for a water break once in 30 minutes at least. Even if you keep a water bottle alongside you, walking to the kitchen for water will help your physical body get some much needed movement.

Few iterations of square breathing once in two hours is a great way to boost your mind and body. Square breathing is basically the sequence of inhalation - holding breath - exhalation - holding breath - all for equal time spans. So you can count mentally 1 to 4 in inhalations, then again counting 1 to 4 as you hold your breath, and so on and so forth.

You can also chant any mantra while taking a work break for 1 or 2 minutes. While attending online meetings, where there is nothing much your hands are doing, you can utilize that time to do Yoga Hast/Hand Mudras and harness their energies. Pran Mudra is one of the best options to practice while attending meetings or reading articles, where your hands are free essentially.

You can Also -

Dress up like you would do while going to office so as to feel good in general

Go out on your terrace/balcony once or twice a day to get some fresh air, sunlight and hear birds chirping

Say yes to distractions rather than getting irritated from them, because you cannot avoid them while working from home, like the kids, TV sounds, kitchen sounds etc.