Jordaan Kowal | making work meaningful stories.
Jordaan Kowal, APAC regional talent management manager, Singapore
a typical work day
As the APAC Regional talent management manager since February 2021, my responsibilities include partnering with our leaders and managers to drive the growth of our employees, teams and business. This includes providing fun, engaging and impactful learning and development opportunities for our APAC business, and connecting our people to the wealth of opportunities available globally.
I start my day by doing a mindsweep, which is capturing everything on my mind down in a list. Then I categorize it into “do now,” “schedule it,” or “park it.” Next, I check our company intranet, connect., for news; read through our employee survey results for comments, feedback, and suggestions; and give out points to colleagues using our employee rewards and recognition tool, Meaningful Moments (MeMo). When I’m not training, I usually focus on my “do now” tasks.
When training, I prep ahead of the session and conduct follow-up after. On non-training days, I divide my time between meeting with stakeholders to discuss the learning and development needs relevant to their business and working on programs that fit their needs.
making a positive impact
Without a doubt, the most enjoyable part of my job is facilitating training sessions, especially when I see the positive impact they have on participants. I miss the days of in-person training, but being able to virtually connect with people from all across the region (and world) within one day is also very, very cool.
Overall, the thing I like most about Randstad Sourceright is working with great people, and in a business that is truly people-centered. I have learned that we are most happy in a role when it’s a good fit. That may mean different things to different people, but to me, it means working with senior leaders who really inspire me and make me really want to deliver their vision. It’s also important to work within a culture that I feel aligned to. We are lucky to have great colleagues to work with in our business, and that makes work much more fulfilling.
achieving work-life balance
Anyone who has spoken to me knows I never stop talking about my two cheeky daughters, and a lot of my time outside work is spent with my family. My wife and I love hiking and getting out into nature, but my girls just want to go to the playground! I love to cook and master new recipes, especially unknown dishes from cuisines around the world. I’m also a huge fan of Liverpool FC and heavyweight boxing.
Achieving work-life balance is not not easy; it must be intentional. With two young children, dinner time is pretty early, which helps me to finish my working day at a regular time and mentally switch off from it. I find going for a walk before work (a virtual commute) or during lunch is a great way to get some fresh air and get away from the screen, too. I’m well aware of the positive effects of nature for de-stressing and overall well-being, so I make sure to go somewhere green every weekend, even if it’s only the park.
Flexible, remote working at Randstad Sourceright is great for me. It is far easier to squeeze in exercise, hobbies and family time now that I don’t have to spend two hours commuting every day. My manager encourages me to maintain a healthy work-life balance and coaches me if I am ever struggling to do so. The Fit@Work page on our company intranet, connect., is also full of useful, practical tips for maintaining your mental well-being.