With more than 17 years of experience in human resources, brand communication and corporate communication under her belt, Mononita Syed-Haq became the first female director on the management committee when she joined as Human Resource Director at Unilever Bangladesh Ltd (UBL). She sat with The Daily Star in an interview to discuss UBL's current and future trends in human resources.     Unilever has been recognised as the Employer of Choice in Bangladesh for the third time around. Please tell us something about the survey procedure and nomination criteria. Employer of Choice is a key indicator of employer preference in the Campus Track B-Schools survey conducted by Nielsen Bangladesh annually. This is a...

It started out as something quite harmless. That one page application that he needed to submit to his university – why not take a print from the office – it is just one page after all. Next week when the eight page copy-pasted assignment needed to be printed out, the office printer was...

The British Council in partnership with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) organised a policy dialogue titled “Social Enterprise: Policy and Practice” in Dhaka at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on the 25 and 26 February, 2015.   The event brought together 100 policy experts, social enterprise and social investment intermediaries and practitioners from Vietnam,...

As much as we all love a bit of vintage charm around the office now and then, there are some things that just have to go. Avoid going Mad Men all over your workplace and bury these antiquated oddities of yesteryears in the deepest darkest corner of desk drawers, or better yet, the rusty seedy-looking file cabinet that’s probably filled with rats.     Rolodex   You can’t possibly have second thoughts about this one. Retro pizzazz is one thing, but outright obsolete is another. Unless you get a kick out of flicking through a gazillion mind-numbingly identical...

Initially influenced by his mother's love for music and later on learning to play numerous instruments himself, Arjun did not need lose much sleep over the decision to enter the music industry. However, interestingly enough, singing was not his first choice as a career; nor did he particularly like his now famous R&B...

Never found the right song to accompany your workplace meltdown? Read on for our suggestions on music that will fix you up and get you in the zone.      

Music invokes the deepest emotions in me. That must be the reason I have the most intense feeling of rage and fantasise of scenarios reminiscent of Fight Club where certain people's faces make intimate acquaintances of their computer monitors every time someone starts playing annoying Hindi music on days when assignments are due...

Course overview Generating creative ideas can be a very exciting and stimulating process. This is particularly true during the initial stages of idea generation, when many adopt an 'anything goes' approach. Later, however, the workability of ideas needs to be verified. Ideas are more likely to be relevant and useful when they have been...

A nine-to-five workday spent dangerously close with the opposite sex in a sequestered office cubicle makes it painstakingly difficult for things not to get steamy once in a while. While it's best to keep those teenage kicks to yourself now that you're a responsible twenty-something working man or woman, a fortuitous side-glance from...

The annual Hult Prize challenge is the world's largest student competition and start-up platform for social good. In partnership with President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), the innovative crowd-sourcing platform identifies and launches disruptive and catalytic social ventures that aim to solve the planet's most pressing challenges. The 2015 Hult...

There are certain rumours about me floating around the cubicles of the office. These rumours tend to involve my liking for a certain type of hair – pshaw to all those people boiling down affairs of the heart to something as silly. But more often than not, rumours originate from some degree of truth, don't they? Maybe a certain someone walked past once and I happened to have a smile on my face. Statistics seem to show that office romances are not all too uncommon, and given that the same bunch of people will be working in a closed environment for days on end, certain feelings of the gut-churning...

Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management (BSHRM) will arrange its daylong 4th BSHRM International HR Conference 2015 on February 28, 2015 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Marking the event a press conference was held at the National Press Club on last Saturday. Musahorrof Hossain, The President of BSHRM, Mashequr Rahman Khan, Chairman of the Conference, Quazi M. Ahmed, Secretary of the Conference, General Secretary of BSHRM Nazrul  were present  along with the EC members and all...

Course overview Walking into a meeting, going to conferences, attending work events, or starting a new job can be daunting, especially if you don't know anybody who will be there. Do you wonder why people seem to be drawn to certain individuals in the room than others? The difference may be that they appear to be more approachable than you do. Approachability involves conveying your willingness to reach out and invite others in by initiating contact, making yourself available and...

What were you like in Cadet College? Tell us some incidents. I started martial arts at the age of 9 – I’d been interested in it since childhood. In cadet college, we had societies like physics society and hiking society, which we participated in during the weekends. I was the first cadet to start...

A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback. This is a great career path for people interested in body building and health spa. The increasing number of gyms and spas in Dhaka is a positive sign for people who...

I tried going to the gym once. I ran like a rat from my office cubicle, went in and stared at the contraptions straight out of an Iron Maiden album cover minus the spikes. As the old Woody Allen quote goes, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” And the rest twenty consisted of me squeezing into every one of those devices – I ran furiously, huffed, puffed and in 15 minutes could not move a finger. Which was...

Course overview Some people seem to rise effortlessly through the ranks of the organization. You might equate this success with natural ability, talent, and business acumen. However, there's often another story behind this success: the challenges and the setbacks that had to be overcome, and the approach that led to achievement. Because setbacks are...

After completing his Masters in Economics from York University, Naved Manzoor joined British American Tobacco Bangladesh Ltd. in 2004 as a Management Trainee in Finance. Currently, he is serving the same organisation as the Head of Supply Chain Finance. Despite having a fast-track and splendid career in Finance, he felt the urge to...

Even up to the early 1990s, national borders used to be much more than territories owned by one particular state – it was the line that separated cultures, rules and attitudes. And hence, companies hardly had to worry about standardised reporting practices. Fast forward to 2015 and the reporting scene has changed drastically. Spearheaded...

Drawing the curtains to the intra-university rounds, North South University Young Entrepreneurs Society (NSU YES!) has blown the whistle to kick off the nationwide inter-university phase of Masters of Ideation 2015 (MoI '15). Marking the third instalment of their premier signature event, NSU YES! has set the stepping stone for aspiring business students...

“Life is a nightmare that prevents one from sleeping,” said Oscar Wilde. But since not all of us are 19th century dilettantes who also happen to be great writers, sleep is something we require. And those sleepless nights staring at mind-numbing posts on social media and barely dragging through work the next day can not only have an impact on productivity. Enter Sleepio. Founded by sleep expert Professor Colin Espie and “ex-insomnia-sufferer” Peter Hames, Sleepio claims to be the solution...

Course overview Basic math skills are practical in any business situation. Often, numbers can be portrayed in graphical form, giving the reader clear and concise information at a glance. Being able to read and select the right types of charts and graphs in a basic business environment is invaluable. This course builds on the...

While still a student of History at the University of Leicester, Barbara Wickham, British Council's new Country Director, was approached by social services to teach Ugandan refugee communities English. What started as a fortuitous experience grew into a lifelong passion in education. “The women in these communities needed to know where to shop, how...

The city is awake. Two pairs of hands are stacking a pile of shampoo bottles on the shelves like automated machines. They still have the conditioners and hair treatment products to shelf.  Both Jasmine and Mita have been restocking the shelves since morning. Customers will start to come in any moment and they still have two more product lines to finish stacking. This is one of the most common scenarios in the city's busiest super shops, where active university students like Jasmine and Mita work as dedicated part-time employees. Starting from inventory management to accounts, almost everything is managed by these young female employees. Today the superstore industry is booming....

I get bored at work. The insipid, inane white-grey layout of the word-processor is a complete contrast to all the options at the taskbar. Only when sitting down to write does the Watermark option at the top look so appealing, and no time is a better time to check the Translate option under...

  Airtel Bangladesh Limited, the fastest growing mobile operator of the country is about to launch their flagship management trainee program for the fourth time, in a row, titled Young Leader Program.  Fresh graduates from any reputed university who have recently completed or are going to complete their graduation or post-graduation degree in any discipline within the next two months can directly apply for a full time job opportunity at Airtel through this program. Recruits are provided with an accelerated...

Course overview Communicating effectively across cultures can be very difficult. Not only must you pay attention to the cultural distinctions of your audience and adjust your style to them, but you also need to adjust your style to different forms of communication. This course offers guidelines and best practices for speaking, writing and presenting across cultures. Finally, the course provides a chance to practice communicating effectively through scenarios involving high- and low-context cultures.    

Leading property portal Lamudi has launched a new competition for business graduates in Bangladesh to promote entrepreneurship among university students.The case study competition will focus on the online real estate classifieds industry, with participating teams required to come up with innovative solutions to solve a core problem. The team that proposes the most innovative, cost-effective idea will win BDT 25,000 and a visit to the Lamudi Bangladesh office, where they will learn firsthand about business innovation and the startup sector....

1. Harvey Specter from Suits He hired a guy with no past experience and a cheat who claims to have a degree from Harvard even though he's never even been on campus. Harvey Specter is the epitome of the cool boss, suave, detached unless needed, and he's the Batman of corporate lawyers. Like someone else on this list, he has that inspirational streak that can affect almost anyone in the corporate world, from learning the correct number of buttons to wear on a suit, to winning negotiations and getting what you want, in any way possible.         2. Dr. Gregory House from House Obsessive, intrusive, utterly devoid of any sympathy for the societal...

It started off as just another normal day at the office. Hectic. Unproductive. And definitely boring. Not that there wasn't a lot to be done and papers to be signed and articles to be written. And truth be told, hell definitely hath no fury like that of a boss on D-Day. Then in sweeps Mr. Perfect Hair, churns out two 1000 word articles in a matter of an hour, takes care of all the loose ends and he is gone. Not to be seen again for another week. Regardless of the degree of truth in the story above, we all know that one colleague who is always late for work...

Course overview The idea that you can influence your boss may seem at odds with a traditional view of the boss-employee relationship. But you know best how you want to be managed to reach your goals, and if you focus on building a partnership with your boss, you will find that you have more influence than you think. In this course, you'll learn how to build influence with your boss by understanding his or her situation and knowing what you...

The Founder Institute announces a partnership with Fenox Venture Capital, a leading Silicon Valley investor in emerging markets, to fund the strongest graduate companies from the upcoming chapter in Dhaka. The program will now help aspiring entrepreneurs take their business from idea to a funded company in 3.5 months by providing weekly sessions,...

1. If you only do what you're told, you'll excel I know. School was hard. But not that hard. If you did what you were told--go to class, do the reading, turn in assignments on time, etc.--you could get As. Initiative was not required and, in fact, was often frowned on. Now--whether you work for...

Gone are the days when office etiquette was clearly defined. In today's relaxed professional environment, conduct is more casual, which means it's often difficult to know what is OK and what isn't. Fortunately, some rules of workplace etiquette are universal. These 12 tips can help you adjust to a new office or clean up your behaviour in a place you've worked for years.   1. Avoid social media. Unless your job requires you to peruse social networking sites all day, avoid them while you're on the clock. Though surfing Facebook or Twitter might be tempting, it can be detrimental to your work performance and productivity, not to mention the way your boss...

Course overview Meeting high-pressure challenges is an opportunity for you to excel and build your reputation as someone who can be counted on. Although meeting the challenge of high pressure situations is a different experience for everyone, one thing is constant: you need an attitude that leads to effective and efficient goal-oriented action. You won't always be able to control the external events that lead to pressure, but you can control your reaction. This course explains how you can understand...

We've probably all had fervid unhealthy love affairs with junk food. Seedy trysts at inappropriate hours, quickies in every shape, size and colour. With Mum out of town for December, there was nothing standing in my way of living the secret fantasy of every other man, woman or child on the face of the planet. This wanton lifestyle was doing my highly dysfunctional sleep cycle and already-undisciplined work schedule no good, which needless to say, I was completely and utterly oblivious to. Until now. Having successfully reached the bottom of my fifth, and hopefully final, gratifying box of sugary refined carbohydrates, I have decided to put an end to a...

  1. Pick a time to go to bed and wake up Stick to it, even on weekends. Bedtimes aren't just for children. They condition your mind to recognise that it is time for you to start unwinding and relaxing.     2. Give yourself a tech curfew Even better, move your electronic devices out of sight altogether. Gadgets...

A lack of organization, coupled with a tendency to procrastinate, can be a vicious cycle. Becoming disciplined, setting priorities, and eradicating time-wasting activities can reduce the desire to put things off. The key to becoming your most productive self is to embrace organization and to overcome procrastination. This course introduces you to ways of becoming organized to help you accomplish more with the hours you have. It examines the common reasons for procrastination and ways you can overcome them...

A New Year's resolution offers a starting point to re-do and refresh. Except it doesn't actually work out for most people. Only 8 percent of people get to realize their goals. The rest give up, forget or fail miserably. Pretty sure you didn't want to hear such grim statistics just before the start...

A lot of friends, a lot of food, and a lot of booze can be a sure-fire way to have an unforgettable time, but non-stop partying and mindless self-indulgence take a considerable toll on our physical wellbeing and hand-eye coordination, sometimes for days to come. Too much of a good thing can turn bad, but your New Year's Eve party does not have to come at the expense of the impressionable first day back at work.   HOW TO GET THROUGH THE PARTY IN ONE PIECE While boozing, keep in mind that skipping one round doesn't make you a party pooper. Alternating with a soda or a juice will slow down the...

There are two main reasons why resolutions made don't pan out. Too complicated: There are 20 to 200 things on your list. It then becomes a bucket list, things to do before we die. It's a decent bet we're not dying this year so we don't have to do everything. But the tannery-waste tainted fishes...

Working in an office environment where you enjoy the delightful company of 10 year olds in the bodies of 45 year olds teaches you two things. One, you don't really own anything in your workspace despite liberal application of labels; two, you won't find the stuff currently cluttering up your desk useful in...

  To take this week's free OLT e-learning course, visit: www.oltstore.com/nextstep   Overview Do you fill your life with many activities and then find it tricky to get a good balance between them? Getting the balance right can provide you with tremendous payback, but where does this balance lie? You know finding a balance is good for you, and also impacts positively on your family, friends, and coworkers. This course highlights techniques you can use to analyse your current level of balance between...

Developing countries like Bangladesh are rife with corruption and poverty, as a result of which the government is often unable to provide public goods efficiently. It is this gap in providing public service goods that non-government organizations (NGOs), which operate independently of government authorities, attempt to fill in.   At the time of independence, Bangladesh fell under the category of the development 'basket case' (as described by Henry Kissinger's state department), i.e. a country that would always depend on aid. Despite such predictions, major development indicators have shown remarkable progress. Girl-child enrolment rates in schools...

Starting with modest beginnings in 1934, the British Council is currently operating over 190 offices in almost every part of the world, and with over 60 years of operation in Bangladesh, to mark the occasion, British Council Dhaka organized a nationwide competition called Tell-Your-Tale, held across October and November. In response, people across...

NSU Young Entrepreneurs' Society (YES!) is hosting its signature event Masters of Ideation from the 9th of January. The event – which came to life in 2012 – is in its third year and comprises of two phases, the intra NSU round and the Nationwide Inter University round. Masters of Ideation is a Business...

Overview What makes a person creative? Do you consider yourself creative? Certain personal characteristics have been linked with creativity – for example, a willingness to take risks, the ability to connect diverse ideas, and open-mindedness. Most important, perhaps, is believing that you are creative. Many people get stuck because they think 'I'm not a...

As technology becomes more and more rampant in our everyday lives, the search for competent experts who understand the flow of technology also continues to increase. One of the concurrent and fundamental sectors for young graduates in the field of technology is the energy and petroleum sector. Although there is a growing search...

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS You would have to show exceptional skills within electrical systems and power system modeling, as well as strict time management, but, we doubt, this would scare you. With such a degree you would be able to find a job in the US, United Kingdom, as well as various Asian countries such as...

Overview Once you have planned the structure of a writing project, you need to plan your writing approach based on your target audience. You must take a different approach, for example, if instructing technical students how to implement a technology from the approach you would use to describe a technology's benefits to the general...

Growing up, we dream of a variety of careers, with occupations such as doctor or pilot capturing young minds with ease. Regardless of what we dream about in childhood, the hero factor and the spirit of adventure are constant. What almost nobody dreams of at an early age is becoming a Chartered Accountant....

Management Trainee (MT) Programs are special job curriculums that are designed for fresh graduates to make their entry in the corporate world interesting and learning. In our country, business students are often more acquainted with the concept of MT programs compared to students of other schools. The cool part about MT programs is...

Overview Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and deal with emotions in a healthy and productive manner. Many people don't realize that their emotions are determined by what they think, and that concrete self-management techniques exist for gaining control of feelings. In this course you'll focus on the competency areas of self-awareness and...

Blogs are not only the tools for expressing personal opinions, creativity and heritage – a blog is also a great way to advertise merchandise or service. The loyalty of the followers depends on the content and popularity of the posts. In Bangladesh, e-commerce has flourished through online ads and pages and we have...

Let me paint you a picture from the recent past, at best ten years back. A young graduate after finishing his or her studies would aspire to work for a local corporation or a MNC. Why? Because it gave him or her stability, a steady paycheck at the end of the month, and...

Kalsoom Lakhani is the Founder/CEO of Invest2Innovate, or i2i, which supports startups and the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem in developing markets, beginning in Pakistan. She is a Global Ambassador for Sandbox, a global network of innovators under 30, and is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers. She has trained young entrepreneurs and change-makers in tech forums in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kiev, Ukraine and Almaty, Kazakhstan. The George Washington University graduate shares with Shahriar Rahman from The Daily Star about how someone should get started with their very first startup.     If someone has a startup, what are the things they need to address first? Whether you are currently running...

Overview   In the modern connected business environment, knowing the essentials of professional networking is a major asset and key for success. Networking is all about people and making beneficial connections that will help you build a stable and fulfilling career. Unleashing the power of a network isn't something to be taken lightly. Poor networking...

Although the hours can be long and the environment is bound to be fiercely competitive, sports marketing and management offer many rewards. Competitive compensation, challenging work, excellent perks such as free tickets to sporting events and the chance to meet professional athletes are only a few of the reasons sports marketing is a popular career aspiration. Most corporations rely on sports marketing to associate their brands and products with the excitement, enjoyment and admiration devoted to games and athletes. Globally, Emirates and Etihad Airways have followed this tactic quite intelligently to build their respective brands. Locally, brands like Beximco have also focused on brand building through sports marketing and management. Where...

Overview To write effective and appropriate business messages, you need to know your readers. Are you addressing multiple readers or a single reader? How much knowledge do your readers have of your subject, and what issues concern them most? Closely tied with knowing your readers, is knowing your purpose for writing. Do you need...

Mohammed Masudur Rahman, a bright young professional who graduated from the BBA Program of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka and currently is a Business Development Officer at e.Gen Consultants Ltd., a multidisciplinary international management consulting firm of Bangladesh, speaks to Next Step on his rollercoaster ride in the consulting...