The End of the Affair

The picture you see on the left is Grace (right) with some of her staff at London's famous Four Seasons Restaurant, some would say with the best roast duck in the universe. The occasion was Grace's farewell party for this week marked her last at STB.

Earlier in the month, Grace completed her 6-year bond with the organisation. Her relationship with STB of course started earlier, back in 1996 when she was awarded the scholarships. I am not sure how other Singapore organisations treat their bondees. The end of Grace's bond came without fanfare, not a letter of appreciation, not a word of thanks, no one remembered. The 7th anniversary (remember, 6 full years of service) just sailed by like any other day. The scholarship kicked off with a high but ended in a whimper. The only person to whom that last day of bond has any meaning is the bond-server and no one else. Or have you been serving a bond for so long that you are no longer sure when it ends?

Many of our friends on a 6-year bonds should have completed around this time of the year. But there are still a few unlucky ones with 8-year bonds. Anyway, if any one of you bondees reading this post was given a special treat by your organisation on the day you completed your bond, I will like to know. These organisations deserve be congratulated for good HR practice. But for Grace, it does not matter now. Her bond affair is over. Next week, she heads off to a brand new life as an MBA student.