COO experiences the luxury of a helpful secretary

Having been chief operating officer of SC Asset for six years, Kree Dejchai has been used to the last luxury. 

Throughout the period, his secretary has helped him with almost everything. He came to realise that when he departed the company last month, and he had to return all the corporate items to the company, including an iPhone.

For a 50-year-old non-tech-savvy man, it is not beyond imagination how worried he would be when the iPhone was to be returned. He knew that he couldn’t keep the device, but first he negotiated to keep the phone number. He learned later that all information in the device could be transferred to the new one, even if it is operated with a new number. 

On his last day in office, he sought assistance from the secretary in managing that info transfer. She helped him buy a new device and ensured that all stored information was transferred from the old one. 

Now, he is assured that all those contacts are there, ready for future use, probably next year when his first day at a new company begins.

 

All part of the job 

People should be able to do more than one thing. Who would understand that better than the officials at the Commerce Ministry? Just when they thought that their main job was paper-based, they had to think again.

Some officials were recently given an order. They had to make their presence felt at an exhibition at the Government Complex on Chaeng Watthana Road. Kicked off last Monday, the “Dynamism of Thai Economy in the Asean Community” exhibition is aimed at promoting public understanding of the approaching Asean Economic Community.

Yet despite the Bt50-million budget, the 10-day exhibition drew quite a low number of visitors. Some of them blamed the poor presentation. 

In response, the Commerce Ministry, which had organised the event, had to instruct all seven of its departments to send officials to the exhibition. At least 100 from each department must attend every day.

Well, the officers may not like it at first, but if the assignment is all day long, they should enjoy the free time there. At least they can learn some useful tips from exhibitors. 

If future exhibitions are more attractive, maybe they will no longer be wanted as visitors.

 

Chadchart proving popular

It seems that among all the members of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s Cabinet, Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt is the most popular, especially with Facebook users. 

On his Facebook page, which had drawn 105,000 “likes” as of Friday, he has diligently posted messages telling all what he has done. Each posting won more than 5,000 likes, and one got more than 14,000. More than 740 comments were written for his Friday posting, showing the minister in a public van with other passengers (see photo).

He has mostly won positive comments. For the October 23 posting on his inspection of the no-parking policy, one comment was, “I don’t know others’ opin?ions on you, but you have always been in my heart.” 

An interesting development occurred with the October 27 posting on his encounter with Thammasat University students at Siam Square. Though he helped advertise their charitable drama, the posting drew more than 200 comments, and most of them did not concern the posted message. One was: “Now, you’re more dependable than the prime minister. Be careful, as you may be removed because of [your] huge popularity.”

Still, no one can be loved by all. If the minister closely monitors the comments, he may stop smiling when reading this: “So good at boasting.”

As the clock is ticking, he is being monitored on what public-transport mode he will use next. More than that is what he will do when all the modes have been tried and the time comes to improve their services.