Office workers thank their interns

SINGAPORE – The inaugural Thank Your Intern Day (TYID) was well-received by both office workers and interns at Raffles Place on Thursday (Oct 10).

More than 250 signatures and 400 photos were taken during the event which was launched at 10.10am.

The strong response took the 20-odd youth volunteer team by surprise and they had to improvise by doubling the two boards originally used to collect the signatures. One board was for interns pledging to value their internships, the other was for office workers pledging to support the TYID initiative.

The workers, some of whom brought their interns along, also posed for photographs while holding cut-out cards with phrases such as “I love my intern” and “My intern inspires me”.

Ms Kayleen Ang, one of the founding members of the TYID campaign, said that she was pleased with the support shown.

“I felt that the team has made a difference. Most importantly, I believe that we have successfully managed to get our message across, that is to make working life for interns a better place,” she said.

TYID was started by three friends, Ms Ang, Mr Ryan Teo and Mr Brendan Lim, all 20, to promote awareness on interns’ workplace rights and appreciation of employers towards their interns.

The trio was motivated to organise the campaign after viewing a video of an intern being slapped and verbally abused in May this year. The project was supported by nEbO, the junior membership arm of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

Although the outreach event has ended, the campaign does not stop there. Cards signed by some of the workers will be delivered to interns in various offices located in Raffles Place on Friday (Oct 11) and next Monday. It is a free service provided by the TYID team.