Huijun
Chen

I graduated from NTU in 2016 with a Master’s degree in Management and Finance. I then started work as a Financial Crime Analyst in HSBC China, and my duties included analysing customers’ transactions, utilising my critical and decision-making skills to decide whether customers had suspicious banking behaviours and finally, provided detailed reports to financial authorities.

Why did you decide to do a PhD?

I always had the idea of doing a PhD but I wanted to take my time to make this important decision, therefore, I went home and started working. When I was working in HSBC, I had observed some interesting phenomenon among my co-workers. Their attitude towards sick leave differs, due to various reasons, such as job demands, line manager’s support and the relationship with colleagues. I started searching for more information in relation to this topic and found out that there are some excellent researchers who are studying this subject.

How has NTU helped facilitate your PhD?

NTU has been really helpful to me during my time here, me and my supervisor secured internal funding to support the participant recruitment for my doctoral study. The funds allowed us to use an external research platform to obtain the number of participants we needed, which was extremely helpful.

In addition, I received academic support and mental health support from NTU during the Covid-19 pandemic. This support, along with my hard work, has allowed me to co-author two book chapters with my supervisory team within the first two years of my PhD journey. I will also be presenting in the 20th European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology Congress in Glasgow in January 2022, having had three papers accepted.

What are the benefits of your PhD?

My PhD research will provide the foundation for a theory of decision-making for presenteeism, which is much needed in the field of occupational health management/human resource management, providing a foundation for future scholars in years to come. After I have completed my PhD, I plan to gain a full-time consultancy role in industry, along with a part-time research role in university.