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"To encourage all employees to play an active role in promoting positive EX, AETOS also organises various employee-driven initiatives such as Family Day, futsal tournaments and kickboxing sessions, among others," Joanne Ng, Director, People & Culture, shares.
What kind of recreational activities does your organisation implement for employees to feel engaged and motivated to work?
Joanne Ng, Director of People & Culture at AETOS Holdings, shares that initiatives like 'Family Day', futsal tournaments, and kickboxing sessions create a more informed, engaged, and motivated workforce. This leads to higher productivity, lower turnover rates, and overall business success.
These initiatives have laid the foundation of a communicative workforce, which has allowed AETOS Holdings to achieve the Bronze award for Best HR Communication Strategy at the Employee Experience Awards Singapore 2024.
Following their win, HRO chats with Ng to learn more about some other initiatives that her organisation does to enforce a positive employee experience.
Q. How would you describe the pillars of your employee experience strategy, and what are the principles you have taken into account to develop this?
At AETOS, our employee experience strategy is anchored on three key pillars: agile two-way communication, leadership involvement and multi-pronged approach for employee engagement. As we celebrate two decades of commitment to safety and security, these pillars reinforce our dedication to fostering a people-centric culture and providing positive employee experience (EX).
Addressing the needs of our decentralised workforce, we strategically implemented Workplace from Meta as our centralised internal communication platform. Despite the initial resistance faced during onboarding, we recognised that change is essential for growth and effectively overcame it by focusing on transparency, clearly communicating the platform’s benefits, and actively involving leadership and internal champions to encourage employee buy-in.
The transition to an open platform like Workplace also demanded an agile shift in HR workflows. We launched a dedicated “HR Assist” channel, where HR could provide prompt responses to employees’ queries and concerns. Such transparent communication and continuous feedback loops promote a culture of engagement, openness and trust within our workforce.
Furthermore, leadership plays a vital role in employee experience, and active participation from top management is crucial. We regularly identify and activate our senior leaders, team leaders, and respected colleagues to engage with employees via a multi-pronged approach, one that involves both online and offline touchpoints; from regular postings, comments and creation of innovative, interactive content on Workplace, to livestreamed and physical townhalls, dedicated feedback channels, fireside chats, and on-site outreach sessions. This enables us to foster mutual support and drive engagement across all levels of the organisation, promoting a cohesive and motivated workforce.
Q. In a world propelled by rapid change, what measures do you have in place to maintain a people-centric, human approach to your EX as it evolves?
AETOS maintains a people-centric, human approach to our EX through comprehensive processes and metrics designed to foster continuous improvement in employee engagement, ensuring our workforce feels valued, heard and invested in their roles.
To achieve positive organisational outcomes like higher productivity, lower turnover rates, and enhanced employer branding, we regularly assess the impact and effectiveness of our EX initiatives by leveraging data-driven insights. This includes utilising data from e-forms and pulse surveys to evaluate our outreach effectiveness, gauge employees’ understanding of company policies, and assess their satisfaction with benefits and incentives.
Regular tracking of employee engagement, candidate referral metrics, and employee satisfaction scores, also allow us to make informed decisions and refine our communication strategies. This ensures that our approach remains dynamic and responsive to evolving industry needs.
Additionally, listening to and understanding our employees is central to a successful HR communications strategy. By continuously gathering feedback, we can identify what resonates with our workforce. This insight allows us to integrate innovative tactics and content, such as leveraging TikTok trends and gamification, to boost engagement and align with our employees’ communication preferences. At the same time, this approach allows us to break stereotypes and reshape external perceptions of the security industry.
Q. What initiatives do you undertake such that the delivery of employee experience is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders in the organisation?
As a purpose-driven organisation, AETOS is committed to "Securing Our Future", and we believe that delivering exceptional EX is a shared responsibility among our employees. We cultivate a culture of open communication and cohesiveness through mutual collaboration, ensuring that all stakeholders are engaged and have a sense of purpose at work.
Senior management and direct supervisors play a critical role by actively engaging with and listening to employees. These figures, embedded within various teams, not only help to drive open, two-way communication across all levels of the organisation, but they also become conduits for disseminating information, fostering mutual support and a culture of open communication.
We actively identify and empower advocates in AETOS, from ground officers to top management, to drive engagement and increase brand equity and mindshare by sharing their authentic, positive experiences with both internal and external stakeholders.
To encourage all employees to play an active role in promoting positive EX, AETOS also various organises employee-driven initiatives such as 'Family Day', futsal tournaments and kickboxing sessions, among others.
These initiatives offer mental, emotional and personal support for employees, while helping to break down barriers between different levels and departments, fostering a more cohesive, connected and engaged workforce.
Q. Do you have words of wisdom to share with others in the industry on the best ways to keep your employee experience consistent and beautiful?
We believe that maintaining a consistent and enriching EX begins with purpose-driven leadership. In AETOS, our leaders go beyond their supervisory roles; they empower their team members to embrace our collective purpose, thereby enhancing our overall EX.
Our leaders and managers play an important role in creating a supportive and inclusive culture by respecting diverse perspectives, and aligning team members with our organisation's values and higher purpose. Emphasising open and over communication, they regularly seek feedback, share knowledge, and conduct performance evaluations. Through such processes, our leaders ensure every team member feels valued and motivated. This creates a healthy culture of continuous improvement and development, which in turns cultivates a vibrant and dynamic environment where all our employees can thrive.
Q. Finally, what is the positive impact of employee experience that you’ve seen on the business as well as the workforce?
Our HR communication strategy has significantly influenced our organisational culture by fostering open communication, transparency, and a shared sense of purpose. This approach has created a more informed, engaged, and motivated workforce, enabling us to achieve broader business goals. Evidence of this includes higher productivity, lower turnover rates, increased user-generated content on Workplace reflecting key organisational messaging, active participation by leaders and internal champions, and a notable rise in candidate referrals.
Our focus on continuous engagement and workforce development has empowered employees to innovate and actively contribute to our organisation’s growth. This has not only enhanced our operational efficiency but also strengthened our employer brand, making us an employer of choice.
As AETOS celebrates our 20th anniversary this year, our firm commitment to putting people first and investing in positive EX continues to provide us with a strategic advantage. This dedication empowers us to drive positive outcomes across all facets of our organisation and enhance our reputation in the industry, continuing our legacy for many years to come.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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