Winning Secrets: How EX Champion of the Year Singtel instills a strong sense of purpose across its workforce

The team at Singtel walked away with three big awards at the Employee Experience Awards 2022, Singapore:

• Best Graduate Training Programme
• Best Organisational Upskilling and Reskilling Strategy
• Best Response to COVID-19

As a result, Singtel was crowned the Employee Experience Overall Champion for 2022.

This achievement, according to Aileen Tan, Group Chief People and Sustainability Officer, Singtel (pictured below, left), is a reflection of how the Group's purpose (Empower Every Generation) and refreshed COMMIT values resonate with its employees. "Sustained engagement is a priority in our people efforts as this enables us to strengthen our connection with our people," she adds.

Read on as Tan shares secrets behind the win, as well as how the telco is planning to take this winning strategy higher and further in the coming years. 

Q Congratulations on the achievement! Could you take us through the highs-and-lows of your winning strategy?

We are honoured to win the prestigious Employee Experience Champion of the Year at the recent EXA (Employee Experience Awards) 2022. This achievement reflects how our Group purpose, 'empower every generation', and our refreshed COMMIT values - 'cultivate a growth mindset', 'operate with integrity', 'make customers first', 'maximise teamwork', 'innovate with a challenger spirit', 'take 'ownership – resonate with our people.

Q Understanding and meeting your employees’ needs and expectations is never an easy feat. How did Singtel identify the business & employee needs, and craft out the perfect solution? 

Instilling a strong sense of purpose in a business with 24,000 people worldwide can only be achieved through adopting a whole-of-organisation culture-building approach, incorporating and leveraging structure, process, technology and leadership to create a sense of belonging which our amazing people want to be part of, to do great work.

Q Could you offer some recommendations to your peers across industries for implementing something similar for their own EX foundation? 

Sustained engagement is a priority in our people efforts as this enables us to strengthen our connection with our people. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we were determined to continue to actively listen to their concerns and suggestions. Based on their feedback, we developed and rolled out initiatives such as 'iCARE' and 'Blended Ways of Working' hybrid work arrangements.

iCARE is both a movement and an overarching programme that empowers our people to prioritise and take charge of their health and mental well-being, as well as promote work-life balance through various initiatives.

This included introducing a digital self-care well-being app as a virtual buddy for our people, which allows them to access personalised support from a life coach to build self-awareness, manage daily stress and work on personal goals.

Q Looking ahead, how is Singtel going to take this winning strategy higher and further in the coming years? 

Given the fast-changing business landscape, coupled with tech acceleration and business transformation, it is difficult to predict the future. Nevertheless, we are committed to creating a great people experience and an inclusive culture where everyone can grow and flourish. 

Our focus will be on empowering our leaders to lead with empathy and accountability in a time of continual change. We want to empower our people to be resilient, give them the space to innovate, and let them take charge of their own career development. Developing trust and a reciprocal relationship with our people will reinforce a positive and sustainable workplace culture where people are proud to belong.

Photos / Provided (featuring the Singtel team)