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Women are given the opportunity to talk openly about topics that are not always easy, through closed-door, bi-monthly sharing sessions with their male superiors or colleagues.
Singapore Land Group (SingLand), a real estate company with more than 60 years of experience, strives to create a workplace environment where diversity is celebrated and valued.
"When we recruit, our hiring managers assess all candidates objectively and ensure that the recruitment and selection process is fair, merit-based and non-discriminatory," Teo Hwee Ping, Head of Legal and Company Secretary; and Welch Er, Head of Human Resources, tell us.
Among the various initiative and conversations in place, is one which focuses on empowering women to thrive — one of the many efforts which earned the team recognition as a finalist in the 'Excellence in Women Empowerment Strategy' category at the HR Excellence Awards 2023, Singapore.
This interview with Teo and Er delves into the journey that led to this achievement.
Q Can you provide an overview of the company's commitment to supporting women in the workforce and promoting gender diversity and inclusion?
At SingLand, we seek to build inclusive urban environments that allow communities to thrive. An extension of this vision involves us taking steps at our workplace to foster a positive environment where our employees feel welcomed and included regardless of their gender and backgrounds.
Our commitment to fair and equal opportunities is evident in our people policies where we prohibit discrimination in hiring, pay, promotions and growth opportunities. We also seek to foster diversity and inclusion at all levels and have a gender-diverse workforce, with women accounting for almost half of both our full-time employees and in our senior management team. We also have a Board Diversity Policy where we strive to maintain at least 20% of female presentation.
In 2023, we launched SingLand Empowers. Under this umbrella, we seek to advance diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) in our organisation and be an advocate for DEI in the real estate industry.
Q What specific initiatives have you implemented to empower women within the organisation?
Housed under the SingLand Empowers umbrella, the 'Women inspired to thrive' (WIT) initiative was launched in 2023 and comprises a series of closed-door conversations and sharing sessions held bimonthly. Through open and insightful conversations, a network of women supporting one another within SingLand is born, to talk about issues that are unique and pertinent to today’s female professional. These WIT sessions allow the women in SingLand to broach topics which are not always easy, and empower them to talk about them openly and address these issues with their male superiors or colleagues.
To effectively create an environment where diversity is celebrated and valued, we strive to change mindsets which can only be achieved by encouraging more discussions around gender equality, women-related issues and unconscious bias. This is as opposed to implementing organisational-wide policies which may not change entrenched conventional beliefs and behaviours.
Q How does the management address gender bias and promote equal opportunities for career growth and advancement for women employees?
We reward our employees based on merit and performance. Our employees, regardless of their backgrounds, all have an equal chance to grow their careers and succeed in SingLand. We are also committed to zero tolerance of discrimination across the Group.
When we recruit, our hiring managers assess all candidates objectively and ensure that the recruitment and selection process is fair, merit-based and non-discriminatory.
Questions relating to marital status and other discriminatory questions are not allowed to be raised during interviews.
Through WIT, female employees receive advice on how they can accelerate their professional development from guest speakers.
During these sessions, female leaders share their career journeys offering useful suggestions on how to overcome challenges in the workplace while not compromising their contributions.
Q Do you take specific steps to address challenges such as work-life balance and childcare support that impact demographics beyond women?
Yes, we do. At SingLand, we have a robust support system that promotes and protects the wellbeing of employees. In 2022, we launched our WISE programme, short for W-Wellness, I-Inspire, S-Socialize, E-Energise, aimed at encouraging our employees to have a healthy work-life balance through regular engagement activities focused on mental, physical, financial, and social wellness. These activities were well-received, and we are constantly looking at refining the WISE programme based on employee feedback.
WISE also complements our employee assistance programme which offers employees free professional and confidential counselling on personal, family or work-related challenges they experience.
Beyond programmes, SingLand’s flexible People practices create a more positive work experience for our employees. During the COVID pandemic in 2020, we implemented a flexible work arrangement policy to help manage work-from-home arrangements. Post COVID, a hybrid work arrangement that allows employees to work from home one day a week continues to be in place, providing them with the flexibility to better manage their work-life challenges.
We have also introduced a flexible dress code policy that guides employees on dressing comfortably in professional or casual attire as appropriate for the day’s work.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets' section!
Photo: Provided by Singapore Land Group
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