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"Celebrating your employees' achievements and milestones, and providing opportunities for growth and development are equally important factors of employee experience," Welch Er, Head of Human Resources, Singapore Land Group (SingLand) adds.
The pandemic has reshaped the workplace, pushing organisations to elevate their employee experience to attract and retain talent. Companies are now placing greater focus on holistic wellbeing, flexible work environments, and inclusive cultures to meet evolving expectations.
One such organisation is Singapore Land Group (SingLand), which believes that a great employee experience is built on open communication, comprehensive wellness programmes, and a collaborative office environment.
The HR team at SingLand took home two awards at the Employee Experience Awards Singapore.
- Gold for 'Most Innovative and Sustainable Office Design'
- Silver for 'Best Work-life Harmony Strategy'
Following the wins, HRO chats with Welch Er, Head of Human Resources, SingLand, to discuss how the organisation enhances engagement and fosters a resilient, motivated workforce ready to thrive in a dynamic landscape.
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?
SingLand’s employee experience strategy centres around a robust support system prioritising professional and personal growth, within an inclusive and supportive work environment. Post-pandemic, we understood that work and work-life balance expectations have evolved and sought to enhance our approach by developing the WISE framework in 2022.
Short for W-Wellness, I-Inspire, S-Socialize, E-Energise — it is a blueprint and central pillar to employee engagement at SingLand. This framework enables us to focus on various aspects of well- being, including mental, physical, financial, and social wellness, and organise activities that cater to these dimensions.
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?
Employees now yearn for greater flexibility and improved work-life balance. To further support our people, we have implemented a work-life harmony strategy, to allow them to better manage their work, personal and familial responsibilities.
Our employee support programmes range from flexible work arrangements like hybrid work and flexible time bands; to enhanced leave schemes including additional two weeks of paid paternity leave and paid exam leave to encourage upskilling. We also have a dedicated 'Health & Wellness Month' and the 'Women inspired to thrive' initiative, a women’s support network within the organisation that convenes regularly to discuss issues unique and pertinent to modern female professionals.
For our new corporate office, which we moved into early last year, we sought to create a workplace that places the well-being of employees at the heart of its design. Some highlights include a calming colour palette and biophilic design, alongside an open-concept layout complemented with meeting rooms, breakout zones and contactless features such as facial recognition access.
Q What initiatives do you undertake such that the delivery of employee experience is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders in the organisation?
Employee engagement is the collective responsibility of everyone. Through regular HR pulse surveys, we gain valuable insights from employees on the benefits they would like to have and feedback on the employee engagement activities we have organised. The feedback received is then translated into actionable steps and goals for future initiatives.
Buy-in from senior management is also integral to bringing about a positive employee experience.
To effectively practise our corporate value of ‘We, Not I” across the organisation, we encourage regular team building activities within departments.
Department heads are provided with comprehensive resources, and this includes a leadership toolkit comprising communication tips and suggestions for team activities.
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?
Creating positive experiences is an ongoing journey that demands attention to detail and a commitment to understanding and supporting your employees. The key to maintaining a consistent and beautiful employee experience lies in open communication, a focus on wellness programmes, and a well-designed office environment that is conducive for collaboration and innovation.
Celebrating your employees' achievements and milestones and providing opportunities for growth and development are equally important factors of employee experience. Lastly, to ensure that the employee experience stays relevant, it is critical to assess and refine these regularly based on feedback and data analysis.
Q Finally, what is the positive impact of employee experience that you’ve seen on the business as well as the workforce?
A pivotal moment in our employee engagement strategy was the shift to our new corporate headquarters at Singapore Land Tower early last year. To complement our office’s inclusive design, we rolled out new engagement activities, such as 'Bring your kids to work day', to bring more positive experiences for our employees.
These efforts have borne fruit with a Group-wide engagement survey conducted in the later part of last year showing that the majority of employees would recommend SingLand as a good place to work. We have also observed lower attrition and absenteeism rates last year as compared to the previous year.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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