Talent & Tech Asia Summit 2024
human resources online

Wish list for 2019: Grow your people, grow your organisation

Experts from Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) share their wishes for HR practitioners in the region to shape future workplaces in the new year.

The start of a new year is an opportune time to set organisational goals. Let’s take some time to reflect on 2018 and think about the changes we would like to achieve in Singapore’s workforce landscape in 2019.

Here are our wishes for the new year which we hope all HR practitioners can work towards to shape workplaces of tomorrow.

Achieving excellent employee relations

As businesses undergo constant changes, relations between employers and employees will become increasingly multi-faceted and intricate. HR practitioners and their management play a major role in maintaining employee relations within the organisation.

This can be achieved by ensuring employees are treated well with dignity and respect so that they feel valued at work. Other suggestions include making efforts to provide a congenial work environment that promotes mutual respect. Also important are to have a clear grievance handling process, and involving employee representatives when necessary.

By building on strong organisational culture and values, employee engagement and progressive HR practices, employers can then contribute to a holistic employee experience. This is the key to company success.

Recognising older workers for their skills

The slow growth of Singapore’s workforce will continue to pose a challenge in terms of the availability of manpower and relevant skill sets. One way to adjust to this demographic change is to maximise the potential of the current labour pool by tapping on the skills and experience of older employees.

Besides monetary rewards such as bonuses, employers should also offer opportunities for learning and advancement by cultivating a spirit of agile learning.

Beyond that, employers can also do their part by duly recognising and rewarding re-employed older workers for their contributions so as to motivate them to perform well.

Besides monetary rewards such as bonuses, employers should also offer opportunities for learning and advancement by cultivating a spirit of agile learning. This means to foster an inclusive environment that allows one to adapt and learn skill sets quickly in the face of changes, enabling employees to grow and transform along with the organisation.

Embracing technology and your people

The digital age saw a demand for a new set of digital business and working skills. Many organisations have recognised the growing imperative to redesign themselves in order to be more nimble and adaptable. Job redesign can also help to facilitate rapid learning and better meet the dynamic career demands of their people.

No organisation, regardless of size, can compete without responding to this new digital age. Organisations that are able to provide the tools and resources to build and support their employees during this transitional period will be able to better leverage new technological capabilities.

Play your role in bringing your organisation through this digital change in an integrated, human-centric manner that enables your human capital to grow alongside your organisation. Although this transformation is led by technology, it is ultimately people who determine the success of the business. This explains the critical role of HR.


TAFEP holds regular workshops to help employers and HR professionals keep abreast of HR best practices. Visit www.tafep.sg to find out more.

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

Free newsletter

Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top Human Resources stories.

We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's Human Resources development – for free.

subscribe now open in new window