SINGAPORE’S BEST EMPLOYERS 2020 Identifying the best … · RANK EMPLOYER BRAND SCORE INDUSTRY 1...
Transcript of SINGAPORE’S BEST EMPLOYERS 2020 Identifying the best … · RANK EMPLOYER BRAND SCORE INDUSTRY 1...
RANK EMPLOYER BRAND SCORE INDUSTRY1 UNIQLO 9.08 Clothing, Shoes, Sports Equipment
2 Adidas Singapore 8.89 Clothing, Shoes, Sports Equipment
3 Google 8.85 IT, Internet, Software & Services
4 Amazon 8.8 Retail and Wholesale
5 BP 8.47 Oil & Gas Operations, Mining and Chemicals
6 Healthway Medical Group 8.42 Healthcare & Social
7 Singapore American School 8.41 Education
8 AT&T 8.29 Telecommunications Services, Cable Supplier
9 Applied Materials 8.24 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
10 Bangkok Bank Singapore 8.22 Banking and Financial Services
11 Chevron 8.18 Oil & Gas Operations, Mining and Chemicals
12 Microsoft 8.17 IT, Internet, Software & Services
13 Citibank 8.13 Banking and Financial Services
14 Apple 8.13 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
15 Adeka (Singapore) 8.11 Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco
16 Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) 8.1 Drugs & Biotechnology
17 CrimsonLogic 8.1 IT, Internet, Software & Services
18 Starbucks Coffee Singapore 8.06 Restaurants
19 Marina Bay Sands 8.05 Travel & Leisure
20 ACCOR Hotels 8.03 Travel & Leisure
21 Bank of America Merrill Lynch 8.01 Banking and Financial Services
22 United World College of South East Asia
7.93 Education
23 Kuehne + Nagel 7.92 Transportation and Logistics
24 CapitaLand 7.87 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
25 JP MorganChase 7.86 Banking and Financial Services
26 Cisco 7.85 IT, Internet, Software & Services
27 Automobile Association of Singapore
7.83 Insurance
28 Atos Information Technology 7.83 IT, Internet, Software & Services
29 M1 7.82 Telecommunications Services, Cable Supplier
30 Westpac Singapore 7.75 Banking and Financial Services
31 H&M Hennes & Mauritz 7.73 Clothing, Shoes, Sports Equipment
32 Facebook 7.71 IT, Internet, Software & Services
33 Illumina Singapore 7.7 Health Care Equipment & Services
34 British-American Tobacco 7.7 Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco
35 ExxonMobil 7.69 Oil & Gas Operations, Mining and Chemicals
36 Hewlett-Packard (HP) 7.68 IT, Internet, Software & Services
37 Sunray Woodcraft Construction 7.67 Construction
38 Boustead Singapore 7.65 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
39 Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC)
7.64 Banking and Financial Services
40 Kingsmen Creatives 7.64 Media & Advertising
41 Federal Express Pacific (FedEx) 7.62 Transportation and Logistics
42 Continental Automotive 7.62 IT, Internet, Software & Services
43 Prosegur Singapore 7.61 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
44 Fish & Co. Restaurants 7.6 Restaurants
45 Procter & Gamble 7.6 Packaged Goods
46 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
7.6 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
47 CBRE 7.59 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
48 DHL 7.57 Transportation and Logistics
49 Marriott 7.55 Travel & Leisure
50 HSBC 7.53 Banking and Financial Services
51 AXA 7.53 Insurance
52 Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
7.53 Government Services
RANK EMPLOYER BRAND SCORE INDUSTRY53 Grab 7.53 Transportation and Logistics
54 Daimler South East Asia 7.53 Automotive (Automotive and Suppliers)
55 Ministry of Finance (MOF) 7.51 Government Services
56 Shiseido Singapore 7.51 Retail and Wholesale
57 BHCC Construction 7.5 Construction
58 TDCX (formerly Teledirect) 7.5 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
59 General Electric 7.49 Engineering, Manufacturing
60 Samsung 7.48 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
61 Sabre Asia Pacific 7.48 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
62 ISS Group 7.45 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
63 Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) 7.44 Restaurants
64 Challenger Technologies 7.43 Retail and Wholesale
65 Foo Kon Tan 7.43 Professional Services
66 Performance Motors 7.42 Automotive (Automotive and Suppliers)
67 AIA Singapore 7.41 Insurance
68 Optimum Solutions (Singapore) 7.41 IT, Internet, Software & Services
69 Ministry of Manpower (MOM) 7.4 Government Services
70 Maxi-Cash Financial Services 7.4 Banking and Financial Services
71 Siemens 7.39 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
72 Jardine Engineering 7.39 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
73 Singapore Airlines 7.38 Transportation and Logistics
74 Johnson & Johnson 7.38 Health Care Equipment & Services
75 Singapore Exchange 7.38 Banking and Financial Services
76 Autism Resource Centre Singapore
7.37 Healthcare & Social
77 Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)
7.36 Healthcare & Social
78 Infineon Singapore 7.35 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
79 Deloitte 7.35 Professional Services
80 American Express 7.34 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
81 Rolls-Royce 7.33 Automotive (Automotive and Suppliers)
82 DBS Bank 7.33 Banking and Financial Services
83 Bosch Group 7.31 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
84 Robinsons 7.29 Retail and Wholesale
85 Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE)
7.29 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
86 City Developments 7.28 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
87 DSO National Laboratories 7.27 Health Care Equipment & Services
88 Visa 7.27 Banking and Financial Services
89 DXC Technology 7.26 IT, Internet, Software & Services
90 SAP 7.24 IT, Internet, Software & Services
91 ERA Realty (APAC Realty) 7.23 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
92 Dimension Data 7.23 IT, Internet, Software & Services
93 Goldbell Corporation (GBC) 7.2 Transportation and Logistics
94 SATS 7.18 Transportation and Logistics
95 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 7.16 Drugs & Biotechnology
96 NEC Asia Pacific 7.16 IT, Internet, Software & Services
97 Amgen 7.12 Health Care Equipment & Services
98 Crystal Jade 7.11 Restaurants
99 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
7.1 Education
100 Asia Pacific Breweries (Heineken Asia Pacific)
7.1 Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco
101 Gammon Construction 7.05 Construction
102 McDonald’s 7.05 Restaurants
RANK EMPLOYER BRAND SCORE INDUSTRY103 Great Eastern 7.04 Insurance
104 Shell 7.04 Oil & Gas Operations, Mining and Chemicals
105 National Healthcare Group 7.04 Healthcare & Social
106 Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI)
7.03 Government Services
107 Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore)
7.03 Construction
108 Agilent Technologies Singapore 7.03 Drugs & Biotechnology
109 Kopitiam 7.02 Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco
110 MindChamps PreSchool 7.02 Education
111 Lonza 7.01 Drugs & Biotechnology
112 JGC Construction 7.01 Oil & Gas Operations, Mining and Chemicals
113 Far East Organization 6.99 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
114 Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
6.98 Banking and Financial Services
115 APL (CMA CGM Group) 6.97 Transportation and Logistics
116 National University Health System (NUHS)
6.96 Healthcare & Social
117 UOL Group 6.96 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
118 Mitsui High-tec Singapore 6.94 Engineering, Manufacturing
119 Sea 6.94 IT, Internet, Software & Services
120 RHB Bank 6.94 Banking and Financial Services
121 Sembcorp Industries 6.93 Utilities
122 Dulwich College (Singapore) 6.92 Education
123 GAC 6.92 Transportation and Logistics
124 Nestlé 6.91 Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco125 Ang Mo Kio - Thye Hua Kwan
Hospital6.9 Healthcare & Social
126 Jabil Circuit (Singapore) 6.89 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
127 Ernst & Young 6.88 Professional Services128 Ministry of National
Development6.88 Government Services
129 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) 6.88 Professional Services130 Raffles Medical Group 6.87 Healthcare & Social131 PropNex 6.87 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real
Estate)132 Rockwell Automation Southeast
Asia6.86 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical
Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
133 Takashimaya Singapore 6.85 Retail and Wholesale134 Novartis 6.83 Drugs & Biotechnology135 Dell 6.83 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical
Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
136 Linde 6.8 Oil & Gas Operations, Mining and Chemicals
137 Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts 6.8 Education138 Parkway Hospitals Singapore 6.8 Healthcare & Social139 CIMB Bank 6.8 Banking and Financial Services140 Changi Airport Group 6.78 Transportation and Logistics141 Ministry of Trade and Industry 6.78 Government Services142 Dyson 6.77 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical
Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
143 Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company (SSMC)
6.77 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
144 Straits Construction Singapore 6.77 Construction145 Accenture 6.75 Professional Services146 Venture Corporation 6.74 Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical
Engineering, Technology Hardware & Equipment
147 Mapletree 6.72 Business Services & Supplies (incl. Real Estate)
148 Bank of Singapore 6.72 Banking and Financial Services149 Standard Chartered Bank
(Singapore)6.71 Banking and Financial Services
150 United Overseas Bank (UOB) 6.68 Banking and Financial Services
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
SINGAPORE’S BEST EMPLOYERS 2020
New survey by ST and Statista looks at what it takes to win the race for talent — and keep employees happy
Identifying the best employers
BY RACHEL TAN
From fair wages, career advancement opportunities, good relationships with colleagues and superiors to aesthetical-
ly pleasing workspaces, these are some factors commonly cited in employee satisfaction surveys.
A recent online survey found that while pay and benefits remain key drivers of employee satisfaction, workers these days are placing increasingly more importance on training and upskilling opportunities.
In August and September last year, The Straits Times and global research firm Statista polled over 8,000 employees based in Singa-pore to evaluate their own employer and other employers they know of. The scores were then used to tabulate a ranking of Singapore’s 150 Best Employers 2020. The companies are from 25 industry sectors.
Over the years, Statista has had a strong track record in the field of measuring employer qual-ity, having conducted similar surveys in countries such as the United States, Germany, France and Switzerland. The Singapore’s Best Employers 2020 survey is the first of its kind in Singapore — and Asia.
Dr Thomas Clark, partner at Statista, stresses the uniquely broad approach of this survey. “Our intention was to conduct a comprehensive study where every company with more than 200 employees based in Singapore is considered,” he says in a phone interview.
Mr Niklas Tamm, lead analyst of Statista’s Best Employers survey projects globally, and his
ABOUT THE SURVEY
Respondents must be working for a company with more than 200 employees in Singapore
Respondents rate on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, their willingness to recommend their employer to a friend or family member
Respondents are also asked to name, if any, other employers in the same industry that they would or would not recommend to their acquaintances
A score is generated based on the responses
Highly-recommended employers are grouped according to 25 industry sectors
Key findingsMen, on average, are happier with their current job than women; employees in the age group of 40 to 49 are the happiest; and those who have been with the same company for a longer time are generally happier.
Statista shares that these trends are in line with the results observed in the rest of the world, and that these findings could be used to help employers focus on overlooked areas to increase employee satisfaction.
team also observe that regardless of industry, individual advancement opportunities in terms of higher wages, self-development and training are valued more by employees compared with five years ago. Teamwork and a flatter hierar-chical organisational structure also contribute more to an employee’s happiness than before.
These trends are evident in Singapore, too. Among the companies that have made it to the inaugural 2020 list, IT consulting and services company Optimum Solutions, med-icines company Novartis and tech company CrimsonLogic place a strong emphasis on pro-viding training opportunities for their workers. (Read their stories on pages C9 and C10.)
It is a feat, says Dr Clark, to make it to the top 150 list, bearing in mind that almost 2,000 companies were considered.
“Every company in the ranking is a fantastic employer, regardless of its position,” he explains. “Thanks to the comprehensive approach, these employers can now compare themselves with others in the league of the best. We hope to con-duct this survey annually so companies will see if they can progress in terms of their employer quality, or if there will be some fallbacks.”
Indeed, with Covid-19 pandemic disrup-tions now affecting workplaces the world over, including Singapore, Dr Clark and Mr Tamm hope that the ranking this year would encourage companies that made it to the list to do their utmost to keep their score amid these challenging times.
50
2,8002,800
Brought to you by
SINGAPORE’S BEST EMPLOYERS 2020
Left: As a people-centric employer, Optimum Solutions often organises fun activities to bring employees together. On Valentine’s Day thisyear, employees were encouraged to give roses to their colleagues aspart of the festivities.
We place great emphasis on
inclusion, engagement and providing growth
opportunities, to create a
people-centric culture where our employees have a
great time. MR BALWANT JAIN, CEO
IT consulting and services company Optimum Solutions shares best practices from its talent management playbook
People first to achieve customer delight
Above: (From left) COO Vinod Martin, CEO Balwant Jain and MDs K. Saravanan and Sumit Malik. PHOTOS: OPTIMUM SOLUTIONS
IT consulting and services company Optimum Solutions believes people are its most valuable assets.
With much of its business driven by cli-ent-facing IT consultants and analysts, it understands the importance of employee engagement and growth at the workplace. This is the guiding principle that has contributed to Optimum’s transforma-tion from a start-up 23 years ago to one of the largest IT services companies in Singapore today.
“We place great emphasis on inclu-sion, engagement and providing growth opportunities, to create a people-centric culture where our employees have a great time being part of the Optimum family. With happy and productive employees comes greater client satisfaction, which has been a defining contributor to Optimum’s success,” says chief executive officer Balwant Jain.
The home-grown IT powerhouse is now a partner to more than 50 Fortune 500 companies spanning industries such as banking and financial services, technol-ogy, insurance, manufacturing and public service. Optimum provides a whole gamut of innovative technology solutions such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, predictive analytics, cloud and mobility services, robotic process automation as well as IT applications and infrastructure management.
Optimum operates out of eight offices across Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Philippines, India and the United States with over 2,800 employees, the majority of whom are transformation programme managers, project managers, business analysts, digital experts and software engineers.
Best practice 1: Promoting a culture of opennessKeeping such a big team united and every-one motivated is not easy, but Optimum has figured it out. To managing director K. Saravanan, the culture of growth begins at the time of recruitment and is coupled with open communication and a strong peer-support system.
“We are always available for every single employee and make sure that support is around the corner should they need it.
There are multiple touchpoints for each employee, and also a buddy and mentor system for new joiners,” says human resource senior vice president ER Sreejith.
Adds senior vice president Rajat Sharma: “Our people also know that the management has an open-door policy. They’re always welcome to come into our offices to have a chat with any of us.”
Optimum conducts employee satisfac-tion surveys and roundtable discussions at regular intervals. “A proactive HR depart-ment is an integral pillar of our company, to execute a vision where every employee feels a part of the Optimum family. Lis-tening to and engaging with employees is key to Optimum’s people-centric culture,” says assistant vice president of talent man-agement Cindy Ng.
Best practice 2: Encouraging personal growthAssistant vice president Kristine Pan explains that Optimum invests heavily in employee training and develop ment. This is especially important as technology is constantly evolving.
Employees are given ample opportu-nities to learn and grow their knowledge through in-house and external learning programmes. Optimum regularly identi-fies and invites industry experts to share new ideas and methodologies with its employees. To support continuous learn-ing, employees are encouraged to upgrade their skills through company-sponsored industry certifications and courses from online learning platforms.
Optimum has been investing signifi-cantly to grow the local talent pool in the IT services industry. As part of the Company-Led Training Programme (CLT) under the aegis of Infocomm Media Development Authority, Optimum con-ducts a six-month full-time programme to equip fresh graduates with technical skills needed in the IT sector. Since 2018, Optimum has hired and trained over 110 university and polytechnic graduates through this programme.
“Maintaining a robust talent pool is essential in our business. By making learn-ing opportunities accessible to everyone, and incentivising them to focus on growth, we are not only helping them, but also keeping our company ahead of the curve,”
says managing director Sumit Malik.As the company continues to grow, a
structured approach to leadership devel-opment has been put in place, involving significant investment by senior leaders through mentoring high-potential talent, to build a highly empowered, engaged and energised workforce.
Best practice 3: Excellence is rewardedWhile the developmental opportunities provided by Optimum contribute to the personal growth of employees, the company closes the loop by affirming hard work with suitable recognition and career growth opportunities. The various platforms for recognition include enhanced roles, bonuses and pay raises, commendation in company e-newsletters and perfor mance awards.
Optimum continues to provide a best-in-class experience at work and extended workplaces for employees by rapidly enhancing capability to support them with efficient, effective and innovative work processes, digital ecosystems, infrastruc-ture and services.
Its efforts to create a strong culture of appreciation and openness at the work-place have clearly paid off. More than three in 10 employees have been with the company for over a decade. Besides having a laudable employee retention rate, the company is listed as one of Singapore’s Best Employers this year in an inaugural study compiled by The Straits Times and global research firm Statista. This is best encapsulated by project manager Jimmy Lin. “The past six years at Optimum have been a fulfilling journey. I trust the organisation to do what is right by me whether it’s in terms of career growth, personal development or a healthy work-life balance. Above all, I enjoy the sense of camaraderie I share with my colleagues.”
Says chief operating officer Vinod Martin: “Being ranked as one of Singa-pore’s Best Employers is something we greatly value. It is an honour, and we take it as a responsibility to continuously improve ourselves to remain an employer of choice and a great place to work.”
Visit www.theoptimum.net to learn how you can be a part of this exciting and rewarding journey at Optimum Solutions.
of excellence23 years
across six countries
50 Fortune 500 companies
Partner to more than
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SINGAPORE’S BEST EMPLOYERS 2020
Just as how it continuously strives to im-prove and extend people’s lives through medical innovations and break-
throughs, Swiss-based global medicines company Novartis is constant ly finding new ways to create a nurturing workplace envi-ronment that engages, in spires and empow-ers its employees. Its progressive working culture in Singapore has been recognised in the inaugural Singapore’s Best Employers ranking this year. The survey was conduct-ed jointly by The Straits Times and global research firm Statista.
Novartis Singapore has more than 1,000 associates working across divisions covering innovative medicines, generic and biosimilar medicines, the operation of two manufacturing plants, and its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters. It is a leader in clinical trials, finding better ways to treat or prevent diseases in the city-state.
Three Novartis Singapore associates give us a glimpse of their workplace culture.
Clockwise from top left: Novartis Singapore covers several areas of innovation including pharmaceutical developments; the global medicines company is focused on improving and
extending people’s lives through its research and medical innovations; Sandoz, the company’s generics and biosimilar
medicines division, promotes access to high quality, affordable medicines for patients. PHOTOS: NOVARTIS SINGAPORE
Curiosity is encouragedNovartis associates around the world are encouraged to devote 100 hours every year to learning. Novartis provides all associates company-sponsored access to online training programmes.
“The fact that the company has made learning open, accessible and purchased licenses for us to use to learn areas of busi-ness, or even topics that are of interest to us, such as history, artificial intelligence or data science, shows Novartis’ commitment to investing in its employees. It’s up to you to be curious and learn things that will expand your horizon,” says Mr Hazmi Hisyam, 31, head of legal for the Sandoz Asia cluster.
For two years, Mr Hazmi has been work-ing with colleagues in other countries to ensure that programmes giving more people access to healthcare in different areas are successfully implemented and are compliant with the laws and regulations of the land.
Mr Hazmi himself has taken up a course that covers the foundations of financial accounting so that he can better understand the commercial side of the business. He says feeding this curiosity helps him understand the company and its purpose holistically.
MR HAZMI HISYAM head of legal, Sandoz Asia cluster
Inspired by a purpose In three years, Ms Jaspreet Kaur, 25, has seen her career blossom from being an intern to a full-time associate product manager, formulating marketing plans for ongoing and future product launches in the pharmaceuti-cal portfolio to help healthcare professionals deliver the right therapy to the patients.
Regular meetings and catch-up sessions are a fixture in her work routines. Everyone is encouraged and inspired to share and build on ideas, contributing to a culture of open-ness and trust. “We think of what else we can do for patients. We are moving away from just marketing the product — we explore innovative solutions that will add value to patients’ lives and help doctors better cater to their patients’ needs. Putting patients at the centre of our plans drives us to do our best,” she says.
Novartis Singapore’s purpose-driven culture extends to the associates’ personal passions. Ms Kaur recounts how a group of associates’ passion for sustainable living led to the implementation of sustainable office initiatives and the company’s support for a two-day sustainability event to raise aware-ness, which she took part in.
MS JASPREET KAUR associate product manager, Dermatology and Rheumatology Franchise
The global medicines company reimagines workplace culture to unleash employees’ full potential
Home-grown tech company CrimsonLogic cares for its employees like family
Novartis Singapore, an employer of choice
Ensuring staff feel secure in uncertain times
Scan this QR code to find out more about Novartis Singapore and its medical developments.
…the company has made learning open, accessible... It’s up to you to be curious
and learn things that will expand
your horizon. MR HAZMI HISYAM, head of legal
Sandoz Asia cluster
“Unbossed” cultureMs Sheryl Tay, 39, stepped up to a man-agerial position when she joined Novartis Singapore three years ago as a health, safety and environment team lead. Together with her team, they super vise over 500 workers at the manufacturing plants in Tuas.
Ms Tay says Novartis Singapore helped ease her transition from an executive to a managerial role by sending her to leadership programmes. The programmes changed her perspective on implementing workplace safety procedures, teaching her to go beyond the books. She has since led monthly cultural safety programmes that involve associates taking part in fun, immersive activities to enforce life-saving rules and safety culture onsite.
For her, creating an “unbossed” lead-ership culture means having open conver-sations with her team members and being approachable instead of feared. Since she works with a diverse team, inclusion is highly important to her too. She says diversity and inclusion activities like Racial Harmony Day and benefits such as equal parental leave and family care leave are much appreciated.
MS SHERYL TAY health, safety and environment team lead
In unpredictable times like the cur-rent Covid-19 pandemic, having an employer that looks out for its staff is
vital. CrimsonLogic, and its subsidiary Global eTrade Services (GeTS) believe in taking care of their people in good times and in bad.
Ranked one of Singapore’s Best Employers this year in an inaugural study compiled by The Straits Times and global research firm Statista, the company says it has relied on its pillars of learn, lead, GetFit, reward, give, fun, engage, aspire, and inspire, dubbed ONE@CRIMSON, as a guiding principle to create the best possible working environment for its staff. The same set of values underpins the company’s efforts to go the extra mile where possible for its employees during tough times.
Agile and flexible In early January, when there was still much confusion over the coronavirus situation, chief executive officer Saw Ken Wye took swift actions to protect staff while keeping operations running smoothly.
Soon after news of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan broke, the company quickly implemented its business conti-nuity plans such as emergency rehearsals in the event of an infection at the work-place and split-site operations. By the end of January, the preparations had put the company and its employees in good stead to handle a pandemic situation more confidently.
As a tech company, CrimsonLogic also
understands the importance of constant connectivity and maintaining a degree of flexibility in its daily operations. At the Singapore headquarters, a majority of staff are equipped with laptops, and policies are already in place to cater to alternative work arrangements even before a pandemic hits.
The company needs close to 20 per cent of its workforce to provide support to key essential operations and services to customers, such as data centre opera-tions. These cannot be done from home.However, the flexibility of its daily opera-tions enabled the company to move eight in 10 of its 500 employees in Singapore off-site within a week.
Globally, the 32-year-old company has offices in 19 countries and over 900 employees. It provides products and services in trade facilitation, eJudiciary and eGovernment solutions.
In a Facebook video to staff in March, Mr Saw said: “As a company, your well-being is paramount. We need to make sure you, your family and your loved ones are safe, and feel safe.” The company was also prompt in the pro-curement of essential supplies like masks, hand sanitisers and thermometers; these were packed into care packs that were distributed to staff worldwide.
Mr Saw also has an open-door policy for feedback — he frequently reaches out to staff personally to ensure their needs are met. New facilities and upgrades were added around the offices as a result of staff feedback. A team of people care
managers reporting directly to him helps to create a family-like working environ-ment and a culture of openness.
More training opportunitiesCrimsonLogic operates on the premise that it is a big family and everyone has an opportunity to grow, personally and professionally. Employees are given the chance to constantly upgrade themselves. During this uncertain time, the company doubled its e-learning budget so that employees have more opportunities to upskill themselves with online courses on LinkedIn, Udemy and Coursera.
Assistant product manager Ho Jun Cheng was a product manager with an e-commerce marketplace before he joined the tech company’s subsid-iary, GeTS. At GeTS, he was given the opportunity to venture into the areas of logistics, trade compliance and fintech.
“I’m excited to undertake new projects and to further develop new technologies and products for the trade industry.”
CrimsonLogic is also a firm believer in gender equality. In a predominantly male industry, Ms Akshatha S., a lead software engineer based in Bengaluru, India, appreciates what the company has done to help her advance her dream career in computer science.
“It is heartening to see our female colleagues growing both personally and professionally in CrimsonLogic,” she says. “We are not just developing our careers, but grooming future IT leaders of tomorrow.”
As a company, your well-being
is paramount. We need to make sure
you, your family and your loved ones are safe, and feel safe.
MR SAW KEN WYE, CEO
Clockwise from top: The CrimsonLogic family at a staff conference held in 2019; CrimsonLogic’s subsidiary, GeTS, celebrating International Women’s Day and showing appreciation towards its female staff; the ONE@CRIMSON ecosystem for people care; CrimsonLogic staff receiving vitamin C supplements as part of their Resilience Care package to tackle Covid-19. PHOTOS: CRIMSONLOGIC