Collaboration, compassion, consistency: Reasons why staff stay at this firm for the long haul

How often do you see a 45-year long service award? At

Singapore Pools

, it happens more often than you’d think.

At the company’s dinner and dance event in 2024, not one but three employees received the award on stage to resounding applause.

In 2023, an employee was recognised for her 50th year at the company. Still many more have been handed such awards – for 30, 35 or 40 years of service.

Ms Debbie Ng, Singapore Pools’ senior director of People & Culture, shares: “We celebrate all service milestones from five, 10, 15 all the way to 50 at our dinner and dance. In 2024, 125 employees received their Long Service Awards from our chairman and chief executive officer.”

With a turnover rate of just 6.6 per cent, Singapore Pools stands well under the national average of 15 per cent, she says. It is also

one of Singapore’s best employers in 2025

, as

ranked by The Straits Times and global research firm Statista

.

Apart from a positive workplace culture, one of the reasons employees stay is the opportunity to try new things and having a “safe space to fail”.

This was something Mr Timothy Tham, a manager in the Business Technology department, experienced firsthand. When he encountered connectivity issues that delayed his project by a week, his supervisor did not assign blame. Instead, the supervisor sat down with him to work through the issue and come up with a solution together.

Mr Tham says: “Usually, when your boss gives you a task, you want to reassure him everything is going smoothly, and you hesitate to raise issues. “But after this experience, I realised I could approach him for help when needed.”

In an environment where employees are not punished for making mistakes, they feel freer to experiment and innovate, says Ms Ng. “We’re very aware that when younger people join us, they’re asking, ‘Am I learning? How am I progressing?’.”

Encouraging creativity

Another example of Singapore Pools giving younger employees the chance to take ownership of their work is through a project for internal communications. Young team members were tasked to create a chatbot that helped to answer commonly asked employee questions.

“These are new joiners, some who’ve only been here for about a year and they get very engaged in doing such new things,” explains Ms Ng.

The annual CEO Innovation Challenge is another platform to spur creativity across the organisation. Staff work in teams to brainstorm and solve problem statements.

In the 2023 edition, Mr Tham and his team presented a solution to help tackle user friction points in signing up for an online account.

Working with colleagues from different divisions, Mr Tham integrated MyInfo and Identiface services, streamlining the onboarding process and enhancing customer experience and security.

The project won that year’s challenge and helped Mr Tham stand out. After demonstrating his skills and leadership across various projects, he was entrusted to be a technical lead. In 2024, he was promoted to his current position as manager.

Beyond innovation, continuous learning is also a priority for Singapore Pools. Employees are encouraged to attend courses regularly, supported by the company’s annual investment of over $1 million in training and development.

One such programme is “Lunch and Learn”, where employees hear from guest speakers at lunchtime talks covering topics such as artificial intelligence, financial wellness and stress management.

In February, Mr Tham attended a two-day course on leadership. “I was afraid my work would pile up if I left to attend the course, but my boss encouraged me to go.”

For Singapore Pools, valuing employees goes deeper than monetary rewards or perks, says Ms Ng. “The best holistic well-being resource is a kind and caring boss,” she adds.

This empathetic leadership was especially evident during the difficult Covid-19 pandemic years.

In 2020, Singapore Pools’ operations were halted for about three months. During this period, the management team stood firm: no retrenchments. Jobs and salaries were safeguarded for full-time employees and pay support packages were provided for part-timers.

“When we got the results of an engagement survey after Covid-19, the scores were very positive because people realised that when they needed stability the most, the company was there for them,” says Ms Ng.

Conducted biennially, the engagement survey is an avenue for employees to suggest improvements and give feedback, something Mr Tham appreciates deeply.

“Normally, when people ask for your feedback, they don’t really do anything about it,” he says. “But here, I can really see things moving.”

He and his team now use height-adjustable tables — a suggestion he had made during his division’s office renovation.

Based on staff feedback, the company also introduced benefits such as birthday leave and corporate passes to attractions such as Gardens by the Bay and the Night Safari. “This really shows the company values your voice,” says Mr Tham.

In 2024, Mr Tham was one of those recognised at the dinner and dance event for having achieved five years of service. When he went up on stage to receive his award from the CEO, the significance of the milestone was not lost on him.

“I didn’t know I had been here for so long,” he muses. “When you enjoy something, time flies.”

Read more about Singapore’s Best Employers here.