HP Singapore successful at the SBR Management Excellence Awards 2021

Three consecutive years of positive rating earned the company its Employee Engagement of the Year trophy.

HP Singapore Ink Operations (SIO), an ink and fluid making organization in HP, received the Employee Engagement of the Year trophy at the 2021 SBR Management Excellence Awards, Manufacturing category.

HP SIO was recognised for the strong trust its workforce has in the organisation, which has been reflected in its three consecutive years of high employee engagement. According to HP’s annual Voice, Insight, Actions (VIA) employee survey, the organization scored an average of 94% engagement rating in the last 3 surveys.

“High levels of engagement contribute to a host of positive statistics: Retention goes up, wellness factors improve, and innovation and collaboration increase. And yes, higher engagement has also been linked to better business performance” the organization spokesperson said.

HP SIO successfully maintained the high engagement of employees using data gathered from VIA survey. Using employee feedback, the leadership team determined the needs of their employees, as well as the factors affecting morale. An internal taskforce was to help understand specific points and challenges within the organisation identify key focus areas for improvement.

“The VIA employee survey is our primary tool to measure employee engagement and gather insights that drive our actions,” the spokesperson shared. “The survey results are also benchmarked against the other organizations that our survey vendor tracks to give us a better sense of how we are performing across the industry.” 

The positive work environment promoted by HP SIO has resulted in higher efficiency and flexibility, helping the site transform into a global ink hub in line with HP’s operational strategy. According to the organization, the productivity for the site’s largest ink operations was up by 30% compared to the previous year.

The staff's boosted engagement can be attributed to the initiatives taken by the organization to address the challenges brought by the pandemic. These initiatives include arranged transport and accommodation during the border shutdown at the start of COVID-19 for Malaysian employees.

The management team also made great efforts supporting expenses for swab tests and Stay-Home Notice (SHN) accommodation costs for employees who returned from their home countries.

“Additional efforts to defray the higher cost for affected employees living in Singapore included paid meals, mobile internet, monetary appreciation bonuses and critical medical supplies of masks and sanitisers,” the organization spokesperson said.

Another critical factor that contributed to the organization’s work culture is the promotion of transparency and conversation among colleagues. HP SIO revealed that managers ensured transparency by explaining certain changes implemented and why such matters are important for all employees. The organization promotes this culture by hosting individual one-on-one sessions and team roundtables on a regular basis. Hosting open forums within the workplace gives the employees a chance to ask questions, identify areas to improve in the organisation, and share their own work experiences with each other.

“While the one-on-one sessions focus on the mental wellbeing [of individuals], the roundtables connect small groups of five people with an executive to discuss what’s on their minds. This can include HP and the organization’s strategy and plans, recent or upcoming changes that may impact the business and current concerns,” the organization spokesperson explained.

HP SIO also moves forward with the input of its employees and offers a vision for the future. The organization values the experiences and educated suggestions of its employees and ensures that the opinions of all employees are heard. The sense of duty and ownership empowers employees to contribute to the growth of the organisation because they are directly involved in the process and would benefit from it.