Employer Alliance Work-Life Toolkit

As we move towards 2010, EA will feature individuals who have spearheaded their organisations’ journey toward Work-Life integration. It is our hope that these stories will inspire others to follow in their footsteps and be the catalyst for Work-Life transformation to benefit both the business and the individual. Organisation by organisation, we can create a better Work-Life climate for Singapore.

Stories of Work-Life Movers


Stephanie Ho General Manager AsiaMalls Management	Gary Haris Senior Business Development Manager KH Security Agency Pte Ltd

Joanna Koh-Hoe President Focus on the Family	Adelene Tan Assistant Director Xcellink Pte Ltd

Cassandra Ong Senior HR manager Savi Technology	Grace Lim-Quek Head-HR & Admin HSL Constructor Pte Ltd

Adrian Wee Director F1 Recreation Pte Ltd	Francis Tan Director Human Resources, Sheraton Towers

Francis Tan, Director
Human Resources, Sheraton Towers

Francis Tan lives by the adage ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. He believes that the various aspects of our personal lives such as faith, family, friends and even fitness, act as spokes in the wheel of life – and if we neglect any of these areas, our lives are likely to go-off balance. As the Director of Human Resources at Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel, Mr. Tan derives great satisfaction in helping employees to live balanced lives. He emphasizes that creating a Work-Life friendly culture would enable staff to reach their full potential on the job.

Mr. Tan insists on walking the talk when it comes to Work-Life. Indeed, the organisation’s core values form the foundation for Work-Life initiatives at Sheraton Towers. As an organisation that espouses warmth, comfort and personal connection with its guests, the management also extends these to its employees.

Sheraton Towers adopts a systematic approach to creating its Work-Life strategy. Upon his arrival over 6 years ago, Mr. Tan observed that while some Work-Life practices were in place, these were sporadic and did not comprehensively address the various employee needs. He then set to work using the Work-Life Excellence Award framework as his guide. By comparing Sheraton’s existing practices against the Work-Life Excellence Award criteria, Mr. Tan was able to successfully identify and plug the gaps in the organisation’s Work-Life strategy. He highlights that Sheraton also benchmarks its Work-Life initiatives against best practice implemented by other employers.

The Work-Life initiatives at Sheraton Towers are broadly categorized under ‘Food’, Health’. ‘Sports’, ‘Family’ and ‘Welfare and Benefits’. The programmes on offer range from soccer, yoga and bowling, to health and wellness talks, Smoking Cessation initiatives and even H1N1 inoculation for hotel staff.

Mr. Tan shares that the organisation also goes the extra mile by involving employees’ families in these activities whenever possible. A prime example is Sheraton’s Movie Night, where employees and their families attend a high tea event and watch a movie together. The organisation sponsors the movie tickets for employees and children while spouses attend at a subsidised rate.

Ultimately, Mr. Tan notes that Work-Life Integration is a journey. He says, “Implementing these programmes will help to move Sheraton from being a ‘good’ organisation to a ‘great’ organisation”.

The Sheraton Towers Singapore (STS) is a hotel of timeless style and grace. Voted by Conde Nast Traveler Gold List and Travel & Leisure magazine as one of the top Hotels in the world, Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel sets the benchmark in the hospitality industry with its outstanding quality standards and personalized butler service. Currently, the hotel employs around 350 employees and has workplace health programme in place since 1995. Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel is the only hotel in Singapore to have won the Worklife Excellence Award in 2008.