SAF RECOGNISED FOR EXEMPLARY HR PRACTICES IN CSR

For the third year in a row, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has clinched the Leading Human Resource (HR) Practices Award for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). That was one of three awards the SAF received at the Singapore HR Awards 2017 Presentation Gala held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre (Marina Bay Sands) on 14 Jul.

On the hat trick, the Commander of Personnel Command (PERSCOM), Colonel (COL) Lee Yem Choo, said: "The competition gets steeper each year, and the fact that we can still win this award is evident of the strong HR practices in SAF.

"Winning this award also gives me the motivation to continue pushing the HR standards in the SAF even higher."

The other two awards the SAF bagged were the HR Advocate and Leading HR Manager awards. The HR Advocate Award is awarded to organisations which have shown consistent support and excellence in improving a particular aspect of HR.

At the ceremony, the President of Singapore Human Resource Institute (SHRI), Mr Erman Tan spoke on the importance of HR: "Amid intensifying global competition, economic restructuring and digital disruption, it is increasingly important for HR to unlock the potential of people in driving business growth."

For PERSCOM personnel, under COL Lee's charge, their motto "Excel to Serve" reminds them to constantly put in their best to improve the HR practices so that they can deliver the best services to servicemen.

However, COL Lee not only wants her staff to be passionate in their work, but also to develop holistically and learn to give back to the community. It is this mindset that led to the implementation of several CSR initiatives, such as the cleaning-up of 15 national parks in Singapore.

On the importance of good HR practices, Assistant Director (HR Professional Training Sector) Stephanie Foo, who received the Leading HR Manager Award, said they also "show that we value our people and to show that we recognise and respect employees for their contributions and feedback".

Giving an example of a HR practice that has benefitted her employees, Ms Foo said: "We came up with the idea of organising HR-related seminars to provide relevant and timely updates to HR staff in the SAF. The idea was sparked off during an engagement with fellow HR practitioners about global HR trends."

She elaborated: "Each seminar will also feature prominent HR leaders with achievements in leading HR practices as keynote speakers. This ensures that our HR personnel are aware of the latest and most effective HR practices in both the private and public sectors."

A total of 72 awards were presented across 29 categories to organisations from the public and private sectors in this year s award ceremony. Also, new award categories such as "Start-up" and "Using Digital Media in HR" were included.

The annual award ceremony is organised by Singapore Human Resource Institute (SHRI) and seeks to recognise individuals and organisations that have come up with innovative HR practices and excelled in the HR field.