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"We believe when employees feel cared for and empowered, performance and engagement will naturally follow," shares Dennis Tan, Division Head – Human Capital.
Wellbeing strategies have come a long way from casual perks such as 'Mindfulness Mondays', wellness talks, or a well-stocked pantry. Today, the real question is: how do you build a strategy that genuinely supports every aspect of your employees’ lives? Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) has answered this with a holistic, four-pillar approach focused on nurturing physical, mental, financial, and social wellbeing
When employees feel truly supported across all these dimensions, they don’t just clock in — they’re empowered to bring their best selves to work every day. This commitment to holistic care is how Great Eastern Life aims to help its people consistently earn their wins, both inside and outside the office.
At the Employee Experience Awards 2025 in Malaysia, the team took home the following awards:
- Gold for Best Employee Wellness Strategy
- Silver for Best Career Development Programme
Catching up with HRO, Dennis Tan, Division Head – Human Capital shares how Great Eastern Assurance (Malaysia)'s holistic approach to employee experience and wellbeing drives engagement, empowerment, and performance.
Q How does your team define "employee experience", and what aspects do you prioritise most?
At Great Eastern, we define employee experience as the sum of all interactions an employee has with the organisation — and this encompasses everything from the daily work, people, culture, career growth, and more. It’s not just about the policies or perks, but how our people feel at work.
Our employees’ wellbeing is our top priority, and that is why we’ve developed a holistic wellness programme, complemented by our comprehensive benefits, to support our employees in four key health pillars: Physical, mental, financial, and social wellbeing.
We’re also committed to creating a workplace that is empathetic, inclusive, and adaptable to individual needs, which are important aspects in today’s evolving career landscape. We believe when employees feel cared for and empowered, performance and engagement will naturally follow.
Q Can you walk us through your most high-impact EX initiative that led to your success at the awards this year? What business need did it solve, and how was success measured?
Our most impactful initiative was not a single activity, but a collective effort across multiple teams via multiple programmes and initiatives to build a robust wellness programme for our employees.
"Post-pandemic, employees expressed a need for more empathetic, flexible, and meaningful support at work and we’ve responded by offering flexible start times, a redesigned workplace, increased accessibility to mental health services, as well as various activities for employees practise healthier lifestyles while engaging with their fellow colleagues."
Through our annual culture and engagement survey, we saw an improved engagement scores and better employee retention rate, which indicates the success and positive impacts of our initiatives.
Q How do you balance personalised employee needs with scalable EX programmes?
We strike this balance by embedding flexibility, and by expanding the range of our programme and activities. For instance, our wellness initiatives are often offered in hybrid formats, which allow employees to participate physically or virtually, based on their convenience or locations.
We’ve also expanded our mental health subsidies to include both counselling and clinical psychology services to cater to the different levels of need. Apart from that, our monthly Family Fridays and flexible start times also give our employees more flexibility without disrupting operations. This flexibility allows us to scale our initiatives to meet the unique needs of every employee.
Q What are some underappreciated drivers of employee engagement that you think deserve more attention?
While traditional factors such as career development and compensation remain important, empathy and peer connection are often overlooked even though they are also critical drivers of a good employee experience. We’ve seen how small, human-centered efforts can create deep and meaningful connections among employees. As such, our wellness programme also includes activities such as Empathy@Work which acts as a platform for employees to seek and offer peer support.
Another increasingly relevant factor in recent years is autonomy built on trust. As organisations begin to offer more flexibility for employees, it is essential that it is accompanied by trust to create a culture of accountability, which in turn drives stronger engagement, collaboration, and performance.
Q Finally, what is the most important message that you'd like to share with your team as you plan ahead?
As we look ahead, I hope our team continues to listen openly and to continue evolving innovatively. Our people’s needs will constantly change in response to the shifts in the environment, economy, and industry, and it is our responsibility to adapt and innovate with empathy and purpose. Employee experience is never a one-size-fits-all, and I’m proud of what we’ve built together.
Let’s keep moving forward and continue our efforts in creating a workplace where every employee feels supported, empowered, and inspired to thrive.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
Photo: Provided
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