Talent & Tech Asia Summit 2024
Winning Secrets: How Deloitte Singapore is demonstrating its commitment to delivering the best possible talent experience

Winning Secrets: How Deloitte Singapore is demonstrating its commitment to delivering the best possible talent experience

Professional services organisation Deloitte Singapore won the gold awards for ‘Best Diversity and Inclusion Strategy’ and ‘Best Career Development Programme’ at the  Employee Experience Awards 2022, Singapore.

We interview Ong Siok Peng, Singapore Talent Leader, Deloitte Singapore (pictured above, centre) to find out about the firm’s unique programmes around employee experience and career development.

Q Congratulations on the achievement! Could you take us through the highs and lows of your winning strategy – and how important is it for Deloitte to have the strategy recognised this year?

As the largest professional services organisation globally, talent is Deloitte’s most important asset. Therefore, we must have initiatives to attract, develop, and retain the best talent. To achieve this, we are committed to delivering the best possible talent experience for our people. We anchor our talent strategy with our purpose – to make an impact that matters, for our clients, people, and society, which is evident in our programmes around employee experience and career development. 

With the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new challenges brought about by the future of work, we saw the need to increase focus on our people’s mental health and wellbeing, which is now one of our top strategic priorities. 

Our gold wins for the categories of ‘Best Career Development Programme’ and ‘Best Diversity and Inclusion Strategy’ is an industry recognition of our talent strategy and a testament to the innovative initiatives that have been developed and implemented by our talent team. It will spur us to continue evolving our approach to support our people’s talent experience and development.

Q Understanding and meeting your employees’ needs and expectations is never an easy feat. How did Deloitte identify the business & employee needs, and craft out the perfect solution? 

We incorporated regular touchpoints with our people to understand their needs and gather input on potential areas for improvement in our various programmes and initiatives. 

One such touchpoint is our annual ‘Global Talent Experience Survey’. Results from this survey guide our employee experience programmes and initiatives. We take a holistic approach to career development that encompasses more than formal learning. This enables us to consistently build great leaders at all levels in the organisation, address the needs of our talent, and prepare them for the future of work. 

We also formalised our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) priorities and commitment in our ‘ALL IN’ strategy. This strategy is unique because it is not just a talent agenda but also a business-led one. It is spearheaded by our different business units and our leaders, and integrated into our culture and our employee experience at every step of their career journey.

Q How did the strategy add to the overall employee experience? 

With our strong focus on career development and DEI, we are able to attract and retain talent better. We have learnt that our talent strategy and business strategy go hand-in-hand. As a professional services organisation, our people are our greatest asset, and we need to put the needs and wellbeing of our people at the forefront for business success. This approach has helped us transition seamlessly during the COVID-19 pandemic and through to the reopening post-pandemic.

Q Could you offer some recommendations to your peers across industries – what advice or lessons would you have to guide them into implementing something similar for their own EX foundation? 

The key to a successful strategy is to listen and trust. To effectively implement our talent strategy, we found a strong need for trust and openness across the organisation. We recognise the importance of this and will continue to promote open communication with our people and leaders.     

Q If you were to reflect, what is one thing you’ll do differently in executing this strategy? 

We will focus more on conducting regular pulse surveys to gather up-to-date information from our people on the ground. When designing policies and planning, we will also look at implementing more in-depth focus groups to collect more specific information on employee experience and satisfaction. We believe there are always areas for improvement. With our people-focused strategy, we know we can continue innovating and make meaningful changes to our talent experience for our people. 

Q Looking ahead, how is Deloitte going to take this winning strategy higher and further in the coming years? Give us a sneak peek to into your upcoming plans to grow the overall employee experience. 

Moving forward, we will focus on ensuring our people are future-proof and ready for the post-COVID-19 world. The pandemic disrupted work, including redesigning job roles and impacting employment security. As the future of work will constantly evolve, our people must be ready for the uncertainty that comes with it. 

We will continue to look at ways to support our people to develop and be prepared for the future workplace beyond COVID-19. We will also conduct regular talent surveys to provide insights into what our people need and potential points for improvement. 

In the coming years, we commit to expanding our DEI programme and ensure that we take a holistic approach to advance inclusivity, diversity, flexibility, work-life balance, and wellbeing. In particular, we will focus more on supporting good mental health in the workplace.

Q 10 years down the line, where do you see the future of HR? 

I believe that in 10 years, the HR landscape will move away from recognition and rewards and have a greater emphasis on enhancing the talent experience. For Deloitte, our strong focus on our people’s best interests and wellbeing will lead us to evolve and adapt to continue providing the best employee experience for our people.


 

Image / Employee Experience Awards 2022 

Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!   

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region! 

Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and manpower news from around the region!

Free newsletter

Get the daily lowdown on Asia's top Human Resources stories.

We break down the big and messy topics of the day so you're updated on the most important developments in Asia's Human Resources development – for free.

subscribe now open in new window