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Winning Secrets: What injecting meaning into work looks like at Tokio Marine Life Insurance

Winning Secrets: What injecting meaning into work looks like at Tokio Marine Life Insurance

 

To win hearts and touch lives as a good company, TMLS looks beyond profits, empowers its people, and delivers on commitments.

With a silver win for Excellence in CSR Strategy at HR Excellence Awards 2020, Singapore, Christopher Teo, Chief Executive, Tokio Marine Life Insurance Singapore (TMLS), reaffirms the need to look beyond profits, empower people and deliver on commitments.

Q What is your organisation’s winning HR strategy, and what are some milestones you’ve accomplished along this journey?

TMLS is part of the established Tokio Marine Group, with strong presence across more than 45 countries. I firmly believe that it is our people and the positive impact they deliver that enhances our competitive edge and positions us as a good company. To win hearts and touch lives as a good company, we look beyond profits, empower our people, and deliver on commitments.

Under my stewardship, the company’s focus on driving a strong performance and people-centric culture has empowered us to achieve remarkable growth while closing current gaps. I am confident that this progression will allow us to solidify our standing as a good company that is the #GoToPartner for all financial planning needs.

Q How has this strategy helped you achieve your HR priorities, and what role has the leadership played in helping make this initiative a reality?

To achieve key business priorities, it is essential to share a common purpose and the passion to do good. At TMLS, we are constantly inspired to create innovative solutions that tackle the pressing needs we have swiftly identified.

When the outbreak took the world by surprise at the start of 2020, TMLS was the first life insurer in Singapore to provide financial relief to affected policyholders in the fight against COVID-19. With this benefit, we hope to provide them with peace of mind during their recovery, without the worry of adding financial stress to the family.

Through the #goCare campaign and its second wave of CSR initiatives, we hope to extend care to the elderly and needy, and spread cheer to our unsung healthcare heroes.

It was heartening to have the full support of the senior management team, our staff and financial representatives who gladly contributed precious time and hands-on effort.

To show appreciation for our dedicated medical professionals, we delivered a total of 2,000 snack boxes to four hospitals. This was followed by our most recent CSR programme where we distributed 200 boxes of handmade mooncakes to the healthcare professionals and patients of Home Nursing Foundation, to spread warmth during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Q Unexpected roadblocks are part and parcel of executing any initiative. What were some of the barriers that you and your team experienced while rolling this out, and how did you successfully get past them?

As we face this challenging time together, I believe it is important to do what we can to protect the wellbeing of the community. With safe management and distancing measures in place for the health and safety of all, we had to practise extra caution and carefully carry out our CSR efforts and on-ground initiatives.

This did not deter our best intentions as we ensured compliance with the guidelines of our beneficiaries and organisations to allow our contributions to reach them safely and soundly.

Q As evidenced by the win, this initiative clearly delivered some amazing results. What was your gameplan for measuring ROI? What are some proud achievements you can share with us on this front?

The pandemic has uprooted most aspects of daily life, radically changing the way we work, live and connect. Despite these difficulties, we are glad that we can continue to serve our customers during this period, as insurance business is classified as essential services.

As we strive to strengthen our market presence, it is just as important to stand firm in our values and prioritise our customers in all we do.

Through our award-winning #goCare campaign, we have provided affected policyholders with a lump sum financial assistance benefit of S$5,000 each, to help them and their loved ones tide over the challenges faced.

It is in unprecedented situations such as now that we must tap on our capabilities to show our resolve and responsibility, as well as offer the reassurance our customers seek. Being another innovative first in the industry and a natural progression of #goCare, #go2gether Enhanced Protection offers 24 months additional coverage for free, with the aim to protect our policyholders into the post-pandemic world.

We have seen enthusiastic response thus far and hence have rolled out the latest edition, known as #go2gether Enhanced Protection Plus.

Q How do you get the management buy-in for your CSR strategy? How does this tie in with your organisation’s mission, vision and leadership?

Our CSR initiatives are closely aligned to the core tenets of TMLS, which in turn allow us to exemplify shared values through heartfelt actions. Together as a company, we are committed to care for our customers, employees and stakeholders, as well as proactively support the vulnerable communities and frontline heroes.

As a good company, we endeavour to make a positive difference to society and environment. As an organisation, we must also fulfil social responsibility to be a good corporate citizen. We hope to further this vision and mission by exploring more meaningful corporate and CSR initiatives, and most importantly, leave a thriving, living impression in our community.

Photo / 123RF

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

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