Mr Lim Hng Kiang at the 33rd FDAWU/NTUC/SHA Productivity Seminar and Awards Presentation Ceremony

SPEECH BY MR LIM HNG KIANG, MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE 33rd FDAWU/NTUC/SHA PRODUCTIVITY SEMINAR AND AWARDS PRESENTATION CEREMONY ON TUESDAY, 21 JULY 2015, 1430 HRS, CONCORDE HOTEL SINGAPORE

Mr Albert Teo

President, Singapore Hotel Association

Mr Tan Hock Soon

General Secretary, Food Drinks And Allied Workers Union,

Ms Doreen Chui

Vice President and Chairperson for Productivity Committee, Food Drinks And Allied Workers Union,

Ms Vicky Wong

Deputy CEO, e2i,

Friends,

A very good afternoon to you.

It gives me great pleasure to join you at the 33rd FDAWU/NTUC/SHA Productivity Seminar and Awards Presentation Ceremony. Let me first take this opportunity to congratulate the winners of this year’s “Employee of the Year” Award, “Productivity Idea” Award, and the winner of the Hotel Sector Innovation Award for Workplace Safety and Health. I am certain that your companies and colleagues are very proud of you.

Customers today have increasing expectations of service standards. They are well travelled, savvier and live in an age where information is readily available online. Competition from the region is also keen, and Singapore is not the only country with reputable hotels. It is no longer enough for hotels to provide comfortable rooms, good facilities and delectable food. We have to contend with intangibles such as the quality and consistency of service, branding, customer experience and relationship management. Therefore, a progressive and service-oriented hospitality industry is key to success.

To improve or maintain excellent service standards, it is important for hotel employees to be well-trained, and to have opportunities to gain relevant on-the-job experience. On this note, I would like to urge hotel employers to support the nationwide SkillsFuture effort to deepen the skills of our workforce. There are several ways to do this, such as by continually investing in the training and development of your workforce. SkillsFuture will also place renewed emphasis on workplace-based training and lifelong learning, at both the internship level, as well as for new and existing employees.

I strongly encourage hotel employers to get involved in efforts to provide structured on-the-job training for your employees. I would also encourage workers to actively make use of continuous training and development opportunities, to continuously upgrade and deepen your skills. This allows Singaporeans to remain relevant and employable, and command better wages by being able to contribute in more ways at the workplace. A highly skilled worker who is able to contribute effectively at his or her workplace will be a motivated worker as well. This, I believe, is one of the keys to service excellence.

Amongst us today are individuals, both young and old, who have demonstrated service excellence and have made an impact on others through their work. For example, Tay Chen Wei, a Housekeeping Supervisor at Grand Park Orchard, heard an in-house guest talking about their wedding anniversary celebration. Aiming to exceed guest expectations at all times, Chen Wei took the initiative to prepare a romantically-themed room for the couple during the night turndown service.

Another, Mohamed Hadi Bin Mohamed Sa’ad, noticed a car owner with a punctured tyre in the car park of Parkroyal Pickering Hotel, where he works as a Senior Technician. Even though the car owner was not a guest of the hotel, Mohamed took the initiative to help the gentleman change his car tyre. These award recipients, as well as the others in this year’s cohort, have proven themselves to be role models when it comes to good service.

I was also pleased to learn that amongst the awardees present are many who exemplify lifelong service excellence. Our oldest award recipient, Ho Lum Chiok, is in his seventies, and works as a carpenter cum varnisher at Hotel Miramar. A dedicated and meticulous employee, Lum Chiok achieved 100 per cent work attendance in 2014. He is always punctual for work and strives to ensure a smooth workflow in the maintenance department.

Apart from going the extra mile, adopting a customer centric focus in work processes also contributes to better service levels and productivity. This year, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore emerged champion of the Productivity Idea Awards. The hotel was commended for its innovative way of increasing productivity and efficiency of its breakfast restaurant’s hostesses, while enhancing its guests’ dining experience. A cross-divisional project team came up with the idea to use hand puppets to greet guests at the greeter stand, as well as at visible spots within the restaurant to guide them to their seats. The $5 hand puppet not only substantially cut down the walking distance for the hostesses, but moved the breakfast queue faster, and freed up time for staff stationed at the greeter stand to help other sections of breakfast service at the table. In just a year, the restaurant saved almost 4,000 man hours with this initiative. Just as importantly, the puppets enhanced the experience of its guests, many of whom were families with young children, and helped differentiate the restaurant from its competitors. This initiative shows that productivity improvements do not need require big investments or sophisticated equipment, and that the ingenuity of staff can make a big difference.

While the Government is committed to investing in our workforce, it is also imperative for companies and individuals to do their part. This afternoon, we recognize the efforts of hotels and individuals who have taken those steps and made exemplary progress in their respective capacities. I hope that others will be inspired by your fine examples and be committed to the same spirit in striving for service excellence, lifelong learning and raising productivity.

I offer my fullest congratulations to the winners and wish you all the best for your continued journey.