PALO IT Singapore Bags Employee Engagement and Team of the Year at SBR Management Excellence Awards 2019

The global technology innovation consultancy and agile software development company stood out with its strong dual emphasis in CSR and employee wellness.

In 2019, PALO IT Singapore became only the 9th Certified B Corporation in Singapore, affirming its status as a business that truly meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability, as assessed by the non-profit B Lab.

“With this certification, we hope to establish ourselves as the gatekeepers of the usage of tech for positive impact and create a progressive ecosystem of companies in Singapore that share our vision,” the company said.

However, PALO IT Singapore recognised that a significant part of its stakeholders and employees may not have a full appreciation of what being a Certified B Corporation meant. This led the company to craft out a strategy to bolster visibility and raise awareness for the certification, mobilise the community, generate business leads and strategic partnerships, and ignite more conversations about sustainability.

Running for roughly 3 weeks in June, the campaign was launched across multiple channels, including a coordinated release in the company’s blogs, press contacts, and customer emails. In addition to the digital marketing blitz, the team hosted an experiential marketing event targeting the participants of the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, the largest gathering of social investors in Asia who were in the country for a conference. This series of engagements proved fruitful, increasing the company’s profile as a Certified B Corporation and making the certification across the industry a more desirable goal.

PALO IT Singapore’s innovative and layered approach to activate its constituents to rally behind such an esoteric topic enabled the company to win the Team of the Year for Technology at this year’s SBR Management Excellence Awards.

Alongside its sustainability thrust, the technology company also spent the past year focusing on an array of health and mindfulness-related initiatives, which won them the Employee Engagement of Year Award for Technology. “Wellness is often neglected at work as many organisations still place more significance in achieving their bottom line,” the company said. “However, we strongly believe in aligning our values to our initiatives as workplace wellness is an essential component that drives and empowers our employees towards their business objectives.”

One initiative is “Go the Extra Mile”, wherein employees receive a $200 reward for successfully completing the daily steps challenge. This reward can be redeemed for any health-related treatment such as physiotherapy or sports massages, and for sustainable dining experiences and fitness gears.

The company also rolled out the “Push Your Limits” initiative that enables employees to participate in any race, or fitness- or mindfulness-related festival. Employees who have availed of the programme took part in the OCBC Cycle 2019 in Kuala Lumpur, 100km Ultra-Trail in Australia, and many similar events.

Other initiatives made it more enticing for employees to get in better physical and mental shape, from the “Get Fit with PALO” co-sharing payment scheme covering any gym, fitness, or mindfulness-related membership or activity, to the opening of a new meditation room that can also double as a lactation room. The technology company also installed bicycle racks and a shower facility, as well as partnered with Boxgreen to provide health snacks in the office.

Finally, an Internal Coaching initiative powered by colleagues who volunteered as life coaches, allowed employees to gain greater clarity on the personal and professional challenges that may be impeding their growth.

“After implementation, we saw a huge improvement in productivity and culture as there was a notable reduction of absenteeism after the introduction of corporate wellness,” the company said, citing a 15% reduction in MCs taken in 2019 and a “tangible” morale boost.

"I have been participating in the fitlosophy series since I joined Palo IT. It really helps you be aware of your body ability and flexibility,” said Rupesh Kumar, a senior consultant. “The more I do walking and exercises, I feel more energized and now this has become my habit. By looking at this change my spouse was highly inspired and we both started exercising together.”

"I would like to say how glad I am of the wellness experience that PALO has provided. I go to the gym regularly. But due to the wellness benefit, it helped me to go the extra mile of hiring a private coach to guide me,” added Sukalpo Mitra, a senior solutions architect. “The fitlosophy series is something that I always look for every month. It is a fun way to connect with my colleagues and also gives me a way to try some new sport each month.”

The Singapore Business Review Management Excellence Awards was held on 21 November 2019 at the Conrad Centennial Singapore.

The 2019 nominees were judged by a panel consisting of Henry Tan, Group CEO and Chief Innovation Officer at NEXIA TS; David Chew, Executive Director, Risk Advisory at Deloitte Southeast Asia; Lim Wei Wei, Partner and Practice Leader, Governance and Risk at Baker Tilly TFW; Yang Eu Jin, Partner and Co Head of Capital Markets Practice at RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP; and Pardeep Singh Khosa, Director of Dispute Resolution at Davinder Singh Chambers LLC.

If you would like to join the 2020 awards and be awarded as one of the most outstanding management executives of Singapore, please email [email protected]