Employers in Singapore are joining in the festivities to celebrate the nation’s 50th birthday, with some planning family treats, to others involved in charity work.

We spoke to OCBC Bank, 3M Singapore, AkzoNobel, Philips and Courts Singapore to find out what plans they have in store.

OCBC Bank

The bank’s 8,000 staff in Singapore will receive an array of specially-curated items totalling worth SG$5 million, via financial rewards, family and recreation treats, and staff benefits.

On the financial front, 3,000 of OCBC Bank’s junior executives and unionised employees can expect 100 OCBC shares, aimed to encourage share ownership among them. A total of 8,000 employees will also get an OCBC SG50 NETS FlashPay card with $100 in preloaded credit.

To celebrate the occasion with family, employees in Singapore will also receive four complimentary tickets to Gardens by the Bay, as well as four subsidised rate tickets to Universal Studios Singapore, The bank’s 10,000 strong overseas employees will join in the SG50 festivities in their own countries.

In benefits, employees can look forward to earning double the flex dollars from the retail spend on their OCBC credit cards, which can be reimbursed for a wide range of items including medical and travel-related expenses.

Samuel Tsien, OCBC Bank’s group CEO, commented: “We owe our nation’s founding fathers for their vision and wisdom, and we owe our colleagues for their dedication and hard work.”

“When deciding what would make a meaningful gift, we took into consideration feedback from employees who said they would like something that goes over and beyond hard cash.”

 

3M Singapore

In a unique initiative, 3M Singapore is evoking its employees, business partners and the public through various mass charity stair-climbing events across the country.

Called the 3M Step-Up Challenge @ South East, the two-month campaign seeks to raise $150,000 worth of health and safety products for needy elderly by accumulating six million steps.

The event was launched at the Singapore Sports Hub among 600 3M employees, pre-schoolers, students and working adults, while more than 840,000 steps have been accumulated to date, from over 3,700 people.

Stair-climbing activities for the public are being held throughout the Golden Jubilee weekend to end-September.

 

AkzoNobel

To celebrate the diversity that makes up Singapore, the global paints and coatings company will throw a two-day SG50 nostalgia-themed party in its regional headquarters.

What better way to hark back to the memories of olden day Singapore, than with food – and employees can look forward to nostalgic delicacies across cultures, such as satay, popiah, kueh pie tee and muah chee.

To complete the trip down memory lane, kacang puteh and teh tarik hawkers will also ply their wares in the office, in front of a special SG50 wall.

“This National Day, we will turn our global village of an office to a ‘global kampung’, and marvel at how far Singapore has come, as a country,” stated the company.

 

Philips

The consumer goods company is focusing its celebrations towards the contributions of the pioneer generation, by hosting a Charity Bazaar during the week.

Staff from the Singapore office will get together to help raise funds for residents in Toa Payoh, where the Philips office is a landmark for the local community.

The company will match all proceeds to organise an outreach event, including lunch and the distribution of goody packs, to selected senior residences in the neighbourhood.

 

Courts Singapore

The retailer has rolled out a Hamper for the Home initiative targeted to 150 elderly and families in need, giving away a total of S$30,000 worth of brand new household items and appliances in hampers.

Each hamper is worth $200, containing a rice cooker, steam iron, wardrobe, pillow and house phone.

The initiative is just one in a series of 50 events planned by the company this year. Others include appearances by international footballers to engage with the local football community, a charity golf tournament, a charity party
and in-store offers.

Kiran Kaur, chief talent and customer service officer of Courts Asia, noted that with the company celebrating its 40th birthday in Singapore last year, giving back to the community was a big part of their SG50 celebration.

“Putting the community at the heart of what we do is a value we have upheld from the very beginning, and will continue nurturing amongst our staff,” she added.

 

We would love to hear how you’re getting into the spirit of SG50! Share your initiatives with us in the comments’ section below.