Professor Chua Kee Chaing, President, SIT
Join an organisation that cares for your well-being and nurtures your personal and professional growth. Be part of a University that champions its distinctive mission to develop individuals through innovative and applied learning that works in close collaboration with industry and the community.
People management and culture building are two important aspects of a successful organisation. The creation of a positive work environment where employees feel motivated and aligned with the organisational goals and values is important to SIT, especially in the last decade as a young institution. At SIT, we strive to sustain a collaborative, engaged and innovative workforce and develop staff to their potential for a fulfilling career.
Culture building at SIT focuses on establishing a set of shared values, beliefs and behaviours. A positive and inclusive culture can boost employee morale, job satisfaction and productivity. It also helps attract and retain employees who align with the organisation's values, fostering open communication and teamwork.
In this section, we will focus on the idea of culture in SIT and the way we bond through the Employee Wellness Committee (EWC) and our Faculty training through the SIT Teaching and Learning Academy (STLA).
“Build our SIT Culture Together” was a campaign in 2015 to promote our core values:
We were essentially a young university and as we grew with new members coming onboard, we needed everyone to align and be cohesive as an organisation. Through our Culture Champions appointed in 2014 who promoted these values across Groups and Divisions, we aimed to build strong work relationships that were firmly rooted in trust and respect. The appointment of Culture Champions were then formalised. Now known as Culture Advocates, they are committed to developing and participating in initiatives that impart our SIT culture.
As we grew rapidly over the past decade, our “Pride” became our aspiration – we ASPIRE! The Culture Induction Programme (CIP) which started in November 2022 was an initiative in our SIT Culture Framework to inculcate the new core values:
We were essentially a young university and as we grew with new members coming onboard, we needed everyone to align and be cohesive as an organisation. Through our Culture Champions appointed in 2014 who promoted these values across Groups and Divisions, we aimed to build strong work relationships that were firmly rooted in trust and respect. The appointment of Culture Champions were then formalised. Now known as Culture Advocates, they are committed to developing and participating in initiatives that impart our SIT culture.
SIT's Culture Induction Programme (CIP) aims to familiarise colleagues with the university's core values. Through workshops and interactive activities, participants learn to apply these values to address workplace challenges and contribute to the organisation's mission. The CIP, part of SIT's culture-building effort, helps new and current colleagues integrate into the university's culture and become engaged members of the team. The programme includes sharing sessions by senior management, hands-on activities to encourage reflection and application of core values, and opportunities for participants to share their insights with their reporting officers. The CIP promotes a positive workplace culture and is designed with input from culture advocates and department heads.
An increasingly important aspect of the workplace, employee wellness refers to the proactive efforts to promote and improve physical, mental, and emotional well-being in an organisation. It entails a range of initiatives and programmes to nurture staff to be healthier individuals so that collectively, we are a more productive and vibrant organisation.
Wellness programmes can take many different forms, including health screenings, fitness challenges, mindfulness and stress reduction initiatives, and nutrition education. They are tailored to create a culture of well-being that supports and empowers employees to lead healthier lives as well as to maintain a healthy work-life balance. EWC has also organised numerous activities to promote team bonding for the building of strong relationships as well as trust and cohesion among staff.
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Listen to the interview with our colleague Lim Jie Si who has been part of EWC since its inception and learn how we have adapted over time to reflect the maturing of SIT.