Intellectual and cognitive growth is an important aspect that keeps people fulfilled. As the business landscape evolves rapidly, Frasers Centrepoint Singapore is committed to enabling its employees to grow their capabilities and knowledge that will help them to be confident and stay relevant.
Patrick believes that we should all be learning not just for our work or jobs, but for overall self-improvement because we will carry with us what we learn throughout our lives.
A progressive approach
Patrick Chow, Frasers Centrepoint Limited’s Head of Talent Management, Learning & Organisational Development, Group Human Resource, oversees talent management and learning development within the organisation, and strives to build and enhance capabilities of the company through its people.
Instead of only dishing out development solutions to plug current performance gaps, Patrick is more inclined to consider progressive trends and practices beyond our own sectors and industry. He shared with us his less-traditional approach towards developing employee careers.
I keep a lookout for what other businesses are doing and keep abreast with trends to find potential learnings our workforce can adapt from and adopt. Working closely with the company’s various business functions, I get to know their challenges and help with equipping our employees with useful skills and knowledge. A workforce that is well-equipped the right skills helps the organisation to grow and progress,” Patrick explained.
Our own learning academy for multi-level development
Patrick is involved in the Frasers Centrepoint Limited’s Learning Academy—an inclusive platform that will bring together all levels of staff to network and learn from each other while pursuing new capabilities and skills.
To be located on the sixth level of Alexandra Point, this academy will help all staff keep abreast with new developments and encourage us to continuously learn from each other. The platform will support not just Frasers staff, but also offer training opportunities for partners and tenants—promoting better collaboration within the entire ecosystem we work in.
Patrick added, “We are in a phase of growth and our employees must be equipped with relevant skill sets so we can advance together. Through suitable developmental opportunities, we want to empower not just our own people, but to positively contribute to external working partnerships”.
“Having our own learning platform ensures that our development programmes will be tailored to hone in on specific needs of learners and help them apply gained knowledge and skills to relevant work, whether in retail, commercial or residential”
Continuous learning becomes a culture
At Frasers Centrepoint Singapore, learning and capability development is not a one-way street and we are encouraged by our staff who are personally motivated to develop new capabilities and knowledge.
Curious about the latest technology of today, Fara Hatta, Assistant Marketing Manager, Marketing & Communications, jumped on the opportunity to take on a two-day Digital Acceleration Masterclass earlier this year.
With participants from various backgrounds present at the Digital Acceleration Masterclass, Fara (front row, standing, second from right) felt she benefited greatly from the sharing of one another’s experiences and learnings.
Fara said, “I was surprised that the digital acceleration course stressed on mind-set management more than on the latest digital technology and tools. I learnt to embrace change, come what may, because change is everywhere and it is a constant. I believe that this is also why we must keep on learning and progressing.”
Stepping out of her comfort zone, Fara explored coding and created her very first bot.
The course covered digital trends, data and technology, and also introduced artificial intelligence, and online tools that helped Fara with data mining to better understand a brand, its competitors and consumers.
Group learning
Collaborative learning in groups can bring new dimensions to the continuous learning experience. Groups of Frasers Centrepoint Singapore staff recently participated in two-day Crisis Communication workshop, where they handled simulated crisis scenarios together in teams and gained insight to crisis communications principles and best practices.
From left, back row: Lee Choon Li, General Manager, Projects; Elson Poo, General Manager, Sales & Marketing; Chew Fook Cheon, General Manger, Projects; Chris Wu, Assistant General Manager, Projects. From left, front row: Jenny Ho, Senior Marketing Manager; Ginn Lee, Marketing Manager; Sheryl Tan, Communications Executive; Judy Goh, Senior Manager, Property Services; June Tan, Assistant Centre Manager, Changi City Point; Ma Yunn Ru, Marketing Manager.
Staff who attended the workshop were of varying levels and business functions, bringing different experiences and expertise that enhanced the learning experience.
Judy Goh, Senior Manager, Property Services shared her experience from the workshop. “It was a constructive experience as the simulated crisis felt real. During the exercise, I stepped into the shoes of our customers and came to understand their perspectives better, for example, what difference clear, reassuring advice from a developer can make in times of a property-relevant crisis. I also learnt what other business functions are considering when they encounter similar issues,” she said.
Pulling the organisation together through learning
Excited with what’s to come, Patrick looks forward to do more in supporting a culture of continuous learning in Frasers, especially through the new learning academy. “The academy will help align all staff with the company’s business strategy, unified goal and values. Helping people discover their hidden potential by pushing them to consider new perspectives, pick up new skills, and discover new ways of doing things, is my ultimate motivation. I am heartened by colleagues and partners who are already inspiring one another to keep growing and improving,” he said.