Fostering purposeful and inclusive workplaces, for the good of its people

As the adage goes, the whole is greater than the sum of its part. Reflecting this philosophy, IHH Healthcare counts people as the driving force that enables the organisation to deliver quality care to patients. 

When IHH unveiled its sustainability framework centred around its four pillars of patients, people, the public and the planet, one of its goals was to be an employer of choice in private healthcare in all its markets by 2025. As part of this milestone, IHH aims to achieve equal gender representation in leadership roles by 2025, and is committed to upskilling its talent pool and promoting employee well-being.

WHERE PEOPLE ARE THE HEARTBEAT

Elaborating on IHH’s people-focused sustainability target, Ms Angela Ryan, the company’s group chief human resources officer, said: “We aim to provide a supportive environment – we care for our people so that they can care for their patients. This includes providing opportunities to broaden their knowledge, experience and skills so they can fulfil their career aspirations.”  

She added that the past few years of the COVID-19 pandemic – which posed a heavy burden on the healthcare sector – highlighted the need to prioritise physical, mental and emotional well-being at the workplace. 

“We are working to ensure that physical environments are conducive to well-being, from offices to clinics and hospitals,” said Ms Ryan. 

Citing how IHH’s experts advised on a range of programmes aimed at improving employee well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, she shared: “The organisation took an evidence-based approach – our nutritionists drew up healthy eating plans while physiotherapists came up with exercise routines for staff to maintain fitness during lockdown. We also ran mental and emotional well-being workshops, provided counselling services and invested in mobile apps that people could access discreetly for support when needed.” 

Its efforts to care for employees are paying off: IHH was named one of the World’s Best Employers in 2022 by Forbes. 

Ms Ryan believes this accolade is testament to IHH’s care for its people. “We followed through with our promises with both empathy and practical support across our network. For example, when there were disruptions to the food supply chain, we arranged for groceries to be delivered to employees.”

WHERE CAREERS ARE CARED FOR

Beyond well-being, employees at IHH also benefit from ‘Care. For Careers’ – the company’s promise to help them grow professionally and reach their full career potential. 

Mr Phar Mian Yi, 35, joined IHH in 2012 before leaving at the end of 2020 and re-joining in 2022. 

An IHH scholar, he started his career at Mount Elizabeth Hospital as a pharmacist, but over the years found that his real passion was in hospital administration and project planning. 

His then-supervisor paved the way for him to join the Management Associate Programme (MAP), a 15-month-long accelerated learning journey for fresh and recent graduates to cut their teeth in hospital operations via three core tenets: Experience through role rotations, exposure and education.

Mr Phar underwent two rotations under MAP – first with Mount Elizabeth Hospital’s operations team, and then with the group CEO’s office. As part of the programme, he was involved in IHH’s global operations – including the opening of Gleneagles Hospital in Hong Kong – and got the opportunity to work directly with senior leadership. 

“It helped me understand why senior leaders make certain decisions,” he recalled. “I also had the chance to interact and work with people from a spectrum of expertise and backgrounds, such as doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, support staff and administrators.”

Beyond the MAP pathway, IHH staff have access to exchange programmes and job secondments where they can gain exposure in other markets as well as broaden their career horizons. Staff are also brought together in person, or virtually, at group-wide annual summits and platforms – such as the IHH Quality Summit, IHH Nursing Symposium and IHH Innovation Challenge – where they can swap ideas and learn from one another. 

WHERE THERE’S A SENSE OF BELONGING

After a brief stint in public health, Mr Phar returned to IHH last June, citing his desire to challenge himself with a new portfolio. He is now the assistant vice president of radiology at IHH, overseeing operations and planning at Parkway Radiology’s facilities across IHH’s four hospitals in Singapore. 

Mr Phar said that one of his favourite things about working in the organisation is its kampung (village) spirit where there is strong peer support among co-workers. 

“It’s not hierarchical,” he said. “You get to interact with and learn from everyone around you in the organisation.”

Having a sense of belonging is crucial for employees to do their best work, said Ms Ryan. “When you work in an environment that aligns with your purpose, you feel that you are at ‘home’ and supported; you are also heard and have the opportunity to be your best self.” 

More people-focused programmes and initiatives are in the works as IHH continues to strengthen its sustainability pillars. With its scale and resources spread across seven established brands, IHH has been able to drive global synergies and grow from strength to strength. 

For instance, it is able to leverage its international scale when it comes to procuring goods, developing a proprietary hospital information system and centralising global IT services, as well as refining operations, which includes sharing best practices across borders. 

In the long run, IHH aims to create lasting value for patients, people, the public and the planet in a sustainable and transparent manner, with its “Care. For Good.” aspiration as its cornerstone.

Learn more about working at IHH Healthcare, or apply for the Management Associate Programme in Singapore (next run starts in September 2023).