• Joint conference held on International Women’s Day 2016
• Singapore’s Minister of State for Manpower Mr Teo Ser Luck said it has become increasingly important for all companies to embrace greater diversity and inclusiveness in their workplace
• Harnessing from diversity to build an inclusive future

On International Women’s Day on 8 March 2016, Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) jointly presented a conference that explored perspectives on diversity and leadership.

Themed “INCLUSIVENESS: By Chance or by Choice?”, it was graced by Guests-of-Honour (GOH) Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Manpower, and His Excellency Mr Scott Wightman, British High Commissioner to Singapore.

[Photo: Members of the speaking panel, SNEF, and SMU at the conference attended by many stakeholders.]

Several keynote speakers and panellists from employers, specialised practitioners to educators participated in the discussions to share and advocate changes on inclusiveness.

The event held at SMU’s Mochtar Riady Auditorium was attended by 300 guests from the public and private sectors, as well as non-government organisations and academia. Following full-day presentations and panel discussions, three breakout workshops were conducted.

This conference discussed how institutions and companies can take the lead in advancing inclusiveness at work, and to harness the benefits that come with a diverse workforce. SMU and SNEF hope that this collaboration steers conversations that will ultimately lead to better appreciation and applications of diversity programmes and initiatives.

In the highly interconnected and globalised world today, diversity is not simply a concept but an everyday reality. However, inclusion is almost never a natural consequence of diversity.

Developing a more inclusive mindset, and deepening the understanding of various aspects of diversity issues such as gender equality, require paradigmatic shifts in systems and amongst stakeholders.

In the opening address, Mr Teo said, “In today’s tight labour market, it has become increasingly important for all companies to embrace greater diversity and inclusiveness in their workplace. Singapore’s workforce comprises employees of different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicity, religion, age and gender. Such diversity can bring a valuable variety of skills, competencies and perspectives that are important to the company and the economy as a whole. Therefore, inclusiveness has to be a conscious choice.”

“To maintain our competitiveness, Singapore must continue to have a diverse workforce amidst a strong Singaporean core. A diverse workforce that is cohesive and can play on each other’s strengths will result in better business performance and higher employee engagement. Everybody has a part to play in achieving this.”

[Photo: His Excellency Mr Scott Wightman, British High Commissioner to Singapore, during the afternoon GOH address.]

His Excellency Mr Wightman said in his address, “I do at least think we understand better than we did that diversity matters. We also understand that having a diverse workforce on its own is not enough. The organisations that succeed in creating a genuinely inclusive culture will be the organisations that leave the competition behind. So today on International Women’s Day here in Singapore, you are asking the right question. And the answers to the question won’t just benefit women. It will benefit us all.”

SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer (above) said, “As an education and research institution, it’s important that we harness from our diversity, and tap on the minds and perspectives of our talents. To do this, we need leaders and team players who are interested to hear ideas that may differ from their own.”

“Learning about our differences is important if we wish to live and work together. Institutes of Higher Learning have an important role to play in this regard,” said SMU Provost (Undergraduate Matters & Student Development) Professor Pang Yang Hoong (above) in her welcome address. “We believe that the best way to build an inclusive future is through education,” she added.

The conference featured the following speakers and topics:  

[Photo: Panel Discussion 1 on “Managing Diversity in Asia” comprised panellists:

• Dr Mary C Gentile, Director, Giving Voice to Values, Babson College, USA (third from right)
• Mr Hayden Majajas, APAC Head of D&I, Bloomberg LP (extreme right)
• Ms Anika Grant, HR Lead for ASEAN and Asia Pacific, Accenture (second from right)
• Ms Gulcin Cribb, University Librarian, SMU (third from left)
• Ms Karen Loon, Partner and Territory Diversity Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers (second from left)
• (Moderator) Dr Lois Lydens, Associate, Office of Global Learning, SMU (extreme left)]

[Photo: Panel Discussion 2 on “Examining the Practicalities of Inclusive Workplaces” comprised panellists:

• Mr Stephen Frost, Consultant & Author, The Inclusion Imperative (centre)
• Mr Sean Tan, Sector Leader, Energy & Public Sectors, Talent Consulting Asia, Mercer (Singapore) (extreme right)
• Assistant Professor Hoon Chang Yau, School of Social Sciences, SMU (second from left)
• Ms Tracey Ho, Inclusion & Collaboration Business Partner, CISCO Systems (USA) (second from right)
• (Moderator) Dr Lois Lydens, Associate, Office of Global Learning, SMU (extreme left)]

[Photo (left to right): The three concurrent workshops conducted were:

• Workshop A: “Exploring Work-Life Strategies” by Ms Goh Wee Lee, Managing Director & Senior Consultant, Strategic Value Consulting
• Workshop B: “Practical Approach to Job Redesign” by Mr Sean Tan, Sector Leader, Energy & Public Sectors, Talent Consulting Asia, Mercer (Singapore)
• Workshop C: “Occupational Health Support to HR, Removing Stigmatisation of Diseases in the Workplace” by Dr Ng Wee Tong, Medical Director (IWSH), ST Healthcare]

The event was organised by SMU’s Diversity and Inclusion team and SNEF.

[Featured photo: Mr Teo Ser Luck, Singapore’s Minister of State for Manpower, said during his GOH address that inclusiveness has to be a conscious choice.]

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