Building a diverse and inclusive culture through workplace trust

Veson Nautical Singapore won Singapore Best Workplace for a second year in a row. We sat down with May Chen Poh , Regional Operations Manager, to talk about creating a welcoming working environment for all.?

Q: Congratulations on becoming Great Place To Work? Singapore - Certified? for two years running and winning Best Workplace in Technology this year! What does it mean for the Singapore office to be recognized as Best Workplace again??

A: I’m very excited! It is a great honor for us and our business to receive this award. It is a popular award in Singapore and helps recognize local technology companies with a positive employee work culture.?

The competition is run fairly, where the team directly responds to a survey. We, as employers, don’t control how people answer; instead we promote and encourage people to participate. All responses are completely confidential - we will only see answers in groups, and never individually.??

Last year, we didn’t get full participation, however this year we had 100% participation. It really shows that the team is making an effort to build a great place to work together.

Q: Tell me more about the culture in the Singapore office, what’s it like working with you?

A: Singapore is a special country, with lots of technical innovation and a closely-knit maritime community. If you speak to any of our team, they will tell you that it is not only an amazing city-state, but a very special Veson office too.??

We have a strong sense of community within our teams. As is typical with any weekday, you spend more hours with your colleagues than with your family. I always say to people “This is your second home!”, so it makes me motivated to help create a culture where we enjoy each other’s company and show one another respect.??

We work hard in the Singapore team, as the maritime industry is very busy here. Sometimes things can be stressful, as is the nature of the shipping sector. But after work, we get away from our computers and make time for each other. We work hard and play hard. It’s a big part of our work culture. There are lots of activities we organize; some in the office together, and some as simple as going for a run after work. Across the office, we have lots of members who like the outdoors, and enjoy sports! We’ve taken part in event races, like the JP Morgan run, Green Corridor runs, marathons, and even night runs.?

Overall, we are a positive team, and even when times are tough, we know how to thrive if someone is having a bad day, their team members will pick them up.?

Q: What makes Veson Singapore unique and great?

A: For me it’s the people: they are the ones who bring everything together. We are a team, and we share the same passion and common goals, which allows us to connect, continue to grow, and want to do better for the company, and our community.??

We get a lot of support from senior management from Boston, USA. They play an important part in building this culture, even though we are in completely opposite time zones. We are given the trust and the support to do what we need to do. And that trust is especially important when we are geographically segregated. We must be able to sustain ourselves and make sure we continue to operate based on who we are, what we are, and what we can do as a team. This means that our core values and teamwork is extremely strong here in Singapore as we rely on each other.??

Q: What makes Veson stand out from other businesses?

A: All our benefits are great, and we spend a lot of time having fun together. Our kitchen and pantry, the snacks and drinks, are really a class apart. Veson also provides a team lunch in the office twice a week, which also helps bring people together.??

It does help that the Singapore team loves food! Singapore is a country that is well known for offering all types of food from various cultures around the world. When planning events, food just brings people together!??

Our strong values have enabled our people leaders to increase team alignment and improve performance.? We encourage open communication at all levels through various channels.? By prioritizing workplace trust, we are building a diverse and inclusive culture where our team will feel a sense of belonging and be more connected together.?

Q: You talk a lot about creating a positive work environment for people. What keeps you positive and motivated??

A: I believe that as long as you have a positive mindset, you will be able to adapt to whatever environment you are in. I have a quote to share “if you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way”. Sometimes it may not feel like you are able to make a big impact, but that doesn’t matter; you can do small things, your own way, and that will contribute to the big part of the whole success story.?

Veson Nautical will be hosting its annual Cocktail of Affreightment networking event on Wednesday, November 8th in Singapore, celebrating our Singapore client community. Find out more here.??