M1 recognises the contributions of our passionate and hardworking employees to our continued success, and in turn strive to offer an inclusive and collaborative environment that supports their professional and personal growth.

In line with this commitment, our human resource strategy, policies and practices are designed to create a workplace that embraces equality, diversity, respect for the individual and work-life effectiveness as core values.

Ensuring Equality and Diversity

M1 is committed to practices that foster diversity and equality in the workplace, and our recruitment, appraisal and promotion policies reflect this commitment. In addition, we are also a signatory to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP), which promotes the adoption of fair, responsible and merit-based employment practices.

In our recruitment process, all job candidates are evaluated and hired based on their qualifications and merit, regardless of gender, age or ethnicity, and our recruitment advertisements reflect this practice.

Each year, our employees undertake a transparent appraisal exercise with their supervisor. The employee’s performance assessment for that year and the performance targets set for the following year are mutually agreed upon between the employee and supervisor, and subsequently made available to the employee.

In 2013, M1 did not receive any employee complaint on discriminatory grounds.

Gender Diversity

M1 values the contribution of our female employees. They comprise 52% of our workforce, and enjoy similar starting salaries as male hires. As at end-2013, women comprised 27.5% of senior management, including the office of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Open and Transparent Communications

We recognise the importance of transparent and open communications with our employees.

Through our monthly newsletter Voice and regular company-wide email updates, employees are apprised of new developments in the company. The CEO also sends out a quarterly message to all employees on the company’s financial performance and pertinent developments in the quarter. In addition, townhall-style discussion sessions are conducted twice a year to enable employees to interact with senior management and share views on company-related matters.

Delivering Fair Compensation and Benefits

We offer employees competitive remuneration packages commensurate with their experience, performance and job responsibilities, complemented with a performance-based variable bonus. Senior employees are eligible for the M1 employee Share Option Schemes, with options vesting over a three-year period. This enables M1 to retain talent and align their interests with the company’s long-term performance.

In addition, our flexible benefits programme allows employees to tailor their benefits portfolio according to their needs. Employees can choose to use their annual benefits on a variety of products and services, such as dental treatments, optical purchases, personal insurance, childcare fees and books. Our employees enjoy subsidised meals at our on-site canteen. We also make available a shuttle bus service for employees to commute between major township hubs, MRT stations and the M1 office at a highly subsidised rate per month. An extensive range of mobile and fixed products, accessories, and services is also made available to employees at discounted rates.

Caring for our Employees

M1 is committed to our employees’ physical and mental health and well-being.

Every full-time employee is entitled to a host of medical benefits, including outpatient and inpatient medical coverage, and all employees are provided with regular health screening and group insurance coverage.

A new initiative, Fun!@M1, was launched in 2013 to champion employee health and wellness. During the year, Fun!@M1 organised lunch talks on topics such as stress management, parenting and financial planning, sporting events like futsal, basketball and bowling, as well as skills such as finger painting. The response to Fun!@M1 has been very encouraging and most programmes, held over lunch time or after office hours, experienced high participation rates.

M1’s fully-equipped on-site gymnasium is open 24 hours a day for use by employees. In addition, employees are encouraged to participate in inter-company games, such as the M1 Corporate Challenge and the Keppel Games, and subject to work exigencies, enjoy official time-off for participation.

Workplace safety is of key importance to M1. We have in place safety procedures that employees, contractors and visitors must comply with within our office, retail outlet and base station premises. We also conduct regular workshops to familiarise employees with workplace safety and health regulations.

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs), portable electronic devices used to treat emergency cardiac arrest, are available at conveniently accessible public areas within our office buildings and also at some of our M1 Shop outlets. We have 30 fire wardens trained in the use of these life-saving devices and in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques, in case of emergency.

A Pro-family and Work-life Integrated Organisation

M1 believes in and supports pro-family initiatives. We began offering employees paternity leave and shared parental leave schemes, ahead of legislative requirement. We also accommodate flexible work arrangements where possible and provide on-site nursing facilities. Parents are entitled to childcare leave which they may utilise on an urgent or flexible basis, and M1 employees’ dependents enjoy extended medical coverage. We also provide an on-site childcare centre managed by a leading pre-school provider, Modern Montessori International, at highly-attractive subsidised rates.

As a strong advocate of family values, M1 participates in the annual nationwide “Eat With Your Family Day” initiative, allowing employees to leave work earlier to dine with family members and strengthen family bonds. Our annual “Bring Your Kids To Work” day further reinforces our pro-family values.

Additional pro-family measures we have adopted include complimentary passes for employees to the Singapore Zoological Gardens, River Safari, Night Safari, and Jurong Bird Park, and chalet rentals at subsidised rates, which employees and their families may enjoy throughout the year.

To encourage work-life balance, every department is granted an annual teambuilding and de-stress budget they can use to organise sports, games, and meals and at the same time, foster camaraderie. The annual company Dinner & Dance is the key highlight of our company’s social calendar.

Continued Learning and Development

We continually invest in employee learning and development to enhance their professional knowledge and skills, as well as support their personal growth. This enables them to be more motivated and productive in their roles.

M1’s in-house Learning and Development team offers various programmes to cater to the needs of employees, such as customer service and communication skills, and our employees are also given opportunities to attend external courses and conferences relevant to their work. In addition, to enable employees to pursue longer-term professional or certification courses, examination leave is granted as required.

In 2013, the average number of training hours clocked per employee was 43.4 hours, compared to 40.3 hours in 2012.

Respect for Human Rights

M1 complies with the Singapore Employment Act, governing the employment of children and youth under the age of 16, and we do not support the use of child labour.

We do not employ forced labour, and our employees are free to join or leave the company upon completion of their contractual notice period or upon making payment in lieu of serving the notice. M1 does not evaluate our suppliers and vendors for human rights risks.

Building a Harmonious Labour Management Union

M1 strongly supports the union movement’s efforts to promote industrial harmony and improve worker welfare. We are also supportive of the NTUC Women Development Secretariat’s Back-to-Work with U Programme, which aims to help women remain in and re-enter the workforce.

During the year, we fostered a stronger relationship with the Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) through continued dialogue with its representatives. In recognition of this, we received a Certificate of Commendation Award from SISEU in November 2013.

In 2012, we signed a two-year Collective Agreement with the SISEU, covering employment matters such as working hours and overtime pay, and we continue to work with SISEU to manage employment-related issues that impact their members within the company. Our employees are free to join SISEU, and as at end-2013, 41% of eligible M1 employees are SISEU members.