Singtel: Building a Workforce That Is Career Strong, Not Just Career Resilient

At Singtel, the belief is clear: when people thrive, so does the business. As the world shifts from a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambigious (VUCA) reality to a Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible (BANI) one, the demands on organisations and their people have never been greater. Against this backdrop, Singtel has made championing its people a core strategic priority, not to complement its Singtel28 growth plan, but as an essential driver of it. The goal is not simply to help employees bounce back from challenges. It is to empower them to leap forward and become career strong.

A Culture Built Around Belonging, Impact, and Growth

The foundation of Singtel’s people experience is its BIG Culture, built on three interconnected pillars: Belonging, Impact, and Growth. We want our employees to 

1.       Feel a deep sense of Belonging

2.       Make a difference and deliver Impact through their work, and

3.       Grow personally and professionally and reach their full potential 

Anchored in the Group Purpose to “Empower Every Generation,” this framework gives Singtel’s 25,000-strong workforce a clear sense of why they come to work and what they are collectively building. It is not a set of aspirational values on a wall. It is a lived culture translated into action through deliberate programmes, measurable outcomes, and leadership accountability embedded at every level of the organisation. The effectiveness of this approach is reflected in engagement scores that consistently exceed top quartile benchmarks both locally and globally.

Fostering a Deep Sense of Belonging

Singtel has invested significant resources to create an inclusive and connected environment, anchored by the Employee Resource Groups.  One such group is the Early Professionals Group which supports young professionals with less than five years of experience. Another is the RISE network which champions gender equity and women’s advancement in the tech and telco sectors while the Express Yourself community celebrates diverse identities and encourages employees to show up authentically in a safe and supportive environment.

Community building is further strengthened through the Singtel Recreation Club, which organises a wide range of activities ranging from Sports Fiestas to bi-monthly Power-Up events held across office locations. For new joiners, a comprehensive onboarding programme provides a structured orientation, a three-month buddy system, social mixers, and regular feedback surveys, ensuring that the sense of belonging begins from day one and continues throughout the employee journey.

To help new joiners settle in at Singtel, we implement a structured programme which includes a three-month buddy system, guided orientation, and regular feedback to provide clarity and support. The programme is complemented by informal initiatives like F&B vouchers and social mixers to further encourage connections across teams, reflecting Singtel’s commitment to a welcoming and inclusive workplace.

Listening, Acting, and Leading with Coaching

A defining feature of Singtel’s culture is its commitment to not only gather employee feedback but act on it. The organisation has evolved beyond traditional annual surveys to a robust continuous listening ecosystem. Its annual Your Voice Survey, benchmarked globally, is complemented by pulse surveys, lifecycle surveys, and informal engagements such as skip-level meetings. Critically, engagement outcomes are embedded into leadership KPIs, ensuring that employee voices translate into tangible change.

Leadership itself has also been transformed. Singtel has moved beyond traditional performance management to a coaching-led approach, where leaders use the GROW model to have meaningful, ongoing conversations about development, performance, and well-being. The BIG Insights platform further supports this by giving leaders real-time workforce analytics, from attrition trends to diversity data, enabling data-driven decisions rather than assumptions.

Inclusion Embedded, Not Implied

Singtel’s approach to diversity and inclusion goes beyond stated commitments. A comprehensive framework spans awareness, training, engagement, leadership accountability, and measurement, ensuring that inclusion is actively managed rather than passively encouraged. Diversity and inclusion metrics are tracked through the BIG Insights platform, and the organisation co-chairs the Singapore Business Network on Disability as part of its broader commitment to an inclusive workforce. The result is a workplace that reflects genuine diversity across generations, backgrounds, and gender, with growing female representation in leadership roles.

Wellness as a Strategic Enabler of Impact

Singtel’s BIG Well-being framework takes a genuinely holistic view of employee wellness, covering mental, physical, financial, and social dimensions. For mental well-being, leaders and employees are trained in Psychological First Aid, supported by manager playbooks for early identification of burnout, the Well-being Buddy app for emotional wellness coaching, and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme which extends support to employees and their families. Physical well-being is supported through the multi-year Start Now, Hello Health initiative; comprehensive medical coverage, health screenings, chronic disease management, and on-site AI-powered gyms. Financial well-being is addressed through an expert-led partnership with Endowus, to help employees make informed financial choices.

Enabling Growth at Every Stage

Singtel invests approximately $20 million annually in learning and development across four PALS pillars: Power skills, AI & tech, Leadership and Sustainability. The annual BIG Learning Fiesta brings together over 3,000 participants for a month of curated talks, workshops, and experiences, while the #CURIOUS digital learning platform, with over 100,000 learning resources, is used by more than 4,000 employees each year.

Preparing a Workforce for the Age of AI

Singtel has taken a structured and deliberate approach to equipping its people with AI skills. A three-tier competency framework covering Foundational, Practitioner, and Specialist levels was introduced alongside an AI training programme launched in late 2024. As of end 2025, almost 100% of the workforce have been trained, primarily at the Foundational level, with more advanced pathways in place for practitioners and specialists. This commitment ensures that Singtel’s people are not passive observers of technological change but active and capable participants in it. Early career talent is also nurtured through the flagship Management Associate Programme, a two-year development journey with rotations, coaching, and leadership training, and the Singtel Catalyst Work-Study Programme, which enables diploma graduates to earn a degree while working full-time with full salary and bond-free tuition sponsorship.

In the era of rapid change, we have redesigned career mobility to suit the times. In 2023, Singtel removed tenure and grade restrictions from internal mobility policies and committed to advertising all roles internally first. The 2024 launch of BIG Marketplace, a group-wide platform for internal roles, projects, and volunteering, has since driven a 43% rise in internal applications, reflecting a workforce with a growing appetite for growth and new challenges. Through the Professional Conversion Accelerator, over 3,400 employees have successfully transitioned into new, future-ready roles, demonstrating that transformation is not just a strategy but a lived reality for Singtel’s people.

An Employer That Empowers Every Generation

Singtel has taken a structured and deliberate approach to equipping its people with AI skills. A three-tier competency framework covering Foundational, Practitioner, and Specialist levels was introduced alongside an AI training programme launched in late 2024. As of end 2025, almost 100% of the workforce have been trained, primarily at the Foundational level, with more advanced pathways in place for practitioners and specialists. This commitment ensures that Singtel’s people are not passive observers of technological change but active and capable participants in it. Early career talent is also nurtured through the flagship Management Associate Programme, a two-year development journey with rotations, coaching, and leadership training, and the Singtel Catalyst Work-Study Programme, which enables diploma graduates to earn a degree while working full-time with full salary and bond-free tuition sponsorship.

Singtel exemplifies how a company’s core strengths can drive it to achieve recognition as a Top Employer. Built on a strong foundation of purpose-driven culture, sustained investment in people, and a genuine commitment to holistic well-being, Singtel has consistently created an environment where employees feel they belong, make an impact, and grow to their full potential. By aligning its people strategy with the ambitions of Singtel28, the organisation has demonstrated that business transformation and human flourishing are not competing priorities but deeply connected ones. As Singtel continues to navigate a rapidly changing world, its people remain its most enduring competitive advantage, earning it its place as a trusted and influential employer that truly empowers every generation.