25-04-2025
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital among employers lauded for fostering workplace mental well-being
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) chief executive Chua Hong Choon (in blue) running with staff of the KTPH and Yishun Community Hospital running club. PHOTO: KTPH
SINGAPORE – Come 6pm on Wednesdays, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) chief executive Chua Hong Choon aims to stop work to make time for a run with staff members.
This weekly routine gives them the perfect excuse to stop work to join him on a run around the nearby Yishun Pond and its surroundings.
Professor Chua, who is also the CEO of Yishun Community Hospital, said that he is also not afraid to admit he has tough days and that it is perfectly fine to take a break when needed.
'It starts with the leaders accepting that this is their responsibility... I have to walk the talk. I have to demonstrate how I look after myself,' he said.
'And when you foster this in the boardroom, you're more likely to allow your managers and your other leaders to also allow themselves to think about mental well-being (and) to be vulnerable. That's the culture. People not only talk about it. They see it happening.'
On April 24 at the third WorkWell Leaders (WWL) Awards, Prof Chua and Professor Au Wing Lok, the CEO of National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), jointly took home the Wellbeing CEO Award for establishing a culture for a mentally healthy work environment.
Local charity WWL, which focuses on leadership in workplace well-being, announced the winners at the Conrad Singapore Orchard hotel.
Prof Chua, who was the CEO of the Institute of Mental Health before he moved to KTPH in 2021, said he focused more on workplace mental health efforts at the hospital as it had become apparent that mental well-being was a major issue. The Covid-19 pandemic had shone a spotlight on the crucial nature of looking after workers' well-being.
Prof Au also participates in his institute's staff programmes, of which NNI, with 500 staff members spread over seven hospitals, has created more in recent years.
He supported the creation of a committee, led by the chief human resource officer and a neurosurgeon, to set up physical and mental wellness programmes that the staff asked for. The initiative has also spawned several interest groups, for instance, in hiking and dragon-boat rowing.
'We have created formal and informal ways for people to get together,' Prof Au said.
'Ultimately, we want to build trust and create a supportive environment for our staff. I believe that if we have a happy environment, we will have happy staff.'
Other winners in other categories were Singapore Pools, Otis Elevator Company, DBS Bank and Excel Precast.
The Wellbeing Organisation of the Year Award went to shipping company Berge Bulk for developing mental health support and capability for not just office staff but also for every member on every vessel in its fleet, recognising the realities of life at sea.
Berge Bulk owns and manages 90 vessels, according to information on its website.
WWL also launched an annual list of Top 25 Impact Employers for workplace well-being excellence at the awards to highlight local and foreign organisations here that lead by example.
Insurers AIA Singapore and Income Insurance, Changi General Hospital, SBS Transit and healthcare cluster SingHealth were among those on the list.
WWL founder and chairperson Anthea Ong referred to this list as 'a new gold standard for workplace well-being excellence'.
'We need to and must change the definition of what a good employer means,' she said.
Labels frequently acknowledge programmes and policies rather than behaviours and actions. But according to her, the latter – particularly leadership drivers – are what support organisational well-being and performance.
KTPH's Prof Chua said having good workplace mental well-being is not just about implementing programmes but about fostering a culture where well-being is woven into the fabric of daily operations.
'I think we need to be more sensitive to each other's mental state and well-being, especially at the leadership level,' he said.
At the National Healthcare Group, to which KTPH belongs, there is also a systems approach that encompasses institutional and grassroots initiatives which ensure that employees at every level receive adequate support, he said.
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