George P. Johnson Singapore: A drive to be passionately human

This post is sponsored by George P. Johnson Singapore.

Organisations that give together, stay together … and are happier.

Research consistently shows that employees are the happiest and most likely to stay at companies that are innovative, align with personal values, offer opportunities for growth and development, cultivate and encourage collaboration and teamwork, foster an environment where employees feel inspired, and play an integral role in making a positive impact in the world.

2020 sees George P. Johnson Singapore (GPJ), embarking on some new, and strengthening existing initiatives around personal growth and wellbeing.

Through our Passionately Human initiative, we are finding ways to give back to our people through collaborative experiences. With increased employee training planned over 2020, we will see work-related programme training along with identified skill set development classes.

Culture breeds success. With the support of the senior leadership team, our people are stretching their work knowledge of the global experience market by actively participating in large projects run by our global teams.

The US has some of the largest, most complex event experiences and our team has reaped the benefits of active involvement. GPJ Singapore has also added a hiring and resourcing initiative for the benefit of all, bringing together like-minded people with the ultimate goal to do great work for great clients, with a brilliant team.

“Flow” our new health and wellbeing initiative kicked off the new year, giving monthly $$ support for chosen individual wellness, fitness or sporting activities, and our second Camp GPJ off-site in Malaysia aligned the team in January with guest speaker Peter Thurin, inspiring us with his electric passion to get in the game.

By far the most prominent initiative we will take on this year is the GPJ Singapore Passion Project. Sparked at our off-site, we were asked the question – what’s our fill? What can we do to facilitate change, and how that change starts with us.

We have set out to establish a plan to make an impact not only on our lives, but our wider community. By immersing ourselves in our community and surrounding ourselves with people who are dedicated to bettering the world, we can learn so much about how the world works. We can gain a unique sense of purpose by serving those around us, one which often manifests in other areas of our lives.

Donating our time to support those around us is extremely beneficial, both individually and as a community, with statistics proving that people who volunteer regularly are healthier both physically and mentally.

Individuals who have volunteered throughout their lifetime typically live longer and have better psychological wellbeing. In addition to the health benefits, volunteering gives people a sense of purpose. The fulfilling feeling of giving back and contributing to society is unparalleled.

While donating is easy, it’s only the start. The team is passionate to do more by not only donating, but giving time, actively imparting knowledge and participating in training and mentoring those less fortunate.

Our first initiative for the George P. Johnson Singapore Passion Project was an easy one. We aimed to tackle the immediate situation in the Philippines with the Taal Volcano, where hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes and have now returned to much damage and devastation.

GPJ Singapore has made collections of care packages to be sent of clothing, blankets, electronics and daily amenities to help those in need. A small step, but one that ideated from our staff and was close to their hearts.

We are currently planning for what else we can “give” this year in a bid to make a difference. Be it our time, donating or fundraising, raising awareness, mentoring, training or companionship, our aim is to pledge one passion project a quarter, driven by our people, for our community.

The more we work together in the communities we serve, the stronger our own community becomes and that is vital for the work that GPJ Singapore does and the organisation that we strive to be. We look forward to providing the industry with updates, and in due course, encourage our partners and current and future clients to join the movement.

The writer is Anna Patterson, vice-president and managing director of George P. Johnson Singapore.

Main picture credit: Peter Thurin, who can be contacted at https://www.peterthurin.com