Blackhawk Network: decline in employee satisfaction and engagement in Singapore

Concept artwork about workplaces generated by
Bing Image Creator (Dall E 3).

Leveraging employee recognition, rewards, and incentives to foster engagement and increase loyalty in an evolving workplace environment, according to Blackhawk Network (BHN).

BHN's latest research highlights how leaders can help guide their organisations through these transitions:

Employee satisfaction and engagement

Employee satisfaction and engagement in Singapore has recently declined. Amid fears surrounding job security and pay, productivity has begun to suffer. According to BHN research, 93% of employees expressed concerns about their current employment situation.

The two top concerns were “pay increases that won’t cover the cost of living” (41%) and “being asked to do more without a pay increase” (36%).

The current uncertainty is clear, with one in four employees actively seeking new opportunities. They often prioritising pay and benefits when considering potential employers, said BHN.

However, the desire for higher pay alone is not enough. More than half (51%) of the respondents stated that they want more frequent recognition and rewards as part of a broader engagement strategy.

BHN VP of Incentives in APAC, Peter Malycon said: “Companies are encouraged to consider their recognition and incentives programmes, and ensure that they are aligned with the evolving needs of their workforce. Our research clearly highlights that employees are increasingly seeking not just higher pay, but more frequent acknowledgement for their contributions.”

The role of AI and technology in the workplace

BHN’s survey showed that 66% of employees are using AI in their roles, with 83% reporting an increase in productivity as a result. However, there is a delicate balance to be struck between leveraging AI’s benefits and maintaining human-centred recognition programmes, BHN noted. Employees continued to value personalised, timely recognition and rewards that reinforce their sense of value within the company.

The hidden significance of employee engagement and wellbeing

As AI continues to redefine the traditional workplace, re-engaging and rebuilding employee commitment will become more critical in the coming years, BHN suggested. Meaningful engagement, alongside efforts to support employee wellbeing, will play a key role in driving and enhancing business outcomes.

This is reflected in the fact that 81% of respondents indicated that receiving recognition and rewards from their company helps to keep them energised and boosts their loyalty. Moreover, 61% emphasised that the timeliness of these rewards is key. Digital or prepaid cards are a great solution to this and are loved across a range of ages and work environments.

“As we approach Employee Appreciation Day, Singaporean employers should consider how they can integrate both small and large-scale recognition tactics; it’s not just about the big bonuses, but about creating a culture where employees feel consistently valued and rewarded for their contributions”, Malycon emphasised.

Employee Appreciation Day, celebrated annually on the first Friday in March - 7 March this year - offers an ideal opportunity for employers to show their gratitude and celebrate employees’ achievements and contributions, BHN said. 

Travel Alliance kicks off cross-border telco rewards programme with Grab, Trip.com

The Travel Alliance, comprising Singtel, AIS, Globe, HKT, Optus, Taiwan Mobile and Telkomsel, announced a strategic partnerships with leading ride-hailing, delivery, and travel brands Grab and Trip.com last month to enable savings for Alliance customers when they travel.

The Travel Alliance was formed in February 2024 with the aim of launching the first-of-its-kind cross-border rewards programme to enable its almost 300 million customers to enjoy a slew of incentives on transport, dining, merchandise, and lifestyle services when they travel to the markets where the operators are based. Trip.com and Grab are the first to join the ecosystem of partners to provide perks that can be seamlessly accessed by Alliance customers.

Anna Yip, CEO, International Digital Services (Designate), Singtel, said: “Digital tools and services have become an integral part of our lives and play a greater role when we travel as we rely so heavily on them to help us navigate new spaces and access experiences like tours, dining and more. We’re proud to have Grab and Trip.com join us as we build the programme to enhance our customers’ experiences and provide more value beyond connectivity.

"The Travel Alliance will continue to establish partnerships with key goods and service providers so we can continue to provide our customers with the best deals that support their evolving travel and lifestyle needs.” 

Source: Singtel. Announcing the Travel Alliance.

 

As part of the regional cross-border rewards programme, Trip.com will provide Travel Alliance customers with best-in-market concessions of 10% and 6% off hotel and flight bookings respectively. Eligible Alliance customers will also enjoy an instant upgrade to Trip.com’s top tier Diamond status and receive exclusive perks such as free access to airport VIP lounges and car model upgrades for airport transfers.

“As a customer-focused company, Trip.com is delighted to partner with the alliance of seven telcos to bring exceptional travel opportunities to their users across the Asia Pacific region. This collaboration reflects our commitment to making travel more accessible and rewarding by leveraging innovative partnerships. By combining the convenience of our platform with exclusive discounts for the telco customers, we aim to inspire more people to plan the perfect trip for a better world,” added Han Feng, Head of Marketing, Trip.com. 

The Travel Alliance and Grab will work together to create exclusive deals and discounts for Alliance customers, including a special Grab Tourist Pack, to be launched in early 2025. 

“With our presence in over 700 cities across 8 countries in Southeast Asia, Grab believes we can be the one app travellers need for hailing rides, ordering food, dining out or getting emergency supplies delivered to their doorstep. We are pleased to partner the Travel Alliance to support the travel needs of their vast combined customer base,” said Chuck Kim, MD, Group Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Grab. 

Pratthana Leelapanang, Chief Consumer Business Officer at AIS, stated: "We are excited by the successful collaboration between major Asian telecom providers. This partnership allows AIS to offer exceptional travel experiences to its customers abroad. Leveraging familiar and convenient services like Trip.com and Grab, along with the additional benefits from The Travel Alliance, AIS is confident this initiative will significantly enhance customer convenience while travelling, fulfilling its commitment to exceptional service.” 

Monita Leung, CEO of Digital Ventures at HKT, said: "The Club, our loyalty platform within the HKT ecosystem, is committed to enriching the cross-border travel experience for our customers. We're thrilled to join hands with leading telcos of the Alliance and international brands, like Trip.com and Grab, to offer delightful benefits and travel opportunities across the region. 

"Our travel agency, Club Travel, also provides a comprehensive range of travel services, including flights, accommodation, events and ticketing, to offer bespoke unforgettable journeys for our valued travellers." 

“We are always seeking bold, innovative ways to elevate our customers’ experiences, wherever they are. This partnership empowers our customers to travel smarter and more affordably, unlocking exclusive rewards that enhance convenience and connectivity. With Globe, every journey becomes seamless and truly rewarding,” said Darius Delgado, Chief Commercial Officer, Globe Telecom. 

Tony Lin, Chief Business Officer of the Consumer Business at Taiwan Mobile, stated that in this tech-savvy era, travellers seek personalised and convenient travel experiences. "With a user-centric approach, Taiwan Mobile strategically partners with renowned global travel brands to provide seamless services for programme members, encompassing everything from their doorstep and airports to their destinations and attractions, creating rich and diverse travel reward experiences. The Telecom Cross-Border Rewards Programme will continue to expand its partnerships, building a transnational rewards ecosystem that allows both business and leisure travelers to easily accumulate points and flexibly redeem rewards. 

"Looking ahead, Taiwan Mobile will continue to embody its Open Possible brand philosophy, combining its Telco+Tech strategy with global partners to jointly create a smarter and more convenient travel ecosystem," he said. 

Telkomsel’s CMO Derrick Heng said: "As the leading digital telco service provider in Indonesia, Telkomsel is committed to enhance customer journey and experiences through innovative and excellent connectivity, service, and solutions. This collaboration empowers our customers, particularly users of our all-digital telco product by.U, to redeem their loyalty points for services from Trip.com, Grab, and other partners, while travelling to seven participating countries. 

"We also welcome Travel Alliance customers to Indonesia, enabling them to redeem their points to explore the rich cultural heritage and unique beauty that Indonesia has to offer." 

The Travel Alliance programme will be progressively expanded to cover key travel corridors and popular destinations globally. Promotions on accommodations, flights, rides, and food deliveries will be progressively rolled out by the Alliance members in 2025. Details on the offerings from the first partners to join the programme include: 

Trip.com 

Over the next six months, Alliance members will be sharing discount codes that their customers can redeem for hotel and flight bookings on Trip.com. These are applicable for travel up to 30 June 2026. 

Customers can use these codes to enjoy 10% off hotel bookings. Subsequent campaigns will include 6% off flight bookings and other promotions. 

Alliance customers on loyalty programmes, such as Singtel Red and Prestige*, may be eligible for an additional perk of getting upgraded to Trip.com’s Diamond status membership. More details on these campaigns will be shared by the respective telcos. 

Grab 

The Grab Tourist Packs, which offer savings on rides and meals, can be easily accessed via Alliance members’ apps, starting with Singtel’s. The offers can be used when traveling to locations in Southeast Asia where Grab is available. The Alliance will be collaborating with Grab to develop tailored Tourist Packs for their respective markets to ensure added benefits and a more personalised experience for their customers when they travel.

*Singtel Red is an all-in-one rewards membership programme that offers subscribers vouchers, exclusive partner deals, and more data on Singapore's 5G network. Singtel Prestige is an exclusive membership that rewards customers on premium plans.

Rewardz introduces employee benefits app

Singapore-based HR technology solutions provider Rewardz has launched Cerrapoints, a mobile-friendly incentive and flexible benefits programme.

"Since we launched Rewardz in 2012, we had always wanted to create an app like Cerrapoints to assist companies in providing bespoke employee benefits that contribute towards employee wellness and satisfaction while also allowing for better targeting of specific behaviours to incentivise," said Nicole Seah, Co-founder of Rewardz.

"Providing a performance-based spot rewarding platform and offering employees a choice of their incentives has been proven to boost morale and productivity and can help companies to succeed in achieving a lower turnover amongst their employees."

Cerrapoints aims to empower and reward employees for actions that contribute towards their company's strategy and business goals, beyond the traditional salary and bonus compensation model. Companies can choose to reward staff for staying healthy, long service, or job-specific activities such as client or staff referrals, among others.

Companies can use the app to keep staff updated on training sessions or a colleague's birthday. Staff members can also be reminded of scheduled appointments. The app can additionally be synced with sports devices such as the Jawbone or Fitbit, track steps and even remind users to get up from their seats regularly.

The Cerrapoints app can make vouchers from brands like Capitaland, Dairy Farm, Isetan, Kinokuniya, and Robinsons available at once. There are also product redemptions such as Dyson fans and fitness products; as well as medical screening.

"We are in discussion with a regional healthcare provider for a strategic partnership that will allow us to integrate cashless mobile payments at GP clinics and medical centres to complement our rewards vendor network on a single platform. Our vision is to evolve Cerrapoints into a gamified and fun flexi-benefits platform that can consolidate medical spending (MSA) and flexible spending (FSA) budgets for large companies," said Sudhanshu Tewari, CEO of Rewardz.

"We believe that this is a unique offering for insurance brokers and companies looking for a flexible benefits solution in Asia."

Over the past few years, Rewardz has secured over 100 clients and serves more than 200,000 employees, including DBS, Manulife, Disney, NUHS, JTC, Fuji Xerox, DB Schenker, Intercontinental Hotel, Ascott Holdings, Lendlease, amongst many others. The Cerrapoints app is currently used by DBS and Carrier; and has been receiving positive feedback since its implementation.

In December 2016, Japanese giant Benefit One invested S$3 million in Rewardz. Founders of Rewardz Tewari, Seah and Jaya Maru remained as shareholders together with Benefit One shareholders, with all other shareholders exiting as part of the agreement.

Rewardz is also behind the customisable employee engagement programmes Emperks and Flabuless.

Interested?

The mobile app is available on both the Apple and Google Play stores.

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Langham Hospitality Group brings back MICE incentive programme

Source: Langham Hospitality Group.

The Langham Hospitality Group is bringing back the Double the Extra Mile PLUS programme to reward event planners and organisers with extra privileges. The offer may be booked from 1 April to 30 June 2016 for events taking place between 1 July and 31 December 2016 at all participating The Langham and Langham Place hotels.

For qualified events with revenue of at least US$6,500, meeting and event planners may enjoy double hotel rewards or miles from any of the 11 selected frequent flyer/travel and lifestyle rewards programme partners. Various hotel rewards, including complimentary accommodation, food and beverage vouchers and spa vouchers will be honoured based on the event’s spending, or two miles may be earned for every US$1 spent on qualified meetings and events.

With Double the Extra Mile PLUS, qualified events with 60 rooms per night or more are further entitled to any two of the following additional concessions:

• Cancellation fees waived

• No attrition rate charges

• No food and beverage minimum

• Complimentary Internet access for all guestrooms and meeting rooms

• One complimentary room per 30 paid rooms

• One complimentary room upgrade to the next category per 30 paid rooms

• One theme refreshment break enhancement

• One 30-minute cocktail reception

• Spa credit for the meeting planner or the group’s VIP

• One roundtrip airport transfer for the meeting planner or the group’s VIP


“Due to popular demand and positive feedback from our customers, we have brought back (the) Double the Extra Mile PLUS programme again this year. We present meeting and event organisers with a thoughtfully curated selection of bespoke services and work with them to ensure they achieve an excellent event at our hotels,” said Simon Manning, VP of sales and marketing for Langham Hospitality Group. “The Langham Hospitality Group is dedicated in delivering exceptional services and customised meeting and event solutions. We will continue to create similar programmes to help our customers achieve their goals and allow them to earn rewards at the same time.”

The group has also developed takethelead, a dedicated online event platform that provides event planners with a one-stop, personalised service created to take care of their event, including planning, logistics, dining and entertainment.

Interested?

Read more on the offer 

StarHub revamps loyalty programme so customers can redeem more

Singapore's StarHub has unveiled a revamped customer incentive programme to enable customers to earn and redeem points sooner.

StarHub is partnering e-merchants to allow customers to earn StarHub Rewards Points while shopping online. Agoda, a hotel booking site, was the first merchant to partner StarHub. Shopback—a Singapore-based startup that connects consumers to e-tailers such as ASOS, Groupon, Lazada and Zalora is also on board.

Every dollar spent at Agoda via starhub.com/agoda will earn one StarHub Rewards Point for StarHub customers. Customers who shop at Shopback via starhub.com/shopback may earn one or more StarHub Rewards Points. StarHub will also be partnering merchants for one-off promotions. Those who book a hotel from Agoda for June will earn three times the number of StarHub Rewards Points.

The Points can then be used to redeem StarHub Rewards across its Eat, Shop and Play catalogues, which include over 50 merchants and brands.

As part of StarHub’s SG50 promotions, customers can also look forward to redeeming over 5,000 items for 50 StarHub Rewards Points across a span of five weeks from early July.

“At StarHub, we value the loyalty and support of our customers. That is why we enhanced our loyalty programme around their needs; to reward them with what is relevant to them. We recognise that, increasingly, consumers are shopping online, hence, our partnerships with Agoda and Shopback will enable customers to be rewarded whenever they shop online with our partners,” said Jeannie Ong, Chief Marketing Officer, StarHub.

“Through these partnerships, customers will be able to earn StarHub Rewards Points faster and redeem for rewards they want across a richer variety of options. We are constantly on the lookout to bring the latest trends and offerings to our customers, and will continue to introduce more partners and exciting rewards options in the near future.”

Interested?

Find out more about the loyalty programme
Existing customers can redeem rewards (login required)

Pocari SWEAT introduces keep-fit running app with incentives from 7-Eleven

Pocari SWEAT, a well-known isotonic beverage brand, has made its free Pocari Cross Run mobile app available for download in Singapore at the iOS App and Android Play stores respectively.

The app is designed to encourage Singaporeans to continue to live a healthy and active lifestyle, says the company. The application includes an element of gamification which is backed by the latest Beacon* technology. The Beacon technology, to be set up at all 7-Eleven stores in Singapore, will send area-specific content to the app depending on the distance a runner has completed.

The app can also make a run more interesting through generating customised running courses. 7-Eleven stores along the route will be represented as hydration points.

Additional bonus points, called participation points, can be accumulated when users tap on the Beacon devices at 7-Eleven cashier counters if they are on a run, complete a running course, or make a Pocari SWEAT purchase. The longer the running distance, the more points a user will receive. Users can also earn tokens and play games that involve visits to 7-Eleven stores as well.

"We chose 7-Eleven to roll out the BEACON technology as it is a recognised international brand which constantly emphasizes on excellent customer service delivery. We hope to leverage its extensive network of more than 500 stores and create the next level of customer interaction experience both in-store and on-street. There will be plans in the pipeline for BEACON to be extensively utilised for other promotions and campaigns by other companies after the launch of the Pocari SWEAT campaign," said Takamasa Tokumo, Executive Director of Asatsu-DK Singapore, an advertising agency that co-developed the app with digital production company AID-DCC and which also developed Beacon.

He added, "With consumers becoming more tech-savvy, this new technology will help create a revolutionary consumer experience - one that is fun and interactive, yet meaningful and adds value to the consumer, such as supporting them in achieving their healthy lifestyle goals in this case."

Pocari SWEAT's Singapore Country Manager Puspita Winawati commented, "We are extremely excited to be incorporating the latest technology in the way we interact with our customers and with the extensive network of the 7-Eleven stores here in Singapore, which serve as water points, runners will have the flexibility of enjoying the Pocari Cross Run app wherever they want. It is also our hope that through the launch of the Pocari Cross Run app, we can encourage more people to take up running as part of a healthy lifestyle."

*Beacon is the latest low-powered, cost efficient transmitter that is able to notify and connect to customised applications on mobile devices. The technology recognises devices running on the iOS7 and Android 4.3 operating system that are within close proximity. Specific messages or actions can be delivered when the devices are detected.

Dubai visitor numbers boosted by MICE travellers

Dubai’s hotels welcomed more than 5.8 million visitors in the first half of 2014, the highest number of visitors ever achieved in the first six months of the year, according to Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

Dubai’s status as the region’s leading meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) hub played a central role in boosting first half visitor numbers, said DTCM, with more than 14,500 Chinese delegates on one incentive trip in April alone demonstrating the value of this sector. Major business events held during the first six months of 2014 included Gulfood, the Arabian Travel Market, and Intersec, one of the region's biggest safety, security and fire protection trade exhibitions. 

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of DTCM commented: “In addition to the increase in hotel guest numbers, since the end of June 2013, Dubai has added more than 7,000 hotel rooms to its inventory, with the total now standing at 88,680 across 634 establishments. Dubai’s hotel offering is continuing to grow and diversify allowing us to both meet the demand from travellers as well as broaden the market we promote Dubai to.”