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Guest-of-Honour Address at WELLxOct26 – Well-being Champions Network Engagement Event

Mr Shawn Huang, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower, Lifelong Learning Institute

Ms Charis Cheng, Member, Workplace Safety and Health Council, and Chairperson, WSH Council (Mental Well-being) Committee,

Mr Adrian Toh, President, Singapore Psychological Society,

Mr Lee Seng Teck, Director, School of Health Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic,

Tripartite colleagues from SNEF and NTUC,

Members of the WSH Council (Mental Well-being) Committee and Well-being Champions Network,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

 

Introduction: Turning Strategy into Everyday Action

 

1.          Let me begin with a familiar scene.

 

2.          It is lunchtime on a work-day. Some colleagues are stepping out for lunch. They ask a colleague who is still at her desk – the one who is usually the first to suggest a restaurant to try. Today, she seems to have lost her usual lunchtime enthusiasm. When asked where they should go for lunch,  she says, “It’s OK; you guys go ahead. I’ll catch up another time”.

 

3.          Nothing appears visibly wrong, perhaps she was pre-occupied with work but that is precisely the challenge. Those signs are extremely subtle and sometimes we don’t detect the problem. 

 

4.          Workplace mental well-being may not be obvious. So, it is easy for mental distress or burnout to go unnoticed. If left to fester, mental stressors can eventually impair work performance and fulfilment.  

 

5.          This is why three years ago, we launched the Well-being Champions Network under the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy. It is an effort to build capability across employers in supporting their employees’ mental well-being. The Network does this by connecting those passionate about workplace mental well-being across different industries to share experiences, learn from each other, and receive training. The Network has grown to more than 2,000 well-being champions across 800 organisations.

 

6.          We want to ensure that the Network’s growth in numbers results in growth in capability, specifically the capability of companies to uplift their employees’ mental well-being. When a colleague is struggling, does someone notice? Do they know how to respond and where to find help?

 

7.          To be able to answer “Yes” to these questions, we need to nurture a few attributes in our organisations.

 

8.          This morning, you heard about the WorkWell Leaders Impact Measure, commissioned by WorkWell Leaders in partnership with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. The study found that leader’s own well-being is a key driver of organisational well-being, which in turn contributes to stronger organisational performance. It also highlights the importance of leadership in shaping the conditions for people and organisations to thrive. I agree that supportive leadership is critical. However, leader’s intent must also translate into meaningful organisational action. To achieve this, we need to foster broad understanding, nurture deep capability, and cultivate professional partnerships to make well-being strategies work.

 

First: Foster Broad Understanding

 

9.          Our first priority is to foster broad understanding. Following the Network’s launch in 2023, the WSH Council offered 500 fully subsidised places for the Well-being First Responder training. The aim is simple: to help employees have a basic understanding of mental well-being, including to recognise distress, start supportive conversations, and connect colleagues to appropriate help.

 

10.        All 500 places from the initial tranche have been taken up.

 

11.        I am pleased to announce a new tranche of 400 fully subsidised half-day training places. Each company may nominate up to two employees. Priority will go to companies that did not benefit from the earlier round, extending our reach to even more workplaces.

 

Second: Nurture Deep Capability

 

12.        Understanding is only the first step. Sustained change requires more than awareness. It also requires deeper skills for some employees.

 

13.        To build deep capability, Kaleidoscope Labs, as the operator of the Well-being Champions Network, and Ngee Ann Polytechnic will jointly develop a suite of Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes in workplace mental well-being, spanning from first response to programme design and organisation-wide implementation.

 

14.        The first course in this suite, “Workplace Well-being First Response: Mental Health Literacy & Early Intervention”, is slated for launch in the first quarter of 2027. Recognising the synergies between the WSH and HR communities, the course is accredited by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) and is mapped to its Holistic Well-being Basic Skills Badge. Those eligible for SkillsFuture subsidies can enjoy up to 90% funding support for this course.

 

15.        Building on this, we are also working with IHRP to strengthen HR and people management capabilities in the WSH ecosystem. This will include exploring appropriate IHRP skills and recognition pathways for workplace well-being, alongside opportunities to strengthen people manager capabilities through IHRP’s People Manager Role Badge.

 

Third: Cultivate Professional Partnerships

 

16.        Beyond building in-house capability, a third important attribute is for companies to partner with mental health professionals in supporting employee well-being. We know that many HR professionals may not feel well-equipped to advise on mental health. To address this, Kaleidoscope Labs will collaborate with the Singapore Psychological Society to strengthen workplace education and referral pathways. Registered psychologists will help assess, clarify, and provide interventions when professional support is needed by employees, while champions and managers will notice, support, connect colleagues and work together with the psychologists to build a more holistic ecosystem.

 

Conclusion: Creating a Supportive Ecosystem

 

17.        After this speech, I will witness the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs): one between Kaleidoscope Labs and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and another between Kaleidoscope Labs and the Singapore Psychological Society; both MOUs contributing to the needs of members in the Well-being Champions Network.

 

18.        The two MOUs each mark a progression. With Ngee Ann Polytechnic, we move beyond short courses towards a more formal and structured learning pathway. With the Singapore Psychological Society, we strengthen workplace mental health awareness, tap on professional expertise for clearer detection and referral links to assess and address the issues. The partners will work out the detailed scope and implementation in due course.

 

19.        Together, these efforts, supported by the Workplace Safety and Health Council, strengthen the full support pathway – from first response, to specialist skills, and to referral to professional help. They bring together corporate leadership, educators, professional bodies, and HR practitioners – to create a supportive ecosystem on workplace mental well-being so that the workforce can flourish and thrive.

 

20.        Let me return to the colleague who declined to join for lunch. There may not be a mental well-being issue. But in a workplace where well-being strategies work, someone would notice if uncharacteristic behaviour is sustained, someone would check in, and someone would listen beyond “It’s ok; you guys go ahead”. Someone also knows where to find help if needed.

 

21.        That is our goal: to create a workplace ecosystem where colleagues notice, support, and connect.

 

22.        Three years ago, we started a network. We are now building a system with broader understanding, deeper skills, and clearer referral pathways.

 

23.        To our Well-being Champions and peer supporters: thank you for your commitment. To employers and leaders, I ask three things of you:

  • First, nominate your employees for the subsidised training places.
  • Second, take advantage of deeper capability-building opportunities as they arise.
  • Third, tie up with professional support that the Singapore Psychological Society will provide.
  • Finally, take an honest look at how your organisation identifies and manages psychosocial risks. Review what is working, identify what needs to improve, and follow through with concrete action.

 

24.        Together, we can make mental well-being part of everyday work.

 

25.        Thank you.