WorkPro was introduced in 2013 to support companies implementing age-friendly practices through redesigning jobs for older workers.
The initiative was enhanced in 2016 and since then, more than 200 companies have made use of the job redesign grant to benefit some 4,000 older workers aged 50 and above.
The American Club is one such company that has worked closely with NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to tap on grants like WorkPro and the Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP).
It also works hand in hand with the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (AREU).
“We consider the AREU a critical partner on this journey of continual change and improvement to enhance employees’ jobs, working terms and conditions,” said The American Club’s General Manager Martin Rudden.
Improvement Projects
Two projects the Club has implemented are showing results.
In the kitchen, traditional deep fryers required daily disposal and refill of the oil tanks, each weighing 17kg .
Older workers had to do heavy lifting.
With the help of the WorkPro Job Redesign Grant, the fryers were replaced with auto-filtration deep fryers and the workers didn’t have to do the heavy lifting anymore.
In the library, staff had to manually check in and check out some 5,000 books borrowed each month. With the help of IGP, there is now a self-service kiosk.
Borrowing of books is fully automated and the staff have been deployed to other work areas in the library.
e2i has supported The American Club in six IGP projects between 2013 and 2016.
Nearly a 100 workers benefitted from the IGP projects and enjoyed wage gains of between four and ten percent.
