Spa-ring no Effort for Productivity

Before it opened its doors, Yunomori Onsen and Spa worked with NTUC’s e2i to ensure productivity measures would be in place from the start.

By Ryan Chan 20 Dec 2016

If you haven’t heard already, Singapore’s first onsen and spa opened in May this year at Kallang Wave Mall.

With two international branches – both in Thailand – under its belt, Yunomori Onsen and Spa sought to implement productivity-driven measures for its new Singapore branch. Prior to its official opening in May this year, the company approached NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to tap on the Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP).

The IGP, which began its second phase this year, gives companies up to 50 per cent funding for initiatives to boost productivity. These gains are then shared with employees through wage increments.

By tapping on IGP, the company invested in a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system and the Bibra Blower Bath Filtration system. The systems have since benefited 33 workers, with employees in the process of receiving wage increments of an average of 8 per cent.

Productivity Measures

For security reasons, a member of the staff would have had to patrol the premises, spending 30 minutes for each round. With a patrolling system, not all areas can be covered at once. More manpower would also have been required.

By installing a CCTV system, more areas can now be covered simultaneously, with lesser staff needed to maintain security remotely. Retrieval and playback of security surveillance videos now only take just 10 minutes, a 66 per cent improvement in productivity.

Filtration System

With any communal bath or spa, hygiene is one of the highest priorities. Apart from having to monitor the water temperature, the water has to be changed regularly. This daily process of changing water would have taken employees about 420 minutes each week.

To make this process easier, the company invested in the Bibra Blower Bath Filtration system, which maintains optimum conditions, such as the temperature, for its 11 respective baths while also actively cleaning the water.

With these measures in place, staff are only required to change the bath water weekly, taking just 45 minutes a week. This is a whopping 89 per cent jump in productivity levels.

Yunomori Assistant General Manager Sunnie Lee said: “This reduces the manpower required by up to seven times. Instead of having to work through the night till the next morning just to ensure the water is cleaned, all major responsibilities can now be completed every morning. With the additional time, staff can then assist with other operations.”