A machine that is an integral part of our daily lives especially if you are working or living in a high-rise building. And when the machine does break down, we express our utter disappointment of having to walk up even though it may just a few floors.
In case you haven’t already guessed, I am talking about the lift or elevator.
And when lifts or elevators break down, it is the many workers in the industry who work hard every day to make sure they are up and running and won’t inconvenience people’s daily lives.
The lift industry is one that is transforming rapidly and ensuring that its workers are well paid and well trained to operate the most advanced of lifts.
One person who has been in the business of lifts for 25 years is 48-year-old Tan Kian Hwa (in long sleeved blue shirt) from KONE Singapore.
He started off as a technician and has since risen up the ranks to be the company’s director of service equipment business.
KONE Singapore hires some 400 workers and maintains close to 6,000 commercial lifts all over the island.
Getting His Hands Dirty
Kian Hwa started work in the company’s testing and commissioning department in 1993 and immediately got a taste of what life as lift technician was like.
“On the first day itself, I had to dirty my hands. I followed my supervisor to the job, and at the worksite I happened to see a very big door. It was a goods lift. I observed how the supervisor carried out the work. Along the way, we asked questions when we were unclear and the supervisor was always willing to train and teach you,” recalled Kian Hwa.
“Even today, if I see something is not right when I see a lift or elevator, I will make it right when I see it and make sure it does not fail. You need to have the passion and love for the job that when you see that something is not right, you make sure you make it right.”
For that, Kian Hwa would tell his colleagues to put themselves in their family members’ shoes when using a lift.
“We have to see it from the angle of the lift user. How would they feel when the lift is not working properly? Sometimes we use the example of your mother, wife or children taking the lift. If they are stuck in the lift for one hour, how would you feel? It is all about changing the mindset of our people and getting them to have the right thinking at work,” he said.
It is this passion that has taken Kian Hwa to several regional countries to further the work of KONE Singapore in Southeast Asia and the Middle Eastern nations.
Back in Singapore in 2016 after several overseas attachments, Kian Hwa now manages a team which takes care of sales, repairs, contract renewals and maintenance of lifts.
Recently, Kian Hwa and his team at Kone Singapore had the opportunity to meet leaders from the Labour Movement who dropped by for a learning journey to find out more about the company’s upskilling programmes and safety culture. Among them was NTUC’s Electronics & Precision & Machinery Engineering Cluster (EPME) lead Melvin Yong.
KONE Singapore’s Work Culture
Kian Hwa gave full credit to KONE Singapore for encouraging him to continue upskilling on the job.
He recalled that while in his testing and commissioning role, the company had sent him to Hong Kong to learn about new products in the lift technology business. Kian Hwa has also attended several leadership and management courses.
He added that the company also has a very open work culture to the extent that if a solution is not found in the operations manual, staff can call their colleagues from the parent company in Finland to check what needs to be done and put it into action.
Keeping Up With The Times
If you think maintaining a lift is just about making sure it goes up and down to the right floors, then you are mistaken.
Kian Hwa said there is a need to keep up with the times and ever-changing technology, and this calls for constant updating of skills, something he continues to do.
He said that with the Internet of Things (IoT), workers in the sector have to update themselves because many of the products being sold in this industry revolves around technology.
On the upskilling cards for both himself and his team are courses in IoT, cybersecurity and enhancing ways to work safely on site when maintaining and repairing lifts.
PWM for the Lift Industry?
Kian Hwa acknowledged that it is not easy to attract locals to work in the lift industry. Thankfully, this is one area which the authorities and the Labour Movement are looking into.
During the recent Committee of Supply debate, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said that the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Labour Movement had formed the Lift & Escalator Sectoral Tripartite Committee (STC) last year.
The sectoral tripartite committee looked at ways to professionalise the industry and attract more locals to join the sector. It is coming up with several recommendations and one of them being seriously considered is a voluntary Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for local lift technicians. Now that’s wonderful news isn’t it?
“The PWM will be competency-based. Each wage level will be defined by specific skillsets and responsibilities. This sets out clear progression pathways for lift technicians, and ensures they are remunerated appropriately for their skills and effort,” said Mr Lee.
Welcoming the proposal for a PWM was Melvin Yong, NTUC Electronics & Precision & Machinery Engineering Cluster lead.
“I encourage our employers and service buyers to work with our unions and the authorities to implement the PWM. While this is a step in the right direction, more must be done to rebrand the industry and the job of a lift technician. We also need to improve their working environment to better attract new and young entrants,” he emphasised.
As one of the unions representing workers in the lift industry, the Singapore Industrial & Services Employees Union (SISEU) has also been active in looking into the needs of workers.
Some of the areas it has been closely working with employers on include tapping on WorkPro to redesign jobs for the mature workforce, implementing family care leave and enhancing flexible benefits.
