Sheltered Workshop trainees celebrating their birthday with a cake from Traders Hotel Singapore

The spirit of inclusiveness permeates the corporate culture at Traders Hotel, Singapore, one of the leading international hotels off Orchard Road. It is an organisation where new hires are briefed about the hotel’s social obligations and the virtues of volunteerism right from the start of their employment during the staff orientation programme.

The management of Traders Hotel, Singapore, embraces inclusion and diversity, and they began hiring people with disabilities from as early as 2004. As part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiative, they are working towards having people with disabilities make up at least two percent of their staff strength.

Currently, there are nine staff with sensory, intellectual and physical disabilities on their payroll – seven are full-timers while two of them work on a part-time basis. They hold these positions in the hotel as phone operator, linen attendant, steward, cook and food and beverage service runner.

One of such employees is Mr Ng Gee Chung who has intellectual disabilities. He was a trainee at SPD’s Sheltered Workshop before he was hired by Traders Hotel in April 2010. Mr Ng enjoys his job at the hotel. As a house steward, he is responsible for the cleaning, sanitising and drying of glassware, crockery and cutleries.

Having people with disabilities working alongside them has provided the rest of the staff a greater understanding of what it means to be inclusive. Many have discovered that it does not take much to accommodate them.

Putting their forte in event management and hospitality to good use, the hotel is also collaborating with SPD to organise birthday parties for trainees at SPD’s Sheltered Workshop every two months since April this year.

Hotel staff from the various departments come together to plan the birthday celebration at SPD. The executive chef also plans and prepares the lunch menu for the close to 100 trainees from the Sheltered Workshop.

“I am very happy to celebrate my birthday at SPD with Traders Hotel this year. I enjoyed the food and the staff volunteers were very helpful,” said Mdm Irene Kwa Geok Choo who celebrated her 57th birthday.

SPD looks forward to partnering Traders Hotel, Singapore, in enabling people with disabilities through employment and brightening up their days with special events and activities.

“Traders Hotel, Singapore is honoured to partner SPD as part of our CSR Embrace programme. In our quest to operate as a good corporate citizen, we strongly believe that everyone is entitled to be given equal opportunity to thrive in a society like ours. We will endeavour to work with SPD to enrich the quality of life for their clients as well as providing work opportunities and skills training in the hospitality industry,” Ms Tina Sim, general manager of Traders Hotel, Singapore.