Amgen Singapore Manufacturing Recognized as one of Singapore’s Best Workplaces

SINGAPORE (December 22, 2020) – Amgen Singapore Manufacturing is proud to be named and ranked 5th as one of Singapore’s Best Workplaces™ by the Great Place to Work® Institute. This recognition is a first for Amgen Singapore and the second consecutive year that the biotechnology pioneer has achieved both the Great Place to Work® and Great Place to Learn™ certification status.

The Best Workplaces recognises top organisations dedicated to sustaining high-trust cultures for their staff. These workplaces are distinguished by their extraordinary levels of trust, respect, pride, and camaraderie. Amgen Singapore has improved its employee rankings, with 82% of its workforce rating the company as a Great Place to Work and in achieving over 90% for overall workplace culture and contributions to the community¹

“Our strong culture is what makes Amgen a special place to work. The pandemic has tested us and we’re proud our employees have risen to the challenge. These certifications are positive affirmations that we are on the right track in creating a progressive workplace that unlocks the best in our people. It is truly an honour and a reflection of the fantastic team we have in Singapore,” said Emily Razaqi, Vice President, Amgen Singapore Manufacturing.

“As a global company, Amgen enjoys the diversity of cultural and individual perspectives held by its staff. The company also runs various initiatives to improve its workplace offerings and to proactively connect and engage its workforce. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, Amgen Singapore remained committed to deliver for our patients, to keep our staff and their families safe, informed and engaged while lending a helping hand to support our local communities²."

Added Jessica Simpson, Human Resources Director, Amgen Singapore Manufacturing, “Amgen not only takes pride in being an industry-leading, family-friendly place to work but also in building a relevant and agile workforce that consistently empowers our talents to achieve their career aspirations. By providing a supportive, diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and included, we are able to create a vibrant workplace that brings out the best in our talents.”

In addition to the three recognitions, Amgen Singapore has received a host of national, industry and community outreach awards in 2020, a further testament to Amgen’s commitment to creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture and in helping the communities.

1. Workplace Safety and Health Award: An annual national award initiative organized by the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council and the Ministry of Manpower, the WSH Awards recognizes companies that have performed well in safety and health through the implementation of sound safety and health management systems and for achieving excellence in workplace safety and health. A prestigious award with only 46 companies recognized in 2020, this is the second time Amgen has won this award.

2. Straits Times Singapore’s Best Employers 2020: For the first time, The Straits Times and market research firm Statista presented the 150 most attractive employers in Singapore for companies with at least 200 employees here. The ranking is based on an extensive survey of more than 8,000 employees and over 160,000 evaluations who rated their employer anonymously on a series of questions. Recognized for the first time, Amgen is ranked 97 out of 150 as one of Singapore’s Best Employers for 2020.

3. Champions of Good 2020: The Champions of Good is a national recognition by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC)’s Company of Good that is awarded to exemplary socially responsible organizations that are committed to amplifying the impact of their corporate giving efforts and in influencing business stakeholders to do good together for the society. To date, NVPC has conferred a total of 74 unique Champions of Good since the program started in 2017. This is the first award recognition for Amgen.

4. Community Chest Awards (Community Spirit Gold): The Community Chest Awards is a platform where community partners are recognized and appreciated for their generous acts of giving and holistic caring in the social service sector. For 2020, this award also appreciates partners who have supported and provided relief to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

5. AmCham CARES Distinction Award: The AmCham CARES Distinction Award recognizes companies in Singapore with outstanding programs that have demonstrated a strong understanding of the link between responsible business operations and positive societal impact, and that conduct business in a way that creates both long-term economic and social value for Singapore. This is the first Distinction award for Amgen since being recognized with the AmCham Cares Award in 2019.

¹ https://www.greatplacetowork.com.sg/certified-companies/amgen/
² Refer to Appendix C

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About Amgen

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology. Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's  lives.  A  biotechnology  pioneer  since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential. For more information, visit www.amgen.com, www.amgen.com.sg, and follow us on Twitter.

About Great Place to Work® Institute

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace experience. It boils down to trust. Great Place to Work helps organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Emprising™, their culture management platform, empowers leaders with the surveys, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Their unparalleled benchmark data is used to recognize Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in the U.S. and more than 60 countries, including those on the 100 Best Companies to Work For® and World’s Best lists published annually by Fortune. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All™.

To learn more, visit greatplacetowork.com, listen to the podcast Better by Great Place to Work and read A Great Place to Work for All. Join the community on LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, Twitter.com and Instagram

Great Place to Work® Institute Singapore established its presence in Singapore since late 2014. Since then, the Singapore office has been the regional hub partnering organizations with operations across the Asia Pacific region.

Amgen, Singapore | Mindy Chee, +65 6675-0754 (media)
Edelman, Singapore | Lim Min Qi, +65 6494-1404

Appendix A: Photos
Appendix B: Potential Staff Interview Feature

Appendix C: Information on Amgen’s intiatives to support employees during COVID-19

APPENDIX A: PHOTOS

APPENDIX B: POTENTIAL INTERVIEW PROFILE

Jermaine Ho

Manufacturing Manager, Biologics Manufacturing
Amgen Singapore Manufacturing

Like many parents, the COVID-19 pandemic had caught us all in a difficult predicament, tasked with making challenging decisions about our family and career daily. As a working mum of a 3-year-old girl and a newborn due soon then, I was especially appreciative of the efforts and excellent maternity benefits Amgen Singapore Manufacturing had provided to support working parents like myself.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was given the option to work from home (WFH) until my delivery to minimize any unnecessary exposure to the virus. Since returning to work, I have been on rotational work pods. This flexibility allows me to spend more quality time with my newborn. My manager also regularly checks-in with me to ensure all is well. There were occasions where I had to take urgent time off and she was very understanding and reassured me that I could work remotely or take more time off if needed. When back in the office, I was able to nurse comfortably in the dedicated mothers’ rooms which is adequately equipped for nursing mothers.

My kids are also having fun with the multiple care packs that Amgen had distributed to ensure the safety and well-being of staff and our loved ones. From hygiene items such as masks, hand sanitizers to family-friendly games and virtual activities, my family had played many rounds of pick-up sticks and Jenga – of which, they are now prized possessions in my daughter’s toy box.

In this challenging year, Amgen has gone the extra mile to support its staff. These gestures took a huge load off me and allowed me to focus on what is important and to experience the joys of motherhood. Thank you, Amgen, for being so caring and thoughtful. Amgen’s inclusive culture makes it a Great Place to Work!

APPENDIX C: KEY AMGEN SINGAPORE MANUFACTURING INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT EMPLOYEES DURING COVID-19

Amgen remains committed to doing everything we can to deliver for patients, to keep our staff and their families safe and to help the communities where we live, and work reduce the number of people exposed to the virus.

1. Staff Safety and Ergonomics: To support employees who are working from home, Amgen implemented an interactive ergonomics learning and risk assessment program, which is complemented with a loaner support program. Staff are personally connected to a Safety Officer for a thorough ergonomics assessment to address and support their needs. Upon assessment, ergonomics equipment and peripherals are delivered and installed at staff’s homes. Close to 100% of Amgen’s WFH staff have benefitted from this program.

2. Providing Home Front Support: To alleviate the burden on staff who are working parents, are supporting aging parents or have children on home-based schooling during Circuit Breaker, Amgen conducted various virtual activities catering to different age groups such as magic shows, storytelling, art and crafts, balloon sculpting, healthy cooking demonstrations, and virtual fitness sessions. Amgen has also to-date delivered 7 rounds of care packs containing essential hygiene, health food, mental well-being, and family-friendly items to engage staff and their families.

3. Flexible Working Policy: To support Amgen’s philosophy of employee work-life harmony, Amgen implemented the Flextime Policy to enable staff and teams to have more flexibility in their work times and to strike a better balance between work and personal commitments without impacting their work efficiency and productivity.

4. Medical and Mental Health Support: Cognizant that staff may be going through stress and anxiety, Amgen ramped up its efforts to remove stigma relating to mental health and increased access and resources to support staff in achieving work-life harmony. This was achieved through a variety of mental health virtual events hosted with certified external mental health vendors and the provision of 3 additional days of paid mental breaks.

5. Empowering our People Managers and Leaders: Amgen provided a host of resources for people managers to assist their teams with navigating this period of dynamic change. In addition to frequent callouts for leaders to be empathetic to changes in their staff and to demonstrate understanding by creating time and space to listen to staff’s concerns, Amgen also curated a set of leadership training sessions to equip leaders with the skills they need to show vulnerability, have courageous conversations, and facilitate regular virtual team-building exercises.

6. Breaking Silos and Social Isolation: Amgen implemented an automated platform that creates connections between staff across different functions and levels with a unique matching platform for staff to build stronger working relationships and prevent social isolation.

7. Supporting and Serving the Community Amgen donated towards the Singapore Courage Fund to provide relief to vulnerable frontline workers and families affected by COVID-19. We also distributed 2,000 care packs containing personal hygiene products and health food items to our local healthcare and frontline workers. Through our online charity challenges, we further matched donations from staff and their families to support the Foodbank and Lion Befrienders.

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