FAQs
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Q1 What is the TAA?
The TAA, conferred by the tripartite partners (namely MOM, NTUC and SNEF) celebrates organisations who excel in building fair and progressive workplaces and keep employees at the heart of their progress. Progressive employment practices are HR strategies, policies, programmes and practices that create and sustain an inclusive workplace. We recognise that when our employees find fulfilment in meaningful jobs and quality workplaces, they will also contribute more effectively to business results.
The TAA is managed by TAFEP on behalf of the tripartite partners.
There are 4 categories in the TAA:
- Fair and Progressive Employment Practices
- Work-Life Excellence
- Age Inclusive Practices
- Responsible Best Sourcing
The TAA presents an invaluable opportunity for employers to be recognised as one of the best organisations to work for in Singapore.
Q2 Who is in the judging panel for the Award?The independent judging panel comprises representatives from the tripartite partner agencies, academics and industry experts.
Q3 Are all organisations eligible to participate in this TAA?Yes, the TAA is open to all Singapore-based organisations, except the TAL and the tripartite partners (MOM, NTUC and SNEF).
Q4 How do I participate in the TAA?To participate in the TAA, please email TAFEP for the application forms at [email protected].
Q5 What are the eligibility criteria?Participating organisations must have:
- Adopted the required Tripartite Standards (denoted with *), and those relevant to the award category that they are applying for:
• Tripartite Standard on the Employment of Term Contract Employees*
• Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements*
• Tripartite Standard on Grievance Handling*
• Tripartite Standard on Recruitment Practices*
• Tripartite Standard on Age-Friendly Workplace Practices1
• Tripartite Standard on Procurement of Services from Media Freelancers2
• Tripartite Standard on Contracting with Self-Employed Persons3
• Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony4
1 Required for “Age Inclusive Practices” category in addition to those denoted with *
2 Required for “Responsible Best Sourcing” category for organisations that procure services from media freelancers in addition to those denoted with *.
3 Required for “Responsible Best Sourcing” category for organisations that procure services from self-employed persons in addition to those denoted with *.
4 Required for “Work-Life Excellence” category in addition to those denoted with *. - Completed the Fair & Progressive Employment Index (FPE Index)
In addition, participating organisations must ensure that they abide by the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) as the TAA recognises exemplary organisations that have effectively implemented fair, responsible and progressive employment practices.
Organisations should also check the pre-requisites of each category when choosing to participate in that category.Q6 Why do I have to adopt the Tripartite Standards?The Tripartite Standards are a series of good employment practices that are important for all employers to implement at their workplaces.
There are many benefits to having these good employment practices, such as:
- Meeting the needs of employees ‒ employees feel valued and are more motivated, leading to increased innovation and productivity.
- Improving employee retention and increasing productivity when there is a good retention of skills and talent.
- Accessing a wider talent pool as the public will know that your company has adopted good practices and is committed to their employees’ well-being.
Adopters of Tripartite Standards can display the Tripartite Standards logo, which helps them stand out as good employers and jobseekers and employees can easily identify them as preferred employers.
Employers are encouraged to adopt the required Tripartite Standards by the application submission deadline (Friday, 16 December 2022) to be considered for the award.
Q7 Can organisations participate in more than one category?Yes, organisations may participate in more than one category.
Organisations have to complete an application form for each award category they are participating in.
Should organisations subsequently be shortlisted, they would need to undergo a site visit for each respective award category for which they have been shortlisted.
Q8 If my organisation was a winner in an earlier TAA (2018 or 2021), can I still participate in other category(ies) for TAA 2023?You may consider taking part in the other award categories to benchmark your organisation’s practices against those of the other participating organisations.
Q9 How many award winners will there be? Is there a limit to the number of winners?There is no limit to the number of winners as the number of awards given out will depend on the number of participating companies and quality of organisations’ practices.
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Q10 What are the benefits of participating in the TAA?
Recipients of the TAA are recognised as employers of choice with fair, responsible and progressive practices.
The winners will:
- Be presented with an award trophy;
- Receive a report on the results of the Employee Opinion Survey for each shortlisted award category, which will allow the organisation to better understand their employees’ sentiments in these areas;
- Enjoy extensive media coverage and offered the opportunity to be featured in publications and newsletters;
- Be allowed to use the award logo for recruitment and publicity purposes; and
- Be invited to network with thought leaders and business leaders to share their exemplary practices.
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Q11 What is the application timeline?
To participate in the TAA, organisations must submit their completed application forms between Monday, 31 October 2022 to Friday, 16 December 2022 (both dates inclusive). Organisations may email TAFEP at [email protected] for the application forms.
The completed application form(s) along with a copy of the FPE Index results must be sent to TAFEP via email at [email protected].
Incomplete forms as well as those received after Friday, 16 December 2022 will not be considered.
Q12 How do I nominate my employer for the TAA?Employees whose organisations have good practices and have benefited from such practices can encourage your employers to participate in this Award. Please invite your organisation to request applications forms from TAFEP via email at [email protected].
Note that the application period is from Monday, 31 October 2022 to Friday, 16 December 2022 (both dates inclusive).Q13 Is there an application fee for the TAA?No, there are no fees involved in the participation of the TAA.
Q14 What is the award assessment process?Organisations are shortlisted for site visits based on the strengths of their applications, followed by a final assessment by the panel of judges to determine the winners. Please refer to Q23 to Q26 on Site Visits.
Q15 Why must participating organisations complete the Fair & Progressive Employment Index (FPE Index)?Employers who wish to participate in the Award must complete the FPE Index and submit a copy of their results together with the application form(s). The FPE Index will provide assessors with insights into the organisation’s values and culture. It also provides the organisation with national and industry-level benchmarks. To complete the FPE Index, please visit https://fairprogressive.sg/
The responses provided to the FPE Index will be validated with your employees as part of the assessment process should you be shortlisted.
The FPE Index must be completed in 2022 i.e. if you have completed the FPE Index before 1 January 2022, you are required to take the FPE Index again and submit your results.
Q16 Who needs to complete the questionnaire on human capital practices?Shortlisted organisations will have to complete the questionnaire on human capital practices and submit the completed questionnaire to TAFEP prior to the site visit. This questionnaire on human capital practices should be completed by the Business Leader and Human Resource Leader to provide additional information on the organisation’s human capital practices, which will be taken into account in the award assessment.
Q17 What are the assessment criteria for the TAA?Companies will be assessed on their management strategy in each category and how the leadership is committed to this strategy. We are also looking at the extent and consistency in the end-to-end implementation of the strategy, how this strategy has helped your organisation and workforce to make progress as employees and individuals.
Organisations should demonstrate how they value their workforce and also facilitate the progress of their workforce through their practices in these key areas namely:
- Business case for implementing the strategies and practices of respective award categories
- Management commitment demonstrated toward enabling the success of implementation
- Range and extent of the various policies, programmes and communications to facilitate consistent implementation and sustainability
- Effectiveness of the strategies and programmes
- Commitment to continuous improvement
The specific criteria for each award category will vary. To know more about the different TAA categories, please click here.
Q18 What should I include in the application form, and is there a time period for which the fair, responsible and progressive employment practices are assessed?The Award application is a snapshot of all your organisation’s good practices today in the respective award categories. We encourage you to include relevant examples and practices that reflect the current policies, programmes and practices in the organisation. These should include efforts over the past two years as well as on-going initiatives and programmes. For policies, programmes and initiatives that have been implemented more than two years ago, but are still relevant today, you may share how these have evolved over the years to demonstrate your commitment to enhance your practices on an ongoing basis.
Information about your future plans and enhancements for the next year may also be included in your submission
Q19 What if further supporting documents are required? How much notice is given for the organisation to submit these documents?The completed application form(s) together with a copy of the FPE Index results must be submitted before applications close on Friday, 16 December 2022.
Incomplete submissions and submissions received after Friday, 16 December 2022 will not be considered.
If you are shortlisted for site visit and additional documents are required in the course of the assessment, you will be advised and given at least five working days to prepare the documents prior to your site visit. Please refer to Q25 on Site Visits.
Q20 The application form collects information on the other awards that my organisation has received and other national initiatives we have been involved in. Why do you only look back at the last 2 years for these awards?This information will help the judging panel to better understand the value that your organisation places on continuously improving the working environment for your workforce and provide useful information on the effort and outcomes of the various employment/people-related awards and initiatives that your organisation has embarked on.
Organisations are to provide the most updated awards which they have received in the last 2 years.
Q21 The application form has a section on Leadership and Workplace Advocate. Is this mandatory?In the TAA, we also want to recognise individuals for their contributions in each specific award category, in particular, senior management staff or workplace leaders who have actively contribute to the award category. However, this is optional; not having a nominee will not impact the organisation’s standing in the category.
Q22 How are the Leaders and Workplace Advocates judged?The Leadership Award recognises senior management (Directors and above) who have made exceptional contributions in the respective award category areas, and their deep commitment and outstanding leadership to create an inclusive workplace.
The nominee will be judged on the following:
- Exemplary leadership in the respective award category areas
- Extent of influence and inspiration in the particular award area towards its goals
- Commitment and contribution (including championing or spearheading programmes and initiatives) to the positive impact within and/or outside of the organisation.
The Workplace Advocate Award recognises middle management and supervisors who have been effective contributors and change agents in the respective award category areas, and have successfully operationalised and enabled their organisation’s strategies, plans and initiatives in this area.
The nominee will be judged on the following:
- Successful transformation and enablement of the implementation of the organisation’s employment practices in the respective award category areas
- Positive impact within and/or outside of the organisation
Only nominees whose organisations are shortlisted will be eligible for the individual award. Assessment will take place during site visits.
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Q23 Are all organisations required to host a site visit?
Only organisations that have been shortlisted will be required to host a site visit for the respective award category(ies). Site visits will be conducted by experienced consultants commissioned by TAFEP.
Q24 When will the site visits be conducted and how much notice is given to the shortlisted organisation?Site visits will be conducted from March 2023 to May 2023. The Award organisers will contact the shortlisted organisations to schedule the site visits on a mutually convenient date and time, as far as possible.
All shortlisted organisations who wish to proceed must meet the requirements of the site visit which are part of the assessment process.
Q25 How long will each site visit take and what is required by the organisations?Organisations can be finalists of more than one category of the TAA. Note that separate focus group discussions will be conducted for each category for finalists in multiple categories, while the Employee Opinion Survey and interviews with management will be consolidated. This is to ensure that the assessment process retains its robustness. All components of the site visit will be conducted in one work location/office and completed within the same day.
Each site visit is expected to take about 2 hours for one category of award, depending on the size of the organisation.
During the site visit, there will be:
(a) Senior Management Interview
The senior management representative should be in a leadership role, e.g. Director and above, preferably in a non-HR role.
Your Business Leader and Human Resource (HR) Leader must complete a questionnaire on human capital practices prior to the interview. This is to provide more information on your organisation’s human capital practices, which will be taken into account in the award assessment.
(b) HR interview
The HR Leader will be interviewed during the site visit to provide further information on statements made. To demonstrate commitment towards fair employment practices, organisations will undergo a document review and to verify quantitative and/or qualitative data provided in the awards application form. To facilitate the review during site visits, shortlisted organisations are required to prepare documents such as job advertisement, job application form, job interview form and documents communicating key employment terms beforehand.
(c) Employee Opinion Survey (applicable only if it is administered on-site)
(d) Employee Focus Group Discussion
Employees across the different demographics will be randomly selected to participate in a short focus group discussion. Depending on the staff strength, between 3-10 employees will be selected.
Your organisation will be informed of the selected employees in advance to facilitate the process of ensuring that they can participate in focus group discussion. If an employee fails to turn up on the actual day, your organisation is required to look for a replacement with a similar demographic profile to ensure that the responses are representative.
(e) Workplace Advocate/Leadership nominee Interview
The shortlisted nominee(s) for the Leadership and/or Workplace Advocate Awards, if applicable, will be interviewed on the same day.
Q26 How will the Employee Opinion Survey (EOS) be administered and how many employees are expected to participate?There are two ways to administer the EOS: either online or on-site administration during the site visit.
To ensure that the responses are representative and accurately reflect employee sentiments, organisations must meet the required number of employees to be surveyed as follows, based on staff strength and mode of administration:
Organisations are strongly encouraged to use the online survey to minimise logistics and to facilitate response time and analysis. This must be completed by the week of your organisation’s site visit.
Should the shortlisted organisation opt for the on-site survey, the organisation will need to provide a list of all your employees, including names, designations, departments and basic demographic information for selection. The information provided will be kept confidential and used only for the purpose of ensuring that the respondent sample accurately represents the different employee groups within your organisation.
If an employee fails to turn up on the actual day, your organisation is required to look for a replacement with a similar demographic profile to complete the survey during the site visit to ensure that the responses are representative.
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Q27 Who can I contact if I have further questions about the TAA?
Please email
[email protected] if you have further questions about the TAA.