Winning Secrets: How Public Service Division cracked the code on employee wellness
Summary
The Public Service Division (PSD) reframed employee wellness as a strategic advantage rather than a standalone programme. Led by Laetitia Yim (Director, People & Culture Group), PSD aligned wellbeing with organisational outcomes by embedding career wellness, multi-channel personal support and leader-led practices into everyday work.
PSD emphasised listening, experimentation and trust-building. One practical initiative — 3D (Defer, Drop, Do Differently) — shifted mindsets on sustainable workload by encouraging teams to reflect, prioritise and redesign work. The approach won PSD a gold for ‘Excellence in Corporate Wellness’ at the HR Excellence Awards 2025, Singapore.
Author style
Punchy: this interview is direct and practical — the takeaways are tactical and immediately usable for HR leaders looking to move beyond programmes to lasting cultural change.
Key Points
- Wellness was reframed as an organisational capability that aligns people outcomes with business priorities.
- PSD combined career wellness (pathways, resilience) with easy access to personal wellbeing support through multiple channels.
- The 3D initiative (Defer, Drop, Do Differently) helped normalise conversations about workload and prioritisation by encouraging experimentation and leader modelling.
- Efforts focused on listening, involving leaders early, and building trust across levels — not just launching more programmes.
- Results include stronger engagement, better retention and attraction, and cultural shifts towards sustainable pacing and clarity of purpose.
Context and relevance
As workplaces become more fragmented and demanding, PSD’s approach reflects a broader shift in HR: wellbeing must be integrated with how work is designed and how careers are managed. This is timely for organisations grappling with retention, burnout and the need for adaptable teams. PSD’s gold award shows these tactics are effective in practice, not just theory.
Why should I read this?
Short version: if you do HR, this is worth five minutes. PSD gives real-world, award-winning ways to stop treating wellness like a tick-box and start redesigning work so people actually thrive. Expect practical tips (hello, 3D) and a blueprint for getting leaders on board without fancy budgets.
