As Angela Wong, Director HR and HR leader reflects, technology may enable hybrid work, but intentional moments of connection are what help employees feel a genuine sense of belonging.
As hybrid work reshapes how employees collaborate and connect, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is focused on ensuring that flexibility does not come at the expense of workplace cohesion.
Following its recognition at the Employee Experience Awards 2026 – Singapore, where the team earned the Bronze awards for ‘Best Remote Work Strategy’ and ‘Best ESG Programme’, Angela Wong, Director HR and HR Leader, National Council of Social Service, sits with HRO todiscuss the challenges of building connection in a hybrid environment, what the recognition means to the team, and why HR must continue to rethink employee engagement for a changing workforce.
Read the full interview below.
QTell us about the biggest insight or lesson that influenced your EX approach this past year.
We start with the end in mind – how do we enhance connections, support, and purpose with the shift to hybrid work. We deliberately design platforms for collaborations, communications and engagement. We create opportunities or staff to mingle and connect with structured touchpoints, supported by digital tools and inclusive policies. We embark on design of employee service journeys, to understand and appreciate staff pain points, needs and expectations.
Q How did you bring leaders, managers, and employees together to support the execution and success of the initiative?
We view leaders, managers and employees as a closely connected collective, with strong alignment and support for each other to strive for the best for NCSS. Leaders demonstrate care and concern and set the tone for NCSS. Managers are empowered with flexibility and space to make decisions based on ground realities. Staff benefit from the initiative and are encouraged to be always on the look-out for peers and colleagues and adopt a give and take attitude. The trust and confidence in NCSS for leaders and managers to walk the talk and for staff to continue to deliver work outcomes and impact is central to the success of the initiative.
Q What challenge behind the scenes tested your team the most, and what did it teach you about building stronger employee experience programmes?
Technology is both an enabler and a challenge. The need to deepen emotional bonds of staff in NCSS is an existential challenge in implementing hybrid work. We continue to enable hybrid work with technology by providing seamless convenience to employees. In addition, we introduced structured interaction points and curated in-person gatherings to strengthen employee cohesion.
Q As you reflect on the journey, what this recognition at the Employee Experience Awards 2026 mean to you and your team?
We are happy to be recognised at the Employee Experience Awards 2026. This is a testament to the collective effort of NCSS to further our position as Employer of Choice. We will continue our trajectory and aspirations to do more for our employees and collectively, make NCSS Great Workplace.
QFinally, as employee expectations continue to evolve, what is one area of EX you believe HR teams will need to rethink in the year ahead?
We are witnessing unprecedented changes in the structure of the employment market. There is a new workforce with new dreams, expectations and needs. These are not the same as what we know of and are used to.
“As proactive HR, we will need to reimagine and recalibrate HR strategy and initiatives in employee engagement, to be able to attract and retain our fair share of talent and to continuously inject refreshed perspectives and insights to spur NCSS forward.”
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