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Helping Singapore age well: How this company supports employees and the wider community

From providing nutritional support for older employees to encouraging staff to volunteer with seniors, Nestle Singapore is embedding care into both its workplace and the communities it serves

When Ang Chong Kiat signed up for a volunteer session at an Active Ageing Centre, he expected to guide seniors through adaptive sports such as ladder ball and disc golf. These are familiar sports adapted for people with different mobility levels.

Little did he know that the roles would be reversed.

Some of the seniors began showing the volunteers how to improve their techniques, while others cheered them on and encouraged one another. What Ang had expected to be an afternoon of lending a hand soon felt more like a gathering among friends.

“I was heartened by the sense of community there,” says the 30-year-old human resources manager at Nestle Singapore.

“It felt like we were a group of friends playing sports and enjoying each other’s company, and that’s what I believe healthy ageing looks like. More than just looking at physical health, it’s also about feeling valued, being engaged and not being forgotten.”

Such volunteer experiences have given Ang a deeper appreciation of Nestle Singapore’s approach to healthy ageing, which combines nutrition with opportunities for seniors to stay active and connected.

Rajat Kumar Jain, managing director of Nestle Singapore, says: “Healthy ageing is about more than living longer. It is about helping seniors maintain their health, mobility, independence and quality of life as they age.”

Nestle Singapore’s efforts have earned recognition from the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre as a Champion of Good, its highest tier of recognition (see sidebar).

A culture of creating positive impact

For Nestle Singapore, being named a Champion of Good by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) marks the latest step in its efforts to create a positive impact on communities, people and the environment.

The company, which received the Company of Good – 3 Hearts recognition in 2024, was among 481 organisations recognised by NVPC this year. Champion of Good is the highest recognition conferred on organisations for their commitment to corporate purpose and contributions across the five impact areas of people, society, governance, environment and economic.

Since 2024, the recognised companies have contributed nearly $384 million in donations, over $85 million in donations in-kind, and over 1.1 million volunteer hours.

Nestle Singapore’s managing director Rajat Kumar Jain says: “Being recognised as a Champion of Good is a meaningful milestone for us and it reflects the efforts of our employees, community partners and stakeholders. We see it as encouragement to continue doing more and doing better.”

Building a culture of giving

Nestle Singapore works with community organisations and engages its employees to extend its impact beyond the workplace.

Through partnerships with organisations such as Willing Hearts, Ang and his colleagues have rolled up their sleeves to prepare, pack and deliver meals for vulnerable groups. The company also donates food surpluses to Food Bank Singapore for redistribution through its beneficiary network.

At the Red Cross Home for the Disabled, Nestle Singapore’s donations have allowed kitchen staff to prepare a wider variety of nutritious and comforting meals for residents, many of whom require texture-modified diets.

The donations have helped staff “prepare meals more creatively without compromising nutritional standards,” says Glynn Maung, senior operations manager at the Red Cross Home for the Disabled.

“Residents have also expressed that they enjoy the improved taste and variety of the meals,” adds Maung.

Rajat says that much of Nestle Singapore’s community impact begins with empowering its own people.

One way it does this is by making volunteering accessible for employees. For example, employees can volunteer during work hours while the one-day Nestle Volunteer Leave gives them the flexibility to pursue causes close to their hearts.

The culture is led from the top, as leaders also “walk the talk”, says Ang. “When we organise volunteering activities, our leaders are there too. For example, I remember our managing director joining us at Willing Hearts, and that reinforces how giving back is something the company genuinely believes in,” he adds.

Supporting healthy ageing

Besides supporting the wider community, Nestle Singapore also invests in the well-being of its own employees, including older members of its workforce. One such group is its team of merchandisers, most of whom are above 50.

For 60-year-old merchandiser Aileen Chow, her day involves tasks such as replenishing stock and setting up promotional stands. In the course of her work, she also walks an average of 10,000 to 13,000 steps each day.

Recognising the physical demands of the job, Nestle Singapore gave each of the merchandisers a six-month supply of Enercal Complete last year – a nutritional supplement that contains 34 key nutrients to support strength and mental alertness.

Chow has since incorporated the supplement into her daily routine, often mixing it with her coffee. Looking after her nutritional needs while continuing to work is part of her way of staying active, she explains.

Good nutrition is one of the pillars of healthy ageing, alongside other healthy lifestyle habits, adds Zeng Pindar, an application group manager at Nestle Singapore with a background in food technology.

Although older adults may eat less, their nutritional needs do not necessarily diminish, he says. Citing a local screening study that found nutritional deficiencies in 18 per cent of adults aged 50 and above, Zeng adds that nutrition supports muscle strength, mobility, immunity and energy levels.

“As the nation ages, healthy ageing is an area where we believe we can make a meaningful contribution through our expertise in nutrition, our partnerships and our people,” says Rajat.

For Ang, that contribution comes to life during the afternoons he spends volunteering alongside his colleagues. These experiences have shown him that helping seniors age well often takes a collective effort.

“Businesses are part of the communities we operate in, and it’s important that we stay close to them,” says Ang.

“By giving back, we give our colleagues the chance to do something meaningful. In the end, everyone benefits – the community, the company and our employees.”