September 2019
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Celebrate Great
» Celebrating Life 111 Years and Beyond
» It’s No Party If There’s No Ice Cream!
» 111 Years by Heritage, 23 Years in Indonesia
» Great Eastern LIVE GREAT Run 2019
» 3rd Quarter Leaders Communication Session 2019
Celebrate Partnerships
» ActiveSG: Partnering the Sporting Portal of the Nation
» Singtel Dash: GREAT Getaway Cover
» SNEF-SBF-B@W Partnership
» ASymposium 2019
» Great Eastern Life Indonesia Signed Agreement with Mayapada Healthcare
Celebrate Innovation
» ROSE Goes Digital
» Prestige Life Rewards 3 (SGD)
» Harapan Trio
» Great Treasure Assurance
Celebrate Customer-Centricity
» Celebrating Customer Service Week
Celebrate Community
» Giving the Gift of Life
» Storytelling Competition for Orang Asli Children
Celebrate Life
» Great Eastern Life Indonesia Launched Health Campaign for Employees
Celebrate Success
» Singapore - Mobile Excellence Award 2019
» Singapore - HR Awards
» Singapore - Higher Appointments
» Indonesia - Awards
Celebrate Great Offers
» Get More Rewards with UPGREAT, the All-in-One Rewards Platform
Click here for past TGT issues.
Celebrate Great
Celebrating Life 111 Years and Beyond
This August, we celebrate our 111th Anniversary with a plethora of celebratory activities across the region. Beyond turning 111 years old, we took the opportunity to reflect on what it really means to be the Life Company - our quest to understand the lives of our customers starts with understanding the hearts and minds of our people.
Setting the scene for our celebration was a special 111th anniversary feature wall at the Great Eastern Centre Foyer in Singapore where staff could send digital submissions of what the Life Company means to them. These were updated in real time and selected entries were featured proudly throughout the months of August and September. A staff survey was also launched and colleagues across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore were invited to join the discussion, share their views and help shape the culture and DNA of Great Eastern.
For the first time ever, the results were combined and displayed real-time at feature screens in Singapore and Malaysia and through a link for colleagues located in Indonesia and for everyone who are not stationed at the Headquarter offices. Singapore staff were treated to goodies like ice cream and popcorn over lunchtime, complete with fun snapshots from a slow motion photo booth to capture the revelry of the celebrations.
More information on the Culture Project and what it means to be the LIFE company will be announced soon. Stay tuned!
It’s No Party If There’s No Ice Cream!
GELM celebrated our 111th birthday celebration with a small get together and treated all employees to Baskin & Robbins ice cream. SMT members distributed the ice cream to staff upon their completion of the 111th anniversary survey and judging by these photos, we can tell everyone had a GREAT time!
To celebrate this important milestone, our Indonesian office was all decked out with the #HidupHarusGini (Life has to be like this) campaign, with window display stickers and bunting flags which featured 30 of our employees who have earned the highest LIFE Programme points by partaking in several healthy activities.
The celebration kicked off with a Town Hall with Clement Lien, President Director, giving a speech and “cutting the cone” (potong tumpeng, an Indonesian traditional dish to celebrate important events).
Employees were gifted with a personalised tumbler complete with their own #HidupHarusGini photo, wrapped with a #HidupHarusGini custom cup sleeve. Kopi Kenangan, currently one of the most famous local coffees in Jakarta and our digital affinity partners, was also there to add to our celebratory vibes. A personalised thank you card which was signed by all BOD, served as a form of personal appreciation for our employees’ dedication.
To cap it off, we also launched two innovative new products: Great Medical Care and Great Medical Assurance that aim to meet our customers’ medical needs at an affordable price with optimal benefits.
The Great Eastern LIVE GREAT Run 2019 brought thousands of eager runners to the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 17 August for an evening of healthy fun and family-friendly excitement!
Currently in its eighth year, the event returned this year with two categories. Seasoned runners were challenged to surpass their personal best in the signature 12KM LIVE GREAT Run. The delightful 5KM Triple Fun Run brought participants through three unique zones. A flurry of foam and bubbles awaited them in the Bubble Zone; the Water Zone saw friendly water gun showdowns between friends and family; and, for the first time since its induction, the Colour Zone featured the brand-new element of smooth, green slime.
The fun continued at the LIVE GREAT Carnival, where there were big inflatables, classic carnival games, and photo opportunities galore at picture spots such as a starry light tunnel and giant snow globe.
Participants and visitors alike also indulged in a host of local and international delicacies at the Carnival. In conjunction with Great Eastern Malaysia’s 111th anniversary, Great Eastern Life policyholders stood a chance to receive specially discounted food vouchers that entitled them to a wide selection of food at only RM1.10.
A mesmerising display of fireworks brought the event to a close, lighting up the night sky over the bustling stadium grounds.
3rd Quarter Leaders Communication Session 2019
The 3rd Quarter Leaders Communication Session was held at PLQ to provide an update on initiatives as well as introduce leaders to the new office.
During the session, Ben Tan, MD of Regional Agency/FA and Bancassurance, shared on the four key strategies to achieve our business goals. This includes growing manpower towards a productive force of 5,000, improving the financial of our force through product mix management, increasing penetration into the affluent segment (Prestige Partners) and improving “stickiness” with customers.
George Goh, Head of Agency, further shared on strategies to achieve greatness. He emphasised that by taking the first step, starting right and building steadily, we will definitely finish the year strong.
In recent years, we have also been working on digital tools to increase our business potential. With the comprehensive updates and numerous enhancements of our digital tools, this will enhance our representatives’ effectiveness and amplify Great Eastern’s sales as a whole.
Colin Chan, Head of Group Marketing, introduced our new Head of Agency Propositions and Portfolio Management, Mr Eddy Lim and new Head of A&H business, Mr David Yip. With the upcoming plans and strategies in place, we are confident that comprehensive protection strategy will be the key in bringing about sustainability and profitability for Great Eastern.
The session ended with an skit by the Great Family Care (GFC) team, headed by Glenn Yong, Head of Agency Business Development. With only weeks left to the GFC Campaign, let’s all do our best and bring Great Eastern sales to the next level!
Celebrate Partnerships
ActiveSG: Partnering the Sporting Portal of the Nation
We are excited to have partnered ActiveSG to launch its first in-app digital insurance plan for its members. The personal accident plan, aptly named Active Care, is available exclusively on the ActiveSG mobile app to more than 1.6 million users from 9 September 2019.
As the national movement for sport, ActiveSG believes in offering individuals, families and communities ample opportunities to experience the joy of living better through sport and an active lifestyle. Great Eastern supports this movement by offering members with Active Care to empower them towards an active lifestyle without worrying about accidents or injuries.
Members can get protected with just a few taps on the ActiveSG app. Personal details are automatically populated to maximise convenience without the hassle of filling up any forms. With an additional tap on the screen, members can also insure their children. The whole purchase journey is designed to be simple and seamless, making it user friendly for everyone.
For only S$9 a year, Active Care provides 24/7 protection of up to S$20,000 for accidental death / permanent total disability and reimbursements for medical expenses of up to S$200 for accidental injuries.
With every purchase of Active Care, members will earn rebates back into their ActiveSG wallet. This partnership also celebrates the spirit of giving and a S$1 contribution to the One Team Singapore Fund, to support local athletes in their training and competitions, will also be made for every purchase of Active Care.
Singtel Dash: GREAT Getaway Cover
In partnership with Great Eastern, Singtel Dash introduced a new feature on their mobile app on 10 September 2019 to enable customers travelling to neighbouring countries the convenience of purchasing travel protection directly on the app.
The plan, named GREAT Getaway Cover, is designed to provide 5 consecutive days of cover to 5 popular destinations – Thailand, Malaysia, Bintan, Batam and Bali – and includes 5 benefit coverages against accidental death and permanent total disability, emergency medical evacuation, medical expenses incurred overseas, loss of baggage and travel documents and trip cancellation.
Singtel Dash customers can easily purchase GREAT Getaway Cover directly on the Singtel Dash app and make payment with their Dash wallet. Priced competitively at S$9.50, customers also enjoy a 20% cashback with every purchase of GREAT Getaway Cover, for a limited time only.
Singtel Dash is available for everyone and not just Singtel customers. Check it out now!
As part of the collaboration with the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Great Eastern was invited as the sole insurer to participate in the “Recommendations of the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers” symposium held at Orchard Hotel on 28 Aug 2019, attended by 1,200 HR practitioners across various industries.
At the event, the Ministry of Manpower and Central Provident Fund Board presented the recommendations of the Tripartite Workgroup on older workers on raising the retirement age, re-employment age, CPF contribution rates, and promoting inclusive and progressive workplaces that value older workers.
In our part to promote inclusive and progressive workplaces, Great Eastern had repackaged our company’s LIFE Programme for commercial use, winning special mention at the Singapore HR Awards 2019 for Employee Engagement, Alignment and Workplace Harmony.
The Benefits@Worksite (B@W) complimentary Corporate Wellness Programme helps organisations engage with all levels of their staff through a variety of on-site activities such as annual medical screenings, health and wellness talks and workshops, sports and exercise activities, and corporate fitness challenges, promoting that healthy and happy employees lead to better productivity and stronger business performance for our corporate clients.
Great Eastern Life Malaysia is proud to be the strategic partner of ASymposium 2019, an actuarial conference and case study challenge that aims to not only provide students with the latest technological revolutions within the insurance industry, but also to bridge the skills gap between actuarial graduates and the industry’s needs.
In collaboration with Sunway Actuarial & Financial Excellence Society, the one-day event brought together more than 300 students across Peninsular Malaysia to Sunway University, where participants attended a variety of talks and panel discussions, featuring an impressive round-up of actuarial leaders across Malaysia.
The case study challenge, which ran concurrently with the actuarial conference, covered both Life and General insurance, where twelve teams of students contended with one another to earn the ‘Champion’ title in their respective categories, as well as a grand prize of RM2,000!
Congratulations to the winning teams, and kudos to our colleagues who dedicated their time to bring this event to life!
Great Eastern Life Indonesia Signed Agreement with Mayapada Healthcare
Coinciding with its 23rd anniversary, Great Eastern Life Indonesia signed a cooperation agreement with Mayapada Healthcare, one of the leading healthcare providers in Indonesia, to improve health service standards and contribute to the progress of the health service system in Indonesia.
Through this partnership, Great Eastern Life Indonesia's customers will receive more benefits when undergoing treatment at the Mayapada Healthcare hospital network. These include greater ease in administrative processes such as inpatient registration, during treatments and discharge from Mayapada Healthcare Group hospitals after undergoing hospitalisation, an upgrade in hospital room class at Mayapada Hospital Lebak Bulus and BMC Mayapada Hospital Bogor, as well as airport pickup facilities for patients who will be hospitalised.
"As an insurance company with the mission to make life better by providing financial security, promoting good health and more meaningful relationships, this collaboration is a tangible manifestation of that mission so that our customers can obtain optimal health services," said Clement Lien, President Director of Great Eastern Life Indonesia.
Jonathan Tahir, Group CEO of Mayapada Healthcare, said, "In line with our vision of being the first choice for health services known in the quality of service, Mayapada Healthcare consistently strives to improve the quality of health services, one of which is by partnering strategically with Great Eastern Life Indonesia . We hope that this strategic partnership can have a positive impact on Great Eastern Life Indonesia's customers."
ROSE needs no introduction within the OCBC family in Singapore. Staff from Great Eastern, Bank of Singapore, Lion Global Investors and OCBC group regularly approach her to enjoy special discounted staff rates for insurance coverage for themselves and their family members.
Since coming onboard 9 years ago, our friendly family staff purchase ambassador has witnessed Great Eastern grow from strength to strength and evolve with the times.
Many would remember the long queues at our Customer Service Centre for popular products. Now, with the introduction of online STP applications – staff no longer have to wait in line, and for those who need to meet with ROSE, GreatAdvice reduces the hassle of paperwork and amount of time and information needed to submit an application.
Since the introduction of GreatAdvice, ROSE has submitted over 120 cases to date, and when comparing GREAT220 (the first single premium product via STP application) against GREAT270 (hardcopy application), ROSE received 77.3% more STP applications during the same 1 day limited tranche period before the respective offers were withdrawn.
At Great Eastern, product innovation is in our DNA. That’s why we have designed a wide range of innovative products to suit the needs of our customers who are in different stages of their lives - from the masses such as new to workforce, parents with young kids and pre-retirees, to the mass affluent and high net worth.
Great Eastern Life Singapore recently launched a new wealth accumulation plan Prestige Life Rewards 3 (SGD), a single premium whole of life participating plan which offers customers a lifetime income and flexibility in managing their wealth. This plan also has a unique feature - a built-in step-up benefit which increases the total monthly payout every five years from the 4th policy anniversary till the 19th policy anniversary.
With the flexibility in managing their wealth, customers can either choose to receive a monthly payout to supplement their lifestyle, or accumulate it at the prevailing interest rate for higher returns to fund their retirement, or as part of the legacy planning for their loved ones.
In addition to helping customers accumulate their wealth, Prestige Life Rewards 3 (SGD) also provides lifetime coverage for death and terminal illness. Application is hassle-free as medical assessment is not required and acceptance is guaranteed.
Following the success of the award-winning i-Gr8 Harapan, Great Eastern Takaful Berhad launched Harapan Trio on 1 September 2019.
The plan comes with a three-pronged protection for individual, medical and critical illness needs as well as total and permanent disability, death and accidental death benefits.
To cover individual needs, i-Gr8 Harapan offers protection for just RM2 daily with coverage up to RM1 million.
It also comes with total and permanent disability benefit, death and accidental death benefits.
To cover medical needs, i-Great MediHarapan offers coverage until the age of 100 with no lifetime limit. There is also a 5% discount when family members take up the plan.
The third plan i-Great HarapanC110 covers 10 of the most critical illnesses including stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and cancer among others.
This trio plan provides a wholesome coverage that complements each other to ensure you and your family are well covered.
Visit here to learn more. The offer will end on 31 December 2019.
In conjunction with its 23rd anniversary, Great Eastern Life Indonesia launched Great Treasure Assurance together with its strategic partner Bank OCBC NISP - a product aimed at helping Indonesians with their financial planning, specifically for estate planning.
The event began with a talk show with Bambang Reguna Bukit, a famous Indonesian musician and entrepreneur, where he shared about his latest single with his mother and the importance of financial planning and protection for the family and business.
The talk show then continued with a discussion about the benefits of Great Treasure Assurance by Nina Ong, Director of Great Eastern Life Indonesia, and how it can provide financial security for one’s family. The key three benefits of the plan are that sign up is simple with premium payment only made once, provides sum insured of up to 40 times the single premium payment and customers will receive 100% premium back guarantee at age 65 years for retirement.
This was followed by an explanation by Vonny Wibowo from Bank OCBC NISP on why this product is suitable for customers from various age segments and how the plan provides diversification of products for the customers, especially for estate planning.
Celebrate Customer-Centricity
Celebrating Customer Service Week
Customer Service Week is an international celebration of the importance of customer service and of the people who serve and support customers on a daily basis and is celebrated annually during the first full week in October
This year, Group Operations celebrated Customer Service Week from 26 – 30 August 2019 in conjunction with Great Eastern’s 111th anniversary and had a great time interacting with our customers at our service centres.
Tay Tong (Head of Customer & Agency Touchpoints) and his team leaders Alicia Eng (Head, Call Centre) and Jessica Lim (Head, GEC Customer Service Centre) were at the Centre to engage the customers and show their appreciation through serving them drinks and cookies.
Every customer who visited the centre also received a card which allowed them to redeem a cup of orange juice from any iJooz machine islandwide.
Celebrate Community
In conjunction with Great Eastern’s 111th anniversary celebrations this year, we partnered with the Singapore Red Cross and hosted our first-ever blood donation drive on 13 September 2019.
The event was held at our newly-opened Paya Lebar Quarter Tower 3 office. The Great Eastern office, occupying 125,000 square feet, is situated on the top four floors of the 13-storey building. It consists of a customer service centre and agency offices and houses 1,400 financial representatives and corporate support staff.
The drive saw 142 donors coming forward to donate blood, of which a total of 88 units were collected. The donors consisted of Great Eastern’s employees, financial representatives, customers as well as the general public.
The first successful donor of the day was Jasmine Ng, Director of Financial Services at GELS. She said: “I had previously donated blood before so I am glad to be able to do so again to mark my 30th year in Great Eastern. This is my way of repaying the gratitude of people who had helped me in my career, and especially my parents who have encouraged and inspired me.”
Her advice to those who are keen to donate blood but are unsure if they are suitable donors – “Eat and live healthily and exercise regularly so that you can do your part to donate blood and help others!”
“As a Life Company, we are committed to making a difference in the lives of Singaporeans. This includes giving the life-saving gift of blood to those who need it,” said Colin Chan, Managing Director of Group Marketing, Great Eastern.
He added, “We hope to be able to continue our partnership with the Singapore Red Cross by encouraging regular blood donation among our employees and inspiring others to make a difference.”
Storytelling Competition for Orang Asli Children
On 7 September 2019, Great Eastern Takaful Berhad organised a storytelling competition for children of Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Gabong, Bentong, the village that we adopted as part of our CSR efforts in 2018.
The competition was held at Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, giving the families an opportunity to come to Kuala Lumpur for a leisurely day out.
Eleven children aged between 8 and 16 took part in the competition. It was truly heart-warming to see the children animate stories. Some of them were a picture of confidence when narrating their stories while some others needed the help of the facilitator to carry on. Through this, it was a lesson to all that children have different needs and we need to be able to determine and offer them the right kind of support to help them move ahead in life.
While the children were occupied with storytelling, the women from the community were upskilling themselves by learning how to create beautiful embroidery on jute bags and hats. Once they perfect their skill, they hope to be able to sell the items as a means to earn extra income to sustain their family needs.
The meaningful event was graced by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja Permaisuri Perak Darul Ridzuan Tuanku Zara Salim. Also in attendance was Shahrul Azlan Shahriman, GETB CEO and staff. Tuanku Zara was also given a short brief on the benefits of mySalam, the government national health protection scheme, by Shahrul.
Celebrate Life
Great Eastern Life Indonesia Launched Health Campaign for Employees
Great Eastern Life Indonesia launched a health campaign to support its employees’ health at the anniversary Town Hall.
In collaboration with Biotest as one of the hospital partners, eligible employees were encouraged to go for medical checkups as well as discuss their medical results with professional doctors from Biotest. Employees were also encouraged to go for other medical checks including influenza vaccine, uric acid test, GDS test, and dental check.
Through these medical checkups, employees were made more aware of their health status and the importance of keeping healthy. Human Capital also provided tension tools and weighing scales at the office pantries so they can be used regularly by employees.
To further promote health awareness, Human Capital also conducted a series of health talks for employees. The first health talk was on protecting heart health and received good response from the participants. The health talks will continues until the end of the year.
Fitness activities were also organised as part of the health campaign. The first activity was a vertical challenge where all employees were encouraged to climb the stairs from the lobby to the office instead of using the lift. Employees who participated in the activity received healthy snacks or drink as a boost to start the day.
Other exciting activities included body combat, zumba and a cross fit challenge. Each department sent representatives to compete with other departments in the challenge and these activities successfully motivated the employees to participate in sports and to improve their overall health.
Celebrate Success
Singapore
It was a great night at the Mobile Excellence Award 2019 for our Digital for Business team, who took home the Silver Award for Most Innovative Use of Mobile and Bronze Award for Best App – Financial Services and Best App – Customer Engagement.
Organised by Marketing Magazine, Mob-Ex Awards is a regional awards dedicated to reward leading organisations which have pushed their limits and achieved success on mobile platforms through sound and innovative mobile marketing strategies.
The champions for 2019 were chosen by a jury made up of senior digital marketing experts from brands across the region.
Thank you GETGREAT and UPGREAT members for your support! We will continue to improve and innovate to motivate people on their health and fitness journey and deliver exciting rewards.
August was an exciting and encouraging month for Group Human Capital as we were presented with three HR awards. Congratulations to all of us at Great Eastern as this award is truly for all of us, honouring and inspiring us in our journey to help our customers live their best life. This recognition can only be realised with each colleague committed to delivering the best value to our customers and putting them at the heart of all that we do. Thank you for helping us make life great!
- Top 100 Asia’s Best Employer Brands 2019, Employer Branding Awards
- Business HR Awards in Purpose-Driven, The Singapore HR Awards 2019
- Leading HR Practices (Special Mention) in Employee Engagement, Alignment and Workplace Harmony, The Singapore HR Awards 2019
Congratulations to Great Eastern Life Indonesia for receiving multiple awards across different segments:
- Top GRC 2019 #3 Stars, Top Governance, Risk & Compliance Award 2019
- Top Life Insurance (Asset Rp 3-5 Trillion) and Top CEO Life Insurance 2019, Top Life Insurance 2019 Award
- Significant Progress & Stellar Performance in Investment in Indonesia, Invest in Indonesia Award 2019
- The Best in Experiential Marketing and The Best Market Driving Company, Marketing Award 2019
- Top 3 Financial Performance For Life Insurance Company With Assets Between 2-5 T, Indonesia Best Insurance Award 2019
Celebrate Great Offers
Yoogane
Receive a S$10 return dining voucher, with min S$70 spent in a single receipt at Yoogane*.
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*Terms and conditions apply. Valid for redemption and utilisation by 24 Oct 2019.
Isaac Toast and Coffee
Get a FREE Ham & Cheese Toast worth S$4.50 with 5 stamps collected*.
Receive 1 stamp for every S$5 spent.
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*Terms and conditions apply. Valid for redemption and utilisation by 24 Oct 2019.