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Every morning, Mr Rafael Tan starts work at a different pantry in the Singapore Pools building. Over coffee, he chats with colleagues and gathers feedback on how they are using these office spaces.
As the gaming company’s assistant manager of workplace and sustainability engineering, the pantry is one of the spaces Mr Tan plans. He is working on the company’s Workplace 2.0 project, a floor-by-floor reimagining of the Singapore Pools building. Beyond a cosmetic upgrade, it involves shaping the physical workspace around various department needs.
In one case, semi-enclosed pods installed as a temporary measure became a permanent feature after managers found them ideal for private appraisal conversations with staff.
“We want employees to be proud of this workplace and find joy in coming to work,” says the 38-year-old engineer.
Mr Tan’s day-to-day role is in facilities management within the Singapore Pools building and across its 80 retail outlets islandwide, where his team responds to maintenance calls ranging from faulty air-conditioning systems and equipment breakdowns to worn-out fittings.
He has also taken his work into the community, overseeing the redevelopment of Serangoon Central Village. With Singapore Pools appointed as the master tenant, Mr Tan worked with the Housing Board and grassroots organisations to turn the area into a community hub featuring a wet market and a youth space run by TOUCH Community Services.
He says: “Such community projects showed me that my work has real value, and that drives me to keep going.”
Now, his focus has shifted to anticipating problems before they happen – from retrofitting energy-efficient chillers to installing a smart dashboard that monitors energy, water and air quality in real time.
Such efforts have helped the Singapore Pools building achieve the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Platinum certification. In 2025, it was also recognised as one of the Outstanding Green Mark 20th Anniversary Building Projects for its long-term commitment to sustainability.
From retrofitting energy-efficient chillers to installing a smart monitoring system for energy, water and air quality, Mr Rafael Tan has helped Singapore Pools achieve BCA’s Green Mark certification.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POOLS
For Mr Tan, a father to a one-year-old boy, sustainability is not just a professional pursuit but a personal quest to leave things in a better state for the next generation.
Singapore Pools has invested in that ambition. The company funded Mr Tan’s BCA Green Mark professional accreditation and a sustainability certification from Singapore Management University.
Ms Debbie Ng, senior director of people and culture, says: “When staff understand why they do what they do, they want to grow. Our role is to support that growth and invest in where they want to go.”
This is made possible in part by the Singapore Pools Academy, the company’s dedicated training arm, which takes a two-way approach to lifelong learning: top-down learning road maps in areas such as digital skills and generative AI, and self-directed learning where staff identify their own gaps and sign up for external courses.
Since 2021, more than 55,000 training places have been taken up, with the oldest participant being 68 years old.
“It doesn’t matter if someone is 25 or nearing retirement – when they want to learn, we’re there,” says Ms Ng.
For these reasons and more, Singapore Pools has been named one of Singapore’s best employers in 2026, in a list compiled by global research firm Statista in collaboration with The Straits Times.
Singapore Pools’ emphasis on lifelong learning has opened up new career paths for its employees. One example sits within Mr Tan’s own team: a 54-year-old colleague who joined the company as an audio-visual technician, then earned his licensed electrical worker qualification with support from Singapore Pools Academy, before rising to lead the air-conditioning maintenance team.
Seeing his potential, Mr Tan encouraged him to go even further, nominating him for courses in facilities management and carbon emissions assessment. Today, the colleague also serves as a project manager overseeing the renovation of two backup sites designed to keep operations running during disruptions.
Mr Tan says: “Whether you’re new or well into your career, there are always opportunities to upskill, grow, and take your next step forward.”
