From left: FDAWU General Secretary Sankaradass S Chami, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan, and SHA First Vice-President Dawn Teo presenting the Employee of the Year 2026 to Peter Lim Hong Sing, a visually impaired hotel worker who embraces technology and industry change.
Steep learning curves are not new to Peter Lim Hong Sing, a visually impaired call centre operator at Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree.
However, joining the resort in March 2025 after spending 14 years in the social service sector proved to be his toughest yet.
After working in an environment preparing inmates for life outside prison, the 60-year-old had to adjust quickly to a much faster pace at Mandai Rainforest Resort. He also had to grapple with new digital tools while handling up to 100 calls a day from resort guests and members of the public.
To route calls to the relevant departments, the resort introduced several digital systems for Peter (pictured below) to submit and track requests, but he found them difficult to use.
Peter persevered and eventually found a solution that worked for him. Today, with the SARA mobile phone app with audio function, he can send guest requests directly to departments with just a few taps.
“I must try new technology. If I don’t try, how can I be sure I cannot do it? I don’t believe in saying cannot,” he said.
Peter is one of 93 outstanding hotel employees who received the Employee of the Year 2026 Award, presented by the NTUC-affiliated Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA).
The longstanding annual award, which recognises workers’ excellent performance and contributions to organisational success, is also supported by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
For the Employee of the Year 2026 award, hotel employers were encouraged to nominate workers who demonstrate future-ready qualities amid ongoing digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and changing guest expectations in the hospitality industry.
Judges assessed nominees on qualities such as embracing lifelong learning, adapting to new technologies and work processes, delivering outstanding guest experiences, and contributing positively to their teams and organisations.
Guest-of-honour NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan, FDAWU General Secretary Sankaradass S Chami, and SHA First Vice-President Dawn Teo presented the awards to the deserving recipients on 23 September 2026 at the NTUC Centre.
Mr Tan emphasised that “technology cannot replace the human touch”, adding that “hospitality workers remain at the heart of making guests feel welcome.”
He added that NTUC and FDAWU will continue to partner with hospitality employers to adopt technology, redesign jobs and help workers progress through the NTUC Company Training Committee initiative.
The award is open to non-managerial, rank-and-file or executive staff who have served their company for one year continuously.
As the hospitality industry transforms, Mr Sankaradass reinforced the union’s commitment to help workers and members like Peter thrive in their careers.
“Their stories remind us that every worker matters, and reflect FDAWU’s commitment to be for workers, with workers, standing alongside them as they build meaningful and rewarding careers,” he said.
As Peter continues to learn new technology to excel in his work, he remains open to a people-focused role in colleague relations or human resources.
“If the hotel decides to take in people from the Yellow Ribbon project, I’ll be willing to help prepare them for employment,” the union member said.
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