The Pursuit of Happiness

(Left) Melvyn Pek, Butler at Crockfords Tower at Resorts World Sentosa and (right) Paul Simon, Cook with Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa are both winners of this year’s FDAWU/NTUC/SHA ‘Employee of the Year’ Award (Individual Award)

One gets to hobnob with the glitterati of Asia and visit Singapore’s best attractions. The other is constantly surrounded by the delectable delights of buffet feasts daily. To many, these are perks in life. To Melvyn Pek, 27; and Paul Simon, 23, it is all in a day’s work. Melvyn is a Butler at Crockfords Tower at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) while Paul is a Cook with Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa. Both have performed so outstandingly at work that they have won this year’s FDAWU/NTUC/SHA ‘Employee of the Year’ Award (Individual Award).

“I’m an active person so I love this job because it allows me to always be on the go. To me ‘what goes around comes around’ so I believe in having a positive attitude and being friendly,” says Melvyn.

Paul agrees, “Being friendly and helpful can make a lot of difference not just for our guests but our colleagues as well. I believe service with a smile can change someone’s day.”

The Awards are part of an annual Productivity Seminar organised by the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) with support from the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers’ Union (FDAWU) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Started in 1985, it recognises exemplary employees who have gone the extra mile in providing service, and increased productivity at their workplaces.

Be Our Guests

As a Butler at Singapore’s first integrated resort, Melvyn is more than just a pair of helpful hands.

“I have to know all about RWS and its attractions as well as be familiar with the facilities available at Crockfords Tower and the wide selection of services we provide so that I can assist our guests. I also know how to do room service and fruit replenishment.”

Melvyn sometimes takes on the role of a tour guide as well, and being very familiar with the grounds of RWS, he has led many VIP tours to help introduce the resort attractions. Beyond providing the standard maps, brochures, and visitor information, he also checks up on the weather forecast for the day and supplies sun block, sunglasses, umbrellas, and bottled water.

“Most of the activities are outdoor ones and I want them to enjoy themselves. By putting a bit more effort into details, I can avoid disappointment and ensure that they have a good experience,” he explains.

Some days, he plays detective, too.

“I once had a Taiwanese guest who took someone else’s luggage from the airport by mistake. I called the airport, tracked down the luggage, and returned it to the guest,” recalls Melvyn who has been a Butler for four years.

Being helpful is so much a part of his nature that even when he is not clocking in the hours, he is still rendering excellent service to others. During one lunch break, he helped a six-year-old boy from another hotel who had gotten lost. On one of his days off, he came to the aid of some visitors who could not find their resort in Sentosa. He even stopped to help a man whose umbrella had been snagged on the escalator.   

“My grandfather named me 友善 which means ‘friendly’. I’m just living up to the name.”

For his efforts, he won the 2014 Singapore Service Gold The National Kindness Award.

“It makes me happy to make others happy,” says Melvyn.

Paul is someone who believes in the same mantra. As a Cook responsible for preparing and setting up his resort’s Intercontinental breakfast buffet, he is keenly aware that his job is more than just providing sumptuous meals.

“I like to chat with our guests and find out how they feel about the food and how they are doing because their opinion is very important to me. My job satisfaction comes from the smiles on their faces,” he says.

 One for the Team

Paul never fails to cook up a storm with a smile on his face

Paul’s enthusiasm for people does not stop at the guests. As a co-worker he is a team player who can always be counted on to deliver excellent performance with a smile. He voluntarily took the night shift duties so his colleagues could spend more time with their families. Once when the chef at the resort’s Colleague Restaurant responsible for providing meals for all the staff fell ill and everyone working the night shift had no meals, Paul rallied a few of his colleagues to step in and take over the kitchen. On another occasion when there was a great influx of guests at breakfast, Paul took the initiative to put in extra hours well past his shift to chip in.

“I believe our prime purpose in life is to help others. I simply did what I could to make things better,” says Paul who has been a Cook for two years.

“To me, this is what excellent service is about – being friendly and helpful to guests and colleagues alike.”

Like Paul, Melvyn has also been doing his part for his colleagues. Over and above his daily duties, he assists his Team Leader in training new colleagues in a buddy system.

“When I was new, all my colleagues helped me. I just want to do the same and pass on what I have learnt.”

Think Ahead 

Ever on the lookout to be and do better, Melvyn has also invented a device to make work for his team more productive. He designed a magnetic snap buckle device to help keep the door of the ice machine in place, which won him the 2014 RWS WSH-Novation Merit Award.

“The ice machine used to have a flip door which requires one person to hold up so another can collect the ice. Many of us have been hit by the door as it falls. So I did some research to solve this problem,” says Melvyn.

“There is a line from the movie ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ that goes: don’t ever let someone tell you you can’t do something. That really struck me and has been motivating me since.”

A positive attitude, a heart for others, and a passion for what they do – Melvyn and Paul certainly exemplify all that is best in an employee.

“When I serve our guests, I always do it with a smile. Smiling is a universal language and happiness is contagious.” concludes Paul.