Like many ‘A’ Level graduates, young Lim Zhen was unsure about her choice of future career. She had always believed that the future would take care of itself. Eventually, she saw the value of planning ahead and having a concrete goal, choosing to take up a scholarship that would allow her a career with an organisation she resonated with. I personally believe in the value of investing in one’s health and chose to take up the HPB mid-term scholarship. It’s really a privilege to be able to work on something that I believe in, Lim Zhen shares.

Her scholarship paved the way for her current role as Manager in HPB’s Workplace Health and Outreach division. Her job involves making workplaces in Singapore healthier and empowering the working population to lead healthier lifestyles.

For instance, she develops training structures and enablers of Total Workplace Safety and Health, an integrated approach to managing safety, health and well-being in the workplace. She also works with the Ministry of Manpower to make health promotion part of workplace safety and occupational health policies. “This enables a more holistic perspective, where employers can examine the impact of work on employees’ health and vice versa, she explains.

Fulfilling Experiences

While work meetings can seem like a drag to most working professionals, Lim Zhen sees her meetings with senior management and Government officials as “extremely enriching experiences”. She tells us, “My meetings have allowed me to learn more about the decision-making process and broader considerations influencing the development of health initiatives.

Outside of the meeting room, Lim Zhen has also had the chance to be a part of the cheerleading team for HPB’s Friendship Games Day. “It was really enjoyable and fun to bond with my colleagues in such an informal setting!” she enthuses. Office-wide events like this are testament to the engaging work environment HPB continuously tries to nurture.

Understanding Your Passion

Lim Zhen hopes for more opportunities to develop policies and programmes that will enable people to stay physically and mentally healthy. She adds, “I also hope to play a more active role in rolling out these programmes, gathering sentiments from the ground and ensuring that they successfully address public needs. I hope that with these policies and programmes in place, leading a healthy lifestyle will ultimately become second nature to Singaporeans.

Her hopes reflect her passion for her job – an attribute she feels will take fresh graduates far in their career. This is why she strongly advices aspiring scholars to understand where their passion reigns. She concludes, “Be true to yourself and know where your interests lie. Your life will be infinitely more enjoyable and fulfilling if you work on the things that interest you.

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