Under the leadership of Chris Ong, DHL Express Singapore achieved what many believed was out of reach. Employee engagement soared from 60% in 2009 during the global financial crisis to a jaw-dropping 98% in 2024. DHL Express became the only company to be named the number one Best Workplace in Singapore five times.
But this is not a story about numbers. This is a story about moments. Small ones. Quiet ones.
✨ The Secret: Investing in Frontline Leaders
Chris explained that this “magic” happened when DHL focused on the people closest to where the action is. Empowering the team leaders who manage the small crews working on the ground.
The company invested in training, support, and building a sense of belonging. Uplifting engagement was not floated down from headquarters. It was carried by every supervisor who knew the names, strengths, and stories of their team.
They educated these frontline leaders in the fundamental human need for connection and appreciation.
For one thing, DHL taught them to balance feedback with positive affirmation. They were encouraged not only to correct mistakes but also to acknowledge excellence and celebrate both small successes and consistent effort.
This mindset shift of valuing the human side of leadership created resilience, engagement, and drove up performance across the organization.
📣 And it seems DHL heard Andy G. Schmidt 🐝 loud and clear. The LinkedIn Top Voice on engagement and the representative of Beekeeper’s communication app for frontline workers said:
“Life at the front lines of business is a challenge. Our frontline workers’ engagement and productivity depend on one role – the Frontline Leader. They are truly the unsung heroes of the modern working world. When the people in charge of your hourly employees are given both the agency and the technology to enable their workforce, the entire company benefits from it.”
This is also what Gallup’s research confirms in their State of the Global Workplace: 2025 Report:
- The quality of managers and team leaders is “the single biggest factor in your organization’s long-term success.”
- 70% of employee engagement is driven by immediate managers and supervisors at all levels of an organization.
💸 A Budget with Heart: Small, Mighty, and Delicious
One practical application of this philosophy was empowering the frontline team leaders with a modest appreciation budget. They could use it at their own discretion. No permission required.
They could respond immediately when they saw a worthy opportunity to praise. The company trusted them to recognize their teams in ways that felt authentic, meaningful, and sometimes even tasty.
The ability to show appreciation freely without bureaucratic approval created a sense of intrinsic motivation among supervisors. They felt trusted by the organization and empowered to use their judgment. No corporate fanfare or formal review process required. Just meaningful, timely appreciation determined by the supervisor who knew their team best.
🙏Gratitude That Shows Up (and Tastes Amazing)
How does this work in practice? One supervisor, applying his leadership training, chose to use his appreciation budget to surprise team members with warm curry puffs after particularly challenging days. No speeches or ceremony. Just a delicious, golden pastry that said “I see your hard work” more effectively than any formal recognition program could.
At first, team members viewed these as a one-time nice gesture. But as the pattern continued, they understood the deeper message: their efforts were seen, valued, and worthy of acknowledgment.
🎁 A Sweet Twist: When Appreciation Comes Full Circle
Then, something beautiful happened. The team flipped the story. After an especially demanding day with outstanding performance, the team members arrived at work with curry puffs for their supervisor. They purchased these with their own money, not a company budget. Just the joy of giving back to someone who had been quietly lifting them, one pastry at a time.
In a traditional blue-collar environment where delivery metrics typically dominate, DHL discovered the quadruple benefit of appreciation.
🚀 The Receivers: Team members who received the small acts of appreciation felt more valued.
🚀 The Givers: The empowered supervisors who delivered genuine appreciation felt happier and more fulfilled in their roles.
🚀 The Ripple: Uplifted team members began uplifting others, turning appreciation into a self-sustaining loop of generosity.
🚀 The Culture: Engagement, performance, and yes, profits, all climbed together.
This proves that when people feel truly seen and appreciated, everybody wins.
🎭 Substance Over Snacks: The Trap of Token Gestures
A word of caution before you rush out to bulk order pastries. Appreciation without sincerity is just sugar with a side of sarcasm. When recognition becomes a checkbox or a predictable routine, it can lose its meaning and even invite ridicule. If leaders hand out treats without noticing real effort, the message gets watered down or quietly mocked.
As style coach Seraphine Ann Chia wisely shared:
“Small gestures can go a long way in motivating staff when the organisation is healthy. Staff at all levels can sense the intention, authenticity and alignment of values. I worked for someone before who bought us lunch every week. Everyone resented it because we would’ve preferred to buy our own lunch and not have the weekly meal held over our heads. A weekly $10 lunch didn’t make up for the lousy work environment, poor leadership and small pay cheque.”
Genuine appreciation needs more than regularity. It calls for presence, intention, consistency, and variety. A handwritten note one day, a spontaneous thank you the next. A meaningful moment shared, a private word of praise, or just a thoughtful pause to say, “I noticed.” When leaders combine steady appreciation with personal and varied expressions, it turns into a culture rather than a campaign.
🍽️The Delicious Language of Appreciation
There is something deeply human about sharing food. It signals care. It invites connection. It says, “You belong here, and I thought of you.” Across cultures and generations, food has always been more than fuel. It is how we welcome, how we celebrate, how we comfort, and how we say thank you when words fall short.
🥟From Curry Puffs to Culture Power
The curry puff may be humble, but what it represents is powerful. It tells the story of a workplace where the simplest show of gratitude travels in both directions, leaving its mark far beyond both. And that, in any industry, is worth celebrating.
About Christopher Ong: Chris is the Managing Director of DHL Express Singapore and a leader known for blending sharp business acumen with deep people-first values. With a calm presence and a clear vision, he champions a culture where trust, pride, and purpose drive performance. Under his leadership, Singapore became DHL’s global benchmark for engagement, innovation, and frontline empowerment.
Avi Z Liran, CSP, Author, Global Leadership EX Speaker, is an author, economist, writer, C-level mentor, and one of Asia’s top motivational and inspirational keynote speakers. Avi is a thought leader and expert in creating delightful customer and employee experiences, fostering appreciation, and building authentic resilience.
