Sands China builds workplace of equality and well-being

Sands China believes in supporting team members with favourable career and promotion opportunities, and the company has long been committed to talent cultivation. The percentage of Macao residents in its management positions has risen from 20% in 2004 to nearly 92% currently. The company also believes in creating an equitable work environment, and 44% of its management professionals are women. 

Long-serving team members 

Team member loyalty is a natural result of these efforts. Nearly 13,200 team members have worked with the company for over 10 years; among them, more than 6,600 have served for 15 years, representing 26% of the company’s total workforce. Over 1,200 founding team members have stayed with the company since Sands Macao’s opening – demonstrating Sands China’s philosophy of “standing together with the community and team members.”

Team member wellbeing

Promoting team member wellbeing and work-life balance is key to Sands China’s success. Initiatives include the Amazing Summer campaign, which promotes family harmony through recreational and family activities, with around 500 team members and their families joining this year. The company has also collaborated with the Macao Education and Youth Bureau to promote parenting education among team members since 2022, and has organized approximately 30 on-the-job parenting education programmes to date.  

For six consecutive years now, Sands China has run a large-scale campaign to raise awareness of occupational safety and health (OSH). During November’s OSH Month, Sands China hosted a diverse range of activities to engage team members, including interactive game booths, roadshows, seminars, and competitions. The primary objective was to motivate team members to prioritise their OSH awareness, physical fitness, and dietary habits.

Unconditional care 

Sands China is determined to protect the rights of women by creating a diverse and equitable work environment, and female team members comprise 51% of the company’s total workforce. The company regularly organises activities to enhance their physical and mental health, including talks, workshops, and yoga. Moreover, Sands China led the industry with the launch of its new maternity benefits, which offers a celebratory gift and support – during the first 30 calendar days after resuming work, postnatal mothers can reduce their daily work schedule by one hour and shift workers can also enjoy a non-rotating shift. 

For supporting elderly team members, the Golden Age Programme provides those who are ready to begin in a new chapter in their lives with a wide range of post-career benefits, with 1,300 having signed up to date. They enjoy a variety of lifelong discounts and benefits on par with those of Sands China team members, including free access to activities like leisure classes and gatherings, unlimited opportunities to join company-sponsored community events, four years of complimentary annual health check-ups, and a Golden Age allowance in 18 monthly instalments.

“As a company rooted in Macao for 20 years, Sands China is the largest private employer in the city. Our thanks go to our team members for walking alongside us to achieve milestone after milestone. With 26,000 team members, we believe in ‘placing people at the heart of our strategy’ and caring about their personal growth and physical and mental health, as we provide them with bright prospects for career development. “Our team members’ expertise has proven invaluable to the steady growth of our company. Over the years, Sands China has created an abundance of diverse job opportunities in Macao, promoting the employment of local talent, actively supporting the SAR government’s policy of ‘Building Macao through Talent Training,’ and contributing to Macao’s moderate economic diversification. In the next decade, we look forward to working with our outstanding employees to create new milestones together.” Dr. Wilfred Wong, President of Sands China Ltd.

Creating opportunities for talent development 

Sands China aims to play a leading role in talent development for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) via its Sands China Academy. In 2023, each team member trained for an average of 90 hours, nearly 33 hours above the standards of the Association for Talent Development (ATD). Sands China offers such platforms so industry experts can share experience and knowledge with both Sands China team members and industry practitioners in the GBA to foster their growth. 

Enhancing professionalism is central to improving personal competitiveness and it helps team members seize the huge opportunities of national development. Sands China therefore proactively hosted more than 60 sessions of various professionalism education activities, including training programmes, thematic seminars, professional exchanges, and art and cultural activities. To date, more than 7,000 team members have participated. The company hopes these efforts will help team members gain a deeper understanding of the nation’s development and be ready for upcoming opportunities, while simultaneously contributing to Macao’s development as a world centre of tourism and leisure.

Silvia Ip “I have worked for Sands China for 10 years; after years of training at guest services, I was promoted to become a supervisor. I was [later] determined to step out of my comfort zone and transfer from a gaming department to a non-gaming department, and I seized the opportunity to participate in the My Way Program and am now a conventions and exhibitions manager. I am grateful to the company for giving us the opportunity to try different jobs, so that I could find a job that suits me and unleash my full potential.” Manager, Conventions and Exhibitions

Valentino Ali “Time flies – I will have worked in the company for 14 years in January 2024! I joined the company as a project manager and gradually got to where I am today. I admire the collaborative projects organised by Sands China; I participated in the Sands China International Strategic Leadership Programme for Integrated Resorts, attending courses at Católica Lisbon and Cornell University. I believe the charm of Sands China is in its diverse development and endless possibilities, which allowed me to fully understand and discover my own talents for comprehensive self-improvement.” Vice President, Operations Development

Joanna Lei “As a career woman, Sands China has provided me an abundance of satisfaction, sense of belonging, and respect, and the company’s support and respect for women is seen in various aspects; during team members’ pregnancies, for example, they are exempted from rotating shifts so as to ensure enough rest. At Sands China’s diverse, equal and harmonious workplace, I am full of confidence and vision for the future. I firmly believe that as long as we are passionate about our work, stay true to ourselves, and strive to pursue our dreams, we will be able to show the charm of professional women and embody gender equality in the workplace.” Executive Director, Operations Development

Carolina Lou “What I find most impressive is how the company values and supports its team members’ development with professional trainings and various programs. I joined the All-round Food & Beverage Management Program in 2019 as it offers swift development opportunities, and I began working as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant and then switched to the Event & Sales team, where I learned how to organise events. Later, I began working at a Western restaurant to learn about Western table manners and wine knowledge. I gained various international qualifications, including wine, coffee, customer service, and food safety. Within two years, I completed my internships and got hired by the company.” Food & Beverage Manager II, The Venetian Macao