Paradise Group, a restaurant group based in Singapore, gave out 98 Rolex watches during their annual dinner and dance to their staff members, with each watch being worth about $10,000.
Among the recipients of the luxury watch was 67-year-old Singaporean cleaner Tan Ai Tee, who has been working for the company for 10 years.
Speaking to The Straits Times, Tan said that she has never owned a Rolex watch before in her life, and that she feels very happy and touched that the bosses and company recognised her for her work.
She added that she didn’t expect to receive the Rolex because she was just a part timer.
Tan started working at the age of 16 after leaving school in Primary 6, taking on various jobs to make ends meet, including selling chicken rice at a coffee shop, working as an assistant at a department store, and working inside a factory assembling computer parts.
She joined her current company, Paradise Group, back in 2013 as a kitchen staff at their Seafood Paradise restaurant at Defu Lane 10, until the restaurant closed in 2016.
Tan then started working as a cleaner at the headquarters of Paradise Group, beginning her shift at 8am to 2pm, 5 days a week.
She told ST that the company is like family to her and that she feels a strong sense of belonging, adding that she can’t bear to leave them and appreciates her co-workers for sharing food with her and greeting her.
She also highlighted how she receives red packets from the company every Chinese New Year.
On the Rolex, she said that she is planning to leave it for her daughter, and is keeping it alongside the other gifts that she has received from the company over the years, including a Suisse gold bar weighting 2.5g that she received after 5 years of service, and another 5g gold bar that she got for her 8th year of service.
Her 76-year-old husband is retired and they have 3 children and 3 grandchildren, but she says that as long as she is healthy enough to keep working, she will, because she likes to wake up early and stay active.
Tan also added that if she stops working, she thinks she will fall sick easily; and that she feels very appreciated by her bosses and will keep going as long as she is able to.