SETTING NEW STANDARDS

Gone are the days of your typical human resources programmes and activities. Attracting talented millenials to join an organisation goes beyond than just your usual hiring procedures. Retaining them is another story altogether where companies these days are increasingly changing their strategies and human resources initiatives to ensure that the good ones are properly developed and motivated.

An organisation that is in the business of being creative itself, Media Prima is one of these organisations that has taken the steps to be different and set new standards when it comes to their talent hiring and retaining programmes. Says Nor Arzlin Redzwan, Media Prima’s Group General Manager of Group Human Resources, “Being the one and only content powerhouse offering multiple media platforms, Media Prima is continuously leading the industry in creative thinking and viewership. The organisation strives to continue by breaking new barriers and setting new standards in the industry. Hence, the working culture of the organisation is centred on the need to set new standards in whatever undertakings the business is involved in. The aim to set new trends and refine the existing standards in the industry pushed us into limitless opportunities.”

One way to create such a culture is to develop the right eco-system that houses a globally competitive, creative and innovative workforce. To do so, Media Prima has placed emphasis in recent years on integrating strategic human resource management into its overall business strategy. The goal is to develop talent who can carry forward the organisation’s vision. Says Nor Arzlin, “We placed emphasis on developing talent to succeed future positions, and made that a focus to ensure proper development was followed through with identified talent. This was done via various functional and highly effective training programmes, distinguished speaker sessions, benchmark visits and industrial conferences.”

Nor Arzlin is proud to share that as a result of these initiatives, Media Prima talent are now capable to inspire and train others at work by providing industrial advice and onthe-job learning experience. “Some have given their time to deliver formal training sessions covering valuable skills including perfecting the Malay language, video editing, ICT, journalism, print production, human resources, motivational talks, HDTV landscape and proposal pitching,” she says.

However, it is not enough to just look within for ideas on how to better develop their talent. At Media Prima, aside from traditional training activities, the organisation is also big on gaining international exposure and knowledge. To do so, Nor Arzlin says that the organisation has organised several international benchmark visits to different countries like the United States of America, Singapore, China, Australia, Japan, Thailand and United Kingdom. “We also facilitate employees’ exchange via attachment with other TV stations, production houses and media companies,” she adds.

One thing that Media Prima also understands is the need to continuously develop and grow their talent so that they are always equipped to adapt to the ever-changing industry. Aside from that, it is to also build on leadership capabilities so that talent are properly trained and developed to be next-generation leaders and also instill the qualities of a leader within them. Says Nor Arzlin, “Leadership programmes are offered to various levels of employees to equip them with highly practical management skills. This helps them lead their teams effectively towards departmental and ultimately organisational excellence. Traditional yet latest leadership courses are made available to our employees via our training calendar. On top of that, our learning and development are inspired by actual leaders as well as practitioners in the industry. We created an avenue for both local as well as international icons to share their experience with our internal audience.”

To do so, the organisation recently introduced an initiative called Lunch & Learn. Through this programme, all employees has an equal opportunity to gain continuous learning and also help employees who are unable to attend formalised training during working hours. Free lunch is included but more importantly so is food for thought.

"Together, we have raised the bar for excellence. We will definitely be able to set new standards for others to follow."

Media Prima also introduced a knowledge centre for managers called Shots of Strategy (SOS). Explains Nor Arzlin, “It is a monthly compilation of articles from magazines, the Internet or books on leadership. For the busy leaders who have no time to attend formalised training, SOS is a quick alternative to obtain concentrated shots of management tips for immediate application to elevate the knowledge and skill in enhancing their teams.”

Naturally, such active initiatives have resulted in a long list of awards and recognitions for the organisation as well as its people. Nor Arzlin believes that while these accomplishments were achieved through teamwork, the organisation’s continuous emphasis on development has also played a major role. “Together, we have raised the bar for excellence. We will definitely be able to set new standards for others to follow. So come and join us!” she concludes.