By Josielyn B. Luna-Manuel, Special Features Editor
AS part of its transition into a travel tech company, Asia’s largest budget carrier AirAsia Group Bhd. recently partnered with enterprise cloud applications provider Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) to manage its employee data, including career information, technical skills, and trainings.
“We are now more than just an airline. We are leveraging the power of our data, our flight network, and our people,” Varun Bhatia, chief people and culture officer at AirAsia, said at the partnership’s media launch at the AirAsia RedQ (headquarters) in Sepang, Malaysia last week.
Operating flights to more than 140 destinations spanning 22 markets, AirAsia has been transforming all areas of its business to increase efficiency, strengthen customer focus, and boost growth prospects.
Mr. Bhatia emphasized that the “Allstars”, AirAsia’s term for its employees, are at the center of its business. AirAsia currently employs more than 22,000 employees globally.
Happy employees form a productive workforce that serves the airline’s 100 million customers every year, he said.
“AirAsia’s digital transformation journey encompasses our people and culture as much as it does our business model. In doing so, we have looked closely at each stage of our Allstars’ careers to see how best to leverage technology and use data,” Mr. Bhatia said.
He added that Workday met the airline’s criteria for an enterprise-level, integrated and cloud-based mobile HCM platform with strong reporting and analytics.
Specifically, some of the benefits of the Workday system for managers include more convenient evaluation, appraisal, and salary planning of employees, as well as easier posting of recruitment needs.
For employees, benefits include less complicated filing of leaves, and finding promotion and training opportunities through Workday’s app.
All AirAsia employees also have the chance to see the global organizational structure of the company that will result in more understanding of the business and greater collaboration among the airline’s people.
“We are proud to be a partner to AirAsia, one of the most people-centric airlines in the world and a company that shares our vision of digital innovation and empowering people. We will be working closely with AirAsia in its journey to transform its employee experience and maintain its position as one of Asia’s largest and leading low-cost airlines,” Rob Wells, president for Asia at Workday, said.
Asked about the security of the Workday system, Mr. Wells stressed that the system is very secure and strictly follows data privacy rules. For example, the Workday app indicates the name of the person who made the change and update in the system, making sure there is transparency and accountability in the process.
AirAsia’s people-centricity is also proven through the company’s other internal initiatives for Allstars such as the RedQ (AirAsia’s headquarters) facilities including eSports and game rooms, mostly free food at the pantry area, kids’ room where employees can leave their babies and toddlers, salon, clinic, pool, gym, sports facilities in the RedDeck (RedQ’s roof deck), and an active rehabilitation center for neck, back, knee and shoulders.
The company also regularly holds fun and engaging town hall meetings, recognizes excellent employees, and even provides special grants for employees’ families who need funding for their small businesses.
Allstars also have the opportunity to express concerns to the management through Facebook Workplace. For instance, the management granted the employees’ united request to retain the dogs who were living in the area where RedQ was built. At present, RedQ has a “DogQ” located at the parking area of RedQ where the said dogs are being taken care of.
Workday plans to boost its global growth strategy and build a stronger presence in Asia.
