On the Talent Hunt: Transforming a telco with 1,500 employees is no easy task. Here’s how we’re doing it

M1 embarked on its ambitious digital transformation programme about three years ago, shortly after the company was privatised as part of Keppel Group. We set out to transform from a traditional telco into cutting-edge digital network operator, amid a fast-changing and competitive landscape further disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Galvanising organisational change was not easy. To identify areas where we needed to improve, we organised regular townhalls for about 1,500 employees.

We also conducted employee surveys and held discussions where the leadership team could talk about feedback, progress updates and new developments. Our engagement efforts helped employees navigate an uncertain period and collaborate towards a common goal.  

Our aggressive digital transformation initiatives also meant the creation of many new roles, some of which involved technology such as machine learning — a type of artificial intelligence — and robotics process automation, which allows digital tasks to be run automatically.

This in turn required competencies in areas such as 5G, digital technologies, and adopting agile ways of working. 

Such digital skills and mindsets were needed to hyper-personalise our consumer experience and transform our enterprise businesses.

On an ongoing basis, we needed to make strategic decisions as to whether to “buy, borrow, or build” these skills to augment our current workforce and fill the talent gap.

At the end of 2021, a strategic decision was made to “buy” a majority share in IT services provider Glocomp Systems in Malaysia to bolster our enterprise digital services and drive our regional expansion.

Other efforts included partnering with third-party providers to “borrow” talents in the tech space, as well as reskilling and upskilling our existing employees to “build” our own talent pool.

We first identified existing roles that could be redesigned and matched them against employees who were inspired to develop new capabilities. We then developed training programmes to help them take on digital roles over time.

We also partnered with Workforce Singapore via the Career Conversion Programme for 5G Infocomm Professionals, through which as much as 10 per cent of our workforce was reskilled to take on these new roles.

Through the programme, employees acquired skills such as data analytics, which helped them better cater to changing consumer behaviours.

By working closely with industry partners, we have been able to foster a culture where employees feel valued and are willing to go the extra mile to achieve our goals.

The pandemic and macroeconomic environment have only emphasised the importance of resilience and improving ourselves daily — the very same mindsets for working in and building a successful digital business.

Our digital transformation will be a continuous, iterative process. 

Therefore, continuing to invest and develop the relevant skills in our workforce, while building a responsive and agile talent pipeline, will always play an important role in M1’s digital transformation efforts.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Mr Gerald Lau, 39, is the deputy director of human resources at M1, a local digital network operator that provides a suite of communications services to over two million customers.