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The ‘1+1 Octopus Card’ initiative and the ‘Charge Up’ offsite retreat programme are both a result of the response to employees’ needs.
This article is brought to you by MTR Corporation
Beginning its journey to “Keep Cities Moving” 45 years ago since 1979, MTR Corporation has been developing and managing a world-class railway together with property and community development to enhance the quality of life in and outside of Hong Kong.
MTR is an internationally recognised company that connects and grows communities through caring, innovative, and sustainable services. To achieve this vision, the public transport operator has been striving to strengthen its workforce. Currently, it has over 50,000 staff in Hong Kong and worldwide. Among them, around 10,000 staff are under its largest business unit, Hong Kong Transport Services (HKTS).
To address the ongoing challenge of attracting, retaining, and motivating a diverse workforce that spans different ages and areas of expertise, MTR has developed a comprehensive rewards and recognition strategy, providing competitive pay, benefits, and both short-term and long-term incentives to attract top talent, reward good performance, and motivate positive behaviours among employees.
Structured across five dimensions, MTR’s rewards and recognition programme engages top management, line-of-business managers, and frontline staff throughout the evaluation process, with a strong emphasis on peer-to-peer recognition. The company-initiated rewards, based on company performance and individual performance, ensure high achievers are fairly rewarded. Meanwhile, manager-led and peer-to-peer recognition help foster a culture of recognition and connect everyone. Awards are presented publicly to maximise the impact of driving excellence, sustainable growth, and continuous improvement.
To further create an environment where appreciation flows freely, MTR provides official platforms for informal recognition. These platforms enable recognition to take place anytime, and be initiated by anyone, encouraging the celebration of each other’s efforts, wins, and innovations.
All these initiatives play a crucial role in fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture and bridging any gaps in formal recognition.
Figure 2: Photo taken during Appreciation Month.
As part of MTR’s culture of mutual respect and participation, employees’ views and ideas are highly valued. As such, the Corporation has regular dialogue with colleagues through multiple channels, and staff engagement surveys are conducted periodically, to ensure participative and transparent communication.
Apart from listening, MTR also takes concrete actions in response to feedback from employees. The introduction of the ‘1+1 Octopus Card’ initiative and the ‘Charge Up’ offsite retreat programme are two significant examples.
As an extended benefit beyond the existing ones to the family members of MTR staff, the ‘1+1 Octopus Card’ programme offers eligible single employees the opportunity to nominate a significant person in their life to receive free travel on the MTR network with an aim to promote diversity and inclusion.
On the other hand, by understanding the challenges faced by frontline Hong Kong Transport Services (HKTS) supervisors through the surveys, MTR has tailored the ‘Charge Up’ offsite retreat programme.
The one-day programme encompasses different innovative and creative engagement activities, such as guru sharing on stress management and cross-generation communication, an immersive theatre experience on strengths-based leadership, team-building games, and evaluation through a self-rated engagement dashboard. The aim of the programme is to enhance the leadership, communication, engagement level and wellbeing of its 3,500 frontline HKTS supervisors.
The Corporation’s care for employees is also evident with the wellbeing leave and expanded flexible work arrangements introduced in recent years. These initiatives collectively enhance employee wellbeing, work-life balance, and employee engagement, as well as ensure everyone in the Corporation feels heard, valued, and motivated.
The unwavering commitment of the public transport pioneer to fostering a supportive and motivating workplace has recently been underscored and recognised at Human Resources Online’s HR Distinction Awards.
Commenting on this achievement, MTR says: “This achievement is a testament to our collective efforts and dedication. By enhancing participative communication, employee engagement and recognising positive behaviours, we aim to continue building an environment where every employee feels valued and engaged to contribute to our shared success.”
Figure 3: The photo was taken during the Corporate Trainee Induction Programme.
Photos / MTR Corporation (Lead image: Group Photo in 'Charge up' Workshop)
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