The human touch: How Hilton South East Asia is fostering a culture of care & inclusion in its workforce

Bill Lu, senior director, Human Resources, South East Asia, Hilton, tells Priya Sunil how a strong focus on wellbeing and diversity is empowering its nearly 14,000 team members in the region to thrive.

Hilton South East Asia believes the essence of hospitality goes beyond exceptional guest service — that it is deeply rooted in humanity, inclusion, wellness, growth, and purpose.

Today, armed with this belief, the organisation continues to nurture a workplace that is both diverse and flexible to support its close to 14,000 employees ("team members") so they can "fully thrive and deliver heartfelt guest experiences", as we learn from Bill Lu, senior director, Human Resources, South East Asia, Hilton. 

In a region as diverse as Southeast Asia, he acknowledges the need for a workplace that fully represents and celebrates every team member's unique viewpoint, background, and experience. Elaborating on the commitment to this diversity, he shares: "To foster meaningful connections and a sense of belonging at Hilton, we encourage community building and safe spaces through our Team Member Resource Groups (TMRGs), where leaders and team members act as active advocates, allies, enablers and sponsors of growth for all.

"This enables our team members to bridge and better facilitate interactions between each other while fostering a supportive ecosystem and driving continued progress in topics and issues they’re passionate about." There are currently three TMRGs – the Women TMRG, Pride TMRG, and the newly-launched Generations TMRG, which promotes the sharing of best practices and different perspectives across generations. Abilities TMRG, focusing on supporting Team Members with visible and invisible disabilities, caregivers and allies, is set to launch later this year.

In this interview with Priya Sunil, Lu talks more about Hilton South East Asia's approach to talent management and employee engagement, sharing insights into the challenges and successes experienced along the way. 

Read the interview below:

Q How does your strategy stand out from the crowd?

At Hilton, we firmly believe in creating a ‘hire-to-retire’ experience for our Team Members. This involves supporting their personal wellbeing and growth by providing them with the opportunities and resources they need.

At the core of this strategy is our team member value proposition, Thrive@Hilton, which focuses on their wellbeing in three areas – mind, body, and spirit. It encompasses an ecosystem of programmes designed to support our team members across their entire journey with us, from onboarding, throughout their career, and even after becoming Hilton alumni. This includes the Thrive Sabbatical and Thrive Reset, an all-expenses paid programme that enables our team members to take time off to pursue a passionate cause or fulfill a life-long dream. Our team members also have access to Intellect, an app where they can obtain self-care tools, skills-building programmes, and live-coaching support to help them bring their best selves to work every day.

We are also committed to investing in and developing the next generation of hospitality leaders. Hilton is the fastest-growing hospitality company in Asia Pacific and is on course to surpass 1,000 trading hotels across the region by 2025. To fuel this growth momentum, we expect to create more than 3,700 leadership positions. To attract and retain top talent, and to deliver great career experiences for our team members, we have development platforms that focus on continuous learning.

Our industry-leading platform, Lead@Hilton, offers a suite of resources on management and leadership, including virtual development programmes created in partnership with Harvard University. On top of that, our SEA Management Trainee Programme nurtures young talent in operational departments across our properties in Southeast Asia, serving as a pipeline for future hospitality leaders to accelerate their growth and maximise their leadership potential with us. The 18-month programme comprises three phases: Explore, Experience, and Excel. In the final phase, our trainees have the opportunity to enhance their skill sets and gain additional exposure at a different hotel, within the country or internationally, while acquiring people management experience.

This comprehensive training provides them with a deeper understanding of hotel operations and the nuances of working and leading Team Members from various geographies. At the end of the programme, our trainees will be well-equipped to take on an entry-level management role or a higher position and embark on a successful career in hospitality.

Q How did you and your team get leadership buy-in on these initiatives?

At Hilton, we are committed to making our culture a shared value embodied by the entire workforce, rather than a top-down mandate. This goes without saying that our leadership is equally invested in fostering a truly inclusive workplace across all levels. Our leaders champion and model the way forward, playing a significant role in positively influencing and contributing to our award-winning workplace culture.

In this regard, our leadership team and human resources function work closely with the TMRGs to promote opportunities for team members to perform and grow, develop learning resources, and encourage collaboration across our diverse workforce.

Our leaders also actively engage with team members that they work with and are personal mentors to aspiring leaders, supporting them with opportunities for networking, career growth, and personal development.

In sum, our strong culture is what leads the way in changing behaviours to create a supportive and inclusive workplace environment in which all our team members can thrive regardless of background, ambition, role, or location.

Q At the same time, what challenges did you have to overcome in bringing these programmes to life?

At Hilton, our priority has always been to create a truly inclusive workplace where every team member can thrive. In the changing world of work, implementing flexible work arrangements can be particularly challenging in an industry that requires always-on service and attention to stay at the forefront of our guests’ needs. As such, we have introduced initiatives such as GoFlexi! to provide more flexibility at Hilton and to give our team members more control of their time. With the majority of our team members across the region working in shifts, we made it a priority to explore innovative ways to support efficiency in rota management.

With GoFlexi!, our team members can now enjoy a more personalised approach to managing their paid time-off (PTO) and take time off for important personal milestones or to take care of their wellbeing, be it emotional, physical or mental. Some examples of the flexi-work options under GoFlexi! include the option to clear PTO by the hour for a more granular and personalised approach to managing time off, and a shift buddy system where team members can have a buddy to cover for them during urgent leave.

Ultimately, GoFlexi! has been designed to provide a more dynamic and accommodating work environment that fosters a culture that values wellness, empowers employees' engagement, and enhances overall productivity.

As we continue to look into ways to create more flexible work arrangements for our team members, we are currently experimenting with smart scheduling technology using an AI-powered solution to automate the rostering process at our properties, enabling us to accommodate personal preferences and requests from team members more efficiently.

Q I understand one of the popular initiatives at Hilton is the Go Hilton travel programme. How does this programme enhance employee satisfaction and engagement, and what feedback have you received from team members about it?

Go Hilton is a leisure travel discount programme for eligible team members at Hilton and their family and friends. Under this programme, our team members can take advantage of special room rates and other perks at Hilton properties worldwide for well-deserved vacations, to explore new destinations, and to celebrate life’s milestones, such as graduations or anniversaries.

Our team members are at the very heart of our business and we have made it a priority to explore ways in which we can support and show our appreciation towards them. Our team members bring their best selves to work every day for our guests and this is our opportunity for them to be on the receiving end of Hilton’s exceptional and renowned service as we spread the light and warmth of hospitality to our very own team members. We also take into consideration the evolving needs and preferences of our team members to enhance our initiatives and provide the best-in-class employee experience at Hilton.

Q Another key initiative is Care for All. What does this programme entail, and how is it equipping team members with the right tools for mental wellness and caregiving?

Care for All is a mental wellness hub that provides support to our team members with seamless access to all of Hilton’s mental health benefits, resources and tools. This initiative fits into our larger effort to continue growing our award-winning workplace culture that is built upon inclusion, wellness, and growth. In our business of people serving people, caring for others is core to what we do. Every day, we commit ourselves to spreading the light and warmth of hospitality to our guests, communities, and each other.

At Hilton, we understand that our roles as caregivers extend beyond our work at Hilton and that the caregiving experience looks different for everyone.

To this end, we evolved our Care for All Hub last November to provide even more resources for team members to care not only for themselves and members of their team, but also for those closest to them, be it their children, parents, siblings, or even pets.

The platform, which builds on the existing Care for All platform, provides effective and accessible resources on physical, mental, and financial wellness to promote and support the overall wellbeing of our team members.

Some of these enhancements include on-demand learning resources, new multi-media content, and a streamlined hub customised by geographical region. We believe in fully supporting and caring for our team members in all aspects of wellness and hope that with this programme, we can help to destigmatise and provide greater awareness of the importance of mental health.

Q Overall, how have the different initiatives been adapted to suit local nuances in each market, yet remain cohesive across the region?

Through our initiatives, we aim to highlight the endless career possibilities available in hospitality while investing in the development of our team members. We also understand that every country is unique in terms of culture, expectations, and hotel operations, and we remain committed to supporting our team members in every phase of their career journey, no matter their geographic location.

As such, we work closely with our properties across the region to recruit local talent and drive positive impact in the communities where we operate. For example, Hilton Garden Inn Da Nang partners with local social enterprise, Streets International, to educate and empower disadvantaged youth with life skills and career opportunities at Hilton. At Hilton Yala Resort, we launched the Hospitality Apprentice Programme for Potential Youth (HAPPY) initiative to provide opportunities for young individuals in Sri Lanka aspiring to pursue careers in hospitality.

In the Philippines, our properties collaborated with the Punlaan School to offer specialised hospitality training programmes for young women.

These tailored initiatives powered by strong local partnerships enable Hilton to contribute to the growth of the hospitality industry in each market where we operate and to build the next generation of hospitality leaders around the world.

Q What’s next for employees – seeing that the hospitality industry continues to grapple with a shortage of talent and with talent retention, how is Hilton hoping to narrow the gap on this?

Our team members are the heart of our business, and we remain dedicated to ensuring they feel looked after, just as they do for our guests. As with most industries today, labor retention continues to be an area of focus for us. Our top priority remains being the employer of choice for team members looking to build meaningful and long-term careers, and ensuring that Hilton is a diverse and inclusive workplace now and in the many years to come.

To overcome talent challenges, we have doubled down on efforts to shift mindsets and make careers in the hospitality industry more attractive through innovative recruitment strategies. For example, our 'Every job makes the stay' campaign redefines talent recruitment by shifting focus from job listings to the pivotal roles of each team member in delivering exceptional guest experiences, spotlighting the rewarding careers one can have in hospitality. As Hilton looks to attract and retain more talent, we are also seeking alternative talent channels and providing career and training opportunities to talent from other industries.

Q Ending on a fun, personal note 😊 You've worked with numerous reputable brands in hospitality. If you could create your dream hotel with elements from each of these brands, what unique features or amenities would it include?

In my dream hotel, every detail would transform the hospitality experience, unleash guests’ creativity, and set new trends.

As a destination unto itself, I believe a hotel is meant to evoke its bespoke story through its distinct architecture and design, world-class culinary moments, and meaningfully curated service rituals, much like our Curio Collection by Hilton properties worldwide.

I would also like it to encompass the thoughtful touches and bright-hearted hospitality of Hilton Garden Inn and the purposeful experiences of Conrad Hotels & Resorts that aim to spark connections between guests and the local community.

Beyond the physical elements, it is our team members who bring the hotel to life, infusing every touch point with a seamless blend of innovation and service, akin to the signature hospitality of our Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties.