Winning Secrets: How DHL Supply Chain Indonesia supports its employees to tide through uncertain periods

DHL Supply Chain Indonesia took home several awards at the HR Excellence Awards 2021, Indonesia, namely:

• Gold for Excellence in HR Communication Strategy;
• Gold for Excellence in Crisis Management and Recovery, and
• Gold for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion.

In this interview, we speak to Andika  Bayupati, Senior Director HR Department, DHL Supply Chain Indonesia, who tells us about how the organisation establishes a strong and positive relationship with its people by supporting them, guiding them, and partnering with them to tide through uncertain periods.

Q Tell us a little bit about your journey reaching here – how did you get here and what was most important to you during this process?

We received awards and recognition for four different categories in our third year joining the HR Excellence Awards. During the first two years, we were learning ambitiously on best practices that are available within the industry. As such, in this third year, we started to implement what we previously planned, and bring it to fruition by taking the means necessary.

The most crucial part during the process is the execution itself. We are making every effort not merely for the purpose of winning the award, but to surge our the employee experience at large, and put a smile on our employee’s faces while at the same time accomplish recognition as we are becoming better business partners. The favourable result of our efforts has been reflected through the significant increase on (factors in) our internal employee opinion survey, the low attrition rate in the history of our organisation, and positive overall verbatim comments from our employees

Q What would you list as your company’s most meaningful contribution to employees in the last 12-18 months?

We are becoming closer, and better partners to our employees during this challenging period across two consecutive years by providing vaccination, COVID support, and assistance in the most difficult time such as during a disaster, and flooding. On top of that, we are not merely providing moral and financial supports, and protection to employees individually, but we are going the extra mile by engaging, and helping their family as a whole. For instance, we provided help on searching for available hospitals and provided ambulance to the families in need — (thus we work) comprehensively to ensure that we are present by their side every step of the way, and we are in this together.

Q What are some challenges you have had to overcome, both as a CHRO and as a people leader, and how did you get past them? What was your biggest learning?

This period marked an uncertain period for every company, and its employees at large, our company included. This particular kind of uncertainty is a crucial period to enhance our strategy on managing and maintaining close relations with business partners and employees to keep agile on whatever scenario the company might face, which leads to our success on providing job security to our most vulnerable employees. It made us learn to stay ready for change, which is also aligned with our company’s leadership attributes - 'head, heart and guts' - for being positive about challenges and uncertainty, and change.

It has certainly been a challenging situation, but we have successfully overcome it to the point where we are not merely surviving, but we are striving, and thriving. We have used it to our advantage by making it a stepping stone in order to revolutionise our standards in agility, solid relations, and being a better organisation. In every change, there will always be an immense opportunity to improve our organisation into a different level and as a company; we believe that even when the clouds are dark, we can see the silver lining, and are able to choose the path that is most beneficial for our sustainability.

Q Onwards and upwards! Can you share some highlights of your year ahead in 2022, and what your workforce can look forward to?

We are confident that 2022 will be a promising year with the new-normal era and enhanced shared-knowledge on COVID responses and its best practice. We will embrace the changes, keep evolving, be vigilant to any changes and progress, and apply the strategy with readiness while we thrive on digitalisation as the turning point. Nevertheless, to strive ahead, we will improve our overall HR performance to the next level by:

1. Revamping our HR information system;
2. Revamping out organisation by making our organisation more people centric, and
3. Giving the best support to our employees during this crisis as safety for our employees is our top priority.

Q Bring out your crystal ball - 10 years down the line, where do you see the future of HR?

We are on a journey to make our organisation future-ready. In a very short period of time, we are expecting a growing number of digitalisation and new incoming technologies which will re-shape the landscape of our workforce. HR will be one of the catalysts to ensure that our workforce is ready to face the said future by standing at the center of company’s strategy and growth. In view of the fact that the logistics industry possesses the most accelerated digitalisation, automation will become the part of our everyday life and activities.

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