CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN ACTION

(front row, from left) TalentCorp vice president Mahuran Saro Sariki, Human Resources Ministry deputy secretary-general (policy and international) Datuk Norison Ramli, deputy minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad, Sim, secretary-general Datuk Azman Mohd Yusoff, Wong and TalentCorp deputy chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar celebrating together with the award winners at the recent Life At Work Award (LAWA) 2024 event. — Photos by CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

TalentCorp’s Life at Work Awards continues to shine the spotlight on companies and individuals in advocating DEI

KUALA LUMPUR: TalentCorp Malaysia’s (TalentCorp) Life at Work Awards (LAWA) returns with another night of recognising companies and individuals for their efforts in advocating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

In its ninth instalment, LAWA 2024 had honoured a total of 38 winners spanning public-listed companies (PLCs), multinational corporations (MNCs), small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and public organisations.

The award, held at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, received a record high participation with over 200 organisations and 713 award submissions from the various sectors.

LAWA, one of TalentCorp’s key transformative initiatives, had made an impact on businesses from 2013 to 2019 before taking a break for a couple of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The winners serve as inspirational benchmarks for organisations seeking to enhance their dedication to their employees and the broader workforce.

LAWA presented an important way to promote workplace excellence and employee well-being, as it serves to shape the future of work.

Themed “Celebrating Excellence in DEI for a Sustainable Work, Workplace, and Workforce”, the award also spotlighted the increasing emphasis on inclusive and environmentally responsible strategies in workforce development.

Sim: As we celebrate your achievements, let us also commit to doing our part to build a workforce– and a Malaysia – that is not only productive but progressive.

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim underscored the alignment of LAWA with the Malaysia Madani vision, which aims for an inclusive society and economy.

He said that such initiatives are pivotal in achieving the targeted 60% women’s workforce participation as per the Madani Economy framework, which is crucial for equity and economic growth.

“In a Madani society, diversity is celebrated and no one will be left behind. Especially the poorest, the lowliest, and the lost.

“To the nominees and winners tonight, congratulations. You are setting the benchmark, inspiring others, and showing us what’s possible when values like diversity and inclusion drive decision-making.

“As we celebrate your achievements, let us also commit to doing our part to build a workforce – and a Malaysia – that is not only productive but progressive,” he said in his speech.

Sim also highlighted the government’s commitment to ensuring the welfare of the Malaysian workforce, especially through numerous legal changes.

He said that the ministry has helmed several changes policies pertaining to labour force which included the introduction of flexible working arrangements (FWA), anti-discrimination protection, better protection against sexual harassment, among others.

“Earlier this year, when Singapore announced they would be introducing FWA in December, many Malaysian workers began criticising the Malaysian Government for not doing what the Singaporeans did.

“So, I quickly corrected the impression and said that last year, we enforced new Section 60P and 60Q of the Employment Act 1955 to allow employees to apply for FWA on hours of work, days of work or place of work and the employers are obligated to reply within 60 days.

“It is almost the same as the Singaporean model, except that we have done it in January 2023 while Singapore will only be doing it later this year.”

TalentCorp chairman Wong Shu Qi reiterated the agency’s commitment to fostering inclusive workplaces.

The LAWA 2024, held at Majestic Hotel, received a record high participation with over 200 organisations and 713 award submissions from the various sectors.

“Employers who prioritise today’s talent needs will experience benefits such as higher productivity, lower turnover, and stronger business outcomes,” she said.

She added that for over a decade, TalentCorp has been driving Malaysia’s talent agenda, and LAWA is a key part of that mission.

“It is about inspiring organisations to lead by example, to step up and demonstrate that DEI and sustainability aren’t just good strategies – they’re essential for the future,” said Wong.

She also shared that various initiatives and programmes are carefully designed by TalentCorp to support the Malaysian workforce, which included supporting women returning to the workforce, students through MyNext, to help them make informed career choices.

“For high-skilled professionals, MyHeart connects global Malaysian talent back to local opportunities.

“And through MYXpats, we work to position Malaysia as a business-friendly hub for global expertise,” she said.

To celebrate initiatives for women returning to the workforce, LAWA 2024 has named Makchic Sdn Bhd as the LAWA Special Award recipient.

Its chief operating officer Seah Lu Sean said that the award would push them to help inspire more women to return to their career.

“Since our ‘returnship’ programme, helping women to return to work, and got validation from LAWA’s judges, we’re planning to approach the Women Family and Community Development Ministry to roll out this framework to other organisations,” she said.

Wong said LAWA is about inspiring organisations to lead by example, to step up and demonstrate that DEI and sustainability are essential for the future.

“Our team also consisted of women who had taken a career break and we want more women to benefit from our efforts,” she said.

She added that the company would also continue to assist women in a return to work programme, albeit remotely.

“The Malaysian government is very serious about helping women to return to work, through new tax incentives and so on.

“We will continue to advocate to other companies, we have done it and this would also work for them,” Seah added.

Also honoured at the award night was Farhana Md Isa, who received the recognition on behalf of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Farhana, who serves as the administrative officer at the university’s Services and Support Unit for the Disabled (OKU), expressed her gratitude to the institution’s trust on her capabilities despite being an OKU herself.

“UKM has always celebrated diversity in hiring of its staff members and they accepted anyone regardless of their backgrounds.

“Despite my situation after I was involved in an accident and became an OKU, I’ve never felt left behind in UKM,” she said, whose organisation brought home the award under the Diversity in Hiring category.

Based on her experience and knowledge, diversity hiring has always been an important element integrated in human resources management of the university.

Sharing her anecdote, Farhana said after she lost her vision and became fully blind, she admitted that she had self-prejudice on her own capabilities to carry her responsibilities at the organisation.

“However, my organisation had given their full faith in me to continue working here and I have never been discriminated against,” she said, who had been with UKM since 2007.

Human Resources manager at SOLS Energy Sdn Bhd Yoggini Vignesvaran, 28, bagged home the Promising Young HR Award for small and medium enterprise category.

The high-spirited youth envisioned to empower the marginalised groups such as the Orang Asli, which would help the community tremendously.

“I want to see this happen and I believe that when we see the results, it would motivate me to do even more,” she said after receiving the accolade.

Yoggini also dedicated the award to her company, who without them would not be able to unleash her true potential in the human resources field.

She also called upon her young peers to look into job responsibilities beyond the cash value and encouraged them to put their hearts into efforts which would be translated into something valuable.

Among the winners included Sunway Group for Best Public Listed Organisation, Zuspresso (M) Sdn Bhd for Best Private Limited Organisation, Micron Memory Malaysia Sdn Bhd for Best International Organisation, Central Force International Sdn Bhd for Best Small & Medium Organisation, and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera for Best Public Sector Organisation.

The award ceremony was attended by over 750 guests including Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad along with senior officials, industry leaders, and award finalists.