Local Forum Encourages Companies In Malaysia To Foster A More Diverse, Inclusive Workplace
It discussed various issues and best practices concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
By Timothy Tuan — 22 Aug 2023, 11:01 AM
In collaboration with the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI), PETRONAS recently organised its second edition of the PETRONAS Lunch Escape forum, an event that gathers insights from communications and public relations professionals
Held on 27 July, the event aimed to strengthen relationships among these professionals from government-linked companies (GLCs) and multinational corporations (MNCs), serving as a platform for them to air their views and discuss topics of relevance.
Themed 'Elevating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): Fuelling Innovation & Collective Success', the second edition of the forum featured panel speakers who discussed issues and best practices concerning DEI
The forum featured:
- Azrul Osman Rani, PETRONAS D&I Champion and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad
- Anthony Raja Devadoss, Managing Director and Senior Client Partner of Korn Ferry Malaysia
- Nurlin Mohd Salleh, Managing Director and Partner of Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
- Zhariff Afandi Motivator, Life Coach, Public Speaker, Author, and Entrepreneur
These speakers spoke about various DEI issues, including the importance of DEI in the workplace, understanding unconscious bias, creating a culture of inclusion, diversity in leadership, and more.
According to Azrul, fostering DEI in a workplace will create a psychologically safe environment, resulting in employees feeling valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best
Azrul Osman Rani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad
Image via NSTP"When you have a culture that encourages the inclusivity of people of different backgrounds, cultures, and ages, you harness the power that each and everyone has to contribute to the organisation, and also create a safe space where everybody wants to continue (to work).
"If employees do not feel safe and are not treated equally, or if some feel like they're being bullied, then there's a greater chance that they won't be willing to participate and contribute to the organisation," said Azrul, as quoted by the New Straits Times.
Nurlin shared the same sentiment, adding that BCG adopts various formulas to ensure that DEI is embedded in the company's core values
First from left: Nurlin Mohd Salleh, Managing Director and Partner of Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Image via NSTPThese include relying on the BLISS Index, which stands for Bias-free, Leadership, Inclusion, Safety, and Support, steering the company to adopt best practices in different aspects.
"Why DEI is important today and why it should be important for organisations around the world, including Malaysia, is because of talent urgency. Many organisations highlighted that the main factors behind the great resignation (of employees) during the pandemic were due to bias and the lack of fair treatment, which are basically DEI," she said.
Meanwhile, Anthony said that companies in Malaysia should make it clear that they are inclusive in their hiring, so as to safeguard the potential loss of talent to other countries
"There's a lot of demand for Malaysian talent outside Malaysia. There were three reasons quoted to us and one was clearly cultural ability, the second is communication ability, and the third is affordability," said Anthony.
For Zhariff, he emphasised the need to cultivate a culture of inclusivity at all levels in an organisation, from upper management to operations
Zhariff Afandi Motivator, Life Coach, Public Speaker, Author, and Entrepreneur
Image via PETRONAS (Provided to SAYS)"This is to ensure that efforts for inclusivity are not just seen as secondary priorities but integrated throughout all aspects of the organisation," he added.
Petronas Group Strategic Communications Senior General Manager, Datin Anita Azrina Abdul Aziz, expressed PETRONAS' commitment to continuously taking on new challenges and implementing changes to avoid complacency
"We know very well that familiarity breeds complacency, if not contempt — and interacting with like-minded peers of similar backgrounds, beliefs, and schools of thought would sometimes risk the echo chamber effect. And we certainly do not want that. We want to be challenged and inspired, unlearn and relearn, and be pushed outside the box. And, we can only achieve this when we welcome and embrace differences," she said.
In light of this, one of PETRONAS' DEI agenda is to grow its diverse workforce to include neurodiverse talents.
"We recognise that leveraging their diversified thinking and perspectives will prove to be crucial as we develop our talent pool for the jobs of the future. We are now working with Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd to collaborate in creating the movement for building Malaysia's neurodiversity ecosystem," said Anita.
Anita also highlighted that DEI is about action and continuous commitment.
"DEI isn't a one-time thing; it's a journey. Having conversations alone is not enough; we need to implement inclusive policies, challenge biases, and measure the impact of our DEI initiatives to ensure they have a lasting effect," she added.
