4 minute read
AIA Shared Services (Employer Showcase
HUMANISING VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS
AIA Shared Service’s digital transformation of its services and employment processes does not discount the important details that makes it a company that prioritises the wellbeing of its people.
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mongst the sectors that were heavily affected by COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, the insurance sector found itself to be in the centre of the storm. Sudden spikes in demand for personal health coverage, unprecedented numbers of claims due to business interruption, and a constantly shifting landscape of risks affecting both employers and individuals in the face of a global crisis were only a fraction of the various shocks faced by the sector over the past two years.
However, AIA Shared Services managed to prove its exceptional expertise in the sector with how fast it evolved alongside the pandemic crisis by hopping onto the wave of digital transformation of its services. This was clearly not lost on graduates, who voted them as the most desirable company to work for in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, alongside their parent company AIA as the most popular graduate employer in the insurance sector.
As public life came to a halt due to the MCOs and SOPs during the pandemic, AIA turned to AIA Shared Services for online solutions for almost all of its processes – from product catalogues, to registration, payment and customer services. Not only did this help their existing clients, it also ultimately helped potential clients to understand their products better without the hassle of meeting with agents or physically going down to their offices.
But the best part of these transformations? AIA Shared Services extended them to their hiring processes as well.
Digitalising and transforming to better communications
Carl Gustini, CEO of AIA Shared Services Malaysia acknowledged that these digitalisation processes happened and are still happening as of now.
“We now have a very smooth integrated process in terms of how we communicate with future candidates, as we have a specific AI that assists us in matching the criteria we are looking for in an employee with the right person,” Gustini said. “Once they are hired, we give them virtual tours of the office, and the outline of the operations to them.”
Gustini also added that doing these processes online make the weekly catching up sessions with the staff – or “coffee chats,” as he calls them – easier, especially for new recruits who have yet to step into their office in Cyberjaya.
“Handling these processes virtually and making sure the staff are getting really strong flavours for our culture, as well as implementing our philosophy of ‘doing the right things in the right ways, with the right people’ is very important,” he said.
“We have great team players – the graduates – building their careers with our team. But it is also equally important for a team of people to have good leadership at its heart and soul, to be caring, and have the spirit of camaraderie in order to create good chemistry in a fantastic organisation.”
Overcoming the feeling of isolation
Like most people in the midst of the pandemic, the staff at AIA Shared Services were also facing the typical challenges of working from home. While some were thriving while working from their home office, others felt isolated and disconnected from colleagues and the working environment they were used to pre-pandemic.
Addressing this issue, Gustini explained that communication between management and staff has always been a constant in the organisation and often encouraged. So maintaining that was key in helping their staff overcome the downsides of working remotely for long periods of time.
“At AIA, we have always had very healthy communication and robust outreach programmes, so the only important thing that we have to ensure is that we continue these in a virtual environment as well,” he said.
“Obviously, we have many fellowship and engagement activities to remind staff that they are a part of one big family. We have our own centrepiece activities that are done online across the whole company, not to mention those arranged by each department individually as well.”
An official validation for a job well-done
Gustini said he appreciated how much the organisation has invested to ensure that fresh graduates and newcomers in general will have a terrific environment to work in once they join the company.
“We want the best and brightest in Malaysia to want to come work with us and be their best self, as we are supporting millions of customers in securing financial aid for their futures. So receiving these awards is a good validation that we are indeed on the right track, and we are now more energised and ready to work even harder.”
