Amid the ongoing pandemic in 2021, Kerry made a brave decision. Kerry Global Services, which used to operate in 7 countries, has been consolidated into two key centers, of which our Kuala Lumpur Center in Malaysia is one. With the expansion of the Kuala Lumpur office over 200+ new job opportunities opened up, and Kerry is still actively hiring.

SAFETY FIRST, QUALITY ALWAYS

From early onset when COVID-19 hit the world till today, Kerry activated over 100 initiatives to protect the health and safety of our employees and their families from the pandemic. Many are self-initiated, setting new best practices in the industry. Kerry Malaysia provided immunity sachets for all employees and their families to support their immunity and health and wellbeing. Kerry has achieved a 99% vaccination rate among employees, an achievement gained through engaging and educating employees on the importance of vaccination and ensuring that they remain focused on their health and wellbeing at work and outside of work.

Our mantra Safety first and Quality always engenders a focus on Health and Safety as a primary focal point for our organisation. Kerry’s site operations continue to adhere to the strictest safety guidelines. During the peak of Covid-19 in Q3 this year, each Kerry site performed 100% mass tests on a weekly basis, one step above already stringent government SOPs.

SUPPORTING WELLBEING & REWARDING GOOD WORK

In addition to the COVID-19 Wellbeing Toolkit which covers physical, emotional, nutritional and financial tips to help employees better cope with the stress and challenges brought on by the pandemic, Kerry also offers an Employee Assistance Programme supported by independent consultants. It is a 24/7 confidential service open to employees and their families seeking emotional support. Individual or group counselling sessions are also available, touching on topics ranging from mindfulness to tackling work burnout and managing personal relationships.

This year, Kerry launched the Inspired Employee Recognition Programme that encourages our people managers to appreciate and recognise their team and the work they put in day to day. Recognition can be in the form of a thank you eCard, additional time off and or a monetary reward. From this, employees qualify to be nominated for the quarterly and annual awards, which are announced and broadcast regionally and then globally.

Another significant initiative was the implementation of an agile work arrangement in which provides flexible workplace arrangement at employees’ choice . In view of Work-From-Home arrangements, Wi-Fi allowance is added as a new benefit and employees are entitled to a one-time financial support for setting up a comfortable home office . This allows them to purchase items such as a work or ergonomic chair, work desk and additional large screen monitor for better eye health.

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES

Employee engagement is increasingly vital. An engaged workforce is linked to a high performing organization. In addition to our various virtual employee activities, we improved communication flow among shop floor workers through Workplace by Facebook , a communication tool that connects all employees in a company Workplace by Facebook transformed and has supported Kerry’s communication culture from one way to two way. In addition for our manufacturing sites where most manufacturing plants communicate with shop floor workers through toolbox meetings, posters or bulletin boards, Shop floor workers can now easily share insights and communicate relevant information, ask questions and receive responses in a timely, efficient manner.

ourVoice is another key Kerry employee engagement initiative. It is a groupwide employee engagement survey where all Kerry employees are invited to share their feedback and highlight what we as a team are doing well and where we can improve. This is followed by an action plan and follow through based on survey results. Our engagement score has seen positive growth year on year.