Long gone are the days when careers were things of linear progression; the modern professional is far more likely to hop from job to job throughout their working life to locate their career aspirations. Employees, particularly younger ones, no longer feel that companies are loyal to them, a feeling that is often reciprocated. Gen-Y and millennial workers have a different set of expectations when it comes to career progression; they demand robust learning from their work and want empowerment to drive their ideas and contributions. This puts pressure on companies to deliver so as to retain the best and brightest.
AIA Hong Kong & Macau is hoping to meet these expectations by offering interns, new joiners and trainees a clear plan for a long-term career path within the company. “We have numerous success stories,” Wei Wei Watson, Chief Human Resource Officer, AIA Hong Kong & Macau says. “Success can be defined in many ways but a common avenue where we have seen Gen-Y progress is when they come in and drive quality results and progress in their careers.”
Watson says the company is able to provide a long-term career path to its employees because of its employee value proposition which is “Challenge, Empowerment, and Growth”. What this entails is that each new joiner will be able to learn about the company’s operations and the entire life insurance cycle from scratch through company sponsored action learning programmes, rotation opportunities, and even overseas postings.
“This is realised by giving staff an understanding and knowledge of the entire life insurance cycle,” Watson says. “Everything from selling our products to procurement of new customers, the entire claim management and policyholder process all the way to following up with clients that have received their claim.”
The new joiners are schooled in the practical aspects of the business, and they rotate away from the business into various different functions such as human resources, legal and compliance, finance and actuary to broaden their perspectives.
“Combine that with opportunities in our Group Office and the various entity offices in Asia Pacific and we can provide, comprehensive holistic development,” Watson says.
Indeed, the company can be seen as a ‘one-stop-shop’ when it comes to career development for Gen-Y and millennial talents, and its career development plans are clear. There are several routes through which a new hire can take. There are the six to 10-week internship programmes, to longer-term 24-to-30-month learning journey under its Future Leaders Programme.
The goal of the Future Leaders Programme is to achieve a multi-channel mindset by equipping young AIA talents with cross-functional skills, leadership capabilities and exposure to senior leaders. The programme aims to attract Gen-Y talent from reputable universities and workplaces internationally while also picking from high-performing past summer interns and the internal employee pool for recruitment. After a rigorous selection process, the Management Associates are given a 24-to-30-month learning roadmap which will see them rotate through different functions under multiple mentors and work on many cross-functional projects. The idea is to provide meaningful work experience and elevate their leadership capabilities to grow their careers. They also have the chance to embark on a fully sponsored one-to-three-month assignment overseas at one of AIA’s many offices across Asia-Pacific. Successful graduation from the programme would mean landing a permanent role based on business needs, as well as individual aspirations and performance.
The opportunities to grow a career are bountiful, and there are many benefits to this, Leo Chan, Senior Manager, Culture and Engagement, explains.
“You get to learn through a company’s natural evolution. Similar challenges will contain new elements, to address which you will have to be innovative and try different measures,” he says. “This constant adaptation of techniques is great learning; also, you have the benefit of accumulated knowledge to which familiarity with the systems and process can easily drive elevated solutions.”
Chan adds that, when an organisation’s young talents leave, it has consequences for both parties. There is a huge waste of accumulated knowledge because the young talent will have to start from scratch with every new company and deal with potential, not to mention the unwelcome perception of not being loyal to your organisations while the company cannot grow strong talent succession pipelines, which takes a negative hit on their company brand image.
With this solid set of programmes in place, it is no wonder that the company has managed to attract people who have chosen to spend their careers with the company.
“AIA will constantly challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and reach heights you never imagined,” says Denise Chong, who is now a Management Associate in the Services and Operations Management Associate Programme at AIA Hong Kong & Macau. “The company has a strong belief in the potential of its people and provides the resources for you to be the best you can be, and hone your skills to take on different challenges.”
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