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Guided by its ‘5Cs’ values, Airport Authority Hong Kong is demonstrating that operational excellence and employee wellbeing can go hand in hand.
This article is brought to you by Airport Authority Hong Kong.
Responsible for the operation and development of Hong Kong International Airport, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) faces a unique workforce landscape. With around 2,700 employees supporting highly customer-facing, round-the-clock airport operations, balancing employee wellbeing with operational excellence requires careful planning and innovation.
Guided by its ‘5Cs’ values – Caring, Commitment, Creativity, Continuous Improvement, and Collaboration – AAHK has built a holistic employee experience strategy that supports employee wellbeing, workplace effectiveness, and long-term organisational success. Digital transformation and family-friendly initiatives are among the key measures underpinning this strategy, ensuring employees feel valued while enabling the organisation to operate efficiently and sustainably.
It is therefore no surprise to see AAHK was recognised at the recent Employee Experience Awards 2026, winning two gold awards in the categories of Best Digital Transformation Strategy and Best Family-Friendly Initiatives.
What’s more, by virtue of its consistent excellence in elevating employee experience, AAHK was also named as one of the winners of the newly introduced Triple Crown of Employee Excellence honour.
Supporting employees through every life stage
Rooted in a caring approach, AAHK has long offered a comprehensive range of benefits and family-friendly initiatives that go above and beyond statutory requirements, to support not only employees but also their families. These include extended medical coverage for spouses and children, marriage leave, breastfeeding-friendly policies, staggered working hours, childcare-related facilities, and family-focused activities.
Building on this foundation, AAHK further launched its ‘Early Parenthood Support Programme’ in 2026 to better support employees during one of life's most demanding stages. The new initiative specifically focuses on parents of children under one year old, recognising the importance of early parent-infant bonding and intensive caregiving.
The initiative offers three tailored work arrangements: parental sabbatical leave, part-time work sharing, and hybrid work arrangements. Importantly, the programme was designed to balance employee needs with operational realities through clear eligibility criteria and practical implementation guidelines.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with employee feedback recognising the effort made to provide greater flexibility, stronger family support, and an enhanced sense of being valued and supported.
Driving digital transformation with employees at the centre
Beyond supporting employees’ priorities, AAHK is also committed to continuous improvement by leveraging digitalisation to enhance the overall HR experience.
Rather than pursuing isolated technology projects, AAHK has embarked on a structured, multi-year HR digitalisation journey aligned with its people strategy and business needs.
The transformation spans the entire employee lifecycle, from attracting talent to engaging and developing employees. An e-recruitment system has shifted the recruitment processes online, improving efficiency, streamlining manager workflows, and enhancing the candidate experience. The company’s preboarding and onboarding journeys have also been digitalised, enabling a smoother and more mobile-friendly experience for new hires.
To support continuous learning, AAHK’s ‘eLearning’ platform provides access to a wide range of online courses, enabling employees to learn at anytime and anywhere, while encouraging them to take ownership of their development journey.
At the heart of the transformation is the ‘Employee Self Service (ESS) Portal’, which now enables most daily HR services to be delivered digitally and managed directly by employees. Combined with the ‘Manager Self Service Portal’ and HR analytics dashboards, it gives leaders easier access to workforce information and actionable workforce insights, enabling more informed decision-making across key HR priorities.
The availability of these tools is matched by efforts to give employees time to adopt the new ways of working. AAHK has supported the transition through structured training, clear communication, and ongoing user support. By actively listening to feedback and continuously refining the tools, AAHK ensures that all digital solutions remain practical, user-friendly, and closely aligned with employees’ day-to-day needs.
Continuing to put people first
Looking ahead, AAHK plans to deepen its HR digital transformation journey by exploring AI-powered capabilities to further simplify processes, enhance self-service solutions, and deliver more personalised employee support.
Meanwhile, its commitment to introducing innovative and flexible policies that help employees thrive at different life stages will remain firmly in place.
By combining technology, care, and continuous improvement, AAHK is demonstrating that operational excellence and employee wellbeing can go hand in hand – creating a workplace where people can thrive both professionally and personally.
Photo / Airport Authority Hong Kong
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices – head over to our Behind the Win section!
Ready to be the next winning stars? Join our upcoming HR Excellence Awards to highlight your HR success, or enter the HR Vendors of the Year Awards to showcase your impact on clients’ talent strategies. Reach out to Gloria Yam to learn how you can enter the Awards and stand a chance to win.
We’re also inviting senior HR professionals to join our esteemed panel of judges. If you’re passionate about recognising excellence and shaping the future of the industry, contact Selina Kwok to explore judging opportunities.
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