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Through rugby and pickleball, the telecommunications company brings sports and human energy into a workplace typically seen as technical and highly regulated.
An austere setting, a highly technical and disciplined environment, and rows of server racks – these are the typical impressions people have of a data centre.
But at NTT, the vibe is more ‘energetic’ – from a pickleball court at its Tseung Kwan O data centre in Hong Kong, to rugby-linked employee and community programmes, and even its own professional rugby team in Japan; sports elements have been infused throughout the organisation.
“When people think of data centres, they often picture a highly disciplined environment, and that’s true,” Jack Cheng, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, NTT Com Asia, says candidly, in a recent conversation with Tracy Chan.
“But for us, that’s exactly why movement and ‘human energy’ matter. A mission-critical workplace like a data centre is powered by people. Creating moments of movement, connection, and fun is not a distraction. It is how we support our people, helping them sustain focus, collaboration, and decision-making under pressure.”
As a global telecommunications company with strong roots in Japan, NTT brings its Kaizen mindset to life through what it calls its “sports DNA” – a cultural connector that brings colleagues across diverse roles and backgrounds together, and helps people to thrive.
Here’s how this award-winning company is using sport not just as a source of fun, but as a strategic lever to drive engagement, wellbeing, and performance.
Q: The pickleball court at NTT Tseung Kwan O data centre has become a strong symbol of your approach to wellbeing. Beyond the visual “wow factor”, what role does physical activity play in supporting focus, energy, and wellbeing for employees working in high pressure environments?
Physical activity is one of the simplest, most practical ways to reset energy and attention. Even a short break can help people return with better focus, calmer thinking, and stronger connection with colleagues. That’s why we see movement as a performance enabler, a team builder, and a wellbeing support all at once.
We also focus on making physical activities accessible to all. We offer a range of facilities across our office from leisure corners with gym equipment, billiards, foosball, and video games, to a multi-purpose court that supports basketball, football, and tennis. The recent addition of the pickleball court is part of this broader ecosystem, which we continue to improve and evolve.
Q: NTT often talks about its “sports DNA”, particularly through rugby as a cultural connector. From an HR perspective, what leadership or people principles from rugby translate most powerfully into the workplace?
Rugby is a powerful cultural connector because it’s a true team sport – everyone has a role, everyone supports one another, and success depends on trust, communication, and discipline. It reflects our core workplace principles: teamwork, respect, and collective responsibility.
We also bring this to life through engagement. We invite our colleagues and partners to the Hong Kong Sevens. It is not just to enjoy a world-class sporting event together, but to strengthen connection and shared identity.
Our connection to rugby is real and longstanding. NTT has its own professional rugby team in Japan, the Urayasu D-Rocks. Having their players join us at the Hong Kong Sevens make our “sports DNA” more than a slogan, it becomes something our people can relate to.
Q: Prioritising wellbeing in highly regulated, performance driven environments is no easy task. How does NTT strike a balance between operational excellence and creating space for energy, recovery, and human connection?
We don’t see operational excellence and wellbeing as competing priorities. They reinforce each other. In a high-reliability environment, sustainable performance comes from our systems and our people.
Enabling our people to recharge and stay connected are the keys to keep us performing safely, consistently, and at our best. More importantly, it supports our abilities to innovate, especially in today’s fast-evolving digital and AI landscape.
Our approach is simple: create an engaging and collaborative environment where innovation strengthens both performance and people experience. This allows us to move at the industry pace while keeping our people at the centre.
This philosophy is deeply rooted in our Japanese heritage through Kaizen – the practice of continuous improvement. At NTT, Kaizen is not limited to process optimisation; it is a mindset that encourages every individual to contribute ideas, identify incremental improvements, and take ownership of change.
When combined with AI enablement, this approach becomes even more powerful. AI helps us scale improvements, generate insights, and enhance decision-making, while Kaizen ensures those innovations remain grounded in real operational needs and human experience. Together, they allow us to continuously evolve – strengthening both performance and employee experience.
Q: Employees have diverse roles, needs, and preferences. How do you design initiatives so they are inclusive – across schedules, fitness levels, and different comfort zones – without creating a sense of a “culture for the sporty few”?
We support colleagues with a range of fitness and leisure facilities, giving them flexibility to participate in activities that they enjoy. We also deliberately choose activities that are welcome different fitness levels. Pickleball is a good example: it’s fun, easy to learn, and we provided an introductory training session to lower the barriers for beginners.
More broadly, our approach to wellbeing and inclusion goes beyond sports. We support diverse needs through hybrid and flexible work arrangements, alongside a broad mix of activities spanning family, interests, community services, etc. This ensures our culture feels inclusive and accessible to everyone, and is not defined by a narrow view of “fitness”.
Through our Kaizen mindset, we continuously listen and refine our initiatives. This is not a one-off programme, but an ongoing process of improvement – where our colleagues actively contribute ideas and help shape what comes next. I am particularly proud of the level of engagement and the trust we see. Our colleagues do not just participate, they actively contribute ideas and even help shape new activities. This creates a sense of ownership and ensures our culture evolves in a way that truly reflects our people.
Q: To conclude on a fun note, if you could introduce one unexpected wellbeing or movement idea into the workplace tomorrow – no approvals needed – what would you try first?
If I could introduce one unexpected idea tomorrow, I’d link wellbeing with sustainability.
As a business with high energy consumption, we are always thinking about how we can achieve carbon zero and contribute to the environment. I would invite colleagues to take part in simple physical activities, such as running, cycling, or other forms of movement, and explore ways to use technology to convert that energy into power.
It’s a simple idea, but it reinforces two important things: encouraging healthier habits while creating greater awareness of our environmental impact.
All photos / Provided
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