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"We care, we listen, and we take action!" – This underpins ways the OOH agency improves the employee experience, promotes the employer brand, and facilitates a positive culture.
As with any other industry, a main talent challenge faced in the media business, especially out-of-home (OOH) media, is attracting new talent from the younger generations.
With many industry professionals boasting over 20 years of experience, and serving as the cornerstone of this field, Lidy Cai, Head of Human Resources, Bravo Media, believes the critical mission is to transfer their knowledge and attract new blood to ensure the industry's continued growth and innovation.
Therefore, since joining Bravo Media in early 2023, Cai has been playing a pivotal role in developing a long-term and sustainable talent strategy. The establishment of the Bravo Media Academy, in that sense, represents the agency’s continuous commitment to nurturing both internal and external talent, and building a strong talent supply for the future. Find out more in her interview with HRO’s Tracy Chan.
Q: What, in your view, are the keys to creating a positive and engaged workplace where people want to stay and thrive?
I think it’s all about employee experience and career development.
Our recruitment slogan and guiding principle in our HR team is: "We care, we listen, and we take action!" Proactively listening to employees, valuing their feedback, and empowering them to take ownership and be part of all decision-making.
We also need to ensure that the top leadership is investing in people as they are the most important asset, and facilitating a promising and foreseeable career path for everyone are our missions.
Q: How do you see the importance of the employee experience to talent engagement? What impactful initiatives have you implemented at Bravo Media to enhance the employee experience?
At Bravo Media, the people strategy is designed to improve the employee experience and build a high-performing team to support business growth. This involves understanding employee needs and addressing their concerns.
The TGIF has been initiated for sharing updates, celebrating team successes, and recognising key contributors and high performers on a relaxing Friday afternoon with food and drinks.
We also provide personalised appreciation gifts for employees who have gotten married, had a newborn, or other celebrations to ensure that we treat them as family and share in their personal happiness.
The company also organises employee satisfaction surveys to collect feedback from the team. We then design solutions-based action plans and communicate them with the team. We have received good feedback from the team, managed a low attrition rate, and received industry recognition.
Q: Learning and development is a vital part of the employee experience and a key focus of today’s workforce. How do you ensure a sustainable talent strategy to support business growth?
We established Bravo Media Academy earlier this year with the goal of talent development internally and externally. We are offering various learning resources, lunch and learn, and mentorship programmes to ensure the continuous development of our existing employees, helping them to unleash their full potential and grow together with the company.
Externally, we have partnered with universities to invest in early career development with the aim to create a talent pipeline for the future. We have also participated in several programmes aimed at boosting secondary students' interest in joining the OOH industry and will continue to invest more in this field for our teenagers.
These efforts will help us build a sustainable workforce, continuously attract young talents to join this industry with a fresh, innovative, and open point of view, and improve the industry standard to reach new heights.
Q: Advertising agencies are known for their expertise in promoting brands. In turn, how do you position your company as a top-of-mind employer among candidates?
First, Bravo Media positions itself as a company with a key mission to challenge the standard, offer innovative solutions, and continuously raise the quality of OOH advertising. Bravo Media welcomes talented individuals who share the same dreams and values, and who are eager to drive change and shape the future.
Secondly, we value talent and strive to invest in their future, helping them reach their full potential. In 2023, we successfully tripled our employee size while maintaining a very low turnover rate because we share the same goals and values and everyone is highly motivated and engaged.
Moreover, we have fostered a great culture within the company, providing more flexibility for our team. As a result, people feel proud to work at Bravo Media.
A promising career path, coupled with a great culture and a clear and promising mission, are the keys to our success.
Q: How would you describe your leadership style?
I am an open-minded and results-driven person. As a leader, my primary focus is to support each individual on my team in reaching their full potential and ensuring they feel valued by working on tasks that align with their strengths.
My guiding principles include maintaining a cool head, having a warm heart with empathy, and being actively involved in the work at hand.
Q: How closely do you work with the management team, and on what specific projects?
As part of the management team, we work closely on growing our business every day, and we have several new projects to work on. As you probably heard, we have won the MTR advertising tender for the East Rail Line, Tuen Ma Line, and light rail, as well as MTR buses. This is one of the key tender projects in which I have participated.
My HR key project in 2024 is training and development for the team as we just tripled our company size thus continuous development are essential for our team.
Q: Is there a phrase/mindset that you believe HR professionals should do away with? And what should they replace it with?
Being too policy-driven or process-driven can limit your ability to empathise and be flexible, which is not helpful for a growing company. Every day, we face different challenges, and having a solution-driven mindset is more important than being strictly policy-driven.
Secondly, I believe it can be quite dangerous when HR serves solely as a business support or administrative role driven solely by the top leadership's direction, rather than prioritising the needs of the people. HR should act as a bridge between employers and employees, ensuring strong internal communication is in place. This helps prevent potential people risks and fosters coherence within the organisation.
Q: Concluding the interview on a healthful note, how do you help employees wind down at work?
We promote work-life balance, and personally, I am a big fan of working smartly rather than just working hard. It is important to have the ability to relax, pursue hobbies, and mentally switch off from work.
We invite consultants from our 'Employee Assistance Programme' (EAP) providers to share mental health tips, and we regularly organise team-building activities such as marathon walks or mid-week getaways for brainstorming. We also occasionally offer early releases from busy weeks or celebrate small successes.
An extract of this article first appeared in the H1 2024 edition of Human Resources Online's Hong Kong e-magazine. View the e-magazine here, where you'll find power-packed features and interviews with leaders across various sectors!
Image / Provided (Lead image: Lidy Cai, Head of Human Resources, Bravo Media)
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