Winning Secrets: Building a resilient workforce is how U Mobile has created a high-performing organisation

Exceptional business results stem from motivated teams who find purpose in their work, says Norfazidah Binti Abu Bakar, Chief Corporate Services Officer, U Mobile.

U Mobile is a data-centric and multiple award-winning mobile data service company in Malaysia. And while it may be the youngest telco in the country, its vision is to be Malaysia’s favourite digital services partner through innovations that constantly make things possible.

In helping to realise this vision, Norfazidah Binti Abu Bakar, Chief Corporate Services Officer, U Mobile, has an important role to play, as she believes that this can be achieved by investing in people, which helps to build a resilient workforce.

The organisation took home two big wins at the HR Excellence Awards 2024, Malaysia, a silver award for HR Manager of the Year (presented to Cyril Tan Sze Lik), and a bronze award to the team for 'Excellence in Cross-Generational Workforce Engagement'.

In this interview, the HR leader reflects on the goal of creating a high-performing organisation driven by engaged employees, by helping them find purpose in their work.

Q What was the motivation that sparked your passion & business case for pursuing your outstanding people strategy?

U Mobile’s vision is to be Malaysia’s favourite digital services partner through innovations that constantly make things possible. In order to realise this vision, our journey began with a compelling goal, which is to create a high-performing organisation driven by engaged employees.

We recognised that exceptional business results stem from motivated teams who find purpose in their work. As the workforce dynamics become increasingly complex, with multiple generations working side by side, we knew that traditional engagement approaches needed reinvention. Therefore, we continually applied our core values of passion, teamwork, innovation, fun and trustworthiness and challenged ourselves with the question, 'What drives sustainable performance and innovation?'

Through rigorous analysis of our organisational metrics — including productivity rates, employee engagement scores, attrition patterns, and performance indicators — we've validated that creating an environment where people feel valued directly correlates with unbeatable business success. Our passion is fuelled by the proven link between employee satisfaction and organisational excellence.

By investing in our people, we’re not only building a resilient workforce but also supporting U Mobile’s quest to be Malaysia’s favourite digital services provider, delivering innovation and excellence in everything we do.

Q Looking back, can you share a challenge that you overcame in your journey of HR excellence? How did you triumph?

One of our critical challenges was addressing organisational silos to enhance cross-functional collaboration and business efficiency. To break down these barriers, U Mobile implemented 'Ulympics', a strategic company-wide initiative that was designed to create lasting collaborative networks and enhance business agility through various engaging activities held throughout the year. Through Ulympics, our organisation is structured into seven houses, each comprising members from all divisions led by the CxOs.

The results were transformative as we saw immediate improvements in cross-functional project execution and knowledge sharing. Most significantly, 98% of participants established new professional networks beyond their immediate teams, leading to improved business processes and innovative solutions. Ulympics does not only strengthened U Mobile’s organisational fabric but also demonstrated how strategic HR initiatives can directly impact business outcomes through enhanced collaboration and operational efficiency.

Q Beyond the recognition, what impact do you hope your feature in the HR Excellence Awards would have on the HR community and manpower landscape?

The late Steve Jobs once said, "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Inspired by this philosophy, we believe HR must evolve from being a support function to becoming a strategic business driver. Our role is to bridge the gap between talent potential and business success, creating measurable impact on organizational performance. By sharing our journey at U Mobile, we hope to demonstrate how HR can lead transformation, drive innovation, and deliver tangible unbeatable business outcomes.

We aim to inspire HR professionals to reimagine their role as strategic business partners who can quantifiably impact bottom-line results while developing human capital. Through our feature in the HR Excellence Awards, we hope to showcase how data-driven HR practices and innovative approaches can create sustainable competitive advantages for organisations.

Q Could you share some advice you would give to others aspiring to follow in your footsteps?

For those aspiring to make a strategic impact in HR, I offer two key insights.

First, you need to master business acumen and analytics. Understanding business fundamentals and leveraging data analytics is crucial as HR professionals must speak the language of business and demonstrate ROI through measurable outcomes. It is also important to stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and innovative HR practices that can drive organisational performance.

Lastly, it is pivotal to lead transformation through innovation.

You have to embrace the courage to challenge traditional HR paradigms and pioneer new approaches.

You also need to focus on creating scalable solutions that address both current business needs and future challenges, as well as develop strategies that align people initiatives with business objectives, ensuring HR becomes a key driver of an unbeatable organisational success.

Q Let's talk inspiration! Who has been a driving force behind your success? 

U Mobile’s achievements stem from a powerful alliance of strategic thinking and collaborative execution, driven by the visionary leadership of our senior management and our commitment to innovation and delivering value to the rakyat. Apart from that, the expertise of our HR teams, combined with the strategic input from UMbassadors – representatives of our employees across all divisions, has been instrumental in developing and implementing initiatives that drive business results.

Our success is built on a foundation of data-driven decision-making, agile adaptation to change, and a commitment to measuring and delivering business impact. Together, we've created an ecosystem where strategic HR initiatives directly contribute to unbeatable organisational success and market competitiveness, aligning with our vision to be Malaysia’s favourite digital services partner.

Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices – head over to our Winning Secrets section!

Photos: Provided