One of our employee value propositions has been to “Dare To Dream”, meaning we encourage our Allstars to have ambitious plans and work with them to attain their goals. As strong advocates of continuous professional training and development, we believe in providing our Allstars with the opportunity to develop in order to realise their true potential.

With the pandemic and virtual halt into our airline operations, we have been encouraging Allstars to acquire digital skills to make a transition from our Airlines operations to our Digital businesses. An Upskilling Framework has been developed to help Allstars create customised development plans in line with their aspirations as well as our Digital growth strategies.

The launch of Redbeat Academy in 2020 has been timely, providing a readily accessible avenue for Allstars to immerse themselves in a digital learning environment in a structured manner. 

Redbeat Academy (RBA) offers a range of online digital training modules in partnership with Google, for upskilling and reskilling including:

• Google Cloud Training (ATP)

• Data and Machine Learning

• Cloud Infrastructure

• Digital Marketing

• Product UI/UX

• Software Engineering

• Information Security

Outside Training
Outside of RBA, we made the most of the downtime to continue to provide training to Allstars at all levels and functions, primarily through online channels.
A total of 45 types of technical training programmes were conducted including:

• AirAsia 3.0 Digital & Data Transformation

• IATA - Managing Accident Prevention and Investigation

• Human Factors and Safety Investigations (HFASI)

• Certified Information System Security Professional

• Senior Leadership Workshop - Supply Chain, Logistics and Operation Management

Non-technical training included the following:

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme
Allstars with leadership potential are given the opportunity to undertake a 20-month MBA programme run by the Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloan. The programme is based on Action Learning, where participants use knowledge gained from the case studies and work with global partners on important business challenges.

Since the programme was launched in 2016, a total of eight Allstars with monetary contribution of RM 2,320,000 have obtained their MBAs. All eight were reabsorbed into AirAsia upon graduation. In 2020, we sponsored one Allstar to undergo the programme, with the fees being covered by an endowment fund contributed by AirAsia in previous years.
Meanwhile, four Allstars graduated from Asia School of Business and another four who started the programme in 2019, with monetary contribution of RM 1,260,000 are expected to graduate in 2021.

Global University Talent Outreach Programme (GUTOP)
We continued with our internship programme targeting undergraduates and postgraduates from top international universities. The three-month programme offers participants a better understanding of how AirAsia operates. In 2020, all five of our GUTOP interns completed their virtual internship and one intern was offered a placement in AirAsia.

Support for Furloughed and Retrenched Allstars
Although we could not avoid putting some Allstars on unpaid leave and letting some go following the drastic reduction in flight operations, we provided support for them to find new employment. Initiatives undertaken included:

• Developing an Allstars Separation Toolkit, a guide pack that provides information on transitioning to future employment

• Preparing a Talent Directory comprising Allstars’ CVs which are shared with AirAsia’s partner companies

• Conducting CV writing and interview techniques workshops with several internal teams

• Organising an Allstar Virtual Career Fair on Workplace

• Establishing AirAsia’s Got Talent - Allstars were encouraged to upload their latest resumes, onto a newly created AI-driven platform, which then matched their skills, experience and interests with open positions, temporary assignments, short and long-term projects within the AirAsia Group

Attraction & Inclusive Workplace
We seek to bring on board the best talents and to retain them by offering an attractive work environment, one that values the opinions of everyone and that positively celebrates divergent perspectives.

As of end 2020, the Group employed a total of 18,848 staff, comprising 65% men and 35% women. The gender distribution is skewed by male dominance in operational functions.

Embracing an equal opportunity culture, we do not discriminate against gender, age or ethnicity and also seek to provide opportunities for those who are differently abled.

Employees in 2020 (Group-Wide)

Our Senior Management consists of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all the companies within the Group. In 2020, we saw an increase in women’s representation among Senior Management from 15% in 2019 to 21%. Recognising the importance of having a good balance of genders within the Group, we will strive to further increase women’s representation at all levels moving forward.

Employee Engagement

AirAsia continues to keep morale up despite pandemic restrictions and Working From Home. We recognise that engaged employees are more invested in a company, feel a greater sense of belonging and are more inspired to perform their best. 

During the year, we had most of our employee engagement online which included:

• Allstars on Air -
  Weekly programme on Workplace Live to share group updates, connect Allstars to CEOs and share what other teams have been doing

• Management #AskMeAnything Updates -
  Quarterly management updates on Workplace Live

• Safe Flying Campaign -
  Policies and announcements to keep Allstars informed and updated on COVID-19 related matters

• #AllstarsWFH Engagement -
  Weekly programme featuring indicatives under the Learning, Social, Fitness and Well-being pillars

• #InThisTogether Campaign -
  Campaign from March - July to instil hope, positivity and the #oneairasia spirit by organising donation drives and supporting local businesses 

• #HUMANSOFAIRASIA Stories -
  A series of monthly write-ups that showcases Allstars’ contributions or efforts during the pandemic

Allstars WFH Survey
A survey was sent to all non-operations Allstars across the Group on 16 May 2021 to gauge their WFH experience. Responses were received from 62% of Allstars with 83% noting an easy transition to Working From Home, 95% feeling engaged and informed and only 14% feeling productivity was impacted due to hibernation. The respondents also provided feedback on how their remote working experience could be improved.

For full details and the complete AirAsia Sustainability Report 2020, click here.