'We can only be as good as our people'

For Cary Shek, VP of people and culture at Klook, some of the most enjoyable parts of working in HR is its collaborative nature, the learning opportunities it provides and the ability to positively impact people.

“It really delivers great satisfaction in making a positive impact on people's lives, especially when you see both the growth and development of the individuals within an organisation,” she told HRD Asia. “It’s the kind of satisfaction money can’t buy.”

Shek joined the travel and experiences company back in 2018. It was the beginning of what she described as a ‘golden period’ for the business as it had reached unicorn status (having a valuation over US$1 billion) and had exciting plans ahead.

“It was also one of the very rare opportunities to be able to lead a global team based in Asia,” she said. “And there was a huge potential for me to shape the culture and workforce.”

What was even better for Shek was the type of industry Klook is in.

“I have always been passionate about travel,” she said. “I had worked for a travel media company in the early days of my career. It's definitely a blessing to be able to marry my passion with my career.”

HR initiatives at Klook

During her time at Klook, Shek has been involved in several initiatives and programs. Among them was helping the company lay out the foundation of its HR capabilities, being involved in talent management, launching an employee engagement survey called Klook Voice and prioritising organisational culture through the launch of PATH.

“[It] stands for ‘push boundaries, ask for and give feedback, take ownership and help each other,’” Shek said. “We launched it to help the organisation articulate the value we are talking about at Klook and also set the baseline for the expectations of our talent.”

Following the COVID pandemic, Klook launched a program called “Workcation”, a combination of “work” and “vacation”.

“At that time, we were just coming out from the pandemic and we wanted to encourage our people to travel and explore the world more,” Shek said. “So we provided incentives where they could do temporary work from anywhere, they could enjoy the experiences firsthand as a customer and also connect with Klookers all over the world.”

Implementing successful HR strategy

Shek highlighted two key strategies HR teams can use to implement a successful HR strategy. The first is understanding your business.

“What is the overall objective we would like to achieve? What is the business strategy?” she said. “If we see the organisation as a body, HR serves as the backbone, which enables the body to move. And so whatever HR initiatives we want to take, it has to align with the overall organisation.”

The second aspect is having a deep understanding of the talents of your people.

“You have to gain a good understanding of ‘What is the current state right now?’ and ‘What could be the future opportunities that should be married with the business?’,” Shek added.

“And from there, you can also further identify ‘What could be the talent gaps?’; how you can further develop your people to the next phase, how you can elevate them. It could be done through different means such as learning and development, mentorship et cetera.

“I think it also helps to anticipate the organisation’s future need, especially in a very fast paced environment. You can't just focus on the present, you need to think two steps or sometimes three steps ahead.”

A milestone year

With a growing global workforce, Shek believes the company’s culture is still evolving.

“One common thread you will find among our people is really a genuine love for travel, it’s in our DNA,” she said. “I do think this is our key to success in a highly competitive industry.”  

But what remains at its core is PATH, which continues to serve as a guiding principle for employee behaviour. In addition, Shek mentioned an employee survey which identified elements of the company culture that resonated with employees. This included having autonomy, getting feedback for continuous improvement and having a supportive and collaborative environment.

“I do think they generally have a spirit to help one another to be successful and to achieve collective outcomes,” Shek said.

The year 2024 marks 10 years since Klook was founded. While Shek didn’t give too much away about what exactly the company will be doing to mark the occasion, she did say it will involve celebrating past and current achievements as well as how Klook is charting its next 10 years.

“Turning 10 is a bit like coming of age,” she said. “I do believe we haven't made it this far on our own. So for our upcoming celebration, we will definitely plan to share some of our tremendous joy with various stakeholders, especially our employees.”

Shek also mentioned how it will be an opportunity to show gratitude to their employees for their contribution so far.  

“I do believe we can only be as good as our people,” she said. “So we definitely want to engage them in co-creating our exciting future.”