PETALING JAYA, April 5 — Working with one of the biggest fashion powerhouses in the region is more than just playing dress up.
Although being a part of the online fashion retail brand Zalora, employees do need to go shopping.
“I shop every other day and all our employees love fashion — it’s part of our job to open the app and start shopping,” said its human resources director Ching Yee Jiun.
That, however, is the “fun” part of the job for Ching who joined Zalora six years ago.
Back then, she remembers it was a far cry from what she experienced while working and living in China for two years.
“In China, e-commerce was booming and you can’t escape it. Every day, you go to different platforms to fulfill your needs, but when I came back I realised it’s not developed at all,” she told Malay Mail.
Ching, who began as senior human resources manager, felt it would be exciting to be a part of a new industry.
From 150 employees, Zalora now has 1,417 employees across Southeast Asia.
As the fashion e-retailer’s presence grew, so did Ching’s role.
From overseeing Malaysian alone, she now manages HR departments in Hong Kong, China and Singapore, spending most of her days in meetings and calls, discussing people-related issues and dealing with stakeholders and managers from various countries.
Fundamentally, she said the role of human resources in a company — increasingly known as People and Culture in organisations — seeks to strike balance between company needs and employee needs.
“While the company is moving towards its strategic objectives, you’re there to make sure the employees keep up with the pace and at the same time you provide a fulfilling career for your employees,” she said.
Major responsibilities include weighing the impact of every policy so that the right decision can be made.
This year for example, Zalora will be focusing on building up its competency framework and training plans for its employees.
“This is a very fast-growing company, the one lesson I learned is every decision we make will have an impact on our employees,” she added.
“Building a winning culture is one of our priorities, therefore, preparing and developing our employees for the next phase of growth is very important.”
Asked what qualities make a good HR director, Ching said empathy is key — being able to see where others are coming from and explaining why the company is adopting certain policies.
“Be willing to listen and be able to think from the other person’s perspective because at the end of the day you will not be able to meet everybody’s needs and please everyone.
“At the same time, you must make sure that you are helping the employees and balance that with meeting the company’s objectives so being empathetic is the first step,” she said.
When it comes to work-life balance, the Kuala Lumpur native said it all goes back to a person’s personal priorities.
“Prioritise what you need even if there are conflicting tasks and decide what needs to come first,” she said, adding that she was lucky to work for a company that allows its staff flexibility.
So, has working in a fashion company made her more style conscious?
“Definitely! This is another reason why a lot of people are so keen to join us because women are fascinated by fashion,” she said.
