MTR was voted in as first runner up for being the most attractive companies in Hong Kong SAR with 53.4% of all respondents who knew the company stating that they would like to work for them.
Company Profile: The MTR Corporation was established in 1975 as the Mass Transit Railway Corporation with a mission to construct and operate, under prudent commercial principles, an urban metro system to help meet Hong Kong SAR's public transport requirements. The sole shareholder was the Hong Kong SAR Government. Today, MTR Corporation is involved in a wide range of business activities in addition to its railway operations. These include the development of residential and commercial projects, property leasing and management, advertising, telecommunication services. From its origin in Hong Kong SAR, MTR has expanded its railway and property businesses into the Mainland of China and taken on railway-related projects and operations internationally.
Staff Profile: Over 17,000 staff working in Hong Kong SAR; and a further 19,000 staff working in the Mainland of China and overseas
key elements of MTR's employer branding:
- MTR has been operating for nearly 37 years since train service began in 1979. People get to know MTR through what we deliver. This is the foundation of our branding.
- “Rail Gen 2.0” is an identity for the next generation of rail travel to be rolled out in Hong Kong SAR over the next few years. With the opening of new lines coupled with their major assets replacement projects, the Hong Kong SAR community will benefit from enhanced connectivity to drive further economic and social development in Hong Kong SAR.
- MTR has an “employee volunteering” scheme (viz “More Time Reaching Community”) that provides a platform for connecting our staff with the community. Our “Youth Connect” platform reflects our commitment to youth development while the “MTR Academy” aims at developing future generations of railway professionals, especially from the younger generation.
- To nurture talent, MTR has a Leadership Pipeline for fast-track staff development, within which the Executive Associate and Graduate Schemes are offered for managerial succession, and other initiatives are in place to accelerate senior and executive leadership development.
- MTR is also in the process of developing the "MTR Academy" to help develop and train the future generation of railway professionals.
- MTR values work-life balance and employee wellness, by offering a range of sports and recreational facilities, as well as interest classes and activities to staff and their families. Under the “Healthy Living Programme”, MTR organizes seminars to foster physical and mental health of staff with topics like sickness prevention, parenting and managing stress. Stress- relief facilities at workplace are also in place for frontline staff and counselling service by professional counsellors is available to staff and their families.
how has MTR grown and nurtured the employer brand? Four points spoken from the HR team at MTR:
- The employer brand is the result of many factors working together. We have launched a number of initiatives to build pride in our staff. We have produced a series of short motivational videos entitled “MTR People Making a Difference”, featuring stories about the work of the frontline staff in different departments. Our staff responded very positively to these videos and showed more appreciation of the efforts by colleagues from different divisions which in turn helps to promote collaboration. We have also shared the stories of some of our staff with the public through our TV commercials and other channels. These help people outside MTR to understand more about our work and our commitment to serve the community.
- As an integral part of the Hong Kong SAR community, we strive to engage with local communities under our “Community Connect” initiatives. Our “More Time Reaching Community” Scheme encourages staff to initiate, organise and participate in volunteering activities to contribute to the community. In 2015, the Scheme celebrated its tenth anniversary, supporting 255 community projects involving over 6,000 volunteers.
- We launched the “Youth Connect” platform which reflects our commitment to youth development. Mentoring and life-skills training are provided to empower young people to achieve their aspirations. Our flagship programme of “Pathway to Employment”, together with internship opportunities for students and information sharing with secondary school teachers in the Life and Career Education Forum, help young people better prepare for transition from school to work.
- MTR has been awarded “10 Years Plus Caring Company Logo” by Hong Kong SAR Council of Social Service in recognition of our long-term commitment to caring for the community, our staff and the environment.
