How long have you been at Access?
2.5 years
What does your morning look like before you start work?
Yoga and a hot cup of tea is what gets my engine going, before the rest of the family is up. Laughing with my daughter is a sure shot way to set my mood for the day.
How do you bring your personality to work?
I am an eternal optimist and believe that a smile is my secret superpower – It’s disarming, and I love the ripple effect that’s born from something so small.
What skills have you had to work hard to develop? How did you do that?
The art of saying ‘No’ – I have learned through several experiences, the importance of setting clear boundaries to conserve bandwidth and be more efficient at work.
What brought you to Access? What role did you start in?
I was a returning mother, after a career break of 2 years and am so proud to say that Access recognised my potential and rewarded me with fair pay – I took a break as a Senior Technical Recruiter and bounced back on the same vein. DE&I for the win!
What’s something you have learned from your teammates at Access?
I can certainly say that help is just an ask away. There's no ask so big, no question so silly, no task so hard. And the way that we all carry that, the Access community here, the culture that that we've built together, it is something I value so much. It is so close to my heart that this is what I exude to everyone that I meet, the new joiners that we bring into the company, and in the way that I interact with anyone here.
In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge in fostering a truly inclusive workplace culture, and how can Access address it?
Our leaders are our biggest asset and with great power, comes great responsibility.
Effective Leader onboarding will be our biggest bet on getting them started on the right foot so they can emulate our values and lead by example.
What vision do you have for Access’ DEI efforts in the next five years? How do you see your role contributing to that vision?
As a DE&I Champion, I am always looking for discreet ways to educate employees, leaders and new joiners in being inclusive, tolerant and empathetic of their peers, teams and colleagues.
I dream of a day when our neurodivergent community can proudly wear virtual Access badges to showcase their superpowers – that our neurotypical colleagues would be aware and appreciative of.
Perhaps hire someone in a full time DE&I role in Kuala Lumpur and plan days where we celebrate Kindness at the workplace, Pay it forward Day, LGBTQA Awareness Day (Willing Malaysia to accept it), Create spaces where women cheer women on, Cultural Awareness in Leading across Access’ multiple geographies, Upskilling Hiring Managers on Unconscious Bias and so much more!
As with recycling, this is not something that the whole community needs to do perfectly but can pay off very well with each individual starting off in their own imperfect way.
Is there a moment or achievement in your DEI work at Access that you’re particularly proud of?
I am all for bringing people together – it’s what makes me tick.
I organised the Diwali event for GOC KL recently (A Diwali Bazaar)- The intention was keeping in mind Employee Wellbeing, Engagement, Giving back and building Access Culture through our diverse ethnicities, food and people. – It was so lovely to see our Chinese, Iranian, African, European, Malay and Indian colleagues carry off Indian wear, sing Bollywood songs and celebrate together.
Another heartwarming incident in recent times was when one of our new joiners felt safe to be vulnerable and share that he was on the neurodivergent spectrum, as I spoke of DE&I on his first day at Employee Induction.
What’s the one thing that drives you in your day-to-day role at Access?
Having been here nearly three years, I can say that Access has a unique landscape and a fast pace of work. And with everything going at breakneck speed, the one constant has always been the people element. Each day, every day that I turn up to work, I meet the most incredible, kind, like-minded people who inspire and have helped me become more and more passionately emotionally invested in the company, in our people, and how we can make the journey better for us all.
So here's to growing together and in making this a better place for you and for me and the entire human race.
