[Photos] Art meets comfort and productivity at Facebook Malaysia's office

In May 2019, Facebook Malaysia officially opened its new expanded office space in Kuala Lumpur.

Human Resources Online reached out to Nicole Tan, Country Director of Facebook Malaysia, for a sneak peek into this space where stories are told through the various local-artist designed facets in the office. Interview snippets below:

"When you visit a Facebook office around the world, you will notice that even though they are very similar, each of them is designed with unique local twists," Tan tells us. As such, Facebook Malaysia is no exception, as it brings the APAC region closer to the energy and culture of Menlo Park through unique voices of local artists to energise, inspire, and challenge the community.

The local twist she mentions lies in the 'Artist in Residence' (AIR) programme, Facebook's on-site art initiative which promotes creativity, innovation, openness, and connectivity.

Check out each of the inspired spaces below:

In an increasingly globalised world, AIR, Fritilldea still sees us as a network of villages and neighbours. His mural is set on the wings of the cenderawasih, a mythical bird of Southeast Asian folklore and symbol of good fortune. This dynamic depiction of small townships is inspired by various ethnic designs and the graphic style of early video games from the artist's childhood, suggesting that new friendships and experiences are just waiting to be discovered.

Tan explains on the impact this has on the office: "Working amid handmade art that shares personal stories constantly reminds us that our work at Facebook revolves around the human experience.

"We have a total of two art pieces under the AIR programme and two other artworks in the Kuala Lumpur office, each created by Malaysia-based artists and designers."

As for hiring plans at this new office, Facebook does not share employee numbers by country, region or function. However, Tan affirms: "Malaysia is a key market for us in APAC and we will continue acquiring the right talent based on forward-looking plans to drive our growth in the region."

"We first started to hire our local team in 2016 and since then have been steadily growing the team. We will continue to focus on skills building for digital economic growth, investing in better connectivity technology and supporting community building."

Photos / Facebook Malaysia