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With employees seeking clearer guidance on their development, Alcon introduced a structured and personal approach that strengthens dialogue, supports internal mobility and builds long-term commitment across its workforce.
The spark behind CIBA VISION Johor Sdn. Bhd. (Alcon)’s award-winning initiative began during a series of engagement feedback sessions, where employees voiced a clear desire for more clarity and support in their career growth. As site leaders listened, it became evident that there was an opportunity to bridge this gap through a more intentional and structured approach to development.
This led to the launch of 'career conversations @ manufacturing, technology & operations (MTO)', a framework designed to empower managers to engage in meaningful and forward-looking discussions with their team members. Rather than focusing solely on performance reviews, these conversations explore aspirations, strengths and personalised development pathways.
The initiative also reflected three strong signals that it was the right direction. It came directly from employee voice, it had enthusiastic leadership buy-in, and it aligned with the site’s long-term talent retention and succession planning goals.
The aim was simple. Employees needed to feel heard, valued and motivated to grow within the organisation. This became especially important as the team navigated a period of organisational change and market uncertainty. Concerns about career progression and stability highlighted the need for renewed purpose, clarity and connection. Through pulse surveys, focus groups, visible leadership support and agile development efforts, the team strengthened trust, stabilised retention and reinforced the belief in staying connected as one Alcon family.
At the HR Excellence Awards 2025, Malaysia, Alcon brought back 11 awards, including the crowning achievement:
- Gold for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Gold for Excellence in HR Innovation
- Gold for Excellence in Total Rewards Strategy
- Silver for Excellence in Learning and Development
- Silver for excellence in Hybrid Working
- Silver for Excellence in Championing Women Leaders
- Silver for Employer of the Year
- Bronze for Excellence in HR Communication Strategy
- Bronze for Excellence in Retention Strategy
- Bronze for Excellence in the Use of HR Tech
- Overall HREA Winner
In this interview, Dr. James J. Govindasamy, Vice President, Manufacturing Plant Management shares why leading with empathy and acting with intent remains the guiding principle behind Alcon’s journey toward HR excellence.
Q Tell us about your inspiring HR initiative – what sparked the idea, and how did you know it was the right path to take?
Our inspiring HR initiative is called: 'career conversations @ manufacturing, technology & operations (MTO)'.
The idea for this initiative sparked during a series of engagement feedback sessions where employees expressed a desire for more clarity and support in their career growth. As site leaders, we witness the opportunity to bridge that gap by creating a structured yet personalised approach to career development.
We launched 'career conversations @ manufacturing, technology & operations (MTO)' – a framework that empowers managers to have meaningful, forward-looking discussions with their team members. It’s not just performance reviews; it’s about aspirations, strengths, and development pathways.
What made me confident it was the right path? Three things:
- Employee voice: The initiative was born directly from employee feedback – a clear signal of need.
- Leadership buy-in: Our SLTs were enthusiastic and committed to making it part of their leadership rhythm.
- Alignment with business goals: It supports talent retention and succession planning, both critical for our site’s long-term success.
The most rewarding part of the above initiative is having our employees feel heard, valued, and motivated to grow within, stay connected, and remain in the organisation.
Q Every journey has its ups and downs – can you share a challenge your team faced and how you worked through it together?
The main challenge we faced was: Retaining talent amid uncertainty.
One of the biggest challenges we faced was maintaining talent retention during a period of organisational change and market uncertainty. Employees were concerned about career progression and stability, which risked disengagement and attrition. The following efforts have since been taken:
- Listening to employees’ voice: Conduct employees’ pulse surveys and focus groups to understand real concerns behind the data.
- Career conversations @ manufacturing, technology & operations (MTO): Conduct structured, future-focused discussions between managers and employees to provide clarity on growth opportunities.
- Visible leadership support: Senior leaders actively championed development initiatives and celebrated internal mobility wins.
- Agility in development: We pivoted learning programmes to virtual formats and personalised development plans to keep momentum.
This approach not only stabilised retention but strengthened trust and engagement. It reminded us that retention isn’t about perks—it’s about purpose, clarity, and connection. It is all about keeping people engaged, connected and supported through uncertainty as one Alcon family. #MyAlconMyFamily
Q What impact has this initiative had on your organisation so far, and what do you hope it inspires in the wider HR community?
Impact & inspiration: 'career conversations @ manufacturing, technology & operations (MTO)'
Since launching the initiative, we have seen a noticeable shift in how career development is perceived and practiced across our site. Our leaders are trained to be more confident at initiating growth-focused discussions at which employees feel more empowered to take ownership of their career development journey.
Some tangible outcomes include:
- Improved engagement scores for associates: Career development emerged as a top driver in our latest employee survey.
- Stronger talent pipelines: We’ve identified high-potential individuals earlier and matched them with targeted development opportunities.
- Culture of dialogue: The initiative fosters a more open, trust-based culture where feedback and aspirations are shared more freely.
As site leader, what we hope this inspires in the wider HR community is the idea that career development could be simple but with high impact on the team. Sometimes, a simple conversation can be intentional, empathetic, and future-focused.
We trust that we can create valuable and trustworthy space for those career conversations.
We are not just building careers — we are building connections, purposes, and long-term commitments with our employees.
Q Looking back, is there a moment, person, or value that kept you and your team motivated throughout the journey?
Indeed, that value is to stay motivated, anchored by our purpose and people.
Looking back, one moment that stands out was during our first round of 'career conversations @ manufacturing, technology & operations (MTO)'. One of our home growth leaders shared how the discussion helped her see a future for herself in the company — something she never imagined how her career journey would grow in Alcon. And that moment reminded us why we do what we do and why we must continue what we believe in.
We know that this is not just about one person, rather, it was the collective spirit of the team.
What truly kept us moving forward is:
- A shared value of growth: We all believe in the power of development—not just for business outcomes, but for personal fulfillment.
- Supportive leadership: Our SLTs consistently championed the initiative, reinforcing its importance and celebrating small wins.
- Team resilience: Even when faced with setbacks such as travel restrictions or shifting priorities, the team leaned on each other, stayed focused, and adapted with grace.
At the heart of it all was a simple but powerful value: empowerment. We were not just implementing a programme—we were creating space for people to dream, grow, and thrive.
Q If you could offer one golden nugget of wisdom to HR professionals aiming for excellence, what would it be?
If I could offer one piece of advice to our HR professionals striving for excellence, it would be this:
Lead with empathy, act with intent.
- Apply your empathy to guide what you do.
- Apply your intent to guide how you do it.
Empathy helps us understand the real needs behind the data, the emotions behind the feedback, and the people behind the processes. Intent ensures that our actions are purposeful, aligned with values, and drive meaningful impact.
We trust that with above belief, this would drive our site towards continuous improvement, no matter whether we are launching a new initiative, transforming change, or supporting someone through a tough moment — this would balance the heart and strategy as to what transforms HR from a function into a force for good and a transit to excellence!
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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