Winning Secrets: How PT Elnusa remains grounded in its EX strategies

At the end of the day, it's about the direct impact on employees and their productivity and performance, we learn from Agung Wahidin Wibisana, VP of Human Capital, PT Elnusa.

The team at PT Elnusa proudly took home the bronze award for Best First-Time Manager Programme at the Employee Experience Awards 2022, Singapore.

In this interview, Agung Wahidin Wibisana, VP of Human Capital, PT Elnusa tells HRO how a focus on planning, developing leaders and employees, and the human capital division's partnership with business leaders go a long way in the productivity and performance of employees. 

Q Congratulations on the achievement! Could you take us through the highs and lows of your winning strategy?

In a pandemic situation, global economic turmoil, and oil price volatility, the company has established a long-term strategy of Resilience to Growth, which means defending against threats from external factors by improving internal capabilities, and continuing to develop/expand the business.

Internally, we need to optimise the handling strategy related to organisational issues and human resources currently being faced to improve organisational agility in dealing with change; equip leaders as drivers of change to be more optimal and impactful, and strengthen the "Satu Elnusa" (Satu = One) culture and core values AKHLAK to have a direct impact on the productivity of employees and the company, as well as to optimise the role of the human capital (HC) division as a strategic partner.

Q Understanding and meeting your employees’ needs and expectations is never an easy feat. How did PT Elnusa identify the business & employee needs, and craft out the perfect solution? 

Within the HC division of PT Elnusa, there are several functions that play a role in bringing together aspects of business and employee needs. The first function is the strategic function, which analyses business conditions, future business plans, and human resource needs (manpower planning) to support business activities. Some of the strategic function outputs are manpower planning that supports business strategies, and policies or procedures for employee management.

The second function is the recruitment function, to find the right person in the right place to fill the vacant position. The recruitment team reaches out to the HC business partners to carry out this activity. This synergy and collaboration of several functions in the HC division is expected to be able to bring together business needs and also the needs of workers, which can increase the productivity or performance of the company.

Q How did the strategy add to the overall employee experience in PT Elnusa?

All employee management activities are based on policies, guidelines, and procedures that have been set by the authorities at the level of managers, directors, and vice presidents. All policies, guidelines, and procedures are prepared based on the company's strategy and conditions, so that all employee management based on these provisions is still in accordance with the company's strategy. When it comes to ROI, every month we continue to monitor productivity figures, which are calculated by comparing revenue, net income vs. the number of workers, and the ratio of revenue vs. personal costs. This productivity analysis is carried out in detail down to the business units so that we can find out which business units have good productivity and which do not.

From this analysis, it can be known early so that productivity can increase whether there are aspects of worker management that need improvement.

Q Could you offer some recommendations to your peers across industries on implementing something similar for their own EX foundation?  

The recommendations that we can give are, in developing work programmes and strategies that should be “grounded”, meaning that they have a direct impact and can be felt directly by the workers. On the other hand, the programmes and strategies must be in line with the company's direction. To find the right direction, they should discuss frequently with the revenue generation function or the operations function. As a business partner, it takes sensitivity to understand them, so that the programmes and strategies that are prepared will have a positive impact on workers and on the company.

Q If you were to reflect, what is one thing you’ll do differently in executing this strategy? 

The strategy execution. Plans (work programmes) will only be able to have an impact if they are executed quickly at the right momentum and carried out with continuous improvement, so that the implementation results are more perfect. With a structured programme and optimal resource management, the strategy can be executed on-target, according to the specified time constraint, and the output can also be evaluated for improvement and this improvement will continue.

Q Looking ahead, how is PT Elnusa going to take this winning strategy higher and further in the coming years?  

Currently, we continue to make updates in every aspect of integrated human resource management. HR management automation is carried out to collect HR data needed in HR decision-making through data analysis. The company aims to be able to use the results of this data analysis to improve employee experiences in the company and encourage business success in the future.

Q 10 years down the line, where do you see the future of HR? 

In our opinion, in the next ten years, the automation of the HR management system will be very developed. With powerful big data, all activities can be carried out quickly, precisely, and efficiently. No administrative or clerical activities are carried out manually.

The role of HR is very important, it is not enough just as a business partner and strategic partner, HR is also a strategic alliance with mutually beneficial relationships.

Photo / Provided (featuring the PT Elnusa team)