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"HR must be both a compass and a catalyst: keeping people anchored in values while nudging them toward what is next," shares Jasmine Chua, Manager – Culture & Engagement.
Being a catalyst for change is no easy feat. In today’s rapidly evolving education sector, building trust and keeping teams energised is critical to maintaining a healthy, competitive workforce that embraces transformation.
At Taylor's Education Group, the HR team took a bold step forward by reworking its compensation benchmarking strategy. Moving beyond traditional practices, the organisation now benchmarks salaries externally while conducting internal analyses across roles, levels, and entities. This strategic shift signals a strong commitment to equity, dignity, and transparency.
The results speak for themselves: engagement scores have risen, tangible outcomes are evident, and the company’s efforts have earned industry recognition at the HR Excellence Awards 2025 in Malaysia, where the team earned the following accolades:
- Silver for HR Leader of the Year, and
- Bronze for Excellence in Recovery & Rebound Strategy.
Sharing insights behind this success is Jasmine Chua, Manager – Culture & Engagement, whose vision was championed by senior leadership and powered by cross-functional collaboration.
Q Tell us about your inspiring HR initiative – what sparked the idea, and how did you know it was the right path to take?
In the wake of a rapidly evolving education landscape, we recognised that to rebound and remain competitive, we needed to rebuild trust and re-energise our people. A key turning point was our groupwide compensation benchmarking initiative. Employee feedback pointed to pay fairness and recognition as major concerns. Instead of reacting with isolated tweaks, we took a bold, data-driven approach — benchmarking salaries externally and analysing them internally across roles, levels, and entities.
This signaled to our employees that we were serious about equity, dignity, and transparency. It was not just about numbers — it was about restoring belief in our employee value proposition. The positive shift in our engagement scores, eNPS, and understanding of pay confirmed that we were on the right path.
Q Every journey has its ups and downs – can you share a challenge your team faced and how you worked through it together?
One of our biggest hurdles was overcoming legacy mindsets and resistance to change. The idea of HR leading a strategic transformation was unfamiliar — and met with understandable caution. To counter this inertia, we launched high-impact pilots that could prove immediate value. These included a leadership development programme, co-created culture framework, the implementation of a living wage, modernised talent and succession planning, and workforce analytics dashboards.
These initiatives were not just symbolic, they showed the transformation was real, data-informed, and people-led. As staff experienced tangible outcomes and leaders saw results, trust grew. That early momentum was crucial in shifting hearts, minds, and long-held beliefs about what people & culture could achieve.
Q What impact has this initiative had on your organisation so far, and what do you hope it inspires in the wider HR community?
We saw measurable business and cultural outcomes. Engagement rose from 64% to 78%, eNPS improved by 12 points, and understanding of pay increased by 17 points. Attrition among high performers declined. Academic roles filled 20% faster, and research productivity increased. But the deeper impact was cultural: values are now embedded in how we lead, reward, and listen.
The people & culture team is no longer a support function; it’s a strategic growth driver. Our message to the HR community: transformation is not about grand gestures. It’s about values-driven choices, co-creation, and staying relentlessly human. We hope our journey inspires others to build workplaces that don’t just retain talent — but energise and enable it.
Q Looking back, is there a moment, person, or value that kept you and your team motivated throughout the journey?
Our Group Executive Chairman and the Senior Management Team were a constant source of momentum. From the very beginning, their belief in the people & culture transformation was clear — not just in words, but in action. The Chairman’s visible advocacy for a purpose-led, people-first culture gave us the mandate and moral courage to go beyond business-as-usual. He often reminded us that building a great place to study begins with building a great place to work.
This belief was echoed by the senior leadership team, who role-modelled the change, championed cross-functional collaboration, and held space for experimentation and learning. Their trust created psychological safety not only within our P&C team, but across the organisation.
"It reminded us that true transformation is most powerful when it’s sponsored from the top—but shaped by every voice along the way."
Q If you could offer one golden nugget of wisdom to HR professionals aiming for excellence, what would it be?
Start by listening — and don’t stop. Excellence is not about designing the perfect strategy in a boardroom. It is about co-creating one that reflects your people’s reality. Ask bold questions, act on what you hear, and be honest when you do not have all the answers. HR must be both a compass and a catalyst: keeping people anchored in values while nudging them toward what is next.
Do not underestimate the power of early wins and inclusive language. When people feel seen, heard, and safe to contribute, change becomes organic. Trust is your real transformation currency — earn it in every interaction.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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