SAP Malaysia Leads as an Employer of Choice

Cynthia Quah

Global enterprise solutions provider SAP has repeatedly been recognised as one of the best places to work, and the company is intent to continue being one of Malaysia’s leading ‘employers of choice’ today and in the years ahead.

Vice President and Head of Cloud SAP South East Asia, Cynthia Quah (pic above), said that SAP Malaysia would continue to introduce innovative workplace practices to differentiate itself for the greater good of employees.

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“At SAP Malaysia, as with elsewhere in the world where SAP is represented, we are constantly thinking of ways to continuously position ourselves as an employer of choice, and this includes an employee-centred human resources (HR) work model focused on flexibility,” said Cynthia in a press release.

In the first half of 2022, SAP received 75 ‘employer of choice’ awards throughout the world.


This includes recognition across categories that include 42 for best employer, 15 for best workplaces, six for early career talent, and 12 for equality.

The first half of the year includes awards such as SAP being named as a Best Place to Work in Canada, France, Germany, the U.S., and the UK, receiving the maximum five Glassdoor awards in major markets. This is a success that follows last year’s rankings, where SAP was listed in four markets.

“At SAP, a flexible and trust-based workplace is the norm, not the exception,” said Cynthia. “We help the world run better, and that includes doing what’s best for our employees. Our unique culture is built on trust, respect, purpose, inclusion, and team spirit.”

Having just celebrated its 30th anniversary in Malaysia, SAP recently introduced a forward-thinking employee-centred approach called the “Pledge to Flex” work model, which aims to make a 100% flexible and trust-based workplace the norm with flexible work schedules and workplaces that prioritise inclusivity and sustainability.

Technology is the centrepiece of this flexible work approach, using software such as Qualtrics to understand employee feedback and SAP SuccessFactors to create better employee experiences. HR operations also leverage cloud platforms to achieve operations, cost efficiency and delivery of quality services.

The combination of intelligent technology, flexible work environment and policies are aimed at improving creativity and collaboration while fostering a strong community culture and enhancing focused teamwork.

This approach has also been adopted by numerous SAP customers, such as Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad which had implemented SAP’s SuccessFactors solutions to help take human capital management to higher levels.

“Workforce well-being and workplace have never been more important; therefore, SAP Malaysia’s new office, located at MidValley Kuala Lumpur, was designed to accommodate new flexible working practices and better serve our wide-spread customer base,” said Cynthia.

“As we go on to the recovery phase of this pandemic, SAP is striving to push boundaries in talent recruitment and retention by utilising a data-driven approach in our HR strategy,” she added.

“Listening to employee feedback and valuing trust, flexibility, and inclusivity are key factors in adapting HR practices to be more resilient as the company and industry face unprecedented changes in the business environment.”

The company is also on the lookout for local talent to grow with it.

“Good leaders should keep looking at people around the organisation – and externally – and constantly look for personalities that share our values and have leadership characteristics,” said Cynthia.

“Our business is focused on innovation, whether in terms of its products or customer interactions. That requires bringing in people with the right calibre with the ‘hunger’ to succeed.”

SAP Malaysia looks at prospective employees holistically from multiple dimensions: human resources, recruitment and role-specific skillsets.

Diversity is another key area for SAP Malaysia: “The more opinions are brought into the room, the better the outcome is likely to be, because matters are looked at from every possible angle.”