BAT Diversity and Inclusion FAQ

Pros

Great team culture, many opportunities for career progression, diversity and inclusion, good remuneration package

Cons

Fast paced, sometimes extended working hours

Advice to Management

Nil

Pros

A very positive learning experience, and a great place to start a career. Especially on the Global Graduate/Management Trainee Program. You will learn a lot here, and the skillset you carry is highly relevant and sought after in the job market. Strong best practices in market - although some potential to simplify the business further. However, very impressive top-down directive to streamline the business further. Challenging industry - but positive short-term outlook. The big shocks to the business has sharpened the strategy and practices of the company. In the long run, the company has a big and bold vision - something I personally approve of - but hard to say at the current juncture if it will materialise or amount to anything, especially in Malaysia. Friendly peers who are genuinely interested in you - good solidarity in the rank and file as well as lower management. People working here have a lot of pride, love and passion for the company and the brands they sell. Hierarchical mindset is slowly dissipating. A very positive development in the culture.

Cons

1. Although I find to be a neutral point - many may be overwhelmed by the operational work and the level of granularity we go into given that it is a dark and predominantly BTL business. 2. You will often end up doing work with either unclear briefs or bosses who give a very specific brief only to end up changing it later and "forgetting", thereafter telling you "this isn't what I wanted/asked for." It is an extremely regular and frustrating occurrence. 3. You may end up doing work that never materialises, and ends up being non-value adding. You will never be acknowledged for it even if you did a good job. Especially since it doesn't materialise. Doesn't happen all the time - but often enough that it's a thing many get frustrated over. 4. You will end up taking a lot more work as the company progresses on its agenda to simplify and streamline the business. While this is an agreeable and understandable agenda - you may end up doing the work 3-4 headcount was doing before, by yourself. But with no change to your compensation. This extra work you do will not be appreciated as well. 5. Slow progression. If you start a career in Sales. You may get stuck for many years. Very few are ever highlighted and put up for promotion - except only very recently. So perhaps things may change and are changing. But even at the HQ level, your progression can be slow if you enter a junior position. Particularly if you get filled into the "wrong" role, or under a boss that has more interest in themselves than your progression. When you try to voice out, you may be accused unfairly by the older people in the business as being "impatient" and dismissed because there's apparently a "problem" with our generation. 6. Personally, I got no acknowledgement, appreciation, or recognition for work I did if it did not benefit a senior managers' agenda. Things can get disappointingly self-serving and overly political. Senior management out for each others' necks, often tunnel visioning into their own individual agendas. Meetings with two or more senior managers in the room can feel very adversarial. These will take its toll on working teams in a matrix organisation when they are required to meet the needs of adversarial stakeholders. 7. Malaysian talent side-lined. It's all about who's the next expat in-line to become a director. Will sell an international career but rarely deliver except for senior management many of whom are foreigners anyway. Only the rare Malaysian will be given such opportunities. 8. Unforgiving culture, where perception baggage is hard to shed - no matter the quality of work output, or development made. 9. Big cognitive dissonance between what is said, and what is felt. Eg. Management will say things are great - but no one will feel good about it. My opinion as to why this happens is because feedback is taken but not applied - stories are construed to sell the end-market upwards, but taken as deceptive by the rank and file because it is not representative of what's being felt by many. In terms of diversity and inclusion, as well as people fit - the most glaring and problem with the culture is that if you do not drink, then you will be sidelined. The drinking culture is bad. The company talks big on diversity and inclusion - which is a bold, and positive thing to drive. But these things are enforced as a quota - where they push for greater gender and ethnic representation to achieve a diversity quota. But do not address the cultural issues that makes the company uninclusive. If you do not drink - you may be excluded. If you are not a loud extrovert - you may be excluded. The profile of fit in this company benefits those who are extroverted, loud, and able to hold their liquor - irrespective of substance.

Advice to Management

People here actually give very honest feedback, so I hope the management actually addresses these in an open, transparent, and honest way with the employees. And that these issues are actually implemented. At the moment, a lot of "feedback" activities just feel like a check in the box, and a mere attempt to somehow make us look good to the Area/Region/Globe.