REV Asia Gets Recognised By WorldBlu As A Freedom-Centered Workplace Two Years In A Row
It's not just about the bean bags, guys!
By Judith Yeoh — 11 Apr 2017, 07:52 PM
REV Asia Holdings Group has made it to the WorldBlu List of Freedom-Centered Workplaces for the second consecutive year
The Malaysian digital media group joins 23 other organisations from around the world in the 11th annual award by WorldBlu, a company that specialises in freedom-centered, democratic organisational design and leadership. REV Asia was also recognised by WorldBlu in 2016.
Throughout the years, WorldBlu has certified 150 organisations from US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Netherlands, Malaysia, Haiti, New Zealand, and Romania, impacting over one million employees worldwide.
Well-known companies to make the WorldBlu List include Simon Sinek’s leadership company, Start with Why, DaVita, Mindvalley, Widen, New Belgium Brewery, and The WD-40 Company. The organisations range in size from five to 87,000 employees representing over USD32 billion in combined annual revenue.
REV Asia owns and operates some of Malaysia’s top online publications including SAYS, OHBULAN!, Viralcham, Rojaklah, Juiceonline and 8Share
The leading digital media company has also recently acquired three other Malay lifestyle websites Siraplimau, Myresipi and, Kongsiresepi.
Together, the group of 105 employees reaches a combined total of over 5 million users comprising of Malay, Chinese and English speaking audiences, through the power of social media and engaging digital content.
Why is freedom at the workplace important for REV Asia?
A fear-based operation is one of the biggest growth inhibitors in the modern workplace. Fear at work manifests itself in many ways including disengagement, low productivity, wastefulness, lack of innovation and micro-management. The sense of ownership dwindles, bureaucracy rises and the workplace culture suffers.
While some might label this as stiff ‘corporate culture’, the group believes that scaling a company of any size in the present day must begin with renewed leadership and a democratic mindset to stay profitable, aggressively innovate, and draw the best talents in, year in, year out.
The modern workplace needs more than bean bags and a foosball table
Although we do love them! We have a mini exercise station at the office too, right next to the bar.
For REV Asia, it begins with embracing diversity and encouraging freedom-centered practices that empower their employees to perform, express themselves and grow.
“We want to build a great working environment where individuals can grow, have fun and find meaning at work. Its paramount to building a successful business,” says General Manager, Sam Wee.
An example of building the workplace culture with employees is REV’s in-house Culture Code that was co-developed by teams in the company. Employees had a dialogue on ‘culture pillars’ they believe were most crucial for employees and the company to practice, regardless of seniority or role.
At the end of the dialogue, employees voted for the top five culture pillars, which were ‘Go for growth’, ‘Don't so serious’, ‘Work faster, communicate better’, ‘Do the right thing’ and ‘Care’.
The Culture Code is used as a guideline to shape decision-making among leaders and new hires alike, and to advance values that bring the business forward, especially when tough calls need to be made.
Practices designed to improve organisational democracy at REV Asia include the ‘In Your Face’, 'Smoke Signal' and 'Level Up' sessions
The bi-monthly 'In Your Face' ritual is held by teams to evaluate what they need to Keep, Start and Stop. These sessions are held over a meal paid for by the company, and is a time when teams openly share thoughts, address issues and take on steps to improve the business.
The popular 'Smoke Signal' is a monthly all-expense paid team activity anyone can organise. This decentralises the need for HR to organise the conventional ‘team building’ exercise. Smoke Signals have ranged from watching gigs, movies, and sports activities to organising group workout sessions. Team members have no obligation to join, yet these activities, powered by interest and true passion, guarantees a great turn out among employees.
The 'Level Up' sessions are learning sessions organised by team members who are interested in a particular topic or own a skill they want to share. Professionals or thought leaders are also invited for talks and workshops. Previous Level Up sessions include 101's on property investment, video editing, and health talks.
