Advancement & Opportunities

Human Resources Strategy

Our Code of Conduct provides behavioural guidance for all employees, establishing high standards of ethics and integrity expected by the Corporation and our stakeholders. These guidelines also assist in ensuring compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements. To enhance awareness, we offer education programmes including regular ethical seminars, mandatory online training programmes and a series of staff awareness programmes.

As our operations span multiple international locations, we have developed a global Human Resources strategy centred around three key pillars to support the human resources needs of our business expansion and growth strategy:

• Human Capital Mobility and Development

  We provide employees with overseas opportunities to facilitate knowledge exchange, enabling the transfer and localisation of best practices and expertise across regions. We also have a Global Mobility Policy which guides our human resource support and deployment and provides consistent terms for relocation across our global offices.

• Talent Management

  We identify and groom talented employees to build the corporate talent pipeline to meet business and succession needs. Personalised development plans are formulated for talents, including a diverse range of enrichment opportunities, such as job rotations, project-based assignments, taking up different roles within MTR, mentoring, coaching and other development activities.

• Corporate Culture Development

  Today’s fast-changing world requires us to remain innovative, agile and flexible. To move the company forward, it is of paramount importance to further strengthen our corporate culture. While upholding MTR’s values, we need to put the four “Cultural Focus Areas” into practice: Participative Communication, Effectiveness & Innovation, Collaboration and Agility to Change.

  For our colleagues’ easy understanding of the “Cultural Focus Areas”, regular communications with hubs and ongoing skill building workshops and seminars are organised. To encourage our colleagues to demonstrate our Values and Cultural Focuses at work, a number of motivational schemes are in place, including MTR Grand Awards and Living the MTR Values Awards (LV Award).

  

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Recruitment Practices

To facilitate the induction of talented individuals, we have established multiple recruitment channels and career development paths. We seek individuals who share our organisational values and demonstrate characteristics such as the pursuit of excellence and continuous improvements, proactivity in problem-solving, a commitment to customers services, and a desire for continuous learning. Training and development opportunities will be provided to support their personal and professional growth.

In Hong Kong, our leadership development programmes and training schemes, including graduate development programmes, focusing on general management capabilities, professional expertise, and technical apprenticeships, ensure a steady influx of young talent to drive our business forward.

Employee Learning and Development

We foster a culture of continuous learning, offering a wide range of learning resources, training programmes and schemes for the personal growth and professional development of our operating, technical management staff.

Our Learning & Development Department (“L&DD”) offers a diverse curriculum on leadership, management and business topics, through various learning modes including online learning, workshops, virtual classroom, webinar and experiential learning. We have also launched a Learning Management System (“LMS”) for self-learning resources anytime and anywhere.

Our Operations Training Department (“OTD”) provides a training curriculum in operations, occupational health and safety, railway safety, technical skills and IT training to assist staff and contractors in performing their operational and maintenance duties efficiently while meeting the requirements of the Corporation. Certification of qualification will be awarded upon successful completion of assessments. The Department is certified in ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems and ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems certifications for its training and related consultancy services.

Employee Wellness

Caring for the well-being of our staff extends beyond the workplace and we provide support to enable them to fulfil their family obligation. We have incorporated work-life balance and family-friendly practices into our employment approach, offering a wide range of supportive benefits including full-paid marriage leave, maternity and paternity leave, adoption leave, compassionate leave, study leave, well-being leave, free travel on MTR and medical benefits for their eligible dependants. Furthermore, a Wellness Platform is in place for staff to redeem health/ wellness related products and services. Other family-friendly facilities and arrangements, such as lactation rooms and lactation breaks, are also offered to our staff.

Our Corporate Wellness Programmes promote mental, social and family, physical and financial wellness to employees. Activities, workshops and seminars around these wellness aspects are organised for our employees regularly and we continue to provide them with free seasonal influenza vaccinations annually.

As an initiative to encourage closer collaboration and convey caring for the well-being among colleagues, we established the Peer Support Cadre in 2023 to provide additional care for staff in the form of counselling, coaching, and emotional management support at working level. We maintain an Employee Assistance Programme (“EAP”) in partnership with Christian Family Service Centre, offering 24-hour counselling, wellness activities, and resources such as articles and videos to help employees manage stress and enhance their well-being.

To further promote work-life balance, we organise a variety of annual events for employees to enjoy with families and friends. Current and retired Hong Kong employees can also enjoy various recreational and sports facilities and activities at the Metro Recreation Club with their families and friends for a nominal fee. We also offer scholarships for employees’ children attending local educational institutions. To connect with the community, employees, retirees and their families and friends can also participate in volunteering activities under the More Time Reaching Community Scheme. We also conduct retirement planning seminar for retiring employees under the “We are MTR” Programme.

Staff Consultation, Communication and Recognition

In addition to complying with applicable legal obligations concerning collective bargaining and protection against anti-union discrimination in places where we operate, we maintain open dialogue with our employees to maintain a committed, passionate and connected workforce.

In Hong Kong, we have a two-tier Staff Consultation Mechanism to enhance communication between employees and management. This includes the Staff Consultative Council (“SCC”) at the corporate level and 50 Joint Consultative Committees (“JCCs”) at the departmental or sectional level. The SCC facilitates discussions on corporate-wide matters, such as pay and benefits, organisation and manpower issues, corporate business updates, major policy changes, and safety performance, while the JCCs provide a platform for employees to discuss with management on work-related matters at departmental or sectional level, such as working conditions and facilities, roster arrangement, work safety and efficiency. In addition, regular meetings and communication sessions between management and staff unions are held to keep track of staff sentiments and proactively engage employees’ support for corporate initiatives.

To appreciate for our employees' dedication to excellence and to recognise their accomplishments, we have established various awards and honours alongside the performance-based salary reviews.

Managing Our Supply Chain

We work with a wide range of suppliers and business partners. Dedicated to operating responsibly, we have developed a robust governance structure and implemented sustainable procurement measures to manage and mitigate our supply chain risks. The Commercial Management Department reporting to the Capital Works Director and the Procurement and Supply Chain Department reporting to the Deputy Director – Legal, Procurement and Supply Chain, jointly oversee the implementation of sustainable supply chain initiatives across the Corporation with key areas of work focusing on:

We have set out corporate policies and guidelines to ensure ethical behaviour of our employees during procurement and tendering processes. Our Code of Conduct stipulates our commitment to a fair, transparent and competitive procurement process which adheres to the highest standards of ethical behaviour and relevant laws and regulations.

We refer to the ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable Procurement Guidelines and have established a Green Procurement Policy to guide sustainable procurement decisions and promotes green initiatives along our supply chain. All suppliers are mandated to comply with our Supplier Code of Practice to uphold high standards for human and labour rights, environmental protection, supply chain management, and ethical business practices, with full compliance required for collaboration with the Corporation.

We are actively enhancing our supply chain risk management across the procurement process with the adoption of risk control measures across the procurement lifecycle, including supplier prequalification, tender assessment and post-award performance management.

To promote good sustainability performance of our main contractors and subcontractors, we continued to carry out the Environmental Improvement Incentive Scheme to recognise high quality, safety, environmental performance and stakeholder engagement.

Regarding modern slavery, we have conveyed our commitment in the MTR Corporation Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement that we will ensure we have systems in place to manage this issue. We ensure that workers in our supply chain are treated fairly, humanely and equitably across all operations.

Supply Chain Risk Management

Our supply chain risks are identified and regularly assessed through our Enterprise Risk Management System. To effectively manage these supply chain risks, we collaborate with suppliers to implement mitigation measures. For instance, we secure the continuity of supply of goods and services by ensuring suppliers to maintain sufficient levels of safety and service critical spare parts in stock. We also work with our suppliers to explore ways to develop alternative sources of supply for proprietary spares.

We also assess sustainability risks impacting critical suppliers based on their business nature, location, and past performance. Suppliers categorised as high risks are closely monitored, with appropriate follow-up actions implemented as needed.

Supply Chain Assessment and Supplier Engagement

We have developed a set of supplier assessment procedures to maintain a sustainable supply chain network, categorising suppliers into three groups: transport operations, property management and railway extension projects. We disclose our annual spending percentage across these categories in our Sustainability Report.

For new train purchases, we conduct lifecycle assessments on their performance, considering future energy use and maintenance costs, in addition to initial capital costs. Furthermore, we work closely with our train suppliers to monitor the manufacturing quality and assembly process and to ensure all performance indicators are achieved. Occasionally, we incentivise suppliers who achieve their stated performance range.

We actively engage our business partners and supporting them to adopt sustainable practices beyond compliance. For instance, we invite them to participate in forums, seminars and site visits to benchmark their performance and share best practices. Our procurement teams also visit suppliers' facilities to foster cooperation. Supplier survey will be conducted when required to assess the alignment with our Supplier Code of Practice and assess the maturity of their sustainability policies, initiatives and monitoring systems in six areas including ethical standards, human and labour rights, environmental protection, consumer protection, supply chain management and conflicts of interest. The survey results identify areas for improvement, foster collaboration and assist in the development of future enhancement plans.

To extend our sustainability commitments to a wider group of stakeholders, we require suppliers to ensure full compliance with our Supplier Code of Practice throughout their supply chains. While contractors are obliged to meet stringent safety specifications and requirements, we also work closely with them to promote industry best practices in safety, environmental protection and quality, enhancing their project delivery plans. These non-contractual partnerships with contractors are conducive to achieving our vision of being a responsible and sustainable business.

Collaboration with Schools and Universities

We support youth development through collaboration with universities and youth organisations, focusing our social objective of “Advancement and Opportunities”. These include:

• Corporation Scholarship Scheme for Children of Employees;
• Career talks, visits and mentoring schemes for secondary school and university students; and
• Summer internship opportunities for young people with diverse backgrounds including those with disabilities and special education needs.

In 2023, we launched the revamped “‘Train’ for Life’s Journeys” youth programme, aimed at equipping secondary school students with essential future skills and innovative capacity including design thinking, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and AI application through a series of e-courses and workshops. It features a “Social Innovation Challenge” competition, encouraging students to apply their knowledge to develop innovative solutions on various social inclusion topics, with support from our ESG Project Allies.

Supports to Startups and Technology Ecosystem

Innovation and Technology are essential for realising our vision and creating growth opportunities. To foster an ecosystem for Innovation and Technology, we work closely with internal and external stakeholders.

In 2020, we established the Technology and Innovation Steering Committee (“TISC”) to provide funding for piloting new technologies and innovations projects. Since 2021, we have allocated approximately HK$70 million to partner with the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (“ASTRI”) on innovative solutions and technology applications. With the launch of the MTR Smart Lab and the MTR Metaverse in 2023, we are advancing a new era for innovations and railway-specific technologies.

We also support startups by collaborating with Cyberport on their business matching program, the Cyberport Enterprise Network Programme, and establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Hong Kong Science Park which focuses on the application of innovative technologies, data collaboration and co-investment on tech ventures. These partnerships contribute to the growth of Hong Kong’s startup ecosystem while exploring potential synergies with our innovation strategies.

MTR Academy

The MTR Academy (the “MTRA”) was established in 2016 as a global education and research hub where railway management and engineering professionals can enhance their knowledge, further their careers and contribute to the long-term growth of the industry, with the aim of building a talent pool in railway industry and acting as a global training and research hub for railway management and operations. Its tailor-made curriculum nurtures future railway professionals and industry leaders, equipping them with top skills and best practices worldwide. Our strategic role in cultivating talent will contribute to the advancement of service and operational excellence of the railway industry in Hong Kong and beyond. The Academy Alumni Network was launched in 2023.

Starting from 2022, the Corporation, the Academy and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University have commenced a three-year collaboration to establish a partnership to explore advanced and innovative railway technologies and to facilitate smart railway asset and operations management, as well as intelligent maintenance. In 2023, a Rail/Wheel Innovation Laboratory (“RWI Lab”) under this collaboration was set up in response to railway noise issues.

For the past two years, the Academy has proudly operated the MTR Research Funding (“MRF”) Scheme, offering up to HK$1.5 million per project over 3 years. The MRF is designed to support innovative, forward-looking research projects at universities, with a focus on shaping the future of mass public transport systems. The scheme provides financial support for research initiatives that aim to deliver substantial, long-term advancements in technology, improve service quality, and enhance the overall performance of railway transport systems.