Unitel Group has officially released its 2024 Sustainability Report. In this interview, we speak with S.Oyunsuren, Deputy Director of Human Resources at Unitel Group, to discuss the company’s people-centered approach, governance, and evolving HR policies.

Could you elaborate on how Unitel Group defines its human resource policy and the key strategies it employs to implement it effectively?

At Unitel Group, we define our human resource policy as people-centered and the value we create for our employees. We believe that HR policy should not only support business objectives but also align with the interests and needs of our team members. These 2 dimensions must be interconnected, mutually supportive, and synergistic. Our employee value proposition is built around 4 key principles:

1. Walking Together Toward a Shared Goal: Unitel Group is committed to moving forward in partnership with our employees. Our focus is on shaping the future and creating new opportunities together, rather than merely adapting to current trends.

2. Growing Together: Guided by the principle of “Grow and develop together,” each employee is given the opportunity to enhance their skills and expand their knowledge without limitations. Our team works alongside the best in the industry, creating a dynamic environment where every day is an opportunity to improve on the last. Growth isn’t an individual pursuit—it’s a collective journey, where we set goals, support each other, and celebrate success as one.

3. Supporting Work-Life Balance: We place high value on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We don’t encourage long hours—we encourage high productivity during working hours. To support smart, efficient work, employees are empowered to design their optimal structures and processes each day. Rather than rigidly following corporate protocols, we continuously collaborate to improve our ways of working. This mindset also reflects our respect for each other’s personal time. That’s why we organize corporate and community events during working hours, minimizing disruption to employees' lives outside of work.

4. Co-Creating Company Culture: Our culture is a reflection of what we value, and we shape it together. We have successfully built and implemented our culture across 6 key areas. Such as, collaborating effectively to achieve team goals, swiftly adapting to change, embracing new situations with positivity and flexibility, continuously learning the skills required by the team, fostering a strong desire for growth, mastering development techniques, sharing knowledge with others, maintaining a positive and open-minded attitude, always taking responsibility for the team's objectives, staying proactive, and acting with integrity and fairness.

How has Unitel Group’s company culture evolved over the past 10 years? What sets it apart from other large corporations?

From the very beginning, Unitel Group has treated company culture as a primary driver of success. Then and now, we see culture not just as an HR function, but as a guiding principle that shapes management and business growth. In our view, if the culture is right, the management and results will follow. This philosophy remains central to our operations today.

Of course, over time, changes in employee expectations and technological advancements have influenced our culture. But rather than large, sudden shifts, we’ve pursued continuous innovation, daily improvements that keep our culture dynamic and responsive.

Innovation for us isn’t only about new products or services. It’s about being creative in how we work and in the initiatives we launch. That’s why we focus on providing real support to our employees. By making learning and development opportunities accessible and open, we nurture a culture where people are motivated to think creatively and continuously improve.

Another hallmark of our culture is our strong commitment to communication. We prioritize respectful and creative collaboration at all levels. A friendly workplace, to us, doesn’t mean informality, it means maintaining healthy professional relationships that foster trust and shared success.

To sum up, what distinguishes Unitel Group from other large corporations is our open and flexible corporate culture. While we operate at scale, we don’t constrain our people with rigid top-down policies. Instead, we focus on initiative, opportunity, and everyday innovation. Our goal is to build the most productive and growth-oriented environment for our employees, one that drives both individual fulfillment and long-term organizational success.

What are the advantages of working at Unitel Group? And what kind of valuable and skilled people do you prefer to hire? Unitel Group is known for offering competitive salaries. Could you share more insights on this aspect?

There are certainly many advantages to being part of Unitel Group. We recently presented our 2024 Sustainability Report to the public, which highlights many of the initiatives we undertake for our employees.

We aim to be a leader in our industry when it comes to compensation. Specifically, we offer salaries that are above the average in the information technology and telecommunications sectors, and we continue to improve them.

Unitel Group operates across multiple business domains. For example, the Toki team, our application development division that offers essential daily services, works with a startup mentality. This gives our employees the chance to grow and transform not just with traditional skills and experience, but through diverse and evolving capabilities.

Each year, 20% of our employees are promoted or transferred across different units, reflecting our commitment to career mobility. We've also implemented a “Top Performer–Top Salary” policy that enables us to assess employee performance and growth more realistically.

Additionally, we use a 360° evaluation system to assess every employee. This allows us to support their development systematically, while rewarding those who demonstrate high performance and behavior aligned with our culture.

In 2024, we also introduced a health insurance program for our employees. Given the high incidence of seasonal illnesses caused by Ulaanbaatar’s air pollution and harsh climate, we recognize that health issues often lead to considerable financial burdens, especially for families. Health insurance helps protect our employees from these unexpected expenses.

We also offer interest-free short-term loans to help our staff deal with urgent financial needs. For instance, employees can access up to 2 months' salary as an interest-free loan, which is especially beneficial for young families.

Unitel Group also supports flexible work arrangements. If an employee is unable to come into the office, they are free to work from home, a coffee shop, or any location that best suits their needs.

As for new hires, we place great emphasis on attitude. While professional skills are important, the right mindset is our top priority. We value individuals who are eager to grow, develop, and bring a positive, proactive approach to their work.

The Mongolian labor market is facing a shortage of skilled talent. Many companies are now emphasizing attitude over technical skills. How important is this approach in practice?

It’s a very real shift. There is a notable shortage of high-level specialists in the Mongolian labor market. Even when individuals possess strong technical skills, a poor attitude can lead to team dysfunction and underperformance.

At Unitel, the ability to collaborate successfully within a team is more important than individual capabilities. Sharing knowledge, learning from one another, and growing together are fundamental to our values.

Since the onset of COVID-19, Mongolia’s labor market has undergone significant changes. The number of Mongolians studying and living abroad has doubled each year, reaching 80,000 to 100,000 annually. This trend has reduced the domestic talent pool, increasing the need for companies to retain and develop their people.

In response, we’ve updated our human resources strategy. We now focus on fast-tracking employee development and fostering teamwork. As a result, our employee turnover rate has dropped by 50%. Our salary policies are also aligned to enable a comfortable life in Mongolia and create long-term value here at home.

What are the current challenges facing Unitel Group?

We categorize labor market challenges into 2 main areas. First, the rapid evolution of the business environment and technological advancement. Relevant skills today may not be sufficient tomorrow. To address this, we’ve implemented targeted policies and programs focused on reskilling and upskilling our workforce. This is not only a priority for Unitel Group but a broader issue facing all organizations in Mongolia today.

Second, the shortage of highly qualified professionals remains a pressing challenge. To overcome this, we follow the "T-shaped skills" model—helping employees build broad, general knowledge across disciplines (horizontal growth) while also deepening expertise in specific areas (vertical growth).

We strive to help employees develop specialized and deep skills within their respective fields. This approach allows employees to gain extensive knowledge across various areas, ultimately developing them into highly productive specialists who fully understand their responsibilities.

Let's continue our discussion on how Unitel addresses these challenges within the company.

Unitel Group has implemented the "Talent Development" program to support employee growth. This training and development initiative is based on the globally recognized 70:20:10 principle.

• 70% of learning happens through daily work experiences and the opportunity to learn from colleagues.
• 20% comes from leadership, including direct coaching and mentorship.
• 10% is gained through formal training and academic courses, both internal and external.

Moreover, as part of our internal training efforts, every employee participates in professional and general skill-building sessions at MCS Academy, a unique advantage within our company. Employees also engage in various domestic and international training programs based on the specific skills and knowledge they need to enhance. In rolling out these programs, we emphasize the importance of employees taking ownership of their development, guided by both their managers and their own learning needs.

Unitel Group is committed to numerous human resources policies. How do we measure the success of these initiatives?

In addition to our flexible working hours policy, we’ve been running the "Distributed Office" policy for the last 4 years. This allows employees to work from branch offices located closer to their homes. Evaluating the results of this policy, we’ve seen a marked improvement in employee satisfaction. Since the introduction of flexible working hours, we’ve observed a consistent increase in productivity and quality of work, as evidenced by key performance indicators.

Additionally, our 2024 organizational culture survey revealed outstanding results in employee satisfaction, marking a significant improvement from previous years. This progress indicates that the flexible work environment and policies we’ve implemented are yielding positive, immediate outcomes.

Thank you for accepting our invitation and participating in this insightful interview.

Thank you.