HR Magazine 2016 AUTUMN
2016 AUTUMN
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST If it’s important to HR, it’s in HR Magazine.
16
COVER STORY The growing cost of bad hires and what HR can do to avoid them
36 OLYMPICS AND BEYOND
Erik Schmit spotting CV fraudsters 6 key tips for applicant screening
Leveraging unique skills of retired athletes in the workplace
INNOVATION 24 CULTIVATING Walk the walk when it comes to building a culture of innovation
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
IN THE NEWS Employers are failing to meet the needs of the workforce (page 6) and the fact that 80% of APAC employees are stressed out about finances (page 8) might go some way to explaining why Hong Kong employees are still ‘willing’ to work more for higher or equal pay (page 4). Sexual harassment at work affects two thirds of female employees aged 18 – 14, but despite this, less than 21% of cases are ever reported (page 10).
COVER STORY Erik Schmit, Executive VP & MD APAC, First Advantage and Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific explain why background screening is now an essential HR responsibility to guard against bad new hires and to help uncover any incumbent ones. The latest research from First Advantage reveals what job candidates are most likely to misrepresent on their CVs and which sections of the workforce are more likely to be economical with the truth. We then distil advice to help you maximise the effectiveness of your candidate screening process and minimise the fallout that results from bad hires.
OTHER STUFF Find out why mobiles are pushing new jobseeker behaviour—and what HR needs to do to capitalise on this to help recruit the best talent (page 40). We also share the latest from our HR Conference on Predictive HR and look at what metrics to measure, how to measure them and how to leverage them in HR strategies. With data becoming an increasingly valuable resource, utilising it properly is now an essential element in facilitating HR to proactively engage with employees to enhance the workplace as a whole (page 42). Then join us at the South Pole, and learn of HR Magazine’s expedition on the Shackleton Challenge and hazardous trip to the Antarctic to discover new secrets about team building (page 52). Enjoy...
Paul Arkwright, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, HR Magazine
HR MAGAZINE EDITORIAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Paul Arkwright
No part of this publication can be reproduced without consent from the Publisher. Copyright of all material is reserved throughout the publication. Contributions are welcome but copies of work should be kept, because HR Magazine takes no responsibility for lost submissions. The views, conclusions, findings and opinions published in this magazine belong to those expressing such, and do not necessarily represent those of the Publisher or editorial team.
Editor Sam Cope Staff Writers Carlos Bruinsma Rachel Forrest
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Paul Arkwright Tel: (852) 2736 6318 paul@excelmediagroup.org ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP Justin Chang Tel: (852) 2736 6339 justin@excelmediagroup.org
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2016 AUTUMN
06
30
16
HR NEWS
HR FEATURES
04 08 10 12 14 15
24 26 27 28 30 32 36 38 40
Hong Kong News APAC News International News HR Events HR in Numbers HR Moves
Cultivating creative company cultures What’s HR’s primary role? Screening out the rough amongst the talent diamonds Mobiles push new jobseeker behaviour Embracing the new world of work Championing LGBT diversity From sporting success to workplace wonders Workplace wellness and why it matters The evolving facets of keys to success for companies
COVER STORY
HR COMMUNITY
16
42 48
Breakfast of HR Champions Thought leadership series: hiring risks in Asia
HR Conference—Predictive HR HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development 2016
42 38 HR TRAINING 52 54 56 58
Snow, ice and lost lifeboats—team building in the South Pole How to train a leader Avoid $122 million a year Jump out of the conference room, try Ngong Ping 360
58 HR BOOKS 60
Nonflict, The Power of Appreciative Inquiry Winning Well, Reinvention
HR LEGAL
HR CLASSIFIEDS
59 China Ministry of HR issues new regulations to strengthen enforcement of Labour Laws in 2017
62
HR Classifieds
HK NEWS HK employees ‘willing’ to work long days Long working hours have not reduced employee motivation as more than half of Hong Kong talent, 52%, are willing to work more for higher or equal pay, as revealed by the Randstad Award 2016. A better work-life balance is becoming an increasing concern for Hong Kong employers and employees alike, as they strive to have more leisure time. As an attractiveness factor— work-life balance has risen significantly in terms of ranking. Between 2014 and 2016 it rose from 35% to 50% to tie in second place with pleasant working atmosphere. However, by a slim margin, employees are still willing to work long hours or overtime. Especially surprising is the findings regarding millennials, who despite their global reputation
NAB launces more inlcusive parental leave policy
for wanting flexible work schedules and better work-life balance, were the most willing to work even longer hours with 60% stating they would be willing to work more for higher or equal pay. While the balance may still be marginally in favour of employees who are content with long work hours, it is something that needs to be carfeully addressed by HR. Key findings from HK employees
52%
of Hong Kong talent are willing to work more for higher or equal pay
56%
of men are willing to work more compared to 47% of women
60%
of millennials are willing to work more for higher or equal pay Source: the Randstad Award 2016
Caution needed with cross-border HR With numerous new regional and local policies being revised and/or enacted it can be challenging for those in HR and compliance to keep up with the law. A recent seminar, hosted by DLA Piper Hong Kong, addressed the complicated issue of cross-border restructuring. Held at the firm’s Hong Kong office Julia Gorham, Partner led a panel which included other Partners—Ute Krudewagen, Lawrence Carter, Johnny Choi and Scott Thiel, together with Anita Lam, Of Counsel, DLA Piper. The panel shared their knowledge and expertise on all the hurdles that have to be crossed when it comes down to cross-border HR. The seminar was a keen reminder for those in HR and compliance to always check local and regional policies whenever introducing new policy across borders or risk falling foul of the
law. A key take away was that one size does not fit all when it comes to employee policy. The panel cited maternity leave as an example. In the USA you may be developing your maternity leave policy—where currently no mandatory paid maternity leave exists—and may champion a new benefit initiative of offering employees six weeks paid leave. This, however, is still well below most other jurisdictions’ mandatory paid maternity leave, which may lead to conflict if the same policy were to be replicated within another region and could cause legal issues further down the line. To minimise the chances of such legal issues arising, HR policies should be developed over an open dialogue between HR, the C-Suite and the legal team. Krudewagen stressed the importance of HR communicating with the C-suite and keeping them informed.
The National Australia Bank (NAB) recently launched an enhanced parental leave policy in an effort to ensure that parental leave is available to all eligible employees regardless of gender and marital status. This includes the option for primary carers to take unpaid leave for a period of up to 12 months, of which NAB pays up to 12 weeks leave, without impacting the individual’s job scope or career path. Kate Colley, Head of People, Asia and International Branches, commented, “The Asia launch of the parental leave policy now aligns NAB in Asia with our Group’s efforts in supporting married and single parents of children—biological or adopted—through greater work flexibility when they are the primary or secondary carer. Our enhanced parental leave policy considers the needs of our people from the time they are expecting or adopting a child right through to returning to work after a period of parental leave and provides them with a variety of leave options and working arrangements. In doing so, we also want to better support and advance women’s careers by creating a culture that provides equal opportunity to all parents, regardless of gender and life goals.”
Photo courtesy of Guillaume Paumier
Hong Kong’s best employers announced The latest report by Aon Hewitt has revealed the seven best employers in Hong Kong, alongside some other surprising and positive findings. •
•
•
The best employers in Hong Kong lead the way by a margin of 25 points higher engagement score than the market average Generation Y engagement scores 23 points higher for the best employers compared to the market average A 19% growth in revenue is enjoyed by the best employers
CEOs report a critical skills shortage as well as poor availability and selection of talent in the external labour market as the top two people
4 | HR MAGAZINE
risks. Despite this, the best employers have defied these statistics to prove themselves as leaders in driving employee engagement to accelerate business results. Tzeitel Fernandes, Managing Director, Aon Hewitt Hong Kong noted, “Business is changing at the speed of light, which creates new challenges in talent management. Talent expectations and aspirations are evolving with each generation, and more than ever, organisations must be adaptable to survive—and succeed." Fernandes elaborated that these employers have not only survived, they have excelled. Overall, the best employers scored 22 points higher than the market average in employee engagement, employee brand and leadership.
Organisation (listed alphabetically) AIA International Limited American Express International, Inc. Baxter Healthcare Ltd DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited DHL Express Hong Kong McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Limited The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong Source: The Aon Employers Survey
Nominate a
Woman
of Influence CALL FOR ENTRIES: www.amcham.org.hk/woi DEADLINE: Monday, September 19, 2016 The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong is inviting nominations for their Women of Influence Awards. Honoring seven professional women for personal achievement, a male who is a champion of women and one corporation for enlightened management. We are excited to announce one new award for 2016, “Lifetime Achievement” – will be awarded to a woman who is a leading personality in a for-profit, non-profit, NGO and/or community serving organization over 40+ years. The awards will be presented at the Women of Influence Conference and Awards 2016 on November 11, 2016 at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. This is your chance to nominate outstanding candidates for the following awards:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Professional of the Year Young Achiever of the Year Entrepreneur of the Year Non-profit Leader of the Year Master of The Arts Leading Woman on Boards Champion for the Advancement of Women Best Company for Women Lifetime Achievement (NEW) Sponsorship: Ms Mary Simpson | msimpson@amcham.org.hk | (852) 2530 6922
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HK NEWS HK employers must drive workplace innovation
professionals are now looking for jobs which may be linked to the innovation gap
88%
84%
of employees believe they drive innovation
24%
employees think their organisation lacks innovation
Source: Hudson Today’s workforce demands tomorrow’s skills
While almost nine in 10 Hong Kong organisations believe they drive and reward innovation, only 17% of employees agree, according to the Hudson Report H2 2016. Findings from the survey show that nearly 24% of employees said their organisations do not encourage innovation at all. The report is based on the views of over 600 employers and employees and points to a significant gap between the views of employees and managers on how businesses are managing innovation.
Limited duty of care leaves HR & overseas employees at risk The world of work is changing in response to the global marketplace and Farzana Aslam, Principal Lecturer and Associate Director, Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong recently hosted a seminar highlighting employers' duty of care for their employees working overseas. Aslam explained, “As an employment and human rights lawyer, I have a general research interest in the rights of workers, particularly in the context of globalisation. Whilst it is apparent that many employers require their employees to be globally mobile, able and willing to travel to remote areas of the world in search of opportunities, there appears to be very little awareness around an employer's duty of care,”
Buying travel insurance is not enough to ensure employees will be safe and, according to Aslam, many employers do not take into account the challenges and disruptions an employee may encounter. Of the nine companies interviewed by Aslam in her research, there were four cases of employees caught up in an area affected by terrorism as well as multiple cases of disease. Large corporations in Hong Kong already have a solid Duty of Care Policy in place, but many SMEs fail to do this. Aslam commented, “Most employers in Hong Kong are SMEs and my concern is that they don’t have the time or the resources to devote to this issue, which presents risk for both the employee and the employer.”
Siddharth Suhas, Regional Director, Hudson Hong Kong and Guangzhou commented, “There is a mismatch between the views of corporate leaders and their teams. While employers think they encourage new ideas, these are not being filtered down to the workplace. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for Hong Kong’s organisations. In a competitive marketplace, organisations that can foster innovative, adaptable teams will be better placed to deliver growth in the future, and will also be considered more engaging places to work.”
Employers failing to meet HK talent needs Employees’ needs in Hong Kong are changing, but employers are failing to meet them according to research conducted by Randstad. Potential employees are now placing a lot more emphasis on a healthy work-life balance and a pleasant working atmosphere compared to previous years. The research also showed that Hong Kong employers lagged behind organisations in both Singapore and Malaysia. Natellie Sun, Managing Director of Randstad Hong Kong noted, "Salary and employee benefits and good-work life balance are key factors in both attracting and retaining the best talent, yet Hong Kong organisations have continued to score low in these areas. However, these results are an average,
6 | HR MAGAZINE
and organisations with a strong employee value proposition can leverage their higher attractiveness to pull in the best talent in Hong Kong.” Employers scored worst in the top ten attractiveness factors for work-life balance. The big move towards improved work-life balance has left employers trailing behind to meet a new generation of employees with different requirements. The results show that generally employers are failing to keep up with drastic changes. Good work-life balance was chosen by 45% of survey respondents as a major factor that would affect their choice to leave or stay at a company — something not to be ignored when it comes to retaining top talent.
What HK talent wants 1
Salary and employee benefits
2
Pleasant working atmosphere
2
(joint 2nd) Healthy work-life balance
4
Financially healthy
5
Long-term job security
6
Career progression opportunities
7
Interesting job content
8
Good training
9
Strong management
10
Environmentally and socially aware Source: Randstad Award 2016 survey
APAC NEWS Tech talent gap in Malaysia PMO Despite a slow economy, Asian countries are experiencing a technology talent gap as companies and governments go full throttle with their IT development and digitalisation efforts. A slow economy may seem like an opportune time for corporate leaders to pull back on innovation and stick to the processes that have proven to work over the long run. Despite this, Malaysian CEOs have recognised the importance of technology and are actively taking steps to integrate it into their business processes to stay ahead of the curve. Larger organisations in the country are now taking steps to take their technology headcount in-house in an effort to grow their capabilities and develop technological intellectual property. The move to in-house tech talent has also allowed these organisations to cut down on costs by reducing their reliance on external tech service providers. The surge in demand for tech skilled talent for in-house roles from large organisations, has led to competition between them and tech service providers—causing huge demand and creating a large talent gap. Ryan Carroll, Country
Data analytics
Front-end development
Key areas in technology that will see strong growth into 2017
Network security
Manager, Randstad Malaysia noted, “The need for businesses to implement technology has gone beyond being an advantage and is now an absolute must-have to remain competitive in the market. While it’s good to see that top management are taking steps to implement technology into their businesses, what needs to happen now is that these organisations include training and development into their growth and digital strategies. Currently, workforce skill set development and technological advances are not aligned, and if not addressed, will lead to a major talent gap in the future.” Not only is demand for tech talent strong, both private and government agencies are
80% APAC employees stressed about finances The 2015/2016 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey on health and retirement by Willis Towers Watson revealed that almost 80% of APAC employees are stressed about their finances with 43% often worrying about their financial future and 35% worrying about their current financial status. Current or long-term financial worries are linked to stress, lower productivity and disengagement. Employers need to consider whether their employee benefit programmes are effective, including whether they support employees’ short- and medium-term financial goals, as well as long-term retirement saving.
making large investments into the tech sector to ensure sustainable growth for the coming future. Cyberjaya is receiving MYR 11 billion in investments through the implementation of the upcoming Cyber City Centre and the allocation of MYR 1.5 billion to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation are just two examples of the sharp focus on technology and innovation for Malaysia. Mike Farrance, Associate Director, Randstad Technologies Malaysia elaborated, “Large amounts of investments keep getting pumped into all areas of the technology sector in Malaysia, and for good reason. Not only are these major projects going to develop the industry, it will be a primary driver in developing the tech talent pipeline.”
Singaopre trumps HK withAsia’s Best University
Andrew Heard, Head of Retirement, Technology and Administration Services, Asia and Australasia, Willis Towers Watson elaborated, “Employers are in an excellent position to help employees achieve retirement and financial security as well as reinforce good personal financial habits. The first step is to know your workforce— understand different segments, their needs and priorities.” Employees are in favour of employers taking an active role in their health and in retirement saving, but are less certain on financial issues.
Top 10 causes of stress—employers & employees perspectives Employers’ perception
Digital transformation
Employees’ reality
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has received the title of Asia’s Best University for the third consecutive year. The University of Hong Kong came in second and Nanyang Technological University a close third. This, according to the QS University Ranking: Asia 2016 Report published by Quacquarelli Symonds. Tan Chorh Chuan, President, National University of Singapore, said, “Our priority is preparing future-ready graduates and developing top talent, driving innovation and forging strategic collaborations with academic and industry partners, and delivering impact from world-class research. I am heartened that our work is also reflected by NUS’ continued progress in the rankings.”
1
Lack of work/life balance
Low pay
2
Inadequate staffing
Inadequate staffing
3
Unclear or conflicting job expectations
Company culture
4
Technologies that expand work day
Lack of work/life balance
Further statistics from the study include:
5
Lack of supervisor support
Lack of supervisor support
•
6
Low-control, high-demand jobs
Excessive amount of organisational change
7
Excessive amount of organisational change
Unclear or conflicting job expectations
8
Company culture
Concerns about benefit reduction/loss
9
Concerns about personal financial situation
Concerns about personal financial situation
Low pay
Low-control, high-demand jobs
10
Source: Willis Towers Watson
8 | HR MAGAZINE
Hong Kong still dominates the top ten with four institutions ranked;
•
China, Singapore, and South Korea feature two universities apiece in the top 10; and
•
China has 82 universities among the 350 ranked, Japan has 74, South Korea 54, Taiwan 34, India 23 and Malaysia 20. Source: QS University Rankings: Asia 2016
APAC NEWS Thailand's top employers
Wealth management & fintech key employement growth sectors
Aon Hewitt has named eight organisations as Aon Best Employers—Thailand 2016. These employers have proven to be leaders in driving employee engagement to accelerate business results, achieving 51% higher profit than the market average.
As other sectors stall, wealth management and fintech have become engines for employment growth in the APAC region accordingly to the Morgan McKinley Employment Monitor Q2 2016.
Richie Holliday, Chief Operations Officer, Morgan McKinley Asia Pacific said, “As expected, the first quarter absorbed the annual post-bonus spike in jobseekers.”
On the heels of a robust start to the year, quarter-on-quarter figures across the APAC region for permanent and contract jobs, as well as professionals seeking new roles, are down in Q2 2016. While professionals seeking new roles dropped from 61,864 in Q1 to 39,890 in Q2, year-on-year figures showed an increase of 23%. Year-on-year permanent jobs remained steady, with a minor decline of 3%. Quarter-on-quarter contract positions are down 30%, year-on-year down 13%.
Bonuses in parts of the region are distributed shortly before the Lunar New Year, which came early in 2016. In a reflection of the wavering Chinese economy, employees there reported a drop in bonuses from previous years.
Mr Panuwat Benrohman, Partner, APACMEA Talent, Rewards & Performance, Aon Hewitt, added, “A significant part of driving employee engagement is delivering an exceptional employee experience. With users spending an average of 2.5 hours on their mobile devices daily, employees expect a consumer-grade experience from their interactions with their employers. Digital transformation in HR is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity.” 2016 Aon Best Employers in Thailand Advanced Info Services PLC
APAC Employment Monitor Q2 2016 Highlights: •
Advanced Contact Center Co. Ltd American Express (Thai) Co., Ltd. McThai Co., Ltd. Mitr Phol Sugar Factory
• • •
Phyathai 3 Hospital Co., Ltd Swensen’s (Thai) Ltd. Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd Source: Aon Hewitt
Holliday continued, “The most popular areas for hiring across APAC are private wealth management and private banking. Financial services hiring remained steady, however hiring all but stalled for investment banking.”
Professionals seeking new jobs decreased by 36% quarter-on-quarter and up 23% year-on-year. Permanent financial services jobs declined by 11%, quarter-on-quarter across APAC, but remained steady when comparing year-on-year figures, a slight drop of 3%. Professional contracting job vacancies down 30% quarter-on-quarter. Hong Kong: quarter-on-quarter drop of 22% in professionals seeking jobs, and a 6% increase in jobs available from Q1. Source: Morgan McKinley Employment Monitor Q2 2016
Source: Aon Hewitt
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS Co-working becoming a long-term arrangement Natina Wong, Country Manager, Regus adds, “Using a shared workspace provides businesses with a sustainable route to growth. Co-working allows businesses to expand rapidly without committing to lengthy leases, and adapt to changing circumstances in a flexible way.”
A survey by Regus of nearly 40,000 respondents reveals that co-working is no longer a temporary solution— many businesses now see co-working as a long-term solution. Sharing office space, though previously seen as merely a short-term set up for companies or entrepreneurs on a tight budget, has now become more widely embraced.
Respondents said that they view co-working space as not only a cost-effective alternative to long-term fixed leases, but they also allow a firm to be agile and respond quickly to changes in the market. Respondents added that they are now incorporating them into their long-term plans because they offer scalability, more flexible terms and can help business develop sustainably.
Sexual harassment at work affects two thirds Almost two-thirds of women aged 18 to 24 have been sexually harassed at work, according to new figures. The survey of 1,500 British women by Trades Union Congress (TUC) and The Everyday Sexism Project, found that a third have been subjected to unwelcome jokes and one in four have been on the receiving end of sex-related comments about their body or clothes. Around 25% have been inappropriately touched and one in eight said that someone has tried to kiss them. Sexual harassment at work includes suggestive comments, jokes about a colleague’s sex life, circulating pornography, inappropriate touching and demands for sexual favours. In most cases, the perpetrator is male and nearly 20% of women affected say they were targeted by someone with authority over them. Despite this 79% surveyed said they did not report the sexual harassment. Laura Bates, Founder, The Everyday Sexism Project said, “Employers needed to take
23%
of women have been subject to unwelcome jokes of a sexual nature while at work
urgent action to tackle the problem. Many people would like to think that workplace sexual harassment is a thing of the past. In reality, it is alive and well and having a huge impact on tens of thousands of women’s lives. These findings reveal the shameful extent of the problem and the reality of the touching, unwanted advances and inappropriate comments women find themselves confronted with while simply trying to do their jobs.” Frances O’Grady, General Secretary, TUC said, “Sexual harassment was not just ‘a bit of banter’ but was undermining, humiliating and had a huge effect on mental health. Victims are often left feeling ashamed and frightened and it has no place in a modern workplace or in wider society. Employers must be clear they have a zero tolerance attitude to sexual harassment and treat any complaint seriously. It’s a scandal that so few women feel their bosses are dealing with the issue properly.”
of women have experienced unwanted touching—like a hand on the knee or lower back at work
10 | HR MAGAZINE
20%
28% women have experienced unwanted verbal sexual advances at work
Source: Regus
HR managers struggle to recruit global talent
Key findings from The TUC and the Everyday Sexism Project
32%
Highlights: • SMEs are the largest users of co-working spaces, comprising 61% of the user base. • 73% of firms cited renewing co-working agreements because they offer the opportunity to quickly scale operations up or down respective of the economy without incurring hefty costs. • 65% of firms cited co-working agreements as being cheaper than fixed leases.
of women have been the subject of comments of a sexual nature about their body or clothes at work
12%
women have experienced unwanted sexual touching or attempts to kiss them at work
Other issues included repatriation, high company costs and visa issues Language/ communication issues
12% 16%
Cultural shock
48%
24%
Understanding a new culture
Challenges of working abroad as seen by HR managers Source: CEMS Universum survey
A 2016 survey of international HR managers on the challenges of recruiting globally and managing an international workforce has found that 46% of respondents struggle to find good global candidates with an international outlook. The research, carried out by the Global Alliance in Business Education (CEMS)— alongside Universum, also found that 87% of respondents consider foreign language skills to be important for employability. Roland Siegers, Executive Director, CEMS, said, “It is clear from this research that global mobility is very much on the agenda of HR professionals and particularly in larger organisations a substantial proportion of managers operate internationally. Despite this, many still say they have some trouble recruiting the right global profiles.” One in seven HR managers from larger organisations said that over 30% of managers within their company work internationally, though this figure was lower in smaller companies.
HR EVENTS
HR EVENTS September 2016 Organised by
Wynd Co-working Space
Big Data and Small Business
Organised by
Location: Wynd Co-Working Space, Room 1003 43 – 55 Wyndham Street, Hong Kong Website: www.wynd.hk Email: enquiry@wynd.hk
Organised by
American Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong
Building a Pipeline of Leaders in the 21st Century
20
Location: The American Chamber of Commerce, 1904 Bank of America Tower, 12 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong Website: http://www.amcham.org.hk/events Email: byau@amcham.org.hk
Business Dynamics
Business Dynamics: Transformational Leadership understanding and implementation in an organisation
22 Organised by
Location: HKMA, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Website: www.hkma.org.hk/trainingaward Email: http://businessdynamics.hk/
Organised by
23 29
Location: The American Chamber of Commerce, 1904 Bank of America Tower, 12 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong Website: http://www.amcham.org.hk/events Email: byau@amcham.org.hk
FLEXImums
Gender Equity Conference: Retaining & Returning Female Talent in Hong Kong
American Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong
The Advantage of Change—Creating Power within a Shifting Market
Location: Butterfields, Tai Koo Place, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Website: fleximums.com/eventsAmChamPortal/Event/ Email: genderequity@fleximums.com
October 2016 Organised by
Change Enablement (HK) Limited.
Prosci Change Practitioner Certification Course Location: Auberge, Discovery Bay, Hong Kong Website: www.ChangeEnablement.hk/enrol Email: jeff.hackeson@changeenablement.com.au / info@ChangeEnablement.hk
Organised by
14
17 – 19
International Quality and Productivity Centre
5 Annual Shared Services and Outsourcing Week China
Don’t forget HR! Developing yourself, your HR team & your C-suite • • • • • •
Training resources for the HR team Executive development programmes Coaching within HR HR support networks Women in the workplace Leadership development
th
Location: Grand Kempinski Hotel Shanghai, 1288 Lujiazui Ring Road Pudong, Shanghai, 200120, China Website: http://www.ssochina.com Tel: (86) 21 3867 8888 Fax: (86) 21 3867 8666 Email: Eddie.Zhang@iqpc.com.sg
Organised by
Fee: FREE ENTRY for HR Magazine subscribers, non-subscribers HKD 1,200
SAP SuccessFactors
SuccessConnect 2016 Sydney Location: The Hilton Sydney, 488 George St, Sydney NSW 2000 Website: http://sapsuccessconnect.com/ Email: customer.service@wispubs.com
12 | HR MAGAZINE
18 – 19
Location: Cliftons, Central, Hong Kong Website: http://www.hrmagazine.com.hk Tel: (852) 2736 6339 Email: sydnie@excelmediagroup.org
24 – 25
HR EVENTS
HR EVENTS November 2016
Organised by
American Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong
AmCham 13th Annual Women of Influence Conference & Awards Location: Four Seasons Hotel, Grand Ballroom, Level 2, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong Website: http://www.amcham.org.hk/events Email: byau@amcham.org.hk
11 Organised by
Global Talent Discussion
14 Organised by
Out Leadership
SAP SuccessFactors
Location: 2 Queens Road Central, 25/F Cheung Kong Centre, Hong Kong Website: http://outleadership.com/event/ Email: events@outleadership.com
SuccessConnect 2016 Singapore Location: Marina Bay Sands Hotel, 10 Bayfront Avenue, 018956 Singapore Website: http://sapsuccessconnect.com/ Email: customer.service@wispubs.com
Organised by
Organised by
15
Community business
Out Leadership
Out Leadership: Asia 2016 Summit Location: HSBC Main Building, 1 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong Website: http://outleadership.com/event/ Email: events@outleadership.com
Community Business Conference 2016 Location: Regal Airport Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 9 Cheong Tat Road, Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong Website: http://www.communitybusinessconference2016.org Tel: (852) 2152 1889 Email: info@communitybusiness.org
Organised by
Organised by
International Quality and Productivity Centre
19 Annual Asian Shared Services & Outsourcing Week th
15 – 16
Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management
Location: Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, 018956 Singapore Website: http://www.ssweekasia.com Tel: (65) 6722 9466 Email: ann.liu@iqpc.com.sg
36 HKIHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition th
Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Website: http://www.hkihrm.org/index.php/pe/annual-conference Tel: (852) 2837 3822 Email: project@hkihrm.org
Organised by
The Eventful Group
24 – 25
Organised by
Recruitment International
The Recruitment International Awards Hong Kong
25
Location: Conrad Hotel, Hong Kong Website: https://www.recruitment-international.sg/events/ ri-awards-hong-kong Email: david@recruitment-international.co.uk
HR Tech Fest Location: Crown Promenade, Melbourne, Australia Website: http://techfestconf.com/hr/aus/ Tel: (61) 2 9955 7400 Email: adam.beer@theeventfulgroup.com or danielle.lorusso@theeventfulgroup.com
26 – 27
Organised by
SAP SuccessFactors
SuccessConnect 2016 Vienna
28 – 29
Location: Reed Messe Wien, Messeplatz 1, 1020 Wien, Vienna, Austria Website: http://sapsuccessconnect.com/ Email: customer.service@wispubs.com
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HR in NUMBERS
80%
50%
APAC employees who worry about their finances
Chinese millennials working in government and state organisations Source: Daxue Consulting
Source: Towers Watson
45 %
Hong Kongers who regard a good worklife balance as a major factor when staying at a company
112
million
Professionals living and working in the APAC region Source: Linkedin
Source: Randstad, ‘The Randstad Award’
20%
37%
Decrease in median starting salary for Hong Kong graduates, taking inflation into account.
Workers stating that daily commute is major productivity drain.
Source: New Forum
Source: Regus Survey 2016
67%
62%
Firms integrating co-working space into their long term strategy
CEOs who identify critical skills shortages in Hong Kong talent as key people risk
Source: Regus 14 | HR MAGAZINE
Source: Aon Best Employers Survey 2016
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HR MOVES Daniel Mascord appointed Director of People Development, Weave Services Daniel Mascord has taken up the role of Director of People Development for Weave Services Limited, an externally focused supply chain consulting division of the TAL Apparel Group. With over 10 years of search and selection experience within APAC, Daniel joins Weave Services to support an ambitious growth plan from a boutique to a mid-cap consulting firm. Daniel is directly overseeing the strategy and execution of Weave’s global recruitment activities, enabling internal training programmes, enhancing the onboarding experience, and supporting the opening of their new international locations.
Elaine Ooi takes on new role as Leader of HR Operations—APAC, Bloomberg Elaine Ooi recently joined Bloomberg as Leader of HR Operations, APAC based in Singapore. Previously, she was HR Delivery Leader for the open-source technology firm, Red Hat Singapore, with responsibilities for APAC. Elaine has accumulated over 12 years of experience in HR and Human Resource Information Technology across the region. In her new role, she will lead the HR Shared Services function by leveraging the latest best-in-class HR tools and technologies.
Nitin Bahl joins A.T. Kearney as Leader Compensation & Benefits—APAC and SEA HR Nitin was previously at Hewlett Packard Asia Pacific in a senior human resources business partner role. His new role at A.T. Kearney will be based in Singapore. He brings 12 years of experience spanning HR business partnering, strategic HR programme management, talent management, compensation and benefits and HR operations in roles across APAC and globally. He believes that a cutting-edge HR function is increasingly seen as a vital component of an organisation's key strength in the market. He sees the opportunity to move to A.T. Kearney, a recognised name in global strategy consulting firms, as an opportunity to apply his experience as well as to develop new skills in return. He described it as a ‘win-win scenario’.
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COVER STORY
HR Breakfast of^Champions Thought leadership series: hiring risks in Asia
Our meeting of HR champions at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental saw Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific Airways (left) highlight key challenges faced by HR in the ever-changing hiring market and Erik Schmit, EVP & MD APAC, First Advantage (right) share his team’s latest research on background screening trends across APAC.
16 | HR MAGAZINE
COVER STORY
The blockbuster movie Catch Me If You Can depicted the main character, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, managing to con his way to riches by misrepresenting himself to employers and falsifying his identity before finally being arrested—but not before defrauding Pan American Airways of close to USD 3 million. Great movie material, but the fact is that it was based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, who in 1963 started defrauding and deceived his way through multiple jobs. Erik Schmit, EVP & MD APAC, First Advantage commented, “This case happened long before accurate and comprehensive applicant screening was available, but now in the Internet-of-Everything era, getting a thorough breakdown of just who you are employing is significantly easier. Leaving things to chance is neither necessary nor prudent, especially when your organisation’s reputation is at risk. Just one high-profile bad hire can cause incalculable damage.” APAC hiring risks abound A recent survey conducted by First Advantage revealed the extent of the problem, with 23% of candidates admitting to having embellished the truth on their CVs. Based on applicants screened across APAC by the organisation, over 17% were found to have major discrepancies in their backgrounds. The situation in Hong Kong is the worst in APAC, with one in five CVs found to have discrepancies. Premium talent for a premium service Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific Airways is certainly no stranger when it comes to recruitment and screening employees. With over 36,000 staff on the payroll globally, recruitment at Cathay is an ongoing process with 200 to 400 positions that need filling at any time. The hiring and screening processes throw up numerous challenges for HR in respect of verifying staff integrity.” Chu explained, Cathay is selling a premium service and as such we need to onboard premium talent as well. When recruiting premium talent, you have to choose a stance: do you focus on tactical recruitment or people development? They often conflict, such as the tactical approach for new hires is generally short-term, whereas people development—to up skill from within—is a long-game. Each comes with their pros and cons and this is often a balancing act for HR—common with both though is the need for screening. “
When recruiting premium talent, you have to choose a stance: do you focus on tactical recruitment or people development? They often conflict.
—Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific Airways
Screening critical in people development Chu stressed the importance of HR picking the right candidates for the right roles. He commented, “If you are looking into people development then you need to pick the right candidate to build up. To train up someone internally from frontline to management might cost in excess of HKD 1 million—and that is not even mentioning time as a factor." He added, “Picking the right candidate is a crucial role for HR and this is where screening comes into play. Just because someone has already been in a firm for many years, certainly does not mean you should ignore rescreening them, especially if you are going to be investing a lot into that one person.” Rescreening long term employees, though it may not seem useful, can occasionally unearth something previously unknown that could become an issue, especially if someone progresses into an exposed and visible position within an organisation. Screening in tactical recruitment When bringing new talent into the organisation, leaving things to the ‘gut instinct’ of one or two senior executives is subjective and inadvisable. At Cathay, Chu noted, “The argument for screening fresh applicants is perhaps a lot simpler—you have little or no background on a candidate so screening is a must in order to catch potential problems early on in the recruitment process.”
Getting an HR seat in the boardroom Chu highlighted the need in any organisation to get the C-suite properly aligned with HR. He said, “It is important for HR to have a seat in the boardroom, after all, they are responsible for one of the organisations biggest assets. Ideally, HR’s role in the boardroom should be just as important as the CFO, COO and CMO. The most productive companies use their HR department as strategic partners— after all, they are most in touch with people throughout the organisation, interacting with them on a daily basis.” In reality, getting HR a seat at the board can be a challenge—convincing other board members that HR is being truly strategic with policy and resource allocation—but the payout can be great. How best to go about it? Chu advised HR to lead by example. He explained, “Keep excelling at what you do, your acts will demonstrate to both the C-suite and your subordinates what is important, and that your knowledge is invaluable. Without a CHRO in the boardroom, the C-suite is excluding its key assets from their seat at the table.” Growing international screening challenges Around the world, employers rely on background screening to help verify information provided in job applications. Screening may be conducted internally by HR, or increasingly carried out by third parties specialised in background screening. By and
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COVER STORY
Ideally, HR’s role in the boardroom should be just as important as the CFO, COO and CMO. —Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific Airways large, most countries adopt similar background screening strategies as a means of validating application information to help them obtain and retain honest and competent employees. Employers in certain countries such as the US also have a legal duty to exercise due diligence in hiring. Failure to do so may lead to the organisation being sued for negligence where they hired someone who they knowingly—or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known—was dangerous, unfit or unqualified for the particular job and it was foreseeable that someone could be harmed. The same standard of care applies to employers in Hong Kong who hire individuals currently living, or who have lived, abroad. Hiring overseas candidates then throws up a whole new set of challenges for HR. Information such as criminal records, credential verification and databases may be less accessible in some regions. Special forms, procedures, and consent language may be required to gain access to information—especially where it is covered by data privacy ordinances or differing local laws. Moreover, the cost and turnaround times of eking out such data can be much higher in certain countries when compared to local verifications.
18 | HR MAGAZINE
Who cares? In many organisations the responsibility of bringing and keeping the right talent on board rests firmly with HR. Hiring heads are acutely aware of the importance of facilitating ‘right hires’ but are often stretched in terms of budget, resources and hours in the day to conduct extensive background checks on potential candidates. Schmit pointed out the critical importance of conducting background checks. In terms of the current hiring landscape he explained, “For hiring managers today, it’s no longer just about the person you hire, but also the validity of those hires. HR has to be more rigorous throughout their candidate vetting processes.”
The cost of a bad hire can be devastating for a company both financially and in terms of reputational damage. —Erik Schmit, EVP & MD APAC, First Advantage
He added, “One of the most concerning trends we’ve observed is the steady rise in the year-on-year discrepancy rates across APAC—particularly in Hong Kong. The overall discrepancy in 2013 was just under 13%, in 2014 it stood at over 16% and by 2015 it had already exceeded 18%.” (see Figure 1, adjacent) Insurance against fraudsters In creating and maintaining robust screening procedures, HR can reap multiple benefits for their organisation not just in terms of enhancing the organisational culture, but also in terms of huge potential financial savings. Schmit likened background checks to an insurance policy as both represent a relatively small initial investment to help safeguard against huge potential financial losses when things go wrong. He said, “The cost
COVER STORY of a bad hire can be devastating for a company both financially and in terms of reputational damage. Companies are realising this and we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of organisations that are now using background screening—over 100% increase in the last year.” New hires Awareness about background screening has grown significantly over the last five years across Hong Kong and APAC. It is no longer a procedure just implemented by large MNCs, but has penetrated all sectors and organisations. Employers no longer limit verification to basic candidate screening but are now opting for customised background screening services— specifically tailored to suit the type and level of employee being hired. This process not only saves time by honing in on the most critical checkpoints, but also allows employers to get to know much more about their prospective hires. Schmit gave an example, “At First Advantage we have an executive screening programme specifically for senior leaders. This is tailor-made for C-suite employees and helps employers get to know their leaders on a much deeper level before entrusting them with the responsibility of the whole organisation and talent therein.” Vendors There has been a steady rise in awareness and demand for vendor screening, to help protect the company brand by screening anyone associated with the company including contractors and vendors.
Figure 1: Y-o-Y comparison of major CV discrepncy rates by country
What are candidates misrepresenting? Details about previous employment continues to be the number one item that candidates are misrepresenting in job applications. ‘Employment’ inaccuracies have consistently been indentified in over 41% of CVs since 2013 and in 2015 this figure rose to over 45%. ‘Education’ is the second most misrepresented item on CVs, with around a third of candidates providing misleading information on their academic backgrounds.
Things may be improving slightly though on this front—as in 2015 the number of CVs with inaccurate information on ‘education’ fell slightly, to a shade under 28%. The third most prevalent discrepancy identified on CVs relates to ‘database’—and although accounting for a lower number of discrepancies than employment and education, the number of discrepancies pertaining to ‘database’ has consistently risen from just under 15% in 2013 to over 25% in 2015 (see Figure 2 below).
Figure 2: Hong Kong CV discrepancy rates breakdown from 2013 to 2015 60
50
49.09 45.02
40
40.98 34.39 31.63
30
Aside on new hires, it is also essential for HR to be looking at existing talent within their organisations. Staff members may have joined at a time when background checks were not carried out or may have significantly changed their status since joining. Old hands Schmit explained, “We are seeing a growing number of companies re-screening their existing candidates to check if they may have committed a new offense or violation since their initial background check before they were hired.” Who’s screening what The most commonly misrepresented or exaggerated components on job applications are employment, education and database1 and this is reflected in the number of checks conducted by companies in these areas. In APAC 58% of checks relate to employment, 19% relate to education and 19% relate to database. 1
27.94
25.02 21.24
20 14.75
10 4.32
0
0.21 0.43
Employment
Education 2013
Database 2014
0
Criminal
2.86 2.03
Financial related 2015
Types of CV discrepancies identified in Hong Kong in 2015
Finance 2% Database 25%
Criminal 0%
Employment 45%
Education 28%
Database refers to searches by name from a collection of databases including various media, online search engines, company registries and address records.
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COVER STORY
Employment details with highest discrepancy rates Employment variance According to the 2016 Trends Report from First Advantage, with regard to ‘employment’ the highest discrepancies recorded were for the stated date of employment—with over 8% of candidates misrepresenting it. Close behind this was incorrect ‘job title’ which accounted for over 5% of discrepancies uncovered.
When it comes to ‘education’, applicants are most likely to provide incorrect dates of attendance at their academic institutions— with one in every eight applications showing discrepancies in this regard. Over 6% of candidates are also providing incorrect information about the type of qualifications they attain—sometimes this may manifest itself as discrepancies in degrees or certificates, and sometimes there are no academic records found at all.
Discrepancy (%)
Discrepancy in dates of employment
8.33
Discrepancy in designation / job titles
5.29
Limited employment history
1.11
Discrepancy in eligibility for rehire
1.11
Discrepancy in last salary
0.78
Discrepancy in reason for leaving
0.65
Negative feedback
0.11
No records of employment
0.04
Education details with highest discrepancy rates Education variance
Discrepancy (%)
Discrepancy in dates of attendance
12.45
Discrepancy in qualification attained
2.70
Discrepancy in degree obtained
2.13
Discrepancy in certification / diploma
1.06
No records found
0.26
Falsified documents
0.08
Discrepancies in CVs across age groups % of candidates misrepresenting information on CVs
Younger talent mislead more 70% of all APAC CV discrepancies originated from candidates under 35 years old—so it seems as people get older, they are less likely to fabricate.
Peaks at 29% for 26 – 30 year olds
35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10%
70% of all discrepancies are from candidates younger than age 35
5% 0%
Older candidates less inclined to misrepresent CV Age
15 – 20
20 | HR MAGAZINE
21 – 25
26 – 30
31 – 35
36 – 40
41 – 45
46 – 50
51 – 55
56 – 60
60+
COVER STORY
Impact of bad hires The impact of bad hires makes for big news, due to huge financial blow they can bring and damage they cause to an organisations brand and reputation.
S W E N A I L A R T AUS Business
Finance
Lifestyle
CV
Travel
Sports
Weather
Police charge GM with fraud ent Busi ness Developm The General Manager Strategy and stores in Aust ralia was at one of the lead ing depa rtment week of start ing because ousted from his new job with in a It was only through of faking his employment history. the employers were thorough backgrou nd screening that the discrepancies related able to unea rth the deta ils about hire. The timely to the deta ils furn ished by the new avoid major financial infor mation helped the orga nisation and reputational loss.
SINGAPORE NEWS Business
Finance
Lifestyle
Travel
N US professor in resume fr aud scandal A lect urer and
Sports
Weather
assistant professor at a top university in Asia clai med that he had a doctorate in epidemiolog y, had graduated from Ind ia's top med ical school when he was 21, was a member of the prestigious Royal Col lege of Phy sicia ns and had been awa rded a ‘gen ius’ visa allowing him to work in a top US uni vers ity. A routine pre-appoint ment review reve aled that the gentleman did not hav e a doc torate deg ree, nor did he graduate from the All Ind ia Inst itute of Med ical Scie nce s in New Del hi. The universities suffered serious reputational damage becaus e of this whe n the situ ation was picked up by the press— as in that position he wou ld have control led mil lions of dollars in federal funding and research gra nts. All this cou ld have been prevented if the universities had adopted more robust bac kground scre ening processes.
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COVER STORY
Distilled advice from Erik Schmit and Ivan Chu on what HR needs to do effectively screen applicants and reduce hiring risks in Asia
1 2 6 3 5 4 HR should also screen each and every employee—irrespective of the designation, role and responsibility. However, this should not just depend on perfunctory referral checks applied to all applicants—screening criteria should, rather, be customised depending on the roles and responsibilities of the individual concerned. For instance it is crucial to confirm the educational achievements of professor before entrusting them with the responsibility of teaching, likewise finance-related checks are imperative for roles in the banking and finance sector.
at screening Repe
Custo mis es cre
THE BIG 6 TIPS
es rti a p
HR guide to applicant screening
isk
Don’t f
org
et t h ird
22 | HR MAGAZINE
In order to ensure a reliable and compliant screening programme—and free up time for the HR team to focus on more strategic tasks— organisations can leverage alliance with a background screening partner experienced in the dynamic regulatory environment.
r ing duc Re
One of the biggest loopholes that the employers often overlook is conducting background checks on contractors and vendors. It does not matter whether an individual is a contractor or a vendor, as once they gain entry to an organisation they automatically get access to the other employees and also potentially to certain confidential data. This exposes the employees as well as the organisation to multiple risks—as such it is essential to conduct probity checks on both vendors and contractors.
es Leverag creening pa r t ne r
In addition to pre-employment checks, employers should also conduct periodic rescreens on existing employees to ensure that they still have the right set of people within the organisation.
e e hyp h t eve i l be
ing en
Do n’t
Do not rely on the references provided by the applicant to confirm his or her credentials. It is important to conduct proper screening of the individual and make referral calls directly to the authorised person in the organisation in which the person had studied or previously worked to verify statements on applicant CVs. The references produced by many applicants may be atypical in being garnered from former employers who are favourably biased towards the candidate.
Talent acquisition is often labelled under the remit of HROs, but in reality it is usually the employees who are best informed about the right talent available in the market. To help minimise hiring risks and ensure that organisations get the right talent on board it is always advisable for HR to work in tandem with line managers. The HRO may superficially know the requirements of a position, but it is the relevant line managers who are likely to have a more in-depth understanding of the exact skillset required. While the HRO can conduct preliminary searches to identify likely candidates, they should seek the expert advice of the relevant line mangers and input from business leaders before hiring an individual.
COVER STORY
| 23
C HR FEATURES
ultivating creative company cultures
HR Magazine caught up with Belinda Ngan, Head of Human Resources and Administration Department, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co, Ltd. (SPD Bank) Hong Kong Branch to find out how she fosters innovation throughout the bank and further enhances the team’s productivity and wellbeing. Cultivating innovation Creating a working environment that cultivates and facilitates innovation is vital in today’s workplaces. Innovation should not just be something that is an afterthought—but rather an intrinsic part of an organisation’s culture. Trust and encouragement are instrumental in creating a thriving workforce with fresh and cutting-edge ideas openly acknowledged and being built upon. In 2011 Belinda Ngan, Head of Human Resources and Administration Department, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co, Ltd. joined the bank’s first international branch in Hong Kong. With more than 20 years of experience in HR, Ngan has been enormously successful in fostering a culture of innovation throughout the bank. She explained, “It is embedded in the culture
of our company to encourage innovation and be very open to hearing the opinions of all our stakeholders. We go out of our way to explore all opportunities for development—both for the staff themselves and for the organisation as a whole. We make the whole employee experience as smooth as we can so that staff feel comfortable to share ideas they may have. Having a receptive attitude is key, and then demonstrating that you are listening by building on those ideas and giving constructive feedback.” Keeping staff motivated is an ongoing task for HR and should never be put on the back burner. Ngan shared that during work projects, staff engagement is further enhanced when HR’s commitment and the management team’s dedication to the projects are shown. She added, “When we launch a project, the management
team demonstrates lead-by-example, this will influence staff engagement and make the project a success.” The bank also fosters a healthy team by organising off-site management retreats to collectively develop company vision and mission, uphold core values and set corresponding goals. Through team building activities and experiential training, staff learn not just the value of teamwork, but also the know-how to achieve it. The bank also organises regular Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)events in the wider community. Ngan recollected, “The charity events we recently held include donating storybooks and having fun with the children of a kindergarten under a charity group. Another CSR event, ‘Run for Charity’ attracted over 100 staff to join and raised funds for sponsoring Youth Development Programs. Staff enjoyed the events and found them uplifting experiences.
Showing your staff that there is room for career advancement and that you are willing to help them develop is a fantastic motivator.
—Belinda Ngan, Head of Human Resources and Administration Department, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co, Ltd.
24 | HR MAGAZINE
HR FEATURES
Champion your staff The bank also champions staff mobility throughout the organisation, with new or vacant positions being available internally— both upwards and laterally. Ngan explained, “Showing your staff that there is room for career advancement and that you are willing to help them develop is a fantastic motivator for staff.” The bank achieves this by laying out competencies required for each post which provides a roadmap for staff to equip themselves with the necessary skills and knowledge required for subsequent positions. Ngan commented, “When staff members indicate interest to transfer to another department for greater exposure, they can apply for the post internally. If they are successful, an internal mentor will help them to get started. We see staff are satisfied with these opportunities for growth.” Out with the old, in with the new For most HR directors, the need to minimise costs and enhance efficiency is always on the cards. The bank recently implemented a new digital centralised Human Resource Information System in order to tackle both these requirements at the same time. The FlexSystem FESA Human Resource Management System has facilitated an employee self-service platform where members can log on and perform a number of functions including generating staff profiles, pay slips and manage leave record. Ngan explained, “The self-service functionality has been very successful—replacing the previous practice of printing and distributing reports by HR, which has helped a lot in terms of confidentiality and ensuring data privacy.”
The self-service functionality has been very successful—replacing the previous practice of printing and distributing reports by HR, which has helped a lot in terms of confidentiality and ensuring data privacy.
RUN FOR CHARITY 2016 Rolling out a new HRIS can be expensive and create a rather turbulent time for those in HR. One of the first challenges encountered when considering the implementation of a new system is pitching it to the management team and demonstrating ROI in and additional benefits. Ngan explained, “We convinced management that the new system would bring tangible and significant improvements in terms of both data security and overall productivity.” Some staff members may be, understandably, worried about new systems. HR plays a critical role in managing this change. Ngan advised HR directors to reassure staff that the new HRIS brings change to work habits, but can save time and enhance efficiency. She added, “Changes to HRIS platforms must be handled delicately— provide briefings and training to staff during testing and trial runs is important. Also allow time to prove that a centralised HR system is beneficial to staff and to the organisation as a whole in terms of streamlining procedures and raising staff satisfaction level. A well-planned, realistic timeline is key to keeping things developing systematically and facilitate a smooth rollout.
Measuring performance One of the trickiest aspects of implanting a new HRIS is objectively measuring the improvement and impact it has on the organisation. Ngan explained, “We estimate that with the new HRIS we are saving roughly two days of manpower per month, which equates to roughly a 10% cost saving.” There are other intangible benefits, such as self-service functions which improve efficiency and confidentiality. The implementation of the HR system, coupled with enhanced staff benefits and employee relations was found to have reduced the staff turnover by 50% in 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015. Ngan concluded with advice for those in HR, “Always strive to strengthen the company culture and foster a harmonious working environment— as this makes it much more conducive for staff development. Within this culture, staff feel valued and are more engaged and are willing to voice their opinion or suggestions. The main focus for HR initiatives such as implementing a new HRIS or organising staff activities should be enhancement of the working environment, encouraging innovation and facilitating work efficiency. This will build the foundation for the successful launch of future projects.”
Steps to implementing a new centralised HR system
1
Brief stakeholders and include them in the process from the very beginning
2
Envisage any questions that may come up and solve them (with technical support from the vendor) as you go along
3
Nominate coordinators who can transfer updates and important details onto staff
4
Two-way communication is critical—listen and answer enquiries and provide feedback to any suggestions from the stakeholders
5
Provide training and ensure staff members are equipped with the necessary skills prior to and during rollout
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HR FEATURES
What’s HR’s primary role? Frank J. Adick, Managing Director, Dew-Point International Ltd discusses what he believes is the primary role of the HR department, and why they are the most important productivity driver in an organisation.
Frank J. Adick, Managing Director, Dew-Point International Ltd identified the most common roles of HR as “Being responsible for providing and communicating the company benefits, monitoring compliance with government regulation, and in many companies, managing the payroll and ensuring competitive compensation plans.” Another important question to raise, though, is what should HR’s primary role be? Should their goals be fully aligned with the mission and vision of the senior management? Many would answer with a clear and resounding ‘yes’, as HR ideally wants staff on all levels working towards a common objective. Adick reflected on this though, “I am not entirely comfortable with this answer. Recognising that very few senior executives come from a solid HR
26 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE
background, how can we ensure that we are doing what is right for the organisation?” An interesting thought experiment would be to imagine a world where there is no longer a HR department—after all, HR is often at the forefront of cuts during a downturn. Adick clarified the reasoning behind this logic, “HR does not directly contribute to the profitability of a business but are supposedly simply there to support those employees who do.” This view can be quite hazardous to the organisation at large, and its negative effects can be magnified by the upper management’s lack of understanding of HR’s role within the organisation. Adick explained that upper management sometimes need a nudge to be reminded just who is driving their organisation behind
the scenes, and who is driving profits and productivity. He stresses, “If the first priority is to make all the employees more productive and efficient, they should be the last department targeted during a downturn since their overall function is to make the whole organisation more profitable.” Which brings us to the crux of the question; what is the primary role of HR and what would happen if it ceased to exist? Basic HR functions such as payroll, admin and recruitment are often outsourced, leading to the belief that HR might not be necessary at all. Nothing could be further from the truth of course, and it is never too early to clearly demonstrate and give voice to HR’s immense value: to make the organisation as a whole more efficient and productive by developing and nurturing its people.
HR FEATURES
Screening out the rough amongst the
talent diamonds It is challenging enough to mine out diamond employees, let alone onboard, engage and retain them. But even when hiring managers achieve this, how can they be sure the new hires are really who they say they are? The cost of a bad hire can be enormous and recent findings show that the majority of companies are exposing themselves to serious risks in failing to conduct adequate screening of new hires and existing employees. Now, more than ever, there seems to be quite a lot of rough amongst the diamonds when it comes to hiring. The 2016 HireRight APAC Employment Screening Benchmark Report highlights the scale of this problem—with 59% of organisations surveyed uncovering ‘discrepancies’ in candidate backgrounds following screening. Discrepancies most commonly discovered include applicants inflating salaries and job titles, falsifying educational qualifications and making up reasons for resignations. Some of the companies surveyed only carried out background screening for senior employees— allowing a loophole for entry-level employees to work their way up the career ladder and move into leadership positions without ever having a background check. Under the rescreening radar Despite the huge number of employees that have discrepancies show up in their background during the screening process, a mere 20% of APAC companies actually commit to rescreening their employees. The situation
is even worse in the USA and Canada—where 86% and 82% of employers respectively do not rescreen employees who are about to be promoted or change roles. Camilla de Villiers, Managing Director of APAC, HireRight, commented, “Just because someone did not raise any red flags when they were first hired, does not imply that their situation has remained the same in the interim. Knowing if candidates have criminal or financial issues can help to ensure that the right action is taken expediently—whether that is help and support or taking more stringent precautionary measures.”
FAILURE to rescreen employees
who are promoted or change roles
US
86%
Canada
82% 71% EMEA
International background checks The international talent pool is richer and more diverse than ever—with many firms just as keen to source employees internationally as they are locally. The report suggests that APAC employers may occasionally be more lax when it comes to screening international candidates. While 74% of companies screen domestic employees, only 42% screen international ones. The Report indicates that differing legal and cultural backgrounds coupled with language barriers makes screening overseas candidates more complex, which may account for the lower levels of screening applied to international candidates.
29%
APAC companies that
screen the international backgrounds of domestic employees
APAC
80% 68% South America
Source: 2016 HireRight APAC Employment Screening Benchmark Report
De Villiers concluded, “Background checks on candidates might be the norm for most organisations, but as employers continue to gain increased access to talent pools across the world, potential threats grow too—making companies much more susceptible to hiring risks and vulnerabilities. These threats appear both in terms of the authenticity of candidates and the potential threat they pose to a company’s employees, customers, intellectual property and reputation.”
LET YOUR HR VOICE BE HEARD HireRight is currently conducting its 2017 APAC Employment Screening Benchmark Survey. Lend your voice and help shape the changing profile of Human Resources. To participate, simply scan the QR code here or visit: http://www.surveysoftware.net/hostia/hireright2017.htm As a thank you, participants will receive an advanced copy of HireRight’s 2017 APAC Employment Screening Benchmark Report when it is launched early next year.
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HR FEATURES
Mobiles push new jobseeker behaviour It is no secret that most aspects of HR life are becoming increasingly digitalised, and the same is true for jobseekers. The trend now being witnessed by HR is talent switching their job searches increasingly towards smartphones and mobile devices in preparation for their next career move.
With 80% of internet users owning a smartphone, and 47% owning a tablet, the average person now spends almost two hours a day accessing the internet via mobile devices. Overall, mobile technology now accounts for 30% of daily internet usage. A recent study based on jobsDB data has revealed that in the midst of the phone-clutching world we live in, job search behaviour has changed significantly over the past four years. The study demonstrates a growing number of jobseekers now using mobile channels to access the jobsDB portal. While the number of visitors to their desktop site has remained stable, the number of unique visitors accessing the jobsDB mobile channels has grown dramatically by 235% over the past four years.
There has been a steady increase in the number of jobseekers using mobile devices for their job searches and the number of visits to jobsDB website from mobile devices has grown 189% over the last four years. Nowadays, the majority of job searches are not made via desktop devices, but rather mobile ones—with 60% of visits to the jobsDB website now being made from mobile devices.
28 | HR MAGAZINE
HR FEATURES
Desktop versus Mobile average browsing time for jobs
Job seekers are also spending less time on mobile job searches than traditional job searches. Mobile users generally browse job adverts in their spare time—for example, while commuting or taking a break—which means they frequently just skim through the content. Forget notions of a 20-minute average concentration time, today’s job seekers are spending less than eight minutes on job searches.
Social savvy
Mobile-friendly As mobile devices now play such an important role in today’s world, the way employers present job ads must also reflect this shift towards mobile compatibility. When creating a job advertisement online, HR must ensure content and layout are optimised for mobile devices. HR also needs to consider what information candidates actually want when they are searching for their job. The key for successful hiring is to provide a platform that best matches the behaviour of current jobseekers—and this means providing mobile-friendly job search options.
Often being on the go, the talent of today are likely to be checking your website and your social media presence long before becoming potential candidates. This is an important time because this is when people get a feel of your brand and form an opinion about whether they actually want to join your organisation later down the line. So HR has to work with PR and marketing to ensure consistent employer branding and messages are being sent out across all media channels.
Building recruitment strategies
Easy does it
that actually work
Max engagement HR should go to great lengths to engage
Candidates do not want to spend 10 minutes struggling to upload a CV and cover letter so the application process should be made easy to complete via a phone or a tablet. Having to upload a CV or a cover letter can prove a challenging task on mobile devices, so using a system where the CV can be stored on the platform itself is much more efficient.
candidates well beyond the application stage. As soon as candidates have applied for a job there is already a relationship established with the HR team— so do not stop there. Updates and feedback on the status of applications are expected and should be easily available so that candidates know where they stand. This not only puts your organisation in the best light with the candidate, but also helps reinforce employer branding—as candidates informally relay their experience to their own networks.
Maximising mobile engagement for job advertisements Key HR tips to help drive more candidates to job postings: 1. Highlight key benefits and information that jobseekers are most interested in—especially salary. 2. Consider employer branding and ensure consistency across platforms. 3. Use job board platform tools to optimise the layout of your advertisement for both desktop and mobile devices.
Data source: Omniture 2012 – 2016
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HR FEATURES
EMBRACING THE NEW WORLD OF WORK
Microsoft’s recipe for 25 years of success in innovation
Amid rapid growth and competition in the IT industry, Microsoft Hong Kong has maintained a solid standing in the IT sector—and is still attracting a lot of talent. With the company celebrating its 25th anniversary in the city and the opening of its new Experience Centre in Cyberport, HR Magazine interviewed Horace Chow, General Manager, Microsoft Hong Kong to find out the secrets of its continued success.
Microsoft is a household name in technology worldwide, and is still the envy of many budding IT companies and start-ups hoping to replicate its renowned success. The super-charged IT marketplace has seen many big players come and go, even in just the last few years. However, throughout its 41-year history—and now 25 years in Hong Kong— Microsoft has remained a bedrock, standing solid in the face of the tide. With technology advancing rapidly, Microsoft itself is moving with the times to retain its proud position. Speaking to HR Magazine, Horace Chow, General Manager, Microsoft Hong Kong stated, “If you look back to the last 25 years, there were not many technology companies around—so being in the technology business for
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25 years is quite a long time and you always have to find ways to stay at the top. It is an interesting challenge—we see completely different competitors now to those that we saw 25 years ago. It is a different ecosystem today—and Microsoft keeps evolving with that.” The new challenge is going from predominantly hardware and computer-based software towards the mobile-first, cloud-first world of today. Microsoft has shown a strong global momentum towards cloud-based technology with over USD 9.4 billion in annualised revenue run rate—and the company is expecting to reach USD 20 billion in fiscal year 2018. With such impressive growth, how is Microsoft attracting and retaining the talent behind this remarkable success?
HORACE CHOW General Manager, Microsoft Hong Kong
HR FEATURES
Ingredient 1: embracing innovation Just from walking around Microsoft’s new office and Experience Centre in Cyberport, it is clear that the design facilitates an environment suited for innovation and productivity. With various functionbased workplaces and many different collaboration spaces, it is clear that the office is conducive for new ideas and different ways of working. Chow elaborated,“You might have a project team who needs to come up with ideas—
and they might prefer to go into a room and stand with no chairs. You may ask why standing has anything to do with innovation, but the main point is the gesture. You enter a different environment and you get different types of senses. We have built a different but very collaborative environments—some are casual and others formal—because each day of working life, you may need a different environment to do the tasks you need to do.”
Ingredient 2: assimilating the new world of work Microsoft has not only sought to create a space for their employees but also a place for their clients to interact with their products. On request, clients and partners can visit the Experience Centre to see how a project or system might be implemented and visualise the potential results. Chow explained,“The worst thing is when a vendor does not have the equipment or
facilities to showcase their product. We found most companies were required to respond to a client request within four hours, but 70% were not able to do so. Thus what we have created is an environment in which it is easy for our employees to show products to the customer— we have set up an environment that assimilates the new world of work. Customers can feel it, sense it and try it.”
Ingredient 3: having an open culture Microsoft’s success story is based on an open culture. Chow elaborated,“I think we look after the employees—and not just through normal compensation. We take care of the way of work; we’re not a micro-management style of company. We offer lots of flexibility to workers.” One way in which this is achieved is the approach to working hours. Chow explained, “We are not a company that says you have to work 9am till 6pm—we are a very resultsorientated company. We are not the kind of company to ask, ‘where are you?’ or ‘how many
hours have you worked?’ We never do that— we only look at what you have done.” It also fits well with the company’s familyfriendly culture. One feature, Chow highlighted, is the family days where people bring their kids and spouses to work for the day. He described, “It is quite enjoyable because it is very noisy that day. It is very good for families to know about the environment in which their loved ones work. Kids can play around, see what Mum or Dad do and feel proud.”
Ingredient 4: investing back into community Microsoft gives a lot back to the community. As of March 2016, they donated HKD 225 million worth of software to local non-profit organisations, and has recognised the importance of education and empowerment by investing HKD 11.5 million into its YouthSpark programme to train and cultivate young talent. In addition to this, the company has partnered with The Women’s Foundation and Ivey Business School to run four-day camps for university women to look at career opportunities in the technology sector.
Microsoft Hong Kong Family Day
There is a hands-on element for the staff too. As Chow explained,“One thing that I am very proud of is that employees dedicate three days of annual leave for charity. This has been enormously beneficial for not only the people in need but the employees as well. There’s a lot of collaboration and team-bonding. I think it is a powerful way to give back to the community. Our employees get involved in litter picks, cooking for the elderly or even going to kindergartens to teach kids how to use computers.”
The new world of work is steaming full speed ahead—and talent is heading to the companies that can provide the right work environment. Microsoft is an example of a company which has shown how to provide an attractive environment that pushes up productivity and delivers long-term results.
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Championing
LGBT diversity IBM are firm believers in LGBT representation and how all employees, no matter their background, have the drive and motivation to reach the top of their game. Tony Tenicela, Global Leader— Workforce Diversity and LGBT Markets at IBM spoke to HR magazine on how workplace diversity is something that can no longer just be paid lip service.
TONY TENICELA, Global Leader—Workforce Diversity and LGBT Markets, IBM Corporation Numerous multinational corporations are now addressing diversity beyond the basics of ethnicity and compliance, focusing on linking diversity investments to generating marketplace opportunities. Tony Tenicela currently advises C-Suite executives on the role of diversity and talent management in this age of disruptive technologies and manages IBM’s global LGBT commercial strategy, leveraging not only numerous corporate community partnerships globally but the company’s experience to strengthen customer relationships and identify new business opportunities. He explained, "In today’s economic climate, it’s critical to address the return on investment for every activity, and our experience shows clearly that we are able to demonstrate how diversity and workforce strategy can have a positive effect on the bottom line." The current LGBT workplace According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 91% of Fortune 500 companies have policies prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and 62% provide health insurance benefits to domestic partners, yet multinational corporations still face obstacles in addressing LGBT inclusion globally. In addition, while same sex marriage is possible in over 20 countries around the globe, homosexuality is punishable by death in eight countries.
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Thanks to the social collaboration movement, more visibility in the media, and LGBT issues as a prominent topic in political debates, the LGBT community at large is more visible than ever. Historically, cultural and societal differences have had an impact on the personal and professional experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals around the world. The encouraging news is, as multinational corporations are making substantial progress in establishing global policies and programmes around inclusion and respect for the individual, there is an ongoing positive effect on how society views the LGBT community. Challenges and barriers Despite the increased visibility, there remains an ongoing need for corporations to take the lead in proactively addressing LGBT inclusion globally, particularly in regions where there is a high level of cultural sensitivity toward the LGBT community. Tenicela said, "As managers, it is our responsibility to create a working environment where all employees can flourish, thrive, and ultimately better serve our clients—a safe, open and inclusive working environment that is free of discrimination and harassment and full of opportunity for all people. We need to create an environment where LGBT employees are valued, empowered to think freely, express themselves and innovate, and be able to fully contribute to the workplace and to our clients." Rapidly developing countries like
China, the Philippines and Brazil are opening up very quickly and are seeing increased acceptance and openness thanks to corporate initiatives that are raising awareness for LGBT inclusion. One of IBM’s first efforts in APAC was a partnership with Community Business and Goldman Sachs to launch a series of resource guides for employers in Hong Kong, China and India that provided recommendations for addressing LGBT policies and programmes in their working environment. The guides were received with significant interest from local and multi-national organisations and it provided the necessary guidance for managers to fully understand the level of commitment needed to implement the recommendations. In order to proactively equip leaders in the growth markets with the necessary education to support LGBT colleagues in their country, IBM launched a global reverse mentoring programme that matches a team of LGBT employees and straight allies to a senior executive or manager. The programme has been implemented in over 40 countries and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. In addition to the resource guides and reverse mentoring programme, IBM has also sponsored several LGBT business leader forums in several Asian cities including Beijing, Bangalore, Hanoi, Manila, Bangkok, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo. The objective
HR FEATURES in organising these forums has been to not only raise awareness for the role of LGBT in the workplace and marketplace but also to position the organisation as a global business partner for LGBT executives worldwide. LGBT leaders LGBT community members who have ‘come out’ have a unique perspective on leadership because they have wrestled with and overcome significant barriers for themselves to step forward. Tenicela commented, “Leadership and coming out both entail a similar level of risk-taking since, in both situations, we are taking responsibility for something for which others judge you positively or negatively.” He added, “The coming out experience can impact the way we become a visible leader in that it provides a unique way of addressing a variety of leadership responsibilities, from risk-taking to transparency to authority. ‘Out’ leaders can embrace the lessons of their coming out experience to shape their leadership style.” Overcoming the barriers IBM has a long history of commitment to diversity and the LGBT community and has consistently taken the lead on policies long before it was required by law. It began in 1953, when then President T. J. Watson issued the first Equal Opportunity Policy letter, 10 years before the United States’ Civil Rights Act of 1964. IBM is very proud to have been recognised over the years as a global leader for influencing societal
views on LGBT programmes and policies. Sexual orientation and Gender Identity or Expression were incorporated into the letter in 1984 and 2002, respectively. IBM nurtures passionate local LGBT leaders to work with management on executing our diversity objectives. Encouraging employees to think out of the box and, in turn, be innovative and challenge norms. Employees want to work in environments where they feel safe and valued as LGBT people, regardless of the type of organisation. As companies strive to remain competitive in this very competitive business environment, whether they are multinational corporations or local enterprises, they should embrace D&I and address different cultures, languages, geographic origins, and sexual orientation in their business strategy. IBM also invests heavily in building collaborative communities, which is absolutely critical for building mutual respect among management and employees. Internally, the IBM global community actively employs Connections, social software that empowers employees to be more innovative and productive by using dynamic networks of co-workers, partners, and customers. They consider this to be the future of work model which helps strengthen collaboration and knowledge management across their diverse and culturally complex workplace and marketplace.
Diversity has always been an integral part of Tony Tenicela. His parents exposed him to international travel throughout his childhood, as his father was invited to share his pain management practices with medical communities around the world, requiring him to spend an extensive amount of time in different cities. Being exposed to different foods, languages, customs, and beliefs at an early age, Tenicela has always viewed life through a multifaceted lens and this motivated him to be more risk-taking and entrepreneurial after college, which led him to join Worldview Systems, a startup venture in San Francisco, that ultimately launched the Travelocity travel service back in the ‘90s. After that life-changing experience, Tenicela then went back to school and joined IBM close to 20 years ago.
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Building an inclusive workplace Diversity is about broadening the definition and objectives to ensure we create a globally sensitive corporate culture that fosters and leverages differences. Tenicela said, "Taking a purely 'colour-blind approach' can be detrimental to the company’s culture because customers, top talent, suppliers, business partners, and employees come from different backgrounds, possess diverse needs, and offer unique perspectives in addressing business objectives." At IBM, diversity fosters innovation in the way the needs of clients are addressed and helps the world work better. Given the breadth of IBM’s business across 170 countries, diversity is a competitive differentiator that enables it to reflect the global diversity of customers. For example, from a LGBT marketplace perspective, the discretionary income of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community worldwide is growing every year, along with their presence in the workplace and marketplace. The organisation's ability to provide thought-leadership to its customers in addressing constituency markets, as well as further leveraging those customer relationships to identify other business opportunities, is what makes this business model unique and effective. The company also believes it is important for the diverse voices and experiences of all employees to be heard and valued; encouraging people to engage from their unique point of reference, and empowering them through initiatives such as their Employee Resource Groups. IBM’s Employee Alliance for Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Empowerment Business Resource Group (EAGLE) was officially launched in 1995 to promote a safe and open working environment for LGBT employees. Over the past 20 years, EAGLE has grown into a worldwide network representing thousands of employees. providing their LGBT employee community with opportunities for professional and social networking, mentoring and career development. It also facilitates participation in community outreach programmes and helps identify and drive business opportunities. Drawing on the network’s global resources and support, EAGLE leaders design and implement programmes that are specifically tailored to local culture and environment. The
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network plays an important role in creating a supportive workplace for LGBT employees. In addition to EAGLE, IBM’s Global LGBT Council is composed of an LGBT executive community across geographies, who work with their diversity office to drive initiatives on LGBT training, policy, benefits and programmes worldwide. They look to the future to see what else IBM can do to address LGBT inclusion globally. Both EAGLE and the Global LGBT Council help to ensure that LGBT employees are visible, recognised and addressed throughout the year. As a result of IBM’s Global LGBT Council’s work with their HR teams, IBM now offers Domestic Partner Benefits to 70% of its workforce. Tenicela believes there is an inextricable link between diverse communities and a creative,
open and questioning society—that provides the foundation for innovation in business. He summarised, "At our core, we are working to make the planet a smarter place and to do this we need diversity of culture, people, thoughts and ideas. Sitting in meeting rooms around the world trying to solve client challenges, it is very clear that, if we are all looking at the problem through an identical lens, through the eyes of one community, then there’s little room for creativity. It’s only when you have diversity around the table—that you get that spark, that creativity, that creates a smarter solution." Many in HR think that conformity is the standard and that it is inadvisable to break away from conformity. In reality, by facilitating and encouraging all employees to get comfortable with being themselves and thinking out of the box on a daily basis, innovation can be pushed through the roof.
HR first steps in addressing LGBT inclusion: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Ensure that your Equal Opportunity Policy is truly global Always consider the safety of your employees first Never let legislation stand in your way—lead the way instead Raise awareness of LGBT issues in the workplace Have ‘out’ executives host roundtables when visiting different countries Host anonymous calls for employees globally Provide reverse mentoring to country general managers and local management Allow employees to become a member of an ERG in a different country Use social media tools to encourage employee participation Leverage your LGBT networks to identify business opportunities
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HR FEATURES
From sporting success to workplace wonders
Having a programme designed to support professional athletes preparing for retirement from sport makes all the difference when transitioning from a sports arena to a corporate one. HR Magazine spoke to Timothy Fok, President, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), Patrick Glennon, Adecco Senior Vice President, International Olympic Committee Athlete Career Programme (IOC ACP) and Sam Wong, Head of Office, Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme (HKACEP), Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, to get the lowdown on the unique skill sets that retired athletes are bringing to the workplace.
Challenges for athletes For many of Hong Kong’s professional athletes, finding employment after retiring from a successful athletic career can be difficult—especially if they have spent most of their time on the field rather than in the classroom. Competing at the highest level in sports requires a long-term personal commitment—usually around a decade— meaning the average retirement age of athletes is between 25 and 35. The move from sports to working life can sometimes be very challenging for retired athletes with insufficient skill sets or education, a lack of work experience beyond sports, no job seeking experience and applying for their first jobs at a relatively mature age. This is where the HKACEP has stepped in to help ease the athletes’ transitions from the world of competitive sports into a second career in the wider job market. Realising there was a lack of funding and support from the Government and recognising that athletes were often at somewhat of a loss upon retirement, the
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HKACEP was established in 2008 to support the athletes through various preparatory training programmes. Education and vocational training, life skills training, career counselling, career opportunities and ambassador programme are all offered to the retired athletes. Fok explained, “The Programme has been a great success, because from the employers’ perspective, you’re hiring the best people—they’re dedicated and they’re focused.” The athletes themselves admit that achieving success in both sports and their working career requires strong commitment, teamwork, an energetic approach and the ability to withstand pressure. The SF&OC believes strongly that further developing the programme is providing athletes with new opportunities to transfer the unique skills acquired during their athletic career to the labour market. In return, companies are able to gain access to world-class employees who have accumulated extraordinary traits and skills combined with the determination to excel in whatever they do.
The Federation teamed up with Adecco Hong Kong to leverage their specialist knowledge in HR and job matching. Glennon explained, “If you think about it, just making it to the Olympics means you are one of the best athletes in the world! To get there takes somebody who, when they hit a wall, knows how to get around it. It takes someone who is a creative problem solver, somebody that knows their competition and knows how to win. If you can capture the energy, the knowledge and skills an athlete has while competing, and if you can build on it with the education, with the right leadership, it can bring together a lot of things that nobody else has. This makes them very powerful in their career going forward.” He also stressed the importance of working together with employers who sometimes did not know how to effectively screen candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. He said, “Many employers are used to looking at traditional CVs and don’t recognise the athletes’ vastly different previous experience. Rather than focusing on the CV, employers should be asking ‘Where’s the individual that’s going to take me to some place that I haven’t been before?”
HR FEATURES
From the employers’ perspective, you’re hiring the best people— they’re dedicated and they’re focused. —Timothy Fok, President, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
Rather than focusing on the CV, employers should be asking ‘Where’s the individual that’s going to take me to some place that I haven’t been before? —Patrick Glennon, Adecco Senior Vice President, International Olympic Committee Athlete Career Programme
The Programme took a huge combined effort working with educational institutes, private sector employers and the athletes themselves. Fortunately, Adecco is uniquely positioned to help assist the HKACEP in garnering organisations who wish to leverage the athletes’ unique skill sets. The HKACEP’s strategy for the athletes requires significant advance planning. Wong outlined the process, “At least two years before retirement, we start preparatory work to get the athletes ready for the work transition. Through education and career counselling we work with the athletes to establish a plan for the transition. Then we put the athletes on a range of internships to give them an idea of which industry type is the best fit for them. This also provides the athletes with exposure to different companies, which is great for their CVs.”
Lack of work experience outside sports
Insufficient skill sets or education
Challenges facing retired athletes
No experience of being a jobseeker
From employers’ perspective, retired athletes can be quite mature when applying for their first permanent job
The HKACEP also provides scholarships to help athletes with a relatively basic education further upgrade their academic credentials. Wong explained, “Athletes go into full-time training at a very young age, which means they quit school early. So when hiring managers look at their CVs they often see education level only up to secondary school—and so screen them out.” To help mitigate this, athletes on the Programme are encouraged to apply for scholarships so they can obtain a tertiary-level qualification to help them in the job market. The Sports Legacy Scheme, which has been running since 2012 under the Programme, helps train up athletes in coaching skills in addition to remuneration which helps them support themselves while they study part-time for their degree. Since the Rio Olympics, the Federation has been liaising with athletes planning to retire after the Games helping them with career orientation. On 16 October the first ever Career Exhibition for local athletes is being organising to consolidate career counselling, career orientation and job matching, education and life skills training together with increased exposure to potential employer partnerships. Fok pointed out, “In a place like Hong Kong, we have traditionally treated sports as something a little frivolous—something you just do after work. But, recently a lot of things have changed, our athletes came back from the Games and they touched the hearts of a lot of people—they were identified as heroes. This first ever Career Exhibition is going to celebrate that success and launch these athletes into new careers in the some of the best companies in the world.”
Athletes go into full-time training at a very young age, which means they quit school early. So when hiring managers look at their CVs they often see education level only up to secondary school—and so screen them out. —Sam Wong, Head of Office, Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
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HR FEATURES
Wellne
Workplace Wellness and Why It Matters
A healthy workforce is a productive workforce. HR Magazine caught up with Eric Kung, Chairman & CEO, Human Dynamic to get his thoughts on why taking a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to employee wellness is so important. Health and wellness programmes have a positive impact on an organisation’s culture of wellness. Eric Kung, Chairman & CEO, Human Dynamic explained, “Health has a direct impact on productivity and performance.” Most employers take the stance of a reactive approach to health, where what is really needed is a proactive approach—preventative measures mean an easier challenge in the future.
If an employee gets a life threatening disease, such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes, the employer will have to pay out. On the face of it, there is the upfront cost of medical fees—but Kung was very keen to draw attention to the additional loss of productivity which is just as imperative. Actively promoting the employee to make lifestyle changes can prevent a range of health issues and loss of productivity further on. Kung explained, “There’s gaps between knowledge and practice…providing health risk assessments, benefits, awareness and educational programmes is not enough.” Knowing you need to eat less cake is not the same as in practice eating less cake. He added, “You get the report from the doctor and usually think ‘wow, I need to do something’. So you become motivated to make a lifestyle change.” It is at this key point where Kung thought input is needed from HR. He elaborated, “You need someone to help you along to make that change.” This is where HR can step in to really strive for a better, healthier, more productive workforce.
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Encouraging wellness in the workplace While some may argue workplace wellness is ‘nice to have’, rather than a ‘need to have’, there are numerous examples of organisations that have successfully nurtured wellness in the workplace and gained huge benefit from doing so.
Case study 1
IBM
IBM implemented its employee wellness programme entitled Commit To Health Incentives through cafewell.com. It provides a holistic approach to healthcare by promoting and monitoring employee physical, social and mental health. IBM came up with some innovative ways to do this, firstly by offering free fitness wearables—such as Fitbit. This meant the employee would get some of the latest wellness tech.
cafewell.com
Fitbit Surge smart-watch activity tracker 2015
Image courtesy of Sam Sailor
However, the key thing here is actually getting the employee to use this equipment. The device could be used to monitor exercise etc, and then report back to the ‘Commit To Health’ programme on their positive life changes. This would mean hundreds of dollars, or even more if you included your family. Not something to be ignored!
HR FEATURES
ess Case study 2
So why is it important? Any employee illness will begin to take a toll on productivity and profits for a company. A key example is mental health. Kung noted, “In China, people were saying that depression was only a concern of western countries.” However, this has turned out not to be true and to side-line the mental wellbeing of its employees is a big risk. Mental health is what keeps employees on sick leave for months at a time, meaning one paid but non-productive worker, and firing that person comes with the risk of being sued for discrimination. Secondly, according to The Business of Healthy Employees: A Survey of Workplace Health Priorities published from Virgin Health Miles, 87% of employees surveyed saying they consider health and wellness offerings when choosing an employer. This means neglecting your wellness programme means you could be missing out on key talent.
Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority
The Austin, US-based transportation department is a fantastic example as to why wellness programmes are so important in the current HR climate. Since its implementation, absenteeism dropped by a massive 25%. Increased employee access to resources also saw a steep rise in morale too. The introduction of the wellness program included two 24-hour fitness centres, personal and fitness trainers, workshops, smoking cessation, personalised eating and nutrition plans and many other incentives. This was very successful as it countered the two major challenges that were holding employees back from leading a healthier lifestyle—time and money. Even though this meant a large initial expenditure, the Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority saw a significant decrease in healthcare spending in as little as three years after implementation.
Case study 3
Google For the most recognisable brand on the internet, it is only natural that they should have a renowned employee health and wellness program to match. It is also quite radical by company healthcare standards. Google developed a People and Innovation Lab (PiLab) which conducts its own research and development within its HR. Google is always striving for new and unique way to improve its employee’s well-being. For example, Google’s Mountain View campus also includes a slide for employees who do not wish to take the stairs; while the East Coast office has ping pong, nap pods and LEGO stations. Meanwhile they also have some more traditional methods such as massages in the workplace and swimming pools.
Two stances can be taken on the subject— financial reasons, or ethical reasons. However, a lot of the big firms with outstanding welfare programmes approach both simultaneously. A healthy employee is a happy employee, and therefore a productive employee. The initial expenditure for a company may be difficult to justify to the C-Suite, but the long term benefits far outweigh them. As Eric stated, “When I show companies the issues of being reactive rather than proactive they are convinced already.” He continued, “If I show them some big numbers, they are even more convinced. Doing some cost analysis and savings on a wellness program is key to demonstrating just what a wellness program can do for your firm.” Eric advised, “Employers need to empower and encourage their employees. It is kind of like mutual help and support.” It is certainly a two-way street and requires the employee and employer alike to put the effort in. Taking a holistic approach, building a gym is not enough. Eric mentioned, “Focus on help with healthy eating, exercise, fitness, sleep and energy, physical wellbeing, and healthy lifestyle.” This will really help to get the full benefit from a wellness programme. He concluded, “Employees that have experienced lifestyle changes feel healthier and more energised, and are happier and productive— and they encourage others to follow.”
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to success．Key Keys s ss． cce su
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ss．Keys to succe ucce ss． K ey st
THE EVOLVING FACETS OF KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR COMPANIES
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HR FEATURES
ess．Keys to succe succ ss． o t Ke ys e ys K t s．
By A. Wong, Director, PTI Professional Development Ltd. Management with vision, good business strategies, unique and customer-oriented products or services and effective marketing strategies have been crucial ‘keys to success’ for companies in the past. Evolving markets and environments require more, however, than just fulfilment of such criteria for a company to sustain business success. Demand for greener performance Rising average global temperatures and increasing damage done to the natural environment are just two of the key drivers leading to surging demands for better environmental performance of companies. To attune to such market demands, a fundamental understanding of damaging practices—such as major air pollutants— is required so that company policies can be revamped appropriately. Equipping oneself with the fundamentals in environmental protection—things such as air, water, noise, waste and indoor air quality—requires dedication. There is a lot of information out there, especially in the age of the internet. Being able to cherry-pick what is reliable and what is useful are skills that require guidance and honing. Implementing ESG reporting As higher transparency for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is called for from across different stock exchanges around the world, ESG reporting is increasingly becoming the part and parcel of reports for listed companies. In Hong Kong, listed companies have started to include ESG in their annual reports or on their company website. According to the guidelines on Communicating Sustainability published by Deutsche Boerse AG—the German Stock Exchange—the more an organisation focuses on links between financial and non-financial data—including ESG—the more fit for purpose ESG aspects will be for investors.
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The knowledge to raise finances Besides ESG, globalisation has intensified competition, since it now comes from both locals and multinationals. To compete successfully, companies may need to operate on a larger scale, which entails higher funding requirements. Moreover, in the past few years there has been an explosion in the number of start-ups throughout the world. The lifeblood of any fledgling company is cash, because without it even the best ideas struggle. Though factors have made it increasingly accessible to begin a start-up, this means the competition has become even fiercer. It pays to explore the different methods of funding. Reducing potential risks in financing When raising finances, negotiating the terms with banks is essential. Not only to obtain preferential terms, but also to affect availability of the credit facility—terms such as availability period, drawdown multiple and minimum drawings. Crucially, loan covenants are also terms a company should pay extra attention to, as there can be serious consequences for non-compliance. Practical knowledge in IPOs & PE Private equity is a pivotal source of funding for private companies. Commonly covering investments in organisations not listed on the stock exchange, they are often large funds put together by individuals or PE firms for the purpose of buyouts, takeovers and related items. Nevertheless,
PE investors most often would like to get involved in managing the private company. In accepting capital injection from PE, founders need to bear in mind certain issues, such as striking a balance between who manages and controls which aspects of the company’s operations. For those companies planning to get listed, having essential knowledge of Initial Public Offerings and an overview of listing requirements of the world’s major stock exchanges is not only desirable, it is necessary. Key developments of major economies On top of funding, companies should also be aware of how monetary policies of the world’s major economies can impact their business. Maintaining a thorough and practical knowledge in monetary policies of the United States, China, the EU and the UK, and its major factors is important. Recent key market developments such as Brexit have been felt throughout the world. Though many of the potential impacts—such as GDP, FDI or international trade—remain to be seen, getting equipped with the knowledge to be better prepared for the uncertainties can be vital when moving towards a smooth transition.
expediting success THROUGH ENHANCING PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE
Environmental, Social & Governance Expert (ESGE™)
Essential knowledge in ESG / environmental reporting, basics of environmental protection, key pollution mitigation strategies in general, major international collaborations on mitigating climate change etc. Financing & Capital Raising Professional (FCRP™)
Practical knowledge in raising financing and capital for companies, including bank financing, private equity, IPO, and bonds, as well as monetary policies of US, China, EU & UK etc.
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HR COMMUNITY
CHARLES HUGHLEY Formerly General Manager— Global Talent Management Johnson Electric
Identifying staff developmental needs The aim was to advance from providing products to offering solutions. The key task for HR was to determine how to measure success and how to make it real. Hughley remarked, “We needed to ask a few questions: what are the mission critical roles required to achieve the vision? Are the right people in mission critical roles and how do I evaluate my talent pool and develop the ‘right’ ones?” Initially it was determined which proportion of roles were mission critical, which where impactful and which were less impactful. The team then determined how to calibrate the individuals in the mission critical roles by asking if their leaders are living the values of the company, and how that is perceived by staff.
Charles Hughley, Formerly General Manager—Global Talent Management, Johnson Electric opened by looking at how HR can align the ‘right’ people with the strategic imperatives of the business. He commented, “Am I looking at the right strategy? Do I have the right people? We have to make sure to ask the right questions and hit milestones.”
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The next step was to look at performance and categorise people as either exceptional, impactful and less impactful. The figures where then cross-referenced to identify where things were working and where they were not. Hughley explained “If you have exceptional performers in less
impactful roles, the system is out of alignment.”Analysing staff and figuring out whether they are interested in different roles, what they would like to develop and where their strengths lie is necessary. This allows for an employee’s full potential to be reached and for exceptional performers to excel in mission critical roles. Hughley signed off with a number of HR must dos: • Drive organisational sustainability—Target mission critical roles for the organisation and drive robust talent pools for each role. • Risk mitigation—Ensure exceptional performers are retained, engaged and remain motivated. • Succession—Identify emerging talent and ensure they are engaged and getting the proper exposure and recognition so they keep reaching higher. • Achieving more with less—Top performers outperform average performers by a margin of at least 3 to 1.
HR COMMUNITY
This summer, the HR Magazine conference kicked off strong—and just kept getting stronger. Attended by HR powerhouses from all over the globe and facilitated by our own Paul Arkwright, the conference was packed with insightful presentations, digging into practical HR metrics detailing how data can be used to shape the future of companies. From recruitment and legal compliance, to organisational development and HR’s role in strategic decision-making, the future of HR was laid bare for all to see.
JEANNETTE TAM Managing Associate, Bird & Bird
HR legal—staying compliant! Jeanette Tam, Managing Associate, Bird & Bird brought her legal expertise to the HR table in regards to the upcoming changes to discrimination legislation that can be expected in the coming months. “In the last year there have been a lot of changes and these will continue in the future. We need to look back at the last half year to gain insight about what to expect in the coming period.” Changes to legislation can be expected in the following order over the coming years: compulsory employee reinstatement, anti-age discrimination, de facto relationships and sexual discrimination. She commented, “In terms of discrimination law reforms, the Equal Opportunities Commission has been very busy—and will continue to be in the future.” They pushed 76 recommendations to the government and a bill is awaiting draft.” She added that 23 have been considered crucial are most likely to be implemented in the coming months.
What to expect: • Most pressing are changes to compulsory employee reinstatement • Reforms to age discrimination law, especially related to the older workforce • Extension of protection from discrimination to persons who are in de facto relationships, sex and sexual orientation. The Government has organised forums and public consultations regarding just how to deal with some of the above items to gain a varied view. She also highlighted age discrimination as a critical factor, especially considering Hong Kong’s ageing population. Tam posed, “How is the government going to marry the relationship between compulsory retirement age and anti-age discrimination law?” As of yet it remains to be seen—the government really needs to think deeply about how they are going to address that. Now more than ever, HR would do well to keep an eye on upcoming changes to legislation to remain compliant.
The Equal Opportunities Commission has been very busy—and will continue to be in the future.
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HR COMMUNITY Background screening in the digital age
TESH KAUR Manager, Asia Pacific HireRight
Tesh Kaur, Manager Asia Pacific, HireRight focused her sharing on two key topics: attracting millennial talent and background screening of candidates. When it comes to attracting talent, building a healthy employer brand is something that needs to be stressed, especially regarding younger workers and millennials. Kaur commented, “Millennials want an attractive and positive corporate culture.” Digital recruitment is now the main method of sourcing talent. Therefore, digital recruitment management needs to be constantly revised and re-evaluated to keep up with technological advances. She added, “People are more mobile-orientated, so you need to include this channel in the recruitment process.”
The cost of a bad hire is five times that of a good one.
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FLORA CHAN Head of Human Resources United Overseas Bank Hong Kong
Kaur moved onto the next topic by citing that there have been a number of high-profile CV fraud cases within the APAC region. She noted “CV fraud becoming public can be very damaging to an organisations reputation.” She referenced a recent occurrence concerning a Hong Kong CEO who was sued after two years of employment for falsifying most of her CV. She added, “The fallout of a senior employee can be very damaging
Flora Chan, Head of Human Resources, United Overseas Bank (UOB) shared her insights on leveraging HR metrics to drive future business success. With over 20 years of HR management experience, Chan has used various strategies to drive business growth. Chan asserted, “One of the happiest points in my career is working for UOB because one of my core functions is driving the strategy of the organisation.”
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Kaur recommended, “Tell your candidates why you are screening them. Communicate this to them, have it all out in the open. It’s not a private investigation and it should never be done without their consent. This can enhance the overall employer brand, and speeds up the entire process.” Kaur shared some results from the background checks conducted in Hong Kong. 1. The biggest embellishments are in education. These can be very minor accidental discrepancies, but it can go all the way to making up a whole degree. 2. Of the CVs screened in Hong Kong, 22% contained a discrepancy.
Metrics to drive future success
What are HR metrics and how are they implemented? Chan explained how she utilises them at UOB—Analytics, Diagnostics, Strategy and Prediction—in areas including hiring, compensation and training.
HR needs to look at what solutions are linked to business performance and the impact on profitability.
for a company. The cost of a bad hire is five times that of a good one.” Senior background checks require serious consideration and Kaur recommended screening employees throughout international jurisdictions, not just locally. She advised, “Produce a robust screening process that is up-to-date, in-depth and thorough.” It should not become cumbersome, however— turning off potential talent that will end up working for the competition is a risk.
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Analytics—the interpretation of a meaningful pattern in data to measure retention and performance Diagnostics—monitoring performance and analysing work completed, as well as the total employee cost Strategic—linking data together to give a meaningful report. For example, looking at retaining certain types of people for future projects
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Predictive—making use of past data to drive future policy and develop a more expected outcome.
Chan elaborated that at UOB data is needed for making strategic HR decisions. She remarked, “Generally, over 50% of operating costs go to HR and with a shrinking budget, HR needs to look at what solutions are linked to business performance and the impact on profitability.” This is especially important in areas like talent acquisition where data is analysed before deciding whether hiring is in line with company’s business plan. She added, “I would also use the data to see where those candidates are coming from and to gauge the response rate and quality.” Following the hiring process, Flora briefly explained training methods at UOB, “We adopt the model of 70-20-10. 70% on the job training, 20% coaching and mentoring and 10% formal education. We use this model as a guideline to structure the training and career development of our people.”
HR COMMUNITY
Reporting metrics—how do we get started? Alex Yeung, Director, Human Resources Shared Services, Asia Pacific, Avery Dennison gave the audience a brief overview of Avery Dennison—a global Fortune 500 company that specialises in labelling and packaging with more than 1,000 employees throughout APAC.
explains, “We have to establish a baseline. Previous measures, analyses and reports should be used to create a baseline. This then becomes the foundation of predictive analysis— including predictive models, scenarios and strategic planning at large.”
A workforce of that size provides plentiful data and metrics can be implemented. Yeung explained, “Metrics aim to measure HR effectiveness. Analytics aims to provide insights that will drive better talent decisions and offer better returns on investment.” It is a tool to enhance an organisation as a whole.
To facilitate the tricky business of data analysis, Yeung provided a few tips: • Sources of data: What system do you have and what data is it actually store? Decide what is useful and what is not • Data dictionary: compile a complete set of HR-related data inventory with definitions and sources • Data integrity: check that data being used for analytics is authentic, legitimate and up-to-date • Ask questions and hypothesise: What problems do you want to solve? Are they business relevant? What possible routes can we take?
Yeung discussed how metrics are leveraged within Avery Dennison. “There was the case of turnover rate being noticeably high in one department, under one particular manager in general. The data highlighted this and HR had to step in to address the situation.” The data can reveal all manner of things to HR and draw attention to areas that need investigation. Metrics enables the ability to somewhat predict outcomes in the future, however, Yeung
Yeung concluded, “We are not trying to solve HR problems; we are trying to solve business problems. Keep the corporate goals in mind!”
ALEX YEUNG Director, Human Resources Shared Services, Asia Pacific Avery Dennison
We are not trying to solve HR problems; we are trying to solve business problems.
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HR COMMUNITY DEBBIE MANNAS Group Head of Human Resources Wallem Group
Beyond data collection Debbie Mannas, Group Head of Human Resources, Wallem Group has over 25 years of HR experience—with over half of these leading the function. She shared the organisations journey on collecting and leveraging HR metrics. Acknowledging that HR wears a number of hats, Mannas discussed the challenge of actually collecting the right data that needs to be measured. She explained, “Metrics are everywhere, we have so much data. However sometimes it isn’t broken up into what is important, identifying what is—and utilising them to improve business performance is key, while being open to what is missing and building ways to collect it.”
If you really want to display the value in an evolving world HR has to move from an administrative role to an innovative one.
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There is a growing problem for HR: having too much data. Mannas remarked, “The question is—what do you do with all that data? You now have a responsibility to maintain it as well: keeping it up-to-date to remain current. If you really want to show value in an evolving world HR has to move from an administrative role to an innovative one.” Metrics should add value to the business. Mannas advises not to keep falling back onto the same data, you need to keep it relevant and up to date. She urges, “If you don’t have the necessary data, then you need to start collecting and continuously building up— pre-existing data may kick off more questions and necessitate the need for more analytics.”
Making HR’s life easier
KERRY ROOKS Chief Human Resources Officer Prudential Hong Kong Limited
Be curious and be prepared to try something new.
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HR needs to look at the people around them and know how strong their teams are with respect to analytical abilities. Mannas stated, “Isolating and interpreting data takes skill and curiosity. If you are going to utilise the data gathered from your workforce, you need to decide what you are going to use it for and what initiatives you are going to drive based on that data. Tweak and change as necessary.”
What do you do with all this data, and how do you go from metrics to management? Mannas elaborated that HR needs to prioritise and influence the right change. She advised, “Report on the data and work with business stakeholders then you can successfully position the organisation for improvement, sustainability and growth. If you are already doing something well, celebrate it, sustain it and tell the story.”
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Kerry Rooks, Chief HR Officer, Prudential Hong Kong Limited posed two interesting questions regarding metrics and data gathering: is it worth the investment and is it worth the time? Rooks began, “Prudential is a people business, but getting to know people is tricky—they are complicated. This is where analytics come into play.” Frequently, what people say, what they say they will do and what they actually do can vary greatly. She added “We can do all the surveys in the world but people can leave us scratching our heads when it comes to the actions they take.” Prudential uses techniques often used by marketing teams when engaging customers to analyse their own staff. Rooks also advised that, “Looking beyond the HR department when forming and analysing data can help good decision-making for the company at large.” There is no one-size-fits-all for using metrics within an organisation—what works for one employee group will not necessarily work for another. Rooks emphasised, “You have to discover what works for your company. Begin
by analysing data gathered, take control of the information, commence small scale tests and then measure the impact.” The tests can be small and controlled and should be done thoroughly before rolling out across the organisation. As to the question of how HR can actually extract value from analytics, patience is necessary when awaiting results. Rooks advised, “It’s a long term process—it’s not a three month task, it takes time. You have to allow time to experiment and then take a step back and wait for results to reveal themselves.” To achieve this, Rooks suggests focusing on the problem at hand, analysing it, and then experimenting. She added, “If the wrong results are yielded, go back, redefine the problem and repeat. Be curious and be prepared to try something new.” Rooks outlined the key steps in helping HR make sense of metrics: • Define the problem • Analyse and develop a solution • Experiment • Measure for success
HR COMMUNITY
Moderator: Paul Arkwright, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, HR Magazine; The Panel from left to right: Alex Yeung, Director—Human Resources Shared Services, Asia Pacific, Avery Dennison; Kerry Rooks, Chief Human Resources Officer, Prudential Hong Kong Limited; Debbie Mannas, Group Head of Human Resources, Wallem Group; Ella Ip, Strategic Business Planning, Greater China Transformation, Maybank
Panel Discussion
What's in store for HR Moderated by HR Magazine’s Paul Arkwright, a key question was posed, “What are the most important metrics to measure?” Ip offered her opinion, “Productivity, sustainability, cost to income ration, total personnel cost and total profits before tax.” The rest of the panel also agreed with these and the unanimous consensus was that turnover was of the highest priority. Rooks noted, “We have to measure quite a lot—first year turnover, turnover overall and engagement. To measure the latter we do engagement surveys.” She remarked that sometimes staff in all organisations may not be so open. In high turnover departments, surveys returned by employees may indicate that they are happy—whereas the data may contradict this. This is not because people are dishonest but rather they are not confident in anonymity of the survey.
Metrics will bring to light discrepancies between employee feedback and the actual workplace status. Staff will not discuss issues in a survey, so they report different things to how they are actually feeling. Mannas observed, “Metrics allows us to gauge a realistic view of what people think of management, as you just don’t know how much you can trust from surveys.” Once the data is collected it needs to be sorted into relevant categories—turnover, ROI etc.— it can then be brought to line managers for analysis. Rooks warned that some resistance is to be expected as they are busy and do not like to be criticised. Some conversations may be uncomfortable regarding performance reports— the good and the bad. She continued, “When you bring this data to the table to discuss with line managers they might hate it. But it isn’t being confrontational—it’s being honest. There is no room for emotion when it comes to metrics, only mature professional discussion.”
Leveraging these results takes trial and error. Allowing time to run possible solutions on small batches of employees before rolling out over the entire workforce can help avoid costly mistakes which do not give a worthwhile return. Yeung pointed out that sometimes initial errors in calculations can lead to problems down the line. As an example, sometimes different departments may be analysing different time periods. He added, “Look at the data and discuss where the discrepancies arise. Are the same cut-off dates for calculations being used by HR and the finance department, as an example.” Key insights in leveraging metrics: • • •
Data needs to be collected and utilised Metrics require perseverance and time to work to produce the best results Metrics show hard facts—people are emotional; metrics removes that from the equation.
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HR COMMUNITY
HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development 2016 Skills Training Category Finalists Building a New Business with the Line Eva Lo, Director of Knowledge Management, Cordis, Hong Kong was tasked with gearing up a new customer service team for the new ALIBI bar in the CORDIS Hotel, Mong Kok—a tailored bar experience.
EVA LO Director of Knowledge Management Cordis, Hong Kong
Lo commented, “We had to transform the old partial team [from the retired bar] into a multi-talented ALIBI team.” They constructed a training course with content submitted by wide variety of experts—ranging from
sommeliers to tenders and chefs to ensure that all staff know the products inside and out. She added, “Only then can they give a tailored visit to each and every visitor.” Lo explained that in training today’s younger workforce, HR would do well to “trust and empower your trainees and they will surprise you.” In terms of ROI, ALIBI has a turnover of 13%, which stands far below the industry average of 32%.
i-PRO Skill Enhancement Programme
WILSON LAU Assistant Manager, Sales and IT Training Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited
Wilson Lau, Assistant Manager, Sales and IT Training, Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited explained that Fuji Xerox was facing the issue of a changing market, moving from copiers to digital and IT. He elaborated, “To keep up with the market, the training team faced the challenge of moving from copier-centric staff to all-round IT professionals.” Biggest challenges faced were a lack of knowledge of the product— staff would routinely revert to selling copiers because they simply did not know the IT products or how to sell them.
Fuji Xerox dealt with this through a range of certification schemes for employees that were located on-site for convenience and was designed to instil the company culture into employees. The desire was to develop a long-term plan and goal— make the company culture strive for excellence. Key benefits of the programme: • Overall revenue increased by 64% • 92% agreed that the programme increased their performance • Certified employees have much lower attrition rate, as they become invested in the company
V Care Programme 2015
DAVID CHIU General Manager The Great Eagle Properties Management Company Limited—Langham Place
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David Chiu, General Manager, The Great Eagle Properties Management Company Limited— Langham Place shared the importance of caring and recognition with the V Care Programme. This programme focused on three core objectives: • Return lost and found property to its owners • Be proactive in caring for our priority customers • Give recognition to outstanding staff members Staff were extensively coached in how to properly deal with priority customers—
such as pregnant women, special-needs customers and the elderly—keep both eyes out for lost and found items and return them to customers—with special mention to the cleaning staff who find the vast majority of lost valuables in restrooms—and then as an organisation, giving these staff members the recognition they deserve through special certificates and incentives. Chiu highlighted, “Since the programme a flood of thank you letters have arrived in my office and from this we can understand the full meaning of ‘heartfelt service’ and the culture of care and appreciation of Langham Place.”
HR COMMUNITY The HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development 2016 Seminar on ‘Benchmark your Training and Development Practices with some of the Excellent Organisations’ was presided over by Anthony Rushton, Seminar Chairman and Bianca Wong, Seminar Co-Chairlady. In this special feature we share insights from the passionate presentations on the day.
Skills Training Category Finalists Y-Power Talent Development Scheme Chuen-Yeung Or, Training Manager, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited communicated that his organisation has more than 3,000 members. He explained, “With Hong Kong’s rapidly ageing population, we are experiencing a shrinking workforce—and an extended retirement age might not be feasible.”
CHUEN-YEUNG OR Training Manager Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited
For Or’s organisation, this meant looking at the current workforce in caring for the elderly, with an emphasis on the gap between experienced and inexperienced workers. Fewer people are interested in working the
sector, while the amount of people in need is growing rapidly. The key then is to attract more young people to the profession, while keeping the quality of care high and keeping the stress of more experienced staff members to a minimum. The training needs identified were interactive learning, responding to thoughts and feelings, and providing career prospects through certifications and employment opportunities. He concluded, “We can always support each other with teamwork to ensure success.”
From Medals to Business—Life Skills Training Programme for Retired Athletes
SAM WONG Head of Office, Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
Sam Wong, Head of Office, Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme (HKACEP), Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China is a retired athlete, with a background in windsurfing who found himself at a loss after retiring from the sport, “Life skills training is very important for retired athletes—I would know! Athletes are a new source of talent. Injuries, age and lack of job skills are all challenges faced by retiring athletes. HKACEP assists fresh talent for further employment.” Wong explained how his organisation is helping athletes who are now no longer able
to compete at a professional level get back in the workforce. Common challenges they face include a lack of education and skills, with only a medium to low education level. SF&OC and MTR Corporation equip them with skills and problem-solving tools for them to be able to function in a more ‘regular’ job by introducing them to a series of workshops, training and schooling to give them “sufficient time to practice and demonstrate to employers that they are capable.” The association also assists them to find jobs, with a majority of them staying within the same company for more than two years on average.
Go! Skills! Crystal Ng, Senior Instructional Design Manager, TAL Apparel Limited outlined that her company employs approximately 25,000 people, many of whom are currently enrolled in the Go! Skills! Programme, with more and more joining every month.
CRYSTAL NG Senior Instructional Design Manager TAL Apparel Limited
She explained, “Traditionally, garment technician training was conducted in conservative Chinese style—with a heavy emphasis on the ‘master’ (sifu) and ‘disciple’ relationship.” This meant that more experienced employees were tasked with passing on all their skills to new recruits. While this system was effective in its own way, Ng and her team noted that it could lead to a lack of
consistency in training due to there not being a formalised system of training in place. Ng elaborated, “The objective we outlined for ourselves was to improve ROI through functional skilled knowledge training with three components—Skill, Will and Hill.” Skill represents what an employee can already do, Will represents the desire to learn something new and Hill represents an inability to do a certain thing. “We take in-house instructional design experts and team them up with in-house technical experts to preserve the traditional sifu-disciple relationship, while formalising the training across the organisation.”
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HR COMMUNITY Keynote speech In his keynote address, Paul Poon, Managing Director, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited shared the importance of attracting and developing young engineering talent. He outlined how CLP Power has adopted a multi-tier approach: • Attract the best young talent through early engagement • Reach out to schools through CLP’s One School, One Engineer pilot programme • Use social media to promote CLP’s commitment • Nurture and develop young talent through CLP’s internal development programme • Encourage internal promotion PAUL POON Managing Director CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
Poon elaborated that a well-planned programme is crucial for young talent. He continued, “People may think that the power industry is old-fashioned and stagnant but CLP are moving forward towards a greener power supply and also enhancing the customer experience.”
Development Category Finalists Operational Excellence Academy Barry Lo, General Manager, Channel Management, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited described the aim of the programme as “transforming the workforce into operational experts.” To accomplish this, the Academy offers comprehensive career growth and development through academic structure. BARRY LO General Manager, Channel Management Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited
Lo commented “Actions speak louder than words.” The programme focuses on practical, such as workflow enhancement projects and
audit projects, alongside theoretical classroom training. Three certification levels can be attained by students who follow the programme. A key aspect of the Academy is the ‘dandelion’ approach—a platform that quickly shares knowledge and in-house trainer development from a central hub. Lo concluded, “We capitalise on success through knowledge sharing—but a critical success factor is the power of engagement at all levels.”
You Can Code! Some of the challenges faced by the Esquel Group which led to the creation of this programme included employees with no formal qualifications and 38% of the workforce being born before widespread computer usage.
BESSIE CHONG Director, Group Training and Talent Management Esquel Group
This in turn led to the creation of You Can Code! to teach people to develop their own ideas and turn them into smart phone apps—a practical and fun way to approaching IT training. Chong explained that running IT workshops for staff will scare people off.
Instead, Esquel has simplified the process of app development with the help of an MIT professor. A number of apps developed by employees have already been implemented to streamline everyday activities, such as an app that monitors available parking spots. Chong commented, “People love it because they can make their own app. It nurtures a sense of innovation and collaboration. What we have done is just the first step in a long journey, but it has started the momentum.”
Leadership as a Profession Fred Chiu, Learning Partner, Greater China and Japan, Manulife (International) Limited stated, “There’s always time to do the right thing.” His company focused their training programme on leadership development, according to a number of tenets—begin with an end in mind and think big, act big. FRED CHIU Learning Partner, Greater China and Japan Manulife (International) Limited
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Chiu explained, “If you want to build a highly engaged workforce, you need to strengthen leadership.”This means getting
senior leadership involved in the design of the programme. “Have them participate and act as a sponsor to the programme to kick off training.” This can lead to higher buy-in and better results. He warned, however, against focusing too much on any one person or aspect of development. “Leadership is only one instrument in our symphony, and no one can whistle a symphony by themselves.”
HR COMMUNITY
Development Category Finalists Run to Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) 2015 Claudia Hodges, Director of Agency Training, Agency Administration, Prudential Hong Kong Limited opened, “Through perseverance one will be able to achieve one’s own goals.” The idea behind the Run to MDRT 2015 was to use physical activities to promote team spirit and a sense of ability to persevere towards a difficult goal. CLAUDIA HODGES Director of Agency Training, Agency Administration Prudential Hong Kong Limited
Hodges explained, “We chose running because everyone can run. Everyone can be trained to run long distance; all you need is dedication
and perseverance.” The MDRT programme was designed to take a 360-degree stakeholder approach—to benefit all stakeholders and make everyone a brand ambassador. Moreover, Prudential has a very open attitude towards sharing its programme. Hodges commented, “We are happy to share our management tactics, because this programme is healthy and beneficial—and we share the programme with competitor firms.”
Management Foundation Programme
BEN SHAO Head of Learning and Development Wallem Group
Ben Shao, Head of Learning and Development, Wallem Group opened by outlining some of the challenges that led to the creation of the programme, which included a broadening skills gap among middle managers. From this, the decision was made to focus the programme on succession planning. The focus was to increase transparency and clarity in the succession process, alongside competency-based planning, as opposed to traditional models of seniority-based succession.
The roll-out was broken down into three phases: • Formal learning—e-learning and workshops • On-the-job assignments • Informal peer learning circles, such as coaching and giving feedback In the programme, flexibility was a critical point. Shao advised, “Allow some mistakes and failures as the talent grows and learns. They need to be able to try out their new skills.”
Zurich Oxygen Ben Worthington, Chief Proposition and Distribution Officer, Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong) explained how Zurich Oxygen is intended “to breathe life into our everyday actions.”
BEN WORTHINGTON Chief Proposition and Distribution Officer Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong)
Worthington commented, “The primary goal was to build a culture based on values, which are the sum of our behaviours.” The programme involves a multiplatform app, comprised of a smart phone app and desktop site that provide multiple ways of accessing resources depending on the user and how they like to learn. The programme encompasses six of the Zurich cultural attributes—empowerment,
accountability, outcome orientated, meritocracy, market focused and motivated by a common purpose. Zurich consulted all the managers with the firm via a ‘blue box’ where they entered their suggestion as to what makes the strongest leaders. Using this, they devised a management training course—The Zurich Oxygen Academy—which focuses everyone on a common purpose. The Academy functioned similarly to a social media app, where colleagues can communicate, share capabilities and include a leadership board where employees could accrue credit based on learning and training completed.
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HR TRAINING
Snow, ice and lost lifeboats —team building in the South Pole
HR Magazine was invited to join the ‘Shackleton Challenge’—a highly unique training day to stimulate team-work and facilitate team-building in a challenging, rewarding and exhilarating fashion. The day was organised by AETG and conducted by Colin Tan, Managing Director & Chief Executive Coach, MetaNoia Intervention.
After being fed and watered, the participants were tasked with a monumental challenge; to retrieve a lifeboat from Antarctica. But not just any lifeboat—the James Caird, used by Sir Ernest Shackleton to get help from South Georgia Island after getting his ship and crew stranded in one of Earth’s most hostile environments. This little life-saver is in reality safely stored at Dulwich College— Shackleton’s secondary school— however for this scenario, it has been stolen by a syndicate who promptly hid it somewhere near the South Pole. Of course, this artefact representing great leadership ability and teamwork had to be retrieved by a team of HR professionals. Five teams were instructed to plan an expedition to Antarctica—including resources such as food, fuel and tents, as well as vehicles, routes and different environments and weather patterns. Even the brief was highly detailed, far more so than you might expect from a half-day training session. Each team was then tasked with appointing a leader and making a selection of professions which could deal with various disaster scenarios (think doctors for frostbite etc.).
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The information provided was quite overwhelming, and figuring out the best way to approach this behemoth task required immediate teamwork and direction from the elected leader, facilitating communication and serving as a swift ice-breaker. Teams were then left to their own devices in completing the tasks at hand. After a lot of running back and forth (in snow-shoes no less!) to the trade post to exchange food and supplies and frantic planning and executing, the challenge drew to a close with a number of teams solving the riddle that revealed the location of the James Caird. After the conclusion of the game, all the team leaders were asked to comment on their team-members and the team dynamic. The facilitator then shared some inspiring stories and solid advice as it pertained to the team’s performance. The Chief Executive Coach had been paying close attention to the teams during the challenge and shared key insights regarding items that the teams could improve on and what they did exceptionally well. Similarly, the teams were asked to comment on their leaders, which provided Tan with another opportunity to really dig into the leadership style—good and bad—of the leader in question, highlighting key leadership aspects that make for an effective captain.
HR TRAINING
All in all, the Shackleton Challenge was a unique training experience that felt like a grand game, complete with competitive spirit, teamwork and desperation to finish before the other teams. Ultimately, however, the day served as a good reminder of what makes training effective in the first place—learning to collaborate more efficiently, building better teams and evaluating key strengths and weaknesses of both individual members and leaders, and the group as a whole. The Shackleton Challenge provides great insight into the key leadership styles and team dynamics that build an effective workforce and is an effective team-building exercise for leaders and teams of all shapes and sizes.
“HeartShip, HeartWares & HeartTimes” ©
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HR TRAINING
Leadership is being touted in HR circles as being the skill set that will drive organisational change and innovation— but how does an organisation train someone to be a leader effectively? For that matter, what does an effective leader even look like? HR Magazine spoke to Randall Peterson, Academic Director—Leadership Institute and Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School for his perspective on what makes a leader and how organisations can develop effective training programmes.
Warren Bennis, the late American leadership scholar, once described leadership as having ‘the capacity to translate a vision into a reality’. It is an apt quote for HR departments who, in recent years, have been grappling with the concept and trying to translate a vision of developing great leaders into a reality. So far, this has been a tough task. According to Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends 2016 report, only 13% of global companies report being ‘excellent’ in building and growing leaders. The figure is even more concerning when asked the same about millennials— according to the report, only 7% of companies reported being ‘excellent at building millennial leaders’. This is all the more worrying as firms worldwide spent nearly USD 31 billion on leadership programmes in 2015. Thus, in the spirit of Bennis, it is pertinent to ask the question about how we turn a vision of great leadership programmes into a reality. Leadership is a diverse topic with many different angles, and knowing how to put the research into practice can make a big difference to the impact that leadership development can have. Programmes that are systematic and grounded in the realities of a certain organisational context will help organisations excel in the long term.
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Why leadership is so important There are many reasons why leadership skills are more important than ever before: the workplace is becoming increasingly ‘team-centric’, workforces have gotten both younger and older, and business challenges have demanded a need for more leaders. As firms strive to innovate further, leadership is not just found at the top level but is a skill set that should permeate through the whole organisation. Speaking to HR Magazine, Randall Peterson, Academic Director—Leadership Institute and Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School stated, “Today, as the business environment becomes ever more competitive, everybody needs to be working at their maximum potential—and yet the levels of disengagement around the world are shocking. Never has it been more important for all employees to have some leadership skills: the world is becoming more and more complex, and sometimes the solutions to these challenges can be found in the middle of our organisations. Organisations need people in the middle to be putting forward their ideas.” Defining leadership Leadership is strategically important but it is difficult to give it a precise definition. This is not helped by the fact there is various understandings of leadership: from Bennis, who believed in
visions turning into reality, to the ancient Chinese scholar, Lao Tzu, who took a more laissez-faire view of leadership stating that ‘a leader is best when people barely know he exists’. This opens up debate as to the right styles of leadership and which ones are the most effective. Through his research, Peterson expressed that to begin to understand what effective leadership is requires individuals to first understand themselves, their colleagues and their environment. He explained, “In essence, leadership comes down to the question of how do I best motivate and engage those who follow me?” This, he believes, comes down to five characteristics.
In essence, leadership comes down to the question of how do I best motivate and engage those who follow me?
HR TRAINING
HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER
Know and develop yourself Leaders must be able to demonstrate a level of selfawareness and the impact they have on other people. In this respect, it boils down to knowing when to step forward and when not to, as well as being able to identify and work on weaknesses.
Communicate powerfully The ability to communicate a message in a powerful, effective and clear way ensures that a team knows what to do and can operate effectively.
Lead and implement change With the ability to solve complicated problems also comes the ability to think divergently, see new angles on old problems and deliver the necessary changes.
Solve complex problems With the world getting faster and growing more complex, leaders now need to have a strong capability to see and solve complicated and cross-functional problems inside and outside their organisations.
How leaders derail Organisations should also understand what leaders should not be. Peterson went on to say, “Bad leaders are those who are arrogant, with an unwillingness to both learn and listen. If we look at why they derail, overconfidence certainly plays a role but also bad leaders have too narrow a view—they are unable to see the complexity of problems.” He added, “These leaders tend to become too political and focus too much on making it to the top rather than doing what is right. This leads to burnouts for themselves and others—but can also result in unethical and even illegal behaviour in regards to cheating and corruption.” The problems are not only moral but have huge costs too. Scholars Joyce Hogan, Robert Hogan and Robert B. Kaiser estimate that the cost of a failed executive is around USD 1 million with another study by Bradford D. Smart saying it could be as high as USD 2.7 million. This is not even to mention the hidden costs associated with missed targets, disengaged employees and other inefficiencies that occur.
Deliver through others Leaders have to lead a group of people and can only do so if others are motivated to work on the priorities set out by the leader.
What can HR do practically? Identifying future talent Leadership skills should permeate through an organisation—not only to enhance employee productivity and engagement, but also to cultivate future talent. This is best done by thinking and planning strategically for the long term; focusing on building a talent pipeline and training programme to provide experience before candidates are ready. To get the ball rolling, Peterson suggested that HR can identify a potential candidate with a good track record, technical or business brilliance, commitment or ‘sacrifice’, good interpersonal skills, and, where culturally appropriate, ambition. This does not mean that a leadership candidate should have all these attributes—finding all of these in one individual can be challenging at best and the type of skills required will vary from company to company. Peterson explained, “Part of the process of development is a need to help people understand where they are less strong. For a start, helping potential candidates have a bit of self-awareness is important. They need to know their limitations and what they need to improve.”
RANDALL PETERSON Academic Director—Leadership Institute and Professor of Organisational Behaviour London Business School
Moving forwards Leadership is a complex topic with many dimensions. In the end, for organisations, it comes down to knowing what the research says about leadership, and knowing how to put this into practice. Putting leadership into practice is what the London Business School’s Leadership Institute
Reality-based development Once potential leaders are identified, Peterson explained, “HR could consider thinking about how leadership programmes can be developed to become a more practical exercise. For example, is there a part of the organisation where an employee can work or is there a task they can carry out that will help them improve that skill? HR could also think about investing in relevant workshops and coaching to facilitate the development process—these would really help.” According to Deloitte, the percentage of companies running strong role-based and experiential leadership programmes grew from 9% to 20% in 2015. One good example of this approach is at Macquarie Group Limited, a global investment banking and financial services group. In early 2014, they launched a programme for associate directors with two three-day workshops over a year, one-on-one coaching, a 360-degree assessment and even a skilled volunteering experience. The highly practical approach to broadening the scope of participant’s thinking within the context of their organisation, and to teach them a set of questions they could ask themselves made the programme successful.
is aiming to do. Partnering with leaders from all walks of life, hearing from them and carrying out research is what helps to create practical leadership programmes. Peterson concluded, “The Institute aims to create a generation of leaders who have a global view, a strong sense of community and get the job done by leading from the heart, as well as their head.”
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HR TRAINING
Avoid losing
$122 million a year
The HR business case for better project management culture For every USD 1 billion spent on a project on average, companies worldwide wasted just over 12% of the money invested—a 12% increase on the previous year. With HR spearheading projects to help their organisation succeed in the future, how does it avoid such worrying amounts of money being lost? HR Magazine spoke to Mark Langley, CEO, Project Management Institute (PMI) from the USA about why a project management culture not only saves money and boosts effectiveness, and its potential in the training and development sphere. As organisations develop strategies and go about the process of implementing them, all that strategic change in organisations happens through projects and programmes. For HR, that might be a drive to push in new technologies to read big HR data more effectively or to improve a diversity and inclusion programme. For Mark Langley, CEO, Project Management Institute (PMI), projects are about transformation within an organisation, and project management is the management of those unique activities. Speaking exclusively to HR Magazine, Langley explained, “Project management is about creating something new and unique—it’s all about implementing change in the organisation. It could be a strategic initiative or some kind of change programme but the efforts to implement something—whether launching a new product or service, expanding into new geographic markets or implementing a new culture— are done through projects and programmes.” Vision-implementation disconnect Connecting the vision of change with the implementation of change has remained a challenge. In a study done with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), PMI identified that 88% of organisation leaders felt that strategy implementation was important but 61% thought they were not very good at it. Langley elaborated, “Organisations will spend the time developing these strategies and then when it comes to implementation, there is a gap. You are starting to see in those statistics the gap that exists because what is necessary to be successful in the implementation is not necessarily visible or understood by the executives that have worked to develop it.” This gap is most startling when looking at the difference in employees’ views on how much they believe their organisation values project management. According to the PMI’s latest research, 74% of senior executives felt that their organisation fully understood the value of project management, in stark contrast to 54% of project managers and directors who disagreed with that notion.
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HR TRAINING more than 80% of projects have executive sponsor support, 65% more projects are successful—despite this, only three-fifths of projects internationally have engaged executive sponsors. As the figure shows, when measured across performance indicators, companies that actively encourage executive sponsors perform better.
MARK LANGLEY CEO, Project Management Institute (PMI) Business case Bridging this gap is connecting strategy to implementation—there is a huge performance difference between those organisations who do it and those who do not. Organisations that align their projects to strategies on average saw 27% more projects completed successfully. In addition, those organisations who facilitate a strong project management culture meet their original goals and business intent two-and-a-half times more often and waste 13 times less money. The key to success, according to Langley, is down to three things, “In high performing organisations, there is a documented and defined career path for project managers, as well as having ongoing training and development. Second, these organisations are more standardised in their approach across the organisation. Finally, these organisations are better at managing risk.” Executive sponsorship: a game changer The C-Suite needs to be proactively sponsoring initiatives to achieve higher success rates. According to the PMI, when
Langley commented, “An engaged executive sponsor is the number one factor for project success. However, it is not just enough to initiate the project—you have to be a champion for the value of the project on an ongoing basis. When there are barriers, you have to be the person who uses his or her networks to remove those barriers or bring extra resources into the project to ensure it is successful.” Training imperative HR would stand to benefit as it launches its own initiatives—as mentioned before, it is a huge opportunity for training and development. Langley explained, “Organisations are missing a big opportunity if they don’t look to project management as a means to develop future leaders because projects have a beginning and an end— they are temporary. Working on different projects, you get an experience of the whole organisation in a relatively short period of time—that experiential learning is crucial to development.” He added, “We see mature organisations have processes to match project management to capability to develop characteristics. So they know that they are going to put this person on, they know what the competency skills and the behaviours of the person are, and they know what the requirements are for the project. If they do it thoroughly, they are actually adding an element of stretch and providing support for development.”
Look beyond technical skills The big question for HR therefore is what are the key skills that need to be covered in training programmes to create effective project managers? The PMI put it down to three important aspects. The first is technical skills to do the project— these include essentials such as budget management, schedule management, work-breakdown structure, and perhaps some technical IT and engineering skills. The second is all about leadership—the ability to negotiate, resolve conflict, communication, organisation and managing change. Finally, project managers need strategic and business management skills. These are important because the project is happening in the context of an organisation—if project managers do not understand their clients and customers, and their go-to market strategy, they are less likely to be able to deliver a project. Again, with the right training, the research shows increased performance and results. Project KPIs for firms with a strong project management culture vs. those without 71% 54%
Met goals/intent 34% 54% 71%
Scope creep
54%
Within budget
13% 21%
Projects deemed failures 63% 38%
On time
Has strong project management culture Does not have strong project management culture
KPIs for projects with an executive sponsor vs. projects without
Source: PMI
Met goals/intent
76%
66%
46%
62%
40%
36%
Within budget
40%
21%
48%
10%
Scope creep
Projects deemed failures
On time
Has executive sponsor support Does not have executive sponsor support
Source: PMI
Langley concluded, “The reason why incorporating these three domains—what we call ‘the talent triangle’—is that, you can put in a career path, you can implement ongoing training and development, but you have to do this against the right context competency skills and behaviours that are necessary to be successful.” With HR developing projects of its own, what the research shows is the need to focus more strategically about the value and efficiency that project management culture creates—but also see the opportunity presented by this focus to meet the important business imperative of developing a strong pipeline of leaders for the future.
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HR TRAINING
Jump out of the conference room, try Ngong Ping 360 Ngong Ping 360 is traditionally known as a tourist hotspot, comprised of the culturally themed Ngong Ping Village, Po Lin Monastery and the famous Big Buddha with its gesture of peace. But amongst the tourist retreats there are also training programmes available which offer corporate experiences that are quite unique compared to training in a traditional venue. Teams begin at the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal, where the training also commences. Teams need to observe the surroundings at the platform, on the crystal cabin and even at the Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal to ‘decode’ the location of their training venue based on a series of clues—stimulating each participant engagement in the programme, instant communication and teamwork. At the same time, the trainers will be leveraging mobile apps to interact with each group immediately and provide bonus tips. Groups may be required to take selfies or photos of the landscape at certain points during the cable car ride to discern where their training venue might be. They have to send these photos to the trainers via instant messaging apps, who in turn provide extra clues about how to reach the destination—but only if the teams send the right photos! Alternatively, there is training for the executive level which involves rapid idea generation. The trainer will guide the team through coming up with a business plan—all during the 25 minute cable car ride. Upon arrival at the village, teams must present their business plan for
58 | HR MAGAZINE
critique. The idea being that a high-pressure, timed environment can foster and excel creative thinking and idea origination. After a hearty lunch, the afternoon training can commence which is generally comprised of outdoor activities that work to encourage gelling between participants. The day ends with a debriefing and reflection of the day’s learning to really lock it in and have something solid to take away. To date NP360 has seen more than 2,000 trainees from over 50 companies engaged on its programmes. There is also a great deal of flexibility depending on the partners, so activities can be tailored from the extreme to cater for the most adventurous groups, to more sedate yet equally experiential to care for pregnant women, staff with health issues and the differently abled. All facilitators at the venue also have first-aid training to ensure everyone can participate safely and securely. Half day or full day options are also available, allowing HR to select just one or multiple training activities to fill the day. There is also the option of organising morning training sessions and then dedicating the afternoon to a scenic trip for the participants around the Island. Moreover, in the true spirit of calmness that surrounds the village, there are numerous wellness programmes on offer, such as intensive Shaolin martial arts workshop, relaxing Tai Chi practice and Chinese tea demonstration workshop.
HR LEGAL
China Ministry of HR issues new regulations to strengthen enforcement of Labour Laws in 2017 By Johnny Choi Partner and Alan Wang Associate, DLA Piper Within the space of two months, the China Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) has issued three successive regulations aimed at strengthening enforcement of labour laws and regulations and ensuring companies’ compliance. Under these new regulations, random checks will increase, companies will be rated on their compliance and severe violations will be published. These regulations are targeted to take effect from the beginning of 2017. The three new regulations are:
1
2
3
The Measures for Publishing Serious Offences Against Labour Protections Laws, which proposes a ‘name and shame’ scheme, in which cases of violations of labour law that result in serious consequences will be published in the mainstream media.
The Measures for the Rating of Enterprises’ Labour Law Compliance, under which companies will be given a ratings on their compliance with labour laws and regulations, which rating will be used in follow-up enforcement actions and will be shared with other government departments and union organisations.
The Notice on the Promotion of Random Checks in the Regulation of Human Resources and Social Security Matters, under which a system of random checks and inspections on a wide range of labour and social security law compliance areas will be set up and strengthened.
The new measures could also signal the beginning of the labour authorities’ enforcement of the labour dispatch restrictions that were first released in 2013/14 but were not fully effective until early 2016. This will likely mean strengthening of labour law enforcement and an increase in inspection frequency starting in 2017. Companies with operations in China are advised to conduct a comprehensive internal audit on their compliance with all areas of labour and social security laws and regulations to head off the risk of adverse findings in a future inspection by the labour bureau. Areas in which foreign companies may need to pay particular attention to include compliance with working hours, rest and leave, overtime pay, social insurance and labour dispatch regulations.
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HR BOOK REVIEW
Nonflict
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The Art of Everyday Peacemaking By Dr Amir Kfir and Stephen Hecht We live in a society in which conflict is seen as negative. We see the very fact that we are having a dispute as a sign of trouble in our relationships. This view—whether applied at work or at home, on a personal level or global scale—misunderstands the nature of conflict. A conflict is simply the existence of at least two contradictory interests, desires, ideas, styles, or perceptions that come into contact with each other and, through better understanding, is an opportunity. A simple and effective conflict resolution model that anyone from a child to a CEO can understand and use, Nonflict closely examines the concept of co-creation as a resolution to daily experiences with conflict. Broken into three steps—1. Understand yourself and your partner, 2. Understand your shared reality, and 3. Co-create—this model is already being taught in universities around the world and to hundreds of thousands of individuals on both personal and global levels. Dr. Amir Kfir is an organisational psychologist with Amirror, co-founder of Million Peacemakers, creator of The Nonflict Way, and has facilitated Peace Action Forums globally. Stephen Hecht, President and Chief Executive Peacemaker, Million Peacemakers, is the winner of numerous national, international, business and community awards and is a leader in YPO.
The Power of Appreciative Inquiry A Practical Guide to Positive Change By Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom The Power of Appreciative Inquiry discusses the internationally-known approach of organisational change that can improve performance by engaging people to study, discuss, and build upon what is working, rather than trying to fix what is not. The authors provide a menu of eight results-orientated applications, along with case studies from a wide variety of organisations to illustrate how Appreciative Inquiry (AI) works in action. A how-to book, it is an accessible guide to the latest ideas and practices in the AI field since its inception in 1985. This is the second edition, which now includes further examples, tools and tips to implement AI and create a capacity for change. Diana Whitney is the president and founder of Corporation for Positive Change—an international centre for Appreciative Inquiry education and consultation. Amanda Trosten-Bloom is Director of Consulting Services for Corporation for Positive Change. She is a member of the Global Council for Appreciative Inquiry Consulting.
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HR BOOK REVIEW
Winning Well
A manager’s guide to getting results – without losing your soul By Karin Hunt and David Dye Building and managing an effective team is much more difficult than succeeding on an individual level. As managers, it is necessary to create an environment that encourages team work, innovation and creativity. Without a clear road map to achieve this goal, managers may hastily find their ambitions and those of their teams stunted. In this book, the authors provide a road map, giving current and aspiring managers the tools needed to achieve consistent excellence. Managers are encouraged to extend their time horizons beyond the monthly or quarterly earnings report and think instead about creating teams with long-lasting value. The case studies within the book illustrate challenges that confront nearly every manager. These come from the authors’ experience working with thousands of managers across a range of sectors. Keeping people focused, leading meetings and holding people accountable to ensure loyalty, inspiring productivity and terminating employees with grace and dignity. Winning Well provides tools and techniques to help managers and their team achieve results. Karin Hunt is a leadership consultant and CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders. David Dye is a former non-profit executive and president of Trailblaze. Inc., a leadership training and consulting firm.
Reinvention
Accelerating Results in the Age of Disruption By Shane Cragun and Kate Sweetman Technology, globalisation, economic shifts, geopolitical shocks and thought management leaders over the past 30 years have set in motion an onslaught of change in the global business environment that will not abate anytime soon. Is it possible for a business to survive and thrive in this turbulence? Cragun and Sweetman seem to think so. The book offers a simple formula, common principles and a set of tools for leaders facing disruptive change. Reinvention examines cases from around the globe, ranging from polar explorations all the way to global politics and big business. From this it attempts to provide insights gathered from an assortment of global experts, allowing readers to pick and choose what may be useful to their own challenges and upcoming changes. Leaders who are prepared to look more inquisitively at the global shockwaves and want to take a more proactive approach of seizing the opportunity to improve performance will find this a worthwhile read. Shane Cragun is a founding partner of a global management consulting firm SweetmanCragun. Prior to that he worked as an international change agent with a Fortune 500 Tech Firm. Kate Sweetman, also a founding partner at SweetmanCragun, has gained much experience from her first-hand experience with world leaders, Fortune 100 organisations and Asian multi-nationals. Previously, she was an editor at Harvard Business Review.
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HR CLASSIFIEDS
HR Classifieds Index Business Process Outsourcing Education / Corporate Training Employee Wellbeing / Insurance HR Consulting HR Technology Solutions Leadership Development Legal / Employment Law / Tax
| 62 | 62 – 63 | 63 | 63 – 64 | 64 | 64 – 65 | 65
Management Consulting | 65 MICE Venues / Event Organisers | 66 Recruitment / Executive Search | 66 Relocation / Logistics | 67 Service Apartments / Hotels | 67 - 68 Staff Benefits | 68 Talent Management | 68
BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING Established in 1968, Boardroom has been listed on the Main Board of The Singapore Exchange since 2000. We are one of the leading business solution providers in Asia, specialising in Accounting & Finance, Corporate Secretarial, Payroll Administration, Share Registry and Tax Services.
Boardroom Corporate Services (HK) Limited 31/F, 148 Electric Road, North Point, Hong Kong
We currently have direct office presence in 13 cities across Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Australia, serving a portfolio of over 5,500 publicly listed and privately owned companies across Asia Pacific and beyond. Our clients span a wide range of industries, including listed companies, Fortune 500 companies and major multinational corporations.
Tel: (852) 2598 5234 Fax: (852) 2598 7500 marketing.hk@boardroomlimited.com www.boardroomlimited.com
TMF Group helps global companies expand and invest seamlessly across international borders. Its expert accountants and legal, HR and payroll professionals are located around the world, helping clients to operate their corporate structures, finance vehicles and investment funds in different geographic locations. With operations in more than 80 countries providing managed compliance services, TMF Group is the global expert that understands local needs.
TMF Hong Kong Limited 36/F, Tower Two Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tricor Business Services partners with you to enhance your competitiveness and generate business value. Leveraging our suite of financial, accounting, human resource and advisory services, our professionals offer tailor-made solutions to meet your specific requirements.
Tricor Services Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong
Drawing on our comprehensive professional expertise backed up by the latest technologies and systems, we provide solutions in a wide range of different areas, including: Business Advisory; Accounting & Financial Reporting; Treasury & Payment Administration; Human Resource & Payroll Administration, Tax Services; Trade Services, Trust Assets Administration, Fund Administration, Governance, Risk & Compliance, and Information Technology Solutions.
Tel: (852) 2980 1888 Fax: (852) 2861 0285 info@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com
Tel: (852) 3589 8899 Fax: (852) 3589 8555 info.apac@tmf-group.com www.tmf-group.com
EDUCATION / CORPORATE TRAINING As a trusted international organisation and a global leader in English training, the British Council has over 70 years’ experience in English assessment. We develop and deliver English language programmes for businesses in Hong Kong. Aptis, British Council’s English testing tool, is a robust four skills test used by corporate businesses, government organisations and educational institutions. It provides an accurate and affordable way to benchmark language levels of employees for recruitment or career advancement purposes. With results available in as little as 24 hours, Aptis assesses ability in the areas that HR want to focus on – in individual skills or combinations of speaking, writing, listing or reading. Dew-Point International Ltd. is a leading provider of training and management consulting services throughout Asia. We assess the specific needs of our clients and respond with customised, practical training programs and consulting services. Established in 1973, we combine in-depth knowledge with genuine enthusiasm and highly dynamic training techniques to create productive and effective learning experiences. Dew-Point enhances organisational and individual effectiveness by building the capacity within organisations without the need of continued outside help. Through assessment, skills training, team facilitation and executive coaching, we have ensured the long-term success of countless clients. Our areas of expertise: leadership, performance management, communication and teamwork, sales, process and productivity improvement, customer satisfaction, continuous improvement.
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British Council 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2913 5100 aptis@britishcouncil.org.hk www.britishcouncil.hk/en/exam/aptis
Dew-Point International Ltd. 21/F., Ritz Plaza, 122 Austin Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2730 1151 Fax: (852) 2730 0164 info@dew-point.com.hk www.dew-point.com.hk
HR CLASSIFIEDS
The Faculty of Business at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a major business school in the Asia-Pacific region dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and transferring knowledge and technology through education and service. With over 200 academic staff and 5,000 students, the Faculty is one of the largest business schools in the region. The Faculty is dedicated to the pursuit of IDEAS (Innovation-driven Education and Scholarship) with a 3D focus on Discovery, Design and Delivery. The Faculty offers a comprehensive portfolio of academic programmes including BBA, MBA, DBA, specialized master’s degrees, and programmes leading to MPhil and PhD awards. The PTI Group is a consulting, training, and publishing group. In conjunction with the internationally-renowned professional association, International Professional Managers Association (IPMA) of UK, we offer online pure distance learning courses (PDLCs). IPMA’s website: http://www.ipma.co.uk/conferences.php Our “Financing & Capital Raising Professional™ (FCRP™)” and “Environmental, Social & Governance Expert™ (ESGE™)” programmes seek to enhance candidates’ practical & international knowledge in raising funding for companies (bank financing, IPO, private equity etc.) and ESG respectively. Upon qualification, candidates can use respective professional designation, awarded by IPMA.
The Faculty of Business at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 11 Yuk Choi Rd, Hung Hom Tel: (852) 2766 5084 / 2766 5091 Fax: (852) 2362 5773 fb.enquiry@polyu.edu.hk http://www.fb.polyu.edu.hk/
The PTI Group 20/F. Wellable Commercial Building, 513 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3511 9288 info@the-pti.com www.the-pti.com
Raise your colleagues’ ability to add value through practical & international knowledge by enrolling in our PDLCs.
The Vocational Language Programme Office aims at offering quality vocational English, Chinese and Putonghua training for working adults to meet their language needs at work. We have run various courses for public organisations and private corporations before, such as HKSAR Water Supplies Department, Hospital Authority and Pizza Hut Hong Kong Management Limited. With the support from the Language Fund, the QF-recognised Vocational English Enhancement Programme is on offer for enhancing the practical English skills of the Hong Kong workforce. Individual corporations can enjoy great flexibility by having the VEEP courses operated at their training venues and preferred schedule. On completion of the course, learners can receive 60% of the course fee reimbursement and obtain certificates issued by the Vocational Training Council and LCCI.
Vocational Language Programme Office, Vocational Training Council Room 437, 4/F, Academic Block, 30 Shing Tai Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2595 8119 vlpo-veep@vtc.edu.hk www.vtc.edu.hk/vlpo
EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING / INSURANCE Hong Kong Adventist Hospital — Stubbs Road is one of the leaders in medical services, providing organisations with comprehensive health assessment packages to choose from. The hospital works closely with HR and Benefits specialists to design tailor-made programmes to satisfy your staff’s unique requirements. The checkups not only assess staff’s health status and identify the risk factors, it also provide preventive programmes to help clients fine-tune their lifestyles for healthy living. All the services are supported by experienced professional staff using advanced equipment in modern facilities.
Hong Kong Adventist Hospital— Stubbs Road 40 Stubbs Road, Hong Kong
Pacific Prime Insurance Brokers is a leading international health insurance brokerage specialising in providing comprehensive coverage options to individuals, families, and companies throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Working with over 120,000 clients in 150 countries, Pacific Prime can deliver advice in more than 15 major languages. With offices strategically located in Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong, Pacific Prime is able to provide immediate advice and assistance to policyholders located around the world. Pacific Prime works with over 60 of the world’s leading health insurance providers, giving customers unprecedented access to the best medical insurance products currently on the market.
Pacific Prime Insurance Brokers Ltd. Unit 1 - 11, 35/F, One Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 3651-8835 Fax: (852) 3651-8840 www.hkah.org.hk
Tel: (852) 2586 0731 Fax: (852) 2915 7770 info@pacificprime.com marketing@pacificprime.com www.pacificprime.com
HR CONSULTING Based in Hong Kong and with overseas partners, we operate internationally. HRA provide human resource consultancy & recruitment support to construction, engineering, manufacturing and the oil & gas sectors. Our human resource consultancy services encompass the full range of HR functions including training, HR audits and outsourced HR support.
HRA Associates (HK) Limited 701, 7/F, Tower 2, Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2735 9961 Fax: (852) 2735 9967 group@hrahk.com www.hrahk.com
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HR CLASSIFIEDS HR TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS COL, an IT services subsidiary of Wharf T&T, is a leading IT services company in Hong Kong with over 40 years of experience and has been crowned Excellent HR Information System Provider of HR Excellence Awards 2014 by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management. COL offers a full range of IT infrastructure, application development and implementation services including Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). With domain expertise in business applications, we deliver the best practice Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions ranging from award-winning HRMS, web-based employee self-service portal to outsourcing services for MNCs, enterprises and SMEs.“Doc:brary” Document Management System is another key application in our HCM product portfolio to securely manage HR related documents including employees P-file, appraisal records, training materials, etc.
COL Limited Unit 825 - 876, 8/F, KITEC, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2118 3999 Fax: (852) 2112 0121 colmarketing@col.com.hk www.col.com.hk
COL is a Cisco Gold partner, an EMC Velocity Partner, a Juniper Networks Elite Partner, an Oracle Gold Partner and a VMware Partner. COL was CMMI Level 3 assessed in May 2005.
With strategic offices in Hong Kong, China, UK and US, DaXtra is a world leading specialist in high-accuracy multilingual CV parsing, semantic search, matching and process automation technologies. Our solutions are compatible with most leading recruitment ATS and CRM systems and are designed to bring efficiency and automation, while dramatically reducing the overall ‘cost of hire’. Over 1000 organisations globally use DaXtra products every day – from boutique recruitment firms to the World's largest staffing companies, from corporate recruitment departments to job boards and software vendors.
Daxtra Technologies (Asia) Ltd. Unit 401, OfficePlus 93-103 Wing Lok Street Sheung Wan Hong Kong
FlexSystem is a recognised leader in enterprise management software industry in the Greater China region. Over the past 28 years, FlexSystem has been delivering high quality application software and services to maximise the client’s operational efficiency in the accounting, order processing, payroll and human resources, manufacturing, workflow and business management.
FlexSystem Limited Block A, 4/F., Eastern Sea Industrial Building, 29-39 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, N.T, H.K
With its strong global network of regional offices and partners, FlexSystem serves thousands of customers in more than 36 countries, half of them are listed on 30 global stock exchanges, and 1 in 10 with presence on the Forbes 2000 list. Now and future, FlexSystem continues to keen on technology development and create a complete platform of new generation enterprise resources management solutions.
Tel: (852) 3529 4123 Fax: (852) 3007 1424 infodl@flexsystem.com www.flex.hk
HRM Essentials is an energetic and innovative company that focuses on HR solutions. Our customers range from trading to financial institutes. We provide on-premises and cloud solutions. Users can access their systems anywhere at anytime.
HRM Essentials System Consulting Limited 23/F, Weswick Commercial Building 147 – 151 Queen’s Road East Wanchai, Hong Kong
• Unlike other solutions which are either too complicated or lack of focus. Our solutions are easy-to-use and powerful. • We invite users to participate in our development process. Users are happy and excited to see every release with the new features they requested. • We commit to provide excellent after-sales services. • Our solutions are budget-friendly. • Most importantly, we serve our customers by HEART.
Tel: (852) 3695 5133 asia@daxtra.com www.daxtra.com
Tel: (852) 2111 2980 Fax: (852) 8209 3800 info@hrmessentials.com www.hrmessentials.net
Still not sure? Call us now and let’s talk.
SuccessFactors, an SAP company, is the leading provider of cloud-based Business Execution Software, which drives business alignment, optimises workforce performance, and accelearates business results. SuccessFactors customers include organisations of all sizes across more than 60 industries. With approximately 15 million subscription seats globally, we strive to delight our customers by delivering innovative solutions, content and analytics, process expertise, and best practices insights. Today, we have more than 3,500 customers in more than 168 countries using our application suite in 35 languages.
SuccessFactors 35/F, Tower Two, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2539 1800 Fax: (852) 2539 1818 info.hongkong@sap.com www.successfactors.com
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IECL has been training professional coaches and inspiring leaders throughout Australasia since 1999. We have had a permanent presence in Hong Kong since 2009, Shanghai since 2011, and established our first footprint in Singapore in 2015. Our vision is to develop the next generation of exceptional leaders. Everything we do focuses on people, development and measurable business results. IECL’s expert team are at the forefront of reshaping leadership development for the 21st century. We know leadership is no longer an individual activity—a leader’s success depends on others succeeding. This knowledge underpins IECL’s service to you: • Training and accrediting coaches • Enabling leaders through focused programmes • Providing expert coaches and facilitators
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Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL) Suite 901, Level 9,The Hong Kong Club Building, 3A Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3125 7572 coach@iecl.com www.iecl.com
HR CLASSIFIEDS
For 20 years MDS has led the field in leadership development, executive coaching and sales effectiveness training. We are also the certification centre and distributor for leading assessment instruments including the MBTI® and FIRO® for personality, LEA 360™ and GMI for leadership, SPA™ for sales performance and Strong Interest Inventory® for career planning. We have a large range of leadership and sales programmes including the leading edge Miller Heiman products. Our team of 25 leadership and sales trainers and 30 executive coaches deliver around the region in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese. We have offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei.
Management Development Services Limited 1701 – 3 Kai Tak Commercial Building 317 – 319 Des Voeux Road Central Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2817 6807 Fax: (852) 2817 9159 mds@mdshongkong.com www.mdshongkong.com
LEGAL / EMPLOYMENT LAW / TAX
Excel Global Consulting is a leading business consultancy specialising in the enhancement of business performance through a unique approach to people management. Our goal is to deliver you the knowledge and resources to improve business productivity by creating better employee engagement within your organisation using customised human capital management solutions. With our support you’ll gain a committed, more innovative and highly motivated workforce primed to lead your business towards greater efficiency and productivity. With Excel Global your employees will gain greater job satisfaction in a solution-oriented work environment where engagement is productive, innovative and geared to better business performance.
Excel Global Company Information Level 8, Two Exchange Square, 2 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
WTS is a tax and business consulting firm providing assistance in the strategic planning and management process of intercompany assignments’ cost and compliance.
wts consulting (Hong Kong) Limited Unit 1004, 10/F, Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Our Global Expatriate Service specialists advise on expatriate issues relating to corporate tax, personal tax, social security matters and process consulting across Asia. Our expertise therefore enables us to identify assignment related risks at an early stage and optimise tax and social security payments for companies and their employees while keeping the administrative burden to a minimum. In conjuction with our international network, we can assist you in almost 100 locations worldwide.
Tel: (852) 2846 1888 Fax: (852) 2297 2289 info@excelglobal.com www.excelglobal.com
Tel: (852) 2528 1229 Fax: (852) 2541 1411 claus.schuermann@wts.com.hk www.wts.com.hk
MANAGEMENT CONSULTING atrain is a premium consultancy in leadership assessment, talent management and organisation development. Headquartered in Germany, we have offices in Europe, United States, South America and Asia. 90% of our consultants are business psychologists; we bring together the best of business strategies and the psychological approach to develop solutions tailor-made to your requirements. We explore and research on innovative concepts, and help you to cultivate the company culture you envisage.
atrain Limited Unit 1201-3, 135 Bonham Strand Trade Centre, 135 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan Tel: (852) 2522 9018 info@atrain-apac.com www.atrain-apac.com
Our international presence and culturally diverse teams enable partnerships with multi-national corporate clients for their business growth and success. Put us to the challenge—you will not be disappointed.
The Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) was established in 1960. The HKMA is a non-profit making organisation which aims at advancing management excellence in Hong Kong and the Region, with a commitment to nurturing human capital through management education and training at all levels, the HKMA offers over 2,000 training and education programmes covering a wide range of management disciplines for approximately 48,000 participants every year.
Hong Kong Management Association 14th Floor, Fairmont House, 8 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong
Tricor Consulting Limited is a member of Tricor Group and BEA Group dedicated to creating value for clients and strengthening their organization capabilities through:
Tricor Consulting Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong
• Strategic Management—Shaping your future and making it happen • Organization Structuring—Aligning organization structure with strategies • HR Consulting—Maximizing performance and return on investment of human assets • Talent Management—Cultivating talents to create competitive advantage • Director Remuneration and Board Evaluation—Ensuring appropriate remuneration of senior executives and building an effective board • Training Resources Consulting—Maximizing business impact of training with on-demand scalable resources • Change Management—Partnering with clients to drive and enable organization transformation
Tel: (852) 2526 6516 / 2774 8500 Fax: (852) 2365 1000 hkma@hkma.org.hk www.hkma.org.hk
Tel: (852) 2980 1027 Fax: (852) 2262 7596 john.kf.ng@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com
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HR CLASSIFIEDS MICE VENUES / EVENT ORGANISERS
AsiaWorld-Expo is Hong Kong’s leading exhibitions, conventions, concerts and events venue, yet it is also an ideal venue for annual dinners, world-class conferences, cocktail receptions, media luncheons and sumptuous banquets. With Hong Kong’s largest indoor convention and hospitality hall, AsiaWorldSummit which seats up to 5,000 persons, together with a full range of meeting and conference facilities, award-winning chefs and attentive hospitality staff, AsiaWorld-Expo is definitely your choice for an unforgettable event.
AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, Hong Kong, China
Cliftons provides premium, purpose-built, training and event facilities and solutions, ensuring our clients’ programmes are delivered seamlessly and successfully around the globe. Over the past 14 years, Cliftons has grown to provide clients with the largest network of dedicated computer and seminar training facilities across the Asia-Pacific region. Encompassing over 150 state-ofthe-art training and meeting rooms within 10 CBD locations in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, this footprint of proprietary venues is supplemented by a global affiliates network that allows clients to manage all of their training needs around the world with a single point of contact.
Cliftons Training Facility Level 5, Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, HK
France Macau Business Association (FMBA), founded in 2008 by Hon. Chairlady Ms. Pansy Ho, is a non-profit organization with membership open to French and non-French professionals, entrepreneurs and corporations with interests in developing commercial and trade relations. FMBA’s objective is to promote and foster business relations between France within the European community and Macau within the Pearl River Delta. The association aims to provide members with platforms to exchange ideas and network, while providing support to new entrants to explore trade opportunities in Macau, contributing to the internationalization of Macau.
France Macau Business Association Alameda Dr. Carlos de Assumpção, N.263, Edif. China Civil Plaza, 20 Andar, Macau SAR
Tel: (852) 3606 8888 Fax: (852) 3606 8889 fnb@asiaworld-expo.com www.asiaworld-expo.com
Tel: (852) 2159 9999 enquiries@cliftons.com www.cliftons.com
Tel: (853) 8798 9699 Fax: (853) 2872 7123 info@francemacau.com www.francemacau.com
RECRUITMENT / EXECUTIVE SEARCH Headquartered in Switzerland, Adecco is a Fortune Global 500 company with around 5,000 offices in over 60 countries and territories around the world. We possess the skills and global intelligence to develop human resource strategy for the highest levels, yet remain close to clients, local markets and needs. Adecco Hong Kong has over 30 years of experience in the region, with a comprehensive service offering that includes permanent placement, temporary & contract staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, HR consulting & assessment services, employment contract services, recruiting projects & overseas search, payroll outsourcing & administration services, and training.
Adecco Personnel Limited 12/F, Fortis Tower, 77-79 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Established in 1996, Frazer Jones is a Human Resources Recruitment Consultancy. Contact us to find out how we can assist you in your next Human Resources hire or if you are looking for a change in your HR career. As part of The SR Group, Frazer Jones has wholly owned offices in Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Dubai, London, Düsseldorf and Munich and has access to the best HR talent around the world.
Frazer Jones 1918 Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong
Headquartered in the Netherlands, Randstad is a Fortune Global 500 Company and the second largest recruitment & HR services provider globally, with operations spanning across 39 countries with over 29,700 corporate staff that help talented people develop their career potential and provide companies with the best people to reach their business goals. Founded in 1960 by Frits Goldschmeding, our Asia Pacific operations reaches across Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand. Randstad Hong Kong was established in 2009 and specialises in permanent and contract recruitment across specialized areas including Accounting & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Construction, Property & Engineering, Information Technology & Telecommunications, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain & Logistics.
Randstad 5/F, Agricultural Bank of China, 50 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tricor Executive Resources has for the past 28 years built an unrivalled reputation for integrity and professionalism in the executive search business. Our team of specialist consultants and researchers provide a range of practical and innovative solutions to help you search for the right talent to meet your business needs. We utilize in-depth research, intense resourcing and a highly focused approach in the identification of qualified candidates in the appropriate industry sector. Our clients consists of multinationals, publicly listed and private companies as well as family-owned and start-up companies.
Tricor Executive Resources Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong
We also provide advice on HR best practices to enhance your human capital. Our HR Solutions can help drive your business performance through the effective use of talent. These include Soft Skills Training and Development; Compensation and Benefits Benchmarking; Human Resources Advisory; Employee Engagement Surveys; Performance Management Systems; Career Counselling and Talent Transition Management; and Talent Assessment Centre.
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Tel: (852) 2895 2616 Fax: 2895 3571 hongkong@adecco.com http://adecco.com.hk/
Tel: (852) 2973 6737 shookliu@frazerjones.com frazerjones.com
Tel: (852) 2232 3408 www.randstad.com.hk
Tel: (852) 2980 1166 Fax: (852) 2869 4410 fiona.yung@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com
HR CLASSIFIEDS RELOCATION / LOGISTICS Asian Tigers, has provided international relocation and moving service to the Hong Kong market for more than 40 years. We move people internationally, regionally, and even within Hong Kong itself. Our experienced, multilingual staff enables Asian Tigers to deliver low-stress relocation services. Perhaps you are responsible for coordinating your office move and would like to know more about ‘low down-time’ office relocations. Whatever your needs, wherever you are headed, Asian Tigers can help facilitate and streamline your relocation. Give us a call and find out how we can assist you.
Asian Tigers Mobility 17/F, 3 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Crown Relocations, a worldwide leader of global mobility, domestic and international transportation of household goods, and departure and destination services, has over 180 offices in more than 50 countries. From preview trip and immigration assistance to home and school searches, orientation tours, intercultural training, partner career programme, and ongoing assignment support, Crown offers the best relocation solutions to corporate clients and transferees across the world.
Crown Relocations 9 - 11Yuen On Street, Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories
Tel: (852) 2528 1384 Fax: (852) 2529 7443 info@asiantigers-hongkong.com www.asiantigers-mobility.com
Tel: (852) 2636 8388 hongkong@crownrelo.com www.crownrelo.com
SERVICED APARTMENTS / HOTELS Four Seasons Place, the epitome of luxury and elegance, Four Seasons Place creates a relaxed and homely living environment amidst the surrounding opulence. With 519 serviced suites designed by internationally renowned designers, guests can choose from a range of stylish accommodations from studios and 1/2/3-bedroom suites to penthouses that open up to spectacular views of Victoria Harbour. It also features a rooftop heated pool & jacuzzi, sky lounge, gymnasium, sauna and multi-purpose function room to meet business and recreational needs. Heralding a comfortable, hassle-free living experience, all guests are pampered with personalised hotel services from VIP airport pickup to 24-hour multi-lingual concierge services.
Four Seasons Place 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong
GARDENEast is prestigiously located at the heart of Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, boasting 216 luxurious units in 28 storeys.
GARDENEast Serviced Apartments 222, Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Each of our luxurious units is subtly unique. Spacious studio, studio deluxe, deluxe 1-bedroom, executive suite and twin-beds in selected rooms, with their sizes ranging from 395 to 672 square feet, are comfortably-appointed with an all-encompassing range of fittings and furnishings. The landscaped gardens offer a relaxing lifestyle, peace and tranquility of green living and a diverse choice of dining and entertainment is right on your doorstep.
at the ICC megalopolis
Tel: (852) 3196 8228 Fax: (852) 3196 8628 enquiries@fsphk.com www.fsphk.com
Tel: (852) 3973 3388 Fax: (852) 2861 3020 enquiry@gardeneast.com.hk www.gardeneast.com.hk
The HarbourView Place is part of the Kowloon Station development, located at a key harbour crossing point. Located atop the MTR and Airport Express Link at Kowloon Station. The junction of major rail lines, three minutes to Central, 20 minutes to the Airport, a mere 30 minutes to Shenzhen and 60 minutes to Guangzhou. It is a place for the best view of Hong Kong and Kowloon and is an icon property at Harbour Gateway. Located next to International Commerce Centre, the fourth tallest building in the world, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong and W Hong Kong, guests can enjoy a premium luxury living with the large shopping mall Elements and Hong Kong’s highest indoor observation deck Sky100.
The HarbourView Place 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Conveniently nestled in the East of Hong Kong, Kornhill Apartments is one of the biggest apartment blocks in town, featuring a total of 450 units with a variety of unit configurations designed to suit every need imaginable.
Kornhill Apartments 2 Kornhill Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Notable for cozy and contemporary décor, as well as superior amenities and services, the complex is located next door to Kornhill Plaza where you can relish a wide array of shops and entertainment choices.
Tel: (852) 2137 8101 Fax: (852) 2568 6256 kornhillapts@hanglung.com www.kornhillapartments.com
The apartments are an excellent choice for corporate clients who cater for visits by expatriate colleagues. Units include studio, one to two-bedroom suites and deluxe three-bedroom suites.
Vega Suites, is the stylish suite hotel in Kowloon East. Located atop the MTR Tseung Kwan O Station, Island East and Kowloon East are only 3 MTR stops away. The integrated complex becomes a new landmark creating a comfortable, relaxing and home like living space for guests. The allencompassing landmark development comprises two international hotels & luxury residence The Wings. Situated directly above the trendy PopCorn mall, connected to one million square feet of shopping, dining, leisure and entertainment. There is a lustrous selection of units – ranging from Studio, 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom to 3-Bedroom with flexible staying terms.
Tel: (852) 3718 8000 Fax: (852) 3718 8008 enquiries@harbourviewplace.com www.harbourviewplace.com
Vega Suites Atop Tseung Kwan O Station 3 Tong Tak Street, Tseung Kwan O Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3963 7888 Fax: (852) 39637889 enquiries@vegasuites.com www.vegasuites.com.hk
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HR CLASSIFIEDS V is a collection of award-winning hotels, serviced apartments and private residences in Hong Kong. Bringing our philosophy of eat, shop, live easy, each V is nestled in a plethora of restaurants, amidst excellent shopping hubs and surrounded by an extensive transportation network. V Wanchai and V Wanchai2 are minutes walk from HKCEC, whilst the Lodge connects to 5 railway systems. Each V is urban, contemporary, but calm and quiet. Our two Causeway Bay properties host penthouse and terraced apartments for families and elegance entertaining, whilst V Happy Valley features an outdoor water garden.
V Hotels and Serviced Apartments Unit 5702, Cheung Kong Centre 2 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3602 2388 Fax: (852) 2891 1418 reservations@thev.hk www.thev.hk
Each V carries a different design motif, yet shares one critical ingredient – we deliver a high standard of comfort and good honest service.
STAFF BENEFITS Mybenefits is the premier employee benefits specialist helping companies achieve their strategic employee benefits objectives. As the most comprehensive and strategically focused employee benefits organization, Mybenefits provides international companies with a one-stop solution and has quickly become the preferred partner of human resources professionals in Asia. By working with 98% of the local and international market, Mybenefits helps companies achieve an average of 25% savings on their group health and life insurance premiums. In addition, Mybenefits is able to complement existing programs with additional services and benefits such as employee engagement strategies, online benefit portals and wellness programs.
Mybenefits 22/F OVEST, 77 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Contact person: Pauline Williams Tel: (852) 2891 8915 info@welcometoalliance.com www.mybenefits.com.hk
Nespresso provides a range of machines dedicated to professional use that meet the different needs and expectations of our customers. Zenius is the one of the latest innovation in the professional machine range by Nespresso and comes at an affordable price. It is intuitive to use, reliable and integrates the latest technological advances by Nespresso. Zenius is the ideal machine for small and big companies looking for quality and simplicity. At Nespresso we want to make it possible for you to make the same full-bodied espresso offered by skilled baristas. Your business can benefit from years of Nespresso expertise in premium Grands Crus coffees, innovative machines and excellent customer support.
Nespresso, Division Of Nestlé Hong Kong Ltd. Unit 505, Manhanttan Place, 23 Wang Tai Road, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
Ocean Park offers you a fun place for your next corporate teambuilding activity, encounter koalas, wallabies and kookaburras at the new Adventures in Australia. Travel from the seashore to the depths of the ocean at Aqua City. Watch Symbio, the 360-degree water screen show at the Lagoon! Take a Cable Car to Ocean Theatre and catch ‘Ocean Wonders’, featuring dolphins and sea lions! Meet the sharks and rays at Shark Mystique. Ride the Park’s wildest roller coaster—the Hair Raiser! Travel on the Arctic Blast at Polar Adventure where penguins and walruses wait beneath the auroras. Come join the fun!
Ocean Park Hong Kong 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Tel: 800 905 486 Fax: 800 968 822 CRC.HK@nespresso.com www.nespresso-pro.com
Tel: (852) 3923 2321 training@oceanpark.com.hk www.oceanpark.com.hk
TALENT MANAGEMENT HireRight delivers global background checks and employment verification services through an innovative platform to help companies hire the right candidates, so they can grow successfully and efficiently—no matter their size or where they operate. HireRight offers a comprehensive screening solution that can be tailored to the unique needs of the organization, giving enterprises peace of mind about their people and processes. HireRight’s platform can be integrated with existing HR platforms, making it easy to use and giving candidates the best possible experience. HireRight is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with offices across the globe, including regional headquarters in London and Singapore. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.hireright.com/apac
HireRight Asia Square Tower 2, #23-01, 12 Marina View, Singapore 018961
Korn Ferry is the preeminent global people and organizational advisory firm. We help leaders, organizations and societies succeed by releasing the full power and potential of people. Our nearly 7,000 colleagues deliver services through Korn Ferry and our Hay Group and Futurestep divisions. At Korn Ferry, we design, build, attract and ignite talent. Since our inception, clients have trusted us to help recruit world-class leadership. Today, we are a single source for leadership and talent consulting services to empower businesses and leaders to reach their goals.
Korn Ferry International (H.K.) Limited 15/F, St. George’s Building, 2 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong
Through our vision, research and tools across 80 offices and 3,400 employees, we convert potential into greatness. Our solutions range from executive recruitment and leadership development programs, to enterprise learning, succession planning, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). Organisations around the world trust Korn Ferry to manage their talent – a responsibility we meet every day with passion, expertise, integrity and results.
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apacmarketing@hireright.com www.hireright.com/apac
Tel: (852) 2971 2700 Fax: (852) 2810 1632 General inquiry: kornferry.hongkong@kornferry.com Leadership and Talent Consulting: ltc.hongkong@kornferry.com www.kornferry.com
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