2013 winter
04
Linkedin Staff Bring Parents to Work Half of parents in HK don’t understand what their child does for a living―HR lends a hand.
16
Cover Story Off the beaten track in South Africa, we hunt down HKBN putting their people in the midst of innovation-gone-wild.
50 HR Takes to the Sea
Learning the ropes is daunting. 80 naval cadets training onboard the tall ship ARC Gloria share advice on extreme L&D.
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publisher’s note
In the news In this issue’s news, find out why good sex is more important than a good job, why it’s a good idea to bring your parents to the office and why attrition is APAC’s biggest timebomb.
Cover story Our editorial team went well off the beaten track this month in South Africa. We hunted down HR at Hong Kong Broadband Network to see them putting their people in the midst of innovation-gone-wild. We report on how the company is taking ‘thinking outside the box’ to brave new levels in the middle of the African Savanna.
other stuff Social media—if it’s so important, why are so few companines using it for recruitment? We look at research that indicates the number of companies actually using the tool for recruitment may be much lower than anticipated. We then flip the coin and look at why LinkedIn thinks differently as we examine the importance of personal brand for jobseekers. We also bust a few myths over senior recruitment and look at HR in the sea with staff training aboard the tall ship Arc Gloria. Enjoy...
Paul Arkwright, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, HR Magazine
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Contents HR NEWS 04 14 15
HR News HR Events HR in Numbers
COVER STORY 16
HR innovation goes wild
HR FEATURES
HR Community
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
20 24 26 28
42
52
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40
HR China—a different animal HR holiday how-to kit Outsourcing—navigate the changes Who is leading the way in talent investment? Social media revolution—but nobody’s using it The importance of personal branding HR struggles to retain top talent Doing the basics well Giving voice to key talent Senior recruitment: breaking the myths The power of personality in business Pure genius for HR FlexSystem Unlocking the full potential of organisation values
48
HR Conference—attracting the best global leaders: executive recruitment & employer branding Blanchard Asia-Pacific Leadership Summit
HKMA Award for Excellence in Training & Development 2013
HR BookS 71
The Power to Transform, Inside Real Innovation
HR Classifieds 72
HR Training 50
HR takes to the sea
HR Classifieds
HR news
LinkedIn staff bring parents to work Half of parents in Hong Kong do not understand what their child does for a living, so HR lends a helping hand.
Linkedin’s Bring In Your Parents Day took place on 7 November 2013: a worldwide effort to raise the understanding of work responsibilities of professionals’ roles by their parents. By inviting parents into the workplace, workers can give them a first-hand look and greater understanding of what they actually do every day. Despite being a valuable source of workplace expertise, having already traversed most career milestones with all the challenges and difficult decisions they entail, one in two parents in Hong Kong (higher than the global rate of 35%) admit they are unfamiliar with what their child does for a living and so may
find it challenging to provide the right advice to support their child’s success.
what their child does, and nearly all (93%) parents in Hong Kong think the same way.
“Given all of the new types of jobs created over the past few years, it’s understandable that a lot of parents may not understand what their kids actually do at work each day,” said Pat Wadors, VP of Talent at LinkedIn.
Vivian Wong, Founder & Managing Director, Evie Consulting commented, “Professionals need to master the most updated skills, acquire latest market intelligence and build their networks to become more successful. At the same time, professionals should also recognise that their parents are the ‘go-to’ people for advice when they make critical career decisions.”
In a recent global survey, LinkedIn found that two thirds of parents want to learn more about
HR still keeping key metrics secret Less than one quarter of APAC companies in the S&P Global 1200 Index disclose their performance across a range of environmental and social practices, as reported by The Conference Board in Sustainability Practices: 2013 Edition. This represents a higher disclosure rate than North American companies. Just over one half of respondents in APAC reported adopting the Global Reporting Initiative framework, and only 25% of APAC organisations underwent verification of company disclosure by an accredited assurance service provider. While 84% of S&P Global 1200 companies report having a business ethics policy, less than half of those companies have a human rights policy, according to the
4 | HR Magazine
report. HR needs to take affirmative action to ensure robust CSR practices are inculcated at all levels throughout their organisations.
the materials and telecommunication services sectors did over half of companies disclose their total water consumption.
Among other major findings from the report; larger organisations, by revenue, were more likely to invest in sustainability disclosure whereas European companies continue to lead their peers in this area. While almost half of European organisations release sustainability reports that are verified by a third party, only 25% of organisations in APAC do so.
Perhaps more telling is that fewer than half of companies in the utilities sector reported on water consumption rates, despite companies in this sector reporting the highest median water consumption.
Water consumption continues to be under-reported, despite the global imperative of ensuring access to clean water. In the global sample, out of the 10 sectors analysed, only in
While organisations in APAC reported the highest proportion of women in the workforce, 35%; companies in this region also have the lowest percentage of women in management positions at only 12%. Women represent 20% of management positions among North American companies.
HR news
Good sex more important than a good job Insurers struggle to find talent Which trends are of greatest concern to HR teams within the global insurance industry? With the launch of its Insurance Megatrends Survey, Towers Watson has revealed the challenges most worrying management are, unsurprisingly, workforce challenges relating to talent attraction and retention. These issues ranked highest on the agenda, with a third of the insurance experts surveyed reporting this to be a key concern. Interestingly, in the APAC region, challenges around talent attraction and retention ranked 15 percentage points higher than the global response, highlighting the increased pressure on HR departments to establish new—and improve current— recruitment strategies.
When it comes to being happy, a good sex life ranked higher than having a meaningful job, enjoying your job and job performance. This, according to the latest IPSOS survey that looked at over two thousand 18 - 50 year olds throughout China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. Singapore has the biggest disconnect between male and female happiness, with 26% of women more readily admitting that they are very happy versus just 12% of men. Hong Kong has the region’s highest proportion of unhappy men, with almost a quarter of them saying they were not very happy. China also showed twice as many men, 16%, were unhappy as women, 8%. The survey revealed that HR still has its work cut out in terms of employee engagement and staff wellbeing with 90% of homemakers being happy, compared to just 79% of respondents who were working in full-time jobs.
Top 16 happiness factors in Asia 1. Relationship with partner/spouse 2. Having a child 3. Relationship with my child(ren) 4. Relationship with my friends 5. Relationship with my parents 6. Being forgiven for something 7. Forgiving someone for something 8. Finding someone to be with 9. My living conditions 10. Personal safety and security 11. My health 12. Health of family & friends 13. My sex life 14. Having a meaningful job 15. Having an enjoyable job 16. Performing well in my job
HR news
Attrition APAC’s biggest time bomb This year’s MMA-AAMO conference brought together prominent speakers from the APAC region to discuss regional economic cooperation and its impact on business and HR. Shiv Shivakumar, President, All Indian Management Association and former SVP, Nokia—India, Middle East and Africa discussed the current HR challenges relating to a company’s two most important assets—brand and people.
The primary challenge facing employers in Asia right now is not about growth, it is about people. Levels of staff retention, in particular of talented individuals, are giving employers throughout APAC cause for concern. Not only must they devote resources to recruiting and training staff, but they are also facing increasing difficulty keeping them engaged and productive. Shivakumar identified attrition as the biggest time bomb in APAC and warned that it leads to a weak, inexperienced middle management—sapping time, energy and resources from the senior managers that inevitably have to compensate for these shortcomings. The management practices that a company adopts are vitally important, and require an understanding of the motivations and values of its workforce. Shivakumar noted, “While most Asian people understand Western management practices, they often don’t buy into them emotionally, and when setting up shop in Asia, a far more effective management technique is to apply Eastern management practices.” This applies to the rigidity with which we
apply rules, our methods of communication and autocratic vs. meritocratic working cultures. Key to retaining talented staff is the understanding that we should understand which management style our workforce most closely identifies with, and to work alongside this chosen style as opposed to imposing our own methodologies.
in their staff. It is his firmly held belief that innovation happens because of variety, and that many countries around APAC need to look at under-represented sections of society in their workforce as potential wellsprings of innovative ideas.
To keep people engaged and productive, we need genuinely inspirational leaders who are open to bold, new ideas and are able to inject feelings of excitement, purpose and belonging into their staff.
Shivakumar contended that an active role in leadership and development is of paramount importance when it comes to retaining talented young staff. He added, “Young people are restless; the way to retain them is to show them true leadership and also to give them their leader’s time.”
In order to maintain growth throughout Asia, companies must actively pursue innovation in all areas. According to Shivakumar, the world needs more entrepreneurs, and MBEs (Master of Business Entrepreneurship) would perhaps be of far greater value to businesses than the traditional MBA. He also described the importance of looking at the under-utilised sections of our workforce, to allow business leaders to access a diverse variety of thoughts, ideas and visions
By interacting and exchanging ideas with their leaders, staff are not only given opportunities to learn directly from those that have gone before them, but are also provided with a greater sense of purpose, knowing that their voices are being heard and that their thoughts and ideas are valued. This leads to greater levels of loyalty and engagement in the workplace and forms the foundation for the continued growth of companies around the region.
HR news
Visa boosts jobs within APEC
Seasonally adjusted unemployment stands at 3.3%, according to the latest figures from the HKSAR Government Census and Statistics Department. This seemingly positive news poses a particular problem for employers in Hong Kong.
Visa facilitation for an expected 57 million international tourists could create 2.6 million new jobs and an additional USD 89 billion in international tourism receipts in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies by 2016. These predictions come from The Impact of Visa Facilitation in APEC Economies report, released by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The organisations have been working closely together in recent years to promote the value of visa facilitation as a means to stimulate economic growth and development. This growth looks set to rise in line with the predicted influx of international tourists, of whom many will be required to obtain a traditional visa prior to travel under current visa policies.
HK unemployment stats worry HR
Commenting on the report, which was presented at the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Travel Facilitation in Bali on 1 October 2013, UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai said, “This report clearly shows that placing visa facilitation as a national priority can translate into significant socio-economic benefits in terms of income and jobs generated by the growth of tourism demand. APEC has been a leading organisation in terms of regional integration and we believe that visa facilitation can contribute significantly to advancing APEC’s objectives and the balanced growth of its economies.”
Peter Yu, GM and Director, Randstad Hong Kong warned, “Hong Kong’s employment statistics remain flat and this should worry employers at multiple human resource and economic levels. The tight labour market directly impacts companies’ abilities to fill graduate training programmes, increases leadership and management change, affects growth planning, competitiveness and more. While many employers often try and fill positions from Hong Kong’s local talent pool, there is now a lack of readily-available talent—meaning that workforce productivity may be dramatically affected until the position is filled.”
Healthier workforces bring success In response to the Health Promotion Board’s 1,000,000kg challenge to encourage Singaporeans to collectively lose weight and fight against obesity, Royal Plaza on Scotts has implemented ‘healthy lifestyle’ initiatives to share the importance of healthy living with employees and encourage them to adopt better health habits. The connection between health and job performance is widely known, and many employers are now realising that success can only be achieved by a healthy workforce. Many HR departments are taking steps to integrate healthy living initiatives to help motivate their workforce to stay healthy and safe at home and on the job, with the added benefit of boosting the impact of their employee benefits programmes.
Singapore hotel Royal Plaza on Scotts, winner of Aon Hewitt’s Best Employer 2013 Award in Singapore, gave HR Magazine the
following top tips on how HR managers can promote a healthy lifestyle with simple HR health strategies: • conduct workshops to help employees cope with stress and unwind; • give basic tips on how to achieve work-life balance through effective goal-setting and time management; and • give advice on overcoming obstacles brought about by change. The hotel has implemented a healthy lifestyle initiative to share the importance of healthy living with employees and encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyle habits. They plan to conduct talks in order to educate employees on ways to protect themselves against hypertension, high blood pressure and diabetes. Interactive activities will also be carried out, where employees can learn a range of simple exercises, tailored to help working professionals stay fit in the workplace, as well
as a cooking demonstration on how to whip up healthier dishes and foster better eating habits. The hotel has found that when employees find fulfilment in both their personal lives and work through healthier lifestyles and work-life balance, they are more willing to put in the extra effort and make a difference in the organisation. Productivity will also increase as employees are more effective and efficient in their work. Ultimately, happy employees make happy customers.
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HR news
Special award winner—development category HKMA citation for fostering corporate culture From left to right Eric Ho, Front Office Manager Stephen Chui, Assistant Training Manager Anita Lee, Human Resources Manager Biamka Tse, Communications Manager Alex Lam, Assistant Front Office Manager
The Prince Hotel, one of 13 Marco Polo properties in the APAC region, employs 260 staff, all of which are trained and committed to deliver excellence in ‘the Marco Polo Way’—a level of service standardised over the group’s hotels ensuring that the customer experience is never compromised regardless of hotel. In 2012, Prince won the Marco Polo award for most improved guest experience, already a sure sign that employee engagement and training programmes are on the right track. The hotel strives for its employees—or ‘Associates’—to personify the Marco Polo Way’s six key elements: Passion, Integrity, Continuous Improvement, Teamwork, Exceptional Service and Respect, with emphasis being put on management also showing these qualities. The aim? To make it more than just a theory, rather a habit for all to the extent that associates carry these values to other parts of their life outside of work. When ‘caught’ demonstrating these qualities,
8 | HR Magazine
associates can be issued with rewards in the form of token gifts and commendation cards, filled out by management and presented in front of other staff to encourage further positive behaviour. The HKMA Awards process led the team responsible for the programme implementation to take a step back and consider the reasons for and the extent of its success. The high level of management involvement and associate input are judged to have been major contributors to the resulting leap in customer satisfaction levels and positive feedback received, all of which was fully communicated to the hotel’s associates. Anita Lee, Human Resources Manager commented, “Be creative, but at the same time down-to-earth. You must consider whether your programme style suits the operations staff. Do they understand it? Can they accept it? Know they are thinking and then give inspirational delivery.”
HR news
Incentive to Change Jobs
35% 11% - 20% increase
2%
Show me the money Damian Babis, Managing Director, Achieve Asia—Recruitment Solutions, Hong Kong
Whilst it seems that the general workforce is not being overly greedy in their monetary demands, employers should still be aware that 32% of employees will consider jumping ship for a mere 1 - 10% increment. This, according to recent research from Achieve Asia. Damian Babis, Managing Director, Achieve Asia offered his insights, “These are worrying signs showing the lack of employee loyalty and employers should really be looking into reasons as to why that is. It is definitely more costly to employers in terms of resources that need to be deployed to hire new or replacement employees
32% 1% - 10% increase
76% - 100% increase
20%
4% 41% - 50% increase
21% - 30% increase
7% 31% - 40% increase
than it would be to keep existing ones happy and productive.” The Achieve Asia October 2013 analysis of salary-related data in Hong Kong shows that over a third, 35%, of employees— based on a sample size of 776, deems an 11 - 20% increase over their earnings sufficient enough to entice them away from their current employment. What figure is best? A total of 20% of employees think that a 21 - 30% increment is the magic number for change. On the top end of the scale, 7% of employees will only switch jobs if the newer position represents a 31 - 40% increase, 4% for a 41 - 50% increase and, reassuringly, only 2%
of employees think that anything less than a 76 100% increase is not even worth consideration. Babis added, “Often however, our clients are only offering a small to modest increase of between 5% to 10%. In almost all of these cases, candidates have asked us to help renegotiate the terms to something more favourable. Unless an employee is grossly unhappy at their present job, the majority will value job stability over a small increase to their take home pay.” Interactive Salary Survey Data Source: achieveasia.com/index.php/salary-survey
HR news
Asia & EM recruitment hub
Robert Walters celebrates 15 years of recruitment Robert Walters marked its 15-year anniversary in Singapore with a cocktail dinner reception at Ocean Financial Centre to thank valued business partners for their continued support over the years. Robert Walters Singapore started operations in May 1998 specialising in banking & financial services recruitment. The office has expanded over the past 15 years to include other fields of expertise such as Human Resources, IT, Sales, Marketing and Legal.
Standard Life has launched its largest ever recruitment campaign in Asia: The Way Forward to fill around 40 positions in its new Asia and Emerging Markets hub this year. Seeing Asia and the emerging markets as a key focus for business growth, significant resources have been invested in the region. The new hub will support all activity in Asia and the Middle East by providing management and shared services—covering roles across business development, product services & development, sales & marketing and risk & operations. Commenting on the recruitment drive, Alan Armitage, CEO, Asia and Emerging Markets at Standard Life said, “This is an exciting time for our business as we establish our new team here in Asia. We are committed to building a leading retail savings and investments business across the region and are looking for people with energy, enthusiasm and drive to deliver results.”
Korea boasts world’s most valuable academics Academics from the Republic of Korea most commercially valuable in the world, with its top universities attracting the most cash from big businesses. The World Academic Summit Innovation Index has calculated that global companies are investing the equivalent of nearly USD 100,000 in each Korean scholar to carry out work in innovation and research on their behalf. This is compared to less than USD 10,000 per head for countries lower down the index.
World Academic Summit Innovation Index Average Value
Rank
Country
1
Korea, Republic Of
USD 97,900
2
Singapore
USD 84,500
Per Researcher
3
Netherlands
USD 72,800
4
South Africa
USD 64,400
5
Belgium
USD 63,700
6
Taiwan
USD 53,900
7
China
USD 50,500
8
Sweden
USD 46,100
9
Denmark
USD 43,600
10
India
USD 36,900
Source: Times Higher Education / Thomson Reuters, InCitesTM, 2013
10 | HR Magazine
Compiled by Times Higher Education, which ranks the world’s top 30 countries in terms of education, the results give an interesting global snapshot of how successfully the world’s top universities compete for research funding from industry. Singapore ranked in second place, bringing in an average of USD 84,500 per academic, The Netherlands in third place with USD 72,800 and South Africa in fourth place with USD 64,400. Nine countries in Asia featured in the table, with over 50% of its institutions in the top ten—more than any other continent. Indeed, whilst Western continents dominate this new
index in terms of quantity, with 15 European countries joining the US and Canada, nearly two-thirds of Western institutions are featured in the bottom half of the list—a far cry from Asia’s stand-out performance at the top of the table. The big surprise for many will be that the traditional educational powerhouse, the US, lies in the middle of the table in 14th position, with industry contributing nearly four times less to its academic researchers—USD 25,800 per person—than that of Korea. It would, however, seem that in recent years the world’s increasing enthusiasm for technological advancement and computer science has seen big businesses shift their attention eastward to Asia. The region now known for its strong manufacturing sector and traditional academic focus on these subject areas. It seems that the balance of power is destined to tip further eastwards.
HR news
Staff retention Over 1/3 professionals will look for a new role in Hong Kong over the next year. Almost half will consider working overseas to add international experience to their CV.
for another role in the coming year. Almost half of those surveyed say they will consider looking for work overseas, with 63% planning to seek a job in Asia and a further 25% in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East or Africa.
The resilient economy in Hong Kong is keeping business activity levels buoyant, which in turn is having a positive effect on the professional employment market. As job opportunities continue to rise, professionals are likely to become more active jobseekers. According to the latest Employee Intentions Report 2013/14 prepared by Michael Page Hong Kong, 37% of Hong Kong professionals are very likely to look
Of the employees looking to stay in their current role, 60% say they will ask their employers for an increase in salary in the coming year, with an increment of 10 – 12% sought by most. Furthermore, 72% of staff would like to receive flexible working arrangements from their company to achieve a better work-life balance. With regard to accepting a new role, 29% of respondents
HK fighting for gender diversity With men continuing to dominate the top ranks of nearly every firm across the globe, women currently represent only 8% of all board-level positions.
Add to that the fact that men continue to earn an average of HKD 100,000 more than women in the digital, creative and marketing industries and it is evident that inequality among the sexes is still very much alive. It is, however, an issue that is becoming increasingly recognised by businesses across the globe as new initiatives are being launched with the aim of restoring balance. One such initiative is the Women’s Directorship Programme (WDP), which is now entering its second installment on a drive to enable female executives to be more effective at managing boards and increase the supply of board-ready women across Hong Kong. The programme, launched by executive search firm Harvey Nash and The University of Hong Kong in early 2013, has already met with success with 30% of participants now holding board positions or having achieved a promotion.
Due to be held in Hong Kong in February and March 2014, the programme consists of two core components: world class teaching by international faculty members of Hong Kong University and real-life case studies and thought leadership delivered by senior business leaders. Nick Marsh, Managing Director, Harvey Nash Asia Pacific explained, “Board diversity is an essential ingredient for continued growth and business success. WDP has proved to be a positive catalyst in empowering the next generation of women leaders to gain the confidence and skills needed to secure a board position.” Professor Amy H. Lau, Director of Executive Education, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong added, “We have seen some outstanding results from our 2013 participants and we are very pleased with the increased visibility of the alumni. The programme highlights the keys to success in a woman’s career and we are committed to creating lasting change and developing the top female talent of the future.”
say the main incentive is an increase in salary. This is followed by scope for career progression, promotion, company brand and reputation as well as learning and development. Commenting on the findings of the report, Andy Bentote, Senior Managing Director, Page Group—Hong Kong and Southern China said, “Employers will need to offer appealing incentives to secure in-demand talents.” Respondents are optimistic about the strength of the job market for the sector they work in; 49% are of the opinion that the employment market will remain the same and 37% anticipate an improvement in current hiring activity.
MBAs on the rise Full-time MBA programmes worldwide have seen an application volume increase compared with the 2012 figures, according to Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) and its latest survey result on global MBA programmes, the 2013 Applications Trends Survey.
Key trends • more one-year programme applications among full-time MBAs in APAC; • full-time, two-year MBA programmes in the US show an upswing, as 52% of programmes report application increases over 2012; and • in Europe, Master in Management programmes continue to show strength, as 73% of programmes report application increases from 2012. Meanwhile, 38% of Europe’s full-time one-year MBA programmes showed application gains this year, comparable to the 37% in last year’s survey that noted growth from the year before. GMAC’s intelligence also revealed that the main hesitancies expressed by prospective business school students relate to the high cost of tuition fees and how to pay for their education. One in three citizens in APAC expressed uncertainty in the economy or job prospects as a reservation about pursuing business school, much greater than counterparts in the US or Europe, where the figure stood at only 18%.
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HR news
The Federation of European Employers reports that, according to the latest figures published by European Commission’s statistical agency Eurostat, in the first quarter of 2002 total employee remuneration in the Eurozone stood at 60.4% of Gross Value Added. When the downswing came in 2008 it fell to 59.2%. However, as the recession took hold and company value added fell sharply through the autumn and winter of 2008/9 employee remuneration climbed to 62.1% of value added. Since then remuneration levels have sustained much of their recession gains to stand at 61.1% of value added in the first quarter of this year.
Eurozone pay bubble hinders economic recovery
Despite much talk about the decline in real pay levels that resulted from the post-2007 economic decline, workers across the Eurozone have actually fared better—relative to their companies’ fortunes—following the downturn rather than during the period leading up to it. The sustaining of employee salaries through the recession has also hit company profitability and the level of re-investment in fixed capital.
Commenting on these developments during an online debate from his base in the south of France, Robin Chater, Secretary-General, Federation of European Employers warned, “If there is to be a sustained recovery in the Eurozone, resources are going to have to be diverted away from employees back into long-term investments. Companies have sustained their positions by substituting labour for capital for far too long and that is exposing the European economy to increasingly capital-intensive competitors in North America and the Far East.”
PIGS bringing home the bacon CEOs in Spain and Italy still enjoying high salaries, despite continued widespread unemployment With economic instability persisting in Europe, one would certainly expect to see continued caution in the remuneration decisions made by organisations across the region. Not so, according to the Pay in Europe 2013 Survey from the Federation of European Employers. While Denmark continues to offer Europe’s highest gross pay packages for middle-order jobs, in crisis-hit Italy and Spain, CEO pay packages do not seem to reflect the job-security crisis which has been afflicting Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain (PIGS) for over half a decade. Whether an attempt to retain great minds, or an ill-executed or badly thought-out policy, two of the countries hardest hit by the economic crisis have posted the highest average basis CEO salaries in the whole region. With unemployment posted at over 27% in
12 | HR Magazine
Spain—56% for those under 25 years—and 12% in Italy, according to each country’s national statistics office, questions could be asked as to the budget allocation decisions made by their private enterprises. Emerging relatively unscathed from the global crisis, thanks to close links with both the Eastern and Western business worlds, the latest figures from the Hong Kong Census Statistics office (CENSTATD) reveal that local unemployment stands at 3.5%, 3.3% with seasonal adjustment. It could be argued that skilled minds will be needed to help rebuild the infrastructure of the industries in these struggling nations. While the economic crisis has wreaked havoc globally on a scale not witnessed in recent times, experience could be key to bringing the people back into the workforce.
HR Events
HR Events Nov.
12/11/2013 (Tuesday)
26/11/2013 (Tuesday)
HKMA/Recruit Joint Seminar on The Way to Become a Top Trainer II Organised by The Hong Kong Management Association Location: Hong Kong
HKIHRM 33rd Annual Conference & Exhibition Organised by Hong Kong Institute of Human Resources Location: Hong Kong Email: project@hkihrm.org | www.hkihrm.org
Tel: +852 2774 8594 | Email: priscillaso@hkam.org.hk
Dec.
04/12/2013 (Wednesday)
17/12/2013 (Tuesday)
Social Media in HR Organised by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Location: London, UK
Take Training to the Next Level - with ROI Results Organised by HKIHRM. Speaker: Mr Peter Yip & Ms Eva Lo, CSG Consultancy Location: HKIHRM, Suite 1503, 15/F, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +44 (0)20 8612 6202
Tel: +852 2837 3834 | Email: learning@hkihrm.org
09/12/2013 (Monday)
Jan.
20/12/2013 (Friday)
Enabling Performance and ROI - Riding on Mobile Apps Learning Organised by HKIHRM. Speaker: Mr Peter Yip & Mr Salim Rumjahn, CSG Consultancy Location: HKIHRM, Suite 1503, 15/F, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Organised by HKIHRM & EOC. Speaker: Dr Ferrick Chu, Head of Policy and Research, Equal Opportunities Commission Location: HKIHRM, Suite 1503, 15/F, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2837 3834 | Email: learning@hkihrm.org
Tel: +852 2837 3834 | Email: learning@hkihrm.org
09-11/01/2014
16/01/2014 (Thursday)
Asia-Pacific Conference on Applied Positive Psychology Organised by City University of Hong Kong Location: Hong Kong
Effective decision-making to optimise business results Organised by HKPC Hong Kong Productivity Council Location: Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2349 3212 | Email: acapp2014@ucep.org.hk
Tel: +852 2788 6036 | Email: joanli@hkpc.org
09-11/01/2014
22-24/01/2014
ASTD Training Certificate Programme for Professional Trainers Organised by HKPC Hong Kong Productivity Council Location: Hong Kong
HRPA 2014 Annual Conference and Trade Show Organised by Human Resources Professionals Association Location: Toronto, Canada Tel: +1 416 923 2324; Email: swarren@hrpa.ca
Tel: +852 2788 5486 | Email: sandrachak@hkpc.org
16/01/2014 (Thursday)
29-30/01/2014
HR Conference: Employee relationships —appraising & rewarding Organised by HR Magazine Location: Level 5, Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong
Employee Engagement Conference Organised by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Location: London, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 8612 6202
Tel: +852 2736 6339 | Email: vivian@excelmediagroup.org
Feb.& Mar.
4-5/02/2014 HR Directors Business Summit 2014 Organised by WTG: World Trade Group Location: The ICC, Birmingham, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7202 7690 | Email: enquire@wtgevents.com
14 | HR Magazine
17-19/03/2014 Law & Legislative Conference Organised by Society for Human Resources Management Location: Washington, D.C. Tel: +1 (703) 548 3440
HR in numbers
HR in Numbers 58
Percentage of alumni from APAC who work for multinational organisations—25% of these work outside their country of citizenship, and 80% work outside APAC altogether.
91%
Percentage of the 114,832 employees surveyed who received a positive adjustment in base pay during the period of 1 January to 30 September 2013.
Source: GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey 2013
Source: The HKIHRM Pay Trend Survey 2013
22% Amount of employers providing tablet PCs to employees.
Source: The 2013 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey, Towers Watson
Ratio of HR staff to employees in Hong Kong companies. Source: The 2013 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey, Towers Watson
7%
Source: The 2013 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey, Towers Watson
Percentage of Hong Kong organisations surveyed who already have or are developing an HR portal which is accessible by HR and employees.
1:167
Source: The HKIHRM Pay Trend Survey 2013
Percentage of employers that give employees smartphones.
%
4.4 % Overall average base pay increase projection for 2014 of 76 surveyed companies.
70%
Source: The 2013 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey, Towers Watson
60
%
1 in 3 Number of HR and HRIT professionals in HK planning to implement/ currently implementing a new HR Management System Source: The 2013 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey, Towers Watson
Predicted salary rise across APAC in 2014. Source: The APAC Salary Budget Planning Report
34% Percentage of companies who say they struggle to fill jobs, among 35,000 employers across 36 countries. Source: Talent Shortage Survey, Manpower Group
92%
Percentage of full-time two-year MBA alumni who are currently employed—the highest level reported since 2009. 5% of class of 2013 alumni reported themselves as entrepreneurs/self-employed. Source: GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey 2013
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cover story
HR Innovation Goes Wild HKBN takes ‘thinking outside the box’ to a whole new level
Innovation is a buzzword in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace and one that is dominating many an HR conversation. In these uncertain economic times, with change afoot at every level, the need to be brave, to seek new ideas and to ‘think outside the box’ has been hailed as one of the keys to attracting, engaging and developing top talent and ensuring the future success of any organisation. But what makes a company innovative? When this question was recently put to 800 recruitment and talent managers spanning the globe1, the same answer came up in every country—its people. In this month’s cover story, HR Magazine journeys into the wildest depths of South Africa with Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) to see how HR is putting its people at the heart of innovation whilst taking ‘thinking outside the box’ to a brave new level.
16 | HR Magazine
cover story
Fortune favours the brave Setting aside additional expenditure on overseas staff trips may seem somewhat extravagant, particularly with budgets already stretched and so many pressing items topping the HR agenda. The organisation, however, strongly advocates that inspiring creativity, reinforcing teamwork and nurturing happiness among its people all bring about huge financial rewards back in the workplace. NiQ Lai, Head of Talent Engagement, CFO & Co-Owner, HKBN explained, “In our company, we believe that investing in our Talents is the key to our future success. People are not assets, they are not machinery; we can’t just expect to oil them and make them work faster. Our Talents are people and we feel that by broadening their exposure to the world we can help them to become better people and therefore better leaders to drive our business forward.” Lai explained that providing Talents with the opportunity to bond during the trips enables the organisation to strengthen teamwork and improve engagement levels, placing it in a far stronger position for future
Stepping outside the box ‘Life is much more than work and much more than Hong Kong’. This may seem like a bold statement for any Hong Kong-based organisation to make, particularly given the city’s arduous working culture, which so often demands long hours spent behind the desk. For local company HKBN, however, this is a sentiment that underlies its entire company culture. Recognising that its people, or rather its Talents, are critical to the organisation’s future growth and success, the company goes above and beyond to inspire, engage and develop its staff beyond the boundaries of their everyday lives. Each year, HKBN invests over HKD 2 million to send its Talents on an experiential trip to the far reaches of the globe. This unique concept has run for over a decade and has seen Talents venture to such destinations as Thailand, Japan, Germany, Cambodia and most recently, the United States. This year’s trip involved jetting 83 managers and senior executives to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa to gain exposure into one of the most dynamic social enterprise ecosystems in the world. Falling under the theme of ‘Better Life’, the eight-day expedition comprised a safari and team-building activities at Entabeni Game Reserve, a visit to Kliptown Youth Program with CNN Hero: Thulani Madondo, an exchange session with the Western
Cape Government delegates and a visit to the world’s first Fair Trade Wine Farm, Thandi. By widening staff exposure to social entrepreneurship through the lens of South Africa’s communities, people and government HKBN believes Talents would be inspired to take action to help make Hong Kong a better place to live, both inside and outside the office. Not only that, it would provide them with an opportunity for a level of cross-team bonding that could never be achieved within the confines of their office walls.
success. And with Hong Kong experiencing the highest drop in employee engagement levels within APAC, from 58% in 2011 to 50% in 2012 2 , it seems the company has the right idea. He stressed, “We spend the majority of our time at work with our colleagues and it’s important to make this time both enjoyable and productive. Our trips allow us to engage our people and bring them closer together as a team—and what better way to promote that message than by allowing them to see the world together?”
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cover story The fear factor
The filter effect
Like most HR professionals, Lai believes that in addition to keeping employees happy and engaged, innovation and change are essential components to attracting new talent, particularly in today’s competitive job market with its diminishing talent pools and ever-rising candidate expectations. Whilst as many as 74% of HR professionals globally admit that their organisation should be doing more to encourage innovation in their recruitment and talent management practices, a staggering 64% of employees who are happy in their current role would consider leaving if they were offered innovative benefits by another company3.
Convincing organisations to say no to the status-quo can be a tall order for HR, particularly when faced with a lack of buy-in from the C-Suite. Ivy Lau, Director—Talent Engagement, Co-owner, HKBN explained, “For innovation to really work within an organisation, it must filter from the top down. Those in senior management roles must be willing to embrace new methods to ensure employees are the very best they can be and can develop in line with expectations. This is something we are aspiring to achieve by embracing innovation at every level within our organisation, from the C-Suite down to junior executives. Our experiential trips are testament to our success in doing just that.”
This is serious news for HR, yet despite the clear demand for organisations to do things differently and ‘think outside the box’, many are reluctant to do so. So what is preventing organisations from embracing change? According to Lai, the answer is fear. He explained, “I believe you have to give up the past in order to create the future, but many companies are afraid to do this because they are living on their past success. What they don’t realise, however, is that change is essential to the survival of any organisation and without it you cannot be competitive and you will die financially. Not only that, but by resisting change, companies could also be driving away existing and potential talent. We don’t like the status-quo, we won’t accept it and neither should others.”
1, 3 & 4 2
The Innovation Imperative, Futurestep, June 2013
2013 Trends in Asia Pacific Employee Engagement Aon Hewitt
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Lau stressed the need for companies to be bold with innovation and to think like the Googles and the Apples of the world, which are as much admired for their continuous innovation to office environments as for their products and services. And it certainly seems that when it comes to embracing change, fear is not a word HKBN is familiar with. Such initiatives as the annual experiential trip enable the company to ‘live and breathe’ the very essence of what many professionals define as innovation: ‘being brave enough to do things differently and continually improve’. And whilst the company is adamant not to promote the expeditions as reward trips, it is keen to promote them as part of its commitment to helping develop its people, allowing them to be the very best they can be, whilst kicking the status-quo firmly out the window.
cover story
Dream
big
What some of HKBN’s top Talents had to say about their experience of seriously stepping outside the box on the company’s annual trips & what it has meant to them on both personal & professional levels.
Elinor Shiu, Asso ciate Direct or
Ko, Loretta —Ma
rketing, Co -o Sh iu ha s wor wner ke compa ny ’s un d at H KBN for al most 20 year s and cla ique and vibr im ant cu ltu re th one of its Ta le at fir st at tract s that it was the nt s. ed her to beco me “T he cu ltu re of ou r orga ni where many sa tio n is ve ry di fferent to layers preven t you from vo your sugg estio ici ng your idea ot her compa nies s and shar ing which real ly ns. At H KBN we ca n be ve makes the co mpa ny st and ry di rect and of fer ou r in sig an ex ample of out for me. Th ho w ou r co m e an nual tr ip ht, bu ild ing like pa ny encourag s ar no such amaz ing ot her. Not ever yone gets es shar ing, bond ing and te e am the opport un pa rts of the w Gra nd Ca nyon ity to ex perie orld such as Ca nc ex perience w , so we feel very pr iv ileged mbodia, Ger many and th e hi e ou r colleag ue ch br ings us sig ni fic ant be to ga in such an except iona s. l ne envi ronment We get to know each ot he fit s in term s of lear ni ng about outside of the r on a person al us from getti ng to know th of fice, where hect ic da ily sc le vel in an e real people he du le s ca n behi nd ou r or prevent W hen we as ga ni sation.” choo se. She ex ked Sh iu which ha s been he pl r ai fa ne vo d, “I coul ur ite tr ip ever y tr ip is di fferent and of d ne ver pick one as my hi she could not completely ne gh lig ht becaus fe w. That is wha rs us the opport un ity to e lear t makes them so un ique an n somet hi ng d ex traordi na ry.”
Stephen Lui,
ner ess, C o-ow i-Fi B usin W — r to Direc u nd th is A ssociate year, Ko fo
ea rl ier th is an is at ion to the org lead a bet ter li fe. er m co ow to ve new es Ta lents A s a relati an in spirat ion on h it s employe ow s they any ca ll s sh p at m year ’s tr ip th co e e, by how th rg an is at ion s. To m developing them impressed d to it h o llent “I was very ldom fi nd that w and are com m it te ic a’ tr ip is an exce the se fr le f u p o A t yo eo th ar p u se p r o thei ife S bec au other and va lue be e ‘B et ter L su re to an real ly ca re est they ca n be. T h yed g ai n ing ex po it ’s very exciti ng to tu rn re jo b to be the that and I have en A fr ic a before and ies live. W hen we are f it e th ex ample o never been to Sou ow other com mu n e rem inded that w d an h b world. I’ve my eyes and see k on th is tr ip and rld. O u r problem s ss o en able to op ng we w il l look bacto the rest of the w er s mu st face in le ies I o it th to Hong K l isla nd in relation to tho se wh ic h o l for the opport u n ed al fu on ly a sm are m inor compar d I feel very g rate chal leng es ea s of the world an ar d fort u nate g iven in li fe.” p eople an re ee ti ng the ti re ly new cu lt u m have been as w ip en is tr g ht of the d enco u nte ri ng an w n p eople fr om th ve li h ig h e For Ko, th in S o uth A fr ic a an “I h ave never k no to se e how they li , s ie ce ed com mu n it t ti me. She ex pla in fi rs t-h and ex p er ie n for the fi rs world and h av ing e ar ea of th u ly in spir ing.” tr h as b ee n
Co-owner Senior Ma nager — IT,
wit h t yea r of employment just completed his firs the hin wit s ent Tal all en For Stephen, who has el of interac tion bet we HK BN, the inti mate lev . him to l cia spe it kes org ani saiton is what ma ies before join ing HK BN other telecom compan s at “I had been working in hig h level of interac tion bet ween employee ha ate and I had never seen suc res sed wit h how the sen ior sta ff com mu nic s imp thi every level. I am rea lly at every level wit hin the org ani sat ion and s ideas helps my s res exp to e abl and eng age wit h Talent the annual trip. Bei ng that par t of the tea m, and rea lly stood out dur ing and rea lly feel like I am sug gested an idea for an ly me to bui ld con fidence hin a company. I act ual ion and is often hard to find wit and the sen ior tea m took on boa rd my vis to m enterprise soc ial platfor to tria l it wit hin the company. For me, get ting lace ty gave me the opport uni ps wit h my col leag ues out side of the workp shi bui ld informal relation .” has been a rea l benefit y moving experience Tow nsh ip a par ticu larl Lui fou nd the visit to the sider how to help ma ke his ow n city a con to rn wh ich has inspired him that inhabit it. He explained, “I hope I can lea g to all ng Kon Ho to k bac del mo bet ter place to live for mu nity and bring this someth ing from the com te.” help those less fort una
Steven Yau, As sociate
Direct or — Ne
tw ork Opera Steven has be tion, Co -o wn en er annual trips ar w ith the organisation for fif teen years an e invaluable in w ithin the orga d believes that building br idge th nisation as we ll as cultures th s between different departm e roughout the ents He ex plai ned, world. imag ined goin “T he an nual tr ips ta ke us to ou r horizon s g w ith ou r fa m ily or friends places that we may ne ver an have opport un ity fo d lear n about life outside . Th is encourag es us to br oa of w ith some of r self-reflect ion and over th Hong Kong. It prov ides den a th ex ample of th e ex periences I have had. e year s I have been very m great ov is, Th under-pr iv ile where we spent th ree da e tr ip to Ca mbodia is a go ed ge ys helping to pa int a sc hool od those ch ild re d ch ild ren. Being able to n’ se fo time we have s lives was ex tremely rewar e the change we could mak r be between di ffe en able to bond w ith ou r di ng and touc hi ng. At the e to sa re co ou r bu sy da ily nt depa rt ments, which w lleag ues and br idge the ga me e had been un lives at work. able to do w ith p ” in Yau had alw beauty of Sout ay s wanted to go on a sa fa ri h to improve th A frica’s w ild life as he w and was as in spired by th as e e “A lthough we lives of the countr y’s peop by the work that is being do le ne ex perience I w ver manag ed to track do and com mun ities. He ad ne de w n the lion, th ill alway s rem ember.” e sa fa ri was an d,
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Off the beaten path in South Africa—Talents go wild!
20 | HR Magazine
Sky-high innovation
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HR Features
HR China — a different animal understand
How big data can help you tame the beast Forget the heat wave, the hottest thing that happened in Shanghai this August was the LINK Greater China Conference 2013 held by CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions. Looking at talent management, acquisition and mobility, a line up of top international names came forward to speak on their experiences of cracking the Greater China market, to tell how Big Data is helping them separate the sheep from the goats and to reveal where employers can find copious hidden talent that others are not seeing.
The new workforce of the future is going to require 20% more productivity— without an increased headcount.
Potential to perform
Performance contribution
Robert Morgan, General Manager CEB & President of CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions, kicked off proceedings with a truth that is becoming increasingly visible to all operating in Asia and beyond. He stated, “The new workforce of the future is going to require 20% more productivity—without an increased headcount.” In order to locate, reach and harness that extra potential productivity, HR departments are going to have to ensure that the talent they take onboard not only will be able to perform the job for which they interviewed, but also will have the ability and agility to respond to the challenges that are set to present themselves in the company’s future. In a nutshell, HR teams will have to foresee the talent needs of their companies far in advance and be aware of the long-term strategy.
Up to 37% of an employee’s potential value can be lost due to execution barriers and poor alignment to new individual, group and company goals. This is the risk a company is taking by failing to align and engage employees in their strategy, according to Mike Tims, President Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East of CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions. He opined, “When it comes to the speed of change and development, there’s plenty to come, and it’s intensifying.” CEB research found that 28% of HiPos fail to perform following organisational change, an obstacle that must be addressed and overcome if a company wishes to become a ‘strategy organisation’. With only 32% of executives planning to increase headcount in the coming year, where can companies find the added performance without getting more hands on deck? Tims’ answer: it is possible. Increased efficiency can be achieved by redefining roles, enterprise contribution performance goals, and encouraging a business culture in which collaboration is actively encouraged— recognising and rewarding individuals that help colleagues to reach their own performance goals. In addition, organisations need to see that the traditional leadership model is no longer appropriate. Tims commented, “The emphasis is moving away from strong leaders towards having well-led organisations, with increasingly flat structures and distributed decision-making powers. Leadership capabilities will be needed at all levels. Not just a one-on-one leader-and-follower arrangement; anyone can be a leader, even as an individual contributor.”
Research carried out by CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions in 2013 has found that just 1 in 15 managers possess the potential to be effective leaders. Coupled with CEB’s recent findings that leaders with the best leadership skills are 50% more likely to outperform revenue expectations, it is clear that taking the opportunity to know the capability of your workforce and your potential hires is a trick that should not be missed. Morgan highlighted the emergence of science and technology into the world of management and performance and its role within the ‘new competency model for leadership’.
22 | HR Magazine
HR Features
Structure, processes, people Christy Forest, Executive Director, APAC, CEB commented that we are in a new era for the global economy. As such, HR analytics are set to have a higher impact as organisations strive to continually assess their talent and benchmark processes against their competition to be better, faster and smarter. She stated, “Leading with a level of insight can make a huge difference.” As for how companies hoping to have success in China should approach the people, Forest advocated career as the big driver. She said, “What really matters is the development of a deliberate and transparent path—having a future with an organisation.” Brad Adams, Head of HR Research & Advisory Services - Asia, CEB concurred, “China and India offer fast promotion and a broad set of career options. Employees need to be engaged with potential future paths. Even if the options are not taken, they like to know they’re there. Let them be involved in decisions, let them co-create their future with the company. Buying and building leaders is not enough.”
The ACQUISITION CEB’s acquisition of SHL’s expertise will see the analytics experts gain a better foothold in China, allowing everyone to benefit from the pool of knowledge on ‘the China client’. Stuart Hedley, Director of Enablement, APAC, Middle East & Africa, CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions stated, “The acquisition of SHL by CEB is excellent news for both our organisations but more specifically, for our clients & members. We are both data-focused businesses and our combination will provide even more powerful and unique commercial insights.”
Robert Morgan, General Manager CEB & President, CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions
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HR Features
Dinosaur CEO Forest explained that CEB has always been of the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ persuasion. She commented, “You don’t need to reinvent the wheel but rather personalise—what will you need in the next five to ten years?” Many organisations looking to expand out of their current geographic location, ideally into the lush green pastures of China, may respond to this—‘a clear answer to what works in each market’. Unfortunately, there is no such template for guaranteed success for westerners courting the lucrative Asian markets, nor is there likely to be one any time soon. Hedley observed that now, and in the near future, the business environment will be populated in part by ‘dinosaur CEOs’— that is, chief executives utilising traditional approaches to talent management and attraction. They will be just as keen to grow as the new innovative enterprises and both will be looking at the same pool of talents with a view to identify, train and retain. The Asia challenge will present itself, according to Adams, through, “Lumpy labour markets, both across and within. Balancing demands with availability will mean facing an abundance of labour, yet a scarcity of talent.” Hedley added, “In 2020, one third of the world’s graduates will come from India or China—it should be easier. But in reality it will be harder to identify talent. Early-stage recognition will be needed. Then the retention fight will be more fierce.” A new type of fight will require a more agile way of thinking.
Big Data Forest shared that most organisations do not know how to interpret and use the data they have about their workforce, and gaining this insight is a step that they need to take. She explained that HR needs to get to the board table, “Ask the right questions and find out where the company is going—be part of the
24 | HR Magazine
growth story.” A mistake that HR makes is failing to fully prepare for the future and having it take them by surprise, explained Hedley, and HR can and should be proactive, not reactive. When it comes to ‘getting it right’, no one management method has it right yet. ‘Replacement planning’ is yet to be replaced by true ‘succession planning’, whether within or without Asia. In fact, only 14% of organisations have ready-to-start successors in place according to the latest Global Assessment Trends Report. Talent analytics may be the way. The interpretation of psychometric tests is not an exact science. If, however, it causes an alarm to go off in a hiring manager’s mind then there is cause for further scrutiny. According to Rachael Reagan, VP HR, Greater China & India, Fonterras, “Companies need to be educating managers to understand that certain parts are more and less important than others in psychometric tests, it shouldn’t be the key determiner for a job offer although if it brings up a red flag then you should probe more.”
HR Features Mike Tims, President Asia Pacific, Africa & Middle East, CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions
Companies need to know how attractive they are to top talent, if they’re not attracting them they have a problem.
Hidden talent Hedley commented, “Companies need to know how attractive they are to top talent, if they’re not attracting them they have a problem.” But where are companies casting their nets? Adams highlighted that the tide has turned when it comes to ideal employers for China’s students. Once keen to work for the MNCs operating in Asia, China’s graduates are now leaning towards domestic employers. Considering this, organisations will have to be even more earnest in their efforts to provide what the Chinese talent wants other than pay, be it work-life balance, benefits or even—as chosen by 34% of respondents for the Greater China Assessment Trends Report—respect. He explained that respect and recognition is given 16% more priority in China, when compared against the global average.
What’s next? CEB’s next research programme will be looking at executive talent sourcing and further into how talent analytics can help uneven the playing field whilst CEB’s SHL Talent Measurement Solutions is set to delve into talent audits—risk, innovation, IT & finance—and HiPo talent.
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HR Features
HR holiday how-to kit The ultimate guide to leaving work behind when you go on holiday by Amanda Yik, Senior Programme Manager, Community Business As Christmas approaches, many of us are thinking of taking a break. But do you bring HR and your office with you on holidays? If you are nodding, you’re not alone. A survey carried out by MIS Asia found that 51% of Hong Kong people continue to work while they are on holiday. A recent Robert Half Workplace Survey revealed that 68% of bosses in Hong Kong expect their staff to be contactable while on holiday, well above the regional average of 40%.
Whilst completely unplugging from work seems like a dream, there are things you can do to help you leave work behind and make the most out of your time off. If you are planning for a holiday, follow these steps to make it a (relatively) work-free one.
3. Cut down on your emails or phone calls the days before your holiday. Not that you should slack off in the lead up to your leave but every communication you make will invite replies and they are likely come in while you are away.
Before you go on leave
4. Draw up a to-do list for when you are back which will give you clarity around what your priorities are. Set up automatic reminders for the tasks that your colleagues are doing for you during your absence, then you don’t have to worry about checking deadlines and reminding them. This can be done quite easily on Outlook.
1. Block days off on your work calendar early, even if you have not confirmed the itinerary. This forces you and your team to plan your work around those dates early on, and think twice before planning a big product launch or important meetings around that time. 2. Designate the day before and after your leave as ‘no meeting days’ to allow you some time to finish up important work before you go and catch up on emails once you’re back. This will reduce the anxiety of having last minute emergencies cropping up just before you go and make it easier to switch off.
26 | HR Magazine
5. The importance of a proper handover is often under-estimated. Preparing a holiday note or holding a handover meeting to give an up-to-date status of the things you are working on what may seem like a time-consuming task, but it serves at least
three important purposes: a) it is an opportunity for you to reflect on the progress you have made and prioritise items on the to-do list; b) it minimises disturbances while you’re trying to unwind because your colleagues are less likely to have to call you for help; c) it keeps the wheels running so that client experience is not compromised. 6. Let important people know that you are on holiday. 7. Leave the gadgets behind. According to Community Business’ 2012 Work-Life Balance Survey, 43% of Hong Kong employees say that mobile technology is bad for work-life balance. If you are the kind of person who is obsessed with checking emails on Blackberries or smartphones, the best strategy is to leave them at home.
HR Features
During your leave 1. Unplug completely, or at least try to unplug for most of it! 2. If a full-blown technology detox is really not possible, designate certain time(s) of the day to check in and stay away from your gadgets at other times. Find a time that works for you given the travel itinerary—for example, either first thing in the morning or right before dinner. 3. Say no to requests to get some work done while you’re away, even if you have free time on your hands. Resist it as much as possible, remember, you deserve a good break... 4. ....but do jot down notes if inspiration or ideas related to work creep up on you. Often when we give ourselves the mind space to wander and take in new experiences, lightbulb moments occur. Take note of these
as quickly as possible so that you can revisit them when you’re back at work. 5. Trust your colleagues to do a great job looking after your work and stepping in for you when necessary. 6. Remember your ‘obligation’ is to make the most of your time away, have lots of fun, relax and recharge, so that you return to work refreshed and energised.
Returning from holiday 7 . Be sure to thank your team for taking care of things while you were off. When it’s their turn to go on leave, support them in the same way you would want to be supported.
meeting-free day to take the time to settle back in the fast-moving work environment. If you are a boss, set a good example. If you manage a team of people, make a point about setting a good example and show your team what it means to have a real holiday. If your team knows you’re firing off emails from the beach, they will feel that they need to do the same when it’s their turn.
Discipline is everything If you think these steps are unrealistic, think about what it really takes for you to have a real break. After all it is your holiday and no one but yourself is responsible for making it work. Think ahead, set your boundaries, communicate and let go. Happy holidays!
8. Take out the to-do list you have prepared before you left and find a quiet space to review and plan out the days ahead. Use this
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HR Features
Outsourcing
— navigate the changes By Bella Khan, General Manager—Business Services, Links International Hong Kong
A wise person once said,
“Change is inevitable, growth is intentional.”
28 | HR Magazine
Successful businesses profit from embracing the idea of intentional growth. In Hong Kong, growth has come from many economic sectors including tourism, luxury goods, retail and banking. Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in 2012 increased by 16% over 2011, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Luxury retail continues to grow across the region, which is driven by increased internal and visitor demand. The statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department show that retail sales have experienced a 14% year-on-year growth over the past 12 months. Many global banks, private equity firms and hedge funds have expanded their operations into Hong Kong. When confronting business growth, and the operational demands stemming from it, do we increase internal headcount to meet change or do we outsource? It is not just about the cost, but your long-term ability to strategically focus on your core business mission. During a period of growth or change, using external experts can help leverage your existing capabilities to accomplish your aims and objectives. Outsourcing can help a company remain
flexible and facilitate change. The company can still run its core functions whilst the outsourced vendor helps to absorb the change. Service quality to both clients and employees can be maintained and improved, even during periods of growth. Outsourcing is also a solution during the company formation stage. According to statistics released by the Companies Registry in July 2013, the number of newly incorporated companies in the first half of 2013 increased by 9% when compared to that in the second half of 2012. New companies face the daunting task of hiring, payroll and arranging visas for their expatriate employees. We are often approached by new clients from overseas to assist with their payroll and visa requirements. They have little knowledge of how to comply with local requirements with regards to Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), Inland Revenue Department (IRD) and Hong Kong Labour Law. Like many new businesses, there is a multitude of more urgent matters that HR professionals need to attend to. For clients with very high turnover figures, for example retail
HR Features
companies, the challenge of increasing levels of product demand coupled with the need to stay on top of starters and leavers and various pay issues, poses a large workload and often distracts companies from their core operations. All systems are set up by going onsite to the client’s location when needed, ensuring that when the business starts operations, all paperwork and information flows smoothly. Beyond cost reduction and time efficiency, we work closely with our clients to ensure strategic business alignment by learning their business model and making sure our services are tailored to facilitate their growth. HR functions such as working visas, payroll and certain talent management duties are often outsourced to external vendors. Most companies just don’t have the resources to do it all and do it well. And if they do, what is the cost? And what other strategic work is being missed? In their book 100 Things you need to Know: Best People Practices for Managers and HR, management experts, Eichinger, Lombardo
and Ulrich, are succinct in noting the best reasons for outsourcing HR administrative functions. Fundamentally, utilising an expert vendor to provide transactional work frees up the HR team for the meaningful strategic and transformative work that is truly value added. As our client grows they continue to outsource, placing high value on the fact that they can focus on their core business, since we provide them with the equivalent of a full time finance, HR and even administration team where necessary, for a fraction of the cost. HR issues the client would face if handling internally such as sick leave, annual leave, resignations, cover for existing staff and other challenges are not something the client ever has to worry about. In a market that is continuously changing the rules and regulations, an outsourced vendor can help you navigate the changes and let you focus on your core business mission with peace of mind.
HR Features
Who is leading the way in
talent investment?
Most HR professionals agree that talent is a critical driver of growth in today’s global environment and that strategic workforce planning is crucial to business success. Some countries, however, are better positioned to contribute to effective workforce development, growth potential and economic success. This is according to a new Human Capital Index. Developed by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Mercer, the index ranks 122 countries in terms of their strengths and weaknesses under the categories of Education; Health & Wellness; Workforce Employment; and Enabling Environment.
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HR Features
Europe leads the way Having analysed more than 90% of the world’s population, the Index reveals that countries in Northern and Western Europe account for eight of the ten top positions, with Switzerland heading the overall global ranking followed by Finland (2), Netherlands (4) and Sweden (5).
Asia Within Asia, Singapore ranks in third place, due to its very strong scores on the Education and Workforce & Employment pillars, in addition to good scores on Enabling Environment. Japan emerged at number 15 due to high marks in Health & Wellness and Workforce & Employment, followed by Malaysia (22) and Korea (23). Adversely, both China (43) and India (78) received low marks in Health & Wellness and Education.
Planning key Commenting on the findings, Pat Milligan, Region President at Mercer and member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Education and Skills said, “For organisations looking to invest, consolidate, or grow operations internationally, effective workforce planning is essential to understanding talent as a strategic asset and maintaining a competitive business advantage. With the Human Capital Index, employers can make country-specific decisions about their talent investments that will impact business growth and long-term success.”
Shaping the future As countries compete to attract talent on a global stage, the Human Capital Index aims to help to inform strategic workforce planning and policies which will ensure that countries and regions have the right talent with the right skills to meet the future needs of employers. Saadia Zahidi, Senior Director and Head of the Human Capital project at the World Economic Forum concluded, “Some countries face an aged or ageing population, others face youth bulges, a few even face both. For some, this means confronting a major upcoming talent crunch, while for others it means developing mechanisms that allow it to realise their population’s potential rather than letting it develop into a burden. In this light, the index is a tool for understanding where countries stand today so that government and business can engage in workforce planning for the future.”
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HR Features
Social media has revolutionised the way employers find potential employees and with 1 billion users on Facebook and 200 million on LinkedIn, organisations have access to a broad candidate pool in a cost-effective way and at the click of a button. But the count seems very much still ‘out there’ when it comes to recruiting via social media. Estimates vary wildly as to how many companies are actually using social media for recruitment: from almost all of them to almost none.
Whilst social channels may seem like the ideal place to source top talent, there are, however, several points which organisations would be prudent to keep in mind when engaging in social media recruitment: 1. One pool does not reach all. Whilst social media can reach a large audience, it does not necessarily reach the right people. Those who rely on social media for recruitment purposes all share the same candidate database so there is a risk that qualified candidates without a social media presence will fall through the cracks. 2. It neglects the passive. A heavy reliance on social media has led us to shun highly qualified but passive candidates, those individuals who are likely to be already happily employed and therefore not looking to make a move any time soon. In this case, the posting of job openings on social media may have little to no impact at all. 3. Quantity does not necessarily mean quality. Those applicants who do have a presence in the social media sphere are able to tap into the concept that the more
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connections one has and the bigger their network, the more trustworthy they are and the more credibility they deserve—the ‘who you know’ factor—a wrongful assumption which businesses continue to make. Many connections made through social media are done hastily and do not even guarantee a personal meet up. 4. You see what they want you to see. Despite the fact that these networks are increasingly considered as professional networks, candidates can easily tailor their profiles so that their weaknesses are hidden from others while their past responsibilities, achievements and experiences are blatantly displayed. 5. No room for personal judgement. Social media leaves little room for personal judgement, which should still be taken into consideration when assessing a candidate’s fit with the role as well as with the company, however undergoing reference checks for candidates can solidify the credibility of the candidate’s résumé.
Despite the limitations of social media, it still stands as a suitable tool for supporting recruitment needs and, if utilised properly, can help companies to build their brand and position themselves as an excellent place to work, in turn attracting candidates. Recruiting efforts should be an extension of the brand and portray an accurate image of the company so that candidates who apply for jobs will know whether they are the right fit. Less than 14% of HR practitioners; comprising HR Directors, CEOs, COOs and Managing Directors, in APAC use social media for recruitment purposes. This according to research from Bó Lè Associates. The results also showed that social media only ranked fourth in terms of the quality of applicants, behind referrals, internal transfers and direct sourcing, suggesting it is not always a favourable way to handle recruitment issues. Yet despite the apparant lack of uptake, social media is still a formidable force and LinkedIn is a classic example of the power of social recruitment (see adjacent article).
HR Features
The importance of
personal branding What is personal branding, and just how important is it? With the online digital revolution in full swing, the art of how people market themselves and their career as a ‘brand’ is a frequent water cooler and dinner party topic of discussion. It seems we are constantly receiving emails from various social media websites inviting us to join and post our profile online for ‘free’.
Whilst previous self-help management techniques were about self-improvement, the personal-branding concept instead suggests that success comes from self-packaging—how you present yourself to your target audience. How can we create a memorable, positive and professional online brand and why is this important for HR professionals?
LinkedIn power profiles Professional networking site LinkedIn has recently unveiled Hong Kong’s Power Profiles list of the 41 most-viewed LinkedIn profiles. This list includes the people whose pages receive the highest number of hits out of the 600,000 people using the site in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s Power Profiles list includes C-suite professionals, senior executives and entrepreneurs from industries spanning human resources, technology, the Internet, finance, retail and marketing & advertising. Commenting on the development, Nellie Chan, Director Southeast and North Asia, LinkedIn opined, “Hong Kong is one of the most competitive talent markets in the region, serving as the regional hub for many international companies. As a result, having the right skills and connections plays a key role in professional growth and development.”
LinkedIn recommends these quick steps to build an effective profile: 1. Add a position 2. Add at least three skills 3. Add your education 4. Add your industry 5. Add your photo
The right ‘guanxi’ People often speak about the extreme importance of networking in Hong Kong and Asia in general, and the greater emphasis placed on ‘knowing the right people’ in comparison to the lower relative importance of this phenomenon in the west. When companies in Hong Kong hire; internal recruiting, referrals and recommendations are frequently now the first actions in HR’s attempt at filling a vacancy, as opposed to simply posting a job advertisement or contacting a recruitment company. Much of LinkedIn’s success in the Asia region (and in particular Greater China) can be attributed to the fact that people perceive networking to have a higher priority here than they do in the US, UK or Australia.
Thousands of daily hits In theory, having a Power Profile and a substantial view count on your profile will lead to increased job offers, business proposals, services offered and general networking opportunities. According to Chan, “The list includes those LinkedIn members in Hong Kong who truly understand the need for personal branding. Many of them are seeing the value of investing time in LinkedIn to build and reinforce their personal brand, grow their connections and obtain insights.”
Know thy neighbour HR departments may take advantage of LinkedIn for a number of important reasons. Being able to identify, communicate with, and hire top talent for practically zero cost (besides time) is a godsend for many companies, particularly those SMEs that don’t have the luxuries of a large recruiting budget. So, what are the drawbacks of personal branding? People can write whatever—and be whoever—they want on LinkedIn. If someone has limited experience in a field they want to enter, they can always ‘window dress’ their profile to buffer-up their experience. After all, white lies on LinkedIn can’t get you into the same kind of trouble with fraud as a factually-incorrect CV, can it? In an effort to lead to greater transparency in substantiating peoples’ claims of expertise, LinkedIn has created the Skills & Expertise section, where people can ‘endorse’ someone based on the skills they perceive that person has. But would people think very carefully before endorsing a colleague or friend for skills they do not really have, or would they simple click willy-nilly, in the hope that the target person then reciprocates the favour? Whilst LinkedIn is a fantastically powerful and inexpensive tool for HR and recruiting teams to take full advantage of, it is important to identify and understand the potential drawbacks that come with the self-packaging phenomenon and the rise of personal-branding social networking.
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HR Features
HR struggles
to retain top talent With ‘jobs for life’ becoming a thing of the past, employees are increasingly looking to networking with other firms to become more aware of the potential career opportunities available to them. Whether they look for more money, better conditions, better training or a more senior position, employees are constantly on the lookout and very open to passive interviewing with external companies. With this in mind, how can HR stem the tide of staff turnover and retain more of the company’s best performers?
All aboard!
A changing workforce
According to the recent HKIHRM Quarterly Survey on Manpower Statistics, Hong Kong is suffering the highest levels of staff turnover in over a decade. HR departments are struggling to cope with high attrition rates, which are currently running at 17%.
As the Gen Y workforce continues to grow, they bring both a different attitude and a different set of requirements to the workplace. Fifteen or 20 years ago employees would specialise in a single field and often stay with just one or two firms throughout their career. Today’s workers often aspire to have multiple roles throughout their career and to work in multiple industries, sectors and disciplines.
Resource and talent management provider firm Alexander Mann Solutions has reported that employees are increasingly looking outside their current organisation for opportunities, which is forcing companies to play catch up and constantly chase new candidates to replace leavers. Martin Cerullo, Managing Director, Development—APAC for Alexander Mann Solutions stated, “Staff attrition is a concern for organisations all over the world. The reason it is so pronounced in Hong Kong is that strong economies provide a far greater variety of choices and volume of opportunities to the skilled workforce. With the APAC region’s economy in a decent shape and Hong Kong looking particularly competitive, staff attrition is going to remain high on the talent agenda for the foreseeable future. It is essential that businesses find ways to successfully address this issue.”
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Are we looking in the right places? According to Cerullo, organisations and HR teams usually put more effort and resources into recruiting new talent from external sources than they do for retaining existing talent. He commented, “It’s easier to recruit staff from outside the organisation, especially with the sourcing tools at a recruiter’s disposal. But this means overlooking existing staff who may be interested in new opportunities within the company.” Cerullo added that, as a result, internal candidates will in turn look to opportunities outside of their current employer as they may feel they are not getting the same level of care as external candidates.
Companies that encourage or mandate internal mobility programmes—and have the appropriate structures and processes to do so—fare better than those that view internal mobility as a bolt-on to regular recruitment. Cerullo also noted that when companies invest the time, effort and resources to build a strong employer brand and a positive working environment, it becomes easier to present opportunities to an internal audience. He observed, “Remember—the day-to-day experience of working in a company is crucial, both in selling the company to external candidates looking for their next opportunity, and to the retention of existing staff who are delivering value.” In conclusion, it appears HR needs to focus more on developing and promoting internal movement opportunities within the organisation as well as focusing on strong employer branding and creating a great place to work. It is clear that Hong Kong is facing some serious challenges with staff turnover. Those companies who address these problems early on, as opposed to burying their heads in the sand and hoping the problems will disappear, will be the long-term winners.
HR Features
Doing the basics well In the US, USD 50 billion is spent on earning the loyalty of customers each year: but how much does HR spend on earning the loyalty of candidates?
HR Magazine recently went along to #TruHongKong, an ‘unconference’ organised by IPSOS, where HR professionals and CEOs gathered to share their experience on some of the challenges faced by HR departments and simple adjustments that can be made to stay on top in the world of ever-changing HR processes and procedures. Jidi Guo, Marketing Manager, Maximum Employment Marketing Group, Shanghai kicked off the discussion on mobile recruitment posing the question, “The candidates are ready, are we?” From H1 2012 to H1 2013, mobile web-traffic grew 125% while desktop web-traffic grew a mere 12%, according to the latest findings from BrightEdge, Enterprise SEO firm. Furthermore, job searching is one of the top five searches made on a mobile device. With this in mind, HR needs to make some major adjustments in order to evolve with the times, adopting suitable technologies to effectively engage and retain talent.
Are we ready? With mobile devices simplifying everything in our lives, the increasing expectation is that everything should be simple, easy and efficient. We love simple and tend to avoid people, processes, and technology that complicate. When it comes to job searching on our mobiles, that expectation remains the same. Searching for a job on a mobile device, however, can be a real effort when faced with non-user-friendly mobile sites and inadvertently discourages many applicants.
Doing the basics well The general consensus across the board is that we need to go back and evaluate how effective we are in terms of the basics. We’ve seen some abysmal recruitment marketing strategies, take the QR code promotion for example; a QR code job-link to a job application that connects you to a non-optimised mobile career site. This is a poor approach to engaging the talent market. Another trick most companies are missing is the power of data; many firms have a simple job application system in place, with no method of harnessing and utilising the valuable data captured. As HR departments we need to be slick and efficient with the basics. Mobile-optimising a career site and having basic data-capturing tools to further develop and engage top talent are simple adjustments that can be made to enhance the possibility of securing the best candidates.
Do candidates really matter? Jarred King, Co-Founder, e3 Reloaded took the discussion down the route of ‘candidate experience’, challenging common HR practices when it comes to recruiting new employees. In the US, USD 50 billion is spent on earning the loyalty of customers each year. How much does HR spend on earning the loyalty of candidates?
Why don’t we treat candidates like royalty? The response is often because we don’t have the time or budget and, in some cases, we have the view that candidates should be earning their way into a job and therefore their journey into that job is irrelevant. According to King, however, to attract the best we need to be the best—and that means treating candidates like kings and queens. King shared, “Royal treatment attracts royal employees and HR needs to adopt a proactive approach in terms
of the candidate experience. Roll out the red carpet, use the executive suite for interviews, ensure your candidates are offered a drink.” By taking these simple, cost-effective approaches you are giving yourself the best chance of attracting quality employees. Moreover, if someone is unsuccessful they will still have something good to say about your organisation. Essentially they have the power—the power of choice—and if their overall experience makes them feel like royalty they will share their experience, which will ultimately enhance the reputation of your organisation, making you more attractive to top talent. Additionally, Sergio Sergei Makhmodov, CEO, Daxtra Technologies Asia Ltd shared on the value found in data that can be extracted from CVs and how focusing on getting relevant content from CVs will enable you to make a more informed decision when cherry picking talent.
Makhmodov suggested the following top tips when it comes to finding and securing talent: • a good recruiter will look at the current job of a potential candidate; • keep track of the source of the CV; • engage your talent community; and • linking CVs with online profiles is key to staying up-to-date.
The global talent community is a closed environment and therefore HR needs to actively engage and network to secure the future talent of the business. If you have a billion-dollar project, but have the wrong project manager, you’re wasting your time.
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HR Features
Giving voice to key talent Executive presence rarely comes naturally and yet it is the wow factor that all key talent are expected to possess. It is the key determiner for entry to the exclusive ‘C-Suite Club’, according to Geri Stengel of Forbes Online Magazine. And, if absent, that upward trajectory can be stopped in its tracks if you don’t look, sound, and act like an executive, she warns. HR Magazine recently caught up with David Pope, Managing Director, All Voice Talent Ltd, Hong Kong’s only studio-based voice coaching organisation, to find out why vocal skills are crucial for those who want to fast track up the succession pipeline.
Speak with power Whilst many established executive coaching programmes do focus on voice projection as one small yet vitally important part of executive training, very few focus solely on the voice. According to Pope, however, vocal skills can make all the difference in ensuring that a message is delivered clearly and with impact. “One’s voice is the cornerstone of executive presence and vital to our ability to command attention” says Pope, whose programmes take place in a professional recording studio. “Your vocal performance directly affects the way your message will be received and how you say something is equally as important as what you say. So often, the impact of a sharp, informative speech or a compelling PowerPoint presentation is undermined by poor vocal delivery.”
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Listen to be heard In Pope’s view, (having spent 25 years in recording studios) intense exposure to one’s voice is the only way to become self–aware of one’s vocal strengths and weaknesses. He cites tone, pitch, intonation and pace as the vital building blocks of good vocal technique, and executives get to explore these facets through a range of practical exercises. They then, thanks to the studio technology, hear themselves in action, often for the first time. He explained, “It’s incredible how many of our programme participants understand that their voice is crucial to their success, yet have never truly heard it before and so have no idea of its impact. There is no escaping the vocal subtleties and nuances—for better or for worse —especially when heard through headphones and in stereo. For many this is the eureka moment when they finally realise the full effect of their voice, begin to feel its power, and understand how to use it more effectively.” Pope and his team offer Executive Voice Coaching programmes, attracting senior executive level talent from all areas of business life. Here they coach individuals and small groups to explore their vocal power using audio record and playback functions to hone in on and highlight the voice.
Take a new approach For key talent, understanding their vocal ability will change the way they approach work
situations where the voice is everything, such as teleconferences, speeches, webinars and pitches. It is also a necessary step in acquiring the skills to manage their voice properly, and determine the way it is received. Vocal power brings with it a deeper sense of confidence and this can impact not only on one’s overall executive presence, but all areas of professional life. Commenting on his own participation on All Voice Talent’s Executive Coaching programme, Robert Broad, Vice President at Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong said, “It was very gratifying to gain an awareness of my voice, how it can work for, and against, me in different scenarios, and to learn the nuances and techniques of control. I walked away thinking about how I could incorporate these lessons into all aspects of my working life.” With many talented individuals jostling for a limited number of leadership positions, the competition is fierce. Success is determined by several factors, one of which is executive presence, a skill set of which voice is a critical part. Ultimately, the ability to know the effect your voice has on the way you are heard, and to use it to your advantage will determine whether or not you move up the succession pipeline and gain entry to the exclusive ‘C-Suite Club’. Find the power of your voice. Get in touch with All Voice Talent at: executivevoice@allvoicetalent.com
HR Features
Senior-level recruitment:
breaking the myths After an extensive analysis of 619 senior hires and over 350,000 applicants, Cazar, a recruitment technology and service company based in Hong Kong, has cleared up some common misconceptions about how senior management is recruited in the digital era. The Cazar report takes into account more than 30 medium & large companies in Asia over a 15-month period between June 2012 and September 2013, across diverse sectors including retail, construction, banking, transport, IT and telecom. Vacancies for CXO positions and senior director roles across various departments were analysed in an attemp to dispell common myths.
Myth #1: Recruiting senior management cannot be done online The study shows that senior candidates prefer to engage directly with employers online - much more than entry level or middle management candidates. Quality senior applicants shy away from sending their CV to a generic application form, free job boards, public email addresses and prefer to engage with the employer directly via their career website. Myth #2: Senior roles require executive recruitment agencies Cazar’s study suggests that employers have become very proficient at finding top candidates online themselves. Such companies have a clear online recruitment strategy, tools and a content rich corporate career website. This setup allows them to get a surplus of qualified senior candidates and build a good talent pool.
Key findings • Employer career websites were the biggest source of senior hires, 38%. • A company’s talent pool of previously screened and interviewed applicants made up 22% of senior hires • Successful senior candidates came from the company intranet, 14%. • Employee referrals make up 7% of senior recruits • Recruiting someone from the talent pool is the quickest—24 days on average—and most cost-effective way of finding senior hires • Job boards generated 28% of applications for senior roles but produced only 4% of actual hires • Using an agency for recruitment is the hiring method that costs the most and that takes the longest: 71 days.
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HR Features
The power of personality in business HR Magazine recently went along to a seminar organised by Profile Search & Selection, with guest speaker Kate Woodley, Director, Facet5 sharing from her research on psychometric testing and how businesses can harness personality assessment tools to ensure better talent management. According to Woodley, a comprehensive character assessment is as important as assessing previous qualifications or experience when considering new hires. This information can provide a useful insight into how the candidate would integrate into the company and how their personal traits would mesh with the existing company culture. Woodley explained, “If an individual is high in control, the benefits are that they will be organised, reliable, conscientious and responsible. The risks, however, involve being perceived as too authoritarian, inhibited,
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intolerant and rigid.” She added, “On the other hand the benefits of an individual having low control are creativity, free thinking, radical and uninhibited behaviour at the risk of being perceived as irresponsible, unreliable, unfocused and unplanned.” When it comes to business impact, having someone with character and drive will inevitably bring benefits and move the business forward. At the same time though, being aware of the risks involved in hiring someone that may be high in a particular characteristic will enable you to better deal with situations, preempting how relationships will pan out. Essentially, the idea is to develop a personality that best suits your professional disposition, you don’t want to pretend to be someone you’re not, as your true colours will eventually overshadow the façade.
HR Features
Pure Zenius for HR Coffee revolution in half-a-minute
Speedy, sleek & simple Staff pushed for time in the office? The new Zenius coffee machine incorporates new technology which heats water to the optimum temperature for coffee in just 35 seconds. This allows staff to grab their cup of coffee faster than ever before. With its simple and robust construction, the Zenius can withstand the rigors of any workplace pantry—large or small. Yet, its sleek design and ease of use make it equally at home in reception areas and boardrooms where guests can help themselves to the perfect brew.
Energy saving It’s not just about speed and style though; as well as saving time, the unit also helps save energy. By only heating exactly the right amount for one brew each time, the unit avoids the need to boil a large volume of water. The Zenius also features an automatic power-off function, helping save even more energy.
WHAT’S NEW • Cup size recommendation • Automatic power-off function • Ultra fast heating capability (~35 sec)
Building on its enormous success in providing HR with workplace coffee solutions, Nespresso has continued its innovation in the business-to-business sphere. Its latest offering, the new Zenius coffee machine, not only delivers great coffee but also manages to do so in just a shade over 30 seconds.
tures Key fea
, istretto sizes: R p u • c le grammab o 3 pro ngo u L ejection o & tion and ) r e Espress s in pressure l capsule -19 bar 6 (1 p o Manua m u p ressure ank sules o High-p water t le b va sed cap o u m e 5 r 2 L r o 2.3 acity fo iner cap o Conta upport g cup s o P i votin rm aling ala o Desc (h) r alarm ) x 31cm nal filte 40cm (d x ) o Optio (w m sions: 19c o Dimen t: ~7kg o Weigh | 39
HR Features
Communication keys Over the past five years, the IT landscape has significantly changed. With the exponential growth and development of mobile and cloud-based platforms and, user knowledge and experience has grown in turn. It is therefore imperative that HR find innovative ways of utilising this technology to improve the delivery of staff mentoring. Engagement is vital
HR Magazine recently caught up with Hermann Lam, Product Manager, FlexSystem to find out how IT can help HR enhance communication to more productively mentor and manage staff. Lam expounded that from an IT perspective, the standardisation of information within a business is fundamental if HR is to drive success. Utilising HRMS to integrate Employee Self Service (ESS), Time & Attendance, Leave Management, Performance Management etc will better enable HR to function to its full capacity. HR is the one department that personally touches every individual within an organisation, and consequently is uniquely positioned to directly affect every employee, steering them towards company goals.
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Harnessing the power of technology within an organisation means that your internal communication is functioning at an optimal level; it is an important step towards helping HR successfully manage and mentor teams. Moreover, internal communication should not only be adopted during times of crisis or through transitional periods, but should rather be common practice. Ineffective communication can have retrogressive ramifications, and it is therefore pressing that HR take the necessary steps to implement an internal communication strategy. Effective management of people communication makes a serious difference in the future of any business. That does not mean having more policies, nor offering the highest salary to hire people. It is about optimising
HR Features
Cultivate creativity Lam gave some additional insight into how FlexSystem approaches staff mentoring, highlighting that they avoid the ‘bureaucratic approach’ and rather offer staff the freedom to be innovative. Employees are trained in a way that gives them the opportunity to explore their own ideas. Lam explained, “The more exposure an employee is given, the quicker they learn, which in turn cultivates creativity.” Moreover, the more transparent management is, the more the overall level of knowledge will increase.
Lam explained that ESS platforms are becoming increasingly prevalent in Hong Kong and, therefore, HR needs to optimise effectiveness through adopting and integrating these technologies. This will allow HR to facilitate improvement in sharing information with teams, ease the distribution of training materials, and more importantly give staff the freedom to access useful content on-demand, reducing the HR’s administrative tasks so that they can focus on recognising and developing talents.
Lam gave the following pointers for getting the most out of a team: • give employees the opportunity to work on different projects in order to avoid stagnation; • make expectations clear; • encourage employees to try their own ideas; • be a good listener; • avoid the ‘top down’ approach; • ensure keeping communication open and flowing; and • add the fun-factor into the working environment.
HR operations with the right strategy, and implementing a suitable communication strategy and well-designed collaboration platform is the key. Through electronic documentation and standardized workflow processes, everything is made easy and efficient. The employee self-service platform on the web not only streamlines workflow but also improves internal communication and staff engagement The advantages of putting together technology and automating HR to cope with the specific business needs is definitely enhancing workflow management and HR operations, providing management a completed analytical information for decision and drive the people-centric organisation towards success. Herman Lam, Product Manager, FlexSystem
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HR Features
Unlocking the full potential of organisational values By Bastian Luecke, Senior Consultant of atrain GmbH with offices in Germany, Hong Kong, the USA and Brazil.
Organisational values have been identified as a crucial factor in achieving essential HR goals such as successful talent recruitment and employee motivation. However, the true potential of these values is hardly ever realised and though they can contribute greatly to a company’s success, many companies’ actual values are hardly in line with their aspired values. There are, however, solutions to resolve this mismatch and harness the full potential of organisational values.
Creating value added Organisational values are far more than philanthropy, they are an essential means to achieve future economic success. We argue that values cannot only help you attract the best talents for your company, but are also essential for retaining and motivating them.
Attracting the best talents The ‘war for talents’ has been identified as a crucial macro trend in HR. A rapidly aging population is driving this trend in Europe, the USA and Japan while China will soon be confronted with a similar demographic development as a result of its one-child policy. A second factor powering this war, particularly relevant in many Asian countries, is the limited availability of High Potentials. The enormous economic growth in many Asian countries has not been matched by a systematic development of HiPos and future leaders resulting in a highly competitive market for talents. The importance of a company’s ability to attract and retain the best talents is further accentuated by an increased mobility of HiPos. In particular well-educated HiPos show a high willingness to be mobile across countries and employers. Companies are therefore well advised to engage actively in this ‘war for talents’ by carefully considering what could help them attract the best candidates. These attractors that draw the best talents to a company have been shifting as illustrated by the Gen Y debate. It is a different set of values that attracts this new generation. Hard factors such as salary and career progression have
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been losing importance in favour of soft factors such as finding meaning in one’s work and working for a company that shares their values. The 2006 Cone Millennial Cause Study concluded that a large majority of Gen Y wants to work for companies that care about and contribute to society. Even more, they stated they would refuse to work for an irresponsible company. Organisational values are therefore an indispensable opportunity to attract the best talents. Defining values that resonate with employees is also a very cost-effective measure as a value-fit between employees and company is a strong internal motivator, able to substitute external motivators such as higher salaries. But organisational values are not only uniquely suited to attract the best talents to your company, but also to improve productivity.
Creating a common identity and increasing productivity Fostering employee motivation and commitment to company goals is a fundamental responsibility of HR. It has been shown that a positive common identity (e.g. as employees at a company) is essential to increase both motivation and commitment and therefore general productivity. A shared-value system is a fundamental requirement to develop such a shared identity. However, most companies support a common identity only through company design and communication and neglect the development of a homogeneous and truly lived identity among their employees; or they try to enforce an artificial identity. However, dictating a company identity has proven inefficient as employees often
rebuff these efforts, resulting in internal conflict rather than in increased productivity. A common identity can’t be enforced. Instead employees have to be attracted to it. Creating a value fit between individual and organisational level via selection and development is an excellent way to do so. People tend to perceive others with the same values as more likeable and congenial. The same goes for companies. Creating an individual-organisation value-fit is therefore an essential step towards increasing your employees’ motivation and commitment and thus increasing productivity. Moreover, once promising talents have been attracted, a common identity based on shared values is an excellent way to retain these talents and tie them to your company. Organisational values are in summary a fundamental concept to attract the best talents in a highly competitive market, retain these talents, and increase employee motivation and productivity.
HR Features
Unlocking the full potential of organisational values
values defined by management and values experienced by employees in everyday life.
This tremendous potential of organisational values is rarely realised in real life. The implementation of these values often ends after a random compilation of socially-desired values has been posted on the company website.
Secondly, core values have to be defined. A clearly defined set of organisational values helps greatly to communicate why your company is the best company to work for. Many companies’ values are so broad that they become interchangeable. Overly broad, all-encompassing value systems are hardly suited to set your company apart from its competitors. A value system should be brief but well selected focusing on core values that are essential for your company.
A study conducted by the Boston Research Group suggests that the perception of company values by managers (values how they should be) and employees (actual everyday values) often differs substantially. This indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of how organisational values can be implemented. It also displays a severe disconnect between many companies’ acknowledgment of the crucial importance of values and their half-hearted implementation on an organisational level. The true danger of this discrepancy between publicly declared values and the everyday reality of its employees is not that this company is perceived as less virtuous. It is potentially perceived as hypocritical, severely damaging its reputation among its employees. But how to implement organisational values the right way? We identified four essential steps that are crucial to introduce a value system tailored to your company’s culture, lived in everyday life and delivers on its promises: Step 1: Defining a shared and specific value system The definition of a company’s value system requires more than setting up an arbitrary list of socially desired values. The values must be shared and specific. First, it is important to identify the values of your current employees as this is the ground you build your value system on. The best way to assess your employees’ values and their perception of your company’s values is an empirical survey among your employees. Such an empirical assessment will unveil possible gaps between
Step 2: Organisational values are a long-term commitment The true potential of a value system lies in the long run, a strategic level. Developing an organisational value system therefore requires long-term commitment. Building trust with employees is an extremely important aspect of a successful value system and this requires consistency and commitment to your values. It is not enough to define noble values. A company then has to put its money where its mouth is and support these values with organisational means. If, for example, a company defines family as a core value, it better supports this claim with structural support for its employees, such as a company kindergarten. The implementation of an organisational value system thus requires the alignment of HR and general management to consistently build the credibility of its values. Step 3: Value-based selection, development and feedback systems To ensure consistency, the defined values should be used as a basis for the talent management and people development processes of the organisation. Values should be systematically assessed when recruiting new employees. Values-based behaviour should be defined as an essential component of performance and discussed during regular
feedback and performance management conversations. Managers should reflect on values and values-based behaviour during leadership development programs. Such practices will send a consistent message to the organisation’s people that performance is more than just obtaining results – how these results are achieved really matters. An online 360° feedback that is tailored to your company’s unique value system, assessing your values with precise behavioural markers is an excellent tool to incorporate values into the organisational development process in a structured and efficient way. Step 4: Identifying and developing value champions Perhaps the most challenging but also the most rewarding task during the implementation of a value system is to identify and develop leaders that not only meet the professional requirements but also champion your company’s values. Leaders that are also value champions are the best advocates to spread and reinforce your company’s values as they are not only motivated to communicate these values but also act on these values out of conviction. It is exactly this alignment of communicated values and value informed behaviour and decision making that truly builds trust in a company’s values, both internally among its employees but also externally between a company and society at large. Taking these steps will enable you to use the full potential of your company’s values to attract the best talents in the ’war for talents‘, motivate and retain them at low cost while gaining a cutting edge over your competitors.
Want to share your thoughts about something you read in this article or send us your questions relating to talent management/organisation development? Email us at question@atrain.com and we will provide you with some insight on them.
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HR community
HR conference Attracting the best global leaders: executive recruitment & employer branding
What’s in a name? A lot, it would seem. When it comes to capturing top talent within today’s competitive candidate pools, a company must be more than just a name—it must be a brand. It may sound simple, but an organisation’s ability to develop a strong corporate identity and communicate this to the public could make all the difference in placing itself a cut above the rest and attracting the best global leaders. So what can HR do to help build a company brand and how can they get employees involved in the process?
Attracting and retaining executives via effective staff development programmes Tim Carrey Managing Director, Hong Kong, atrain Ltd
HR Magazine decided to put this question to the floor at its latest conference, Attracting the best global leaders: executive recruitment & employer branding. More than 250 HR practitioners gathered together to share ideas, advice and case studies on a range of different issues that organisations need to consider when using their brand to attract, engage and retain top talent across the region. Tim Carrey, Managing Director, Hong Kong, atrain Ltd
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HR community
Tim Carey opened the conference with examples of how companies can attract and retain talent in the context of personalised experience and how this builds a brand. Posing the question: ‘What do great companies do in talent management and how do they deal with talent management?’, Carey proceeded with a personal example of how a company he worked with adopted strategies from simulation-style training, which led to them being certified as one of the top employers of China from 2011 to 2013. The talent development sphere is all about changing behaviour and mindset and in order to achieve this, Carey explained that firms must create an awareness of the need for change. He advocates simulation-style training around real-life work situations. The training is designed to make participants fail. When an individual reaches the point of failure, they can be offered feedback—focusing on motivation— ensuring that the feedback remains interactive. This leads to self-reflection, a vital ingredient to learning and realising the need for change. This method of practice, feedback, self-reflection and then practice again, Carey explained, establishes self-awareness of the areas that need improvement, cultivating a desire amongst employees to improve their performance.
Cultural branding & your employee value proposition Cassady Winston Senior Director, HR, Asia, AECOM
Cassady Winston, Senior Director, HR, Asia, AECOM
Cassady Winston addressed the fundamental question, ‘What drives a candidate to choose to join one organisation over another?’ and explored the importance of creating a trusted company brand to attract and engage top talent. Using the examples of PepsiCo and Coca Cola, Winston explained how brands achieve authority over time by tapping into a ‘myth market’, creating an iconic brand based on ideas drawn from cultural anxiety. Once an iconic brand has been created, he said, companies can invite the outsider to become a part of that brand. He commented, “Taking a sip of Pepsi means they are not only buying a drink, but partaking in a myth.” Winston referred to this process as the ‘business card effect’. Companies leverage their brand to create an emotional attachment with potential candidates, who are fully engaged from the moment they are presented with a business card through to their application for a position with the company. He stressed that a brand is not just a logo, but rather an identity that can become part of the candidate’s identity over time. Presenting a strong brand can lead candidates to question whether their own personal brand aligns with that of the organisation and encourage them to imagine themselves being part of that brand.
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Harnessing employer branding to attract the best executive talent KAnny Ho Director, HR, Jones International
Joe Logudic, Senior VP—APAC, Brookfield Global Relocation Services
Leveraging best practices & case studies in global mobility to recruit, select, deploy & retain the best global talent & develop true global leaders Joe Logudic Senior VP—APAC, Brookfield Global Relocation Services To get the best return on investment in global assignees employers must keep their ears to the ground and stay ahead of each wave of change. Logudic advised, “The world of global mobility has become less tactical and more focused on talent management.” Take advantage of the increased internationality of talent networks and attract and retain the talent you find, by directing attention and resources to the following five areas: 1. Education Family needs hold huge sway with potential expats. While it may not be possible to hijack the local waiting lists, it is not only money that can help place expat children. Be well versed in the various admission tools available. Explore sibling priority, passport
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preference, debentures and nomination rights schemes. Educate expats on the many equally-excellent-but-lesser-known international schools in Hong Kong. 2. Mobile Millennials & sea turtles (海归;hǎiguī) Up to 80% of Mobile Millenials want to work abroad during their careers. Over half of these will employ social media as a means of networking for opportunities. Upgrade mobility webpages, lure back ‘sea turtles’ and provide intercultural training. 3. Immigration Consult an immigration expert to advise on the intricacies of legislative updates relating to immigration in Hong Kong, regarding visa processing times, fees and penalties. 4. Housing Rental prices are currently low and therefore companies can reduce the cost burden of expat packages without having to resort to serviced apartments. 5. Mobility costs Review expat policies, prioritise funding and negotiate rental contracts.
The first female and first Asian speaker of the day, Kanny Ho opened up her discussion by emphasising the importance of being ‘the first’ in industry, and how such an image can affect company branding and visibility. Using the allegory of ‘it takes two people to dance’, Ho stated that the role of HR was to ‘dance’ with people, markets and society, further explaining that it is the role of HR to translate the company values to all facets of public perception. By placing HR in the position of a communication platform, Ho highlighted the importance of HR involvement in all levels of management and corporate structure. Through a process of clear recognition, awards and promotion of innovation, Ho discussed how Jones International had enhanced company loyalty and talent retention through the continuous involvement of their HR team, indicating that the level of HR involvement at Jones should serve as an example for other APAC companies and organisations. By encouraging an internal company culture, Ho explained that Jones had improved its retention and recruitment rates due to employee loyalty and enjoyment of the current work environment as promoted by the HR team.
HR community
Advice from Work Group in Asia on employer branding Neil Chowings Managing Director, Work Group in Asia
Neil Chowings, Managing Director Work Group in Asia
Neil Chowings advocated that the relationships a company builds with its employees are as important as the ones it builds with its customers, which is why brand strategy is more important than ever before. With the abundance of career websites in the past few years, reputation means everything and communicating a brand effectively could make all the different in attracting or deterring the best talent. He explained that the surge in popularity of information sharing platforms such as Glassdoor.com, where employees can openly discuss their experiences working for different companies, has encouraged awareness of employer branding and the importance of building a trusted brand that upholds a positive reputation. Chowings explained, “People are talking about organisations and it is important to know this. The simple thing to remember is why should the people you want choose to work with you rather than anyone else.� Using Coca Cola in China as an example, he demonstrated how aligning brand identity with employee identity created a stronger brand, which was achieved by visually profiling employees with the shadow of a Coca Cola bottle. He explained that developing the brand goes hand in hand with showing the passion of the employees themselves.
Hard-hitting questions from the audience of over 250 HR professionals Kenny Ho, Director, HR Jones International
Ada Li, Senior Associate, DLA Piper recieves thanks from Paul Arkwright
Moving employees around: the top 5 employment issues Ada Li Senior Associate, DLA Piper Looking at HR from a different angle, Ada Li addressed the legal issues involved in moving employees on assignment. She began by outlining the various factors to consider when moving employees and how this may affect contracts and continued service. She outlined the differences, benefits, and risks between Direct and Dual Employment Contracts, and which may be more appropriate for certain situations. Li urged consideration of local and overseas employment laws, with emphasis on the laws within the particular jurisdiction of employment, and how this may affect the drafting of an employment contract. In examining the common pitfalls of secondment arrangements, she encouraged employers to have a heightened awareness of tax laws and what may be required in terms of additional payments and local obligations due to the seconded employee. All of this is naturally compounded with immigration and sponsorship issues, which Li indicated should be outlined and explained explicitly in the employment contract. Speaking from a legal standpoint, she expounded on the importance of considering every aspect of overseas or seconded employment, from inception and immigration through to potential termination in the drafting of an employment contract when moving employees.
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Charles Caldwell, Director, HR, English Schools Foundation
The leadership landscape in Asia & how headhunters can affect your brand Charles Caldwell Director, HR, English Schools Foundation Four distinct generations— traditionalists, baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y— collaborating in the workplace cannot help but present a style mismatch. Not only are jobs no longer for life, presenting opportunities for employees to develop and advance through promotion, jobs are rapidly outgrowing their people. The complexity of roles is growing and changing ever faster. In addition, research from Mercer shows that women and locals in APAC are still struggling to make it into the leadership ranks, failing to keep development in pace with demand. Caldwell advised that salary trends globally will veer from the common course over the coming years; for some, salaries will remain
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high while in other industries talent costs will decrease as local talent begins to move up in seniority. People are one of the most valuable resources available to an economy and organisations will find it to their detriment if employees are not healthy, educated and integrated into valuable work. Not only must companies develop human capital, but they must also be aware of how talent will react to their organisation in the marketplace. Since RPOs are the face of the company, they must be chosen well; a lack of etiquette and professionalism could reflect badly upon the company and blemish the brand.
HR community
Kris Lui shares advice from Proctor & Gamble on attracting the best global leaders. Kris Lui Head of Human Resources, Proctor & Gamble Winning and being happy 1. Create a sense of pride among your employees. Employees who feel proud of the organisation are far less likely to leave.
4. Establish an effective work-life balance. As HR, encourage the team to take time to recharge, whether through yoga, gym, badminton or even having someone come round the office to give massages!
2. Review line managers’ capabilities. The number one reason people leave an organisation is their line manager. Have line manager workshops coaching them on how to effectively engage with their teams and build morale.
5. Provide a competitive package. For many individuals, a competitive package is the edging factor that will win them over to an organisation. Ensure that salary packages are competitive.
3. Review career development plans. Conduct quarterly talent reviews. Additionally, make a conscious effort to address poor performers, with the aim of turning them around.
6. Create family connections. Give small tokens of appreciation to employees’ families; this will create an emotional connection which could potentially increase retention.
Kris Lui, Head of Human Resources, Proctor & Gamble
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Supporting Sponsors
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Blanchard Asia-Pacific Leadership Summit
Ken Blanchard (centre), Chief Spiritual Officer, The Ken Blanchard Companies, discusses servant leadership with delegates during a break at the event
Ken Blanchard asks: Why isn’t common sense common practice? The Ken Blanchard Companies recently held their leadership summit at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, to discuss how to build leadership skills, improve communication and increase employee engagement. Ken Blanchard, Chief Spiritual Officer, shared advice on how managers everywhere can utilise common sense business practices to lead their staff at a higher level.
Leading at a higher level Leading at a higher level involves establishing a clear list of worthwhile goals that staff can relate to and have at the forefront of their minds during work. For Blanchard, simply making a profit is not enough of a worthwhile goal, and a healthy profit should be seen as the applause for creating a motivating environment for employees.
Compelling vision and rank order of values Central to creating a clear leadership vision is to have a clearly defined mission statement, as a lack of vision leads to a lack of direction amongst employees and an increase in the amount of their self-serving activity. Citing the example of Walt Disney when asked what business he was in, Blanchard quoted: “We’re in the happiness business.” Having such a clearly defined mission statement allows your employees to have a clear idea of what they should be doing and how they should go about it. For Blanchard, all
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success begins with four clearly defined points, as follows: 1. Your purpose 2. Your vision of the future 3. Your core values 4. Your goals
Part of leading effectively involves managers engaging in an ongoing dialogue with their staff, where they are not afraid of asking tough questions about why the employee chooses to stay at the company and what would make them leave.
Blanchard described the importance of having a clearly ranked order of values, which employees can refer to in the event of a value conflict. This helps to improve company direction and allow employees to focus on the things that matter most. This permits your staff to ‘bring their brains to work’, and avoids frontline employees becoming ducks—who simply ‘quack’ the company line instead of putting the clients first.
By raising these issues and speaking about them, it helps to gain a better understanding of the issues faced by employees and means that they feel more valued.
Servant leadership The key to great results and high satisfaction is to adopt an ‘and/both’ approach to results and people, where focus is given to motivating and improving employees in addition to reaching your stated goals. In adopting a servant style of leadership, Blanchard argues that substantial benefits can be acquired by turning the traditional company hierarchy upside down and having everyone focus on working for the end client, instead of working for their immediate boss.
Responsibilities of the higher-level leader
Managers should also manage the performance of their employees by clearly explaining the company goals, showing staff what good performance looks like and letting staff know that they will be evaluated. This ongoing performance management should take the form of day to day coaching as well as more formal performance reviews. Managers should ensure that all employees are aware of the organisational goals as well as their personal responsibilities, and that they should be given between three and five clear, achievable goals. As Blanchard says: “Nothing good happens by accident—put some structure on it!” Incorporating these ideas into working life over the long term is the key to continued success. Much of this will seem like common sense, but the fact of the matter is that too few managers utilise these techniques fully in the workplace.
A manager who leads effectively typically splits their time between three key areas: 1. Their own job and responsibilities 2. Developing people 3. Helping people with career planning
Many will attend management training programmes, but the advice from Singapore was not just to work on programmes—programmes end. We should make it a way of life.
HR Features
HR takes to the sea Learning the ropes of any new job can be a long and daunting process, but doing so amid the thrashing waves and gale force winds of the Seven Seas is a whole other story. For 80 young naval cadets training on board the 45-year-old Colombian ship ARC ‘Gloria’, however, this is an everyday reality. After setting sail on 3 May 2013, the 1,300-ton vessel began its 73rd training cruise spanning 23,809 nautical miles and 12 foreign ports in just 218 days. No sooner had Gloria made her impressive entrance at Ocean Terminal, Victoria Harbour on 23rd August, than HR Magazine climbed on board to catch a glimpse into life at sea for the budding future officers who are currently training on the tides.
All hands on deck When we spoke with the cadets about their nautical learning experience, one message rang loud and clear—training on board Gloria is not for the faint-hearted. They explained that, under the command of Captain Miguel Ángel Cifuentes Montealegre, all 80 cadets must train in several disciplines; from seamanship and navigation, through to electronics and astronomy, which they are later tested on. Obeying a rigorous daily schedule—consisting of studying theory from 8am to 2pm and carrying out practical duties from 2pm until midnight—it seems they are certainly put through their paces. One such cadet is 21-year-old Lucas Wessel who has been studying a four-year-long course
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in electronic engineering at the Almirante Padilla Naval Academy in Colombia, with the principle objective of working on warships. Commenting on his own training experience, Wessel explained, “For me training on the ship is not easy but it’s my passion. Although we study at the navy academy before we come on to the ship to train, adjusting to life on board can be difficult, such as overcoming the initial seasickness.”
Choppy waters Along with the challenge of sticking to a rigorous and grueling training schedule, there are also times when life at sea can become quite dangerous and cadets must conjure up the courage to carry out their duties in the toughest of conditions. Wessel recounted a week-long tropical storm that Gloria recently encountered off the shore of Malaysia which not only pushed cadets to their limits, but also the officials leading them. Peruvian-born Captain José Carlo Montoya Ruibal, one of seven officials invited from various countries around South America to facilitate training on board, explained that such natural occurrences are a true test of bravery. He stressed that courage is the most important asset for any young cadet undergoing military training at sea, “The most difficult thing for cadets, is to get out there when the sea is heavy and the winds are blowing at 30 knots—that requires a lot of courage. Anyone can study and remember the theory and pass the test but not everyone can muster up the courage and face the reality of the situation when it hits.”
The sea’s the limit But is this all worth the danger? According to Wessel and Ruibal, it is. For Wessel, being a cadet satisfies his desire to travel the world and visit other countries and learn about different cultures, whilst bringing him ever more closer to his life-long dream of working on board warships. Ruibal believes that it is irreplaceable to have the opportunity to lead the next generation of navy officials and give them courage that the service they are performing for their country is brave and noble. Ruibal stressed that when it comes to life at sea, the learning experience is never over, but rather limitless. He explained that there is always more to be learnt, not only in terms of the practical side of learning and the unforeseen, but also in terms of life experience and interacting with co-workers. He explained, “When you live on board such a huge vessel with such a large number of crew members—154 in total including officers from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile and Peru—you learn to adapt to working in close proximity with so many people and appreciate the true value and importance of team work. If one person does not play their part, even one, the whole team will suffer. It’s just like a game of sport, we have to think and act like a team, always.” It certainly appears that the crew on board Gloria make a successful team, having already conquered eight ports in just under four months on what will be the ship’s fifth longest cruise in history. But with Korea, Japan and Panama
left on the list of destinations to reach before returning to Cartagena in December this year, the journey is far from over for the young cadets and there is still much more to learn.
Facts about Gloria • One of the world’s largest three-masted sailing training ships. • In service since December 1967. • 1,300 tons, 76 metres long, 10.6 metres wide, 40-metre-high masts, and 1,400 square sail area offers speeds of up to 13 knots per hour. • Sailed 768,065 nautical miles— equivalent to 111 trips around the world. • The current President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, trained on Gloria when he was a cadet in the Colombian Navy. • Has a special crew member on board—a one-year-old black hound named Black Pearl and this is its first voyage since being certified.
Foreword Message from Dr Dennis Sun BBS JP Chairman The Hong Kong Management Association
hkma
Message from Dr Victor Lee Executive Director The Hong Kong Management Association
Human capital is an important asset of an organisation. It sustains business development and drives business success. Global economic downturn extensively impacts every business; cost cutting seems to be inevitable for maintaining profitability. Nevertheless, any reduction in the investment in human capital will certainly affect a company’s future growth and prosperity. It is crucial to invest not only in good times, but also in times of adversity.
The war for talent has been intensified over the last decade. Employee retention and engagement are two of the key human resources priorities to mitigate succession risk and sustain the prosperous development of an organisation. To attract and retain the best talents, effective training and development plays a critical role in providing a conducive environment to enhance their skills, enrich their knowledge, unleash their potential and develop their career.
Since 1990 The Award for Excellence in Training and Development from The Hong Kong Management Association has been aiming to recognise companies and individuals who are making exceptional efforts in developing their human capital. The Award has contributed effectively to the sharing of the best practices in training and development among the business community, and has become a well-recognised symbol of excellence.
Since its establishment in 1990, the Award for Excellence in Training and Development has been an authoritative and prestigious award in recognising companies and individuals with remarkable dedication to raising the standard of training and development in Hong Kong.
May I extend my deepest gratitude to the Panel of Adjudicators, the Board of Examiners and all members of the Organising Committee, particularly its Chairman, Mr John Allison, for his able leadership. Their unwavering commitment and support has ensured the continued success of this Award. My salutations also go to the Lead Sponsor, Main Sponsor, Sponsors and Media Sponsors for their generous support. Finally, I would like to congratulate all our Award winners for their outstanding performance. May your Award serve as a role model for others to follow, and inspire you to continued success!
On behalf of the Association, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to our Adjudicators, Examiners and Organising Committee members for their invaluable contribution which enables the highest standard and the continuous improvement of the Award. My special gratitude also goes to Mr John Allison, Chairman of the Organising Committee, for his selfless commitment to promoting the importance of training and development in Hong Kong. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to our Lead Sponsor, Main Sponsor, Sponsors and Media Sponsors for their unfailing support. Last but not least, my sincere congratulations to all the winning companies and outstanding trainers on their extraordinary achievement.
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HR Magazine caught up with John Allison, VP, HR, FedEx Express, Asia Pacific Division and Chairman of the HKMA Training and Development Awards Organising Committee, to get the lowdown on developments at this year’s Awards.
What’s most important in T&D? As super-diverse workforces become the norm, HR is frequently faced with the challenge of having to manage up to five different generations in the workplace. As a consequence, T&D solutions are becoming increasingly sophisticated as HR continues to develop and tailor them to help achieve strategic business goals. Enthusiasm and a passion for T&D is now essential for HR to produce best-of-breed staff development programmes. Allison shared,“It’s essential for anyone in HR to have committed, engaged employees and this very much relies on the provision of quality development programmes for employees…It’s no longer a case of simply organising training seminars for staff, now more than ever it’s essential that employees are involved and engaged in the entire T&D process.” He added,“The ‘stickiness’ of T&D deliverables is also very important—HR must consider whether employees can actually retain what they’ve learnt and apply it in their daily work.” Allison stressed the importance of linking staff development programmes to the business side of the organisation. He said, “At the end of the day it comes down to making sure that each T&D programme is tied to a specific business purpose and a specific business result.”
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What’s new in the 2013 Awards? The Awards are always a fun event and Allison explained that the judges are looking for three key elements in successful T&D programmes, namely that they: are linked to a clear business purpose; are designed to deliver on that business purpose; and facilitate desired business results. One development for this year’s Awards is that in addition to garnering support from the local Hong Kong community, the Committee has been reaching out into Greater China. This year sees more entrants from organisations based in or with trading offices in the Mainland. As the Awards further develop, Allison noted,“We have seen a growing interest from SMEs wanting to be involved in the Awards this year, and are looking to get even more involved in the future. Many SMEs may think that because they don’t have a specific T&D department that the Awards may not be for them—this is wrong. All organisations, no matter what their size, have some form of training for their employees.”Allison encourages all SMEs to step forward and make use of the excellent best-practice sharing that the Awards revolve around.
Young T&D On the changing training needs of employees, Allison commented,“The newer generations really want to be developed, especially in mainland China. They are eager to absorb new information and skill sets.”The use of electronic media is gaining increasing ground in T&D programmes with HR having to invest time to find the most appropriate e-learning tools and find ways of applying such tools in their workplaces. Allison said,“We’re finding increasing focus on the use of e-learning platforms that help get T&D messages out quickly to much broader audiences in disparate global workplaces.” T&D at FedEx FedEx adopts a “people-service-profits” philosophy when it comes to designing its own T&D programmes. Allison explained the importance of making T&D programmes an ongoing, lifelong, living part of the organisation and that HR needs to embed the company culture and values in all staff-training activities. When designing successful staff-development programmes Allison explained,“You’ve got to: train staff what to do, give them the freedom to do their job and engage them.” He added,“It’s also essential to link T&D programmes to achieving business objectives.”
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Finalist
SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Telebet Service Coach Barry Ip, Head of Human Capital Development
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he Hong Kong Jockey Club is a major contributor to the prosperity of Hong Kong in a multitude of ways. In operating its two racecourses and associated clubhouses, betting branches and telebet centres, it employs over 26,000 staff in a diverse range of jobs which require a correspondingly varied set of skills. Barry Ip, Head of Human Capital Development explained that to ‘cherish’ its employees, Hong Kong Jockey Club has adopted a Wholesome Human Resources Strategy, comprising five key elements of which skills training is one. Most innovatively, the Club has established a mechanism to gauge views of different stakeholders, not just employees, on the effectiveness of the training programmes in order to review and refine them. From the HKMA Awards the organisation has learnt to ensure that the objectives of a programme must align with the Club’s strategic goals. At the organisational level this means realising the vision, mission, values and strategies; at the departmental level considering the longterm as well as immediate operational effectiveness; and at the individual level unleashing full potential and encouraging engagement.
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The Club values human capital as one of our key business success drivers. We maximise the strength of our people and our organisation for our charity cause and work for the benefit of our community.
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– Barry Ip, Head of Human Capital Development, The Hong Kong Jockey Club
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Finalist
SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
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The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Wendy Lee, Senior Manager, Learning Talent Organisation Development, RBWM ASP
Resourcing &
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SBC Group is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services through its four global businesses: Retail Banking and Wealth Management (RBWM), Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets and Global Private Banking. Wendy Lee, Senior Manager, Learning Talent Resourcing & Organisation Development, RBWM Asia Pacific explained that the past five years have seen some very difficult challenges, such as the financial tsunami and significant regulatory changes, all of which have led the business to undergo significant transformations. HSBC’s People strategy, applicable to all its employees in Hong Kong, plays a pivotal role in all these transformations.
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The L&D strategy at HSBC is an ever-evolving process and the HR function comprises an integrated body of the resulting L&D expertise, recruitment expertise and expertise in talent management. Consequently, there is a value-chain of the whole employee life-cycle from the point of hire—resourcing, to how he or she is trained and developed—L&D, as well as how that employee progresses according to his potential —talent management.
Consultative Sales Skills
The most significant thing learned during the HKMA selection process was how to innovate further; the judges pushed hard in questioning how the organisation has differentiated its programme from those in previous years or comparable programmes! New methodology needed to be devised to ensure innovation.
L&D can be the key differentiator in your people strategy that can out-compete your competitors in the war for talent.
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– Wendy Lee, Senior Manager, Learning Talent Resourcing & Organisation Development, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Asia-Pacific, HSBC
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Finalist
SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited KMB’s Driving Simulator studio provides bus captains with top quality training
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New Bus Captain Basic Training
ow celebrating its 80th anniversary, The
Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited is dedicated to providing
franchised public bus services in Kowloon, the New Territories and Hong Kong Island. Last year alone, the organisation, which employs 12,000 staff, served around 2.6 million passenger trips each day and its fleet of 3,800 buses ran a network of 390 routes. With such high manpower needs and safety remaining a top priority, the organisation is committed to developing staff competencies and cultivating continuous learning to ensure that its 8,400 bus captains meet the stringent safety standards and maintain an excellent performance record. A team of 60 full-time, highly experienced and qualified driving instructors is committed to providing training and on-board performance assessments to new recruits and sharing valuable work experience at the in-house Bus Captain Training School (BCTS). To ensure service
quality and safety standards are met, BCTS has developed online learning programmes to enhance driving skills and produced driving tips on different routes, posters and video clips to encourage self-learning for bus captains. The organisation also strives to encourage broader thinking about learning and development and holds meetings with different stakeholders to brainstorm L&D opportunities before implementing the annual training plan. Members of the HR team and line managers exchange ideas at Joint Consultative Committees and internal liaison meetings in order to better understand work issues and operational concerns and devise efficient programmes to enhance performance and productivity.
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Not forgetting that the customer is always of our prior concern, KMB analyses complaints statistics, suggestions and compliments to identify training needs of the frontline staff and design training programmes to address areas that require improvement. Such feedback has resulted in the company organising a large-scale ‘Service from the Heart’ training programme for all operations staff in 2010 with an aim to improve frontline customer service, which remains at the core of the organisation.
We appreciate that continuous improvement is key to success for skill training programmes which are being carried out on a regular basis. Aligning training objectives with the organisations business need is also essential.
”
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Finalist
SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
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Maxim’s Group er, Cakes & Baker y, Ili Cheung, Senior Human Resources Manag Manager, Service and g Trainin Lok, ne Jasmi and Branded Products y) Baker & Operations Training (Cakes
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axim’s Group employs 19,000 people over its multitude of service offerings, with the majority of which being based in Hong Kong. Their Cakes & Bakery Division has approximately 1,500 employees. However, facing the high staff turnover rate of this industry, Jasmine Lok, Training Manager, Service & Operations Training and Ili Cheung, Senior HR Manager, Cakes & Bakery helped design a staff training programme which not only cultivated consultative selling skills of their frontline employees, but also successfully achieved talent engagement and retention.
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The Cake Specialist Certification Programme originated from the Group’s “People Come First” philosophy, which enabled employees to anticipate different types of issues they may encounter and to collate their suggestions. Maxim’s training professionals acted as strategic partners that formulated different learning solutions to help attain business goals. The fast-paced daily operations in stores presented a particular challenge in scheduling employees for training. The condensed training modules therefore focused on practical techniques that ensured effective transfer of learning. Training is never perceived as a standalone solution at Maxim’s. Instead, it always serves as one of the critical components of holistic human resources management which addresses the tendency of high staff turnover of the industry. As Cheung commented, “We are not delivering these programmes only for technical skills. We emphasize career development and job satisfaction of our employees as well.”
Cake Specialist Certification Programme
The HKMA Awards facilitates the sharing of best practices in people development among major industry players in Hong Kong. Without doubt, innovation has been demonstrated as one of the new norms for training, which subsequently brings about business success.
Be people-oriented. This successful programme not only enhances job skills, but also strengthens talent engagement in the Cakes & Bakery Division.
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– Jasmine Lok, Training Manager, Service & Operations Training (Cakes & Bakery), Training & Development Department, Maxim’s Group
3 L&D Fundamentals: • People-oriented • Business-focused • Commitment | 61
Finalist
SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
MTR Corporation Limited Dr Jacob Kam, Operations Director of MTR Corpor ation, shows the mobile app that facilitates self-learning of custom er service skills after classroom training
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TR Corporation Limited was established in 1975, and aims to be a leading multinational company that connects and grows communities with a service which cares. The Corporation, which employs 15,000 in Hong Kong and 22,000 worldwide, carries an average of 5.1 million passengers every weekday across all of their services.
Learning and development professionals within the Corporation share the same vision and mission—to engage and collaborate with staff to make MTR a leading multinational company, and to support the Corporation to achieve business success and accelerate the growth of their people. To achieve this, the Academy of Excellent Service was established to instill a customer-centric culture and build skills to deliver service excellence. The Corporation’s entry in the Skills Training category ‘Delivering Service Excellence through Listening & Responding Programme’—an integrated approach using mobile learning—has enabled the organisation to reinforce the frontline staff’s understanding as well as their commitment to deliver customer-centric service. Furthermore, it has equipped the frontline staff with the listening and responding skills to deliver a caring service in an efficient manner. In order to achieve L&D success, the Corporation believes that the deployment of mobile learning is necessary as it is highly desirable among the younger generation of frontline staff. This is a training and development trend which the Corporation has adopted as more and more of the younger generation have joined the MTR as a result of the massive recruitment in recent years to combat the retirement waves. The Corporation’s recent initiatives facilitate self-learning by providing service-related tips and sharing staff success stories via different online platforms such as mobile app, website and video channels.
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Delivering Service Excellence through Effective Listening & Responding: An Integrated Approach Using Mobile Learning
In the information age, mobile learning is indispensable to an effective implementation of staff learning and development programmes and sustaining the momentum for staff of different generations. The mobile learning platform provided frontline staff a handy way to obtain timely and useful service tips anytime, anywhere.
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Alignment • Acquisition • Alliance 62 | HR Magazine
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– Adi Lau, Chief of Operating & Chancellor of Academy of Excellent Service, MTR Corporation Limited
Finalist
SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
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Sun Life (Hong Kong) Limited Head of Learning & Development (third from right) and LDC Trainers celebrate the successful ‘Workshop Completion Ceremony’ of ABC Programme
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un Life (Hong Kong) Limited (SLHK) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, which employs 635 people in the SAR and 14,890 worldwide. First established in Hong Kong in 1892, SLHK serves more than 1.1 million individuals and corporate customers, through their wide array of protection and wealth management products and services.
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SLHK’s Learning and Development Centre (LDC) has been the organisation’s innovative power house behind not only their progressive training on the financial knowledge and personal skills, but also their approach in encouraging proactive learning. The LDC employs 11 full-time professional trainers and, collectively, their average length of experience amounts to over 10 years. The LDC identifies the training needs of different organisational levels within the Agency workforce and matches these needs to a comprehensive Training Curriculum. Through the Training Passport of their intranet system, Agency members can review their training history and take recommended programmes. Furthermore, the LDC has created an ‘LDC Ambassador’—senior trainers are assigned to the role of facilitating effective communication between Agency members and the LDC. The Ambassador conducts regular road shows to promote the LDC’s training initiatives and encourages employees to strategically plan for their learning and development.
Adapt to Breakthrough the Challenge (ABC) Programme
From the HKMA Awards, the organisation has learnt that any training programme must be entirely aligned with participants’ training needs and at the same time contribute to business needs. Moreover, to successfully implement learning and development programmes, L&D professionals must be empathetic to satisfy participants’ training needs.
Upon the launching of any training programme, monitoring of training effectiveness is a must so that the training programme can be periodically reviewed and refined.
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– Jenny Cheung, Head of Learning & Development, Sun Life (Hong Kong) Limited
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Devote • Empathise • Result | 63
Finalist
development CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
AIA International Limited Jim Jan-Zen, Head of AIA Premier Academy
AIA Premier Academy — Road to MDRT
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IA Premier Academy, part of AIA International Limited (AIA Hong Kong), was established in September 2011 with the aim of nurturing the best of its new ‘recruits’ on a training programme designed to enhance their knowledge, attitude, skills and habits to enable them to join the team of over 8,500 financial planners representing AIA Hong Kong. All the development training methods are designed to bring financial planners closer to becoming members of the Million Dollar Round Table, a worldwide elite network of the top 1% insurance professionals. AIA Hong Kong has observed that the performance of financial planners that have been able to participate in the AIA Premier Academy is equal to the productivity of more than two of its financial planners that received only basic training. This is a clear sign that the skills targeted over the 12-month programme are pleasing Hong Kong’s generally insurance-shy residents. Getting a place in the academy is no easy task, candidates must be young and energetic, must be novices to insurance sales and must possess a degree, simple enough so far. In order to get admission to the course, however, candidates must attend and impress in a cut-throat 30-minute interview in a highly formal setting designed to allow seniors to establish if the candidate has a good level of interest in the industry and potential to be great. Head of AIA Premier Academy, Jim Jan-Zen, highlighted that the organisation’s involvement with the HKMA process has been a great learning experience and an opportunity to benchmark with other top-tier training programmes and share best practices, since AIA is looking to locate and develop the next generation of young elites of financial planners in the industry.
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Hong Kong people are very sophisticated; they know how to choose a good company. For this reason AIA Hong Kong realised they would need to find the next generation of young elites of financial planners in the country. The goal of the programme was to make a new benchmark.
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Cooperation • Collaboration • Synergy 64 | HR Magazine
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– Jim Jan-Zen, Head of AIA Premier Academy, AIA International Limited
Finalist
development CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
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Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited Elite Programme
From L–R: Steve C. K. Tam, Deputy General Manager (Internal Operations), Sanlies Y. K. Lo, Human Resources Manager, and Sam H. Y. Lee, Assistant to Chairman
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earning and development is at the core of Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited’s vision to nurture the new generation of talent in order to support continued business growth. With a total of around 4,000 employees, the company invests in developing 11 training programmes to accommodate the growth of its people from every level within the organisation, from fresh graduates up to senior levels.
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The organisation prides itself on its learning culture, which encourages staff to participate in external associations in order to acquire different skills, and hosts monthly internal executive forums and presentations from senior employees to share knowledge, skills and learnings among colleagues. Covering topics ranging from legal matters to project management, these sessions provide a platform to integrate different kinds of knowledge and enable employees to gain an all-rounded perspective of the business and select the best solutions when faced with different kinds of challenges. Each year, trainees work with their direct supervisors and trainers on a comprehensive assessment process to identify future objectives as well as past achievements. These indicators demonstrate contributions towards the business and facilitate the development of staff. Moreover, this allows employees to gain acknowledgement and praise for their work. This puts into practice one of the company’s core values: credit.
Credit is the most important aspect of our L&D programmes, praise not only creates an incentive for people to work harder, but it shows that we care about our staff.
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– Sam H. Y. Lee, Assistant to Chairman, Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Credit • Commitment • Collaboration | 65
Finalist
development CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
DFS Group Limited Apprentice to Master
Christina Lopez, Director, Talent Development
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FS Group Limited, providers of luxury goods in major airports around the world, was founded over half a century ago in Hong Kong and has grown to employ almost 9,000 people in 15 countries, a third of which are based in Hong Kong. Its Promise is to be ‘the world traveller’s preferred destination for luxury shopping’, a bold statement backed up by their investment in constantly improving customer service. DFS Group created the DFS University as a strategic investment in leadership, bench strength, talent development and competitive differentiation through people. It was established to help elevate everyone in DFS, both personally and collaboratively, to help deliver the Group’s Promise. In addition, in 2009 DFS launched the Apprentice class, aiming to shift the stores team from transactional selling to relationship building. Currently, ‘Apprentice to Master’ courses are offered to almost 6,500 DFS sales associates worldwide. The selection process for the HKMA Awards highlighted to DFS that there is not only a want but, in fact, a need and a desire to develop and build learning cultures in a wide spectrum of industries. Lopez commented,“The war on talent exists in almost every industry and sharing platforms like HKMA allow us to share, and learn, so we can all raise our own bar.”
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You have to get your people to believe in the benefits of the L&D programme. We may have many brilliant ideas, but, at the end of the day, it has to make sense and be real for the audience in which it is impacting.
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– Christina Lopez, Director, Talent Development, DFS Group Limited
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Passion • Persuasion • Patience 66 | HR Magazine
Finalist
development CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
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FedEx (China) People Development Programme (PDP)
Group photo of PDP Graduates
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edEx has had a presence in China for almost thirty years, currently it employs over 9,600 and has a workforce of more than 18,000 in APAC. FedEx China has 24 full-time trainers to equip newly-hired frontline employees in various job functions ranging from pick-up and delivery, call centre operations, customs clearance to field sales. Upon employment, new hires are quickly shown that training is a fundamental part of the FedEx package, building upon the organisation’s P-S-P (people—service—profit) culture. Back in 2008, the company’s annual long-range
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outlook predicted a rapid expansion in the China business over the next five years and the future vacancy of various management positions. This prediction led HR to prepare for the increased number of employees that would be required and to create a training programme to proactively develop potential management staff. The PDP programme, in particular, allowed candidates to fully understand the knowledge and skills required of a FedEx manager and the responsibilities and challenges that they must face. Additional support is provided for the personal and professional development of staff—staff members can apply for the Tuition Assistance—up to US$2,500—to finance approved educational courses. All the effort goes towards supporting the EVP, ‘Join FedEx for a career, not just a job,’ as, successful employees make a successful business.
Due to its rigorous and comprehensive nature, the application process for the HKMA Awards led FedEx China’s HR team to be concise and precise in presenting the why, what and how of their training programme, especially in regards to its contribution to the people of the business. Kuan-Thye Sean, MD, HR, China & HR Services Center, APAC, FedEx Express added,“Moving forward, I will use the judging criteria to evaluate and report upon training and development programmes.”
We always focus on training effectiveness. There’s that saying that ‘Action without study is fatal; study without action is futile’.
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– Kuan-Thye Sean, MD, HR, China & HR Services Center, APAC, FedEx Express
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Contribution • Engagement • Effectiveness | 67
Finalist
development CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
MTR Corporation Limited
Dr Jacob Kam, Operations Director of MTR Corporation (centre), kicked off the Leadership Theme Month of the LEAP Programme with other Senior Management in the Operations Division
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oday, MTR Corporation Limited is
involved in a wide range of business activities in addition to its railway operations. These include the development of residential and commercial projects, property leasing and management, advertising, telecommunication services and international consultancy services.
The Corporation is currently facing both internal
and external challenges such as retirement waves, new line extensions and pressure on service quality, it is an imminent need for the Corporation to launch a new series of leadership development programmes for their managers, supervisors and frontline staff. Their entry in the Development category is such an example to address these challenges: the ‘LEAP Programme’—a leadership development jointly organised by the Operations Division and the HR & Administration Division. The programme aims to transform operations staff’s mindsets and skills to unleash their excellence with regard to four desired leadership competencies: Commitment, Ownership, Motivation and Professionalism. The programme has instilled a LEAP (Leading for Excellence, Actions for Pride) culture in their Operations Division, in which the staff are proud to work. The Corporation has learnt that to facilitate a successful learning and development programme, the programme must be aligned with the Corporation’s vision, mission and values, it must ensure effective stakeholder engagement from top to bottom—including senior management, line departments, frontline staff.
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Leadership Development Programme: Fostering a ‘Leading for Excellence • Actions for Pride’ (LEAP) Culture
Mr Morris Cheung, Human Resources Director, MTR Corporation Limited said, “It’s essential for L&D programmes to support the overall business vision in order to maximise the value of HR to the organisation.”
Facing different challenges in our changing business envrionment nowadays, we have to develop and get our staff ready in both mindset and skills to take the corporation to new heights.
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Steer • Support • Sustain 68 | HR Magazine
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– Jacob Kam, Operations Director, MTR Corporation Limited
Finalist
development CATEGORY
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
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Société Générale, Asia Pacific Strengthening the Managerial Culture
The Human Resources Team at Société Générale (Hong Kong Office)
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earning and Development Professionals are an integral part of the HR spectrum at Société Générale. The organisation aims to be a “learning organisation” and values its robust L&D strategy as the core of its survival and its employability to employees.
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Innovation is one of the company’s corporate values and one it puts into practice when making its learning and development solutions more relevant and practical to the current needs of its employees. The organisation offers a variety of methods of learning from classroom, e-learning and lunch and learn sessions to one-on-one training and embedded learning, all of which can be linked to corporate performance and shown to the management and demonstrate the value of L&D as an integral part of Talent Management. Société Générale considers the relevance of the programme to the current business scenario when it comes to the success of its L&D strategy and has learnt that identifying the link between development activities and business results is key to achieving excellence in this area. That is why the organisation has KPIs set against training and development initiatives, which are assessed on a quarterly and annual basis to identify whether the efforts made towards the yearly priorities of development are met locally and regionally.
Every HR Manager needs to know that L&D is not a ‘nice-to-have’ anymore; it’s a must for survival and an integral part of people strategy in any organisation.
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– Joyce Yap, Group Head of HR, Société Générale, Asia Pacific
3 L&D Fundamentals: • Relevance • Simplicity • Innovation | 69
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS WINNERS
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
70 | HR Magazine
2013 Individual Awards Winners * This list shows the Award recipients and their companies during the year of the Award indicated.
Trainer of the year Dr Kelvin Wan, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Mr Tomas Bay, Ethos International Limited Mr Rex Choi, CSL Limited Mr Charles Ho, MTR Corporation Limited Ms Mandy Hong, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Mr Billy Ip, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Jessie Kwong, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Ms Angelina Lee, CSL Limited Dr Kelvin Wan, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
Outstanding New Trainer Awardees: Mr Anthony Chan, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited Mr Ray Chan, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited Mr Frankie Fang, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited Mr Gene Fung, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited Mr Vikas Grewal, Fleet Management Limited Ms Jannet Kan, McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Limited Mr Donald Lai, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited Ms Lolita Lei, Richemont Asia Pacific Limited— Alfred Dunhill Mr Andrew Li, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Ms Jessica Siu, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Mr Simon Wong, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Mr Raymond Yip, McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Limited
PAST WINNERS 2012
2010
2007
Trainer of the Year & Distinguished Trainer Awardee: Ms Vinky Lau, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited Outstanding New Trainer Awardees: Ms Charissa Chan, Swire Hotels Mr Takki Chan, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Mr Anthony Chau, DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited Ms Belli Chui, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited Ms Gloria Kam, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Goldia Kong, Miramar Group Mr Leo Lee, CSL Limited Ms Angie Li, BOC Group Life Assurance Company Limited Mr Chris Ng, McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Limited Ms Carmen Tam, Ocean Park Corporation Mr Tony Wo, Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong) Mr Kenneth Wong, MTR Corporation Limited Ms Rose Wong, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited Ms Joice Yan, Toys “R” Us (Asia) Limited
Trainer of the Year: Ms Natalie Lee, HSBC Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Ms Astor Lau , Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Limited Ms Natalie Lee, HSBC Ms Jacqueline Moyse, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Mr Bradley Wadsworth, PACNET Outstanding New Trainer Awardees: Mr Jason Furness, HSBC Ms Angelina Lee, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Mr Lawrence Luk, General Mills Hong Kong Limited
Trainer of the Year: Ms Carroll Chu, Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Ms Carroll Chu, Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong Ms Selina Kam, HSBC Mr Kenny Mak, HSBC Ms Shirley Ng, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Outstanding New Trainer Awardees: Mr Mark Chan, HSBC Mr Peter Cheung, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Mr Desmond Ho, HSBC Mr Badhri Nath Rama Iyer, HSBC
2011 Trainer of the Year: Ms Prudence Sze, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Ms Sonia Lui, Civil Service Training And Development Institute, Civil Service Bureau, HKSAR Ms Prudence Sze, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Mr Bob Xie, The Hong Kong & China Gas Company Limited Outstanding New Trainer Awardees: Mr Nicky Lam , Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong Ms Amy Law, HSBC Mr Lee Chee King, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Priscilla Lim , HSBC Ms Katherine Lo, American International Assur ance Company Limited Mr Kelvin Lo, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Amy Yu, HSBC
2009 Trainer of the Year: Ms Elsa Lam, Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Limited Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Mr Joseph Chan, HSBC Ms Elsa Lam, Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Limited Mr Thomas Robillard, FedEx Express Mr Wilkins Wong, Civil Service Training and Development Institute, Civil Service Bureau Outstanding New Trainer Awardees: Ms Fanny Chan, HSBC Ms Effie Cheng, McDonald’s Restaurants (HK) Limited Mr Andy Lau, HSBC Mr Nelson Wong, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Mr Will Wong, HSBC
2008 Trainer of the Year: Mr Kelvin Ju, AIG Companies Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Mr Kelvin Ju, AIG Companies Ms Amy Kwong, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Ms May Li, Civil Service Training & Development Institute, Civil Service Bureau Mr Frankie Lo, Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Limited Mr Vincent Tang, HSBC Ms Catherine Tong, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Mr Christopher Yang, HSBC Outstanding New Trainer Awardees: Mr Jonathan Bok, HSBC Ms Viola Chan, AIG Companies Mr Andy Clark, ClarkMorgan Corporate Training Ms Ivy Poon, The Great Eagle Properties Management Company Limited Mr Vincent Woo, PCCW Limited Ms Susane Yan, HSBC Mr Lester Yeung, PCCW Limited
2006 Trainer of the Year: Ms Michelle Yam, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Ms Sara Ho, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Doris Ip, The Aberdeen Marina Club Ms Jessie Lau, HSBC Ms Carrie Wong, HSBC Ms Michelle Yam, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Outstanding New Trainer Awardees Ms Iris Chow, HSBC Ms Angela Tsui, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Ms Joyce Wai, HSBC
2005 Trainer of the Year: Mr Shekhar Visvanath, HSBC Distinguished Trainer Awardees: Ms Marianne Chung, HSBC Mr Allen Kuo, HSBC Mr Gary Liu, The Dairy Farm Company Limited Ms Theresa Sham, The Excelsior, Hong Kong Dr Chester Tsang, Hospital Authority/Institute of Health Care Mr Shekhar Visvanath, HSBC Outstanding New Trainer Awardees Ms Elsie Gung, HSBC Mr King Lee, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
Skills Training Category Gold Award
Excellence Awards
“Cake Specialist Certification Programme” Maxim’s Caterers Limited
“Consultative Sales Skills” The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
Silver Award
“New Bus Captain Basic Training” The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited
“Delivering Service Excellence through Effective Listening & Responding: An Integrated Approach Using Mobile Learning” MTR Corporation Limited
“Adapt to Breakthrough the Challenge (ABC) Programme” Sun Life (Hong Kong) Limited
Bronze Award
Most Innovative Award
“The School of Beauty & Fragrance – Elementary Level” DFS Group Limited “Delivering Service Excellence through Effective Listening & Responding: An Integrated Approach Using Mobile Learning” MTR Corporation Limited
Best Presentation Award
“Telebet Service Coach – An Innovative Mentoring Programme for the Post-retirement Employment” The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Ms Jasmine Lok Training Manager Maxim’s Caterers Limited
Development Category Gold Award
“Elite Programme” Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited
Excellence Awards
“AIA Premier Academy – Road to MDRT” AIA International Limited
“Apprentice to Master” DFS Group Limited
“Leadership Development Programme – Fostering a ‘Leading for Excellence • Actions for Pride’ (LEAP) Culture” MTR Corporation Limited
Bronze Award
“Strengthening the Managerial Culture” Societe Generale, Asia-Pacific
Silver Award
“People Development Programme” FedEx Express (China)
Citation for Commitment to Professional Development
Citation for Fostering Corporate Culture “The Marco Polo Way” The Prince Hotel
Most Innovative Award
“Leadership Development Programme – Fostering a ‘Leading for Excellence．Actions for Pride’ (LEAP) Culture” MTR Corporation Limited
“Sustainable Building Research and Development” Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers (Hong Kong) Limited
Best Presentation Award
2012
2005
1997
Development Category
2004
Mr Sam Lee Assistant to Chairman Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited
PAST WINNERS Skills Training Category Gold Award: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Silver Award: DHL Express (HK) Limited Bronze Award: CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
Gold Prize: Langham Place Hotel Silver Prize: CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Bronze Prize: The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Gold Award: The Hong Kong Society for the Aged Silver Award: Hip Hing Construction Company Limited Bronze Award: MTR Corporation Limited
Gold Prize: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Silver Prize: HSBC Bronze Prize: AXA China Insurance Company Ltd
2011
Gold Prize: Cathay Pacific Airways Limited Silver Prize: Circle K Convenience Stores (HK) Ltd Bronze Prize: HSBC
Gold Prize: BOC Group Life Assurance Company Ltd Silver Prize: Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Bronze Prize: Kowloon Central Cluster, Hospital Authority
2010
Gold Prize: Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited Silver Prize: Morgan Stanley Bronze Prize: The Hong Kong Jockey Club
2009
Gold Prize: MTR Corporation Limited Silver Prize: Synergis Management Services Limited Bronze Prize: Zurich Life Insurance Company Ltd
2008
Gold Prize: CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Silver Prize: Maxim’s Caterers Limited and Hospital Authority Bronze Prize: The Hong Kong Jockey Club
2007
Gold Prize: Tao Heung Group Limited Silver Prize: Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Bronze Prize: The Hong Kong Jockey Club
2006
Gold Prize: Langham Place Hotel Silver Prize: Gammon Construction Limited Bronze Prize: Hang Seng Bank
2003 2002
Gold Prize: Hong Kong Housing Authority Silver Prize: Hsin Chong Real Estate Management Ltd Bronze Prize: Allen & Overy (HK) Limited
2001
Gold Prize: Hang Seng Bank Limited Silver Prize: Hongkong Post Bronze Prize: Watson’s The Chemist
2000
Gold Prize: Standard Chartered Bank Silver Prize: Hong Kong Housing Authority Bronze Prize: The Hong Kong Jockey Club
1999
Gold Prize: Hang Seng Bank Limited Silver Prize: CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Bronze Prize: Hang Seng Bank Limited
1998
Gold Prize: Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers Silver Prize: Tse Sui Luen Jewellery Company Ltd Bronze Prize: DHL International (HK) Limited
Strategic HRD Category: Silver Prize: Regal Hotels International Bronze Prize: DHL International (HK) Limited Skills Training and Development Category: Gold Prize: Hang Seng Bank Limited Silver Prize: Marks and Spencer (HK) Limited Bronze Prize: Regal Hotels International
1996
Overall Winner: Giordano Limited
1995
Overall Winner: Hospital Authority
1994
Overall Winner: Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
1993
Overall Winner: The Asian Sources Media Group
HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
* The list below shows the names of the award-receiving companies during the year of the Award indicated.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS WINNERS
2013 Campaign Awards winners
1992
Service Category: Mass Transit Railway Corporation Commercial and Industrial Category: Shell Hong Kong Limited
1991
Service Category: Arthur Andersen & Company Manufacturing Category: Computer Products Asia-Pacific Limited Construction Category: Franki Kier Limited Wholesale/Retail/Import/Export Category: Jardine Pacific Limited—Pizza Hut Division Utilities and Public Sector Category: Mass Transit Railway Corporation
1990
Multi-National Corporations Category: China Light & Power Company Limited
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HKMA award for excellence in Training & Development 2013 Supplement
2012/2013 Human Resources Development
Management Committee Dr Ritchie Bent (Chairman) Group Head of Human Resources Jardine Matheson Limited
Mr Barry Ip* Head of Human Capital Development The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Mr John W. Allison* Vice President, Human Resources, FedEx Express, Asia Pacific Division
Ms Maylie Lee * Director—Human Resources, Greater China American Express International Inc
Mr Graham Barkus Head, Organisation Development and Change Cathay Pacific Airways Limited
Mr Anthony Mak * Principal Assistant Secretary, Training and Development Civil Service Training and Development Institute, Civil Service Bureau
Ms Catherine Chau * Head of Human Resources Hongkong Land Limited
Mr Kelvin Ng* General Manager—Training and Organisation Development Nan Fung Development Limited Mr Chester Tsang* Principal—Academy of Excellent Service MTR Corporation Limited Mr Kenneth Wai * Area Director of Human Resources Island Shangri-La Hotel
Ms Eliza Ng * Director, Human Resources Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited
* Also members of the Board of Examiners
2013 Training and Development AwardS
organising committee* Mr John W. Allison Vice President, Human Resources, FedEx Express, Asia Pacific Division
Ms Kit Fan Head of Corporate HR The Hong Kong & China Gas Company Limited
Dr Salina Chan Head of Learning & Development Group Human Resources—Retail Hong Kong A.S. Watson Group (HK) Limited
Mr Barry Ip Head of Human Capital Development The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Mr L T Cheng General Manager—Human Resources Crystal Group Mrs Winnie Chiu HR and Administration Director AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited Mr Steve Chow Managing Director TMS Consulting Mr Ian Choy Human Resources Director McDonald’s Restaurants (HK) Limited Mr Paul Clark Group Director of Human Resources Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Ms Susan Lansing Vice President, DFS University DFS Group Limited Ms Ivy Lau Director—Talent Engagement Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited Ms Nita Law Regional Head of HR, North East Asia Standard Chartered Bank (HK) Limited Mr Steve Lawrence Head of Training & Development—Airports Cathay Pacific Airways Limited Ms Ivy Leung General Manager, Human Resources & Administration Department Octopus Holdings Limited
Mr Anthony Rushton Head of Learning, Hong Kong, Human Resources, Asia Pacific The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Ms Felicity Sam Senior Director, Learning & Development Ralph Lauren Asia Pacific Limited Ms Carmen Ting Principal, Learning & Development KPMG China Mr Chester Tsang Principal—Academy of Excellent Service MTR Corporation Limited Mr Andy Tsui Director of Training and Development Talentstrength Development Limited Ms Bianca Wong Group Human Resources Director Jebsen & Co Ltd Ms Olivia Wong General Manager—Leadership Development John Swire & Sons (HK) Limited
* Members of the Training and Development Awards Organising Committee are also members of the Board of Examiners
Panel of Adjudicators Skills Training Category Mr S K Cheong General Manager Television Broadcasts Limited
Ms Esther Kwong President Shiseido Hong Kong Limited
Mr Anthony Leung Managing Director, Hong Kong and Macau Federal Express (HK) Limited
Mr Allen Ha Chief Executive Officer AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited
Dr Victor Lee Executive Director The Hong Kong Management Association
Mr Stephen Leung Country Manager Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited
Development Category
72 | HR Magazine
Mr Giovanni Angelini Chairman Angelini Hospitality
Mr Steve Lam Managing Director Dell Hong Kong Limited
Mr Phil Mottram Chief Executive Officer CSL Limited
Ms Sophia Kao SBS JP Member, Central Policy Unit The Government of HKSAR
Dr Victor Lee Executive Director The Hong Kong Management Association
Mr Kent Wong Managing Director Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited
HR book review
The Power to Transform: Passion, Power, and Purpose in Daily Life By Chris Majer Complacency kills! While cliché, this adage could not be more true for modern day businesses and those who lead them. Stagnation and status quo are veritable death knells for companies and career achievement-minded individuals seeking a dramatic, measurable increase in performance and profits. Chris Majer’s book, ‘The Power to Transform: Passion, Power, and Purpose in Daily Life’ reveals how strategies corporate, military and sports leaders have successfully employed to achieve greatness. In The Power to Transform, Majer shares proprietary methods he has developed over two decades that have made him one of the leading innovators in the field, having designed
large-scale transformational programmes for the US Army, Marine Corps, Amgen, AT&T, Microsoft, Intel, Allianz, Capital One and a host of others that have tapped Majer to revamp the way they do business. Readers of who have reached a plateau in their personal or professional lives, and are seeking tactical ways to effect real change, can benefit from the book’s distillation of complex concepts into easy-to-use practices that produce a positive transformation. Among a host of mission-critical specialised skills, readers learn how to conquer even the most daunting challenges, make consistently powerful choices and maintain calm and composure amid chaotic situations.
Inside Real Innovation By Eugene Fitzgerald, Andreas Wankerl & Carl Schramm This book is a comprehensive model of how the innovation process works in bringing sophisticated technologies from research and development through to final commercialisation. Moreover, the authors translate these actual product and firm-level experiences into a critique of the present, ‘broken’ US innovation system, and offer a grounded policy approach to getting back on track. This book serves as a unique and holistic view of the innovation system, addressing some fundamental issues affecting our recent financial crisis, recognising that beneath lies a deeper predicament, namely an ‘innovation crisis’. Innovation, as defined by the authors, is ‘the [human] process of putting ideas into useful form and bringing them to market’ and
then further characterise this process as ‘the most powerful growth-driver of all’. The personal tales of triumph and defeat help the reader connect to different moments in the innovation process. Many will identify with the authors’ stories as the book does a great job of relating systemic problems with the innovation pipeline to situations encountered in daily life. Giving both a micro and macro-picture of innovation in the US, this book gives practical suggestions on what to do at a personal level. If you have a desire to innovate, then Inside Real Innovation is worth a read, it will leave you feeling inspired to get on your feet and start thinking outside the box about how creativity can further progress your career to new heights.
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HR classifieds
Index Business Process Outsourcing Conference and Exhibition Venues Education and Corporate Training Management Consulting Employee Wellbeing and Insurance HR Technology Solutions Leadership Development
| 72 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 75
Legal / Employment Law / Tax Pest Control and Environmental Services Psychological Assessment Tools Recruitment / Executive Search Relocation and Logistics Service Apartment and Hotel Staff Benefits
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Business Process Outsourcing Dynamic Resources has been established since 1997 with direct offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Vancouver. We provide Outsourcing Services in Employment, Payroll & Fringe Benefits Administration; Project Recruitment & Mapping; Executive Coaching; Business Entity (Representative Office, WOFE) & HR Management System Establishment in the PRC.
Dynamic Resources Asia Limited 904, Tower B 14 Science Museum Road Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong
KCS is one of Asia’s leading independent corporate services companies. We specialise in corporate accounting, corporate secretarial, payroll solutions, trust and wealth advisory services as well as tailored solutions for the private equity and asset management industry. We offer unrivalled industry experience and expertise combined with the collective wisdom that comes from over 450 experts based in 13 locations across Asia. We are large enough to handle any size of project, but small enough to ensure that every assignment is based on personal trust and commitment—a combination rarely seen in business today. Discover the difference total peace of mind can make to your business.
KCS Hong Kong Limited 8th Floor, Gloucester Tower, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
Tricor is a member of The Bank of East Asia Group. Tricor Business Services offers efficient, effective and professional advisory and outsourced support services to our clients. We deliver seamless solutions to address issues in Accounting & Financial Reporting; Cash, Fund and Payment Administration; Human Resources and Payroll Administration; Business Advisory; Trade Services; and Systems Solutions to ensure the adoption of best practices in your business.
Tricor Services Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2135 8038 kcliu@dynamic-resource.com www.dynamic-resource.com
Tel: (852) 3589 8899 Fax: (852) 3589 8555 info@kcs.com www.kcs.com
Tel: (852) 2980 1888 Fax: (852) 2861 0285 info@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com
Conference & Exhibition Venues
74 | HR Magazine
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 33rd Floor, 9 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong
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
HR classifieds Education and Corporate Training Our Executive Voice Coaching Program teaches practical techniques to harness the power of your voice in order to speak with confidence and authority. Unique in Asia, our programme takes place in a professional recording studio and uses studio technology to reinforce learning. This training is designed for Middle and Senior Executives whose need to communicate effectively is critical, and complements existing corporate training and development programmes. All Voice Talent is Asia’s premier voiceover and voice coaching organisation. We supply voice artists, directors and trainers for amongst others, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft, Turner Broadcasting, British Council and Fleishman Hillard.
All Voice Talent 18th Floor, Wheelock House, 20 Pedder Street Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2517 0866 Fax: (852) 2911 4732 info@allvoicetalent.com www.allvoicetalent.com
Bite-Sized Training high impact 90 minute workshops. Staff too busy to attend full day training, looking for better ROI for your training, need training delivered in your local language, want lunch-and-learn or breakfast sessions, or just need training delivered across multiple locations? Bite Sized Training is the answer! With 25 topics to choose from, covering everything from Negotiation, Delivering Presentations, Managing Gen-Y, Sales and Leadership, and delivered by expert, accredited trainers, Bite Sized Training is the learning and development system of choice for leading companies across the Asia Pacific. Visit www.bitesizedtraining.asia or email info@ bitesizedtraining.asia for more information.
Bite-Sized Training Suite 1001 - 1002, Mass Mutual Tower, 38 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tailor-made business training, testing and benchmarking solutions throughout Hong Kong, Macau and China. Corporate and individual programmes.
Excel Education Limited Unit 101, Fourseas Building, 208-212 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Excel’s renowned courses are tailored to the job nature, level and needs of the students. Our targeted, interactive approach in facilitation has allowed us to build an unrivalled reputation in the corporate training field. Clients include: the Airport Authority, American Express, Bausch and Lomb, Credit Agricole, KCRC, the Hong Kong Government, Swire Travel and United Airlines.
Tel: 800 903 210 Fax: (852) 2816 7150 info@bitesizedtraining.asia www.bitesizedtraining.asia
Tel: (852) 2736 6339 Fax: (852) 2736 6369 info@excelhk.com www.excelhk.com
Management Consulting The Hong Kong Management Association was established in 1960. As a non-profit-making professional organisation, its mission is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of management in Hong Kong. Offering annually over 2,000 training programmes to more than 45,000 participants, ranging from work-orientated short courses, workshops, Certificates, Diplomas to Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Degrees, the HKMA is one of the largest providers of management training and education in the Territory.
Hong Kong Management Association 14th Floor, Fairmont House, 8 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong
Ipsos’ Employee Relationship Management (ERM) practice specialises in employer brand and employee engagement research programmes, as well as linking employee and customer metrics, assessing corporate values, auditing internal communications and evaluating HR management policies and practices. With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos has the resources to conduct research wherever in the world its clients do business.
Ipsos Hong Kong 22nd Floor, Leighton Centre, 77 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
reallyenglish works with major international publishers (Cambridge University Press, Pearson Longman, McGraw-Hill) to create cost-effective and flexible world-class courseware that is tailored to local needs. We provide educational, fun and interactive online courses which are easy to use and hold learners’ interest. By controlling every aspect of the service, including hosting, support, coaching and reporting, we guarantee that over 80% of students will complete their course. All our energy is devoted on two service objectives—getting students to finish and showing managers and educators the results.
reallyenglish.com (Hong Kong) 51/F Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tricor Consulting Ltd. is a member of Tricor Group & BEA Group. Our services include Human Resources advisory on policies, practices, reward, PMS and Human Capital (maximize talent investment through assessments, development centres, training and development); Strategic Management (perform strategic analysis, formulate strategies and execution management); Organization Structuring (design structure to align with business directions); Change Management (build commitment and overcome resistance for organization change); IT Consulting and HRIS (maximize IT investment to create business value); Business Process (reengineer and manage business processes to achieve business results) and Business Turnaround (reduce costs and enhance revenues through an integrated approach).
Tricor Services Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2526 6516 / 2774 8500 Fax: (852) 2365 1000 hkma@hkma.org.hk www.hkma.org.hk
Tel: (852) 2881 5388 employee.research@ipsos.com www.ipsoshk.com
Tel: (852) 3602 3090 Fax: (852) 3602 3111 Mobile: (852) 5165 2467 davida@reallyenglish.com www.reallyenglish.com
Tel: (852) 2980 1888 Fax: (852) 2861 0285 info@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com
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HR classifieds employee wellbeing and insurance Aetna International is committed to helping create a stronger, healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health benefits and health management solutions worldwide. Aetna International's expatriate business is one of the industry's largest and most prominent US-based international health benefits providers, supporting more than 500,000 members worldwide. The organisation’s expatriate offerings include medical, dental, vision, life, disability and emergency assistance. Aetna International’s health management business collaborates with health care systems, government entities and plan sponsors around the world to design and build locally-applied health management solutions to improve health, quality and cost outcomes.
Aetna International Room 401-3, 4/F, DCH Commercial Centre, 25 Westlands Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Adventist Hospital is one of the leaders in medical services, providing organizations with comprehensive health assessment packages to choose from. The hospital works closely with HR and Benefits specialists to design tailor-made programs 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 programs 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 40 Stubbs Road, Hong Kong
Matilda International Hospital offers newly developed facilities and stateof-the-art equipment for a comprehensive health assessment service and is committed to providing the best care and personal attention for both corporate and individual clients. Matilda Medical Centre has extended services to Central and Tsim Sha Tsui and provides full primary and preventative healthcare services. The combined expertise of the hospital and medical centres results in an entire suite of result-orientated health and wellness services to address specific medical and budgeting needs. The provision of inpatient services and advance surgical suites ensures seemless follow through care and access to a wide range of experienced specialist facilities and advanced treatment options.
Matilda International Hospital 41 Mount Kellett Road, The Peak, 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 100,000 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, 35th Floor, One Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
With a mission of providing and promoting primary and preventive eyecare to the public, PolyVision offers a pioneering eye healthcare plan fitting different staff benefit schemes, and provides eye care seminars and packages to help monitor and maintain the eye health of staff through companies.
PolyVision Eyecare Centres Room 4406-4410, Hopewell Centre 183 Queens Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Their eye examination is one of the most comprehensive in Hong Kong. It covers: Case History, Vision & Refractive Status, Binocular Vision, Color Vision Screening, Intra-ocular Pressure, Ocular Health, Fundus Photography, Diagnosis & Treatment.
Tel: (852) 2861 0138 Fax: (852) 2861 0123 info@polyvision.com.hk www.polyvision.com.hk
Tel: (852) 2860 8081 Fax: (852) 2147 9960 Mobile: (852) 5165 2467 asiapacsales@aetna.com www.aetnainternational.com
Tel: (852) 3651-8835 Fax: (852) 3651-8840 www.hkah.org.hk
Contact person: Sireen Cheng Tel: (852) 2849 0389 www.matilda.org
Tel: (852) 3113 1331 Fax: (852) 2915 7770 info@pacificprime.com marketing@pacificprime.com www.pacificprime.com
HR Technology Solution
76 | HR Magazine
Lumesse is the only global company making talent management solutions work locally. We help customers around the world to implement successful local talent management initiatives that identify, nurture and develop the right people, in the right place, at the right time. Our multi-cultural background and presence means we understand how to deliver talent solutions that work the way our customers work, as individuals and as teams, because no two people, organisations or cultures are the same. We regard differences as strengths, not as obstacles.
Lumesse Unit 1905, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
SilkRoad technology is a Talent Management software company providing solutions to enable companies to manage the entire career of your employees. We help you to bring in the best talent and keep it for the long term. From our offices in Hong Kong and throughout Asia Pacific we focus on the people, not the numbers, and pride ourselves in being the only HR technology vendor to centre our efforts around helping our clients provide truly positive talent experiences. Spread the smiles with SilkRoad’s talent management software. Work Happy!
SilkRoad technology Hong Kong 5-10th Floor, Tai Yip Building 141 Thompson Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2815 3456 Fax: (852) 2890 0399 hkinfo@lumesse.com www.lumesse.com
Contact person: Eric Choi Tel: (852) 9193 8573 eric.choi@silkroad.com www.silkroad.com
HR classifieds Leadership Development The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that unlocks individual and organisational potential through its exclusive focus on leadership development and research. Ranked among the world’s top providers of executive education by BusinessWeek and No. 3 in the 2010 Financial Times executive education survey, CCL serves corporate, government and non-governmental clients through an array of programs, products and other services. CCL-APAC’s headquarters are based in Singapore. Other global locations include Brussels, Moscow and three campuses in the United States.
CCL® 89 Science Park Drive #03-07/08 The Rutherford Lobby B Singapore 118261
With 98 years of experience, Dale Carnegie® Training is a world leader in performance-based training. With offices over 80 countries worldwide and courses in 27 languages, we produce measurable business result by improving the performance of employees with emphasis on:
Dale Carnegie® Training Suite 1701, 17/F East Exchange Tower 38 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
• Team member engagement • Leadership development • Customer services
Tel: (852) 2845 0218 Fax: (852) 2583 9629 info@dale-carnegie.com.hk www.dale-carnegie.com.hk
• Sales effectiveness • Process improvement • Presentation effectiveness
Over 425 corporations of Fortune 500 continue choosing us to be their partner.
Calling all HR Managers & Directors: • Are you looking for structured programmes to develop your staff? • Sponsor or part sponsor your staff to achieve MBA, Masters, Bachelor, Diploma or Certificate courses • The spend is value for money • The return is measurable & tangible • Choose from 31 courses from 9 UK Universities (Bradford, Sunderland, Wales, Birmingham etc.) • 16 years in HK *All courses are registered
alphaeight specialises in behavioural-science research and people development. We utilise research to create individual and team development solutions— focused on business objectives—for leaders, managers and frontline workers. It’s all about research and evidence: solutions, built upon scientifically proven research on how the human mind works, are practical and easy to adopt and utilise exclusive tools and techniques developed by our research institute. It’s all about you: solutions tailored to your people’s specific needs and your business objectives—give you the results you want. It’s all about impact: measure changes before, during and after development.
Tel: (65) 6854 6000 Fax: (65) 6854 6001 cclasia@ccl.org www.ccl.org/apac
RDI Management Learning Ltd. 7th Floor, South China Building 1-3 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2992 0133 Fax: (852) 2992 0918 info@rdihongkong.com www.rdihongkong.com
the alphaeight institute 1906, 19/F, Miramar Tower 132 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Mrs Stephanie Herd Tel: (852) 2302 0283 Fax: (852) 2302 0006 stephanie.herd@alphaeight.com www.alphaeight.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 that offers a comprehensive service portfolio and provides integrated solutions on Expatriate matters, covering corporate tax, personal tax and social security matters across Asia.
wts consulting (Hong Kong) Limited Unit 1004, 10/F, Kinwick Centre 32 Hollywood Road Central, Hong Kong
We are a dynamically growing professional services firm and a member of WTS Alliance, a global network of selected consulting firms represented in about 100 countries. Close cooperation between member firms in Asia as well as globally ensures fast and highly efficient access to local specialists with international cross border consulting experience.
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
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HR classifieds Pest and control and environmental services BioCycle is the first pest management company in Hong Kong to have acquired both the ISO 14001 and the ISO 9001 System Certifications. BioCycle was set up in 1991 to provide safe and environmentally friendly Pest Control, Termite Consulting, Sentricon Colony Elimination System for termite colony and Sanitation Services, and operates under European management.
BioCycle (Hong Kong) Limited Unit A G/F & 11/F, Lok Kui Industrial Building, 6-8 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
We are the exclusive user of our group’s insecticide, BioKill, which has been approved by the AFCD of HK Government not to carry the poison label.
Tel: (852) 3575 2575 Fax: (852) 3575 2570 info@biocycle.com.hk www.biocycle.com.hk
Only the professional carpet cleaning and pest-control services of Truly Care, Hong Kong’s specialists in occupational, industrial, environmental and domestic hygiene can give you a clean, safe and bug-free office and home. Don’t put your staff’s health at risk! For a free, no obligation, inspection and quotation, please call us now on 2458 8378
Truly Care (HK) Ltd. Room 1522, Nan Fung Centre, 264-298 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, N.T., Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2458 8378 Fax: (852) 2458 8487 info@trulycare.com.hk www.trulycare.com.hk
Psychological assessment tools PsyAsia International is Asia’s leading independent distributor of Psychometric Tests of Personality and Aptitude. PsyAsia International also offers employee screening and assessment services, personal development courses and human resource training and consultancy. Using highly qualified and experienced organisational psychologists, our solutions are World-Class. Our focus on scientific, evidence-based psychology at the core of our Human Resource Training and Consulting activities, as well as the employment of fully registered organisational psychologists, separates us from those providing similar services in the HR field.
PsyAsia International Level 8, Two Exchange Square 8 Connaught Place Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 8200 6005 www.psyasia.com/email www.psyasia.com
Recruitment / executive search Established in 1997, ConnectedGroup is a privately owned enterprise and has developed from a pure executive search business into a full spectrum human capital consulting firm. With offices in Asia and the Middle East we are well placed to service two of the fastest growing regions in the world and our consultative and client driven approach has positioned us as a partner of choice for companies across a diverse range of functions and industries. We work to values of candid, creative and connected and our employees are constantly measured against these behaviours to deliver the highest levels of service quality.
ConnectedGroup 19/F, Silver Fortune Plaza 1 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
HRA provide human resource consultancy & recruitment support to construction, engineering, manufacturing and the oil & gas sectors.
HRA Associates (HK) Limited 1703, 17/F, Silvercord Tower 1 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon, Hong Kong
Based in HK and with international partners, we operate in Asia and the ME. HR consultancy services include the full range of HR services including training; HR audits and outsourced HR support.
Silenus is certainly your partner of choice who specialises in recruiting talents in the Consumer and Retail sectors in Hong Kong. We provide customised solutions to meet your specific recruitment needs. Leveraging on our deep understanding of your manpower and business needs, coupled with an extensive candidate pool, we can help you recruit the right candidate who is able to drive your business to new heights. Our dedicated professional recruitment consultants possess superb recruitment skills. They can see the competency, personality, career aspirations and interests of candidates objectively and accurately, thus enhancing the efficiency and value of the recruitment process.
78 | HR Magazine
Contact person: Adam Edwards Tel: (852) 3972 5888 Fax: (852) 3972 5897 adam.edwards@connectedgroup.com www.connectedgroup.com
Tel: (852) 2735 9961 Fax: (852) 2735 9967 group@hrahk.com www.hrahk.com
Silenus (Hong Kong) Limited 8/F, World Wide House 19 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2185 6300 Fax: (852) 2185 6303 info@silenus.com.hk www.silenus.com.hk
HR classifieds
Tricor Executive Resources, the former search and selection practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong, has over the last 25 years built an unrivalled reputation for integrity and professionalism. Through focused research and intense sourcing, we recruit management and top-level executives for positions in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the region. We also offer related HR services such as Human Resources Consulting; Compensation and Benefit Planning; Human Resources Outsourcing; Performance Management System; Transition Talent Management; Talent Assessment Centre; and Training & Development.
Tricor Executive Resources Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2980 1166 Fax: (852) 2869 4410 fiona.yung@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com
Relocation and 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 a 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 Wanchai, 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 program, 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
Thinking Relocation? Think Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a leading Relocation Services Company, providing a comprehensive range of the highest quality services to individual and corporate clients, including: immigration/visa, home/school search, language/cultural training, tenancy management/expense management and local, office, domestic and International moving services. Established in Hong Kong in 1980, Santa Fe has continuously expanded operations throughout the world. Today, Santa Fe Relocation Services is part of the Santa Fe Group and offers a single-source solution for organisations looking to transfer their employees globally. The Santa Fe Group currently operates in 52 countries with 122 offices worldwide.
Santa Fe Relocation Services 18/F, CC Wu Building 302-08 Hennessy Road Wan Chai, Hong Kong
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
Tel: (852) 2574 6204 Fax: (852) 25751907 sales@santaferelo.com www.santaferelo.com.hk
serviced apartments and hotels City Loft Serviced Studio, bucking the trend of expensive staff housing. Companies looking for staff housing can breathe a big sigh of relief with City Loft Serviced Studio value-for-money monthly rentals of only $7K – $15K per month. Whether your overseas trainees or project team need 1 month or 1 year, City Loft’s flexible rentals are perfect for teams arriving and departing Hong Kong throughout the year. Once your staff arrives at the airport, leave it with us to help them move into their small comfortable flats that are never more than 3-5 minutes from a MTR station on Hong Kong Island.
City Loft Serviced Studio Unit 801, 8/f Cheung’s Building No. 1-3 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
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
Each of our luxurious units is subtly unique. The four room types: Studio, Studio Deluxe, Deluxe 1-bedroom, and Executive Suite, 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.
Tel: (852) 3973 3388 Fax: (852) 2866 1034 enquiry@gardeneast.com.hk www.gardeneast.com.hk
Tel: (852) 2881 7979 Fax: (852) 3196 8628 info@cityloft.com.hk www.cityloft.com.hk
Tel: (852) 3196 8228 Fax: (852) 3196 8628 enquiries@fsphk.com www.fsphk.com
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HR classifieds
at the ICC megalopolis
Ovolo, is a Hong Kong hospitality company that provides guests with modern city accommodation with award-winning interiors, focused customer care and all-inclusive service packages. Founded in 2002, the company now own and operate four hotels and two serviced apartment properties in Hong Kong and an international hotel in Melbourne, Australia.
Ovolo Group Limited 3 Artbuthnot Road, Central, Hong Kong
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, 3 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 (ICC), 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
Vega Suites, is the first stylish suite hotel in Kowloon East. Located atop the
Vega Suites 3 Tong Tak Street, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong
MTR Tseung Kwan O Station, Island East and Kowloon East only 3 MTR stations away. The integrated complex becomes a new landmark creating a comfortable, relaxing and home like living space for guests. The all-encompassing landmark development comprises two international hotels & the luxury residence The Wings. Situated directly above the trendy PopCorn mall and 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 term.
Tel: (852) 2165 1000 Fax: (852) 2790 5490 info@ovologroup.com www.ovologroup.com
Tel: (852) 3718 8000 Fax: (852) 3718 8008 enquiries@harbourviewplace.com www.harbourviewplace.com
Tel: (852) 3963 7888 Fax: (852) 3963 7889 enquiries@vegasuites.com.hk www.vegasuites.com.hk
Staff Benefits
80 | HR Magazine
Computershare Plan Managers is the global leader and provider of Employee Share Incentive Plan management services. Our tailored approach ideally places us to meet the demands of administering your employee share plans. As a leader in equity compensation services for more than 25 years, we service over 3000 plans with nearly 3.5 million employee participants worldwide. We have successfully built a leading position in the Employee Share Plan Management industry in Hong Kong and China, with a solid local presence and unrivalled investment in technology. Our integrated Share Plan Management offering includes: Employee Communication/ Education, Data Management, HK Trustee Services, Regulatory Reporting and full suite of Brokerage Services.
Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited Hopewell Centre, 46th Floor, 183 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
As the most comprehensive and strategically focused employee benefits specialist, Mybenefits provides international companies with a one-stop solution to achieving employee benefit objectives and has quickly become the preferred partner of Human Resource professionals in Asia.
Mybenefits 14/F, Grand Millennium Plaza 181 Queen’s Road Central Central, Hong Kong
100% proven track record at helping companies: Reduce employee benefit costs, Reduce HR workload, Increase employee satisfaction
Contact person: Pauline Williams Tel: (852) 2891 8915 info@welcometoalliance.com www.welcometoalliance.com
Nespresso, the worldwide pioneer and market leader in highest-quality premium portioned coffee, introduces consumers to the world’s finest Grand Cru coffees to be enjoyed in the comfort of their own homes and savoured outside the home, in locations such as gourmet restaurants, upscale hotels, luxury outlets and offices. Nespresso is driven by core competencies that enable it to create highest quality Grand Cru coffees, long lasting consumer relationships, and sustainable business success. Nespresso focuses on its unique Trilogy, the unmatched combination of exceptional coffee, smart and stylish coffee machines and personalised customer service. Together, these three elements deliver moments of pure indulgence – the Nespresso Ultimate Coffee Experiences.
Nespresso Division of Nestle Hong Kong Ltd. 7 Floor, Manhattan Place 23 Wang Tai Road, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
Red Packet is the market leading gift experience provider and offers a range of corporate gift experiences tailored for corporate reward & recognition programs. Red Packet offers a unique range of experiences across gastronomy, sport, entertainment and discovery, and are ideal for employee recognition rewards or for a wider customer loyalty campaigns.
Red Packet 15/F, Shun Feng International 182 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai
Tel: (852) 3757 3542 planmanagers@computershare.com.hk www.computershare.com
Tel: 800 905 486 Fax: 800 968 822 club.asia@nespresso.com www.nespresso-pro.com
Tel: (852) 3168 0228 Fax: (852) 3568 5252 corporate@redpacket.hk www.redpacket.hk