HR Magazine Winter Issue 2014

2014 WINTER

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST If it’s important to HR, it’s in HR Magazine.

& WAR 22 WORK What HR can learn from The Art of War in managing complex organisations

16

COVER STORY Why HR must tread carefully with design and implementation of HRIS

30 DISRUPTIVE HR TECHNOLOGY

Top 10 technology trends that are beginning to reshape workplaces

Digitisation of HR Good for HR, but is it good for staff?

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

IN THE NEWS From eroding salaries to eroding arteries, this issue shares how to keep companies and employees happy and healthy as we move into the festive season. We highlight some healthy competition in the business networking industry, as well as how the Hong Kong hiring market is panning out for young and not-so-young professionals.

We also bring you a special supplement on the results of this year's HKMA Awards for Excellence in T&D (pages 50 – 79).

COVER STORY We look at the benefits of digitising HR processes, but also examine why HR needs to take care with the design and execution of any HRIS to help maximise its positive impact on staff (page 16). And if you want some more HR tech ideas, check out the Top 10 disruptive HR technology trends (page 30).

OTHER STUFF Working in HR can often feel like an uphill battle, so what can HR learn from military history? We share wisdom from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War (pages 22 – 24). We also explore how HR can save money, and even lives, by tackling health problems and addressing the crucial ‘happiness factor’ of their staff (page 28). Finally, in the embattled world of HR we look at natural selection and how only the fittest in HR who can align talent with opportunities are destined to thrive (page 39).

Enjoy…

Paul Arkwright, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, HR Magazine

HR MAGAZINE EDITORIAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Paul Arkwright Copy Editor Marc Dunn No part of this publication can be reproduced without consent from the Publisher. Copyright of all material is reserved throughout the publication.

Contributions are welcome but copies of work should be kept, because HR Magazine takes no responsibility for lost submissions. The views, conclusions, findings and opinions published in this magazine belong to those expressing such, and do not necessarily represent those of the Publisher, Editor-in-Chief or editorial staff.

StaffWriters Sophie Pettit Philippa Edwards Zane Hosgood ART Designer Leo Calaguio Fish Wong Photographer Leo Calaguio

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Paul Arkwright Tel: (852) 2736 6318 paul@excelmediagroup.org ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP Carmen Leung Tel: (852) 2736 6862 carmen@excelmediagroup.org Katrine Leung Tel: (852) 2736 6339 katrine@excelmediagroup.org SUBSCRIPTIONS Sumi Yu Tel: (852) 2736 6375 Fax: (852) 2736 6369 subs@excelmediagroup.org

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CONTENTS 2014 WINTER

6 26

HR NEWS 04 13 14 15

HR News HR Moves HR Events HR in Numbers

COVER STORY 16

16

Digitisation of HR

HR FEATURES 22 26 28 30

32 34 36 38

All’s fair in work and war—what HR can learn from The Art of War When East doesn’t quite meet West HR vs headaches, heart attacks and hospitals Top 10 disruptive HR technology trends reshaping today’s workplace & driving organisational success Work-life balance key to staff happiness—they just don’t know it!

Get ‘net neutral’ and stay balanced Corporate boards shift their thinking on people and engagement Natural selection: survival of the fittest in HR

36 38

HR COMMUNITY

26

40 46

HR Conference—put your feet up HR D&I in Asia­—workplace diversity brings HR competitive advantage

HR TRAINING 48

Super Trainers

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT 50

HKMA Award for Execellence in Training & Development 2014

HR BOOKS

28 50

40

PUBLISHED BY

80

Strategic Internal Communication—How to Build Employee Engagement and Performance, Talent Intelligence— what you need to know to identify and measure talent

HR CLASSIFIEDS 81

HR Classifieds

HR NEWS

Hong Kong— the next Silicon Valley?

Could Hong Kong become the next Silicon Valley? This was the question posed by Professor Tony F. Chan, President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) during his speech to over 500 guests at the 29 th HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development Presentation Ceremony on 10 September.

Delivering his speech, entitled ‘Nurturing Human Capital for Dynamic Growth—The Right Minds for The Right Time’, Chan spoke of the importance of encouraging the next generation of Hong Kong to think creatively to develop innovation and technology and bring Hong Kong one step closer to becoming the next Silicon Valley.

Using the example of HKUST, which has established itself as a top global university leading in the advance of science and technology through its core values of excellence, critical thinking and entrepreneurship, Chan stressed that the new generation of Hong Kong holds the potential to change lives for the better. He explained, “Developing innovation and technology helps to develop the whole of society,” however, in order to nurture growth and development, the new generation must be given the opportunity to take risks and not be afraid of failure.

With this in mind, Chan brought to light the need for more research and development centres to open up in Hong Kong in line with the Government’s role, which is to create long-term plans to attract global talent and foreign investment. “Hong Kong has something going for it,” he declared, and if it continues to invest in tomorrow’s talent, there is nothing stopping Hong Kong from becoming the next Silicon Valley.

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Growing inflation erodes APAC salary increases Salaries across Asia Pacific are set to rise on average by 7% in 2015—up a fraction from 2014—with China (5.2%) and Vietnam (4.1%) leading the way.

balance the effect of growing inflationary pressures and managing costs, while continuing to offer salaries sufficient to attract and retain skilled staff.

A pick-up in inflation across the region, however, means that pay increases will drop slightly in real terms. This, according to the APAC Salary Budget Planning Report conducted by professional services company Towers Watson.

Commenting on the findings, Sambhav Rakyan, Data Services Practice Leader, Asia Pacific, Towers Watson said, “We’re seeing a pick-up in economic growth in Asia Pacific in the coming year against a backdrop of declining unemployment, which will create inflationary pressures.

Across the region, from factory floor to senior management, employees will have pay raises equal to or higher than last year in percentage terms, with the exception of Taiwan, where the rate of increase will drop from 2.8% to 1.7% after inflation. In real terms, however, increases will be lower for 12 of the 20 Asia-Pacific economies covered in the survey.

The survey findings illustrate the challenge to businesses in the region as they seek to

The challenge for companies is to keep employees engaged and turnover down, while not getting caught up in a pay-inflation spiral.”

Despite what some may say, salary is the number one driver for attracting and retaining highly skilled staff, according to the study, indicating that a fine balance needs to be found in the coming months.

Generational gap in attitudes to work/life balance Despite experts’ predictions that many of us will now live to 100 and work well into our eighties, a survey by London Business School (LBS) has found that only 40% of senior executives rank work/life balance as a high priority when considering their development for the next three to five years.

This contrasts with the priorities of their Gen-Y employees. Earlier this year, LBS revealed the results of a five-year survey of participants from its Emerging Leaders executive education programme. The survey found that Gen Y puts work/life balance at the top of the priority list leaving promotion prospects in third place behind organisational culture.

Experts suggest one explanation for the gap is that first-time general managers are most

at risk of ‘burn out’. Richard Jolly, Adjunct Professor of Organisational Behaviour, LBS explained, “It’s what we call the ‘Double Crunch’. At this stage many people are starting families and first general management jobs at the same time.

The demands from work and personal life have never been greater. If senior executives fail to create the sort of environment our Gen-Y talent wants to work in, they will neither attract nor retain the brightest and the best, and company performance will start to suffer. Today’s emerging leaders, especially in professional services, are looking at the life of senior partners and articulating with increasing confidence that they don’t see them as inspiring role models and that their personal lives won’t always come second to work.”

HR NEWS

Hong Kong hiring remains steady Hong Kong’s employment market continues to display positive signs of growth and remains highly attractive to jobseekers according to both the 2014/15 Michael Page Hong Kong Employee Intentions Report and the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS).

More than one in five of the 815 employers surveyed by Manpower expect to increase staffing levels throughout Q4 this year, while only 5% forecast a decrease and 71% anticipate no change at all. The most optimistic hiring plans are reported in the finance, insurance and real estate sectors, with employers reporting a net employment outlook of +18%.

According to the Michael Page report, employers in high growth sectors, particularly digital, will have the opportunity to tap into the talent pool with the predicted high level of job seeking activity indicated by respondents in these sectors. The report reveals, however, that while some employees express optimism with regard to available job prospects, many remain slightly cautious in their view towards finding a new role. Just over half of survey respondents indicate that they are likely or very likely to change roles in the next 12 months, with professionals from

the digital sector making up the largest group of survey respondents who expect to change roles within the next year (75%).

An increase in salary is the top motivating factor for 40% of professionals looking for a new job, an 11% increase compared to the 2013/14 Michael Page Hong Kong Employee Intentions Report results.

63% of respondents, however, state that they have not received a promotion in the past two years, while 66% indicate that they are not expecting to receive one within the next 12 months. The issue of work/life balance has once again come under the

spotlight with almost half of respondents stating that their average working hours have increased or significantly increased.

Commenting on the findings, Andy Bentote, Managing Director, PageGroup, Hong Kong and Southern China said, “Jobseekers and employees continue to display confidence in Hong Kong’s professional employment market and this is outlined by strong salary expectations and jobseeker intentions in the report. We have also seen consistently stable recruitment activity across our Hong Kong offices which is likely to be sustained through the next 12 months.”

APAC better at finding talent than EMEA and Americas APAC is home to some of the world’s most savvy talent sourcers, scoring well above the global average for their ability to find and attract talent, according to the 2014 Global Sourcing Survey recently conducted by Alexander Mann Solutions and Social Talent.

The survey shows that APAC may well be the market from which other global sourcers take their lead. It also suggests that sourcing is really more of an art than a science—and that personal engagement and communication is still a critical skill for sourcers to develop if they want to effectively engage with their audience.

Although still a relatively new concept in APAC, sourcers based in the region are exploiting online tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to increase response rates and improve the candidate experience.

Martin Cerullo, Brand and Marketing Lead, Alexander Mann Solutions, said, “It is high time that employers wake up to the fact that everyone benefits by properly training sourcers in how to use such tools to the benefit of everyone concerned. In APAC it appears that the choice of tools is speeding up and continuing to change with a surge of interest in instant messaging tools to attract

talent. The rest of the world is yet to really embrace such tools.”

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Facebook is not LinkedIn’s main competitor when it comes to how sourcers attract and identify talent.

They are more likely to be using micro-blogging tools and video sharing sites to engage with and get the attention of potential talent.

Usage of such tools, however, still pales in comparison to LinkedIn, which dominates the industry.

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HR NEWS

HKBN and Crystal Group scoop HKMA Gold Awards Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) and Crystal Group scooped the Gold Awards for 2014 in front of an audience of more than 500 guests at the 29th HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development Presentation Ceremony at the JW Marriott on 10 September.

the win, Chan said, “We feel so proud to receive the award. Our training programme means a lot to us as an organisation, as we are able to give recognition to our engineers for their professionalism and enable them to feel more engaged and passionate about their work.”

Angus Chan, Manager, Technical Services & Co-owner, HKBN was presented with the Gold Award in the Skills Training Category for the company’s ‘Certified Professional Engineer’ training programme, designed to equip the technical team with technical and product knowledge whilst providing them with recognition and motivation. Commenting on

Crystal Group also emerged victorious on the night, claiming the Gold Award for the Development Category for its ‘Building Leadership Bench Strength for an Evergreen Industry’ programme, designed to develop employees personally and in terms of job satisfaction, as a form of reward. Collecting the award Dennis Wong, Executive Director,

Crystal Group acknowledged, “HR is a kind of risky investment,” and thanked his CEO for approving the financial budget to enable him to implement the programme.

Claiming the Silver Award for the Development Category was DFS Group Limited, followed

by Bank of China, which received the Bronze Award. Other winners include Synergis Management Services Limited, which won the Silver Award in the Skills Training Category and RS Components Limited, which claimed the Bronze Award as well as the Trainer of the Year Award, presented to Yvonne Yam, APAC Change Manager at the company.

New free business course open to Hong Kongers

Alexander Mann Solutions named RPO leader in APAC

A new initiative will allow anyone in Hong Kong, indeed anyone globally with an internet connection, to study business for free at a renowned UK university, due to the collaboration between the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the University of Exeter Business School and online learning platform FutureLearn.

Alexander Mann Solutions has been named the Market Leader of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) in Asia Pacific by HRO Today, in its global Baker’s Dozen Customer Satisfaction Survey of the top global RPO providers. The company was also named the Market Leader of RPO in Europe, Middle East & Africa and the only organisation to be named in the top two in all of the global enterprise categories.

Together, they are launching a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) —‘Discovering Business in Society’—which is free to study and open to anyone.

The eight-week course aims to teach the principles of business to all, be they prospective undergraduate students, working professionals without a

6 | HR MAGAZINE

background in business, people looking to return to work after an absence or any other seeking to further educate themselves.

Jane Cheng, Head, ACCA Hong Kong commented, “The whole point of this MOOC is that it is all encompassing…It could be useful to anyone in Hong Kong or any other country seeking to start a business to get a better understanding of what’s involved, or a parent looking to return to work with a new set of skills.

It’s not unusual today for those people already in work to look to change career, and this gives them a taster of what it might be like in a business environment. It’s open to anyone, anywhere, of any age who wants to do it.”

Martin Cerullo, Managing Director, Development APAC, commented, “The recent strong performances of our global client service centres in Manila and Shanghai demonstrate the demand for great talent management services in Asia Pacific. The whole team is proud to be voted number one and look forward to growing and investing further in our business across our key Asia-Pacific locations.”

HR NEWS

Hong Kong boards not promoting team dynamics

China turns corner on health and safety at work China has been taking the health and safety of its workers seriously, according to the 7th International Forum on Work Safety in Beijing, China. The country’s renewed efforts to reduce the terrible toll of workplace injury and ill health have been welcomed by the British Safety Council, which advocates that a world leading economy that is also a safe and healthy one would transform regional and global attitudes to safety at work.

Directors in Hong Kong think that leaders on boards are not doing enough to promote team dynamics, according to the Asia Pacific Corporate Governance Report 2014 from Heidrick & Struggles. They also suggest that clear criteria for board member replacement are needed because Hong Kong has the lowest percentage of non-executive directors (66%), the highest average number of directors per board (13.6), and the longest average tenure of board of director members in the region at 10.8 years. The report also suggests that boards in Hong Kong are not as likely to engage external advisory parties to review their board effectiveness.

Drawing on data from 170 publicly listed companies on stock exchanges across six countries in Asia Pacific and surveying more than 165 board members, the report also suggests that high-performing boards focus on four key capabilities: people, leadership, vision and innovation. Several key drivers support these four core capabilities including a balance

between executive and non-executive directors, regular meetings, clear criteria for director replacement, identification of opportunities to improve the board, gender and ethnic diversity, and a sufficient number of independent directors to provide a balanced view. Directors rated ‘vision’ as the most important capability in the survey.

Harry O’Neill, Managing Partner, Asia Pacific, Heidrick & Struggles commented, “In places like Hong Kong and Singapore where many listed companies are family owned, boards should regularly benchmark themselves against their peers to identify key differences that impact performance and share price. With the increasingly stringent new legal compliance rules and stock exchange guidelines, board meetings nowadays tend to focus heavily on compliance issues. However, a forward-thinking board should be able to assess the resilience of a business as well as its ability to innovate, while understanding the risks involved in innovation.”

Speaking at the forum, Alex Botha, Chief Executive, British Safety Council said, “The general consensus is that China is improving its record on occupational safety and health.

The British Safety Council welcomes that, while emphasising that with fatal injuries still in their tens of thousands each year, China has a long way to go. These improvements are the result of political leadership that over a decade ago saw ‘safe development’ written into China’s national plans. In particular, 2002 saw the introduction of two new laws that improved the regulatory framework, along with the first International Forum on Work Safety. Botha added, “This combination of a robust and improving regulatory framework to set standards and penalise wrong-doers, along with forums for business, health and safety professionals and government officials to exchange experience on prevention is the right one…With its influence, China can encourage all parts of the world to save lives and eliminate costs, both human and financial.”

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HR NEWS

Long working hours could double chances of heart disease

Working more than a 40-hour week has long been linked to stress, dissatisfaction and compromised health, but now new research on over 8,000 Korean adults finds that it may also increase the risk of workers developing coronary heart disease.

The increased stress is thought to cause a narrowing of the blood vessels that then restricts the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart.

Dr Yun-Chul Hong, senior author of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine study said, “The longer hours employees worked, the higher their chances of developing coronary heart disease within 10 years, with those working 61 to 70 hours having a 42% increased likelihood of developing the disease, those working 71 to 80 hours having a 63% increased likelihood, and those working more than 80 hours having a 94% increased likelihood.”

British Safety Council applauds safer Hong Kong An improvement to Hong Kong’s health and safety record has been welcomed by the British Safety Council, which is pressing the message home that good health and safety is good business.

With fewer people being killed, injured or made ill by work in Hong Kong, Alex Botha, Chief Executive, British Safety Council commented, “Hong Kong has made significant strides in improving occupational safety and health, demonstrated by strong reductions in occupational injuries. Since 2006, there has been a near 20% reduction in such injuries and Hong Kong is in a good position to make further improvements.”

He added, “With an estimated 4% of global GDP lost due to health and safety failure,

8 | HR MAGAZINE

with over 2.3 million people senselessly killed each year, we know that key to delivering improvements is to convince leaders—both in business and politics—that there are economic as well as moral reasons to protect workers.”

The Council’s recent report into the business benefits of health and safety shows the great extent to which employers—and society more generally—gains from a healthy and safe workforce in terms of increased productivity, reduced wastage and enhanced public reputation for delivery without the disruption of poorly managed risks. Botha will be sharing this message with the Council’s members in Hong Kong, some of whom are in high hazard industries like construction and manufacturing, in order to stimulate action.

Working on the go putting company data at risk

Workers globally are putting business privacy at risk when out of the office, according to the findings of the latest Regus survey, which canvassed over 22,000 respondents in over 100 countries.

The most perilous locations are cafés (59%), where the privacy of documents and conversations is most at risk, followed by hotel bars and lounges (50%) and on flights (46%). Campus-style canteens also offer little privacy (29%). The daily commute can risky with public transport, such as trains (42%), posing a threat to the privacy of sensitive work information.

The survey revealed that mobile conversations are the most easily captured (69%), followed by printed documents that can easily be read by people peering over one’s shoulders (62%) and open laptops (59%), which are also easy prey for snoopers.

Commenting on the findings, John Henderson, Chief Financial Officer, Regus Asia-Pacific said, “Privacy remains a huge concern for workers travelling to work on their daily commute, but also for those taking a pit-stop at a café between meetings, or catching up on email in the hotel lounge. The increasing need to remain connected and productive via portable devices and laptops means that workers can easily find somewhere to quickly catch up on tasks. But each time they do so, they can be putting their sensitive business information at risk of prying eyes and ears.

For this reason, workers need a professional workspace environment where they can work flexibly, popping in from time to time while on-the-go, but be assured that their private business will not be exposed.”

HR NEWS

Centre for Crisis Management Excellence to be established in Southeast Asia Graeme Newton, CEO of Queensland Reconstruction Authority, will join global professional services firm Deloitte Australia (Deloitte) in October to lead its Australian Crisis Management business and set up a Centre for Excellence for Crisis Management for the Southeast Asia region.

Harvey Christophers, Deloitte Managing Partner of the risk services business, said Newton’s appointment was part of the strategy to help organisations ‘know the worth of risk’ and invest in depth in areas of risk intelligence that were vital to organisations in the country.

Christophers commented, “A crisis for an organisation is any high-consequence event that has the potential to threaten an organisation’s existence, value, reputation or ability to operate. Bringing the depth of expertise that Graeme has in responding to crises is a great example of the investments that we are prepared to make to bring authentic capability to help our clients.”

Newton will work with existing Deloitte alliances with global and Australian organisations and universities to bring a commercial approach to getting the imperatives right for Deloitte’s clients, and also serve on the Deloitte Global Centre for Crisis Management which is focused on assisting

both the public and private sectors prepare, respond and recover from crises.

Graeme Newton stated, “I am looking forward to taking on this new role of ‘integrator’ between Australia, Southeast Asia and the huge reach Deloitte has in this field globally.

In this role I see the opportunity to make a significant difference when it comes to crisis and disaster management, and preparedness in particular.”

On the world scale in 2013, there were more than 300 natural disasters globally (including hurricanes, nuclear disasters, earthquakes and tsunamis) and on a private sector front more than 47,000 bankruptcies in the US alone.

Each year an estimated USD 560 million is spent on post-disaster relief and recovery by the Australian Government compared to an estimated consistent annual expenditure of USD 50 million on pre-disaster resilience: a ratio of more than USD 10 post-disaster for every USD 1 spent pre-disaster.

Queensland-based, Deloitte Forensic Risk Services leader Chris Noble said: “The National Strategy for Disaster Resilience recognised that the task of building more resilient communities is complex and requires greater collaboration between government,

business and community. The Queensland Reconstruction Authority and Graeme Newton provided that for Queensland and Graeme is very well placed to assist corporates and government become even more resilient.

Noble stated, “The economic cost of natural disasters in Australia is estimated by Deloitte Access Economics to exceed USD 6 billion a year. These costs are expected to double by 2030 and to rise to an average of USD 23 billion a year by 2050.”

However, natural disasters are just one crisis scenario for organisations as cyber attacks, misdeeds, financial crimes, financial distress, technological or industrial threats, supply chain failure, reputation-damaging fraud, disclosure issues and other events trigger complex and damaging crises. Responding quickly and effectively to minimise short- and long-term damage to companies is becoming a core capability.

When hand-picked to lead the USD 14 billion Queensland floods disaster recovery, Newton achieved global recognition, and he is committed to working with governments, CEOs and boards to build end-to-end resilience on a global scale to prepare for, respond to and emerge from crises effectively.

www.smithstonewalters.com NEW YORK 11 John Street, NY 10038 +1 646 378 4406

LONDON King Street, EC2V 8AU +44 (0)20 8461 6660

MUMBAI The Capital, BKC, Mumbai (+91) 22 6712 8433

HONG KONG Level 21 The Centre, Central HK (+852)3478 3757

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HR NEWS

New online community rivals LinkedIn The Federation of International Employers (FedEE) has announced the launch of a face-to-face networking tool called butN that will allow real business networking at a global level. The free mobile networking tool has been designed to be easy and safe to use, despite being based on cutting edge technologies. This development is part of a programme, to reduce the intense stress experienced by business executives, whilst improving their connectivity both within and outside their business sectors.

Several different language versions of butN are in preparation as well as many path finding applications, which will help multinational executives deal more effectively with their daily work demands. Companies can also have their own internal, badged versions

of butN to assist with team working, wider connectivity and the fostering of greater employee engagement.

Robin Chater, who heads up FedEE, commented, “Executives in multinational companies have a constant need to forge links with prospective customers and business partners, to form alliances, improve their intercultural skills and check out new ideas with others outside their organisations. That is why for the last year we have been working on a better way for them to forge new connections, especially during business trips. The business networking forum ‘LinkedIn’ is great as an online community, but butN is not about virtual networking, but real networking.”

EF Education First launches free English test

EF Education First recently announced the release of the free EF Standard English Test (EFSET), the world’s first free standardised English test, which will have a significant impact on an estimated two billion English language learners around the world, who can now accurately measure their English proficiency at no cost.

Millions of people around the world are required to show proof of their English skills for career, university and personal advancement and the EFSET allows learners free access to a high-quality standardised English test available online at all times.

The EFSET will also be valuable to schools, companies, and governments, where large-scale testing was previously cost prohibitive. In the coming years, EF will work with institutions that want to adopt the EFSET as a formal English certification test, thereby helping millions of students and employees.

In-house training key to building strong teams at G&D German KVM manufacturer Guntermann & Drunck has taken on more support staff and extended its service hours in order to provide better support to customers, to the particular benefit of those outside of Europe.

Martin Drunck, owner of G&D and CEO of Service, Product Management & IT, explained, “Finding skilled service employees is hard— finding experienced KVM service employees

10 | HR MAGAZINE

even harder. That’s why we train most of our technicians in-house and employ them full-time after they’ve finished their training.”

In this way knowledge is passed down to trainees from experienced KVM experts, which has resulted in a high retention rate of staff at G&D. The new service hours mean more flexibility for the support staff and an increased sense of satisfaction that they are providing a good service to customers.

Yerrie Kim, Executive Director, EF Learning Labs, the research and innovation arm of EF Education First commented, “The EFSET challenges long-accepted assumptions about standardised testing and certification exams. It shifts power from the test maker to the test taker by allowing the test taker to decide when, where, and why to assess their English skills. We believe that accurate English tests do not have to be burdensome or inconvenient.”

EF Learning Labs developed the EFSET in partnership with the world’s top experts in language assessment, large-scale testing, and psychometrics, all of whom have extensive experience building prominent certification exams.

HR NEWS

Hong Kong Millennials look to businesses to solve societal issues More than 86% of millennials surveyed in Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Singapore expect businesses to be actively involved in solving important issues such as economy, environment and healthcare, according to The Future of Business Citizenship report released by PR firm MSLGROUP. The survey of 8,000 millennials revealed that those in Hong Kong view citizenship as a high priority in their lives and are vocal in sharing and exchanging views.

They are sophisticated in their thinking and expect companies to be responsible and sustainable and consider how they can help with environmental issues, where relevant. Interestingly, half of Hong Kong millennials said they would be encouraged

to be more active citizens if they had support from businesses, either through year-round volunteer activities arranged by employers or through time off work to volunteer. This suggests that businesses looking to engage members of the younger generation should identify something tangible and measurable within the broad range of critical societal issues and focus on specific actions where company’s core competencies can help drive greater impact.

Commenting on the study, Pascal Beucler, Chief Strategy Officer, MSLGROUP explained that millennials—the largest, most diverse and influential generation to date— are ‘game changers’ in their expectations of business with distinct ideas on how companies should behave. He said, “The

Hong Kong companies pay top wages to banking and finance graduates Companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand are paying top dollar to fresh graduates in the banking and finance markets, professional services (compliance, consultancy and legal services) and information technology positions. Education and building/construction also rank in the top five in Hong Kong. This, according to an online survey conducted by Jobs DB Hong Kong Limited.

To attract and retain top talent from universities in Hong Kong and abroad, banking and finance related jobs are relying on good salary packages to sweeten the deal.

Dr. Andy Wong, Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Studies), The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School, said, “The banking and finance posts are undoubtedly the most stable and reliable source of quality jobs. Good salaries, a structured career path and perceived social prestige in association with bankers are all key factors that attract fresh graduates.”

The jobs that consistently scored lowest across Asia were in admin and HR, hospitality and F&B. However, these same jobs have shown the most dramatic increase in salary, by an average of 67% once the graduates obtain more than three years of experience.

overwhelming majority of millennials believe corporate involvement in tackling issues such as economy, health and environment is a key factor to build a successful outcome.

They look to businesses not only to lead, but to actively engage them in the process. This opens up huge opportunities for businesses worldwide to reset in the face of declining consumer trust.”

Scott Beaudoin, Global Director, MSLGROUP’s Corporate and Brand Citizenship practice added, “The study findings demonstrate a clear path for corporations looking to engage with this influential generation: Business Citizenship is the new platform on which strong consumer, employer and stakeholder relationships can be established and built.”

Labour market challenges shift focus in HR practices As concerns about the global economy and the local labour market persist, employers continue to be prudent in pay strategies for 2015. The pay adjustment forecast for 2015 of 4.5% does not differ greatly from the average actual adjustment of 4.3% in 2014, according to the results of the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management’s (HKIHRM) 2014 Pay Trend Survey.

Francis Mok, Immediate Past President, HKIHRM highlighted a different approach to the problem, “An open economy like Hong Kong is more likely to be affected by external global factors. Yet, the labour market faces its own challenges including labour and talent shortages, weaker employee engagement and higher turnover, thus making employee training, the building of talent pipelines and succession planning more difficult.

Remuneration packages have always been regarded as the primary measure to address these issues. At a time when labour shortages prevail, pay strategies alone may not be effective enough. Other HR practices including a clear career development path, more innovative and tailored employee benefits and employee retention measures are becoming more important on the work list of HR professionals.”

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HR NEWS

HR urged to tackle rising healthcare costs Corporate health costs are set to double in Asia in the next four to seven years, according to the Asia Total Health and Choice in Benefits report from Mercer Marsh Benefits.

The report, which studied the future challenges of providing employee benefits in the Asian marketplace, highlights that while people are living longer, they are getting sicker as poor lifestyle habits have resulted in deteriorating general health and an increase in incidence of chronic illness.

As a result, costs are being passed on to employers through employer-sponsored health programmes, creating more financial pressure for HR professionals.

Rose Kwan, Partner, ASEAN Business Leader, Mercer Marsh Benefits commented, “While medical advances have allowed us to cope with chronic illnesses, the net

effect is that people are living longer but with poorer health, resulting in greater demand for medical care. However, the cost of medical care is increasing every year, and medical inflation is outstripping general inflation significantly.”

Kwan added that in a climate of slower economic growth, business leaders will find it a challenge to shoulder the increasing costs and the associated erosion of profit caused by absence days and loss of productivity as well as rising insurance premiums due to smoking, obesity and other lifestyle choices.

According to Kwan, prevention is better than cure as she stressed, “Targeted intervention and prevention should be a priority so that companies are able to control the ongoing cost of benefits programmes and avoid future

costs. Doing anything less simply perpetuates the vicious cost-increment cycle.”

Mercer Marsh Benefits says the number one phenomenon demonstrated by the survey is that, while HR professionals are actively looking for new ways to manage the impact of benefits programmes, many continue to support multiple programmes that are not necessarily aligned with the right business outcomes.

Kwan concluded, “HR professionals will need to be more financially vigilant, with targeted implementation and prevention a priority so companies can control the ongoing cost of benefits programmes and avoid future costs that may not yet have manifested.

Alternative solutions require investment, but HR professionals must be equipped with the necessary data, tools and knowledge to justify any investment to their business leaders.”

Medical inflation table Country

General inflation 1 2013

Medical inflation 2 2013

Expected change in 2 medical premiums

Australia

1.0%

5%–7%

5.5%–6.5%

China

2.7%

5%–7%

10%–12%

Hong Kong

3.5%

4%–5%

10%

India

10.9%

18%

116%–22%

Indonesia

7.3%

12%–13%

10%–12%

Japan

0.1%

3%- 4%

**0.3%

Malaysia

2.0%

15%

10%-15%

Pakistan

8.5%–9.5%

12%–14%

15%–17%

Philippines

2.8%

8%–10%

10%–15%

Singapore

2.3%

3%–4%

4%–8%

South Korea

1.4%

2%

7%

Taiwan

1.2%

2%–3%

4%–6%

Thailand

2.2%

18%–22%

15%–20%

Vietnam

8.8%

20%–25%

15%–20%

1

Projected IMF estimates, World Economic Outlook Database, October 2013 (information as extracted October 2013) Extracted from Mercer’s Inflation Summary subject to changes due to updates Note: The figures stated above are subject to change during the year as these are estimates and based on current market conditions 2

12 | HR MAGAZINE

HR MOVES

HR Moves Nora Wu appointed as Global Human Capital, PwC PwC has appointed Nora Wu as Vice Chairwoman and Global Human Capital Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited. Wu is currently PwC China’s Shanghai Office Senior Partner and the firm’s Central China Markets Leader. She also serves as PwC’s Human Capital Leader for Asia and as a member of the region’s executive leadership team.

Wu is a regular speaker at a wide range of business conventions and seminars on various business and leadership-related topics and has extensive consulting experience in international business and taxes, human resources and other issues.

Dennis M. Nally, Global Chairman, PwC International commented, “Nora brings to her new role a depth and breadth of experience that are critical to the continued success and growth of PwC. Her background in managing the need for talent in a rapidly expanding economy will be invaluable in sustaining our global people strateg y.”

André Czanik appointed MD, Asia Pacific Benefits,Towers Watson Towers Watson has appointed André Czanik to lead its Health and Group Benefits business in Asia Pacific. Czanik has close to two decades of experience in the health consulting and insurance sectors and extensive experience in developing markets including China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Andrew Heard, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Benefits, Towers Watson commented, “As Towers Watson grows its Health and Group Benefits business in Asia Pacific to encapsulate not just benefit solutions such as benefit design and employee choice, but through expanded brokerage capabilities as well, we’re looking forward to André’s expertise and vision in navigating our clients through the next stage of growth.”

Bobby Ahmad appointed GM Hong Kong & Macau, Garuda Indonesia Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia’s national carrier, recently announced the appointment of Bobby Ahmad Rusyandi as the General Manager of Hong Kong and Macau. Rusyandi will lead his team to further strengthen the company’s stance in the aviation sector in the Hong Kong and Macau markets with the aim of becoming a major regional player in the industry. He will play a pivotal role in devising strategic directions for the airline, managing sales & marketing operations, and overseeing customer relations and channel development.

Rusyandi joined Garuda Indonesia in 1993 and has been instrumental in the growth of the company in various sales management and managerial posts across Indonesia before becoming General Manager of Melbourne in 2009. He brings a wealth of experience to the Hong Kong office having previously been based in one of Garuda Indonesia’s stronghold offices.

“Mr Bobby’s vast experience in the aviation industry and exceptional leadership qualities are no doubt valuable assets for Garuda Indonesia in Hong Kong & Macau especially in competitive times in the industry,” said .

Wayan Subagia, General Manager of Greater China, Garuda Indonesia.

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HR EVENTS

December

HR Events

02/12/2014 AmCham 23rd Annual Human Capital Conference 2014 Organised by

Human Capital

Location: JW Marriott Ballroom, Level 3, JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong Email: msimpson@amcham.org.hk Website: www.amcham.org.hk/events/signature-events/ human-capital-conference

10/12/2014 Vital Voices Solidarity 2014 Awards Organised by

Vital Voices

Location: IAC HQ 555 West 18 Street, New York, United States Tel: (202) 380 9494 Email: umaiyer@vitalvoices.org Website: http://www.vitalvoices.org/global-initiatives/vitalvoices-solidarity-award

January 15/01/2015

15/02/2015 – 17/02/2015 World HRD Congress Organised by

World HRD Congress

Location: Taj Lands End Band Strand, Bandra (West), Mumbai, 400 050 India Tel: (91) 22 2661 1394 Email: secretariat@worldcsrcongress.com Website: www.worldhrdcongress.com

17/02/2015 – 18/02/2015 The World CSR Day Organised by

World CSR Congress

Location: Taj Lands End Band Strand, Bandra (West), Mumbai, 400 050 India Tel: (91) 22 2661 6613 Email: secretariat@worldcsrcongress.com Website: www.worldhrdcongress.com

18/02/2015 – 21/02/2015 2015 Conference in the Americas

Recruitment & Succession Planning Strategies • • • • • • • •

Internal & external recruitment Recruitment tips Interview tips Current recruitment landscape Recruitment tools Social media & recruitment Applicant screening & management strategies Succession planning strategies Location: Cliftons, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2736 6399 Email: carmen@excelmediagroup.org website: http://hrmagazine.com.hk

Academy of Human Resource Development Organised by

Location: 2015 Conference in the Americas 315 Chestnut Street St. Louis, Missouri, USA 63102 Tel: 651-290-7466 Email: office@ahrd.org Website: www.ahrd.org

March 16/03/2015 – 19/03/2015 i4cp 2015 Annual Conference Organised by

Fee: FREE ENTRY for HR Magazine subscribers, non-subscribers HKD 1,200

February 03/02/2015 – 04/02/2015

i4cp

Location: i4cp 2015 Annual Conference Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona Tel: (206) 624-6565, Tel: (727) 345-2226 Website: www.i4cp.com/conference

16/03/2015 – 19/03/2015 SHRM Employment Law & Legislative Conference

HR Directors Business Summit 2015 Organised by Organised by

WTG Events

Location: HR Directors Business Summit 2015 Birmingham, UK Tel: 44 (0)20 7202 7597 Email: nicole.dominguez@wtgevents.com Website: www.hrevent.com

14 | HR MAGAZINE

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Location: SHRM Employment Law & Legislative Conference Washington, DC Tel: (800) 283-7476, option 3 (U.S.) +1 (703) 548-3440, option 3 (Int’l) Email: prodev@shrm.org Website: www.conferences.shrm.org/legislative-conference

HR IN NUMBERS

HR in Numbers

57%

67%

Percentage of Chinese workforce made up of women

Average salary increase among admin and HR graduates after obtaining more than 3 years experience.

Source: Gender Diversity Benchmark for Asia 2014, Community Business

39%

Increase in job vacancies in financial services across Asia-Pacific region between Q3 2013 and Q3 2014 Source: Q3 2014 Asia Pacific Employment Monitor, Morgan McKinley

36% The representation of women at senior levels in the Chinese market.

Source: Gender Diversity Benchmark for Asia 2014, Community Business

Source: JobsDB Hong Kong Ltd.

20+ Hours worked by mothers whose children are then less likely to get enough sleep Source: Work hours, schedules & insufficient sleep among mothers and their young children, Journal of Marriage and Health

20%

Growth in the total number of job advertisements for professional positions across six Asian markets from Q3 2013 to Q3 2014 Source: Robert Waltewrs Asia Job Index Q3 2014

1.3% Percentage average wage rise in HK in 2015 after inflation is taken into account Source: ECA International Salary Trends Survey 2014/15

40%

Percentage of senior executives who rank work/life balance as a high priority for their development in the next three to five years Source: London Business School Survey

| 15

COVER STORY

Digitisation of HR Good for HR, but is it good for staff?

HRIS—design and use with care

As HR strives to further enhance efficiency and functionality, streamline processes and squeeze more out of finite resources it is becoming more of a necessity and less of an option to embrace HR technology.

Organisations across APAC are investing increasing time and money in HR technology—particularly in the area of HR portals and software-as-a-service (SaaS) systems—via cloud and mobile applications.

But does this technology always benefit staff?

16 | HR MAGAZINE

COVER STORY

HR tech spend growing Over a third of companies globally plan to spend more on HR technology in 2015 than they did last year, with nearly a quarter of those anticipating a 20% hike in spending, according to the 2014 HR Service Delivery and Technology Survey, recently conducted by Towers Watson.

The Survey also revealed that this year adoption rates of SaaS systems in APAC firms—typically to handle functions such as performance reviews and leave approvals—climbed to 46%, up 11% from last year. Significant increases in the adoption of cloud technology are also noteworthy, particularly in markets where the government has taken a more proactive approach to the development of cloud, such as in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Realising benefits for staff The rising popularity of digital media is undoubtedly improving efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. These benefits so far have mainly been reaped on the employer side. Moving forward, HR needs to look at milking workplace technology to also help maximise its benefits on the employee side. Ashley Clarke, COO, FlexSystem commented, “Generally, technology has facilitated the marketplace and made people more productive. The increased use of technology in business has, until now, mainly helped employers—with easier access to data on the business and a reduction in time spent on company administration. Conversely, the realisation of such benefits for staff is really only just beginning.”

Ashley Clarke, COO, FlexSystem Limited

There has been a progressive ‘consumerisation’ of IT as workplace technology, which has gradually migrated away from spreadsheets and towards systems that finally ‘look’ and ‘feel’ a bit more human and intuitive. The timing of this consumerisation process couldn’t be better, as it also coincides with the recent, if gradual, move in HR to present relevant data to their staff in smarter ways. Mobile access to such ‘smart data’ is undoubtedly making work life easier for HR professionals and employees alike. From the employee perspective, Clarke explained, “HR systems that are automated to provide the right information, at the right

time, to the right person decrease ‘clutter’ by ensuring employees are not bothered by irrelevant information.” From a HR perspective, critical HR functions can also be made significantly easier by being able to properly, effectively and efficiently interact with the HR system. Clarke noted, “The relationship with today’s HR systems has become more contextualised. For example, it is now possible to request very specific information, or set up ‘contextual alerts’—which notify relevant staff members of required tasks at specific times—as an automated response to specific criteria previously set by HR.

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COVER STORY

‘What’ is important, but ‘how’ is critical Clark explained that, for those designing HR systems, the fundamental question is: ‘How can we help HR professionals achieve more, by getting more relevant information to them?’

The answer lies in the fundamental design of the HR systems deployed. Making HR systems intuitive and user-friendly is important, but key is getting them to ‘think’ like HR does—this can bring huge time and effort savings. One such way in which IT systems can provide HR with help is by incorporating auto alerts of potential staffing issues. Mission-critical positions in organisations that have been vacant beyond a designated ‘tolerance period’ could be flagged by the system—alerting those responsible to take action. This not only helps trigger more timely HR responses to urgent staffing needs, but also eases the complex, and often thankless, task of them trying to keep track of actual headcount in busy large-scale organisations. Another example of IT making life easier for HR can be found in well-designed payroll systems. If, when HR reviews payroll, only relevant information is highlighted—this avoids the need for ploughing through a huge pool of numbers which are, more often than not, simply the same as in previous months.

As well as considering the design of HR systems, mindset changes in the workplace are also very often depend on how such technology is utilised. Baroness Susan Adele Greenfield (CBE, HonFRCP)—writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords—speaking at the recent HRM Expo 2014 in Germany, noted, “As far as HR managers are concerned, it’s all about recognising and accepting technological developments—only then can they act appropriately. People with low empathy and weaker identities need constant feedback and, in this respect, it is important for HR to give all employees a sense of identity and to show them that their actions have consequences.” She added, “Companies need a conceptual framework to help employees join up the dots, so that things mean things.”

In terms of HR technology and HR portals, Jonathan Lo, Regional Practice Leader, HR Service Delivery—Asia Pacific, Towers Watson advised HR to be specific about exactly how they use digital media to engage with employees in the workplace. He explained,

18 | HR MAGAZINE

“Companies are seeing the value that the smartphone and other consumer-grade technology brings to HR—with an increased appetite to make strategic investments that can adapt and grow with the business over time. Companies that are intentional about how they‎ engage with their managers and employees through HR technology acknowledge it as an effective way to meet their intended objectives.”

For better or worse?

Communication at work has undoubtedly, and probably irrevocably, changed as a result of advances in technology—but has the digitisation of work communication been for better or worse?

Many HR analysts have raised concerns that the growing trend towards digitisation of workplace functions may be having a negative impact on employees across the globe.

Greenfield contends that the culture of instant messaging, network identities, diminished privacy and here-and-now experiences that pervades modern-day life creates an increasingly complex experience in the way people live and work, which in turn affects the way their brain operates. She commented, “Heavy internet users show similar brainwave patterns to those seen in autistic people.”

A rapid process of digitisation may lead many to feel overwhelmed when confronted with a

Y. K. Pang, Chief Executive, Hongkong Land Limited

barrage of different digital media—especially in the workplace. Greenfield said, “[An overload of] digital media may now be causing problems with empathy and interpersonal relationships of employees at work.”

To improve employees’ wellbeing, aside from HR systems, Greenfield recommends trying to adopt offices with access to the outdoors or—in environments like Hong Kong where this is can be a serious challenge—at least a view of the natural environment outside.

She explained, “It has been shown that creativity is raised by exposure to natural environments. We also know that thinking can be inspired by walking. That is why it is helpful if employees can simply walk around in a building. This gives your eyes a rest— because you are not focusing on the screen, and has the added advantages that you may bump into someone who inspires you.”

While on a macro level there may have been significant de-personalisation due to workplace IT systems, and lack of ‘breathing space’. Clark claimed that, at the same time digital HR platforms have provided the opportunity for staff to communicate more easily, and through a much wider variety of channels than was previously possible. In turn, this has facilitated a much greater level of collaboration between colleagues.

In SAP’s recent Twitter debate on Millennials, Evan Tan, Regional Director—Southeast Asia, Freelancer.com said, “I think technology in the

workplace affords employees flexibility and can enhance relationships…We see it happening.”

A spokesperson for the Centre for Future-ready Graduates at The National University of Singapore added that, “IT is an enabler to foster greater collaboration and communication, especially in a globalised workplace.”

There is compelling evidence to support the case of going all out and fully digitising HR to foster greater workforce connectivity, collaboration and even enhance staff IQs. It is, however, still prudent for HR to use such systems to complement, rather than replace, traditional face-to-face communication strategies. The importance of maintaining human contact within the workplace is something that Nicole Lui, Associate Director, Randstad Hong Kong, keenly advocates.

When discussing the role of digital media from a recruitment perspective, she explained, “Technology can be a good thing and a bad thing. Nowadays we don’t only use our mobile phones or emails to communicate with each other, we have Whatsapp and various social media outlets to connect with people. This is particularly common in the recruitment world when we are dealing with candidates who are not based in Hong Kong. Whilst technology can undoubtedly help to bridge the communication gap, it can often remove the human element from our daily interactions.

That is why it is so important to meet face to face with colleagues and have conversations, not only to maintain human contact, but also to learn and develop from others.”

This sentiment was echoed by Y. K. Pang, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Land Limited, when referring to recent increases in technolog y and digital media in workplace training and development methods. Pang noted that when HR adopts digital technolog y in the L&D sphere this helps facilitate different platforms for training which—whether through online conferencing or tailored modular courses—increases efficiency and saves time. Immediate feedback is also available which increases the efficiency of the course and staff’s development. Pang underlined, however, a note of caution for those adopting technolog y, “IT should be a complement to, not a replacement of traditional L&D methods—you still need human face-to-face contact in the end.”

COVER STORY

Digital recruitment revolution The phenomenal growth of social professional networks recently, with 73% year-on-year growth over the past four years, means they are already fundamentally changing the way companies hire. The data on potential hires that social networks can provide companies with helps them enormously in their recruitment process. Eric Yee, Head of Talent Solutions, LinkedIn Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan commented, “People are starting to become much more data driven in recruitment…Companies can use social professional networks to proactively seek out good quality candidates rather than posting something on a job board and hoping and praying you’ll get the right person to apply.”

As a direct result of digital professional networks, hiring managers are now able to set specific criteria for the person they want, and can contact individuals with a certain number of years of experience, from a particular background, from specific companies and a specific geography. By leveraging such platforms, hiring heads can now get answers to two of their biggest questions: ‘Where am I losing talent to?’ and ‘Where is the best talent coming from?’

Yee described one of the key differences between more traditional methods of recruitment and the new professional network, which also brings a big advantage for companies. Whereas internet job boards tend to attract those people actively looking for work, social professional networks can get the attention of passive candidates. These are individuals who are happily employed and busy at work without the time to go through arduous job application procedures. For companies looking for people who fall into this category, professional networks allow them to make it easy for the right person to apply with a few simple clicks.

20 | HR MAGAZINE

Eric Yee, Head of Talent Solutions for HK, Macau and Taiwan, LinkedIn

Why bother?

Today there are still many in HR, even in relatively large-scale organisations, using spreadsheets for handling employee data. The Towers Watson survey indicated that in APAC around 50% of all companies surveyed are still using manual or paper-based methods for internal and external recruiting, onboarding, compensation, career development, workforce planning and succession planning. So, even with traditional methods, HR, it seems, is able to meet business objectives, interact with staff, avoid cross-platform integration issues and is happy to follow the adage, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. So, if moving towards a highly digitised HR system is so contentious—why bother at all?

When HR takes the lead in making changes to HR systems, it is crucial that they also manage this change and help motivate staff to take on new developments. Clarke highlighted, “The important thing is to manage change in a way that ensures staff understand why it is happening. It must be meaningful for the staff member—they

don’t want to do something they can’t see the value of. And today’s technology is facilitating this change more so than before.”

Even though technology is facilitating more and more information exchange in both business and social contexts, it is essential for HR to reach a balance between the different forms of workplace communication.

Each time, HR should ask themselves how much more time could be freed up through the use of HR technology.

Adoption rates for manager self-service platforms are on the rise in APAC, with Towers Watson reporting a 30% increase in uptake since last year. In contrast, according to Clarke, only a relatively small percentage of firms in Hong Kong have implemented employee self-service—so it seems there is still a long way to go in terms of HR fully utilising technology in their organisations. It is up to HR to not just drive the process of digitisation, but also more importantly steer it to ensure that any new work process is end-user driven, easy and intuitive to use, and in line with the latest social digital media.

www.argyllscott.com T : +852 3695 5180

| 21

HR FEATURES

All’s fair in work and war —what HR can learn from The Art of War

By Dr M. Amr Sadik, Director of Operations, IPE Management School, Paris, Egypt and Yemen

Military history has provided a number of useful representations for business, general management and for human resources management. Such history can teach many lessons that HR can put into practice in managing today’s complex organisations and their human capital. History provides us with centuries of collective wisdom and experience to learn from, as it is said, ‘there is nothing new under the sun’.

The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or high point of vantage, from which alone men see the town in which they live or the age in which they are living.

—G. K. Chesterson

22 | HR MAGAZINE

Over the past years, military descriptions have been used frequently on management topics such as marketing; the Cola Wars, the story of the global corporate battle between the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, Inc., and between fast food industry McDonald’s and KFC. Everyone’s trying to one-up each other amid intense competition. Also, in 1997, McKinsey & Company introduced the term ‘War for Talent’ to describe the shortage of skills in the labour markets, which became part of HR annual planning activities to attract and retain talented staff.

To this end, certain comparisons can be made between company competitions and military warfare. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War offers valuable insights for the HR management of modern business. Whilst based on military strategies, the book has been highly influential in both marketing and business management science.

In his writings, Tzu also shed light on some essential principles for HR to follow.

Sun said, “The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence, it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.” In contemporary management, as well as the HR business environment, achieving competitive advantage is done by and through people as unique sources that can’t be copied easily, while other sources can. Therefore, from the HR standpoint, ‘the art of managing

people is of vital importance to an organisation, it is a matter of life and death, a road either to prosperity and competitiveness or to destruction and bankruptcy. Hence, it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected’.

Communication strategy In his first introductory lesson, the story of the concubines, Sun educated us on the necessity of clarity of communication, discipline of teams and appropriate execution of orders, otherwise serious consequences can occur. He said, “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame.” He insisted on clear communication by the leader, otherwise the leader would be responsible for all consequences.

It is generally recognised that effective communication is a requisite of effective management. Communication is an important part of HR’s job that can’t be taken for granted, and regardless of the size of your organisation, smart HR practitioners who know that clear communication is the essence of business and can create an opportunity for employees to understand and take action on the message they are sending. Thus, communication must be simple and far from ambiguous or double interpretations or usage of jargon.

Leadership strategy Organisations depend upon leaders and their leadership capabilities to guide them during

HR FEATURES

trying times. HR executives must ensure that organisational leaders and themselves are ‘smart’ in order to be able to understand where the environment provides the best opportunities. The intelligent executive is able to rightly understand the competitor’s leader, and to use the appropriate technique in gaining advantage.

Generally speaking, the challenge faced by many of today’s executives is that they have backgrounds as good technical managers who were promoted to their current management roles. They know their industry well, but cannot distinguish between management and leadership beyond a mere intellectual understanding. To be respected as executive in today’s business climate, we must be relevant and manage the inevitable business climate changes and the follow-on strategy changes with good HR science.

Executives’ ‘trustworthiness’ must inspire their staff’s devotion and subsequently the staff must never fear danger or dishonesty.

They must represent employees with keen concern to the top management, discuss their issues, fight for them and bring mutual agreement to the discussion table. They can have true influence and leverage over an organisation, bringing the functional expertise to bear without artificial limitation, where appropriate, for the greater good of the organisation. Also they ought to ‘care’ and treat staff as their beloved children. In this way HR may intervene in coaching and counselling sessions to solve or try to solve issues behind job-related matters, and helping organisations and employees to balance the demands of work with the need for a personal life.

Planning strategy Benjamin Franklin, the father of time management said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Sun was also very clear about the need for careful planning. He said “With careful and detailed planning, one can win; with careless and less detailed planning, one cannot win. How much more certain is defeat, if one does not plan at all! From the way planning is done beforehand, we can predict victory or defeat.”

‘Planning’ is an objective analysis of the competitive situation. Sun emphasised the importance of ‘laying plans’ and how careful planning can significantly increase the chance of victory whilst deviation from these plans will ensure failure. In HRM, recruitment and training should be planned based on internal and external environmental factors. HR practitioners should know the strengths and weaknesses of each and every employee and use them to their advantage against the competition. HR planning in the broadest sense includes both strategic and operational HR as a continuous process rather than an activity limited to a fixed segment of the business planning process.

Sun believed it was not possible to win a war without the support of the soldiers and population. If HR is to be successful, employees should be highly motivated and loyal to the organisation. Individuals who have different objectives for the organisation should be replaced, as they will be less likely to make personal sacrifices when required.

HR planning plays an eminent role in the organisation’s success. Surprisingly, this aspect of HR is one of the most neglected in the field. The importance of HR planning has generally been

overlooked by organisations. Its proactive approach allows it to be more strategic in its decisions rather than face obstacles when unprepared. It can enhance the success of an organisation through anticipation of labour shortages or surpluses and thus make decisions about the overall qualitative and quantitative balance of employees.

HR practitioners who prepare the HR planning programme assist the organisation in managing its staff strategically. They must perform environmental scanning, in order to effectively be a part of the strategic planning process, by monitoring of the major external forces influencing the organisation such as economic factors, competitive trends, technological changes, political issues, social issues and demographic trends. Unfortunately, many organisations are seeing HR planning as all about payroll budget, benefits and some minor training expenses.

Townsville Business Coach says, “If you don’t have a plan—you will become part of someone else’s plan. And you may not like it.”

Staffing strategy What can be more important than finding and hiring the best people, and then giving them the opportunity to realise their full potential?

The organisation’s ability to hire, develop and retain employees may be the single most critical determinant of organisational success in today’s stiff competition. Finding and appointing the right people is imperative, but providing them with the appropriate opportunity to excel cannot be ignored. Staffing the organisation is a critical task particularly when it comes to hiring talents.

Selection is the process of choosing the right individuals with the right qualifications to fill jobs. Without such qualified employees, the organisation’s success is at stake.

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HR FEATURES

In reality the process of building a company with good to great employees starts with the hiring process. HR practitioners who can manage the selection process for their organisations by hiring the right candidate the first time have the competitive edge. And when employees are matched with the right jobs, the amount and quality of work is higher. Therefore, to staff your organisations with the right candidates you need to define the required skills, attract the right people and select the best person—and then you are ready for the battlefield.

Rewards strategy Sun said, “For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards.” Rewards are necessary for the soldiers to see the advantage of defeating the enemy. Therefore, ‘spoils of war’ must be used as rewards. In war, the spoils of the enemy might vary from supplies, food, weapons, ammunition, horses, slaves, or any material item of value that is confiscated at the end of a battle. It is important to reward the troops to keep them engaged and motivated for the next battle. Likewise, organisations have their own spoils but in the form of profits, financial results and stocks, gained from competing in the market place. If a company has a successful year, wins new business and posts great financial results, the profits must be used

24 | HR MAGAZINE

as rewards so that employees will have a keen desire to perform.

Employees will give their maximum when they feel that the management will reward their efforts, initiatives and performance.This is a great way to breed an apathetic and mediocre workforce.

So give them praise and encouragement. Share with them the spoils of war, and they’ll be ready to fight. Thus, HR practitioners should create a rewards system that recognises employees’ performance and behaviour. Finally, organisations that hope to reap the rewards of a committed, empowered workforce have to learn to stop

If employees aren’t rewarded for their performance, the only incentive is to avoid being punished for doing poorly. kidding themselves, and know that they will be out of business faster than they may think when their brains and muscles leave them and soon they will be defeated in the war of business.

Training strategy Sun said, “Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when crisis is at hand.” In warfare, skilled troops establish positions that make them unbeatable and do not miss opportunities to attack what the enemy values most, when they become vulnerable.

Similarly, organisations that do not have training programmes may lose good employees who want to progress in their career and consequently lose their competitive advantage, or if they try to retain good staff without investing in them often end up being the loser in the war for talent.

Training and developing the workforce is not something to be taken lightly. It calls for the same rigorous approach to strategy, planning, and return on investment.

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War offers valuable insights into the mental state needed to succeed in the management of modern business and its human capital. Studying the art of war can help all those in human resources reach and maintain success, both in their business and social spheres.

HR FEATURES

When East doesn’t quite meet West Getting a better fit for western firms in eastern markets

Many companies fail because they make automatic assumptions about the market without truly understanding the differences between the East and the West’s business cultures and—crucially—fail to adapt to local principles and effectively bridge the gap between the two.

HR Magazine met with Heidi Neal—Asia Pacific Vice President of HR, C&J Clark International Clarks’—to explore some of the challenges Br itish businesses face when creating empowered management teams in China, whilst still embodying British values and business culture. As the iconic British footwear brand sets its sights on significantly growing its business in APAC, Neal shares insight into the organisation’s new global strategic direction which aims to ensure staff have the confidence and tools to make the bold decisions required at a strategic, local level to facilitate long-term business growth.

and senior management level executives amid an acute talent shortage driven by China’s meteoric economic growth and the task becomes even greater.

She commented, “While foreign investment has soared in recent years and with it the need for good quality managers, China has struggled to meet demand with its much younger, less experienced workforce. While there is no shortage of ambitious young graduates with high aspirations entering the workforce, they lack the practical skills and experience many western businesses require.”

Neal explained that this is a challenge the Clarks business has faced during its own period of rapid growth and expansion but one which it has tackled head-on by giving its youthful management team the tools, support and encouragement they need to fully develop their management potential.

Finding the right fit

Culture clash

According to Neal, getting the right people in place with the right kinds of skills can be the first obstacle for western firms looking to succeed in the long term in China. Add to this the challenge of recruiting high-calibre middle

Cultural differences are another challenge for businesses investing in China to overcome, Neal shared that traditional Chinese management practices can sometimes be seen by foreign-owned organisations

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as fundamentally at odds with western approaches to management.

She pointed out, “While employers in the West tend to delegate responsibility and have very flexible lines of authority, Chinese workers are often more accustomed to a hierarchical structure in which each person has a clearly defined role. Such differences inevitably lead to tensions between western managers who are used to employees taking their own initiative and Chinese staff who are more accustomed to following instructions.”

Neal explained that western managers can sometimes be left scratching their heads in confusion when their Chinese colleagues are reluctant to admit they do not agree with particular policies or courses of action, preferring to express any concerns through intermediaries due to the importance of not losing ‘face’ or ‘mianzi’.

Bridging the gap The good news for HR, however, is that none of the differences between Chinese and western business practices and management styles are insurmountable. Neal is an advocate of practical, workable strategies foreign firms can implement as long as they understand

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Breaking into China and staying the distance is no mean feat for foreign businesses. Since China opened up to foreign investment in the late 1970s, some of the West’s most successful organisations have boldly launched themselves into the market, all guns blazing, only to stagger out dazed, battered and bruised, with a large dent in their finances and their pride, just a few years later.

Chinese cultural preferences and use this knowledge to develop their HR strategies.

She commented, “Particularly in the early stages of a new venture, this may require a shift to a more hands-on style of leadership with capable, ‘role model’ senior managers steering junior members of the team and encouraging them to take ownership of specific projects and giving them the confidence, in time, to start making key business decisions themselves.”

From the outset of Clarks’ strategic move into China, the organisation has been acutely aware of the need to support and empower new staff to embrace the brand values and ways of working while taking into account Chinese cultural nuances and practices.

One example of how the company has tackled this is through its new ‘Step Forward’ global leadership training programme, specifically designed to give managers the skills they need to drive the business while supporting and nurturing employees to develop their potential.

The programme helps staff across Asia to live and breathe the company values yet is flexible

enough to allow for subtle, cultural differences in management styles.

The days of jobs for life are over and, in their place, job-hopping has become the norm in China with employees tending to stay in firms for a year or two and then moving on to boost their CVs.”

The talent shortage is not going to go away ...and western businesses, if they are to succeed, need to develop a strong learning ethos.

Attract and retain With the high level of staff turnover compounding the talent shortage issue, Neal stressed that it is now more important than ever for HR to develop effective attraction and retention strategies to keep top talent onboard. She explained, “China is indeed a lucrative market for organisations from the West; but success can only be achieved by

finding the best local talent and providing an open, supportive, coaching-orientated environment that recognises and values employees, their contribution and offers ample opportunities for career development.”

This is something that Clarks has strived to achieve by building a global brand with a clear set of values born of its British heritage, while embracing the best of western and eastern business practices.

Neal added, “We put our staff at the heart of the company to create an environment where people want to work, develop their careers and where all staff feel they have the support they need. Our managers in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region understand Clarks’ brand values and principle, but are actively encouraged at the same time to feel empowered to make their own local business decisions that are right for the brand, the business and the market it serves.” She concluded that the organisation’s brand values and advice to staff wherever they are based in the world are the same: act responsibly and with integrity, show that you care, work with expertise, always innovate and be authentic.

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HR vs headaches, heart attacks and hospitals Employees in Hong Kong, China, the USA and beyond are putting themselves at risk of highly avoidable illnesses and even death thanks to modern lives, inflexible work styles and high-pressure projects. HR departments should be launching an attack on the major non-communicable diseases(NDCs) sooner rather than later to save their organisations money, and even lives.

Juliet Kwek, Regional Director, MAXIS GBN, Asia Pacific shared what the company has discovered about the biggest risks posed to individuals in terms of preventable health problems. Whilst the effects of the mistreatment of their bodies may not become apparent in the short term, they will, however, prove costly through future medical provisions. Most are familiar with the big killers, the ‘big C’, strokes, lung and heart disease—the list goes on—but, thanks to advances in modern medicine, many sufferers are each day closer to a cure or comfort. Unfortunately, sometimes there’s no hiding from a threat in the genes.

For others, however, there are various theories on prevention, be it by avoiding burnt skin, steering clear of cigarettes or keeping active. One thing that is for sure, is that all individuals should be doing their utmost to stay on top of their physical and mental health.

Group effort According to Kwek, a total societal shift is necessary to counteract a looming health crisis in the face of obesity due to sedentary lifestyles and calorific consumption, unaddressed mental health issues, high tobacco consumption and a culture rife with binge drinking. In order to beat this tide, a concerted effort must be made by governments, schools and institutions, families and employers. Governments can help by promoting policies that enable affordable screening options and access to treatment for all. Schools and institutions can help by lessening the stigma attached to having, and even identifying, certain illnesses. Individuals can help themselves by

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being immunised and partaking in screenings for common or genetic illnesses.

Kwek advised that employers can help to wayside the harm through awareness campaigns, comprehensive medical coverage and efforts to reduce stigma fitness provisions, all lead towards a healthier society, which in the long run will pay dividends. Employers can make it easier for their employees to get a check up and medical help, provide and spread knowledge and work to remove the associated stigma. Kwek commented, “Asia tends to be quite reserved.

Better communication can help, the style of the message needs to avoid ‘labelling’.”

Insuring more than a million lives, MAXIS—a merging of MetLife and AXIS— stresses the importance of understanding risk behaviour, as much for the individual as the corporation. Government policies, ageing populations, increasing urbanisation and a shift towards more convenient lifestyles with an affluent diet—all these things and more are contributing to the onslaught of an avoidable health crisis.

employees, salary may be in the number one spot, but health is moving up to number two.”

Some may say that this is a task for senior management, others HR, others individual supervisors. MAXIS’ 2013 Driving Employee Engagement, Commitment and Work Ability around the World survey concluded that the factor crucial for success through participation and confidence is buy-in from supervisors and management, a task for all levels. Kwek explained, “Engagement in any initiative must be bottom-up whilst, in order to be effective and utilised, management support should be top-down.” In order to get the C-Suite on board with efforts, she advocates raising awareness of the cost implications of doing nothing—absenteeism, cover workers, lack of continuity in the workforce, etc.

Gendered stress

The problem with the current approach of companies to lifestyle dangers, according to Kwek, is that they are turning a blind eye until the cost impact hits. Despite Asia being a growth region with a young market, it too

Kwek revealed that stress can, in fact, be healthy.

In addition, MAXIS’ research has found that it affects women more than men, but the threat of this is not as it may at first seem. Firstly, she explained that stress—when released regularly at or near to the time at which it was triggered, is positive as sudden stressful shocks allow the afflicted to quickly release pressure through vocalisation. According to Kwek, the female gender’s affinity for being more outspoken serves them well in this regard, allowing them to recover quickly, albeit from a higher number of incidents.

Men, on the other hand, tend to shoulder stressful

will have to decide how to tackle the issue.

Kwek stressed the need to be proactive, saying, “When you’re in the ‘bucket of risk’ [past the point of no return], there is very little you can do. Asia is beginning to step up and see health in terms of business outcome. As for the

events, which Kwek suggested may be a remnant of their traditional role as breadwinner and provider. When stressful events occur, it seems that men are more likely to bottle up the stress than release it, leading to unhealthy stress, which can build into even more serious issues.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

The way out Hong Kong is considered a sophisticated market by its medical benefit providers, thanks to its employees’ high standard of living. For this reason, MAXIS urges employers to ensure their benefit provisions truly reflect the advanced needs of their workers to get the most out of their plans. Kwek stated, “Looking at the sophisticated landscape of Hong Kong, employee ‘must haves’ are also more sophisticated. Employers need to ask: how do we optimise our plans? How do we get what we really value? How can we address risk behaviour? And, what solutions are available?”

According to Kwek, the forerunner in Asia when it comes to health, fitness and access to modes of self improvement is Singapore with Hong Kong falling far behind. She observed, “Hong Kong has a long way to go. As seen in the US, with high-cost service, offerings are reduced.”

This leads to low usage of services and, with its ageing population soon to present Hong Kong with workforce challenges, the more its companies do to promote and protect the health of each generation of their employees, the better. She offered this advice to HR, “You need to be planning ahead and organising health talks. Depending on your industry, you need to identify and focus on your own priorities. If you’re in the IT industry, prepare for issues to arise from the constant sitting position of your employees. Those in investment banking should prepare for and prevent the health consequences set to hit their workers due to copious late night drinking sessions with clients, topped off with early-morning starts to catch the international markets. Those in HR for airlines should note the issues emanating from the shift work of their pilots and cabin crew. If there’s one piece of advice I can give to those in HR up against sceptical boards it is this: address the issues while it is still affordable!”

Top non-communicable illnesses in APAC • • •

High blood pressure—common in management Cardiovascular disease Cancer—mostly lung cancer due to smoking

•

Respiratory issues

Note: Kwek shared that, if answers given to HR were more honest and open, she would be expecting mental health issues to also be amongst the most prevalent in APAC. For now, she says, consider it an up-and-coming problem.

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10

top disruptive HR technology trends reshaping today’s workplace & driving organisational success

By Josh Bersin, Principal, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP

New human resource practices that are embedded into employee workflows and easy-to-use mobile applications are poised to dramatically reshape where and how people work, according to the most recent observations from Josh Bersin, Principal, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP. These are among the 10 top disruptive HR technology-related trends that appear in a new report unveiled at the HR Technology Conference and Expo in Las Vegas entitled: HR Technology for 2015: Ten Big Disruptions Ahead.

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HR FEATURES

Such workflow-embedded HR practices and mobile applications will allow employees to learn on demand, share work experiences in real-time, update goals on-the-go, and provide real-time data that ultimately can help leaders make better management decisions. The report highlights additional disruptive, technology-related developments for HR and business leaders to consider in planning their technology roadmap for the year ahead.

Bersin commented, “The HR technology market, which is now more than USD 15 billion in software alone, is exploding with growth and innovation. One of the most disruptive changes is the trend toward automating HR practices and integrating systems, making them so easy to use that people think of them as part of their daily life. By embedding and automating HR practices into applications employees use every day, HR ‘systems of record’ are becoming ‘systems of engagement.’ At the same time, these systems give leaders the real-time information they need to adapt to changing business and labour conditions.”

co

While the shift in the purpose of software from ‘systems of record’ to ‘systems of engagement’ may be the most profound issue impacting HR technology today, additional disruptive trends include the following: •

•

•

•

Mobile is everything: mobile applications, such as online learning and goal setting, are positioning the phone to become the primary interface for all HRrelated applications.

Analytics-driven, science-based solutions: one new solution looks at real-time labour activity and, using analytics techniques, shows companies how to save millions of dollars in payroll expense without reducing any worker flexibility or productivity.

Science of leadership, assessment, and psychology evolves with Big Data: a new set of companies are emerging that bring together traditional assessment with big data and what may be called ‘social sensing’ to help organisations better understand the relationship between skills, personality and organisational culture.

Sensing, crowdsourcing and the ‘Internet of Things’: companies now are looking at ways to capture continuous data about hourly employees (time worked, schedules), high potentials (are they

s d r

•

•

•

•

•

threatening to leave, how are they feeling about work or their managers), and leaders and staff (how are they performing, why are some people performing better).

Radical changes to recruiting: thanks to new online job information and networking sites, we now source, attract and recruit candidates through what we call ‘network recruiting’.

Dramatic changes to performance management and talent mobility: a new breed of performance management tools and approaches now includes features for regular check-ins, transparent sharing of goals, and agile team management.

Learning management systems (LMS) change and market expands: new LMS technologies now integrate learning with talent and performance management. They include integrated content and expertise management, and they often have integrated collaboration, recommendation engines and tools.

HR management systems (HRMS) and talent management merge: all major HRMS vendors offer recruitment, performance management, talent management, analytics and most offer learning solutions along with their core HRMS and payroll applications.

Technology-savvy vendors will likely outpace their peers: winning vendors will likely have agile, highly-expert teams, and will likely release new features and interfaces every few months. They also are expected to adapt their products rapidly as technology, user experience and client demands change.

En g HR Gear Shift

a

nt me ge

Re

By weaving many HR processes into employees’ daily workflow, solution providers are making it easier and simpler for people to update their status, find their benefits, locate other skilled people, find and take courses, assess job candidates, complete onboarding for a new job, and set or monitor goals. Bersin explained, “Think about goal management—our research shows organisations that revise their goals quarterly or more frequently are nearly 50% more likely to have above-average customer satisfaction and 65% more likely to be effective at controlling

costs than those organisations that only revise their goals once per year. So why wouldn’t the HR system facilitate this agile, continuous goal management process? Many startups are now focused here.”

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Work-life balance key to staff happiness —they just don’t know it!

Nearly a third of employees in Hong Kong admit they would consider leaving their current job to achieve better work-life balance, making it clear that Hong Kong businesses need to better understand the role work-life balance plays in their ability to attract and retain the best talent.

According to The State of Work-Life Balance in Hong Kong 2014 Survey, released by not-for-profit organisation Community Business, Gen Y and Z are two times more willing than baby boomers to leave their roles to achieve a better balance. Despite this clear demand, the survey findings highlight there is a discrepancy between how employees rate their work-life balance and their understanding of the impact that it makes on their happiness both inside and outside the workplace.

Matter of mindset

Of the 1,000 full-time employees surveyed in Hong Kong, a significant 40% believe that work-life balance is not a factor affecting their happiness at work, while 35% believe that it does not impact their happiness outside of work. According to Fern Ngai, Chief Executive, Community Business, this may come down to a matter of mindset whereby employees are resigned to the view that it is not possible to change how one works within a culture of long working hours and need for face time.

She explained, “Work-life balance is a key link to employee engagement and individuals who are not able to achieve it are at risk of burnout or demotivation. The mismatch identified by the survey between employees’ rating of their work-life balance and the

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impact on their work and personal happiness could be explained by employees not feeling comfortable to speak out and to suggest changes to their workplace cultures.”

This feeling of lack of empowerment of employees is shown by the fact that 18% of respondents felt they did not feel comfortable raising concerns about the work-life balance if they wanted to get ahead in their organisation, while almost a third said that the subject was not even talked about in their company.

It seems this argument is not one sided.

Ngai highlighted the fact that, whilst many employees are unwilling to voice their opinions on the subject of work-life balance, the vast majority of organisations are unwilling to take the bold steps necessary to adapt to the new way of working and to foster a more trusting culture with flexible working options. She did suggest, however, that these dynamics must start to change as today’s baby boomers retire and are replaced by a workforce dominated by the younger generations who are much more outspoken and committed to achieving their ideal work-life balance. She warned, “If companies are not thinking strategically about creating a culture that values and supports their employees’ work-life balance, they will risk being uncompetitive in the labour market, and will miss out on the business benefits.

HR FEATURES

Championing change

No quick fix

With one of the lowest levels of employee engagement in Asia Pacific, and one of the greatest talent shortages in the region, it may be time for HR in Hong Kong to challenge the cultural status quo. The need for change is further demonstrated by the fact that the score given by Hong Kong employees for the extent to which they have achieved their ideal work-life balance has remained at 6.1 out of 10 since last year and has not changed significantly over the past eight years, ranging from 5.7 to 6.2.

Robin Bishop, Director, Corporate Responsibility, Community Business added that in order to fully tackle the issue of work-life balance in the workplace and make meaningful changes that bring about positive long-term results, organisations must look beyond the quick wins and take a more strategic approach to bringing about change. Whilst she applauds efforts, such as introducing yoga classes and massages into the workplace or providing healthy snacks such as fruit for staff, to promote a healthy lifestyle, she suggested offering employees the option of flexible working hours, working from home or even part-time job sharing as some of the measures that companies might consider in order to bring about more long-term benefits to staff.

So what can they do to help achieve equilibrium? In order to raise awareness of work-life balance as a critical business issue, Community Business has been engaging the business sector through educational workshops, training sessions and consultancy work. In addition, the annual Work-Life Balance Week campaign, which has been running for the past seven years, brings together companies across Asia to demonstrate their commitment towards work-life balance through various activities and initiatives during the week. To help companies move forward, the not-for-profit has also introduced more stringent criteria for participation in 2014, requiring organisations to have formal written policies on their work-life balance options and on flexible working arrangements, instead of focusing on one-off measures.

She added that whilst this may be more challenging for some industries such as retail and hospitality, which are non office based, it is important for organisations to address the need to improve the work-life balance in Hong Kong and be clear about their objectives and the KPIs they aim to achieve. She concluded that even with a lower number of participating companies (78) than in previous years, she is encouraged by the number of organisations which are clearly taking a more committed and strategic approach to the matter, reaping the benefits that a supportive culture and flexible work programme can have on their bottom line.

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Get ‘net neutral’ and stay balanced

There has been a great deal of talk recently on the subject of net neutrality but many people don’t understand what it means let alone how it could affect their lives or their work.

Jargon busting

Talent wars

The key to kickstart

Net neutrality is basically the idea that your internet service provider (ISP) should not be allowed to interfere with the data being provided to you through the service they are providing. It is the basis upon which the multitude of internet startups such as Facebook and Google came to be.

Because of the total level playing field of the internet that early internet startup companies enjoyed, new companies could succeed purely on the virtue of having the best product. The loss of net neutrality will upset this balance. In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that ISPs are permitted to affect the speed at which content is provided to the end user.

With these rules in place, any new company wishing to enter the market on the internet will be forced into a bidding war with mega corporations such as Google or Apple to have their content provided to their users.

These new rules will tip the balance of power on the internet away from the people creating the content that makes the internet great, and towards the corporations large enough to out spend their competitors. One would think that a reduction in competition would be a boon for huge organisations such as Facebook, Google or Netflix. Why then have we seen these companies band together and lead the charge against the FCC’s ruling and become staunch backers of net neutrality? Talent. Google has acquired an average of one company a week since 2010. Its current growth is due to the viability of the internet startup. People have a good idea, turn it into a product and put it on the internet where the level playing field filters the good from the bad. Google (or another large company) generally buys the company, absorbing the talent and the intellectual property, then uses their own infrastructure to grow the business and the talent.

One example of this was the recent Occulus Rift acquisition by Facebook. Occulus Rift is a virtual reality system that found investment through the internet startup ‘Kickstarter’—an online platform where creators can ask for funding directly from consumers for projects or products they wish to bring to market.

Occulus rift found huge success in the first run of its product, but ran into hurdles when sourcing components to make their second run of virtual reality systems. They were bought

by Facebook who will use its own funding to build factories to produce the parts needed for the system. Had net neutrality not existed just five years ago, the Kickstarter platform, and the talent involved with it, would have never existed, let alone the countless other new companies and talent (not forgetting Zach Danger Brown’s USD 61k potato salad) that have come about as a result of the level playing field the internet provides.

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Corporate boards shift thinking on people & engagement

Susan Stautberg, Co-Founder and Global Co-Chair, WCD explained, “Boards are grappling with understanding shifts not only in the digital arena, but also in the very human dimension of what they do. Who their customers are, how to attract the talent they want, and who the competitors are for both— these are the kinds of issues that surfaced around this year’s proxy season and in the conversations among directors outside formal board meetings.”

Technology changes, increasingly competitive markets, shifting trends in consumer behaviour and the rise in mobile workforces are among the top issues leading corporate boards to shift their thinking around people and engagement according to WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD).

The WCD identified the following eight areas as hot points of discussion through the group’s 2014 institutes and events, which set the agenda for the recent Asia Institute in Singapore, as well as the November Americas Institute in Miami.

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1

Rethinking the ‘consumer pyramid’ The billion people at the bottom of the world’s consumer pyramid are demanding a completely new strategy for engagement.

Sandra Peterson, group Worldwide Chairman and executive committee member, Johnson & Johnson and WCD member explained, “Historically, large companies have viewed this group as the recipient of their public policy work, to whom companies donated goods and services. But technology changes are making this population more accessible to more knowledge that companies can offer.

You can now reach this market through mobile technology, such as providing healthcare education to villages that were at one point cut off. The people there are becoming consumers earlier, and are the middle class consumers of the future, opening opportunities for companies both competitively and in their social responsibility efforts.”

2

Rethink your business model According to futurist Edie Weiner, a WCD member and Chairman, Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc, “One of the best things a company can ask itself is ‘What if we could not make any money at all on our core business?’” He suggests that, as business models are being disrupted more rapidly than ever, leadership should be forcing itself to think about the ways a company could sustain itself if it lost its key revenue source. He added, “This question starts directing you into possibilities that would interest Wall Street and others, who want to know how you might leverage other assets and potential revenue streams.”

3

Rethink who your competitors are WCD member Zelma Acosta Rubio suggests that companies must look outside their industries to identify where disruptors may come in. Commenting on the financial industry as an example, she said, “In the banking sector radical technology innovators like Google, PayPal, and UBank are setting new technology standards. And consider non-financial industry players such as Apple: currently, with more than 800 million iTunes accounts, Apple is well positioned to introduce mobile payment services because the majority of those accounts have credit cards linked to

them. Facebook is trying to get licenses in Ireland so that you can actually send money to your Facebook friends from the app itself.

If you are sitting at a bank, you’re thinking: ‘Where do we need to focus and what new skills do we need to acquire to remain competitive in this new landscape?’”

4

Rethink the supply chain In the US, both environmental and competitive pressures are driving companies to return some of their manufacturing back to the States. Alice Gast, a director at Chevron and incoming President of Imperial College in London commented, “These days, one has to be able to manufacture goods and be responsive to the changes in the market.

Changing over a plant in China is extremely long and cumbersome and difficult, whereas with our new technology combined with low energy prices, one can have an efficient plant domestically that can change out the product and make something different with the agility that is needed to remain competitive.” Not ‘outsourcing’ production to heavily-polluting plants also creates opportunities to build plants that are more efficient and ‘smarter’ and conserve energy, allowing companies to take into account what the true impact of their energy consumption is.

5

Rethink the importance of board education Directors need to be on top of shifting trends, such as consumer behaviour, as much as company executives do, says Dr Namane Magau, Executive Director of South Africa’s B&D Solutions and Director at AON South Africa and other boards. He stated, “If management stays in touch with the needs of the consumers but the board does not, there can be dissonance between the board and the management. Directors need to be informed on an ongoing basis of the environment in which the business is operating, including the shift in trends and needs by the consumers, so that you have that shared understanding and ongoing responsiveness that can make the company resilient.”

6

Rethink how to attract talent Within the next 20 years, 100 million educated workers are expected to move into cities globally. KPMG’s Nancy Calderon, another WCD member, explained, “As companies

are thinking about whom they are going to recruit into their workforce, it’s important for them, and for governments, to look at what the life-work facilities are for families.” The ‘liveability’ of cities becomes a real concern for potential employees, who are not just coming into the city alone and sending money back home, but are instead bringing their families.

She added, “Features such as childcare and healthcare near your place of work can make a real difference in workers’ lives, and particularly women’s lives.”

7

Rethink what diversity brings to the bottom line

Issues such as gender diversity are becoming more critical in many regions, driven by economic necessity. For example, as Japan struggles to recover against massive headwinds—long-time economic slump, declining population and the tsunami crisis of 2011—the Government is pushing companies to rethink long-held beliefs and traditions.

Goldman Sachs’ Kathy Matsui, a WCD member whose ideas have captured the attention of Prime Minister Abe, observes, “We finally have an administration in Japan with a growth strategy, and a key component of this strategy is dependent upon women. The light bulb has gone off: we need to start to require a minimum number of outside directors on boards, which is certainly not the norm in Japan. The economic and market reality is such that the Government is running out of options.”

8

Rethink compensation

According to Melissa Means, Manager Director at Pearl Meyer & Partners, which partnered with WCD in the 2014 Thought Leadership Council, when it comes to compensation, everyone is an ‘expert’—all executives get paid, and therefore think they know how best to pay others. She warns that this attitude can undermine serious board discussion about compensation and said, “For a board to practise its fiduciary duty, directors must leave that at the door and be able to immerse themselves in the situation of that company.

They need to thoroughly research what’s going on in the industry and market and with pay practices in general. Directors also need to be discerning enough to be able to say ‘this is what’s right for us to do here and what’s going to drive the behaviours we want’.”

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Naturalselection: selection in HR of Natural Survival Survival of the fittest: align or desist the fittest for HR New research by professional services network PwC, commissioned by LinkedIn, reveals that poor talent adaptability—the inability of people to retrain for new skills or switch industries—is costing the global economy billions of US dollars in lost productivity and leads to businesses wasting huge sums on avoidable recruitment costs.

The study ‘Adapt to Survive’ analyses millions of interactions from LinkedIn’s network of 277 million professionals, and information on 2,600 employers from PwC’s Saratoga database, to understand which countries are better at aligning talent with opportunity.

It examines five key talent behaviours within 11 markets and identifies two significant ‘costs’ which are based on the Netherlands—the most adaptable market in the study—as a benchmark. These costs combined could mean the economy is missing out on USD 150bn.

A lost opportunity The research found a strong correlation between the adaptability of the talent in a particular country and the performance of its companies. If markets were better at matching talent with the right opportunities, this could unlock as much as USD 130 billion of productivity in the 11 markets studied (including USD 65.6 billion in China, USD 29.3 billion in the US and USD 11.7 billion in Brazil).

Avoidable recruitment costs This lack of access to the right talent is driving up the cost of recruitment for employers today. The longer time it takes to find the right candidates and the increased likelihood for mismatched talent to leave sooner are costing companies in those countries USD 19.8bn in avoidable recruitment costs.

The research spans a wide spectrum of economies by development phase, size and industry types. Each market is assigned a Talent Adaptability Score based on five key behavioural factors, which include: the average number of times professionals in that market switch industries, the average number of different positions held in a professional’s career, the average number of internal promotions in that market, the average

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number of employers a professional has had in each market and the average number of open vacancies divided by the market’s population.

The Talent Adaptability Score is a powerful indicator of a market’s ability to respond to future shifts in demand, not a snapshot of current economic performance. Emerging markets India and China have lower scores due to the existence of fewer mature sectors and their geographic size which limits talent mobility.

Well-performing economies such as Germany rank lower than expected because it is a specialised economy which works well whilst its sectors are buoyant and stable, but this makes the country less able to respond to structural changes.

Commenting on the findings, Michael Rendell, Partner, Global Head of HR Services practice at PwC said, “Worldwide unemployment continues to rise while jobs remain unfilled, and CEOs are worried about a growing skills gap. The better employers and employees are at adapting to changing circumstances and aligning their skills with the available opportunities, the more productive organisations will become. Our research shows that a better talent fit between employer and employee could unlock USD 130bn in additional productivity globally, begin to close the skills gap and drive a market’s competitive advantage.”

David Cohen, Senior Director of Sales, LinkedIn EMEA added, “Countries increasingly differentiate themselves in the global marketplace via their human capital.

Up until now, it’s been challenging for them to assess the skills, knowledge and experience of their workforces due to the dearth of professional data.

We’re hopeful that countries will leverage the insights uncovered in Adapt to Survive to maximise the efficacy of their human capital and create more opportunities for their workforces.”

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HR COMMUNITY

Put-your-feet-up HR Achieve breakthrough HR results by doing something different With their ‘to do’ list growing ever longer, HR professionals know the frustration of spending more time than they want or should on non-revenuegenerating activities.

Achieving sobering insights and wow results by breaking through imaginary barriers

The answer for some HR teams may be to hire an outsourcing firm to handle certain HR functions in order to free up more time to focus on strategic tasks of the business. For others, it may mean reviewing their existing internal processes to see where they can reduce or even remove certain elements.

HR Director, English Schools Foundation (ESF)

Whatever the solution, there are certain things HR should consider.

This was the topic of discussion at the latest HR Magazine conference, which saw key Hong Kong HR practitioners gather to share ideas, advice and success stories of how to make life easier in HR.

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CHARLES CALDWELL

Caldwell stated, “Think: what do we need to know and what is under our nose?” His presentation revolved around big data: who can use it, where thewy can find it and how to make it work for your company. He explained that when we look at the biggest companies such as Google employing innovative techniques for workplace management and layout—pool tables in the break room and yoga balls by computer desks—we must realise that those methods are not there by chance.

They are not there because the management think it is a good idea. They are there because big data has proven that they are a good idea. And there’s no reason why smaller HR teams can’t fully utilise the information at their fingertips to make small changes and see big results.

Caldwell shared, “71% of CEOs rate human capital as their company’s most important asset yet only 51% look at the data pertaining to it. Don’t get data fatigue, the important

HR COMMUNITY

task is finding out what we don’t know that we don’t know. We must ask questions to get breakthroughs.” In brief, HR needs to start mapping and understanding what their workforce is telling them—opening their eyes to small and immediate changes they can make to increase productivity, move away from manual and time-consuming tasks and make employees more productive, engaged and profitable.

ESF may not have customers in the traditional sense, but the parents of their students are certainly paying for a service and expecting returns. In ESF’s case, big data has meant big changes in how they deal with the information of job applicants and communication with their ‘customers’.

With over 3,000 individuals applying to a little over 100 positions, the Foundation took the opportunity to perform their own market research. They asked applicants what their desired and current compensation was. Through this they were able to compare overseas applicants’ pay trends, the competitiveness of their pay packages and year-on-year interest trends. Immediately, they amassed their own market research, their own ‘big data’, with no need for consultants.

Their data allowed them to recognise that the least effective method of advertising job opportunities was also the most expensive— print media. This resulted in them moving towards social media. Further communication with shortlisted candidates helped both sides by allowing the easy exchange of information and the creation of support networks for those coming from overseas which enabled ESF to identify those struggling upon moving to Hong Kong.

Caldwell also gave an example of how ESF’s innovation helped save huge amounts of paperwork, hours of time and a tree or two.

When a law change required ESF to contact the parents of their 17,000 students to obtain consent for direct marketing materials for school events, which would usually require a great deal of form filling, box ticking and record updating, the Foundation thought ‘outside of the box’ , and decided to engage with its customers in a never-before-tried way. They realised that all parents would be keen to check out their child’s online grade system, and by adding a simple online consent form they were able to reach the people they needed at minimum cost to themselves and also the environment.

HR—Art or science?

In a big-data world with everyone perfectly justifying ROI, what (and what NOT) should HR measure and manage?

IVY LAU Director – Talent Engagement &Co-owner, Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN)

According to Lau, vision is the most important thing that HR should embrace. HR should constantly question how their everyday tasks are aligning with the core values and mission of the company and contributing towards achieving the business objectives. She expressed that while every company has its own unique culture and management style, it is important for HR to assess where it can review, improve or even remove processes that may not be needed in order to maximise resources and improve efficiency within the organisation. She took the example of HKBN’s IT attendance system, which she explained was an area that many believed was consuming too much time. The system required constant updates for

Talents whose schedules changed or who required the scanning in, printing and approval of doctor’s certificates when taking sick leave.

In a bid to reduce the amount of time and resources spent maintaining the system, the company turned to the idea of trusting its Talents to be honest about absent time from work, reducing the need to obtain a doctor’s note and therefore the time to process it. Contrary to the prediction of some, who were concerned that allowing such flexibility would lead to an increase in the number of sick days taken by employees, the company actually saw this number reduce in the three-month pilot. Furthermore, HKBN saw an increase in staff engagement with some even leaving positive comments on the intranet that they felt happier because the company trusted them more. The reduction in doctor appointments and claims also resulted in a reduced premium for the company’s medical insurance and therefore saved costs. Lau advised, “There are a lot of things HR doesn’t need to monitor. It’s important to go back and check what doesn’t make sense and change it.”

Lau also touched on the idea that even when ROI cannot be measured, HR must trust that some decisions will lead to enhanced engagement, teamwork and positive results for the business.

Using the analogy of parenthood, she said, “When you raise your kids and invest in their education, there are a lot of opportunities you give them such as studying overseas or learning to play the piano, but you don’t ask for ROI because you know it contributes towards their personal growth and development. That is what we do in HR. We grow our people and we don’t have to count every dollar spent expecting immediate results.” She admitted that whilst gaining management buy-in can be a challenge, it is vital that HR constantly questions the value behind what it is doing and doesn’t continue to carry out unnecessary tasks simply because it’s the way things have always been done.

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HR COMMUNITY Harmonising HR—advice on the technological approach to working with ease HERMANN LAM Product Manager, FlexSystem

When it comes to getting stuff done in an office—whether it be of 20 people or 200— paperwork soon adds up and, Lam shared, if your set up is more paper-based than paper-free you’re damaging your productivity and creating the perfect setting for mistakes to occur.

Lam outlined five major HR administration areas and described how using an HRIS can pay off in the short and long term. Considering the first area—leave administration—he pointed out that the manual input of requests, approvals and confirmations produces extra work as HR must verify each separately. Entitlement mismatch may occur and it is impossible to access real-time information. Even with an e-workflow system, details must be calculated and verified at a later date, usually the leave allowance cut off date.

With an HRIS, both HR and the employee can view and edit details from the office or even a mobile device, the chance of dispute is reduced and information can be approved and updated easily.

The second area—attendance management— requires line management to be aware of rules and regulations. An e-workflow system can help employers to produce reports but a fully integrated HRIS can ensure compliance, for example with statutory minimum wage

obligations, whilst simplifying scheduling, payroll and disciplining.

Payroll operation and commission calculation—the third and fourth areas Lam covered—are hugely time consuming when completed manually, with the added danger of missing data due to human error. Previous templates are largely copied and edited with new joiners taking considerably longer to set up. He shared that an HRIS can help take the stress out of ensuring that tax and pension obligations are met, commission is calculated, payslips are accurate and quick to process and all can be delivered on time. After all, he quipped, these are the thankless tasks that HR must get done. They tend to take up a lot of time yet go unnoticed until they are not done on time.

Finally, Lam spoke on the benefits of HR using a HRIS with budgeting. He explained that the time saved, lack of room for error and flexibility afforded by them can help employers to establish pay grades and salary ranges, control labour costs and source salary market data. He acknowledged that those looking to implement an HRIS may baulk at the initial set up costs in terms of time and money, but advised them to consider the time and money implications of continuing to waste man-hours on procedures that could be full automated.

Charles Caldwell, HR Director, ESF addresses conference delegates

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HR COMMUNITY HR—are you ready for change?

JANET BIBI FERREIRA Director, Human Resources, Baker Tilly Hong Kong

“HR is like a fire engine putting out fires all the time,” declared Ferreira, “There are a lot of deadlines, the phones are constantly ringing and there are people coming at you from all different directions waiting for you to handle the situation.” As she listed the many tasks that HR must juggle on a typical day, including managing payroll, recruitment and selection, training and development, terminations and staff leave, she pointed out the importance of asking ‘What can we do differently? ’ in order to minimise the time and resources spent on these daily tasks.

“These are all important tasks but we must look at how we can monitor, control or minimise them,” she explained. She suggested that, while outsourcing may be one solution, HR must get up close and personal to the business in order to understand it in its entirety and see it from a higher perspective other than at an operational level. She continued, “You can keep a distance or stay close and get to know the business enough to have an impact and make a shift in mindset to bring about positive change and add to the bottom line. Some will build a wall, but others will build a windmill.” Ferreira suggested that only by getting to know

the business can HR be proactive and not reactive and give value—added advice to the business. She advised HR to be brave enough to speak up and share their views at senior level and ‘change mindset, change action, change result’. She stressed, however, that in order to bring about positive change within an organisation, HR must first have robust policies and practices in place to provide a strong framework.

Outsourcing to make life easier for HR MARTIN CERULLO Managing Director, Development, APAC Alexander Mann Solutions

Cerullo offered insight on how to cure the ‘talent heachache’ through outsourcing recruitment, something that many organisations in Hong Kong are facing given the ever-increasing talent shortage.

With one of the lowest levels of employee engagement in APAC, companies in Hong Kong are also struggling to retain talent once they have got them onboard, which is one of the biggest concerns for HR today.

Cerullo addressed the fact that in Hong Kong outsourcing can sometimes have a negative reputation, which perhaps explains the fact that Hong Kong has the lowest level of outsourcing in APAC. He stressed, however, that outsourcing certain functions within an organisation can give HR more time to concentrate on the strategic objectives of the business.

The administrative burden on HR staff is one of the main challenges for HR and one of the biggest reasons organisations are choosing to outsource, according to Cerullo. He explained, “Outsourcing skills sets is also becoming increasingly popular as HR is beginning to realise that it can’t do everything and sometimes requires buying in expertise.”Outsourcing is about stabilising cost and ensuring there is consistency.

Organisations are choosing to outsource specific areas of their business, such as managing social media channels, creating flexibility and developing candidates’ experience.

He advised, “There are many reasons for outsourcing and this is different for each organisation, however, what remains the same is that each organisation must decide on a starting point and think about what is the right solution for them. Outsourcing isn’t just about a cost benefit, it’s about the strategic benefits as well.”

He shared that outsourcing can only be successful when a thorough implementation plan has been put in place. He concluded with the advice:“Outsourcing isn’t only about getting the right processes in place, it’s also about change management, getting the business on side, getting the rest of HR on side and really building that change within the organisation.

Never treat the outsourcing vendor as an external vendor, treat them as part of your team, they have to live and breathe your own brand.”

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HR COMMUNITY

Deploying high-level HR strategy to support business goals—and getting buy-in from the C-suite JAAP VELTHUIS

Chief HRO, GMT Shipping & Logistics Group

“Good people bring good performance,” said Velthuis. But how can HR find those good people and, more importantly, how does this factor in as part of the HR department becoming more strategic? In a nutshell, Velthuis’ presentation centred on the fact that, in order to achieve whole-business aims, its mission and values must be distilled down into its key ideals which can then be translated into desirables in its onboarded staff. Easier said than done, without doubt, but he explained that once you have identified the set of ideals and the attitude to seek when interviewing candidates and those to avoid, your job becomes a lot easier, your hires want to stay and grow and your company can thrive.

then define your company’s own blueprint for excellent performance. It is not simply enough to find what works for others within your industry, for similar companies or for firms of a similar size. HR must take the time to start a dialogue with the C-Suite, brainstorm and decide where the company is heading—short and long term—and how to get there.

Velthuis is an advocate of the QxA=E formula, quality times acceptance equals effectiveness (or excellence, depending on who you’re talking to).

Velthuis communicated with them and was able to ascertain that they had a clear long-term vision for the direction of the company, steering it towards being more team- and results-orientated than under their father’s leadership. This knowledge helped him to establish a list of key observable behaviours for the HR team to look for in job interviews, a tailor-made set to help the company to cement its own culture and build its own future growth and success by design not only desire.

In practice, ensure that you engage in copious communication with management and stakeholders when establishing this set of company values if you really want to make headway. He spoke of various campaigns he has developed with previous employers and GMT, and stressed that you must find and

44 | HR MAGAZINE

Velthuis stated that less is more—establishing five or so key competencies to look for in new hires will be far more effective and implementable than twenty! GMT has recently received an injection of youth in the form of a management takeover by the sons of the founder.

HR COMMUNITY Don’t get caught out— managing internal investigations and record keeping—best practice JULIA GORHAM Head of Employment, Asia, DLA Piper

Sharing her insight from a legal perspective, Gorham offered advice to HR professionals on what they should consider when dealing with internal investigations. She explained, “Investigations are highly emotional, whether you are dealing with a performance issue, a case of bullying or harassment at work, or conflicts between a manager and an employee, there will always be emotions arising.” Although it can be tempting to put these uncomfortable issues aside, she stressed the importance of facing them head on and ensuring that a thorough investigation is carried out, not only for the corporate reputation of the company, but for

the well being of its staff.

So how should HR deal with internal investigations? Gorham stated, “Every individual employee is a different person and the circumstances they bring with them are very different from the others, therefore there is no one-size-fits-all approach to investigations.” She stressed that HR must be consistent with how it treats people in order to be able to justify how decisions were reached further down the line.

She highlighted three key things to consider: 1. What is the actual issue you are dealing with? This is something that can often get lost in emotional discussions.

2. How wide can this issue go? Is this just a poor performance issue or is this a systemic or institutional issue that could cause the organisation a bigger problem?

3.

How could this end? You must always consider the outcome of the investigation as this impacts how you start the investigation process.

Despite the fact that there is no ‘unfair dismissal’ regime in Hong Kong and HR does not need to follow any set procedure, organisations are adopting the principles of fairness, trust and confidence and are increasingly providing employees with a chance to explain their actions first.

She said, “The key point about following some form of process is that HR or the legal colleagues involved are able to say they are comfortable that they followed enough of the process that the decision reached was fair and reasonable under the circumstances.”

Following a process can also allow leniency from the court or Labour Tribunal later down the track as it shows that an organisation has been cooperative.

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HR COMMUNITY

Workplace D&I brings competitive advantage Over 300 delegates and subject matter experts from around the world came together for the two-day Diversity & Inclusion in Asia Conference in Hong Kong on 11 & 12 November. They explored tangible ways in which diversity & inclusion gives companies an edge over others in the market—particularly in terms of driving creativity, tapping new markets, and winning new business.

Since its debut in 2005, the biennial Diversity & Inclusion in Asia Conference, the event organised by Community Business has become the primary forum for discussion on D&I issues in Asia.

With the theme Diversity & Inclusion— Driving Competitive Advantage, the latest Conference took the discussion of D&I to a new level. Looking beyond workplace issues to the marketplace, it kicked off with compelling stories from Coca-Cola and Standard Chartered Bank with powerful and real examples of how their companies have leveraged diversity to drive competitive advantage.

For the first time, the Conference had specific tracks for different audiences. The Female Advantage Programme on Day 1 was specially designed for those looking to leverage the

competitive advantage that female talent brings to leadership and organisational success in Asia, whilst the Taking the Lead with LGBT Programme on Day 2 was targeted at those passionate about progressing LGBT inclusion in Asia and achieving market differentiation.

Besides these two tracks, there were breakout sessions on culture, disability, religion, and generations, as well as a wealth of case studies that stimulated dialogue and offered practical takeaways for delegates to bring back to their workplaces.

Fern Ngai, CEO, Community Business said, “We have worked hard to help companies understand that embracing diversity and inclusion is critical to being an employer of choice.” “If we are to engage business leaders and make diversity and inclusion core to business strategy, we have to help companies see the link with achieving competitive

advantage in the external market place. That’s what this conference is all about.”

At the Conference, Community Business launched two new, significant initiatives intended to drive changes in the corporate responsibility space. To continue to push discussion forward and nurture the next generation of game changers, the organisation has extended its corporate membership to individuals who are keen on making a positive impact and whose day jobs may or may not be directly relevant to corporate responsibility or D&I. Ngai commented “Although a top-down approach can ensure momentum, passionate individuals who embrace responsible and inclusive practices are powerful bottom-up forces to influence culture and buy-in across the organisation. We expect that this new network will be attractive to Gen Y professionals and students.”

Also, the organisation announced the launch of its Hong Kong Workplace Inclusion Index, the first and only benchmark in Asia on corporate policies and practices for creating inclusive workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees. In addition to recognising and acknowledging those companies that are leading the way, the Index, for the first time, provides companies with a credible and robust tool by which to assess and communicate

Speakers (left to right): Shakir MOIN, VP & Chief Marketing Officer, Gtr. China & Korea, Coca-Cola Beverages (Shanghai) Co. Ltd; Shalini MAHTANI, MBE, Founder & Board Director, Community Business; Annemarie DURBIN, Group Head, Independent Governance; & Workplace, Standard Chartered Bank; Fern Ngai, CEO, Community Business

46 | HR MAGAZINE

their progress on LGBT workplace inclusion in Hong Kong. Companies operating in Hong Kong are invited to make submissions until the end of February 2015 and the results will be announced in May 2015.

Digging up the best talent & retaining treasure Recruitment & Succession Planning Strategies • • • • • • •

Internal & external recruitment Recruitment & interview tips Current recruitment landscape Recruitment tools Social media & recruitment Applicant screening & management strategies Succession planning strategies

15 January 2015 8.30am-4.30pm Cliftons, Central, Hong Kong

Register today: http://hrmagazine.hk/conference-registration or call (852) 2736 6339 and ask for Sumi or Sydnie | 47

HR TRAINING

The HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development provides both individuals and organisations with the opportunity to showcase innovative learning programmes and the chance to share best practices and learning initiatives.

This year, HR Magazine interviewed Anthony Rushton, Head of Learning, Hong Kong, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, HSBC and Y. K. Pang, Chief Executive, Hongkong Land Limited to get their take on the prestigious Awards and on what their own organisations are doing to maintain excellence in the T&D sphere.

Award scope broadens Over the past few years, Anthony Rushton, Head of Learning, Hong Kong, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, HSBC and Chairman of the 2015 HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development has witnessed both the range and size of organisations nominating themselves broaden dramatically. On the importance of T&D, Rushton commented, “I believe a learning organisation—whether launching an internal programme or contracting an external vendor—is investing in an individual’s career, upskilling them, allowing them to do better in

terms of knowledge or skills. It is also a good mechanism for employee engagement.” He explained that, when considering whether or not to stay, employees would consider remuneration and their relationship with line managers but, perhaps more importantly, their perception of the employer’s investment in their own selfdevelopment was also a key factor.

Y. K. Pang, Chief Executive, Hongkong Land Limited commented on the importance of the HKMA T&D Award saying, “They help challenge companies to do better by raising the

bar in Hong Kong for training and development programmes. This ensures employees are equipped with the tools and the knowledge to do the best job they can—however, this doesn’t come without its challenges.”

Challenges for trainers To ensure success, today’s trainers can no longer simply roll out more-of-the-same T&D programmes, they need to become ‘super trainers’. Pang pointed out the challenges trainers face from the new, internet-savvy cohort of Gen-Y employees coming into the workforce.

He explained, “Gen-Y are increasingly able to access information on any topic from a wide variety of sources that they then may use to challenge or even contradict trainers. At the same time, the very mobile devices trainees often use for such purposes may also distract them from the training tasks in hand.”

To help minimise these challenges, Pang asserted that being a charismatic, engaging trainer can make all the difference. He also noted the importance of trainers being able to justify the value of training they are conducting.

This can be achieved by analysing the positive effect a training programme has on an individual’s performance. Key performance indicators can be measured by an immediate manager, and then compared with the expected outcomes of a training session—in order to demonstrate the programme’s relative impact and effectiveness.

Anthony Ruston, Head of Learning, Hong Kong, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, HSBC

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HR TRAINING

Rushton is no stranger to challenges in the T&D sphere, and this year is no exception as he is overseeing a large-scale training initiative at HSBC. This ambitious two-year programme will be rolled out to all staff in a one-day workshop.

He added, “HSBC has such a strong DNA, our employees like to feel that they belong.”

According to Rushton, the number one challenge for today’s trainers stems from increasing work pressure year on year. Employers are looking for both external and internal trainers to provide more creative training methods, shorter courses, more measurable ROI, more technology and a larger range of solutions. He commented, “The average training duration five years ago was longer. Now companies and individuals want shorter, more ‘punchy’ sessions.” He suggested that this may be wbecause, while workers want to develop, they feel they cannot afford to lose too much time away from their desks.

Ensuring T&D success Rushton shared that Hong Kong organisations are making a common key error in their T&D strategies. He explained, “When it comes to T&D, it’s not about quantity…It’s about quality. Companies are often spending a lot, but executing the wrong type of training programmes. Business leaders have got to be very careful and look at the business impact. So, do it once—do it right. And, when implementing it that one time, ensure that the senior executives are supporting it—the more the better. My experience from years in the learning sphere is that the more business sponsorship there is, the more successful the programme is. You must ensure that T&D is aligned with business strategy and, if the senior executives can

physically support it, staff realise the value of it.”

From Pang’s perspective, the single most important element that helps facilitate successful staff training and development is also a clear

Ensure that T&D is aligned with business strategy and, if the senior executives can physically support it—staff realise the value of it. demonstration of senior management support and buy in. This not only motivates the trainees, but the training staff too. Firstly, they set the budget and make sure sufficient funds are allocated to the area. Secondly, through collaboration with training and development staff, they define what is needed to form a framework for training so that trainers can use their suite of resources to implement the sessions. Thirdly, by actually ‘being visible at the training’ senior executives make the training meaningful in the eyes of trainees—so it feels like senior management are really on board.

Techno T&D Recent increases in technology and digital media in the workplace have had a dramatic impact on training and development methods. Pang sees this as a generally positive development, as it offers a different platform for training which, whether through online conferencing or tailored, modular courses, increases efficiency and saves time. Immediate feedback is also available which

increases the efficiency of the course and staff development. Pang did, however, underline that, “Technology in T&D programmes should be a complement, not a replacement, to traditional training methods—you still need a human face at the end.” The calibre of this trainer is also critical—they should be empathetic, relaxed, charismatic and a ‘partner’ in training programmes. Pang summarised, “The best trainers are the ones who facilitate learning, rather than simply imparting knowledge.”

Rushton echoed Pang’s sentiments, “If you go down a technology-driven training route too much—it’s not ideal. Technology should only be used to a certain extent and always with a view to enhancing collaboration, sharing, networking and connectivity across T&D programmes.”

As for what the audience and nominees should expect from the judges at the Awards, Rushton shared, “The judges are very business orientated. They will grill presenters on whether their offering is a nice to have or a need to have. Is it aligned with the business?

What is its impact? Was it the right thing for the organisation to do? Did it fit the overall strategy?” In order to get the highest impact from the course, he shared this advice to trainers: “Really make sure that the whole process is linked, with very strong business sponsorship, needs analysis, development, execution, post-course evaluation.”

So, for those thinking of entering into the 2015 Awards, bear these thoughts in mind and come prepared. And, for those not yet ready to enter the Awards, it is a great bit of advice to help get you there!

Award for Excellence in Training and Development 2015, Key dates: Award Briefing Session Wednesday, 21 January 2015 Deadline for Campaign Awards Entries Friday, 13 February 2015 Deadline for Individual Awards Nominations Friday, 13 March 2015 Registration www.hkma.org.hk/trainingaward Contact Ms Sunnie Ma 2774 8579 sunniema@hkma.org.hk Y. K. Pang, Chief Executive, Hongkong Land Limited

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FOREWORD Message from Dr Dennis Sun BBS JP Chairman The Hong Kong Management Association

Message from Dr Victor Lee Executive Director The Hong Kong Management Association

For football lovers, 2014 is a year of excitement. The 2014 World Cup saw millions of sports fans around the world celebrating on sleepless nights. Played by 250 million players in over 200 countries, football is identified as the world’s most popular sport. It vividly reflects how teamwork, perseverance and individual commitment to a team could work together to achieve the best outcome. This also applies to the business world where employers, employees and stakeholders make up a collaborated team. Only with the combined efforts of each individual could they lead to the success and sustainable growth of the organisation.

Generation Y is rapidly becoming an important part of the present workforce. Joint research conducted by PwC, the University of Southern California and the London Business School last year estimated that this cohort would make up approximately 80% of the global workforce in the next three years. This generation, the biggest since the baby boomers, will eventually revamp the working population. Growing up in a world different from their parents, Gen Y tends to hold different value concepts when it comes to work. A clear development path which brings a sense of fulfilment is on the top of their list. Therefore, effective long-term training and development will increasingly become a value-added asset for companies to attract and retain young talent.

Since 1990, the Award for Excellence in Training and Development has been established by The Hong Kong Management Association to recognise individuals and companies who are making exceptional efforts in building up dedicated teams for the success of both individuals and organisations as a whole. Over the years, the Award has witnessed more than 200 successful cases which demonstrated the immense power of teamwork and commitment for continuous improvement.

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 Anthony Rushton, for his able leadership. Their unwavering commitment and support has ensured the continued success of this Award. My salutation also goes to the Lead Sponsor, Main Sponsors, Sponsors, Media Sponsors and Presentation Skills Workshop 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 emulate, and an inspiration for you to advancing excellence in the future!

In 1990, The Hong Kong Management Association took the lead to develop the Award for Excellence in Training and Development with a view to recognising the outstanding achievement of companies and their trainers.

Throughout the years, the Award has gained widespread recognition among the business community and has set the benchmarks for companies who wish to excel in the development of talents.

On behalf of the HKMA, I would like to pay tribute to all the adjudicators, examiners and in particular, Mr Anthony Rushton, Chairman of the Awards Organising Committee and his fellow members for their remarkable contribution and time. I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the sponsors for their tremendous support. Last but not least, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all Award entrants and winners for their tireless dedication to raising the standard of training and development practice in Hong Kong.

– Anthony Rushton, Chairman, Training & Development Awards Organising Committee, HKMA Award for Excellence in Training & Development

This year, Anthony Rushton, Head of Learning, Hong Kong, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, HSBC assumes the role as Chairman of the Training and Development Awards Organising Committee for the HKMA Award for Excellence in Training & Development.

He shares his insight on successful staff development programmes and what is new in the 2014 Awards.

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Tough vetting The framework for judging the HKMA T&D Awards is wellestablished and very robust, and the judging panel work to extremely tight criteria when assessing entries. Rushton pointed out that, “The vetting process starts before we even start collecting the applications. All the judges have to agree on a wide range of key metrics pertaining to potential applicants before coming to any decision on their relative merits.” Rushton was impressed with the passion he had witnessed in this year’s entrants to the Awards, “Everyone has been really enthusiastic, you can clearly see that L&D is their vocation—it’s not just a job to them or a role they were simply pushed into.” He added, that even for himself, some of the innovations revealed by the entrants were an eye opener, “Throughout the judging process, I became aware of training requirements I didn’t even know existed. It’s amazing how trainers have been able to identify potential weaknesses and create training solutions to meet very specific needs.”

Pro-active entrepreneurship 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. Rushton shared, “It’s essential for anyone in HR to have committed and engaged employees which 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.”

“

Rather than senior management just turning up for 10 minutes to introduce a new workshop, they need to roll up their sleeves and actually get involved.

right balance between e-learning solutions and more traditional training approaches. Rushton explained, “There are a multitude of online platforms that can be adopted to help disseminate information, but at the same time it’s still important to get everyone together in a room at some stage to share ideas, experiences and solutions.”

Rushton indicated the winds of change in L&D, “Learning is also becoming far more experiential than before, and most programmes today now run for several months. Gone are the days of one-day and two-day workshops. Today’s L&D departments must consider participants’ different learning styles and the optimal time they can be away from their desks, when deciding on the best delivery channels.”

Trainers becoming consultants Trainers are increasingly having to engage at multilevels within the organisation. Rushton explained, “Today’s trainers need to be a business partner with the right skills and knowledge to establish: what the organisation requires to achieve its business goals, what the staff require in terms of training, how the programme should be designed and delivered, how the effectiveness of the programme can be measured, and then what follow up is required. This requires a huge range of skill sets.” He added, “A good trainer will know the notes, but a great trainer will push the notes aside and focus on the trainees and their needs.”

”

What counts in L&D? Rushton explained, “L&D programmes must be stimulating at all levels for staff. When you first open a new programme, you have to consider how you can engage participants, engage them quickly, and let them see the point of the training—right from the beginning.

This means that today’s trainers need to be more creative than ever before.” He added, “L&D is not just a ‘business issue’ or a ‘learning issue’, but instead a collective issue.

You can’t just delegate L&D to the L&D Department—that’s a fatal error.”

Another key to L&D success is the use of ‘effective blended solutions’ which are critically important to those designing L&D programmes so they hit the

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Finalist

SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Company Limited

Senior management, instructors and participants at the 10-minute Just-In-Time coaching session

C

how Tai Fook Jewellery Company Limited, with 4,000 employees in Hong Kong, realised that comprehensive field training, while essential, was not enough on its own to facilitate effective skills transfer. The demanding nature of hectic store traffic and operational duties created the need for a new coaching approach that was easy and timely, quick to roll out and focused on one issue at a time.

With this in mind, the jewellery group, in collaboration with its strategic partner diamond brand Forevermark, launched an innovative 10-minute Just-In-Time (JIT) Coaching for a ‘Brilliant’ Business Growth programme to 51 of its supervisors. Alex Wong, Senior Manager of Hong Kong Executive Office, explained that the programme should be practical and can provide positive value to the participants. He said, “The coaching is not only theoretical, but also capable of explaining how staff can apply skills in their daily operations. So we adopted the ‘OSCAR’ coaching model based on Opening, Story, Contract & challenge, Actions and Results.”

“

Supervisors benefited enormously from the campaign both from a business perspective—in terms of enhancing their sales performance, and also on a personal level—through personal learning, enhanced communication with

10-minute JIT Coaching for a “Brilliant” Business Growth

colleagues and seeing self-improvement on a day-by-day basis. Subsequent business results also bear testament to the success of the programme. Both Forevermark’s sales revenue and sales volume reached record highs and brand engagement increased to 81% in 2013— significantly higher than the global average of 69%.

Wong added, “Sustainable employee development is one of the most important elements in facilitating a rich learning and development environment.”

It is critical to help participants quickly build new habits in the workplace and to make use of their newlyacquired coaching skills.

Timely • Focused • Sustainable 54 | HR MAGAZINE

”

—Alex Wong, Senior Manager, Chow Tai Fook’s Hong Kong Executive Office

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (“the Group”; HKEx Stock Code:1929), listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2011, is the world’s largest listed jeweller by market capitalization.

Being a world leading jeweller, the Group is selected a constituent stock of the Hang Seng China 50 Index and Hang Seng Mainland 100 Index.

The Group’s core business is manufacturing and retailing of mass luxury and high-end luxury jewellery products including gem-set, gold, platinum and karat gold jewellery. It has earned over the years an unparalleled reputation for the trustworthiness and authenticity of its products that excel in design, quality and value.

With a solid foundation in the markets that it operates, the Group enjoys the largest market share and boasts an extensive retail network of over 2,000 points of sale in more than 400 cities in Greater China, Singapore and Malaysia, backed by a 35,000-strong talented sales force.

Riding on the growing popularity of online shopping these years, the Group has also succeeded in building a strong presence in e-commerce and optimizing the increasingly important O2O synergy to achieve business growth. The Group’s remarkable digital competence has been rated number one in the jewellery category by various global market research institutions.

Chow Tai Fook, with over 80 years’ heritage and proudly upholds its corporate core value “sincerity•eternity” for decades, aspires to become the most trustworthy Asian jewellery brand in the world.

Finalist

SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited

HKBN Talent Team (Left to Right): CY Chan, Associate Director— Talent Management & Co­–Owner; Angus Chan, Manager—Technical Services & Co–Owner; Roy Law, Senior Service Technician and Edith Kam, Assistant Manager—Learning & Development

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ith 2,500 Talents, Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HKBN) relies on innovative thinking to engage, develop and drive its team to achieve continued business success. This culture pervades all aspects of the business, from thinking strategically about rolling out innovative technologies, to getting line managers working side-by-side with HR and developing new Learning & Development frameworks.

To meet the growing technical requirements that come with the exponential growth HKBN has chartered, they have developed a comprehensive Certified Professional Engineer (CPE) training programme for their technical team. The CPE programme’s success lies in its design which, as well as training technicians in customer service, technical knowledge and product knowledge, provides them with recognition and motivation.

Certified Professional Engineer (CPE) Certification Programme

number of post-job compliment letters received by the technical teams has increased from an average of 14 to 45 per month—in less than a year since the programme was introduced—proves it’s working well.

“

Angus Chan, Manager—Technical Services & Co-Owner pointed out, “Not many of our technicians are degree holders, so one of key aims of the CPE training is to help boost their level of qualifications and provide recognition to them as professional technicians in the form of Bronze, Silver and, ultimately, Gold Awards under the programme. Rather than just offering Talents more money, the CPE training actively encourages Talents to self-develop—allowing them to upgrade their knowledge and skill sets.

In turn, this boosts their promotion opportunities and ultimately pushes them further up the payscale ladder.” And as for ROI, the fact that the

The programme has not only enhanced skill sets, but has also fostered a spirit of pride among HKBN Talents. Roy Law, a Senior Service Technician who attended the CPE training concurred, “Aside from the technical skills, I’ve also learnt an enormous amount about customer care and can now deal with VIP customers much better to ensure we meet their needs. Achieving the Gold Award has provided me with recognition as a professional technician—this not only boosts my career advancement opportunities for the future, but is also deeply satisfying.”

Innovation is the DNA of HKBN. We always encourage our Talents to think outside the box and to be innovative in everything that they do.

Innovation • Recognition • Self-development 56 | HR MAGAZINE

”

– Edith Kam, Assistant Manager— Learning & Development, HKBN

Finalist

SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Hotel ICON Limited Work–Integrated Education Programme (6-month)

Dianna Yu, Assistant Learning & Development Manager, Hotel ICON Limited

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ith a reputation for thinking outside of the box, Hotel ICON Limited is dedicated to training and developing the skills of undergraduates throughout a six-month ‘Work–Integrated Education’ (WIE) Programme. Each year around 150 students with no prior hotel experience are selected and taken onboard to gain hands on experience of the daily running of the hotel. The 2+2+2 formula ensures that all students spend two months in three different departments covering functions such as HR, concierge and F&B services. A total of 26 mentors are assigned to guide the students to develop their knowledge of the hotel industry and the skills required to excel in the chosen careers.

A combination of role plays, monthly meetings and self-assessments allow the company to monitor the progress of the students and their training, with ROI being measured on the basis of customer feedback surveys and creative thinking is encouraged between students and mentors through the use of social media channels and online forums. The success of the programme is heavily attributed to the two-way learning process that takes part between mentors and mentees, who are given the opportunity to share their ideas on how to enhance the business and improve customers’ experiences.

Dianna Yu, Assistant Learning & Development Manager explained, “Being an alumni of the WIE programme, I understand the value that it provides students in terms of gaining experience and insight into different areas of the hotel business and deciding where their passion lies.”

“

Some students enter the programme with an idea of their chosen direction but end up taking a different path after completing their training. In that respect, it allows them to find their passion in their career.

Fun • Passion • Innovation 58 | HR MAGAZINE

”

— Dianna Yu, Assistant Learning & Development Manager, Hotel ICON Limited

Finalist

SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Ma Belle Jewellery Company Limited Professional Ear Piercing Training The Mabelle team of qualified ear piercing special ists celebrates at one of their annual events

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stablished in 1993, Ma Belle Jewellery Company Limited now employs over 600 people in Hong Kong. The company’s chairman is a believer in thinking ‘outside of the box’. Staff development, although hard to measure in terms of time, effort and result, is a passion of his. He likes to seek out inspiring alternative approaches to present to senior management and encourage further initiative.

MaBelle takes an interesting approach when it comes to enhancing the communication skills of its frontline staff and fostering connections between them and the senior management team.

Staff are actively encouraged to submit ideas and inspiring success stories, for development at all levels throughout the organisation. They are also encouraged to write diary entries every few months which are then passed on to the Chairman, who reads each and every one—allowing him to see the trials and tribulations of the workforce and examine ways to further motivate staff, improve working methods and remove any potential obstacles.

MaBelle also places great emphasis on the needs of the participants—their passions, their aspirations and on what the company can do to help them realise their full potential.

The biggest win the company had during the course of this programme was seeing the collaboration and synergy within their team where ‘ordinary people can create extraordinary results’.

“

The HKMA T&D Awards process has encouraged the company’s HR team to rethink their current programme style—to consider its strengths and weaknesses with a view to implementing further improvements, where needed. The experience sharing is seen as a great opportunity to learn more insightful ways to measure the effectiveness and ROI of training programmes.

Business needs are at the heart of the design and roll out of any training effort. Additionally,

Trainers and HR are business partners, not just consultants. A consultant evaluates, gives feedback and then is gone. Business partners involve themselves in the business, they are one with the company and that connection doesn’t end.

Synergy • Sustainability • Creativity 60 | HR MAGAZINE

”

– Tracy Wong, Senior Manager, Human Resources, Ma Belle Jewellery Company Limited

Finalist

SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

RS Components Limited One World Programme – A Journey from ‘Local’ to ‘Global’

Yvonne Yam, APAC Change Manager, SAP (left) and Natalie Ng, APAC Training Workstream Leader, SAP

(right)

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ith 110 employees in Hong Kong, RS Components Limited prides itself on fostering broader thinking by adopting an integrated approach to training, which aims to facilitate change under the four categories of mindset, skillset, culture and systems.

The organisation’s ‘One World’ Programme (SAP Implementation) is helping Hong Kong to transform from ‘local’ to ‘global’, empowering leaders and trainers with practical skills to plan and implement changes in these core areas. The company has developed ‘Blended Learning Solutions’, which encompass a variety of learning channels such as e-learning, classroom teaching, competitions, games and mock training environment to support different learning styles and needs. It also ensures lots of human–touch elements to further motivate the Hong Kong team such as the popular Friday Thank You Lunch, end–user awards, nature walks and even office massages.

Key to the success of the programme has been the organisation’s holistic approach to ensure training is not only relevant but also contributes to the business and provides employees with the right skills and mindsets to manage changes effectively. Objectives and criteria are clearly set from the start, and full support is given by the senior management team.

Natalie Ng, APAC Training Workstream Leader, SAP commented, “As an organisation we need to evolve and take a global view on everything we do and to facilitate a massive system

change in any organisation, we not only equip employees with new skill sets to cope with system or process changes but also address changes in mindset, culture and people relationships. We must also facilitate crossfunctional collaboration. This is the only way to build a stronger team.”

“

We aspire to become business consultants in the organisation, strive to understand internal customers’ needs, challenges, and priorities and align with training goals with business objectives.

Integration • Passion • Growth 62 | HR MAGAZINE

”

– Natalie Ng, APAC Training Workstream Leader, SAP RS Components Limited

Finalist

SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Synergis Management Services Limited Synergis Total Customer Experience (TCE) Programme

C. H. Fan, Managing Director, Synergis Management Services Limited

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ith around 6,000 employees in Hong Kong and China, working across 250 projects, Synergis believes that its people are at the heart of strong customer service and business growth. That is why the organisation has invested in a comprehensive ‘Total Customer Experience’ (TCE) L&D programme, which not only aims to enhance the quality of customer service and relations, but also acknowledges and rewards employees for their commitment to the company.

Driven by the L&D team, the programme actively engages all levels of employees within the organisation who meet on a monthly basis to provide feedback and advice on how the organisation can deliver training in order to meet the needs and expectations of clients.

Combined with rigorous customer feedback, conducted through cross–site auditing, mystery shopping and phone checking, the programme has succeeded in increasing the company’s contract retention rate from 70% to 85%.

C. H. Fan, Managing Director, Synergis explained, “Customer feedback is key to the success of our business and that is why we place a strong focus on clear and constant communication with both our clients and employees. This allows us to ensure that we have a strong understanding of the training needs of our company so that we can design and deliver training programmes that result in positive customer feedback and the recognition of our employees.”

Positive employee relations is a priority for the organisation, which has seen staff turnover significantly reduce since the implementation of the TCE programme, with initiatives such as the Star of the Month and an annual trip to Singapore for the best performers demonstrating its commitment to rewarding staff. Fan added, “Recognising the achievements of our employees at different levels is very important to us and we have seen that employees really benefit from the programme, which has facilitated higher levels of engagement, retention and overall staff morale. That has been the true measure of success of our L&D programme.”

“

A good team, a good process and good feedback are the most important elements of our TCE programme.

Commitment • Feedback • Persistence 64 | HR MAGAZINE

”

– C. H. Fan, Managing Director, Synergis Management Services Limited

Finalist

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Talent Management Division Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

Bank of China (Hong Kong)

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ank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (‘the Bank’) and its subsidiaries, with over 14,000 employees in Hong Kong, have established an innovative ‘4-in-1 people development culture’ in which staff development is a shared responsibility between senior management, line managers, human resources and employees themselves.

Built upon this approach, the Bank’s Leadership Development Programme actively engages all four of these key stakeholders, with the aim of supporting the potential development and career advancement of talents. In addition to possessing sound knowledge of the Bank’s core businesses, they share a common tenet to help achieve the Bank’s vision, mission and values and sustain a talent pool to facilitate its business growth.

Grace Lee, Deputy General Manager of the Bank’s Human Resources Department, highlighted the special feature of the Programme, “Participants who succeed in the Programme have completed their own Individual Development Plans (IDPs) with full support from their senior executives. During the process, talents are encouraged to enhance their innovative and strategic thinking capabilities, review their strengths and identify areas for further development. It is a dynamic platform as it engages their supervisors.”

To further enhance the Programme, the Bank will establish more frequent touch points between HR and the participants as well as strengthen HR’s partnership with business departments in talent development. The Bank will also encourage its senior executives to actively bring in new insights to the Programme, contributing to the talent development initiatives of the Bank.

“

Leadership Development Programme

To meet the needs of our business growth, talent management has been beyond the traditional domain of HR. Under our new Leadership Development Programme, our talents are offered opportunities to express their career aspirations while enhancing their leadership capabilities.

Senior executives also play a greater role in the staff development.

”

– Grace Lee, Deputy General Manager, Human Resources Department, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

Shared responsibility • Innovation • Strategic capability 66 | HR MAGAZINE

| 67

Finalist

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

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Crystal Group Building Leadership Bench Strength for an Evergreen Industry

Crystal Group’s winning ‘TEAM’ Together Everyone Achieves More!

global leader in garment manufacturing, Crystal Group employs over 48,000 staff around the world. Of the staff, 300 are based in the Hong Kong headquarters and over a third of them participated in the Group’s Building Leadership Bench Strength for an Evergreen Industry programme. The programme, part of the firm’s success planning initiative, is designed to develop employees both personally and in terms of job satisfaction. The programme also serves as a reward for staff—as those who perform well are offered opportunities to be given added job responsibilities and to move further up the career ladder.

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Every single training initiative embarked upon by the company is planned with the end clearly in mind; a clear idea of the solid results expected.

To measure these results, the Kirkpatrick model is used, particularly levels 3 and 4—focused on the behavioural change and results apparent. In this way, a positive impact is delivered both to the individual learner and the company. Following the Chinese proverb, ‘Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand’, the company pushes for participant-driven initiatives, giving full ownership to learners and making them accountable for the development results. The culture also encourages trying and testing, acknowledging the human aspect of erring and taking the fear out of learning new things.

The HKMA T&D Awards gave Crystal Group the opportunity to consolidate the experience gained in rolling out such a heavyweight leadership development programme. During the process, it helped the company to review programme design and implementation and to identify areas of improvement for future delivery.

The biggest win the Group had during the programme was increased commitment to delivering results, strong team collaboration with consistent great performance and a 26% growth in sales and 33% net growth in profit in 2013.

Every mistake is an opportunity. The biggest mistake is not the mistake itself but making the same mistake twice.

”

– Corporate HR, Crystal Group

Ownership • Accountability • Objectives 68 | HR MAGAZINE

Finalist

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

DFS Group Limited DFS Management Trainee Programme

DFS Management Trainees –Future luxury retail talents

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uxury travel retailer DFS Group Limited employs 9,000 people in 14 countries, including over 2,000 in Hong Kong. It was established in Hong Kong in 1960 with its headquarters currently in Hong Kong. 2012 saw over 200 million travellers visit DFS stores through its widespread network of duty-free airport stores, downtown Galleria locations and affiliate and resort shops. The company’s global L&D initiatives are designed to engage employees on a local level, considering cultural factors so that all employees can make the best out of their training.

The DFS Management Trainee Programme has been in effect since 2008, and already its success can be seen in the halls of the company’s offices.

DFS Group boasts a high level of retention for graduates of the programme, with early participants still having a large presence in its management ranks. Stakeholders are fully engaged not only at the design stage of the programme, but also at the stage of programme delivery and post-programme evaluation. The group sees the 360° stakeholder engagement as an essential part of the programme’s success in order to ensure both the participants as well as the stakeholders understand and fully value the programme through their own experience. It is better for them to realise for themselves that the course will be beneficial rather than to be told as much. Demonstration of the skills and positive attitudes developed can be rewarded through opportunities for global relocation, lateral career opportunities and recognition on the company intranet.

DFS Group sees the HKMA T&D Awards process as a great platform to spotlight good practice,

influential thinking and idea sharing. Dennis Lee, Senior Manager, Global Learning and Development stressed that the process provides the opportunity for cross-industry wisdom sharing, since many success stories often contain tips that can be applicable regardless of sector.

Alice Chan, Learning and Development Manager, Hong Kong, DFS Group commented, “DFS Group encourages curiosity, which engages all management levels. This leads them to be serious about the results and serious about feedback.

Good collaboration certainly affects effectiveness.

The biggest win we had was being able to directly see our positive influence of the talent pipeline.”

“

During the course of the award interview session, the questions asked by the examiners can give us great insight on how we can make our programme better.

Business partnerships • Adding value • ROI 70 | HR MAGAZINE

”

– Alice Chan, Learning and Development Manager, Hong Kong, DFS Group Limited

Adele Chu, Learning & Development Manager, Human Resources, Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited

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ptly named ‘Docu α ’– ICT Leaders Development Programme, the L&D programme created by Fuji Xerox aims to unlock the potential of the organisation’s forty sales managers by taking them on a learning journey from alpha to infinity.

With around 800 staff members spread between Hong Kong and Macau, the 24-month programme is designed to foster training to enhance six core competencies, which fall under the three categories of knowledge, attitude and exposure. The L&D team, together with input from focus groups and steering committees, have worked to create a fun learning culture, which not only identifies and rewards high performers and aids the succession planning process, but also drives concrete action plans to encourage more strategic sharing to grow the business.

“

A combination of traditional classroom learning, full sponsorship for professional ICT qualification attainment, industry best practice seminars, partnership with HKUST launching Corporate Project, sparkling debates and interactive action learning offsite retreats provides employees with the skills needed to become highly adaptable to an ever-changing business landscape by pushing the boundaries to stay ahead of the game.

Adele Chu, Learning & Development Manager, Human Resources, Fuji Xerox explained, “We have worked to create an L&D programme which aligns with our performance management system, whereby employees are acknowledged

and rewarded for their commitment, whether that means a promotion within the organisation or salary increments. In terms of ROI we have seen significant improvement in our business results following the completion of the programme, with a 37% increase in solution software selling and extremely positive feedback from our sales managers who have participated in the training.”

Chu attributes this success of the programme to the support it has gained from all levels of employees within the organisation as well as the company’s ability to adopt innovative ways of thinking in order to stimulate creative solutions and unlock the true potential of its people.

The process of learning is never over and our programme provides our employees with the opportunity to continuously grow and develop—a journey which is, in fact, infinite.

”

—Adele Chu, Learning & Development Manager, Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Docuα – ICT Leaders Development Programme

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY

Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited

Proactive • Passion • Perform | 71

Finalist

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Hotel ICON Limited Elite Management Programme

Aastha Narang, Education Programme & Talent Development Manager, Hotel ICON Limited

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nlike any other hotel in Hong Kong, ICON focuses its ‘Elite Management Programme’ on training students from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel and Tourism Management as part of its mission to nurture, guide and employ the future leaders of the hospitality industry. The 11-month programme provides selected students with the opportunity to learn the ropes by rotating through six different divisions covering front and back office functions during which they get advice and support from managers and department heads. Not only that, the company also provides an education scholarship for all students who take part and, wherever possible, offers employment with the hotel upon graduation from university.

The hotel prides itself on encouraging creative thinking by continuously taking feedback from students, challenging them to think pro-actively and providing the students with opportunities to survey other hotels to understand the competition and imbibe the best practices that the industry has to offer. In their final phase of training the Elite Management Trainees (EMT) are mentored by the department heads and are empowered to make independent decisions. We aim to groom and nurture the students to be the future leaders of the hospitality industry.

“

We want our students to become the very best they can be and give them the passion to excel. We do this by creating an open environment in which they are empowered to have their say on how to improve the business.

Aastha Narang, Education Programme & Talent Development Manager attributes the success of the company’s L&D programme to strong teamwork and the attitude of all students and employees who understand that the best way to grow as a business is through collaborative thinking and combining the skills, passion and expertise of all of its people.

Passion • Strive • Support 72 | HR MAGAZINE

”

— Aastha Narang, Education Programme & Talent Development Manager, Hotel ICON Limited

Finalist

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Shun Tak–China Travel Ship Management Limited

Ann Wong, Human Resources Director, Shun Tak—Ch ina Travel Ship Management Limited and Capt. Lam Kit Ho, Manage r–Safety Office, Operations Division & Person-in-charge of the Program me

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hun Tak—China Travel Ship Management Limited, more commonly recognised by its brand name ‘TurboJET’, has over 50 years of passenger shipping experience. The company commands a team of approximately 2,200 people, of which about 900 are seafarers, serving over 16 million passengers in 2013. Since 1998, the company has been running its ‘TurboJET Cadet Programme’, an initiative designed to address the shortage of qualified and experienced seafarers in the face of an ageing marine industry workforce, as well as attracting youngsters or ‘new blood’ through creating awareness on the promising career advancement in the field. Driven by the company’s proactive promotion to young people and their parents, the programme has gained immerse popularity and now has a waiting list for entry.

The culture at the company focuses on people, service and safety. Innovation and improvement are issues open to discussion. New ideas for business development from employees, management and customers are welcomed, considered and may even be implemented as part of their ‘total travel experience’ services. Working groups provide a platform for individuals from various departments to talk about issues such as processes, CSR and environmental impact to allow the company to benefit from a range of perspectives.

The outstanding candidates selected for the Cadet Programme receive intensive training from maritime veterans, giving them the opportunity to avail of their experiential knowledge and acquire professional qualifications. Running the course costs over $2 million investment and 28,200 training hours each year, in return for this, the company benefits from a welltrained, highly engaged and qualified set of maritime professionals—over 90 have been qualified since the course began and the turnover rate of those who have taken part is very low.

TurboJET Cadet Programme

Although its programme is already well established, TurboJET appreciates the opportunity to attend the HKMA T&D Awards to allow its team to share the lessons it has learnt and the successes it has had, whilst benefiting from the wisdom gleaned by others taking part from various industries.

The biggest win the organisation has had during the course of the programme has been ensuring the sufficient replenishment of maritime professionals for the sustainable development of the Pearl River Delta maritime industry and extending youngsters, who are keen on the maritime industry, a rewarding career opportunity to pursue their dreams.

“

The Cadet Programme cradles young maritime talents, bolstering the industry’s sustainable development with a continual supply of new blood. It also extends a dynamic and challenging career alternative to youth in Hong Kong.

”

– Ann Wong, Human Resources Director, Shun Tak—China Travel Ship Management Limited

Innovation • Comprehensiveness • Sustainability 74 | HR MAGAZINE

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS WINNERS

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

2014 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS WINNERS Trainer of the Year Ms Yvonne Yam APAC Change Manager, SAP RS Components Limited Receiving the “Distinguished Trainer Award” is like getting an “Honours Degree” in our field. It is both recognition for my contributions and encouragement to continue to excel in this field. I am grateful for the opportunities presented to me, especially at RS Components Limited, to develop and enrich myself as a T&D professional and a Change Facilitator. My continuous strive to provide innovative initiatives would have only been possible with inspiration from mentors like Ms Ivy Ning, who inspired me to go on a path of integrating coaching, facilitation and performance consultancy into training; and with enormous support from my supervisor, colleagues, friends and family who believed in what I do. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Distinguished Trainer Award Winners Ms Maggie Chan Training Manager Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited It is my great honour to receive the “Distinguished Trainer Award” from HKMA. Meanwhile, I would like to express my special thanks to BOCHK for giving me this valuable opportunity, especially my department head and colleagues for their support and encouragement.

Mr Leo Lee Manager, Learning & Development, Human Resources CSL Limited I would like to thank HKMA and the judging panel for bestowing upon me such a great honour.

Winning the “Distinguished Trainer Award” is not only a prestigious recognition for my efforts made in Learning and Development, but also provides me with an enormous drive for my continuous improvement in this area. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my company and fellow team members who have always been there supporting me on my journey to excellence.

Ms Amy Leung Regional Beauty School Trainer – Asia North DFS Group Limited

Ms Jasmine Lok Manager, Learning & Development Maxim’s Caterers Limited My sincere thanks to HKMA in organising the event and conferring this Award to me. The selection process has reinforced my belief that a trainer should relentlessly strive to enhance business success through “people development”. I also like to thank Maxim’s management for their continuous support to personnel training and development that kindles our staff efficacy.

Ms Maria Tong Training & Development Manager, Airports Cathay Pacific Airways I am very grateful for the opportunity to compete and bring home the “Distinguished Trainer Award”. This Award reaffirms the work that I have done and motivates me to continue making a difference in staff’s personal and professional development. The judging process reminded me of the importance of implementing a robust training design and evaluation process. I express my heartfelt gratitude to my manager, my team and my beloved family for their tremendous support.

Mr Vincent Woo Training Manager, Japanese Chain Restaurants Maxim’s Caterers Limited It is a tremendous honour to be acknowledged by HKMA and to be a recipient of the Distinguished Trainer Award. I would like to sincerely thank you for recognising my achievements in training and development. I will continue to provide wholehearted work and be a dedicated business partner of the company. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to my company, manager and fellow colleagues for their support and encouragement.

Ms Snowy Zheng Learning and Development Manager Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited I would like to thank HKMA and the Judging Panel for giving me this platform to benchmark myself against other trainers. Being selected to win the “Distinguished Trainer Award” is a true recognition and an affirmation that I am on the right path. I shall continue my development along this direction. Special thanks to ANZ for giving me this opportunity, especially to my manager who gave me tremendous support and guidance throughout this process. It is truly a valuable experience in my life.

It is an honour to receive the “Distinguished Trainer Award”. It unfolds a new chapter in my career as a Learning and Development Manager. Special thanks to DFS for providing me with an invaluable experience and allowing me to participate in the Awards programme.

Outstanding New Trainer Award Winners Mr David Chan Senior Training Officer, Japanese Chain Restaurants Maxim’s Caterers Limited I would like to thank Maxim’s JCR for giving me lots of opportunities to grow up and learn. Life-long learning and dedication are the core values for trainers to nurture working buddies continuously. Receiving the “Outstanding New Trainer Award” is the recognition of my training and development profession.

Mr Max Cheng Learning and Development Manager DFS Group Limited I am honoured to be awarded the “Outstanding New Trainer Award” from HKMA. This is truly a valuable experience and recognition in my learning and development profession. I would like to take this opportunity to express heartfelt gratitude to HKMA, DFS Corporate Team and Macau team, who gave me support and encouragement in this journey.

Ms Novem Chung Training Specialist Midland Holdings Limited It is my great honour to be awarded the “Outstanding New Trainer Award”, which marks a tremendous milestone in my career path. I would like to thank my company, Midland Holdings Limited, for giving me this opportunity to participate in the event, and my deepest gratitude goes to my manager and colleagues for supporting me throughout the programme.

76 | HR MAGAZINE

Ms Kathy Kwong Officer – Corporate and Talent Development New World Development Company Limited Special thanks to my company New World Development for providing me with such a development opportunity. By participating in the Award, my confidence and commitment to work in the T&D field are further strengthened. Believing in “Life influences life”, I hope my small steps today will contribute to participants’ giant leaps in the future.

Mr Kenny Lai Training Manager Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

I am very honoured to receive the “Outstanding New Trainer Award” from HKMA. This marks a key milestone in my career path which will drive me to strive for excellence in my training profession. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to BOCHK for this precious learning opportunity, and my heartfelt thanks to my seniors and the team for their trust and encouragement.

Ms Rebecca Leung Senior Training Officer, Japanese Chain Restaurants Maxim’s Caterers Limited It is my honour to receive the “Outstanding New Trainer Award”.

This does not only give me great recognition and motivation, but I have also gained valuable experience in participation of the Award. This marks a key milestone for my career. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my company, my superiors and colleagues for their support and encouragement.

Ms Jacqueline Ng Officer, Learning & Development Maxim’s Caterers Limited The HKMA Award for Excellence in Training and Development has granted me a precious opportunity to reflect and strengthen my knowledge and skills as a trainer. While receiving the Award further motivates me to continuously strive for excellence in the profession, this honour truly goes to Maxim’s Academy, and each of my colleagues who have constantly inspired me and supported our shared vision in helping people develop!

Mr Jovi Yan People Development Officer The Hong Kong Jockey Club I am deeply honoured to receive this professional recognition from HKMA. It marks a key milestone in my career and encourages me to excel in this profession.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my company HKJC, management and teammates who have shown great support and encouragement along the journey.

Ms Karin Yeung Human Resources Development Officer MTR Corporation Limited It is my great honour to receive the “Outstanding New Trainer Award” from The Hong Kong Management Association. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my company, MTR Corporation, my department head, team managers and team members for giving me the opportunity, unlimited support and encouragement throughout my journey in training profession. The recognition has further strengthened my commitment to become a T&D professional and contribute to the company through unleashing people’s full potential.

2013

2011

2008

Trainer of the Year Dr Kelvin Wan, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

Trainer of the Year: Ms Prudence Sze, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited

Trainer of the Year: Mr Kelvin Ju, AIG Companies

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

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

Distinguished New 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

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 Assurance Company Limited Mr Kelvin Lo, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Amy Yu, HSBC

2010 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

2012

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 & Distinguished Trainer Awardee: Ms Vinky Lau, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited

2009

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 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

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

2007 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

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

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

* This list shows the Award recipients and their companies during the year of the Award indicated.

PAST WINNERS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

PAST WINNERS

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CAMPAIGN AWARDS WINNERS

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

2014 CAMPAIGN AWARDS WINNERS * The list below shows the names of the award-receiving companies during the year of the Award indicated.

SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY Gold Award

Excellence Awards

“Certified Professional Engineer (CPE) Certification Programme” Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited

“10-minute JIT Coaching for a “Brilliant” Business Growth” Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Company Limited

Silver Award

“Work-Integrated Education Programme (6-month)” Hotel ICON

“Synergis Total Customer Experience (TCE) Programme” Synergis Management Services Limited

Bronze Award

Best Presentation Award

Ms Dianna Yu Assistant Learning and Development Manager Hotel ICON

“Professional Ear Piercing Training” Ma Belle Jewellery Company Limited

“One World Programme - A Journey from ‘Local’ to ‘Global’” RS Components Limited

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY Gold Award

“Building Leadership Bench Strength for an Evergreen Industry” Crystal Group

Silver Award

“DFS Management Trainee Program” DFS Group Limited

Excellence Awards

“Docuα—ICT Leaders Development Programme” Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited “Elite Management Programme” Hotel ICON “TurboJET Cadet Programme” Shun Tak—China Travel Ship Management Limited

Most Innovative Award

“Docuα—ICT Leaders Development Programme” Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited

Best Presentation Award

Mr Paul Lee Head of Banking Audit Divison II Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

Bronze Award

“Leadership Development Programme” Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

Citation for Youth Mentorship “TurboJET Cadet Programme” Shun Tak—China Travel Ship Management Limited

PAST WINNERS 2013

Skills Training Category Gold Award: Maxim’s Caterers Limited Silver Award: MTR Corporation Limited Bronze Award: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Excellence Awards: The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited Sun Life (Hong Kong) Limited Development Category Gold Award: Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited Silver Award: DFS Group Limited Bronze Award: FedEx Express (China) Excellence Awards: AIA International Limited MTR Corporation Limited Societe Generale, Asia-Pacific

2012

Skills Training Category Gold Award: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Silver Award: DHL Express (HK) Limited Bronze Award: CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Development Category Gold Award: The Hong Kong Society for the Aged Silver Award: Hip Hing Construction Company Limited Bronze Award: MTR Corporation Limited

2011

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

78 | HR MAGAZINE

2008

1998

2007

1997

Gold Prize: CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Silver Prize: Maxim’s Caterers Limited and Hospital Authority Bronze Prize: The Hong Kong Jockey Club 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

2005

Gold Prize: Langham Place Hotel Silver Prize: CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Bronze Prize: The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited

2004

Gold Prize: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Silver Prize: HSBC Bronze Prize: AXA China Insurance Company Ltd

2003

Gold Prize: Cathay Pacific Airways Limited Silver Prize: Circle K Convenience Stores (HK) Ltd Bronze Prize: HSBC

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

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

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

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Dr Ritchie Bent (Chairman) Group Head of Human Resources Jardine Matheson Limited Mr Graham Barkus Head of Organization Development Swire Properties Ltd Ms Catherine Chau * Head of Human Resources Hongkong Land Limited Mr Barry Ip * Regional Director Learning & Development – Asia Jabil Circuit Inc

Ms Maylie Lee * Head of Human Resources, Hong Kong & Greater China Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited

Mr Kelvin Ng * General Manager – Training & Organization Development Nan Fung Development Limited

Mr Anthony Mak Principal Assistant Secretary (Training & Development) Civil Service Training and Development Institute, Civil Service Bureau

Mr Chester Tsang * Principal - Academy of Excellent Service MTR Corporation Limited

Ms Eliza Ng * Director, Human Resources Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited

Mr Kenneth Wai * Area Director of Human Resources Island Shangri-La Hotel Hong Kong

* Also members of the Board of Examiners

2014 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE* Mr Anthony Rushton (Chairman) Head of Learning, Hong Kong, Human Resources, Asia Pacific HSBC

Mr Ellis Ku Head of Learning & Organization Development Maxim’s Caterers Limited

Mr Teddy Liu General Manager – Corporate and Talent Development New World Development Company Limited

Mr Morison Chan Deputy General Manager – Corporate Planning Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited

Ms Susan Lansing Vice President, Global Learning and Development DFS Group Limited

Ms Felicity Sam Senior Director, Learning & Development Ralph Lauren Asia Pacific Limited

Dr Salina Chan Head of Learning & Development Group Human Resources – Retail Hong Kong A.S. Watson Group (HK) Limited

Ms Ivy Lau Director – Talent Engagement Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited

Mr L T Cheng General Manager – Human Resources Crystal Group Mr Ian Choy Senior Director – People Resources McDonald’s Restaurants (HK) Limited Ms Kit Fan Head of Corporate Human Resources The Hong Kong & China Gas Company Limited

Mr Steve Lawrence Head of Training & Development - Airports Cathay Pacific Airways Limited

Ms Carmen Ting Principal, Learning & Development KPMG China Ms Bianca Wong Group Human Resources & Corporate Communications Director Jebsen & Co Ltd

Ms Rita Lee Head of Human Resources Shiseido Hong Kong Limited Ms Ivy Leung General Manager, Human Resources & Administration Department Octopus Holdings Limited

* Members of the Training and Development Awards Organizing Committee are also members of the Board of Examiners

PANEL OF ADJUDICATORS SKILLS TRAINING CATEGORY Mr S K Cheong General Manager Television Broadcasts Limited

Dr Victor Lee Executive Director The Hong Kong Management Association

Mr Andrew Tsui Chairman, Hong Kong Korn Ferry

Mr Eric Hui Chief Executive Officer Zurich Insurance Company Limited

Mr Edmund Mak Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Bossini International Holdings Limited

Mr Mark Whitehead Chief Executive Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited

DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY Ms Lily Chan Executive Director, Group Health & Beauty Division The Dairy Farm Company Limited - Mannings Hong Kong & Macau Mr T C Chu Managing Director Hip Hing Construction Company Limited

Dr Victor Lee Executive Director The Hong Kong Management Association Mr Larry Sze Chief Executive Officer Gilman Group

Mr Andrew Weir Regional Senior Partner, Hong Kong KPMG China

HKMA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT 2014 SUPPLEMENT

2013/2014 HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

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HR BOOK REVIEW

Strategic Internal Communication­— How to build employee engagement and performance

By David Cowan Effective internal communications is a much neglected area in the world of business. While most organisations recognise that the external communication between customers and shareholders is crucial to the success of a business, very few consider the implications of their internal communication or develop a clear strategy for it. So while management decisions may be perfectly rational, badly executed communication can leave staff across the organisation confused, worried or disinterested. Strategic Internal Communication offers a complete approach to building engagement, performance and cultural integration in any organisation. It looks at the relation between the traditional silos of internal communication, HR and employee engagement and demonstrates, using the new Dialogue Box approach, how to use communication more effectively and strategically to break down these barriers.

The book puts an emphasis on interactions and relationships in building new knowledge and understanding inside the organisation. The question of dialogue becomes a fundamental one to ask ourselves—are we willing to connect to others and to meet in a process of mutual discovery?

Cowan has no doubt that in our diverse and globalised world this is becoming more and more important. People have valuable contributions to make to an organisation, connecting and listening to them is both respectful and a creative way forward. Cowan’s framework may serve as a helpful tool for internal communicators who want to work more productively in this direction.

The book also provides some practical exercises to help implement the Dialogue Box, as an individual or with a group. There is therefore plenty of scope for the reader to use it as the basis for increasing employee engagement and performance.

Talent Intelligence­— what you need to know to identify and measure talent

By Nik Kinley, Shlomo Ben-Hur Having a solid grasp of the skills, expertise, and qualities of staff is essential for a well-functioning HR department, and therefore business. Many companies, however, are not doing a very good job of this. The key is talent measurement—how companies produce their talent intelligence and then use it.

This book draws on the latest research to show how businesses can enhance their talent intelligence to ensure they get the right people for the right roles. With an accurate understanding of the talent available to them, companies can then tailor their talent and management processes to their particular situation. Filled with illustrative examples, the book explains how to avoid the barriers that get in the way of successful talent intelligence and reveals in a methodical way what organisations need to measure, how they can best do so, and how they can successfully implement measurement and use the results. As the authors explain, knowing what methods and tools to use is just part of the challenge—the bigger issue for many firms is knowing how to use them, and using the intelligence provided in an effective way.

80 | HR MAGAZINE

HR CLASSIFIEDS

HR Classifieds Index Business Process Outsourcing Education / Corporate Training Employee Wellbeing / Insurance HR Consulting HR Technology Solutions Leadership Development Legal / Employment Law / Tax

| 81 | 81 - 82 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 83 -84 | 84

Management Consulting MICE Venues / Event Organisers Pest Control / Environmental Services Recruitment / Executive Search Relocation / Logistics Service Apartments / Hotels Staff Benefits

| 84 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 86 - 88 | 88

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, a leading independent corporate services company, has joined TMF Group - one of the world’s leading providers of high-value business services to organisations operating and investing globally.

KCS Hong Kong Limited 8th Floor, Gloucester Tower, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong

KCS clients now have access to a network of over 5,000 qualified professionals in more than 100 offices spanning EMEA, Asia Pacific and the Americas offering them the opportunity to significantly extend their global footprint.

Like KCS, TMF Group specialises in corporate accounting, corporate secretarial, payroll solutions, trust and wealth advisory services – as well as other specialised financial and administrative services that assist clients to optimally and efficiently operate their business in different geographical locations.

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 Business Advisory; Accounting & Financial Reporting; Treasury & Payment Administration; Human Resources & Payroll Administration; Tax Services; Trade Services; Trust Assets Administration; Fund Administration; and Information Technology Solutions to ensure the adoption of best practices in your business.

Tel: (852) 2135 8038 kcliu@dynamic-resource.com www.dynamic-resource.com

Tel: (852) 3589 8899 Fax: (852) 3589 8555 info.apac@tmf-group.com www.tmf-group.com/KCS

Tricor Services Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2980 1888 Fax: (852) 2861 0285 info@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com

EDUCATION / CORPORATE TRAINING

Are you confident with your voice in the workplace? Do you know how others actually hear you? Your voice defines you professionally. It is critical to all business communications and the foundation of executive presence. Our executive voice coaching modules and clinics coach key talent in practical techniques to harness the power of their voice. Using recording studio technology to reinforce learning, our programmes give executives vital tools to speak with confidence and authority.

All Voice Talent is Asia’s premier voice coaching and voiceover organization supplying voice coaches to Bloomberg, Standard Chartered, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Weber Shandwick, amongst others.

Tailor-made business training, testing and benchmarking solutions throughout Hong Kong, Macau and China. Corporate and individual programmes.

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.

All Voice Talent 18/F, Wheelock House, 20 Pedder Street Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2517 0866 Fax: (852) 2911 4732 info@allvoicetalent.com www.allvoicetalent.com

Excel Education Limited Unit 101, Fourseas Building, 208 - 212 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2736 6339 Fax: (852) 2736 6369 info@excelhk.com www.excelhk.com

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HR CLASSIFIEDS HKU SPACE is a leading local provider in the field of lifelong education.

The School has provided a wide range of executive programmes to meet the growing lifelong learning demands for managers and business executives.

The School also provides tailored in-house corporate training programmes in finance or business related disciplines for global corporations.

HKU SPACE College of Business and Finance 34/F United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2867 8467 edseries@hkuspace.hku.hk www.hkuspace.hku.hk

The Vocational Language Programme Office aims at offering quality vocational English, Chinese and Putonghua training for working adults to meet their language needs at work. We have run various courses for public organisations and private corporations before, such as HKSAR Water Supplies Department, Hospital Authority and Pizza Hut Hong Kong Management Limited.

With the support from the Language Fund, the QF-recognised Vocational English Enhancement Programme is on offer for enhancing the practical English skills of the Hong Kong workforce. Individual corporations can enjoy great flexibility by having the VEEP courses operated at their training venues and preferred schedule. On completion of the course, learners can receive 60% of the course fee reimbursement and obtain certificates issued by the Vocational Training Council and LCCI.

Vocational Language Programme Office, Vocational Training Council Room 437, 4/F, Academic Block, 30 Shing Tai Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2595 8119 vlpo-veep@vtc.edu.hk www.vtc.edu.hk/vlpo

EMPLOYEE WELLBEING / INSURANCE

82 | HR MAGAZINE

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 organisations with comprehensive health assessment packages to choose from. The hospital works closely with HR and Benefits specialists to design tailor-made programmes to satisfy your staff’s unique requirements.

The checkups not only assess staff’s health status and identify the risk factors, it also provide preventive programmes to help clients fine-tune their lifestyles for healthy living. All the services are supported by experienced professional staff using advanced equipment in modern facilities.

Hong Kong Adventist Hospital 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, 35/F, 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) 3589 0531 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) 3589 0531 Fax: (852) 2915 7770 info@pacificprime.com marketing@pacificprime.com www.pacificprime.com

HR CLASSIFIEDS HR CONSULTING Based in Hong Kong and with overseas partners, we operate internationally.

HRA provide human resource consultancy & recruitment support to construction, engineering, manufacturing and the oil & gas sectors.

Our human resource consultancy services encompass the full range of HR functions including training, HR audits and outsourced HR support.

HRA Associates (HK) Limited 701, 7/F, Tower 2, Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2735 9961 Fax: (852) 2735 9967 group@hrahk.com www.hrahk.com

HR TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS COL, an IT services subsidiary of Wharf T&T, is a leading IT services company in Hong Kong with over 40 years of experiences. COL offers a full range of IT infrastructure, application development and implementation services including Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).

COL Limited Unit 825 - 876, 8/F, KITEC, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong

With domain expertise in business applications, we deliver the best practice Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions ranging from full-featured HRMS, web-based employee self-service portal to outsourcing services for MNCs, enterprises and SMEs. ‘Doc:brary’ Document Management System is another key application in our HCM product portfolio to securely manage HR related documents including employees P-file, appraisal records, training materials, etc.

Tel: (852) 2118 3999 Fax: (852) 2112 0121 colmarketing@col.com.hk www.col.com.hk

COL is a Cisco Gold partner, an EMC Velocity Partner, a Juniper Networks Elite Partner, a Microsoft Certified Partner, an Oracle Gold Partner, a VMware Partner and CMMI Level 3 assessed.

FlexSystem is a recognised leader in enterprise management software industry in the Greater China region. Over the past 26 years, FlexSystem has been delivering high quality application software and services to maximise the client’s operational efficiency in the accounting, order processing, payroll and human resources, manufacturing, workflow and business management.

FlexSystem Limited Block A, 4/F., Eastern Sea Industrial Building, 29-39 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, N.T, H.K

With its strong global network of regional offices and partners, FlexSystem serves thousands of customers in more than 36 countries, half of them are listed on 30 global stock exchanges, and 1 in 10 with presence on the Forbes 2000 list. Now and future, FlexSystem continues to keen on technology development and create a complete platform of new generation enterprise resources management solutions.

Tel: (852) 3529 4123 Fax: (852) 3007 1424 infodl@flexsystem.com www.flex.hk

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 Tel: (852) 2815 3456 Fax: (852) 2890 0399 hkinfo@lumesse.com www.lumesse.com

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 programmes, 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 • Sales effectiveness • Process improvement • Leadership development • Presentation effectiveness • Customer services

Tel: (852) 2845 0218 Fax: (852) 2583 9629 info@dale-carnegie.com.hk www.dale-carnegie.com.hk

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 nine UK Universities (Bradford, Sunderland, Wales, Birmingham etc.)

• 16 years in HK *All courses are registered

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

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HR CLASSIFIEDS 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.

LEGAL / EMPLOYMENT LAW / TAX

the alphaeight institute 1906, 19/F, Miramar Tower, 132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Mrs Stephanie Herd Tel: (852) 2302 0283 Fax: (852) 2302 0006 stephanie.herd@alphaeight.com www.alphaeight.com

Excel Global Consulting is a leading business consultancy specialising in the enhancement of business performance through a unique approach to people management. Our goal is to deliver you the knowledge and resources to improve business productivity by creating better employee engagement within your organisation using customised human capital management solutions. With our support you’ll gain a committed, more innovative and highly motivated workforce primed to lead your business towards greater efficiency and productivity. With Excel Global your employees will gain greater job satisfaction in a solution-oriented work environment where engagement is productive, innovative and geared to better business performance.

Excel Global Company Information Level 8, Two Exchange Square, 2 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong

WTS is a tax and business consulting firm providing assistance in the strategic planning and management process of intercompany assignments’ cost and compliance.

wts consulting (Hong Kong) Limited Unit 1004, 10/F, Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

Our Global Expatriate Service specialists advise on expatriate issues relating to corporate tax, personal tax, social security matters and process consulting across Asia. Our expertise therefore enables us to identify assignment related risks at an early stage and optimise tax and social security payments for companies and their employees while keeping the administrative burden to a minimum.

In conjuction with our international network, we can assist you in almost 100 locations worldwide.

Tel: (852) 2846 1888 Fax: (852) 2297 2289 info@excelglobal.com www.excelglobal.com

Tel: (852) 2528 1229 Fax: (852) 2541 1411 claus.schuermann@wts.com.hk www.wts.com.hk

MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

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The Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) was established in 1960. The HKMA is a non-profit making organization which aims at advancing management excellence in Hong Kong and the Region . With a commitment to nurturing human capital through management education and training at all levels, the HKMA offers over 2,000 training and education programmes covering a wide range of management disciplines for more than 50,000 executives every year.

Hong Kong Management Association 14th Floor, Fairmont House, 8 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong

Ipsos’ Employee Relationship Management 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 22/F, 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, Wan Chai, 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 (maximise talent investment through assessments, development centres, training and development); Strategic Management (perform strategic analysis, formulate strategies and execution management); Organisation Structuring (design structure to align with business directions); Change Management (build commitment and overcome resistance for organisation change); IT Consulting and HRIS (maximise 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 Consulting 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 asia@reallyenglish.com www.reallyenglish.com

Tel: (852) 2980 1308 Fax: (852) 2262 7896 john.kf.ng@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com

HR CLASSIFIEDS MICE VENUES / EVENT ORGANISERS

AsiaWorld-Expo is Hong Kong’s leading exhibitions, conventions, concerts and events venue, yet it is also an ideal venue for annual dinners, world-class conferences, cocktail receptions, media luncheons and sumptuous banquets.

With Hong Kong’s largest indoor convention and hospitality hall, AsiaWorldSummit which seats up to 5,000 persons, together with a full range of meeting and conference facilities, award-winning chefs and attentive hospitality staff, AsiaWorld-Expo is definitely your choice for an unforgettable event.

AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, Hong Kong, China

Cliftons provides premium, purpose-built, training and event facilities and solutions, ensuring our clients’ programmes are delivered seamlessly and successfully around the globe. Over the past 14 years, Cliftons has grown to provide clients with the largest network of dedicated computer and seminar training facilities across the Asia-Pacific region. Encompassing over 150 state-ofthe-art training and meeting rooms within 10 CBD locations in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, this footprint of proprietary venues is supplemented by a global affiliates network that allows clients to manage all of their training needs around the world with a single point of contact.

Cliftons Training Facility Level 5, Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, HK

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

PEST AND CONTROL / WENVIRONMENTAL 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

RECRUITMENT / EXECUTIVE SEARCH Adecco, in possession of a team of experts conversant with various industry sectors and well-equipped with the know-how on matching talents with general and skilled workforces in relevant industry sectors, has been one of the leading forces bringing about the necessary changes in Hong Kong for over 28 years. You may rest assured that you will be provided with flexible and tailor-made solutions in contract, temporary and outsourcing assignments in our efficient and responsive recruitment process. We have built trusting and lasting relationships with talents through successful and fruitful placements, e-learning and career development, who in turn can fully meet our clients’ expectation.

Adecco Personnel Limited 12/F, Fortis Tower, 77-79 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Argyll Scott delivers first-class recruitment results for our clients, our candidates and our people by being true specialists and building exclusive relationships. From offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and Dubai, we source the very best talent for management positions across key business functions and sectors including; Accountancy & Finance, Business Transformation, Construction & Property, Financial Services, Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Strategy and Information Technology.

Argyll Scott 8th Floor, HK Diamond Exchange Building, 8-10 Duddell Street, Central, Hong Kong

More than 90% of our clients choose to work with us again. Why? Because they trust us. They know we will deliver the results they need, time after time.

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; Soft Skills Training and Development; Customised Compensation and Benefits Benchmarking; HR Policy and Employee Handbook Development; Organisation Design and Manpower Planning; Employee Engagement Survey; Performance Management Systems.

Tel: (852) 2895 2616 Fax: 2895 3571 hongkong@adecco.com http://adecco.com.hk/

Tel: (852) 3695 5180 hk@argyllscott.com www.argyllscott.hk

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

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HR CLASSIFIEDS RELOCATION / LOGISTICS Asian Tigers, has provided international relocation and moving service to the Hong Kong market for more than 40 years. We move people internationally, regionally, and even within Hong Kong itself. Our experienced, multilingual staff enables Asian Tigers to deliver low-stress relocation services. Perhaps you are responsible for coordinating your office move and would like to know more about ‘low down-time’ office relocations. Whatever your needs, wherever you are headed, Asian Tigers can help facilitate and streamline your relocation. Give us a call and find out how we can assist you.

Asian Tigers Mobility 17/F, 3 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Crown Relocations, a worldwide leader of global mobility, domestic and international transportation of household goods, and departure and destination services, has over 180 offices in more than 50 countries. From preview trip and immigration assistance to home and school searches, orientation tours, intercultural training, partner career programme, and ongoing assignment support, Crown offers the best relocation solutions to corporate clients and transferees across the world.

Crown Relocations 9 - 11Yuen On Street, Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories

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 / HOTELS

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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’s value-for-money monthly rentals of only HKD 7 – 15K per month. Whether your overseas trainees or project team need one month or one 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 an 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

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

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

Tel: (852) 2165 1000 Fax: (852) 2790 5490 info@ovologroup.com www.ovologroup.com

HR CLASSIFIEDS GARDENEast is prestigiously located at the heart of Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, boasting 216 luxurious units in 28 storeys.

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.

at the ICC megalopolis

GARDENEast Serviced Apartments 222, Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3973 3388 Fax: (852) 2861 3020 enquiry@gardeneast.com.hk www.gardeneast.com.hk

The HarbourView Place is part of the Kowloon Station development, located at a key harbour crossing point. Located atop the MTR and Airport Express Link at Kowloon Station. The junction of major rail lines, three minutes to Central, 20 minutes to the Airport, a mere 30 minutes to Shenzhen and 60 minutes to Guangzhou. It is a place for the best view of Hong Kong and Kowloon and is an icon property at Harbour Gateway. Located next to International Commerce Centre, the fourth tallest building in the world, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong and W Hong Kong, guests can enjoy a premium luxury living with the large shopping mall Elements and Hong Kong’s highest indoor observation deck Sky100.

The HarbourView Place 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Vega Suites, is the first stylish suite hotel in Kowloon East. Located atop the MTR Tseung Kwan O Station, Island East and Kowloon East only three 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 terms.

Vega Suites 3 Tong Tak Street, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong

Computershare Plan Managers is the globe’s leading provider in provision 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 35 years, we service over 3,000 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 a full suite of Brokerage Services.

Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited Hopewell Centre, 46/F, 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/F, 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 programmes. 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, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

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

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

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