HRM 15.5

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION CEO EDMUND KWOK CONVERTING STAFF INTO SUPERSTARS

ISSUE 15.5

HR

TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL PLUS:

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FJ BENJAMIN: ALL IN THE FAMILY MATERNITY BENEFITS AT VODAFONE

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EDITOR’S NOTE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Sumathi V Selvaretnam ASSISTANT EDITOR Shalini Shukla-Pandey JOURNALIST Sham Majid SUB-EDITOR Paul Howell PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATOR Azimah Jasman SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Amos Lee GRAPHIC DESIGNER John Paul Lozano SALES DIRECTOR Steve Lye ACCOUNT MANAGERS Edwin Lim Jolene Ong Ryan Kwa Shamaine Chua MARKETING MANAGER George Smith MARKETING EXECUTIVE Rafiq Jalil MANAGING DIRECTOR Kaveri Ayahsamy PHOTOGRAPHY BY Frank Pinckers (pinckers.com) Ted Chen (tedchenphoto.com) PRINTED BY Times Printers Pte Ltd

15.5

Dear HRM readers,

H

ow savvy is your organisation in harnessing technology to drive your HR processes?

Big data, social media platforms, and sharper technology tools are rapidly changing the way that HR works. Technology is not only making HR processes more efficient but also helping HR to cull through mountains of workforce data to make the right manpower decisions.

The month’s instalment of HRM aims to gives you an overview of the major technology trends shaping today’s HR landscape. Hear from our experts on how to make the most of your big data, why your BYOD policies need to be water tight, as well as the latest in talent acquisition technologies.

The May issue also features an exclusive interview with National Kidney Foundation CEO Edmund Kwok who believes good leaders need to be always accessible and approachable. Find out more about his hands-on approach to people management and what it was like to cross over from a profit-driven company to the charitable sector.

Lastly, a little plug for the digital versions of HRM. Read us on-the-go by downloading the iPad version of the magazine from the Apple Store. Alternatively, do get in touch with us if you would like to be on the mailing list for our monthly e-zine.

Happy reading!

PUBLISHED BY

Proudly owned by Diversified Group of Companies

HRM Asia Pte Ltd 121 Telok Ayer Street #02-01 Singapore 068590 Tel: +65 6423 4631 Fax: +65 6423-4632 Email: info@hrmasia.com.sg

Best Regards,

Sumathi V Selvaretnam Editorial Director, HRM Asia

CONTACT US:

MICA (P) 163/07/2014 ISSN 0219-6883

Read something you like? Or something you don’t? Perhaps there’s some insight we haven’t considered?

Have your say on HRM’s news, features, and contributions by emailing: info@hrmasia.com.sg

ISSUE 15.5 HRMASIA.COM

1

CONTENTS 15.5 COVER STORY 26 BYOD: A boon or bane?

Bring-your-own device to work is increasingly becoming a euphemism for flexible working and being technology-savvy.

However, beneath the positive clamour for its adoption, organisations are also combatting dark forces arising from its use. HRM investigates

26

FEATURES 10 Total access

10

Good leaders are accessible, approachable and available says Edmund Kwok, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation. HRM takes a look at his leadership journey since the time he took on the reigns at the non-profit organisation in 2013

16 FJ Benjamin: All in the family

Despite the tough industry, employees with FJ Benjamin have a true passion for retail and constantly go beyond their call of duty to provide best-in-class service. HR too has gone above and beyond its administrative role to become a true partner to the business. Jassy Tan, Divisional Director – HR, shares her insights on the FJ Benjamin family

2

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22 Big Data in talent management

According to a recent Bersin & Associates’ study, “lean, technology-enabled, and welltrained HR teams are able to take advantage of modern talent practices and partner with business leaders to drive impact”.

HRM finds out how HR can use big data to drive talent strategy

32 Key trends in talent acquisition technology

Recruitment markets are in the midst of a revolution right now, as talent acquisition technology changes the ways both hirers and potential recruits operate. Daniel Russell, director of human capital at Deloitte Consulting, explores the latest trends

37

16 37 Covered anytime,

48 HR from the

As employees become more globally mobile, it is essential to ensure that their health and well-being is taken care of regardless of geography.

HRM identifies some key areas to consider in global health coverage

Every month, HRM speaks to a young university talent hoping to carve out a career in HR upon graduation.

anywhere...

classroom

50 Vodafone: Mum’s the word

Author, leadership facilitator and corporate coach Ricky Nowak shares how a stimulating and innovative work environment can help create better outcomes for both employees and the business

In the matter of working mothers, Vodafone is far from keeping mum. The telecommunications giant is one of the few organisations in the world to define a mandatory minimum maternity benefits standard.

JPS Chowdhary, Regional HR Head, Vodafone, shares his thoughts on the policy

42 Taking charge

54 Fast-tracking careers

An efficient employee relocation process makes a world of difference, and it is crucial for HR managers to take charge of it. HRM looks at some factors to consider and tips to ensuring a smooth transition for employees

Identifying talented employees early and accelerating their growth has helped seafood restaurant giant Jumbo stay ahead of the curve in the competitive food and beverage business

40 Converting staff into superstars

48 REGULARS 4 News 15 Leaders on Leadership 46 Talent Ladder 47 HR Clinic 53 In Person 53 Resources 57 An HRD Speaks 58 Twenty-four Seven ISSUE 15.5

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3

NEWS

ASIA

SINGAPORE

ASIA

TOP HR CHALLENGE: MANAGING DIVERSITY

BENEFITS UNDERVALUED

As the number of Millennials entering the workforce grows and Singapore’s population ages, more than two-thirds (69%) of HR leaders surveyed said that managing an age-diverse workforce was one of the most daunting challenges they will face this year.

That’s one of three pressing human capital issues that employers in Singapore are currently facing, according to Randstad Sourceright’s 2015 Talent Trends Report. The other are: the high mobility of talent, and overall talent scarcity.

“With the continuous tightening of the labour market and the burden this puts on a company’s leadership and talent pipeline, it is increasingly important that companies use all the tools available to help plan for the future,” said Doug Edmonds, Regional Director of Randstad Sourceright Asia-Pacific.

With unemployment remaining low at 1.9%, the strong job market in Singapore serves as the number one risk to staff retention. Nearly one fifth of employers plan to recruit from overseas because of talent scarcity. That figure jumps to 33% for companies based in Singapore.

“However, employers can exploit

TAIWAN

mobility as a talent engagement tool and incorporate it into their employer brand, with assignments in different geographies being a big motivator for employees to develop skills and boost their careers,” said Edmonds.

“Employers also win – benefitting from the new skills and experiences their internal talent gains across different geographies and cultures.”

A shift from labour-intensive to more skilled work is contributing to a significant shortage of professional and technical talent – explaining why the majority (73%) of HR leaders feel “the war for talent” still accurately reflects today’s talent environment.

About 70% of HR leaders surveyed are turning to talent analytics and predictive workforce intelligence insights to help them map and address real and potential skills gaps. According to Edmonds, “this includes a data-driven approach to future workforce planning, forecasting potential talent gaps, spotting highperformers early on, and predicting when your workforce is considering jumping ship.”

Asia-Pacific companies are seeing a major gap between what they spend on employee benefits and the employee retention value they get from them, according to new research by global professional services company Towers Watson.

According to the 2015 Asia-Pacific Benefit Trends survey, more than four in 10 employers says they spend more than 20% of payroll on benefits. Still, only 16% think these investments are “highly valued” by their employees.

Among companies that felt they communicated their benefits effectively, there were four times the number of employers who said their benefits were “highly valued”, Towers Watson said.

A similar effect was seen among companies that take employee insights into account when determining which benefits to offer. The number of organisations that said their benefits were highly valued was three times more for companies that take employee insights into account (18%) compared with those that did not (six per cent).

“Employers across Asia-Pacific spend significant amounts of money on their employee benefit programmes,” said Chris Mayes, director of Benefits Optimisation Consulting, Asia-Pacific at Towers Watson. of employers in Singapore increased “But many struggle to derive full their use of value from that spend. overtime last year “From our experience working Source: 2015 Hays with clients, we find that those Asia Salary Guide some enterprises had either employers who regularly engage launched organisational their employees in their benefits – adjustments or been merged over the either through seeking employee feedback past years. or communicating regularly – tend to see “Because the concept of life-time better value,” he added. employment no longer exists, the Introducing more flexibility into the working class could likely be forced to benefits programme is one way that change their working environment or employers are looking to address the job at any time,” Lee said. gap. Almost one-third (32%) are looking For the 83% of the respondents to at increasing flexibility over the next 12 the survey who said they sensed the months, whilst more than one-quarter possibility of losing their present job, (26%) are planning to introduce flexible Lee advised them to think over the benefits, Towers Watson said. connection between their work positions For organisations that already offer and the development of the industries flexible benefits, the majority felt that they work in. They should re-evaluate their programmes had been successful their employment advantages, try to in promoting employee understanding increase their professional knowledge, and appreciation of benefits (67%), and in and sharpen their skill sets, he said. improving attraction and retention (59%).

9 OUT OF 10 EMPLOYEES REPLACEABLE? Although the job market has begun warming up, many workers in Taiwan have a high sense of anxiety about job security, according to a 1111 Job Bank survey. It showed 91% of those polled said they felt replaceable in their present jobs.

As many as 56.9% of the survey respondents said they had faced the crisis of being replaced or at least once during their working career.

Among them, 30% were made redundant.

Other reasons employees were laid off included poor achievement at work or incompetence (18.8%), and disputes with colleagues or supervisors (17.7%), the survey found.

Daniel Lee, deputy general manager of 1111 Job Bank, said that although the country was in gradual recovery,

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31%

ASIA

NEWS

Low usage.

Low change. Low value.

EAST ASIA

MOBILITY TRENDS ON THE RISE The working landscape is changing globally, with the trend of moving people and work out of main offices increasing steadily over recent years.

According to a recent report by Regus, some 70% of respondents globally reported that they were seeing more remote workers compared to five years ago. The percentage (80%) in the US is much higher than its counterparts around the world.

Christopher Looi

China respondents and 85% of Taiwan respondents shared the same opinion.

The high proportion of today’s global business people reporting the same patterns is a clear indication that work habits are shifting, and both employers and employees are seeking more flexible ways of operating. This is further supported by the report’s finding that having to work regular hours is now considered to be a

Global Faculty, Regional Portfolio Manager, Leadership ® Development Program (LDP) , Center for Creative Leadership (APAC)

A

sk any HR professional and she or he can probably share sad stories of sub-par digital learning initiatives.

While we would all agree that there is no single simple solution, what can be done to encourage engagement?

Ranked 49th in Forbes magazine’s list of World’s Most Innovative Companies, Essilor is the world leader for corrective lenses. It employs 55,000 employees worldwide, in over 100 countries. In 2012, Essilor launched the EDGE Leadership Program for its first-line supervisors in the United States through CCL’s digital solutions platform. This year long initiative involves monthly one-hour online training modules focused on competency based leadership topics.

The results? Nearly 80% of its firstline supervisors and managers have completed the training.

How was this achieved?

Each online training module cascades from top down. The supervisor’s manager also completes each month’s web-based course. They then attend a live webinar to learn how course content can be applied to the workplace. Managers are also given coaching guides and “huddle” materials to help them conduct mini support sessions with the participants.

Practical tools and online job aids provide real-time, step-by-step guidance on how to make the online training relevant to day-to-day work.

Essilor has now made curriculum completion a prerequisite for new management candidates. Furthermore, the participants’ managers support of the program impacts their annual bonus.

This helps to closely align leadership development and talent management.

Respondents highlighted a number of rising trends in their industries: Global Average Hong Kong China Taiwan Singapore Japan South Korea Outsourcing of projects

73%

78%

84%

85%

82%

67%

82%

Remote workers

70%

69%

67%

76%

74%

44%

74%

Self-employed workers

66%

58%

64%

78%

62%

45%

61%

Freelance workers

62%

55%

57%

76%

60%

42%

65%

Part-time workers

52%

56%

52%

71%

50%

48%

62%

Source: Regus, 2014 In addition, 73% of respondents globally also highlighted a growing trend for more outsourcing, which may be seen as driving an increase in freelance and contract work. Some 78% of Hong Kong respondents, 84% of

limitation by 68% of workers.

The use of instant messaging also contributed to a change of work habits.

Some 64% respondents globally indicated that they had introduced or increased use of work instant messaging.

SINGAPORE

ARE YOUR SKILLS IN DEMAND? Following the slowdown in recruitment over the Chinese New Year holiday, Singapore’s jobs market has returned to high levels of activity.

According to the recruiter’s April to June 2015 Hays Quarterly Report, hiring activity is now at the same level that was seen before Chinese New Year, when employers rushed to fill roles before the holiday.

“With hiring activity up, we’ve seen an increase in the number of employers looking to attract Singaporeans home from overseas,” said Christine Wright, Managing Director of Hays in Asia. “While most employers prefer to recruit local candidates, there has been an increase in the number of employers looking overseas

LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS

when they cannot fill jobs locally.

Another trend of note is the increased use of temporary assignments. “These roles are now increasingly appealing to employers, and we are certainly seeing demand in this area grow,” said Wright.

While permanent positions still dominate the jobs market, some excellent opportunities do exist for contractors. In such roles, candidates can gain exposure that is not often available to permanent employees.

According to the Hays Quarterly Report, the demand for leadership development specialists within HR continues to grow. Organisations want learning and development managers and directors at the local and regional levels.

Cascade, coach and model. Practical job aids. Reward aligned behaviour.

Enhanced usage. Enhanced Change.

Enhanced value

* Source: CCL’s Story of Impact on Essilor ISSUE 15.5

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5

NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

US

US

WANTED: FUNDS TO BOOST EMPLOYEE SKILLS

BEING INTIMIDATED.. IN THE OPERATING THEATRE

When you realise your employees lack the skillsets required to perform their present jobs, upgrading their skills is perhaps the most pertinent thing to do.

Workplace bullying has now While HR professionals in the US recognise this, their extended to the operating room, a companies are keeping a tight leash on their employee medical sector survey has found. training budgets.

The MySurgeon Surgical According to a recent survey released by Udemy for Business, 71% of HR decision makers Sector Survey of Operating Room acknowledge their workers do not have the skills to execute their roles, yet over half of the Professionals has found that a firms polled are spending less than $500 a year per employee on training. majority of women who work in Key findings included: operating rooms in the US have • HR Respondents consistently ranked “soft skills” and management as the most crucial experienced bullying by the surgeons skills for workers in the coming year. they were assisting during surgery.

• Despite HR decision makers believing workers did not have all the right skills they A total of 202 respondents required to perform their tasks, only 15% of training programmes were set up or updated comprising of 162 women and 40 in the past year. 51% were formulated in the last five years, and a third of respondents men who work with surgeons during were unsure when training programmes were initiated. procedures participated in the survey.

• 68% of firms rely only on on-the-job training for onboarding.

More than 80% of the participants • 72% of respondents confessed they were only offering training that was directly linked assisted in surgical procedures at to employees’ roles. least three times a week.

• Of the firms lacking a formal onboarding plan, 67% weren’t sure if they would be Out of the 150 who answered the implementing one next year. question: “have you ever felt bullied • Over a quarter (26%) of HR executives claimed they had no training budget. or harassed by a surgeon during • Close to all of the respondents (93%) cited that they spent less than $1,000 on outside a procedure”, 111 (74%) answered trainers in 2014. “yes”. A total of 93 of those 111 “Politicians, business leaders and HR teams alike acknowledge the growing skills gap in signalled that it was a male surgeon the US,” said Paul Sebastien, vice president and general manager of Udemy for Business. that had made them feel bullied.

“But the majority of companies aren’t taking essential steps to implement more training Some respondents were not and make sure their employees can thrive while their organisations grow. HR asked the question, departments and C-suites need to work together to make closing the skills gap a while others priority. Ultimately, the success of their companies depends on it.” did not respond The survey, which was conducted by ResearchNow, quizzed 175 HR decision makers. specifically. of millenials look for “visibility and buy-in to the vision of the organisation” when UK considering job offers

38%

FEMALE EXPERTS BREAK INTO IT INDUSTRY The UK IT industry is experiencing a burst of female technology professionals.

According to recent research from specialist IT recruiter Robert Half Technology, over half (52%) of UK IT organisations have seen the number of women employed grow over the past five years.

Chief Information officers (CIOs) surveyed cited that the growth in employment of women in technology was being largely inspired by mentoring programmes (cited by 34%); greater enrolment in technology education (28%); and government schemes (17%).

The prevalence of highprofile women leaders is itself driving more women to secure a career in the IT field.

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Source: Futurestep survey

Approximately one-in-seven of the UK’s top 100 CIOs are presently women, according to the 2014 edition of the CIO 100 report.

The spurt in female IT professionals is steeper in larger firms (67%) than in medium (52%) and small (38%) companies, hinting that there are more prospects for women in companies with larger in-house IT teams.

Private firms (59%) and publicly-listed (55%) companies are more likely to have seen a rise than public sector organisations (42%).

“It’s encouraging to see that the number of female IT professionals is growing relatively quickly, although there is still some way to go before the gender balance is addressed at the most senior level of CIO,” said Charlie Grubb, Associate Director at Robert Half Technology.

“The range of measures that businesses and government are taking to encourage more women into a technology career would appear to be paying off, though it’s interesting to see that mentoring is the number one driver.”

The research surveyed 100 UK CIOs in December last year.

INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

More employers conducting background checks

US

LACK OF RECOGNITION CAUSES WORKPLACE STRESS Think that stress at the workplace is caused by non-human factors?

Think again.

A new survey by project management software producer InLoox titled “Stress, Burnout, Work-Life-Balance,” has deduced that the most stressful circumstances in daily work life are caused by human elements.

According to the research, a major aspect of increased stress levels is a lack of appreciation among entry and midlevel employees.

Another key finding from the survey revealed that people who do not have a boss are more content with their work life than those working directly with a supervisor.

Close to all polled supervisors or self-employed persons (98%) surveyed revealed they felt valued in their working environment, while only 80% of workers working for a supervisor felt the same.

Other key findings showed a shortage of appreciation can increase stress levels;

US

SHOW ME THE MONEY..

Matthew Glasner

and one in two employees feels pressed for time on any given day. Supervisors, meanwhile, appear content with their working lives: Around 70% of supervisors said they had reached strong professional ambitions, whereas only 45% of responding employees said the same.

“The survey shows the perception of self-determination and acknowledgement makes even highpressure jobs bearable and prevents stress,” said InLoox CEO Andreas Tremel.

“This is a clear signal to managers and team leaders: the human factor is crucial when you want to retain great staff.

Employees, however, should not be ashamed to ask for an acknowledgement of their great work.”

InLoox conducted the online survey, “Stress, Burnout, Work-Life-Balance,” between November last year and January, taking the responses of 218 participants.

Managing Director, South Asia Pacific, First Advantage

C

onducting background reporting has clearly taken off in Asia Pacific, with notable increases in the number of checks being included in each screening request within key areas. These are some of the findings we see in the recently released 2015 Employment Screening Trends Report.

As the number of checks increase, more discrepancies are being unearthed.

Most employers conducted an average of five checks as part of every background screening request to First Advantage. In 2014, more than 67% of all candidates were subjected to five checks, as compared to 42% in 2013. This trend is particularly prevalent in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and New Zealand where more than 45% of all candidates were subjected to six or more checks. In contrast, just 28% of candidates in China, Philippines and Malaysia were subjected to such checks.

It is worthwhile to note that employers who conducted at least six checks were almost nine times more likely to uncover an alert as compared to those who conducted one or two checks.

With the rise in crime, screening for criminal data has become a priority for many employers, although employment and education checks continue to top the list. Financial-related checks are also gaining popularity.

52%

of Irish professionals say they are witnessing more instances of people with multiple jobs as compared to five years ago Source: Regus survey

Above-average wages are the most sought after feature of any given job, according to a recent study by Quantum Workplace.

The 2015 Workplace Awesomeness Bracket Challenge revealed that when offered 32 possible workplace attributes, the most appreciated asset was above-average salaries.

The study asked workers to rank qualities that make an office fantastic using a bracket-style selection process.

The 32 choices included concepts such as feeling respected at work, chances for development and training, and having colleagues who are fun to work with.

The “final four” items were: above average wages, a flexible work schedule, prospects for promotion and career development, and work that is challenging. Interestingly, there was some correlation between the favoured workplace asset and the engagement levels of the individual employee.

Those who chose “above average wages” were actually the least engaged (64.3% engaged), the research found. Those who selected “work that is challenging” were significantly more engaged (84.8%) with their work.

Nearly 1,300 employees completed the 2015 Workplace Awesomeness Bracket Challenge survey.

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LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS

Overall discrepancy rate In 2014, Asia Pacific saw an overall discrepancy of 18% based on the number of cases with major discrepancies.

Discrepancies are defined as an inconsistency in the information a candidate has supplied or the presence of criminal activity found in the background screening process.

Most requested background checks by Asia Pacific employers: • 53.65% Employment verification • 21.36% Education verification • 3.01% Criminal history • 2.64% Financial-related searches

7

For more information about the First Advantage Employee Screening Trends Report, email Marketing & Communications Director Chin Wei Chong at weichong.chin@fadv.com.

INF GRAPHIC

Southeast Asian Staffing Trends Organisations are constantly looking at strengthening their talent pipeline in light of the furious talent war. But how can they entice and engage talents before they are poached away by rivals? HRM shares insights from the LinkedIn 2015 Southeast Asia Staffing Trends Report Think about the key quality hires that your organisation made in the past 12 months. Which of the following were the most important sources for those key positions?”

66%

51%

38% 36%

2014 Social professional networks

Internet job boards

Employee referral programmes

Your ATS/ internal candidate database

What are the things that your competitors have done or may plan on doing that would make you most nervous?”

29% 28%

27% 24%

Build and nurture strong talent pools or pipelines

Hire recruiters to strengthen their team

27% 25%

25% 22%

Improve their client experience SEA

Invest in their firms brand Global

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements as they relate to your firm’s brand”

77

%

78 %

Our brand has a significant impact on our ability to engage great talent Our brand has a significant impact on our ability to grow our business

56

responsible for % Those our brand have enough

53

regularly measure the % We health of our brand in a

resources to do it well

Competition

Offer made by my client (includes compensation, role, location, etc)

SEA

Finding better ways to source passive candidates Utilising social and professional networks

Boosting referral programmes

quantifiable way

What are your firm’s biggest obstacles to recruiting talent?”

Availability of quality talent

What do you consider to be the three most essential and long-lasting trends in recruiting for professional roles?”

57%

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59% 61% 65% 43% 32%

SEA

Globally, 75% of professionals consider themselves “Passive.”

Global Candidate Breakdown

25%

60%

Active

75%

49%

Passive

45% 47% 41% Global

Global

How would you describe your job search status?”

Active candidate definition: • Actively looking • Casually looking a few times a week Passive candidate definition: • Reaching out to personal network • Open to talking to a recruiter • Completely satisfied; Don’t want to move

Sources: • LinkedIn 2015 Southeast Asia Staffing Trends Report • LinkedIn’s Talent Trends 2014 study • Some icon graphics are by freepik.com 8

62%

HR MARKET ROUNDUP

NEWS

FRASERS HOSPITALITY LAUNCHES CAPRI BRAND IN AUSTRALIA

SUNTEC SINGAPORE’S DESSERT SAFARI WINS GLOBAL AWARD FOR CREATIVE CATERING

Frasers Hospitality has launched its Capri by Fraser brand in Brisbane, Australia.

This will be Frasers Hospitality’s fourth property in Australia.

It first established its presence in Australia with Fraser Suites Sydney in 2007, which was followed by the opening of Fraser Place Melbourne in 2011 and Fraser Suites Perth in 2013.

Targeted at mobile workers, the new Brisbane property offers guests the flexibility of choosing how they want to work, live and play by providing an extensive range of hotel facilities along with the added benefits of serviced residences. The hotel residence offers a range of e-efficiencies including iPad-activated

Delegates who attended the HR Summit last year would have had a taste of the inaugural Dessert Safari, which showcased an array of sweet temptations spread across nine dessert stations in the Expo Hall.

The concept has been turning heads globally and was recently awarded UFI 2015 Award for Innovative Catering Concepts for the Exhibition Industry.

The three finalists, Suntec Singapore, the Excel London and Amsterdam Rai were selected based on the degree of innovation and novelty, originality, strategic objectives attained, effectiveness and sustainability. Industry professionals from across the world attending the UFI London Catering Tour voted for the ultimate winner.

Look out for the second instalment of the Dessert Safari at the Spire HR Summit 2015!

check-ins, e-Concierge, e-Print facilities, fast and free wireless Internet to keep guests constantly connected.

Guests also have the options of in-room cooking or restaurant dining, working out at the gym any time of the day, and doing their own laundry or having it done for them.

Mr Choe Peng Sum, Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Hospitality said: “Millennial travellers today represent 20% of international travellers and are expected to grow rapidly to 320 million by 2020. It is for this special group of travellers that we created our intelligent, techforward and intuitive hotel residence brand, Capri by Fraser, to help them keep at the top of their game.

SINGAPORE MARRIOT HOTEL RENAMED AS PART OF 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS The Singapore Marriott hotel has been renamed to Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel for its 20th anniversary.

Located at the junction of Scotts Road and Orchard Road, the hotel is located in the same property as Tangs Department store, one of the grand dames of the Singapore retail sector. The hotel is owned by Tangs Holdings.

The Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel also revealed a new corporate logo and a series of promotions in celebration of its anniversary. For example, former guests are invited to flip through their old albums or archives to find May dated receipts from 1995 to 2005. They can present the original room or F&B receipts to enjoy the same room or F&B rates as the yesteryears for their upcoming visit.

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LEADERS TALK HR

BIO BRIEF Edmund Kwok was appointed as the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF’s) CEO on November 1, 2013, having joined it as Chief Operating Officer a year before. Holding a Master of Science in Healthcare Management, he has 33 years of vast experience in the transportation and healthcare industries. Prior to joining NKF, he was VicePresident of Oncology at Parkway Group Healthcare.

His other previously held positions include Director of Operations, Institute of Mental Health; Director of Operations, The Eye Institute; and Director of Operations and Corporate Services at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

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LEADERS TALK HR

TOTAL

ACCESS Q

What happened in your first 90 days as CEO at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF)?

Good leaders are accessible, approachable and available says Edmund Kwok, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation. HRM takes a look at his leadership journey since the time he took on the reigns at the non-profit organisation in 2013

Q

What was it like to step out of the shadows of the 2005 scandal? Did you have any specific goals in mind?

I felt that NKF was a great place to be in. When I arrived, I felt that I I’ve been spared the direct effects of was fulfilling a lifelong dream. I had the incident, which my predecessor always wanted to work at a voluntary had to go through. When I joined, Sumathi V Selvaretnam welfare organisation (VWO) as the the NKF was already a very well-oiled sumathi@hrmasia.com.sg last leg of my work life, to give back organisation, with a lot of corporate to society. I came in feeling very good governance policies in place. as it was a wonderful opportunity for me to do good work.

One of the two things that I wanted to do was to place However, when I looked at the crowd in my first address to greater emphasis on patients. Secondly, I wanted to focus on the people, there were so many people younger than I was. our staff as well as people in the larger community. I hope to I was very humbled as these are people who were much not let them turn into patients. younger and in the prime of their lives, yet they chose to At the NKF, we should be looking at promoting kidney work in a VWO. health and not just be a dialysis provider. We spent the last Obviously VWOs are not the leaders in salaries and two years doing more upstream work, such as educational compensation but nonetheless, these people chose to be outreach and prevention programmes. Kidney failure is here. The warmth, care and concern that they showed made irreversible. However, leading causes of it – such as diabetes me feel that this is a really meaningful place. There are not and hypertension – can be controlled and prevented. many places where you get to do good work with wonderful Otherwise, the number of dialysis centres that we need will people, and yet deal with direct patient care. The patients go way beyond what we could ever dream to build. are really marvellous. They stay positive despite what they Initially, there was a lot of angst against NKF and a lack of have to go through. You are learning more from them than support. This year we are going to have five dialysis centres, what you are giving to them. followed by another three next year. In a short span of two

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LEADERS TALK HR

“It is important for leaders to set standards. You don’t settle for second best” years, we have broken away from the drought of not having new centres and increased the total number of centres by a third. It’s a sign of people coming back.

Q

How was your move from a profit driven business to a charity organisation?

In the private sector, you always think about profits and revenue.

We do the same over here. VWOs also need to manage their costs to stretch the charity dollar. We can learn from the private sector on how to minimise waste and become more efficient and productive. People give us money so that we can do good work to help others, so the more professional and efficient we become, the better.

The purpose of why we’re doing what we’re doing is what creates great passion in people. Once we get the purpose of what we are doing right, things become a lot more meaningful.

Q

What are some key HR challenges faced by the NKF?

Talent acquisition is one challenge. There is a rising demand for healthcare professionals due to the ageing population in Singapore. There is therefore high

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competition to hire the right nurses for the dialysis centres, among the limited supply available.

Talent retention is another concern, where we need to retain the right professionals for the job. Being a VWO, we have limited resources. Therefore, we need to be constantly developing a robust portfolio to engage employees in a creative manner.

Lastly, we need market alignment to stay competitive with the healthcare industry in terms of compensation and benefits for staff.

Q

Describe your working style.

I have always felt that the dialysis centre is the most important place because that’s where the people are. This is why I often go down to the centres to encourage staff and show that people from the headquarters care. I visit at least two centres a week and also conduct oneto-one meetings from the bottom-up.

All my employees have my mobile number so that they can call me anytime for anything. Our attrition rate has dropped since I first joined NKF from 10% to the current 8%.

I believe that good leadership can be encapsulated through the three As. • Leaders need to be accessible; • They need to be approachable; and • Leaders need to be available.

With my employees I follow the three Es: • Empowerment – Creates involvement.

LEADERS TALK HR • Engagement – Creates ownership.

• Excitement –Igniting passion. Instead of just doing my work, I will do it well.

During orientation, I personally meet new hires and share our vision, mission and core values. I also tell them that they are the face of the NKF. I empower them by telling them to ask themselves two questions to make decisions in any situation: Is it good for the patient? Is it good for the NKF?

Q

Could you tell us more about career progression at NKF?

We try to encourage our employees to upgrade their skills and learn more so that they have a career path within the NKF. We provide an average of 40 training hours for each employee per financial year. We also offer structured career development progression for nursing staff and encourage them to go for nursing exams and specialist diplomas.

We also offer cross functional roles to help people get used to working with one another, and trying different things. It is an opportunity for personal growth and development.

Recently, we started looking into offering bursaries and scholarships for people who want to move into the healthcare industry.

It is important to always be on the lookout for talent. We have to train not just the next echelon of people but also those under them.

I am also a very visual person. In my office, I have a picture of a tree stump where some rings are narrower and some are broader because trees grow at different rates. Whenever I sit here and talk to staff, the picture reminds that people learn at different phases.

It is also important for leaders to set standards. You don’t settle for second best. I often send text messages to staff asking if we can do something better and let them set their own standards. This creates a constant drive to improve.

If everyone is constantly thinking of raising standards and improving, we will have a thinking organisation.

5Cs workout, Healthy Mondays, regular wellness classes, outdoor games, talks, workshops as well as free annual health screenings and additional tests at subsidised rates.

On Healthy Mondays, we share health messages and tips with our employees. On some evenings, we leave work early and participate in exercise activities organised by our in-house exercise specialists.

We attained a Gold Award in the Singapore HEALTH Awards last year. We previously won the Bronze Award in 2008 and the Silver Award in 2010 and 2012.

Q

As a health organisation, how do you promote a healthy lifestyle among your own employees?

We have various workplace health programmes such as the

Me Myself I I like: To think win-win I dislike: Inefficiencies and waste My inspiration: My people! I schedule my priorities rather than prioritise what’s on my schedule. I make time to visit NKF’s 26 dialysis centres and our patients. They are my source of inspiration.

My biggest weakness is: Impatience In five years’ time I’d like to be: A better coach and mentor impacting others significantly Favourite quote: Begin with the end in mind and don’t settle for second best

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LEADERS ON LEADERSHIP

What type of leadership opportunities do Generation Y and millennial employees expect from their employer?

A defining trait of millennials is their strong desire to make a meaningful impact on their organisations; a reason why they are generally eager to take on leadership roles at very early stages of their careers. It’s not about the job title that matters to them at times, but it is about having the empowerment to lead and the opportunity to display their leadership skills. They are easily attracted to a challenging environment that fulfills their job aspirations.

At Vietjet, we consistently provide regular training sessions to help employees reach their ultimate career goals and potential. We provide effective leadership skills training in areas such as strategic planning, team building, and business decision-making.

This generation, which is fast becoming the biggest segment of our workforce, strongly believes that a

business is successful when it not only performs well financially, but also considers improvements to society a part of its agenda. They prefer to invest in an organisation where they can make a difference, preferably a place that itself makes a difference.

A collaborative work-culture and leadership style is highly desired, rather than a top-down approach, so that there is more room to voice out their personal opinions and be involved in all business-related decision making processes.

Vietjet prides itself on having an open door policy. This is demonstrated through our “healthy” working environment where employees are highly encouraged to share any workplace concerns. Feedback will always be considered, and appropriate action will be taken where necessary in order to maintain our staff relationships.

M

V R SRIVATSAN Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Autodesk

any things have been said about millennial employees but perhaps the most common stereotype is that they look for what their employer can do for them versus what they can do for the organisation.

I personally disagree with this generalisation. This is a generation that, if properly motivated, is adaptable, open to creative solutions, and willing to do what it takes to get the job done.

Millennials are also typically very practical. They don’t expect to lead from the start, but they do expect their organisation to give them the opportunities to advance their skills and knowledge of the business in accordance to their strengths and interests, and to have their efforts recognised once they have gained sufficient experience.

LUU DUC KHANH Managing Director, Vietjet

Take our unique internship programme at our Singapore Research and Development Centre as an example. Rather than assign interns low-level tasks and deadlines, they’re given the freedom to choose their challenge, identify problems and develop solutions. By letting them “self-manage”, we’ve seen interns channel their creativity and energy into achieving some incredible results – we’re talking about interns developing entire features and enhancements in brand new products that are made in Singapore and used by Autodesk customers around the world.

This is a pretty unconventional approach as far as internship programmes go, but I believe this is just one of the many reasons behind our high staff conversion and retention rates.

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HR INSIDER

FJ Benjamin:

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S PERSONAL

HR INSIDER Despite the tough industry, employees with FJ Benjamin have a true passion for retail and constantly go beyond their call of duty to provide best-in-class service.

HR too has gone above and beyond its administrative role to become a true partner to the business. Jassy Tan, Divisional Director – HR, shares her insights on the FJ Benjamin family

Shalini Shukla-Pandey shalini@hrmasia.com.sg

T

he HR team at FJ Benjamin has come a long way. In the past, the team was seen as an administrator only, and HR staff were mostly undertaking recruitment tasks. “Their roles were very much transactional in nature,” says Jassy Tan, Divisional Director – HR, FJ Benjamin.

Tan came on board two years ago, and has worked towards moving the HR function at FJ Benjamin towards a more strategic role.

“When I came on board, I felt that the role of HR should not be administrative and one of order-taking, but rather one that’s a partner to the business,” she explains. “Where in the olden days, HR was seen as an administrator and in some instances, policeman to policies and procedures, HR today is moving

AT A GLANCE Total number of employees at FJ Benjamin (Singapore): 680 Size of HR team: Six (Singapore) Key HR focus areas: – Talent Acquisition and Retention – Talent Management – Talent Development – Staff Engagement – Employer Branding and Employer Value Proposition ISSUE 15.5

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HR INSIDER towards playing an advisory role to the business. This was what I wanted my HR team to evolve into.”

Together with senior management, the HR team went through a period of restructuring and job roles were more clearly defined. A refreshed HR team was structured into three main strategic functions: • Compensation and Benefits • Talent Management and Development • HR Business Partnering “Still, more often than not, organisations still see HR as transactional, and it is a challenge to earn ourselves a seat in the boardroom,” says Tan. “With the new HR team, we worked towards building credibility as business partners, with a focus on doing what’s right and good for the business.”

Building a family While FJ Benjamin is a publically listed company, it remains a family-owned business at heart. The corporate culture is governed by stock exchange rules and driven by profit and loss statements and the like, but Tan says the company is held together by family values.

“A lot of employees have been with the company for many years,” says Tan. “Throughout that time, there have been economic ups and downs and these employees have stood loyal to the company through good and bad times.

Hence, the culture is such that it’s pretty much like a family.”

DID YOU KNOW FJ Benjamin was founded in 1959 by Frank Benjamin. He started his business as a middleman selling novelty items such as paper products, electrical appliances and cooking ware on a commission basis.

In the mid-1960s, he imported fashion items and accessories, and the company went on to become the multi-label fashion empire it now is.

Today, FJ Benjamin retails and distributes more than 20 lifestyle and luxury brands such as Superdry, Gap, Banana Republic, Guess, Raoul, Tom Ford, Givenchy, Bell & Ross, and Frederique Constant here and across Southeast Asia.

Senior management takes a personal interest in employees’ well-being, going to extra lengths to help those in need. “For instance, some time ago, one of our retail staff unfortunately came down with cancer and her medical bill came up to quite a hefty sum, way above what medical insurance could cover,” Tan recounts.

“She was a foreigner and she could not afford the medical bills and was prepared to stop medical treatment,” she continues. “However, this came to the knowledge of senior management, who decided to personally sponsor her medical bills.”

Growing the clan A constant challenge that HR at FJ Benjamin faces is the shortage of

manpower; the inability to find labour or to that same effect, retain them.

“Labour shortages have always been an issue in the retail sector. It’s been a challenge to attract people into the workforce as it’s tough to have to stand long hours on the retail shop floor, and still be courteous and patient at all times,” says Tan. “It has been tough getting locals into the workforce so there has always been a heavy reliance on the foreign workforce.”

A large proportion of FJ Benjamin’s foreign workforce is from the Philippines, with some also from Malaysia and some from China.

The tough labour competition brought about by heavier restrictions on hiring foreign workers has resulted in salaries spiralling upwards. This poses an increase in costs for companies and does not give a true reflection of the value of the job, Tan says.

For example, the value of a sales associate might normally be $800 per month, but because of the wage spiral, employers may now be paying $1,200 per month for this same job. If this continues, the same job could well cost $1,800 a month in time to come, Tan warns.

“Companies are effectively paying much more for a job where there is no difference in the productivity,” says Tan. “One way we tackle our recruitment challenges is through our pilot Fashion Your Future programme,” she says.

“Through this programme, staff become

WHO’S WHO IN HR

JASSY TAN

Divisional Director – HR

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PRISCILLIA TOH

Senior Manager – HR Business Partnering

HRMASIA.COM

FIONA HUI

Manager – HR Business Partnering

ALISHA NG

Manager – Talent Management & Development

ANGIE TAN

Senior Executive – HR Business Partnering

HENG HUI ENG Senior Executive – Compensation & Benefits

HR INSIDER ambassadors, reaching out to friends and contacts who they feel could provide great service and have a passion for retail. They then refer them to join FJ Benjamin as a potential employee.”

“We have also sponsored some of our best performers to complete courses such as retail supervisory management and, in some instances, a Diploma in retail management,” says Tan.

Moulding members

Binding kin together

Customer experience leaders (CELs) are given a clear career path under the specialist CEL programme, which provides two career tracks for them to develop into.

“For those who are good in their areas of specialisation and wish to progress in their core area of expertise, they can choose to progress their career under the Specialist Track,” Tan explains.

“Correspondingly for those who are good at managing people, they can choose to go under the Supervisory Track where they will eventually be running a store.”

All frontline retail staff are further required to undergo basic service training before they hit the sales floor.

This equips them with the basic skillset necessary to serve. “Along their career, there are other training programmes that we send our employees to, most relating to service. For example, there is a course on handling difficult customers,” says Tan. For those who eventually get promoted to the supervisory level, there are training programmes to equip them with people managerial skills, such as Coaching for Supervisors and Managers.

Keeping a family closely bonded is integral to its survival and success. Thus, FJ Benjamin has its own “FJB Passion” to keep teamwork high.

“Staff are given the opportunity to participate in this engagement event, where they write about their passion,” Tan explains. “Everybody will get to read about what you’ve passionately written and each staff member is given a chance to vote. The votes are taken as part of the overall judging and, finally, a winner was determined.”

Periodically, FJ Benjamin also gets the whole company together in a town-hall session. “This one is on a formal and corporate-wide basis, where we set the stage for the upcoming year, and announce past results,” says Tan. Staff also have something to look forward to during festive occasions.

For example, chocolates, candies and log cakes are distributed to every store during Christmas.

Also, ang pows (red packets) and oranges are distributed to each employee (and their children) every Chinese New Year. “This is a tradition that has been upheld over many years,” says Tan. “The

Raoul: Fit for royalty Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton put Singapore retailer FJ Benjamin on the map when she wore a patterned blouse and matching skirt from fashion and leather goods brand Raoul.

“This was indeed a proud moment for all of us and an encouragement to keep going,” Jassy Tan, Divisional Director – HR, FJ Benjamin says. “It has definitely helped the international image of the brand and was without doubt a great endorsement.”

This endorsement contributed to an exponential increase of traffic on the brand website and at that time, the outfit was sold out on all channels. “We had requests to produce more,” Tan says. The endorsement also helped the broader image of the brand internationally. “Today, we are more accessible to the world as we are able to attract better stores across the globe.”

Raoul was named Brand of the Year in the “Fashion – Singapore” category at the 2014 World Branding Awards, and was also awarded the “Outstanding Home-grown Fashion Brand in Singapore” award at the Asian Couture Federation Awards Gala 2014.

gesture by the company is something that staff look forward to and appreciate.”

Besides goodies during festive occasions, staff also look forward to quarterly themed events, such as Fruits Day, Kueh Kueh Day, Popcorn Friday, Donut factory and Movie Night to name just a few.

FJ Benjamin also has monthly staff welfare roadshows. “For example, at a recent ‘Good Health’ themed event, we organised a series of health-related activities such as health screenings, flu vaccinations, and health talks for our staff,” Tan explains.

Keeping it in the family Employees who stay with FJ Benjamin have a true passion for retail, says Tan. “While it can be tough to have to work long hours and still have to be courteous and patient at all times, there is an exciting side to being in retail,” she says.

“At FJ Benjamin, we have many brands under our umbrella, both in the lifestyle and luxury sides of things; so you do get exposed to the many different facets.”

FJ Benjamin’s familial culture also means it does its best to retain talent.

“For example, one of our employees in the support function wanted to resign to join her partner in another country. Rather than lose her, the company decided to allow her to be transferred to our office in that country and continue her existing role,” says Tan. “She accepted this offer, and is still our employee.”

The retailer’s re-hire policy also allows for once resigned employees to re-join, based on certain criteria. “There have been instances where employees leave us due to health reasons,” says Tan. “However, when they are well enough and wish to return to the workforce, we try our best to offer them a similar position.”

In recent years, FJ Benjamin has also launched a staff discount and purchase scheme, whereby staff are eligible to purchase products under all its brands at a healthy discount. “This benefit scheme is indeed very attractive and the traction has proven to be overwhelming,” Tan concludes.

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TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL BIG DATA IN TALENT MANAGEMENT BYOD: A BOON OR BANE? KEY TRENDS IN TALENT ACQUISITION TECHNOLOGY ISSUE 15.5

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HR TECH

HR TECH SPECIAL

BIG DATA

in talent management According to a recent Bersin & Associates’ study, “lean, technologyenabled, and well-trained HR teams are able to take advantage of modern talent practices and partner with business leaders to drive impact”. HRM finds out how HR can use big data to drive talent strategy

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Shalini Shukla-Pandey shalini@hrmasia.com.sg

HR TECH W

hile Big Data and analytics are playing an increasingly significant role in companies’ HR practices and policies, most HR teams are still well behind the curve in their ability to manage and “clean” employee data.

According to Bersin by Deloitte’s 2013 High-Impact Talent Analytics: Building a World-Class HR Measurement and Analytics Function study, only about 14% of companies studied were well-versed in people analytics (having clean data and the ability to use it proactively), but there is still huge investment in this around the world.

“The new world of HR analytics is what we call “people analytics” – taking people-related data (often from HR) and using it to make better management and business decisions,” says Josh Bersin, Principal – Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP. For example, big data could provide evidence on: • Why are some of sales people continuously outperforming their peers? What is it about their experience, background, training, personality, management environment, or behaviours that drive success?

• Why is a company losing people only in certain parts of the business? What actually causes high turnover: job experience, management practices, environment, compensation, or training?

• How can companies uncover fraud or quality problems?

• What external factors drive behaviour and retention in an organisation? Are competitors targeting employees?

“This is a combination of looking at HR data, experience and assessment data, and working environment and work behaviour data, and may also include looking at email traffic,” says Bersin. “We see growth in the use of ‘feedback systems’ to let employees provide on-going feedback.”

The ins and outs of people analytics Indeed, the promise of Big Data and analytics is that leaders can discover

key relationships between variables, giving them new insights into the levers they can pull to increase organisational performance, says Gerry Ledford, Senior Research Scientist at the Centre for Effective Organisations, University of Southern California.

“In particular, the hope is that it becomes possible to combine data sources that have previously been kept in discrete locations, enabling much more powerful and comprehensive analyses to be performed, and leading to the discovery of new practices that increase performance,” Ledford explains.

However, so far, very few companies are realising this kind of potential. The most common use of analytics is to provide real time reporting of HR data, often in the form of dashboards, with little analysis at all.

Another problem is that when analyses are performed, they tend to be directed at old problems that are relatively well understood, such as the causes of turnover or the factors responsible for employee engagement.

“Most of the answers suggested by these analyses are old news, and do not justify the investment in new tools or the creation of new HR analytics units,” says

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Source: Josh Bersin, Principal – Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP

HR TECH SPECIAL

Ledford. “It is still very rare for companies to apply powerful analytic tools to new problems and new solutions.”

Getting better questions and answers requires that those performing the analytics have a deep understanding of data analysis methods as well as HR practices, says Ledford. “It is very easy to use large data sets to produce spurious results that are the result of poor models of human behaviour,” he explains.

“Some writers seem to believe that analytics experts who do not know HR are going to find the right answers, but such analysts are more likely to find large but meaningless correlations that are not actionable,” he warns.

For example, a company looking at its portfolio of businesses may conclude that more profitable business units tend to pay their employees more than those that are not profitable. “Interpreting this as evidence that ‘paying more leads to greater profits’ is a logical, but false conclusion,” says Ledford.

This is because more profitable sectors of the economy (for example, technology) are more profitable and also compete more vigorously for specialised labour, pushing up wages. Simply increasing wages in low margin business units will increase costs without an offsetting increase in performance.

People analytics is an increasingly studied field now, because is it one of the biggest “unsolved” and potentially interesting areas of business, says Bersin.

“While we will never be able to fully predict human behaviour, we can dramatically improve our management decision-making by using data in a much more determined and accurate way,” he explains. “Companies that excel in people analytics will likely be able to out-recruit, out-manage, and out-perform others.”

People analytics at work One of the things that the 2014 Dell Global Evolving Workforce study found was that Big Data will become a component of career evaluations, measuring productivity of remote workers and offering a general means of synthesising employee output.

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HR TECH The use of Big Data in career advancement is likely the first step of integrating data collection into the workplace, as it can provide valuable insights into employee effectiveness.

“With Big Data analysis, HR managers can gain insights into the current view of the labour supply in key growth regions, along with projected time-to-hire and estimated cost of labour,” says Tiffany See, Executive Director – HR, Dell Asia-Pacific. “With this information, organisations can better manage their HR and eliminate churn.

“In the case of future advancements, changes in the workplace and career opportunities, statistics and figures surfaced by Big Data will likely provide valuable insights, offering additional perspective when making decisions.”

Dell’s HR team is constantly conducting reviews and collecting feedback from employees through both online and offline channels. See says this data helps the company better understand staff motivations and morale.

The annual Tell Dell survey is a platform for employees to share their thoughts and concerns over workplace matters, and it’s also an opportunity for the HR teams and management to improve employees’ welfare and outlook.

Axis Bank in India is also using data analytics to revolutionise its HR operations. “With the new performance management system that’s updated daily, HR can get intimate data on a talent almost in real-time,” says Rajesh Dahiya, Group Executive – HR, Administration, Compliance, and Corporate Communication, Axis Bank.

“Performance management can be one of the scariest things for HR to do,” he says. “However, surprise performance discussions have given way to more regular, consistent feedback of talent.”

See believes that data has always been, and will always be, foundational to measuring a part of an employee’s performance. “But that employee’s ability from a personal, leadership and capability perspective is where the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ differ,” she says.

The talent acquisition process at

HR TECH SPECIAL

Dell: Connected Workplace As a company, Dell is constantly aware of the need to meet the demands of its evolving workforce.

“We developed a ‘Connected Workplace’ initiative to support technological changes and monitor how they affect employees’ productivity and work-life effectiveness,” says Tiffany See, Executive Director – HR, Dell Asia-Pacific.

“One of our HR goals is to encourage eligible team members to enrol in Dell’s flexible work programmes, increasing global participation to 50%. We believe that this not only will have a sustainable impact to our HR but also the environment at large,” she adds.

In the 2014 Financial Year alone, Dell’s ‘Connected Workplace’ programmes helped the company avoid 6,700 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions – enough to fuel a 16 million mile car journey.

“In Singapore, around 60% of the roles we have locally are eligible for the ‘Connected Workplace’ scheme, and approximately 50% of those who are eligible are already participating in our flexible work programmes,” See concludes.

Axis Bank is digitised, with inductions being more data-driven. “Digitising HR practices has given us multiple data points and allows us to get deep insights into each talent,” says Dahiya. “We can then build future communications based on the data we’ve connected.”

With the modern workplace constantly evolving, strong relationships between HR and IT departments are becoming more important in both attracting and retaining quality employees, says See.

Data privacy and security HR deals with private and confidential data that is often not as highly protected as it should be.

Every year brings new and infamous breaches of corporate firewalls that expose the most precious corporate and customer secrets. The experience at Sony in 2014 was only the most extreme example.

“There is little reason to believe that companies will be more successful in protecting personnel data than they have been in protecting their technology, business secrets, and customer data,” says Ledford. “I personally despair that it is impossible to offer complete protection of confidential HR data, no matter what safeguards are used.”

An important question is whether the era of big data and analytics makes the data security problem any more acute than it already is. “To some degree,

pulling disparate data sources together makes it easier for those with bad intentions to find HR data,” Ledford explains. “However, I do not see the difference between the security of big data and little data to be especially great.”

Being an integrated technology company, IT is in the heart of everything that Dell staff do. “Our HR teams work closely with our different business units to leverage our own technology to protect confidential employees’ data,” says See. One example is through the partnership that the HR team has with the sales team. The two routinely get together for discussions with CIOs on HR type solutions offerings.

Additionally, with more employees and devices being connected to the network, the HR team work handin-hand with the IT department to streamline operations and eliminate security gaps through automated, integrated and consolidated security platforms that protect the full IT spectrum, from employees’ devices to the network firewalls.

HR take pre-emptive steps to ensure its data is safe and secure, before any breach occurs, by working hand-in-hand with the IT team to establish an Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy.

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HR TECH SPECIAL

HR TECH

BYOD: A BOON OR BANE?

Bring-your-own device to work is increasingly becoming a euphemism for flexible working and being technology-savvy. However, beneath the positive clamour for its adoption, organisations are also combatting dark forces arising from its use. HRM investigates

B

imal Shah, CEO of Leo Tech Services, can only recall one occasion when employee privacy had been compromised because of that company’s Bring-YourOwn-Device (BYOD) policies.

It was a somewhat bizarre situation, he says.

“The only quirky example I can think 26 ISSUE 15.5

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of where BYOD has betrayed personal information is when a colleague at another company tweeted about her morning run – and later realised that she was logged into her company’s Twitter account,” he quips.

“Instead of going to her personal followers, the update was unknowingly

Sham Majid

sham@hrmasia.com.sg

shared with hundreds of thousands of slightly confused followers.”

While BYOD policies showcased the lighter side of employee privacy in this instance, the issue is no laughing matter.

According to the Ovum Employee Mobility Survey which was conducted in July last year, a whopping 84% of

HR TECH employees rated privacy as a top three concern of BYOD. That’s important because more and more employers are adopting BYOD policies. In a study by Tech Pro Research, 74% of those polled cited that their company was already utilising or planning to use BYOD.

Do you BYOD? In the case of Leo Tech, a software development and services company, Shah says the firm has a robust BYOD framework and the firm believes in empowering staff to make their own decisions.

“This can be in terms of their choice of device, whether they’d like to sync office emails to their personal devices, how willing they are to stay in touch out of office hours, and so on,” he explains.

Micromanagement can undermine employee satisfaction and creativity – areas that should not be compromised in any modern organisation, he says.

“For instance, a traditional organisation may equate the quality of an employee with the number of hours worked, and thus prize those that respond to e-mail at three in the morning,” he says.

“However, that’s not the kind of culture we want to promote at Leo Tech. We lay emphasis on outcomes and productivity levels, and thus allow employees free rein in choosing how they prefer to work.”

Shah cites multiple reasons for the organisation establishing a BYOD environment.

Firstly, he says there is a case for convenience. It’s troublesome for employees to carry two devices and to constantly keep an eye on both.

“Additionally, some may find that they can run a meeting better or multi-task more effectively by using personal tablet devices or referring to notes on their mobile phones,” explains Shah.

While certain employees do receive company phones (a pool device for people on call, for example), he says it would be an impractical overhead to shell out on such devices for the entire staff body.

“Apart from racking up unnecessary costs, this may also be an invasion of the employees’ personal freedom – the choice of phone is a personal decision that’s made based on various considerations,” elaborates Shah.

“They may choose a certain model based on how fashionable it is, the operating system, or perhaps the availability of certain features.”

Furthermore, he adds that imposing a device that does not fit staff requirements may simply be a hassle for them.

“We develop mobile applications among other things, and allowing employees to use their own phones thus expands our testing ecosystem (such as models, operating system versions),” says Shah.

“This enables us to test beyond the dozens of rapidly obsolete phones and tablets that we routinely buy for our Quality Assurance department.

For software firm Citrix, BYOD programmes enhance employee satisfaction, improve productivity, and increase workplace flexibility, says Michael Stickler, Group Director HR International, Citrix.

In fact, Stickler says incoming full-time employees are offered enrolment in the BYOD programme during induction itself.

“We also recognise that – in today’s world – employees have an increasing desire to converge work and life and not see them as separate parts of their day,” he says.

“The solutions we provide help employees achieve that objective without

HR TECH SPECIAL

carrying multiple mobile devices with them. Offering BYOD helps us achieve new levels of productivity – and at the same time ensures security, compliance and protection of sensitive business information.”

If those reasons aren’t enough to entice employers to start promoting BYOD policies, then Hwa Choo Lim, Head of HR for Southeast Asia at Cisco Systems, may force them to rethink their position.

She says Cisco’s differentiator as an employer is that it gives employees the opportunity to use cutting edge technologies and solutions before they are made public.

Hence, Cisco employees are early adopters of industry transformative solutions through pilot programmes.

“This is a fantastic ownership programme of our technologies. Our feedback is taken into account and incorporated into the solution that goes to market,” Hwa explains.

“We don’t just sell the solutions to our customers; we use them every day, the way we work, learn, live and play.”

Hwa also points to Cisco fostering a culture of trust, hence translating this ethos into a very flexible work environment.

“When we moved to Changi in 2013, 100% of our employees became mobile – from the company president to the engineers – so they can all work from any place and on any device,” she says.

“Given each employee has their own unique work preferences that will optimise productivity, the flexibility allows our

BYOD and security fears • While 98% of employers have a security policy in place for mobile access to corporate data, 21% allow workers access with no security at all • More than 60% of IT managers polled report the usage of personal devices by their workers, and 58% signalled they were “very” or “extremely” worried about the security risk from this practice • 47% of employees were “extremely”or “very” concerned that the personal content on their devices could be erased if they left the company • More than 60% of employers indicate they seek employee input on mobile device security policies, but over 60% also say employee preference has little or no influence on mobile security decisions.

Source: Fixing the Disconnect Between Employer and Employee for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) by Webroot

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HR TECH SPECIAL

HR TECH

Hwa stresses that designing the right BYOD policies is “critical”.

“At Cisco, our IT drives and designs the policies but will seek HR, Finance, Tax, The nuts and bolts of BYOD Legal and Corporate Security inputs and According to Stickler, Citrix’s BYOD buy-in,” she elaborates. policies allows access to all of the “Some of the notable BYOD policies company’s apps and data on any device formulated for our staff include: a clear while giving its IT department the means Cisco entitlement and eligibility policy; to maintain security with uniform policy the Cisco Rules of Use which allows the enforcement and efficient control. company to remotely wipe a device in “Employees and contractors enjoy case of a breach or loss, and requires complete freedom to use any personal an acceptable password and 10 minutes computer, laptop or mobile device time out.” they choose, and to access their mobile Depending on the project and the kind workspace easily wherever they work, of information being shared, employees over any network,” he says. at Leo Tech can choose different ways to “In any organisation that has a high contribute and stay in touch, explains Shah. degree of mobile workers, this helps us “For example, teams use Skype on tremendously to improve productivity, their desktops, laptops and mobiles accessibility and collaboration among as a more convenient global teams and to create means of sharing progress a people-centric work Security concerns were and discussing topics, as experience, and helps attract identified as the chief reason against BYOD by compared to mail,” he says. and retain world class talent.”

“Apps such as Slack Stickler explains Citrix has that help archive and developed a BYOD strategy of respondents share information are also which gives people optimal becoming an increasingly freedom of choice while helping popular way to keep track of what’s IT adapt to consumerisation – all while happening in a project.” concurrently addressing requirements for The organisation also has a hybrid security, simplicity and cost reduction. policy in place for those who work with Its BYOD framework encompasses sensitive information and prefer to use four basic guidelines: empowering their own device. people to choose their own devices to In such cases, the company’s IT staff improve productivity; collaboration will set up these devices with enhanced and mobility; protecting sensitive security features (such as password information from loss and theft while locks) and the ability to remotely wipe addressing privacy, compliance and risk the data. That way, the device can be management mandates; and reducing rendered unusable should the owner costs and simplifying management ever lose it. through self-service provisioning and “Allowing employees to use their automated management. own devices enables them to work in “At Citrix we set up a meeting including ways they deem best, instead of being with the HR and Legal departments to restricted to pre-set working standards not only introduce the programme, but and practices,” adds Shah. to have discussions around existing “As such, they are likely to be more corporate policies,” he says. satisfied in the workplace, which is a “After our meetings, we concluded key driving factor behind employee that all existing policies do apply to engagement and productivity.”

BYOD participants. We agreed that In addition, Shah says running just because someone brings their own company applications on employees’ laptop into the office, doesn’t mean they personal devices enables Leo Tech can violate corporate policy.” employee to be in control and this in return will motivate them to perform better.”

78%

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Services to widen the range of devices and operating systems that it is testing on.

“This translates into more in-depth and insightful test results that can be used to better refine the technology,” he adds.

Tackling security and privacy Nevertheless, for all the clamour of implementing BYOD policies in workplaces, security and privacy issues are serious forces at play.

According to the Tech Pro Research study, security concerns were identified as the chief reason against BYOD by 78% of respondents.

In another report, Fixing the Disconnect Between Employer and Employee for BYOD

by Webroot, top concerns from employees regarding company-mandated security apps include employer access to personal data (55%), personal data being wiped by an employer (47%), and employers tracking the location of the device (46%).

Hwa explains that these concerns are partly why BYOD is a voluntary option for all Cisco employees.

“Cisco BYOD policies are clearly stated and available on the IT website, and all employees are required to read and accept these terms before their device is allowed to access Cisco corporate network,” she explains.

“Internally, we have a data privacy policy that governs how sensitive and confidential data is handled. Having said that, if an employee still feels strongly that their privacy could be compromised, they still have the option to select Cisco-provided devices so that they are able to keep a clear separation between work and personal data.”

From a business perspective, Hwa says all Cisco employees are bound by the organisation’s Code of Conduct (which employees need to recommit to annually) that stipulates the importance of protecting Cisco information and intellectual property.

The department monitors the company’s network on a 24-hour basis.

“When employees sign up for BYOD, they are required to read and accept the terms and conditions,” says Hwa.

HR TECH “A security package will be pushed to employees’ personal laptops once they are joined to our network and detected by our systems. Security certificates will be installed on personal owned smart devices to identify users and personal identification numbers.”

Communication and employee trust are key aspects of Leo Tech’s corporate culture, says Shah.

“While we do have IT security measures in place, our employees are encouraged to be aware of the potential risks of storing sensitive information on their personal mobile devices,” he explains.

“We enable our employees to better communicate with their colleagues – It’s more about the employee controlling access so as not to intrude on their personal time, rather than them providing us with personal information which might somehow be revealed.”

Shah says employee agreements include guidelines on how they are expected to deal with sensitive material – whether it’s on their phone, in a laptop, or a printout in their bag.

“For employees who routinely deal with sensitive material, we either provide them with a separate corporate device (in which case BYOD does not apply) or install security safeguards on their personal device to protect the information,” he highlights.

“Some examples of such safeguards include encryption, password policies, and the ability to wipe the device remotely.”

The risk of losing sensible data or having software copied onto personal devices is controlled in similar ways to any professional software company, Shah says.

Citrix’s technology allows the company to overcome the employee privacy barrier. The organisation is able to create separate dedicated workspaces that allows employees to keep private and business data separate from each other.

“This also allows us to secure data across a device without reducing privacy for our employees,” Stickler says.

He also acknowledges that many Chief Information Officers (CIOs) worry that further consumerisation of IT will lead to

Reasons for not allowing BYOD

• Security concerns (78%) • IT support concerns (49%) • Lack of control over hardware (45%) • Loss of device standardisation (45%) Source: Tech Pro Research conducted in November 2014

greatly increased business risks.

“While the installation of applications directly on non-corporate devices can increase risk, a BYOD programme based on enterprise mobility management, Windows app and desktop virtualisation and secure file sharing, such as the one we have at Citrix, manages and reduces risk.

“All business information remains secure within the data centre, residing on the endpoint only when absolutely necessary.”

Access to apps and data on mobile devices can be controlled, secured and managed with policies based on device ownership, status or location, he adds.

“Our IT can enrol and manage any device, detect jail-broken devices, and perform a full or selective wipe of a device that is out of compliance, lost, stolen or belongs to a departed employee or contractor,” says Stickler.

Rolling up the sleeves With employees now exposed to a wide variety of devices, organisations have every right to be wary. Staff can often become distracted amid the deluge of gadgets, resulting in faltering productivity levels.

Hwa says Cisco Systems has strong core

HR TECH SPECIAL

values, where employees are expected to do the right thing for the company.

“Moreover, we are a performancedriven company, so everyone is measured for their deliverables agreed with their direct managers,” she says.

Hwa says the company’s workforce is made up of diverse talents from different backgrounds, ranging from Generation X to millennials.

“Each has their own preferred work styles and, given we are now into the social media age, people need to be connected at all times. As long as they meet their deliverables, we don’t stifle them.”

Shah says his company has heard of clients that keep lockers outside the main office where, for security rather than focus reasons, mobile devices must be stored before employees enter the main work area.

“At Leo Tech, we don’t see a need to restrict our employees’ access to the outside world, which is why we provide them with desktops or laptops,” he says.

“These are not unlike their personal devices in terms of the features and myriad of potential distractions available.

If we can trust them to work on a machine that also serves as their calendar, music collection, cinema, TV, newspaper, library, and game arcade, then it seems fair to say that the problem doesn’t lie with BYOD if they do get distracted.

“As employers, the onus is on us to hire quality staff – people that can be trusted to manage their own time and attention to deliver what is required of them,” he says.

Stickler concurs with his counterpart, stating that employee distraction is not a concern for Citrix.

“We believe that setting challenging and achieveable goals for the whole organisation helps us to align and focus our teams around the goals we need to achieve,” he adds.

“BYOD is one tool that supports employees to achieve these goals from any place, at any time – taking their personal work styles into account. In our experience this leads to increased productivity and does not cause any distraction.”

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HR TECH SPECIAL

HR TECH

Key Trends in

TALENT ACQUISITION TECHNOLOGY Recruitment markets are in the midst of a revolution right now, as talent acquisition technology changes the ways both hirers and potential recruits operate. Daniel Russell, director of human capital at Deloitte Consulting, explores the latest trends 32 ISSUE 15.5

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HR TECH

R

apid technology advancements continue to radically redefine the landscape in talent acquisition.

Ten years ago, I was writing about the use of applicant tracking systems and web-based assessment processes.

Five years ago, we were only beginning to mention social media as online job portals. The last five years – even just the last two years – have manifested the most significant advances in talent acquisition technology.

Social media has all but replaced traditional online job portals. In 2005, we worried about applicants having access to web based applications, but today even multinationals struggle to keep up with

HR TECH SPECIAL

63% of employer respondents felt they were “adequate” at using social tools for sourcing and advertising positions.

However, 56% reported they were “weak” at building a strong and localised employment brand. Clearly, while more and more companies are investing in social tools, few are able to leverage them to create a strong, coherent employer brand and message.

According to Bersin by Deloitte’s Robin Erickson, recruiters need to be smarter about using social tools and should take a closer look at where candidates are spending their time on social media, while realising that it’s not just on social networks and online job portals.

Potential candidates are learning about organisations through multiple channels outside of the company’s official website and social media pages.

Deloitte’s 2015 Southeast Asia Human Capital Trends survey found that job seekers and employees are demanding more authenticity and transparency from employers today. Candidates want to read and participate in authentic conversations which are consistent across various channels. Recruiters need to ensure that employment branding is an authentic representation of the company culture and fully consistent with other corporate branding. Any hint of insincerity or contradiction in messaging will quickly turn candidates (and current employees) away. technology-savvy applicants who desire to interact via mobile technologies.

Today’s candidates are not passively watching and waiting for jobs to be posted. They are actively driving their careers by researching potential employers and marketing themselves on social and professional networking sites.

Use of social media tools The use of social networking continues to be one of the hottest trends in talent acquisition, but it’s quickly becoming a crowded space with more and more companies vying for candidates’ attention. Deloitte’s 2015 Southeast Asia Human Capital Trends survey found that

Improving the candidate experience Candidates can easily find multiple open positions located anywhere in the world, and those with critical skills in scarce supply are frequently courted by headhunters. Competition for top talent was listed as the number one obstacle by respondents to LinkedIn’s Southeast Asia 2015 Recruiting Trends Report.

Likewise, Deloitte’s 2015 Southeast Asia Human Capital Trends survey reported that workforce capability was the second most important overall HR challenge, but had the largest capability gap among those surveyed. Finding high quality candidates is hard enough; keeping them interested ISSUE 15.5

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HR TECH and engaged through hiring and onboarding is an even greater challenge.

There are a number of technology trends emerging to improve candidate experience and engagement, including: • Enabling candidates to apply for jobs via smart phones and social or professional networking sites; • Incorporating social profiles and references in the hiring process; and • Leveraging web-based video and audio platforms in applications and interviews.

More and more employers are looking for ways to engage candidates’ creativity and energy during the talent acquisition process. One large regional bank asks management trainee applicants to create and post a video résumé to YouTube. The videos allow recruiters and hiring managers to get a fuller picture of candidates’ confidence, poise, and passion, unlike what traditional résumés and application forms provide.

Furthermore, these videos give candidates an idea of what the culture is like at the bank and causes them to think more in depth about how (and if) they are a good fit for the company.

The increased use of mobile technologies in talent acquisition is a huge step towards making the talent acquisition process more candidatefriendly. Recruiting leaders would be well-served to apply user-centric design thinking to assess and redesign their processes to make them more relevant to candidates (and hiring managers).

Leveraging “Big Data” No article about trends in HR would be complete without mentioning “Big Data”, and talent acquisition is one of the most data rich areas of HR. The sad truth is that this data is sorely underutilised. We collect a tremendous amount of data on applicants during the talent acquisition process. This data, when analysed and combined with industry insights, can add tremendous value to organisations by: • Guiding and maximising investments in sourcing and advertising; • Optimising candidate selection criteria and increasing candidate quality;

HR TECH SPECIAL

• Improving recruiting cycle times; and management of the employment brand • Personalising the on-boarding and across all channels. Even with all the learning experiences for new hires. emphasis social media has received in One trend that’s been slow for Southeast the recruiting field, Bersin by Deloitte’s Asian companies to adopt is the use of research shows that company websites pre-hire assessments to optimise hiring drive more hires than other sources, decisions. Respondents to LinkedIn’s followed by online job portals and internal 2015 Southeast Asia Recruiting Trends candidate transfers and promotions.

Report stated that “quality-of-hire” was Likewise, improving the candidate the most valuable recruiting metric (it experience comes down to strong and defines “quality of hire” as retention, disciplined process management. new hire performance evaluation, and Recommendations in this area include hiring manager satisfaction). Research improving candidate communications and practice over the past 50 years has (leveraging all the tools at recruiters’ demonstrated how pre-hire assessments disposal) and engaging hiring managers improve quality-of-hire, retention, and in the process. long-term organisational performance.

As in most areas of business, people These sorts of assessments have been are the most important ingredient when statistically shown to help companies it comes to talent acquisition. Bersin by avoid challenges later on by improving Deloitte’s research showed that highretention, avoiding hiring “mistakes”, and impact talent acquisition functions have identifying employees who 40% lower new-hire turnover The increased use of are more likely to be future and are able to fill vacancies

mobile technologies

organisational leaders.

20% faster than companies The use of analytics is with more tactical recruiting one of the most promising, functions. High-impact yet difficult, areas for HR talent acquisition functions in talent acquisition is a huge step towards making the talent professionals to develop. are those which fully acquisition process more Respondents to Deloitte’s integrate with other functions candidate-friendly 2015 Southeast Asia Human of HR; strategically enable Capital Trends survey stated business execution; invest that people analytics and use of external in recruiter training; and remain agile by workforce data sources were, respectively, predicting the impact of market forces on the third lowest and lowest areas of talent pipelines. While new technologies readiness for HR professionals in the enable talent acquisition teams to execute region. While the payoff for investing in more efficiently and effectively at scale, analytics is great, companies in Southeast it’s critical to ensure that there is a strong Asia need to develop capabilities in these team and sound strategy behind the areas to reap the benefits. scenes.

It’s not just about technology While new talent acquisition technologies are constantly emerging, it’s important to keep in mind that these are only tools.

Even the newest, most advanced tools are no replacement for strong practices carried out by highly-qualified and properly trained professional recruiters.

Many of the most important trends in talent acquisition centre on improved processes and better use of existing tools.

In the area of social media, the trend for 2015 is improved monitoring and ISSUE 15.5

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CORPORATE HEALTH

COVERED

anytime, anywhere...

As employees become more globally mobile, it is essential to ensure that their health and well-being is taken care of regardless of geography. HRM identifies some key areas to consider in global health coverage

Shalini Shukla-Pandey shalini@hrmasia.com.sg

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CORPORATE HEALTH

W

ith more employers expanding their operations globally, health benefits and wellbeing solutions become an important consideration. These solutions deliver peace of mind to employees, no matter where they are on assignment.

“It is essential that globally located or mobile employees have access to the right medical coverage when travelling or working abroad,” says Nic Brown, Intermediary and Partnerships Director, Bupa Global.

“Failure to offer the right solution based on their personal needs, local regulatory or residency requirements, and consideration to the availability of quality healthcare can result in a variety of serious implications for both the employee and employer,” he explains.

These can vary from declination of residency, permit or visa for not having appropriate medical insurance, through to not being able

to access the right treatments for remotely-located employees.

“This can exacerbate illness or potentially place the employee’s life in danger,” says Brown. “It is therefore essential for HR to be confident that they have the right expertise in-house, and that they are able to deal with a competent and sufficiently-scalable provider to meet the many and diverse needs of the global workforce.”

A second option is to work with a recognised professional intermediary who can provide specialist advice and guidance, ensuring employee benefits are appropriate, based on individual requirements.

Global health plans There are many facets to an international medical insurance solution that must be considered when assessing the appropriateness of a product or provider, says Brown.

For instance:

Don’t let the doctor keep you home The start of a new tax year is a popular time for anyone planning a lifestyle change or relocation abroad. History tells us, though, that whilst many will have a job lined up and hopefully somewhere to live, scant attention will be paid to the financial implications of their international move.

That’s an oversight that can come back to haunt some expatriates, especially those who have moved abroad with their family. Families do still get ill, wherever they live, and a local doctor will always be an important part of life.

Take the recent case of a client of MediCare International. Noticing their child’s hearing seemed to be deteriorating, the family was referred to a local paediatrician who carried out an examination and a range of hearing tests at a cost of $400. The tests resulted in a recommendation for an adenotonsillectomy, a routine but in this case important operation to remove both the adenoids and tonsils, and subsequently insert specialist grommets.

The surgeon’s fees totalled $850, whilst those of the anaesthetist amounted to $350.

In addition, MediCare International paid for an overnight stay in the hospital, along with all nursing care costs, which added $9,280 to the bill; bringing the total to just under $11,200.

Happily, the child has made a full recovery after an uneventful operation.

“While buying good quality international health insurance and peace of mind to protect against instances like this can be expensive, it is far better to be covered rather than to face the prospects of a bill running into the thousands,” says MediCare International’s managing director, Debbie Purser.

38 ISSUE 15.5

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• Does the provider have sufficient scale and financial strength to deliver a sustainable long-term solution in terms of pricing, as well as a global presence to manage multiple staff in different locations?

• Is this supported by multilanguage claims and service capability?

• Is the provider’s network sufficient to offer direct settlement capability for employees, rather than making them pay medical costs out of their own pockets – which can be very expensive and not always settled in full.

• Does the provider have the required licences and compliant solutions for the countries the employee is based in? This can lead to potential tax implications and issues with visa applications and renewals in some countries.

“The essential components include 24-hour-concierge support, an extensive quality health care network, and flexible and easy cashless claim processes,” says Crystal Ng, Medical Director, Parkway Shenton. “The services can go beyond healthcare needs, including relocation support.”

Claims processes To be truly effective, HR should be able to access international claims reimbursement in numerous currencies and languages, within all time zones, and across national borders.

Raffles Health Insurance has teamed up with Bupa Global to provide effective international solutions to employees all over the world. “This partnership delivers compliant solutions for businesses and HR decision makers in Singapore, allowing them to access Bupa Global’s international capabilities and expertise,” says Brown. “This ensures the right

CORPORATE HEALTH

products and services can be accessed in different regions.”

Ng says that there are some countries that are either not covered by typical medical insurance, or require additional premiums.

“It would be ideal if the medical insurance provider could provide live reporting,” she says.

Money matters

“This ensures prices remain at a reasonable level,” he explains.

“Raffles Health Insurance and Bupa Global together deliver market leading and sustainable international solutions that can be relied upon.”

Ng believes that most international medical plans are cost-effective.

“Medical insurance providers would have done their extensive studies

on the healthcare providers in the countries that they are providing coverage in,” she explains. “They can give pretty good recommendations of who and where to go to through local knowledge.”

“Because of economies of scale, the cost of the insurance premium for each employee is kept to a minimum,” she adds.

As international medical plans tend to be more comprehensive than local schemes, it is essential to choose a provider that can deliver long-term value and sustainability, says Brown.

This should be coupled with effective cost containment and medical management.

“It is essential that globally located or mobile employees have access to the right medical coverage when travelling or working abroad” Nic Brown, Intermediary and Partnerships Director, Bupa Global

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Converting staff into

SUPERSTARS Author, leadership facilitator and corporate coach Ricky Nowak shares how a stimulating and innovative work environment can help create better outcomes for both employees and the business

E

very business wants great people, and great people want to work with great businesses.

Fact.

Candidates read advertisements promising “diverse, innovative and exciting workplaces that will enrich their experience, propel them to new career heights, and enable them to thrive and excel in a leading environment”, and believe they will achieve this.

Fiction.

That’s where it begins, and unfortunately, it often ends there too.

Once a candidate is recruited and inducted it is not uncommon to find the quality of an organisation’s developmental pathway often falls short of the new staffer’s expectations.

Many times, it will fail to give them the skills or opportunities to become the super star of tomorrow.

It will also fail to afford existing staff continuous improvement opportunities. These employees are sadly by now considered either “dead wood” or known to be operating at a level that is “good enough to get by, but not good enough to get buy-in”.

So finding the right people for 40 ISSUE 15.5

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the job is only part of the equation.

Creating intellectually and professionally stimulating processes and environments to enable people to operate at their full potential is the bigger question facing great companies today. They rely on both people and technology combined to whisk them successfully into the robust workplace of the future.

There are clear steps to attaining this, and they should all be followed in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for both the company and its people.

1

Determine the future forecast and recruit for it.

Be future focussed but always presentcentred so you can recruit or position people with the end in mind. Get clear on what you think the future will look like and how you will support your employees once they are inducted. Be on the lookout for some people who are visionary, innovative and “big picture” to create the next pathway.

Then, endorse and set up a “safe to fail” environment in which they can wisely experiment with new ideas.

Be first to get off the dance floor and onto the balcony and watch the magic happen as this certain percentage of your articulated staff will see this as paying tribute to their skill, and will thrive as a result. After all, isn’t that what they are hired to do?

Lesson Learnt: Allow people to play to their strengths.

2

Create Learning Circles

In order for smart people to forge ahead they need to thrive in stimulating settings and be part of the bigger conversations around them.

Super stars like to be around other super stars. So create the game play.

You can do this in a number of ways • Encourage key innovators to form their own mastermind groups to problem-solve issues in the business – outside the work they do. That’s important. Remember, it needs to be big picture.

• Invite people to form specific professional expert groups that focus on key areas such as innovation,

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

creativity, risk agility, diversity, or technology. Allow them certain hours per month or week to spend on these areas of expertise and then encourage them to share the learning across the business.

• Create reverse mentoring opportunities for people to share their expertise in learning circles or with specific individuals, thereby improving the skills across the business.

LESSON LEARNT: Enable people to share their skills across the business outside the work they do.

3

Develop a five-day organisational showcase

Endorse a five-day organisational showcase whereby each team or department showcases their skills and talents across the business in a unique conference style setting. Create an open space in the main foyer of the building or on a spacious floor, where teams can set up and demonstrate the work they are doing, talk to others in the business, share stories and ideas, and create interest and awareness across the teams and divisions – and even across regions.

LESSON LEARNT: Don’t duplicate work when teams could be sharing ideas and learning from each other’s best practices.

4

Educate on diversity and multigenerational management.

Education is everyone’s responsibility; not just HR’s or the company’s.

Encourage everyone to make at least a 10% contribution to improving awareness and tolerance of diversity and managing new generations.

Request examples, evidence and testimony that everyone is actively taking a role in building greater cultural awareness. Look, and show the multiplier effect of how great a

10% improvement across each team member can be.

LESSON LEARNT: If 100 people in your organisation made an individual commitment to improve culture by just 10% each, you will have 1000% improvement in the areas of diversity and multigenerational management.

Make it your business to circulate the learning and make it everyone’s business to share the benefits.

5

Encourage positive purpose with deadlines and rewards

Every year, more companies globally are recognising that having super stars work with them and for them is not just about good luck or clever recruitment, but about their ability to create and sustain a culture of appreciation, endorsement and vision that goes beyond the “now”.

LESSON SHARED: Super stars are everywhere. Not just at the top of the pile but in the everyday people who come to work to do a good job… but you have to let them.

There is no disputing the fact that people still prefer a bonus and other financial incentives when it comes to retaining and rewarding them.

There is also no disputing the fact that people also like to be recognised for their contribution and commitment to their company and clients.

The best way to achieve both is to encourage positive purpose in each project given to staff, so they can see how their work fits into the bigger context and how it makes a difference. By having a work deadline in place, together with a context around it, one can’t help but see the stars rise to the top.

LESSON LEARNT: Always show gratitude before money.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ricky Nowak is an international conference speaker, author, and corporate coach based in Australia who specialises in corporate leadership.

She works with global teams and individuals by helping them be their most authentic and individual selves.

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RELOCATION

TAKING CHARGE An efficient employee relocation process makes a world of difference, and it is crucial for HR managers to take charge of it. HRM looks at some factors to consider and tips to ensuring a smooth transition for employees

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nsuring that the employee relocation process goes smoothly is essential for any organisation and its employees. However, there are several challenges that can impede the transfer process, ranging from compliance issues in the destination country to an employee having difficulty settling down in a new cultural and language environment.

Experts say that though relocation companies do offer various services to help organisations settle their employees in a new destination, HR managers should also take the initiative to ensure the process takes place without a hitch.

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Focus on employee relocation HR has various duties on its plate. But while HR professionals can be “weighed down” by different tasks, experts highlight that ensuring a smooth relocation process should be a priority.

Wendy Chee, Director of Sales, Santa Fe Relocation Services, says the organisation commissioned its Global Mobility Survey last year. The research revealed HR professionals’ time is most often taken up by tasks relating to immigration compliance (49% of HR respondents cited this), tax compliance (45%) and conducting general administration (42%). “Despite the need to be more strategic, HR

PARKROYAL Serviced Suites Living Room

By Priya de Langen

professionals appear to be held back by a sea of tactical tasks and administration, instead of focusing on employee relocation matters,” she explains.

Richard Tan, Vice President of Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL Serviced Suites, says it is important for the assignee and their family to be well-adapted into their new environment, in order to reduce stress and allow the worker to focus more on the job than on relocation matters.

“After the move is completed, each assignee is given a survey to ensure that optimal service is rendered and feedback on the vendors (such as the relocation agents, and serviced apartment provider)

RELOCATION are all taken into consideration for future assignees,” he says.

Both Tan and Chee concur that HR managers should focus more on employee relocation matters.

In particular, this is because of the growing rate in assignments taking place each year.

Chee, says: “Key industry experts are urging global mobility (departments) to take a more forward-looking role in their organisations. With businesses anticipating a higher rate of growth in assignment activity than ever before, the alternative is that we are seeing global mobility departments trailing the business.”

Tan notes that employees need to be well-assimilated into their new environments and cultures. “Relocation is a huge step and would require more focus from the HR managers themselves. These relocated assignees are important to the business and need special attention.”

Consider the factors There are various layers to the employee relocation process, and HR will face several challenges in implementing each one. Industry leaders say HR needs to consider everything from legal factors to financial concerns in order for employees to settle into their new environment.

Chee, from Santa Fe, states: “Compliance is a critical part of corporate governance in today’s companies and HR professionals should consider aspects of managing compliance with all the legal, financial and tax-related issues of international and domestic assignments.”

It is also essential that HR takes costs into consideration. Chee adds that providing the right tools for cost projection and cost optimisation throughout the lifecycle of the assignments is important as the total costs related to employee relocation may well reach four to six times the basic gross salary.

Measuring Return on Investment (ROI) is an important part of managing a successful global mobility programme, explains Chee. “A key aspect to improving ROI is ensuring that the company continues to benefit from the investment going forward through talent retention,” she says. “In other words, HR professionals need to retain those employees in whom the company has so heavily invested.”

HR should also consider the personal costs to the workers that relocate.

Offering them the right incentives can make it more worthwhile. Tan explains that HR should offer an attractive remuneration package that includes a comfortable living environment for employees and their families to ensure they are well taken care of in their new country.

“HR managers need to look into many aspects of the employee’s relocation, including transport to and from the office, special needs of the employees, and settling down into their new home,” he adds.

The industry experts offer some tips for HR to consider when relocating their employees. “When looking for a good serviced apartment, it is important to get good referrals,” notes Tan. “Check out TripAdvisor for feedback, and also look at the proximity of the accommodation to the local office.”

Workers willing to relocate for dream job A global poll released in January by international job board, Monster, has revealed that more than half of the world’s workers (55%) are willing to relocate to a new country to pursue their dream job.

Monster asked visitors, “How far would you be willing to relocate for your dream job?” and received over 5,400 responses.

“I wouldn’t be 23% answered willing to relocate” “I would move to 23% answered another city”

answered “I would move to 23% another country” “I would move to 32% answered the other side of the world”

The French and Canadians were the most enthusiastic to relocate to pursue their dream job – 50% of French respondents said they would move to the other side of the world, and 23% would move to another country. Forty-five percent of Canadian respondents said they would move to the other side of the world.

Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road – One Bedroom Premium Suite

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RELOCATION Chee says that beyond merely plugging a gap, HR professionals should be looking to support the development of employees. “The best global mobility programmes will provide employees with the future skills and experience necessary to align with the changing business and socio-economic landscape of the global company,” she explains.

Arthur Kiong, CEO of Far East Hospitality, says employee relocation is now extremely common for many global employers and an attractive relocation package is important for companies to remain competitive and retain talent.

He adds that employee relocation matters should not be overlooked, as it would have direct impact on an employee’s performance at their new workplace. “To ensure a seamless transition into the new environment, the employee needs to know that their accommodation and lifestyle needs will be adequately met upon arrival.”

Working with HR to relocate Relocation organisations say that they work closely with HR from the initial point of an offer letter to the time that employees have settled into their new homes. These companies provide myriad services such as orientation and even cultural and language training so that an employee can make the transition without a hitch.

“Despite the need to be more strategic, HR professionals appear to be held back by a sea of tactical tasks and administration, instead of focusing on employee relocation matters” Wendy Chee, Director of Sales, Santa Fe Relocation Services

“Santa Fe manages and administers every aspect of each assignment, for the duration of the relocating employees’ expatriate lifecycles,” explains Chee. “Santa Fe provides the relocating employees with a single point of coordination, managing all the aspects of the relocation into one seamless service.”

Chee says Santa Fe also provides value-add services that include area orientation, home and real estate searches, and cultural and language training. She explains the company’s global mobility consulting services team provides HR Managers with the support and expertise to help them

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to address the strategic side of the relocation, whilst also enabling them to maintain focus on the operational aspects of their role.

Tan says that Pan Pacific and Park Royal Serviced Suites works closely with HR managers and relocation companies to help employees integrate into Singapore easily. The company also provides many services for the assignees in its care, including a 24hour service of personal assistants to help them assimilate into their new environment. The suites also provides tips, a shuttle bus service, and a community that looks out for the assignees. “These Personal Assistants are there to ensure that (the employees have) no culture shock, no homesickness or loneliness, and are able to provide answers when necessary.”

Kiong of Far East Hospitality says that his company works very closely with HR managers to better understand their employees’ various needs on location, facilities and basic amenities. Far East Hospitality Serviced Residences is in eight locations in Singapore. “We propose our options accordingly to make sure those requirements are met.

Accommodation-wise, accessibility, safety, and comfort are often the top consideration factors for the relocating employee and his/her family.”

HRM

CUSTOMISED EVENTS

On the pulse of corporate health

In line with corporate healthcare becoming an increasingly vital component of employee wellbeing, DontiaCare recently conducted a free seminar for workers. HRM presents some of the highlights from the talk

C

orporate health trends; health costs; and corporate health coverage: these were some of the buzzwords highlighted to working professionals who were afforded a comprehensive “check-up” on their corporate healthcare by DontiaCare, a third-party healthcare administrator, at York Hotel on April 1.

Attendees to the “Emerging Trends In Corporate Healthcare” seminar were further enlightened on the importance of corporate healthcare to employers and the solutions by Allan Yeo, Principal Advisor of KPMG Services and Dr Wong Keng Mun, Founding Partner of DontiaCare.

Yeo, a former Group CEO of Thomson Medical Centre, briefed the audience are getting are doctors who are reasonable on health expenses, transparency, a and also credible in terms of patient care, it’s nationalised health record system, and the heading in a positive direction.” effects of an ageing population, while Dr Yeo says DontiaCare was coming up Wong elaborated on corporate with “something holistic”. He healthcare trends in Singapore, explains that in the past, the The ongoing effort to raise cost management, as well as organisation only dealt with more awareness of DontiaCare’s core services. dental care; now however, it also According to Yeo, the ongoing tackles other disciplines. effort to raise more awareness “From a company that goes of corporate health in Singapore individually to different doctors, it in Singapore is proving is proving useful in keeping the can now go to one and get access useful in keeping the wider population healthy. to a range of doctors,” he says. wider population healthy “So this event is to tell “Because of that, customers customers that even though are able to plan theirs budget they have dental services, DontiaCare is properly. If they go through all these people also pooling together a group of multiand if they know the costs are reasonable, disciplinary specialists so that corporate then a company’s budget is easily planned. companies can get referrals or advice, and “If a company does a health management can get access to the right people,” he says. plan, then their workforce’s medical leave “Given the fact that DontiaCare is also rates are going to be managed and the firm making the effort to ensure the doctors they will have a healthier workforce, which is

corporate health

good for the company.”

Dr Wong affirms that DontiaCare is aiming to provide more choices for its corporate clients.

“We want to cater to different companies with different programmes and we have a scope of options that are available,” he says.

“It depends on what the staff want.”

Most importantly, he stresses that DontiaCare intends on fostering a relationship with clients without putting a dollar sign on everything they do.

“That is why we don’t have a premium,” he explains. “If there is a dollar sign, then it becomes a transaction.”

“What we want as a company is to let consumers have the freedom to choose who they want for their corporate healthcare based on credit. It just gives us an option to show the consumer what we can provide – and is what we believe is the fairest thing we can do for corporate healthcare.”

We want to work with you! Let us help you create an event to remember – please contact info@hrmasia.com.sg or 6423 4631 ISSUE 15.5

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TALENT

LADDER

Sunil Sankar

Vice President, Human Resources, India, CA Technologies

Srikanth Chandrashekhar

Elizabeth Wood

Head of Talent Management – Asia Pacific, Pall Corporation

Chief Human Resources Officer, Levi Strauss & Co

Sunil Sankar was recently appointed as Vice President, Human Resources, India, of CA Technologies.

He succeeds Sakaar Anand, who is now the company’s Vice President of Human Resources for the Enterprise Solutions and Technology Group worldwide.

An industry veteran, Sunil has over two decades of experience and has held various regional and corporate HR leadership roles. In his new role, Sunil will be responsible for leading the entire spectrum of HR management and employer branding initiatives for CA Technologies in India.

“I am excited to take on this role,” said Sunil.

“At CA Technologies, we have a team that is immensely talented and I look forward to working closely with them.

My focus will be to leverage the potential of our talent and continue our efforts to attract the talent community to join CA Technologies in India by offering competitive salaries and industryleading benefits.”

Commenting on the appointment, Sunil Manglore, managing director, CA Technologies, India, said, “CA Technologies is committed to hiring and nurturing the right talent in the evergrowing IT industry in India.”

“Sunil’s deep understanding and expertise of talent management, HR operations and employer branding will add great value to the business.”

Srikanth Chandrashekhar has moved to Pall Corporation to head talent management for the company across the Asia Pacific region.

With 14 years of work experience, Srikanth held regional and global HR roles with Honeywell, EMC and most recently with Bombardier Transportation in Singapore as the Asia Pacific HR Director for Human Resources managing the Centres of Excellence (for Talent Acquisition, Compensation & Benefits and Learning & Development.)

“Bombardier is a global leader in the Aerospace and Transportation (Rail) industry and in working for the Transportation business, it was tremendous learning for me from a business perspective. I gained a true understanding of the complexities involved while working with the government sector in the region, and how that translated to talent requirements and challenges,” said Srikanth.

In his new role at Pall Corporation, Srikanth is responsible for organisational development and performance management including leadership hiring and development.

“In the Asia Pacific Region, we are primarily a commercial organisation with our footprint in 12 countries,” he explained.

“So my focus areas internally have been to look at our talent development infrastructure and build a roadmap to mature it.”

Levi Strauss & Co recently announced it had appointed Elizabeth Wood as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective May 1, 2015. As Chief Human Resources Officer for Levi Strauss & Co, Wood will be responsible for leading all aspects of the global human resources function, including recruitment, talent planning and organisational development. As a member of the worldwide leadership team, she will also help set the company’s global direction.

Wood is a seasoned human resources executive, bringing 25 years of retail and apparel experience to the role. Her background includes leading brands and businesses through transformational change. Wood joined LS&Co from Toys “R” Us, where she was senior vice president of human resources.

“As a company with some of the world’s most iconic brands, Levi Strauss & Co is a destination for great talent,” said Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer at Levi Strauss & Co. “We hope to inspire our team members to do the best work of their careers while they’re here, and I’m confident that Elizabeth is the right leader to help us achieve that ambition.”

“Her valuable retail and transformation experience is critical as we turnaround the company and continue to drive long-term, profitable growth.”

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HRCLINIC What are some engagement strategies that HR departments can employ to increase employee retention?

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mployee engagement is a strategic tool that can add real value to top-line growth and bottom-line performance. Employees who are thoroughly engaged in their work and who demonstrate true commitment are the best investments any company can make.

The first step that HR departments can take in improving employee engagement level is understanding where they are in relation to a known standard. There are many pathways to foster engagement, with no one-size-that-fits-all strategy.

While most companies have tried various outof-the-box initiatives, there are few “evergreen” strategies that would suit most organisations.

Big or small, the work people are putting in has meaning. Providing clear and meaningful projects that are key to an individual’s and organisation’s growth are some of the key engagement factors

HRM_GWSAad186mm(W)x119.5mm(H)_FA.indd 1

for employees. Refill their energy tanks with some recognition schemes and celebrate their hard work; this will create a performance driven and rewarding culture, keeping the workforce engaged and happy.

Managing relationships is another critical skill.

HR departments must ensure regular interactions by way of formal and informal chats, town halls, gettogethers and one-on-one meetings. This will not only ensure that HR knows the pulse of its people, but that it will also find ways to identify gaps and work with business leaders to design solutions. This will provide employees with a high level of trust and a sense of value.

Tina Sharma

Vice President and Head, HR, State Bank of India, Singapore

Ask our HR experts. Email your questions to sham@hrmasia.com.sg

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HR YOUNG GUNS

HR FROM THE CLASSROOM Every month, HRM speaks to a young university talent hoping to carve out a career in HR upon graduation

What attracted you to HR? Why are you studying it?

I was attracted to HR because the complexity of people in general makes it a challenging and fulfilling role. It is interesting how the same stimulus in the work environment can garner varied responses from different people. While on the one hand, these differences would mean that a onesize-fits-all plan is unlikely to work all the time, yet more often than not, it is precisely these individual differences that can be better managed to maximise employee potential to achieve organisational success.

What aspect of HR do you hope to specialise in upon graduation?

I would hope to specialise in Compensation and Benefits. I believe that compensation plays a crucial role in the attraction and retention of talents, by both fuelling employees’ intrinsic motivation and in providing them with extrinsic rewards. I am intrigued by how an organisation’s total rewards model can produce powerful incentive and sorting effects, which ultimately affects its performance.

The top three things you want from your HR career?

Firstly, I look forward to a fulfilling HR career in which I can leverage my knowledge and skillsets to make a visible positive impact. It would be exciting to be given flexibility to break away from the norm to recommend strategies that can introduce desirable changes.

Secondly, I would love a HR career that provides various learning opportunities, whether at work through challenging work assignments or through formal channels such as the chance to pursue

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further studies or undertake training and professional development courses.

Last but not least, is being able to achieve work-life balance. I hope to be able to devote adequate time to all the quadrants I find essential in my life.

What challenges do you anticipate?

Employees today are expecting greater transparency, and based on a study by Forbes, this matters since it can then affect their engagement at work. Yet, there is no formula on what extent of transparency is best for business.

Being held at high standards for the safeguarding of confidentiality, I believe that HR personnel are likely to face the pressure of balancing data privacy and the increased need to foster transparency in the HR-related spheres – more specifically, in the area of salary transparency which has gained increased attention in recent years.

The digital age today has additionally provided us with convenient access to a wealth of information, which could put organisations at risk of utilising inaccurate or obsolete knowledge to remedy organisational issues.

Thus, it will be critical to push for decisions that are based on concrete research and analytics, and to be able to distinguish the good from the bad research presented before us.

Your HR career five years from now?

I hope to be able to take on a HR generalist role to get exposure to all key functional areas of HR. Each HR function cannot stand alone. Being a generalist will allow for a greater understanding on how the different functions integrate to be part of a holistic HR strategy that acts as an impetus for a business unit to achieve its strategic objectives.

Lindy Sim Hui Jing Second year business student, Major in Human Resource Consulting Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Business Development Director of NTU HR Consulting Club Hobbies and/or inspiration?

I like to do volunteer work. Participating in various community service programmes provides me with opportunities to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and to help the less privileged. Being open to new experiences, I always look forward to learning a new activity or sport.

Having attended yoga classes previously, I intend to learn kayaking this summer and also hope to be able to take up Zumba classes in the future!

Still, on some days, nothing really beats curling up with a good book and with a cup of hot chocolate.

Making wellness work

By Lindy Sim Hui Jing

H

ealth and wellness appear to be buzzwords in the realm of HR benefits. The responsibility lies on individuals to learn and to adopt practices to maintain and improve their state of wellness. Yet, with employees spending substantial waking hours at the workplace today, this arguably sends out a signal that organisations should consider investing in corporate health and wellness programmes themselves.

It is thus encouraging that firms today are increasingly responding to these calls, offering programmes to varying extents to promote healthier workforces.

“Health” however does not equate to “wellness”. As J. Stanford said, “Health is a state of body. Wellness is a state of being.” Health can be achieved from being free of diseases, and organisations target this by increasingly offering free or co-paid health screenings. However, wellness goes beyond this.

Two of the key dimensions would be physical and emotional wellness.

Physical wellness encompasses having a healthy diet and sufficient physical activity in life. Current corporate practices targeting physical wellness include on-site gym facilities and gym memberships, while some companies integrate regular bonding sessions with Yoga and Zumba exercises, or offer employees fruit every week.

Emotional wellness looks at emotional resilience and the ability to cope with stress, which can be enhanced through effective communication channels such as counselling hotlines. This is a critical area to explore, considering rising stress at the workplace today.

Going beyond implementation Even as programmes are being implemented, we need to question if employees are in fact utilising them.

The implementation of corporate health and wellness programmes often comes at an increased cost and is supposed to directly benefit employees. Yet, as in the case of flexible work arrangements, while they may be within reach, other unresolved concerns often stand in the way.

Under-utilisation of wellness programmes could be a result of employees having too much workload or lack of time to access them. We would then have to consider whether other practices are necessary to go hand-in-hand, so as to encourage increased utilisation. Thus, while it is crucial that employees take personal responsibility, it is just as critical that groundwork is laid to facilitate this cause.

With every dollar spent, we need to consider the returns from that dollar invested from the organisation’s point of view. Health and wellness programmes, while understood to

bring good returns, should in fact be further assessed to measure their actual success. Instead of merely adopting popular practices, it would be more beneficial to tailor them based on the diversity of the individual workplace.

Having a set of metrics in place to consistently measure the effectiveness of practices could serve as a helpful guide. Organisations today are measuring the effects of their programmes on employee health, through medical claim costs and metrics like blood pressure and cholesterol level, among other common health indicators.

Yet, it would be of further value to additionally evaluate employee wellness, allowing for a more holistic assessment of programme effectiveness. This could be achieved by tracking performance levels after we statistically control for effects that might be attributed to other significant variables. Surveys can also be administered to employees, with survey items appropriately allocated to measure each dimension of wellness.

Expressing qualitative variables such as “employee engagement” and “happiness” in numbers allows us to better ascertain returns on investment, justifying any further costs required to maintain or enhance these practices. This is especially crucial in a competitive business environment that calls for stringent cost controls.

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HIGH

IMPACT HR

Vodafone:

Mum’s the word

In the matter of working mothers, Vodafone is far from keeping mum. The telecommunications giant is one of the few organisations in the world to define a mandatory minimum maternity benefits standard. JPS Choudhary, Regional HR Head, Vodafone, shares his thoughts on the policy

Shalini Shukla-Pandey shalini@hrmasia.com.sg

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ar from being an expense, global businesses could save up to $19 billion annually through the provision of 16 weeks of fully paid maternity leave. According to consultancy KPMG, businesses would retain the knowledge and experience of these women with positive consequences for productivity and effectiveness.

KPMG estimated that recruiting and training new employees to

replace women who do not stay in the “These maternity benefits are workforce after having a baby costs intended to give women time to recover businesses $47 billion every year. On from pregnancy and childbirth, bond the other hand, offering women 16 with their babies, and manage the weeks of fully paid maternity leave, challenges that come with returning rather than the statutory minimum to work after maternity leave,” says would cost businesses only an Choudhary. additional $28 billion a year.

Offering mothers a global returnNurturing a mum-friendly policy to-work policy equivalent to a fourToo many talented women leave working day week at full pay for their first life because they face a difficult choice six months back to work could save between caring for a new-born baby working mothers a cumulative $14 and maintaining their careers,” says billion in childcare for their new babies.

Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao.

Vodafone has embraced these “Our new mandatory minimum global findings and pioneered a global maternity policy will support over 1,000 maternity policy across 30 countries. female employees every year in countries By the end of 2015, women working with little or no statutory maternity at all levels across Vodafone’s 30 care.” operating companies in Africa, the Indeed, Vodafone is addressing an Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and issue that is prevalent across businesses the US will be offered at least 16 weeks – that many women do not return after of fully paid maternity leave, as well as maternity leave or find it difficult to full pay for a 30-hour week for the first return to the workplace after the changes six months after their return to work. that having a baby will bring.

Vodafone employees in the US “Our company wants to attract and will especially benefit, as the US retain talented women, and recognises has no guaranteed maternity rights. that providing an attractive maternity Other than the United policy is key,” says Nations, very few global Choudhary. organisations – and even “Maternity policies fewer multinational varied widely across our corporations – have 30 subsidiaries, so we adopted minimum looked carefully at the maternity policies of this retention rates of women Currently, Bulgaria provides 410 kind. returning from maternity days of mandatory paid maternity “While a number of leave in each country and leave to new mothers, which is Vodafone subsidiaries then compared this with the highest worldwide. The UK already offer substantial the benefits on offer,” he is next in line with 273 days of maternity care terms explains. which will continue There were some clues mandatory paid maternity leave. as before, the new to be found in countries Meanwhile, India provides only mandatory minimum such as Italy, where 84 days of leave, and the US global maternity policy women received quality provides none. will make a significant time with their new-born Source: IFC/World Bank difference to the lives of babies, and were then thousands of Vodafone supported on their return women in countries to work. where there is little or no legislative “At Vodafone Italy, where women are requirement to provide maternity able to work shorter days for their first support,” says JPS Choudhary, Regional few months back, but at full pay, most HR Head, Vodafone. were staying in their jobs,” Choudhary For all Vodafone women employees attests. “Hence, we decided to take a globally, a four-day week will enable a similar approach (globally). further 26,000 days with their new“The idea is that this (four-day week) born babies a year. will help them manage their return to

Maternity worldwide

CASE STUDY Happy mum at work In Singapore, a new mother who has recently returned to work is already benefiting from the 30-hour working week at full pay; which provides her more time with her new-born.

work, as well as help with childcare and the cost of it,” says Choudhary.

“Vodafone wants to attract the best talent, as well as retain the best people across its global footprint.”

Teething problems While there were no significant challenges in implementing the global maternity policy, Choudhary says there is a short-term investment cost involved.

But he expects a medium-term gain, with the ability to retain talented women whose knowledge and experience at the company are often not easy to replace.

“Women account for 35% of our employees worldwide, but only 21% of our international senior leadership team.

We believe our new maternity policy will play an important role in helping to bridge that gap,” he explained.

“Supporting working mothers at all levels of our organisation will ultimately result in better decisions, a better culture, and a deeper understanding of our customers’ needs.”

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HRM CONGRESS HIGHLIGHT

HRM CONGRESS POST EVENT REPORT

Double the learning and networking HRM Asia is happy to announce the conclusion of two successful events towards the end of March, 2015

T

he Inaugural Social Recruiting Asia Congress turned out to be a huge success with over 80 attendees participating! The congress took place on March 24 and 25 at the Novotel Clarke Quay, Singapore.

Featuring interactive dialogues, lively debates, highly-relevant keynote presentations, engaging panel discussions, roundtables and an exclusive workshop, this congress proved an excellent opportunity for networking and sharing of experiences.

The content focused on leveraging social media, mobile, video, gamification and talent communities to reach out to and engage high-quality candidates.

Highlights included a timely, thoughtprovoking panel discussion led by Google, United Overseas Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, demystifying what Social Recruiting actually is and sharing their experiences in building a foundation for their success.

This was followed by a panel debate where leaders of Visa, Ericsson, Lowe & Partner Worldwide and Spring Professional – Adecco Group exchanged views on the best approaches to managing multiple social recruiting channels. Participants also discussed the innovative ideas and best

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Mark your calendar now for these exciting and upcoming congresses!

Organisational Development Workshop 6 – 7 May 2015, The Hilton Singapore Social Media for HR Masterclass 17-18 June 2015, Singapore Employment Law & Compliance Asia Congress 23 – 24 June 2015, Singapore practices in leveraging the full potential of mobile, video, and gamification in intimate peer-to-peer roundtables.

The high level delegates came primarily from Singapore (90%), but also from Thailand, China and Hong Kong.

The Social Recruiting Asia Congress welcomed three premium gold sponsors: IBM, First Advantage and Spring Professional – Adecco Group.

Following from the success of the Social Recruiting Asia Congress, HRM Asia hosted the Engagement for Peak Performance Congress the very next day at the same venue.

The Engagement for Peak Performance Congress featured case

studies and mini workshops from experienced HR practitioners including Gen MacKenzie from SilverNeedle Hospitality, June Cho from Symantec and Maansi Gagroo from Wipro UNZA. These thought-provoking presentations were complemented by workshops that showcased how the engagement activities can change the motivation and output levels of employees, which in return can lead to higher productivity.

The presentations and interactive debates among participants confirmed the need for employers to understand employees’ psychology and drive engagement projects that can be implemented at the departmental and organisational levels.

A very special ‘thank you’ to all our speakers and sponsors who took the time out of their busy schedules to share their experience and thoughts. It is through the support of our amazing line-up of speakers for these two events that we are able to continually strengthen our programme. Once again, we thank you all for your support.

We also ask that you keep in touch with the contacts you made and continue to participate in our upcoming HRM congresses.

IN PERSON CARMEN WEE Global Vice President, HR (Software Business), Schneider Electric

How many years HR experience?

I have more than 20 years’ experience in HR spanning the full spectrum of HR at regional and global levels. I have worked in fast-moving consumer goods and technology companies, and software is my ongoing passion. I really believe that Tech is the most exciting and cutting edge space to be in right now, as everything personal and professional converges on the mobile device.

Why HR?

I guess it is the activist in me!

I wanted to make a difference when I left school and over the years, I held the conviction that I could do that one employee at a time, and use my influence to impact organisations and shape the industry. I am truly passionate about my belief that we really need to up our game in how we do HR, and become a critical partner to the business. This is both for future sustainability and for the longevity of the industry.

Why Schneider Electric?

I was hired into Invensys eight years ago as I was impressed with the team and leaders that I was going to work with. Last year, we were acquired by Schneider Electric, a leader in technology that shapes many verticals in the economy. The company is extremely diverse and has a strong global footprint.

Most importantly, it places a central focus in talent , development and growth of the employee.

Biggest achievement?

I am extremely privileged to lead a team to contribute towards a highly visible business group, impacting the group at the global level.

After hours?

I hardly go out as after hours are reserved for work conference calls. If I do have time, I do like to go out for a nice dinner at one of my favourite restaurants.

Family?

My parents are central to my priority and as they are getting older each year, my goal this year is to spend more time with them going forward.

BOOK REVIEW

Get rid of the

fear factor I

s there a climate of fear permeating through out your office?

Does the fear of failure constantly dominate the thoughts of your colleagues, your bosses or even yourself? Does that minimise the number of risks undertaken, thereby stifling creativity and innovation around the workplace?

If your office is bogged down by the fear factor, then The Psychology of Fear in Organizations could be a vital read that will enable your organisation to rid itself of such obstacles to success.

The book itself elaborates on why and how fear spreads in large corporations, how it affects the workforce and how, by lessening employees’ preparedness to take risks, it restrains economic productivity and innovation, on both individual and company fronts.

Psychologist Sheila M Keegan scrutinises the psychological obstacles to innovation and showcases schemes and suggestions to halt the slide.

The Psychology of Fear in Organizations tackles concepts such as the paradox of fear, the cultural backdrop of fear, cultures of fear within organisations, and overcontrol and manipulation in the workplace.

Dr Keegan also probes common organisational practices, including goal setting, that can lead to fear and poor competency levels.

She also provides real world case studies and situations to reinforce the concepts in a clear and detailed manner.

All in all, The Psychology of Fear in Organizations is a pertinent read for bosses and corporations looking to rid themselves of fear, and to kick-start a bold and new revolution in the workplace.

Title: The Psychology of Fear in Organizations: How to Transform Anxiety into Wellbeing, Productivity and Innovation Author: Dr Sheila M Keegan Publisher: Kogan Page Price: S$75.00 (before GST)

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SME SPOTLIGHT

FAST-TRACKING CAREERS

Identifying talented employees early and accelerating their growth has helped seafood restaurant giant Jumbo stay ahead of the curve in the competitive food and beverage business. It also helped it nab the SME Employer of the Year award at the 2015 HRM Awards Sumathi V Selvaretnam sumathi@hrmasia.com.sg

T

he Jumbo name is synonymous with chilli crab, one of Singapore’s most iconic dishes. Established in 1987, the seafood restaurant chain has grown steadily from its initial staff strength of 100 to its current workforce of 700.

Over the years, one of the HR key challenges faced by the home-grown SME has been the constant competition 54 ISSUE 15.5

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for talent, says Christina Kong, Senior Director, HR and Corporate Affairs, Jumbo Group of Restaurants.

“Sometimes, SMEs can be perceived as being less able to afford opportunities for growth and development as compared to multinationals. SMEs are also thought to offer lower salaries and benefits as compared,” Kong says.

However, the group’s strong employer brand and reputation have helped it tackle these challenges. “Employees are attracted to work for companies where there are good prospects and opportunities for development and progression.”

The company offers employees numerous growth and development opportunities.

Its training and development initiatives

SME SPOTLIGHT Productivity boosters The Jumbo Group of Restaurants is constantly seeking ways to improve its works processes and raise productivity.

At Jpot, a Japanese hotpot eatery under the group’s umbrella, diners can place their orders via the iPads at their table.

Jumbo has also joined a restaurant reservation system called Chope. Customers who book through this system receive automatic SMS reminders, saving staff the extra effort required to follow up on upcoming reservations.

To further raise efficiency at its restaurants, the more time-consuming food preparation, such as chopping and marinating of meats, is carried out at a central kitchen. ensure that employees have a clear and structured path within the organisation, in terms of career progression. “We also provide many different types of training and courses to help our staff improve themselves. For example, we have basic English courses for our staff to ensure they can communicate with customers, and various other courses tailored to an employee’s function,” Kong says.

Accelerating employee growth Jumbo’s “Fast Track” programme identifies and grooms promising junior staff to assume supervisory positions within 12 months. The programme is similar to a National Institute of Technical Education (ITE) certificate in food and beverage operations, says Kong. “This programme is especially appealing to Generation Y employees who look for rapid progression within an organisation.”

Managers nominate promising employees for the Fast Track programme.

Those who make the cut after the initial assessment then begin on-the-job training and are assessed at the end of each phase. Once they pass each assessment, they will then move on to the next level of position, with increased salary and a new designation. “As employees are able

to see the career path forged for them, and know that the company recognises their talent, it increases motivation, commitment and loyalty, which in turn increases retention,” Kong says.

New senior employees are enrolled in another programme, called “LEAD”, which stands for leading innovation; enabling people; achieving results; and driving alignment. It aims to equip new managers and supervisors with managerial and leadership skills – given that many often enter middle management without knowing how to motivate people or lead them, Kong says.

Through LEAD, employees are taught skills ranging from counselling to management of restaurant operations. A personality assessment is also conducted to measure traits related to work requirements and predict a correct job fit.

Jumbo’s training and development efforts also extend to on-the-job-training so employees have the confidence and skills to do their jobs well. This, again, affords them greater avenues of progression within the organisation, says Kong.

Since 2007, the restaurant group has been an approved training organisation for the Workforce Development Agency and an approved training centre for ITEs. “This helps us to strengthen our in-house training capabilities,” Kong says.

Jumbo also recognises the increasing importance of human capital management and the vital role that HR plays.

In support of this, it has partnered with the Ministry Of Manpower

to award the National HR Scholarship to one undergraduate from the Singapore Management University.

Compensation and benefits Jumbo ensures that it offers salaries which are in line with market benchmarks. “Remuneration is competitive and we offer competitive employee benefits and a welfare programme that takes into account the needs of workers,” Kong says.

Employees who have served the company for more than three months receive an annual bonus. Additional bonuses are also given to employees with good performance.

Jumbo’s compensation strategy goes beyond monetary incentives. Foreign employees form a large proportion of the workforce and to attract and retain such talent, Jumbo provides hostel accommodation at a low cost. The hostel features 13 air-conditioned rooms, each shared by two to four people. Facilities provided include a washing machine, dryer, microwave, cooker, iron and wireless internet connection.

This arrangement helps alleviate the financial burden associated with renting more expensive rooms elsewhere. It also helps employees support each other and build a sense of camaraderie, says Kong.

Jumbo also organises staff outings every quarter, where staff get the opportunity to unwind and relax with their peers at local attractions such as the Singapore Flyer, Sentosa, Alive Museum, and Universal Studios.

Apart from these local excursions, Jumbo also organises overseas incentive trips to establish cross-departmental working relationships and improve employee engagement.

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$9 00

O E

Sa ve

Re nl ar gi y S ly st $ B er $ ir be 1 d fo ,9 Sp re 95 e 27 + ci M G al ay S 20 T* 15

SOCIAL MEDIA for HR PROFESSIONALS the Power of Social Media to Transform MASTERCLASS Leveraging Human Resources Management 17 - 18 June 2015 | Singapore

Social media is the new job search frontier. With 43% of talent researching their prospective employers and job description on the go, organisations know that they will have to jump on this bandwagon if they do not want to lose out in the war for talent.

Following from 4 years of the successful running of our Social Media for HR Congress, we have observed how social media has moved from being a trending to a strategic tool for HR. Recognizing HR’s need to harness the power of social media, HRM Asia has launched a masterclass to give an in- depth practical know-how of implementing a social media program in all aspects of HR. HR managers will learn how to reach out to the new generation of social media savvy workforce as they assess the various social media platforms. The masterclass leaders will also introduce metrics where each HR professional can use to assess which platform works best for their overall HR strategy.

With an interactive format, via breakout groups and Q&A, the masterclass will also share case studies, strategies and tools for a successful execution of your HR objectives using multiple platforms to recruit, brand, engage and communicate with the talent market.

Three expert Social Media trainers in one exciting Masterclass!

Learning Objectives

Trainers:

•

Vincent Rietveld

Project Manager Digital MAXIMUM

Emile Mac Gillavry

Managing Director and Partner MAXIMUM

• • •

Lezann Chong

Director, Asia Pacific Accounts MAXIMUM

• •

Understand what does today’s social media landscape look like in order to gauge its effect on HR Incorporate proven methods of social recruitment, employer branding, engagement and communication to made positive change in numerous organisations Overcome talent management challenges, unclear communication and poor usage of multiple platforms which can lead to wasted employee engagement opportunities Learn and benchmark Social Media initiatives that has been successfully implemented in multi-national organisations across Asia Discover how to maximize the usage of platform and tools based on industries, target audience and market Ascertain the ROI of your social media initiatives in accordance to your business goals and direction

Contact Me to Register: Joshini John | Tel: (65) 6423 4631 | Email: joshini@hrmasia.com.sg

AHRDSPEAKS AHRDSPEAKS

Leadership Development:

The key to managing a diverse workforce

C

ompanies that focus on health and performance tend to produce a good working environment that brings out the best in people, which helps to sustain or improve business performances. At BT, we constantly invest in the skills and capabilities of our leaders, because we know that strengthening leadership will improve our organisational performance and health.

When we invest in our leaders, they become the company’s advocates, articulating our corporate ideals, purpose and

strategy within their own teams.

In this way, individuals are clear on the roles they play in helping to achieve company goals. This leads to a ripple effect that connects teams across and within markets, resulting in a strong and synergised organisation.

We are investing in development programmes for different levels of leadership. Senior managers attend the BT Challenging Leadership programme and first-line managers go through the BT Pioneers programme.

These programmes are world-

class learning experiences for our leaders; they help to create a leadership culture that aims high and propels people to success.

Aligning more than 80,000 employees from our offices across the world under one shared vision is not easy, but with the right people at the helm, it can be done. This is why continuous leadership development remains one of our top priorities. We believe that good leadership is key to managing a company of our size and pivotal to the health and performance of any organisation.

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Usha Baidya HR Vice President – Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, BT Global Services

HRMASIA.COM 57

SEVEN SEVEN

5.15AM I get up early to fit as much as I can into my day. I usually work out first thing in the morning, either running, cycling, or going to the gym.

8.00AM

Senior Vice President, Regional Staffing Executive, HR, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

9.00AM-10.00AM I’m at my best in the mornings so I take the time to focus on clearing a lot of things at the beginning of my day.

On any given morning I will be focused on our key HR priorities: working on attracting and retaining the

on-one meetings in the afternoon. I’m a people person and meeting with my team provides me with the boost of energy that I need to get the most out of the day.

3.00PM-4.00PM

11AM-12.00PM

I’m usually at work by this time. I try to connect with my senior leaders first thing in the morning to get a download.

Where possible to save time, I make it a point to call or chat with them instead of emailing.

Sharyn Porter

right diverse talent; defining how we can live our firm’s values in what we do every day for employees, clients and stakeholders; and strengthening our culture.

I usually have a project meeting at this time of the day. Our team is currently working on driving internal mobility opportunities and contributing new ideas to support our diversity agenda, so that’s really interesting work that keeps me going until lunch time.

I utilise this time to catch up on reading, or checking out HR websites such as LinkedIn

4.00PM-5.00PM Where possible, I try to schedule interviews with potential senior candidates or network and catch up over coffee with other HR colleagues.

5.00PM-6.00PM

12.00PM I try to carve out some time to enjoy a healthy meal.

2PM-3PM I schedule most of my one-

I wrap up the day ensuring that all of my urgent, necessary tasks are completed. If I have night calls, I utilise this time to prepare for the meetings.

Human Resources Director, Asia Pacific

Regional HR Manager, Asia

› Industrial MNC › Newly-created and challenging role

› Healthcare and life science MNC › Strategic and operational focused

› Asian industrial engineering organisation › Newly-created operational and strategic HR role

A global industrial player, our client is seeking for an experienced Compensation & Benefits subject matter expert to join and perform an integral role within its Centre of Excellence team.

A respectable and growing organization, our client has an immediate need for a consummate and commercially-attuned HR Professional to lead its people agenda for Asia Pacific region.

A leading player in a niche sector, our client has an immediate need for a hand-on and dynamic HR Manager to join them and build a successful Asia business.

You will lead in the review and development of Compensation & Benefits strategies, policies and programmes to ensure competitiveness for the region. You will recommend and enhance related plans, programs and initiatives to contribute to the overall success of the business through its people agenda. You will participate and may lead region wide program and projects, and ensure compliance with local laws and governance processes.

You will develop HR strategies and direction in line with regional and global HQ. You will implement HR strategies by establishing country and department accountabilities in areas of talent acquisition and management, succession planning, compensation & benefits, learning & development, employee relations and labour law compliance. Partnering closely with the leadership team and division heads, you will drive change and ensure strategic alignment of HR directives across the business.

Reporting to President, you will establish, develop and implement HR policies and processes, common platform in areas of culture, values and behaviour. You will provide guidance and expertise on all aspects of HR offerings encompassing Recruitment, Employee On-boarding, Performance Management, Talent Management, Compensation and Benefits, Employment Law, etc. An individual contributor, you will deliver quality HR services to the business with support from partner organizations.

Degree qualified with postgraduate qualification, you have minimum 8 years relevant experience in HR leadership capacity in manufacturing MNC. Demonstrated ability in stakeholder management and dealing with ambiguity in a highly matrix work environment is mandatory. Those with change management, merger & acquisition HR related experience coupled with strong project management skills are preferred. You are a leader with coaching and mentoring skill, are hands-on and possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

You are degree qualified with a minimum of 8 years relevant work experience. You have partnered with commercial and engineering teams, driving performance and operated in multinational environments. With a strategic mindset, you are also highly operational, and able to work in a demanding and entrepreneurial environment. With excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills, you are hands-on, proactive, energetic and able to deal with ambiguity and have demonstrated ability in leading HR projects.

Reference number: MH/JD48874A Contact person: Maureen Ho (Reg. No. R1105976)

Reference number: MH/JD49790 Contact person: Maureen Ho (Reg. No. R1105976)

Degree qualified with Compensation & Benefits professional certification, you have minimum 8 years of relevant experience including 5 years for Asia Pacific region. Ideally you have experience integrating related programs and policies, and merger & acquisition related activities. You are a hands-on team player with high influencing ability, have strong analytical, project management and presentation skills, and have worked in a highly matrix and fastpaced environment.

Reference number: MH/JD49644 Contact person: Maureen Ho (Reg. No. R1105976)

Your Human Resources recruitment specialists To apply, please go to talent2.com and search for respective reference number.

For a confidential discussion, you can contact Maureen Ho for the relevant position in our Singapore Office on +65 6511 8555  linkedin.com/company/talent2

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Allegis Group Singapore Pte Ltd Company No. 200909448N EA Licence No. 10C4544

1143/04_15

Compensation and Benefits Manager, Asia Pacific

MICHAEL PAGE HR Director, Asia Pacific

Head of HR

Regional HR Director

› Global reporting matrix › Team leading opportunity

› Visibility to senior management › Team leading role

› Visibility to senior management › Team leading role

Our client is a global leader in the banking & financial services industry looking for an Asia Pacific HR Director to join their team in the regional commercial office. Reporting to the Global HR Head, you will partner with the business across Asia Pacific to develop, implement and drive HR initiatives in the region. Leading a small team, you will have the autonomy to run strategic HR projects and participate in senior management meetings. The successful applicant is degree-qualified in HR with at least 5 years of relevant experience in senior strategic HR leadership roles – ideally in the banking and financial Services multinational environment.

Our client is a reputable organisation with a strong presence in Asia Pacific. Due to increasing needs of the business, they are looking for the Head of HR to lead the full spectrum of Human Capital needs for their business in Singapore. In this role you will design long term HR strategies and provide practical medium term solutions to meet business needs. You should have demonstrated a track record of being a strong leader with excellent business acumen. Key to your success is your ability to engage and manage stakeholders.

Our client is recognised as a reputable and successful corporation globally. They are looking for an experienced HR Leader to join their team. Reporting to the Global HR head as well as to the CEO, you will partner with the Asia business, playing an advisory role on all human capital matters. Key to your success will be your ability to design talent management and organisation development programs at a strategic level and manage the in-country HR teams in the roll out and execution of these programs. The ideal candidate should have at least 15 years of HR experience in a renowned multinational in a business partnering role.

Please contact Domi Di Marco (Reg. No: R1439720) quoting ref: H2728630 or visit our website.

Please contact Eugene Wong (Reg. no:R1331128) quoting ref: H2749840 or visit our website.

Please contact Ashley Wei (Reg. no: R1434529) quoting ref: H2698120 or visit our website.

To apply for any of the above positions, please go to www.michaelpage.com.sg and search for the reference number, or contact the relevant consultant on +65 6533 2777 for a confidential discussion.

Get Connected. Stay Ahead.

Specialists in human resources recruitment

Human Resources

Michael Page International Pte Ltd (EA Licence No.98C5473) is part of the PageGroup.

Registered Office: One Raffles Place, #09-61 Office Tower Two, Singapore 048616

WORLDWIDE LEADERS IN SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT

www.michaelpage.com.sg

EMPOWERING YOUR CAREER Senior HR Manager (Diversity)

Recruiter/Senior Recruiter (Campus)

Newly created role Global MNC Good Career Progression and Learning opportunity

Fun loving environment Global MNC Attractive package

Our client is a global organisation involved in creating fun through creativity and innovation. As part of their global expansion and growth process, they are looking for a Senior HR Manager for Diversity Management to be part of their organisational development process.

Reporting to the Senior Director, you will be responsible for project leadership of global initiatives in diversity management. You will be instrumental in planning, communicating and implementing leadership development agenda and critical activities across business. You will work on embedding diversity focus into HR core processes and mind-set of senior leaders and management.

To be successful in this role, you should have strong global project leadership experience and business understanding. Prior experience in diversity management projects and organisational development will have an added advantage. You should have at least 5 years of experience working in international matrix organisation and a master’s degree in related discipline.

If you meet the above criteria, please email your detailed CV in word format to priya_prakash@kellyservices.com.sg. Your interest will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

Our client, a leading global MNC is currently in search of a Recruiter/Senior Recruiter (Campus) due to business needs. Reporting to the Recruiting Manager, you will be responsible for managing the end-to-end process of campus recruitment, from sourcing to attracting the highest calibre of Sales and Marketing candidates.

To be successful, you must have a strong bachelor degree with at least 2 to 7 years of campus recruitment experience. You should have strong knowledge and passion for technology. You must be comfortable with all types of online applications and experienced in application tracking systems. You should also be effectively bilingual.

If you meet the above criteria, please email your detailed CV in WORD format to maggie_ong@kellyservices.com.sg. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Maggie Ong Ai Leng EA Personnel Registration No. R1105973

Priyadarshni Prakash EA Personnel Registration No. R1325491

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions globally. For more than 35 years, Kelly in Singapore has been partnering the finest

local companies, key government agencies as well as some of the world’s most respected multinational companies to deliver the best talent in the market. Kelly’s centralised recruitment hub makes nearly 21,000 placements in Singapore last year. Complementing our general staffing capability, Kelly also offers great expertise in the sourcing of specialised professionals across technical disciplines such as Engineering, Technology and Science, as well as functional specialties for Finance, HR, Sales & Marketing, Procurement and Banking.

kellyservices.com.sg

Kelly Services (Singapore) Pte Ltd | EA License No. 01C4394 | RCB No. 200007268E

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Headquartered in Singapore since 2003, Kerry Consulting is Singapore’s leading Search & Selection firm.

Our consulting team is the most experienced, and amongst the largest, in the ASEAN region.

We offer positions in the following sectors: Banking & Financial Services Commerce Finance Engineering & Supply Chain Healthcare & Life Sciences Human Resources Legal Sales & Marketing Technology

Kerry Consulting celebrates 10 years in Singapore since 2003

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TO APPLY: Please submit your resume to the consultant email address listed, quoting the job title and reference number. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For further information on each job, visit the short URL

www.kerryconsulting.com | Returning the Human to Resourcing

Regional Talent Acquisition Manager (Real Estate)

Associate Director L&D APAC (Hospitality)

Digital Learning Programme Manager (Banking)

Real Estate Management SEA Coverage Salary Circa up to $120K

Newly Created Role Growing organisation with a strong branding Salary circa up to $120K

Leading Premier Bank AVP/VP Level Salary circa up to $150K

Our client is a leading global MNC and the world’s largest facilities management company. Innovative and exciting would best describe the business that they are in.

As a talent acquisition manager, you will report to the SEA HR Director and lead a team of recruiters. You will be responsible for the entire recruitment cycle from sourcing talents to smooth onboarding.

Our client is an established U.S. multinational within the service industry with strong growth in APAC. There is now an opportunity for a high calibre L&D Associate Director to join them in this newly created role. This position has Asia-Pacific coverage and will report directly to the Learning and Development Director, APAC, and manage a team of three. You will play a pivotal role in managing the entire process of partnering new/conversion developments in the key areas of brand service culture, culture building, and training systems.

Reporting directly to the Head of L&D, you will support the design and implementation of the Bank’s L&D programmes through digital training solutions. As a key driver, you will engage and consult with key business leaders and HR stakeholders to develop and deliver fit for purpose and cost-effective learning solutions. You will act as a consultant to engage with key stakeholders to identify learning needs and propose effective learning solutions, with a focus on using digital platforms to promote learning initiatives.

For more info: http://bit.ly/pc-7898

For more info: http://bit.ly/pc-7701

Ref No: PC7802\HRM pc@kerryconsulting.com Reg No: R1104327

Ref No: PC7435\HRM pc@kerryconsulting.com Reg No: R1104327

Senior Associate (AVP Equivalent) - Compensation & Benefits (Private Banking)

Regional Senior Manager - Total Rewards

For more info: http://bit.ly/pc-7932 Ref No: PC 7932\HRM pc@kerryconsulting.com Reg No: R1104327

Area Head of HR (Based in Qingdao, Shandong, China) Leading Global Industrial Organization Strong Career Progression Potential Competitive Remuneration A leading industrial company with an established global footprint and a leading product pipeline is seeking an Area Head of HR to be based in Qingdao, Shandong, China, as it undergoes extensive organic growth and aggressively expands its APAC market presence. This role has wide exposure throughout the organization and will play a key role in supporting the Country MD’s commercial strategy. You will also actively participate in senior leadership decision-making, develop a robust learning and development agenda, lead change management initiatives, and create an innovative and commercially-focused HR team.

For more info: http://bit.ly/ft-7868 Ref No: FT7868\HRM ft@kerryconsulting.com Reg No: R1104310

Premier private bank Newly created role Salary Circa up to $120k This is an international private bank with a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is now going through an expansionary phase and seeking a Senior Associate – Compensation & Benefits (C&B). This role reports to the Head of C&B and you will work closely with HRBPs, local and Group C&B teams on market competitiveness analysis, as well as provide expert advice on rewards-related issues. You will also work alongside third-party benefits vendors to support the day-to-day operations of the benefits portfolio.

For more info: http://bit.ly/ft-7334 Ref No: FT7334\HRM ft@kerryconsulting.com Reg No: R1104310

Fortune 500 Organization Newly Created Role Salary circa up to $200K This successful and growing organization headquartered in Singapore has an exciting future ahead and is seeking a Regional Senior Manager – Total Rewards as a strategic hire to ensure the further success of the business through its people and partners. This role reports to the Global Total Rewards Leader and partners closely with senior executives. In this key Total Rewards lead role, you will oversee, manage and design the C&B policies and framework for the region.

For more info: http://bit.ly/ft-7686 Ref No: FT7399\HRM ft@kerryconsulting.com Reg No: R1104310

Licence No: 03C4828

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HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS SPEAK TO THE EXPERTS Graduate Recruitment Lead Grow the local talent pipeline

Senior HR Manager Lead policy integration

As Graduate Recruitment Lead for this US bank, you will focus on the training and development for all graduates recruited by the campus recruitment team. Your responsibilities will include performance management, talent identification as well as partnering with global peers and stakeholders to define strategy for graduate recruitment programmes. You’ll have a Bachelor’s Degree and 5 years’ experience in graduate development or campus recruitment and a passion for Generation Y career planning.

Contact Keith Lim (Reg ID: R1106673) on the details below.

This growing company now requires a seasoned HR practitioner with experience in M&A to assist with the integration of two newly joined entities. With a minimum of 10 years’ generalist HR and business partnering experience, you will be expected to work closely with senior stakeholders in defining and harmonising HR policies for Singapore. In order to succeed in this role, you will need strong influencing and leadership skills. This role is a newly created position and as such needs a confident champion of HR to promote best practice and provide commercial solutions to a diverse group of stakeholders.

Contact Tamara Sigerhall (Reg ID: R1329062) on the details below.

Senior Manager, Total Rewards Drive development of vital total rewards policies This expanding telecommunications giant is looking for a Senior Manager, Total Rewards to oversee the implementation of essential remuneration policies and programs. Working closely with key stakeholders and HR business partners, you will lead and manage a team on major performance management exercises, talent retention as well as reviewing the sales incentives framework. With over 8 years’ C&B experience preferably within high-tech, healthcare or public sector settings, you will demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills to liaise with stakeholders and employees of all levels.

Contact Chris Lui (Reg ID: R1107108) on the details below.

Regional Training Manager Develop a market-leading salesforce in SEA Due to internal mobility, an exciting opportunity for a Regional Training Manager now exists with a retail MNC. Reporting to the Head of Training & HR, you will be instrumental in the development of the salesforce in South East Asia. You will have a Bachelor’s Degree with 8 years’ relevant training and development experience including stand-up delivery and strategic curriculum development.

Contact Sean Wong (Reg ID: R1101782) on the details below.

Please contact our team of recruiting experts at hr.singapore@hays.com.sg or on +65 6303 0721.

hays.com.sg

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LEADERSHIP, TEAM, ORGANISATION & SELF DEVELOPMENT

TALENT MANAGEMENT

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & PERFORMANCE

E-TALENT & E-REWARDS SYSTEMS

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