HRM 15.11 by HRM Asia

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ROLE OF LINE MANAGERS IN L&D ADDING MOOCs AND ONLINE TRAINING TO L&D TALENT MANAGEMENT AT RAFFLES HOTEL SINGAPORE

ISSUE 15.11

L&D SPECIAL

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EDITOR’S NOTE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Sumathi V Selvaretnam ASSISTANT EDITOR Sham Majid SENIOR JOURNALIST Muneerah Bee JOURNALIST Naadiah Badib SUB-EDITOR Paul Howell PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATOR Ezzaty Nazurah Zainal SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Amos Lee GRAPHIC DESIGNER John Paul Lozano ACCOUNT MANAGERS Edwin Lim 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 PUBLISHED BY

15.11

Dear HRM readers,

or the month of November, we turn our attention to Learning and Development (L&D). This special issue comprises of a number of L&D themes, with one example being how HR can synergise its learning cycle with that of its organisation’s individual business cycle. What’s the role of line managers when it comes to L&D? We investigate how HR can link up with line managers to facilitate a continuous and healthy talent flow within organisations. Staying on the L&D front, we also explore how companies are increasingly jumping on the technological bandwagon when it comes to their L&D blueprints. That’s particularly true when it comes to incorporating Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). In this issue’s Leaders Talk HR section, we chart the talent journey of Simon Hirst, General Manager of Raffles Hotel Singapore, and share how he leads the management of manpower and talent challenges at the 128-year-old-hotel. We also check in with the HR team at Dimension Data for this month’s HR Insider section.The global IT firm elaborates on how it constantly recalibrates its workforce practices to keep pace with the incessant changes emanating from the industry. Happy reading everyone!

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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 15.11 HRMASIA.COM

CONTENTS 15.11 COVER STORY 38 Gearing up for L&D 2.0

Technological advances have meant that companies are now looking to tap on the explosion of online tools to assist in employee learning and development efforts. HRM investigates how firms can add Massive Open Online Courses into their training mix.

38 FEATURES 9 Readying the workforce

16 Upskilling for the future

How can organisations equip themselves to handle the plethora of workforce changes and challenges of the future? Ciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Workforce Transformation Roundtable, in partnership with HRM Asia, recently discussed these pressing concerns.

20 Creating new

of tomorrow

12 Regaling with the Raffles romance

When one thinks of Raffles Hotel Singapore, class and a majestic aura are what spring to mind. Simon Hirst, General Manager, Raffles Hotel Singapore, explains how he keeps his roughly 400-strong team running like clockwork in order to keep the 128-year-old hotel at its finest.

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In the finale of a special threepart series, HRM dissects how Singapore employers will engage in future lifelong learning and how the Institute for Adult Learning is helping to lay the foundations of the SkillsFuture movement.

dimensions for employees In a rapidly-changing industry, IT companies are often faced with talent gap challenges. HRM discovers how Dimension Data is determined to move with the currents of change.

26 Working towards a common goal

Companies often send their employees for training not just

20 to upgrade their skill sets, but to also benefit the wider organisation. HRM explores what considerations should be taken when it comes to training interventions.

30 The line to great success

Besides pushing to meet the objectives of their team, how can line managers play a part in encouraging a culture of learning in their organisation? HRM discovers how HR can partner with line mangers to maintain an updated and healthy talent pipeline.

44 Moulding the leaders of tomorrow

Mentoring relationships can improve the professional development of both parties and their organisation. HRM explores the advantages and best practices for today’s globalised economy.

48 Four critical steps to practical analysis

With Big Data making waves in the HR space, guest contributors Awie Foong and Derrick Yuen argue that taking a practical approach to analytics is key to sustained success. Here, they provide a detailed description of how companies can benefit from the virtuous cycle of practical analytics.

70 52 Turning off the turnover tap

There is no running away from the fact that organisations continue to feel the heat from the turnover enigma. But how can HR play an instrumental role in fixing this issue? HRM investigates.

58 The softer side of things

The impact of having soft skills cannot be undermined. What are the important soft skills required by HR professionals? HRM finds out.

70 Millward Brown: Taking the

ABW route

You’ve definitely heard of flexible working, but do you know about activity based working? For those who’re keen to boost productivity and engagement levels via the skillful use of workplace places, Millward Brown’s strategy is sure to set tongues wagging.

72 Engineering HR success

REGULARS 4 News 18 Leaders on Leadership

TEE International has come a long way from its early days of operating a small site office. Senior staff share how the group and its workforce have grown over the years.

63 HR Clinic

76 HR Young Gun

67 In Person

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

63 Twenty-four Seven 66 Talent Ladder 67 Resources 69 An HRD Speaks ISSUE 15.11

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NEWS

ASIA

HONG KONG

CHINA

HOME WORKERS FEAR LONELINESS

PAYING ATTENTION TO TALENT

Hong Kong professionals have revealed their fears Talent management and training while undertaking home-working positions. and development have emerged as According to the latest research from Regus, 47% the chief priorities for Chinese HR of these professionals have claimed they get lonely leaders over the coming 12 months. when working from home. This is in line with global in China assess success in terms This proportion is steeper than the 38% average sentiments, according to the of staff turnover, as opposed to an cited by home workers globally. Global Insights HR Barometer from average 67% worldwide. Sixty seven percent of Hong Kong professionals recruitment firm Michael Page. The survey found there are some say they miss interactions with their co-workers, as Talent acquisition sits in third regional differences in HR priorities. opposed to 64% of the global average. spot for Chinese HR priorities, For example, only 50% of HR Other findings have illustrated the difference followed by employee retention. managers in Asia-Pacific anticipate in percentages between the Hong Kong and Almost half (49%) of HR leaders a rise in staffing levels over the global averages. Hong Kong workers all consider in China anticipated the size of next 12 months, as compared to themselves more likely to agree with the following their workforce would grow over 75% in the Middle East. statements: the next 12 months, very close to Similarly, only two percent of “I pop out of the house regularly to stop myself the global average of 48%. Chinese HR companies identify getting stale” Tellingly, over a fifth diversity and inclusion as a key Hong Kong: 67% (23%) of firms in China priority, versus the global average Global Average: 62% have boosted their of four percent. of workers say their “I feel family members take my work recruitment budgets, as “The survey takes an objective employers expect them less seriously” compared to 27% globally. look at the challenges and priorities to be available outside Hong Kong: 49% On the other hand, 26% of senior HR managers and leaders regular office hours Global Average: 39% have reduced the same across the world. Chinese HR Source: Randstad Workmonitor Survey “I am afraid of getting fat as I am budget line, against a leaders have been found to be tempted to snack more” global average of 21%. below the global average for the Hong Kong: 38% The notion of HR increasingly percentage reporting into the Global Average: 32% becoming a strategic partner is also highest levels of management, but “My family resents that I have taken over a space epitomised by the fact that more they seem to be slightly ahead of the in the house for my home office” than a third (37%) of senior HR curve when it comes to optimism Hong Kong: 38% leaders in China directly report to for workforce increases,” explained Global Average: 29% the highest levels of management. Anthony Thompson, Regional “Flexible workers need a professional and fully In contrast with global sentiments Managing Director, Michael Page equipped environment to thrive and be productive, however, 76% of HR departments Greater China and Southeast Asia. and working from home clearly isn’t the answer,” said John Henderson, Chief Financial Officer of Regus Asia-Pacific. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND “Working from a fully-functional environment, instead of a makeshift space within the family home, can offer professionals who work remotely the chance to mix with fellow business people and keep in the swing.” Nearly nine in 10 millennials working in New Zealand and Australia are “Businesses providing their employees with hoping to move abroad for professional purposes. access to a professional environment closer This was deduced in a whitepaper recently unveiled by Robert Walters. to home, reduce Over 1,000 professionals were polled, and a whopping 87% claimed stressful commuting, that organisations should provide international career prospects as part but also help reduce of their training and development programmes. frustration between Despite this however, three in four cited that their firms do not family members and presently offer these opportunities. unwanted distractions “It is alarming that most organisations aren’t offering these overseas such as excessive opportunities,” said James Nicholson, Managing Director of Robert snacking, which are rife Walters Australia and New Zealand. at home.” “Organisations wanting to attract and retain good talent should look The global research to develop international opportunities for their employees. For local included 365 respondents companies, this could mean developing partnerships with like-minded from Hong Kong. organisations overseas to fulfil this growing demand.”

74%

MILLENNIALS ITCHING TO GO OVERSEAS

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ASIA INDIA

ASIA-PACIFIC

I MAKE A BETTER BOSS THAN YOU

BENEFITS GAP ON THE RISE

Close to four in 10 Indian workers think they can perform better in their boss’ position. This is according to a new survey by CareerBuilder India. As many as 38% of the 1,019 adults polled felt they could do better than their boss. More than a quarter of workers (26%) believed their boss should not have been assuming a leadership role in the first place. Nevertheless, the majority of employees believe their boss is performing in an above-average fashion. When requested to rate their boss’ performance, seven in 10 of Indian employees (70%) cited that their manager warranted an “A” or a “B” while only seven percent would hand out a “D” or “F”. When probed on which aspects of their boss’ leadership and management style required the most improvement, acknowledgement of employees’ good work (57%) sat at the summit of the list. Other aspects which were highlighted included attitude toward employees (54%), fairness or equity in treatment of employees (50%), ability to handle constructive feedback (50%),

professionalism in the work setting (42%), communication style (37%), standing up for the department to senior management (29%), competence and expertise (25%), and availability to employees (21%). The respondents also offered their input on their bosses’ greatest strengths. Though 62% of the workers believed that this was their professionalism at work, other above average behaviour included acknowledgement of employees’ good work (59%), communication style (58%), attitude towards employees (55%), and ability to take constructive feedback (51%). Premlesh Machama, Managing Director, CareerBuilder India, says that while “managers are often the ones assessing employee performance, it’s just as important for managers to solicit regular feedback from employees regarding their own performance.” “The best managers make an effort to understand what their employees need from them in order to do their jobs better and work to eliminate any obstacles that may be getting in the way of employees’ success,” Machama added in a statement.

NEWS

Organisations are witnessing a growing disparity between spending on employee benefits and the supposed value the employer garners from them. This is according to an international Voth Nixon Group survey that recently quizzed 800 businesses across 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Tellingly, 63% of those polled disclosed that enticing and maintaining skilled professionals within the ranks was a major function of their benefit strategies, with annual leave and health being deemed as the most important benefits. Concurrently, the cost of these benefits is rising at a steady but sure rate. While 38% of companies have cited that they spend nearly a quarter of the payroll on benefits, only 19% think their working staff are thankful for the value those benefits bring. “Organisations in the Asia-Pacific region are spending a large amount of capital on employee benefit programmes; yet still encounter difficulties in deriving the expected value from their investment,” said Carl Zayn, Senior Business and Development Manager of Voth Nixon Group. In addition, 23.5% of the surveyed companies claimed that they don’t exactly know what amount of money they are investing in employee benefits, which hints at a worrying mismanagement of benefit governance. “In addition to recognising and understanding the diversified needs of their employee-base, companies that provide flexible benefits need to maintain regular communication with their employees, allowing them to provide relevant insight and allocate distinct values to the benefit items within the programme,” said Zayn. “This will increase employee satisfaction and appreciation levels as well as the general profitability of the programmes themselves and consequently lead to the reduction of the cost versus value gap.”

HONG KONG

EMPLOYEES FIXING PERSONAL ISSUES AT WORK AND WORKING OVERTIME An alarming half of organisations cited that their employees clock overtime hours as they are busy dealing with personal problems during working hours. This is according to a survey titled How to resolve long working hours in Hong Kong, which was jointly conducted by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and job recruitment website CTgoodjobs. The interview results deduced that while the majority of employers fixed the number of working hours to 40-48 hours a week, 38% of employees work over 49 hours, highlighting there is a problem with labour overtime in Hong Kong. Fifty percent of firms think that the overtime was due to

workers’ taking care of their private matters during working hours, while only 30% of workers concur with this. Meanwhile, 80% of workers cited that overtime was due to the local work culture which considers it inappropriate for the workers to depart from the office before their bosses do. This proportion also concurred that a shortage of workers and the type of business is to be blamed for the overtime. When it comes to the notion of standardising working hours, 47% of employers and 35% of workers doubt that the idea can be applied. A total of 388 employers and 1643 employees were polled between June and August.

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NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

SWEDEN

EMPLOYERS OKAY WITH INFORMAL FLEXIBILITY

FEWER HOURS, HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY?

Some Swedish firms have reduced the 40-hour work week for a full-time American companies are offering flexible employee to 30 hours, according to an work options even if they are not specified in online article on CNNMoney. It says black and white. research has found that this has led to According to Trends in Workplace Flexibility, more productivity and better morale. a survey by WorldatWork and FlexJobs, 80% For example, Brath, a start-up of companies offer employees flexible work firm specialising in search engine arrangements, but only 37% have a formal optimisation, made the switch to written philosophy or policy to support six hour days three years ago. “The these options. reason is that we actually care about The most prevalent flexibility programmes our employees; we care enough to offered are telework days on an ad-hoc basis, prioritise their time with the family, flex-time and compressed workweeks. Between cooking or doing something else they 2011 and 2015, flexibility programmes varied love doing,” the company’s CEO Maria according to each respondent company’s Bråth wrote in a blog post. demographics, industry and culture. The city of Gothenburg Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs, started an experiment said allowing flexible work options in April last year, where without oversight is not a smart nurses work shorter of employed Americans feel long-term strategy for companies. shifts. The results will not more stable in their jobs “The 80% of companies that offer be released until the end than they did a year ago flexible work casually are missing of 2016, but initial reports Source: American Express Spending & Saving some key strategic possibilities,” indicate the nurses are Tracker research she said. “By formalising flex-work less tired and hence, more programmes and putting structure around them, they can track metrics, measure UK progress and quantify goals and outcomes.” “The most important part is to realise that work flexibility shouldn’t compete or erode business goals, but should support a healthier, more productive and stronger bottom line when New research from Glassdoor implemented proactively and strategically.” shows that about one in four (23%) Additionally, 41% of those surveyed said unemployed adults surveyed in the access to flexible work arrangements was UK have been offered “ zero hours” not widespread to all employees. Only 42% contracts, which allow employers to of managers accepted the idea that flexibility recruit staff with no guarantee of work. was an important element of organisational Under these contracts, employees success, and only three percent of work only when they are needed and are organisations attempted to quantify the return paid depending on the hours clocked. on investment (ROI) of flexibility programmes. However, jobseekers seem reluctant While many managers still found it difficult to to accept employment under those gauge the productivity of teleworking employees, terms. About half (47%) of Glassdoor’s 48% believed they were equally as productive respondents who had been offered a as employees who worked in the office. job on zero hours had rejected it. The main reason (54%) for turning them down was the need to receive a guaranteed level of income. Forty-four percent of contract rejecters also expressed a lack of trust towards the employer, and 30% were also unhappy with the irregular working hours that come with these offers. The negative press coverage

34%

UNSTABLE WORK HURTS

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efficient in their roles. Thirteen years ago, Toyota Services in Gothenburg shifted to a six-hour workday and has also reported happier employees and higher profits. Linus Feldt, CEO of Swedish appdeveloper Filimundus, said the eighthour work day was not as effective as often perceived. “To stay focused on a specific work task for eight hours is a huge challenge. In order to cope, we mix in things and pauses to make the work day more endurable.” Most companies in Sweden still work the average of 40 hour a week, as reported by the Local Sweden, an English-language news network.

surrounding the issue also discouraged 13% of those polled from agreeing to the zero hours contracts. Of the 53% of surveyed people who accepted the jobs, 69% said they simply needed the money at the time the zero hours contract was offered. Additionally, 19% of those polled viewed the contract positively and claimed the flexibility that it offered was suitable for them. “People that take zero hours contracts generally do so because they feel they have to rather than they want to,” said Jon Ingham, a career and workplace expert with Glassdoor said. “This could be interpreted as employers exploiting the most vulnerable, namely people who really need the money. However, for others it is a useful stop-gap. It can provide valuable work experience and the flexibility can be a positive depending on your life stage. “The most important issue here is to look at the attitude of the employer towards staff – do they value people on zero hours contracts or simply view them as ‘an extra pair of hands’?”

INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

CANADA

WHAT SKILLS DO EMPLOYERS WANT? What are some of the skills that appear most regularly in Canadian job postings? The new Thinkopolis Report by Workopolis uncovers what hiring managers are looking for from jobseekers this year. The top 10 most commonly posted job skills are: • Communication skills • Writing • Customer relations • Sales • Organisational skills • Microsoft Office • Policy analysis • Supervisory skills and leadership • Problem solving • Teamwork In addition to those skills, the report also states that digital literacy is highly-valued. The top ten digital skills needed for rising demand in 2015 are: • HTML 5 • Social media platforms • Big data

• nosql • jQuery • Tableau • MongoDB • Google Analytics • Pharmacist assistance • JSON “Students and young job seekers should especially take note of the ‘hot skills’ that are in high demand with employers,” said Tara Talbot, Vice President of HR, Workopolis. She added that basic computer literacy was now a normal requirement for most professional jobs. “On top of that, specialised computer and digital skills are what make a candidate stand out, and they open many new doors to employment opportunities,” she explained. “Combining these skills with solid communications skills will give candidates a strong edge over the competition and ensure they’re well positioned for the demands of the job market.”

HELP YOUR EMPLOYEES AND YOUR BUSINESS BOUNCE BACK Sudden tragedies … Workplace accidents … Natural disasters … These events can have a devastating effect on your employees – and your business. When they strike, people often need help to comprehend, cope, and continue forward. That’s where we come in. Workplace Options is a worldwide leader in employee well-being solutions. We provide a Rapid Response Critical Incident service to companies across Singapore and around the world that helps employees overcome traumatic events.

GLOBAL

Whether you need counselors on-site or a dedicated hotline for round-the-clock assistance, our teams are always ready.

HARASSMENT IS DAMAGING TO EMPLOYERS TOO Workplace sexual harassment lowers workplace productivity and job satisfaction, and also contributes to increasing absenteeism and resignations, according to a research cited in an IZA World of Labor article. The author of the research, Joni Hersch of Vanderbilt University, found sexual harassment is much more common than it seems. On average, 30 to 50% of women have experienced sexual harassment, ranging from 11% in Denmark to 81% in Australia. “Despite being illegal, costly, and an affront to dignity, sexual harassment is pervasive and challenging to eliminate,” Hersch stated. The research shows the typical victims of sexual harassment are young females holding a lower-rank job in a male-dominated environment, while the harassers are mostly males who work at the same or higher hierarchical level. There are also different levels of tolerance towards sexual harassment in different industries. Based on the charges filed, the construction, transportation and utilities industries are especially prone to sexual harassment. Victims of sexual harassment at work are likely to experience lower job satisfaction, worse psychological and physical health, higher absenteeism, less commitment to the organisation, and a higher chance of quitting the job. The estimated costs of sexual harassment in the US over a period of two years are around US$327 million, and a second source estimated an individual cost of US$22,500 per person affected by sexual harassment. Both numbers are largely due to reduced productivity.

Don’t let an unexpected tragedy cripple your company. Get employees the support they need to reflect, heal, and get back on track.

Learn More at:

www.workplaceoptions.com Or call toll-free:

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+65 (800) 130 1950

INF GRAPHIC

Are you using video to deliver training? Learning and Development (L&D) professionals are increasingly turning to ready-made learning resources, rather than customising their own. HRM reveals this and other findings from an annual survey by Video Arts

Is your organisation using video for training and learning? How do you deliver training?

89% 79% 69% 41% 26% 21% 20%

Classroom training E-learning

How does your organisation use video for learning? 69%

In classroom-based courses

Coaching Video portals E-books Learning apps Gaming

The

YES 77% NO 23%

Via a Learning Management System

37%

In self-authored e-learning courses Via an online video platform

19%

Accessible At the point of need Greater reach Cost effective

65% 55% 48% 46% 41%

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78%

of L&D teams use video for soft skills training

52%

use e-learning for professional development

Where do you find your video content for learning?

56%

Buy it in

56%

Make our own

49%

Source for free video

33%

Have it made for us

Sources: • Video Arts’ Annual Survey • Some icon graphics are by Freepik.com and VectorOpen-Stock.com 8

34%

One-to-one coaching

benefits of video learning

Memorable

43%

DID YOU KNOW

65%

of organisations choose video content because learners are more likely to remember what they’ve learned

CISCO WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION ROUNDTABLE

Readying the workforce of tomorrow How can organisations equip themselves to handle the plethora of workforce changes and challenges of the future? Cisco’s Workforce Transformation Roundtable, in partnership with HRM Asia, recently discussed these pressing concerns Sham Majid sham@hrmasia.com.sg

n today’s working world, change is the only constant. The ability to adapt to ever-evolving workforce needs, as well as to the unique demands of different generations of employees, is an ongoing challenge for all organisations, regardless of size and structure. Hence, it was fitting that Cisco’s Workforce Transformation Roundtable, in partnership with HRM Asia, tackled these key questions during a live session on October 15, at Cisco’s Asia Pacific Japan headquarters in Singapore. The live and virtual face-to-face session was conducted over Cisco Telepresence across nine cities (Dallas, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Bangalore, Singapore and Tokyo). It included illustrious speakers such as Annella Heytens, Vice President of HR for Cisco, Sarah Kruger, Managing Director of Accenture Management Consulting, Mark Miller, workplace transformation evangelist with Cisco, and Laurence Smith, Managing Director of HR at DBS Bank. Their presentations covered topics such as the quad-generation workforce, collaborative tools, designing the next-generation workspace, and DBS Bank’s digital incubation to engage talents.

Tackling key workforce trends According to Heytens and Lim Hwa Choo, Head of HR, Cisco Southeast Asia, the objective of the Workforce Transformation Roundtable was to gather the HR Community from the financial services Industry to share and discuss key workforce trends as well as to highlight the importance of employee engagement and how technology, together with HR workplace policies and space design, can work together to provide workspace transformations to engage the future workforce. During the roundtable, delegates, who comprised of HR professionals from companies such as ANZ Bank, Maybank, OCBC Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, and Citibank, discussed and recommended practices and approaches to working across multiple generations and innovative workspaces. They also explored ways in the workforce change management and highlighted the new tools available to employees, such as video conferencing and the consideration for the Cisco Workforce Experience solution. Participants of the roundtable also engaged in a lively Q&A session with speakers, and shared best practices with their counterparts.

Delegates have their say Delegates who attended the Workforce Transformation Roundtable had the opportunity to engage in a lively Q&A session with speakers. Takeaways from the Q&A session as well as from the interactive discussion included: • Maybank - The challenges faced by regional banks in understanding staff across cultures, and not just across generations - Understanding how to structure a standardised HR framework along with flexibility and customisation for each country • ANZ Bank - Meeting millennials’ expectations for the workplace - Making a case for flexible work Questions posed by delegates • Bank Central Asia (Indonesia) - How can banks fit flexible workspaces in banking halls so as not to disrupt customers? • Siam Commercial Bank (Thailand) - How to convince Gen-X’s and Baby Boomers’ generation of senior managers to adapt their HR policies to cater for the Gen Y workforce? ISSUE 15.11

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mployers today require a much wider range of skills from their workforce than in the past. They look for aptitudes and qualities that go beyond technical skills or experience in specific occupational areas. Their ideal employees are flexible in their working patterns and can keep pace with a constantly changing business environment, and are also able to respond appropriately to issues that arise at work.

Employability Skills ‘Innovative in generating workable solutions and resolving complaints’ ‘An exceptional communicator who effectively conveys information in verbal and written communications’ ‘A computer literate with extensive software proficiency’ HR professionals will be familiar with such requirements on job descriptions. They will also be aware of their role in supporting the development of skills that are not specific to one particular career

10 ISSUE 15.11

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path but transfer effectively across all employment sectors. Employability skills are the ‘softer’ skills and attitudes that enable employees to get on with colleagues; make critical decisions; think creatively and solve problems; display self-control; contribute to strategic development and act as ambassadors for their company. These skills combined can have a greater impact on the productivity and effectiveness of a company than technical skills alone.

Enhancing employability skills A company’s greatest asset is its workforce. Relevant training rewards loyalty and demonstrates that employees are valued. People want to become better at their jobs and build their careers. Employability training that is directly related to their work contexts enables them to achieve these goals quickly and effectively. At Pearson, we recognise the need for training in this area and have produced internationally benchmarked standards in employability skills to address this, which are embedded into our LCCI

and BTEC qualifications. These qualifications effectively upskill employees using practical workrelated assessments. Employees identify and develop skills such as personal effectiveness; teamwork; problem solving; communication; health, safety and security. Trainees reflect on how to manage their role more effectively; identify workrelated behaviours that contribute to success; and learn how to manage stress and personal feelings at work. Effective team working is developed through focusing on building positive relationships and working together to respond to challenging situations. As Pearson’s core strength is in tailoring qualifications to meet HR expectations, employers can be rest assured that the qualifications are benchmarked to international occupational standards and practices.

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HR MARKET ROUNDUP INNOVATION FOR RECRUITING AND RETAINING TALENT Organisations in Singapore must be innovative when it comes to the recruitment and keeping of talent. According to Foo See Yang, Acting General Manager of Kelly Services Singapore, companies can tackle this issue by thinking beyond typical nine-to-five fulltime positions. “Singapore’s workforce is at a crossroads with an ageing workforce but also an evolving one with Generations X and Y employees who demand flexibility and mobility,” says Foo. “The key to managing the talent of tomorrow is the concept of talent supply chain management, a forward-looking approach where companies look at internal and external talent supply chains and ensure that talent planning extends beyond the immediate need to fill a specific role.” Foo stresses that it is essential that Singapore businesses shift their mindsets and regard the extended contingent workforce as an integral part of the organisation. “Companies must consider the talent they will likely need in the future, as well as past talent. With that, talent pools would be a combination of full-time, part-time, flexi-time and the contingent workforce comprising of contract talents (six to 12 month tenures), freelancers (project basis), former employees, retirees and interns,” he says. “With a refreshed perspective towards managing talent through the talent supply chain management concept and a culture which supports innovation, Singapore will continue to have one of the most productive workforces globally, and will secure its position as a competitive economy for skilled talent in the next 50 years to come.”

NEWS

RANDSTAD SINGAPORE WORKPOCKET 2015/16 LAUNCHED Singapore firms must look to enhance employment rates among women and older employees, and diversify their work practices in the midst of today’s changing regulatory climate. That’s one of the key messages from Randstad Singapore Workpocket 2015/16 publication, that was launched recently. Developed in partnership with legal firm WongPartnership LLP, the Randstad Singapore Workpocket 2015/16 offers practical advice for HR managers and business owners to handle complex talent challenges. The comprehensive guide includes up-to-date information on labour market trends and guidance for employers on how to stay compliant with ever-changing reforms and employment and workplace legislation. Michael Smith, Randstad Country Director for Singapore, says constant regulation is taking place via Singapore’s ongoing commitment to tripartism, where unions, employers and the Government work in partnership to craft labour market policy frameworks. “This comes at a time when Singapore’s labour market will see one person over the age of 65 for every four working age people by 2020, compelling the Government to introduce policies to grow workforce participation rates among women and older workers,” says Smith.

“The Randstad Singapore Workpocket provides employers with advice on how they can access public schemes that support flexibility, such as funding from the Work-Life Grant under the WorkPro scheme.” Jenny Tsin, co-head of the Employment Practice at WongPartnership, says the Randstad Singapore Workpocket 2015/16 is an effective tool for companies experiencing an increasingly complex workplace environment. “The Government is responding to changes in labour market demographics through a range of measures, including mandating the re-employment of mature-aged workers, and extending greater legal protections to contractors, freelancers and low-salaried workers. This, however, means that businesses in Singapore are facing increasing regulatory reforms,” explains Tsin. “We are pleased to collaborate with Randstad Singapore to develop this guide and share our extensive knowledge on the country’s employment law and legislation,” Tsin says. The report also revealed that with Singapore primed for economic growth – driven by the financial services, technology and healthcare sectors – and with the nation at almost full employment, there will be a continuous fierce battle for talent over the next 12 months at least.

JOB SEARCHING VIA MOBILE LinkedIn is still the most popular platform for professional networking, for both recruiters (61% use it) and job seekers (34%), while Facebook is the primary network for all social activities, including personal branding. This is according to the 2015 Work Trends Study that was recently published by Adecco Group. The study deduced that for job searchers, the probability of being contacted by a recruiter rises with the amount of social networks they utilise. The probability of being contacted by a recruiter is 16% for those active on one network but this rises to 46% when a candidate utilises all five of the main global platforms. The study revealed that job seekers are also more mobile than recruiters: 65% of job searchers regularly or sometimes utilise a mobile device for online job searches, while among recruiters sourcing for a candidate or highlighting open roles, this number falls to 41%. In addition, the study cited that flexibility in an individual’s place of work would become crucial to new styles of work in the future.

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LEADERS TALK HR

REGALING WITH

THE RAFFLES ROMANCE Q

Tell me about yourself. Who inspires you? What are your career aims?

approachable. But I do have pride in doing something very well and I think you have to be a bit of a perfectionist in this business, particularly at Raffles. You feel that after 128 years, (of Raffles Hotel’s existence) you really don’t want to let the organisation down. You want to make it better and you don’t want anything to happen to that reputation that so many people have spent so long building.

I have been in the hotel business since I was 19. I fell into it a little bit by accident. I was travelling before college and I got a chance to work with a hotel company in Hong Kong, where I was living for a while. I did a three-year Sham Majid management training course with the sham@hrmasia.com.sg Mandarin Oriental and stayed with that company for quite a long time. I grew up and lived abroad a lot as my parents worked overseas. You’ve been in the role of General Manager at I was in East Africa, and they lived in South America and in Asia, Raffles Hotel Singapore for two years now, having and that’s one of the reasons I ended up with my connection to also had an illustrious career in hospitality Hong Kong, which was a big part of my early career. management. Tell me more I had no inkling at all until I was 18 or 19 that I would ever While in Hong Kong with Mandarin, I studied marketing and get into the industry and then managed to stay in it for 30-odd finance with the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I was very years. In the hotel industry, I was inspired by working for a very much developed by that company. After Hong Kong, I went interesting man called Gordon Campbell Gray. He had a certain to San Francisco to do an opening of the Mandarin as the vision for a certain type of hotel keeping and service. He started Resident Manager there, which was an excellent experience. I with small luxury hotels and built a company that was just then returned to London where I joined Four Seasons and was different to what everybody else did. the Number Two for three years. I then rejoined Mandarin as In terms of my career aims, it’s to become a better hotelier the Hotel Manager in Hong Kong. and to keep learning. Then, I guessed I had my big break and I was re-approached by Four Seasons. I went to Chiang Mai to open a new hotel under What is your leadership style? their brand. By then, I had a very young family, so that was quite I believe in being open, listening, and to be sensitive, an adventure. After three years, I joined Gordon Campbell Gray particularly in awkward or challenging moments. in London. We opened a small luxury boutique hotel called One This is a people business and there are lots of delicate Aldwych in the centre of London. No one had ever heard of us and moments with guests and colleagues. no one had ever heard of the hotel. A new independent hotel, it I try to be analytical and to base decisions and thinking on struck a chord. Gray had a vision of a concept and I was there to some sort of logic. A lot of hotel keeping comes from the heart; execute it. I was with that company for 12 years during which it’s a gut feeling whether it’s a creative issue or a business issue. time we opened, refurbished or took over five hotels in total. It’s very important to be fair and I think I’m generally That was a great adventure because we were totally on our own.

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LEADERS TALK HR

BIO BRIEF

Simon Hirst joined the Raffles family in February 2012, as General Manager, Raffles Praslin Seychelles. In that role, he solidified the reputation of the resort as one of the leading properties in the Indian Ocean. On August 1, 2013, he took on the custodian role of the General Manager at the iconic Raffles Singapore. Hirst established his reputation in the hotel industry for over 15 years by working with hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray. In 1997, he was appointed opening General Manager of One Aldwych, London. In 2008, he moved on to be Operations Director of CampbellGray Hotels, overseeing the whole hotel collection. Hirstâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career began with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, where he held management positions in Hong Kong and San Francisco over 11 years. He then joined Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in 1988, as Resident Manager of the Four Seasons, Park Lane, London. He returned to Asia in 1991 as Hotel Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and then re-joined Four Seasons in 1994 as opening General Manager of The Regent Chiang Mai.

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LEADERS TALK HR

What are some key changes that you’ve brought about since your move to Raffles Hotel Singapore?

After taking a couple of months to assess, we made some changes to the management team. One of the things that was interesting to me when I arrived here was that Raffles had a certain position in the hotel community and in the social community; but I didn’t think it was doing enough to re-engage and to keep engaged with Singaporean clients and residents here, whether they were foreigners or Singaporeans. Through a series of interactions, we are gradually re-establishing those relationships, entertaining them and making connections. We have been getting more involved and increasing our visibility in some community projects with the Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre and

the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices conference and programmes. I also felt that it is important for the General Manager to meet our top clients, producers and supporters, more often. While we have excellent sales and marketing people in the hotel, it is still true that top-tier operators, top agents and even companies in Singapore really appreciate if the General Manager comes and sees them face-to-face, and talks about the product, vision and the expectations that their clients will have when they come and stay in the hotel.

How do you manage workforce needs at the hotel, and in the hospitality industry in general?

From my experience in other companies –and I’ve worked in some places with tight labour markets – I think people tend not to leave companies. They tend to leave managers. I think ‘culture’ is very important. I know that’s a vague word but I think we underestimate the impact of a company’s culture that managers or senior leaders have on the ambience, work style or behaviour of colleagues. Before we bring people in, we’re very careful with our assessments. There are many jobs here that people have a natural aptitude for and we try to build on that. We have a management trainee system where we work with the hospitality schools and we help them with their curriculum.

So, we are trying to create a sense of engagement with all these organisations. Singapore has a generally high turnover in hotels, but we’re generally five to 10% below the average which is a very good score.

While you are not new to Asia, how has your international experience helped you to better lead staff in Singapore? There are some things which are quite similar all over the world. If you’re nasty to people, they’re going to leave. People are pretty well-educated these days and there is the whole phenomenon of feedback, education and communication through the internet and social media. From my experience, I have learnt that everyone has an opinion. After having lived abroad from a young age, this has taught me to see people as equals, and you tend to have fewer prejudices or fixed beliefs. I think it’s also important to see that people have their individualities and have very similar positive and negative reactions in terms of good and bad management. In terms of work practices, you pick up tricks here and there, but I think largely, big five-star hotels have very similar operating policies and procedures.

How would employees describe you?

I hope they would describe me as being generally open and approachable. I think they feel I’m

ME MYSELF I I love: Spending time with my family I dislike: Inconsiderate people My inspiration is: Men and women who have changed history for the better My biggest weaknesses are: Too many to mention In five years’ time I’d like to be: Better at my job Favourite quote: Managers do things right; Leaders do the right thing

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LEADERS TALK HR pretty honest about things and I will always be available whenever possible. It’s important to recognise and to acknowledge people by using their names and by engaging with them. We have roughly 400 colleagues here and it’s very easy to rush around with a stern look on your face, worrying about things and actually forgetting that all these great people are doing things that support the hotel. I think by just recognising people and by using their names, it’s a mark of respect and a mark of recognising what they do. It’s a part of the culture of being hospitable. We’re in the hospitality industry, so we need to be hospitable.

How about training and development opportunities for current staff?

We have a great training team and programme at Raffles. We have an excellent assessment system whereby we analyse candidates for their skills, including their vocational and professional skills, to see whether they have not just the aptitude and attitude, but also the grasp of what they’re

supposed to be doing. We have a very detailed threeday orientation which I am involved in. We also have detailed service culture training, leadership training, supervisory training, right through to executive development. Recently, we had a senior leadership day where we explored our personalities further and we did a team management profiling which showed us how we could link together better.

What do you consider to be the most challenging aspect of your role?

Probably time management, which won’t surprise anybody. As we try to do more with less, it is always gets tougher. I’m averaging six to eight meetings a day, and they are generally anything from half an hour to one and a half hours. I actually don’t like being in the office; I like being out in the lobby and I like walking around and engaging with the guests. It’s very important to be visible and to engage with guests and colleagues in a hotel like Raffles. It’s all about that

visibility and I find myself getting up and down to the lobby quite a lot every day, either for staff or guest issues.

What is your top tip for aspiring leaders? Learn the job, be really confident about what you’re doing before you take the next step. It is vital to be confident and capable about what you’re doing. People can always tell. If somebody who you respect tells you that you’re not ready, believe it and get better. You’ve got a long journey ahead of you and whatever you do on that journey, you should do it well. That’s what usually gets you the respect and therefore, the results and inspiration of the people around you.

Old is gold at Raffles Hotel Besides the 128-year long history of Raffles Hotel Singapore, the hotel also actively espouses longevity in another manner: championing the employability of mature workers. Simon Hirst, General Manager, Raffles Hotel Singapore, highlights a particular mature worker who epitomises the stance adopted by the hotel. “In general, we are huge supporters of experienced workers, workers with integrity and workers with high standards,” says Hirst, who spoke at the recent Conference on Fair and Progressive Employment Practices 2015. “Leslie Danker, our resident historian, is a great example, because here’s a person who has been with the hotel since the 1970s. He knows the history of the hotel and this is a hotel where people stay and want to know about the history. “He’s like Mr Perfect for that job.” Hirst says that mature workers are totally consistent, and that an organisation can rely on them. “I think a lot of our older workers have a really healthy attitude to doing their work. They are perfectionists, thorough, consistent, and reliable, and they set a great example,” he reveals. “In general, the population is getting healthier and older and I think we will be careless if we simply say that at 62 or 65 years of age, one is over the hill.”

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

UPSKILLING FOR THE FUTURE In the finale of a special three-part series, HRM dissects how Singapore employers will engage in future lifelong learning and how the Institute for Adult Learning is helping to lay the foundations of the SkillsFuture movement

peaking at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)-Singapore Conference on Higher Education Futures, Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung stressed that under the national SkillsFuture movement, the Government will facilitate “the learning of skills and pursuit of mastery as a broad pathway for Singaporeans”. “Pursuit of mastery of skills and advancement of knowledge exist alongside and overlap significantly with each other, and can be strongly complementary and reinforcing. Mastery of skills can deepen fundamental academic understanding of a subject matter and even spark innovation,” he said. In fact, this deep mastery of skillsets can also be epitomised in the working world, where Singaporeans can renew themselves by continuing their education throughout their careers. Enabling working professionals in the Continuing Education and Training (CET) sector to enhance their mastery levels in a plethora of skillsets is a core objective of the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL). IAL works closely with adult educators, HR personnel, and professionals that manage training and this sector’s development work to foster lifelong learning and inculcate best practices in learning and development within organisations.

Making the case for workplace learning One new learning technique is workplace-based learning. Lee Wee Chee, Assistant Director, Pedagogical Exploration, Learning and Professional Development Division, IAL, says workplace-based learning consists of two components. “Firstly, it is work-based learning, which is mainly driven by educational institutions towards attaining a qualification. Internships and industrial attachments, and the current Earn and Learn initiative, are examples of work-based learning,” Lee explains. “Secondly, it is workplace learning, which is driven by enterprises. Examples would be inductions, job rotations, workplace demonstrations and meetings. These are the ways in which we learn, because if you think about it, we learn every day at work, as we work on a specific task, or in our interactions with our peers, bosses or clients.” Lee’s colleague, Lee Kang Yam is an IAL Associate and adult educator who works closely with Wee Chee on workplace 16 ISSUE 15.11

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learning projects with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). He says the main driving force behind the workplace learning initiatives is to help SMEs achieve their business imperatives. “We do this by identifying and working through critical levers of change in organisations. The first level of change is job (re) design; our workplace learning facilitators help these SMEs design job roles and responsibilities to optimise employee engagement and the utilisation of skills,” Kang Yam elaborates. “The second level of change is Learning and Development; we co-create and implement workplace learning methods to enable optimal performance and meet operational constraints. The third level of change is HR Management and Organisation Development; we scope interventions to recognise performance enhancements to

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT get commitment for new ways of learning and working.” Kang Yam shares a case study of a retail SME that participated in IAL’s pilot run of workplace based learning projects. The shop-in-charge was so inspired after the experience that he took on the role of a trainer and coach to train his shop floor staff in product knowledge. “With help from IAL’s workplace learning facilitators, the shop-in-charge was able to apply adult learning principles to create practical learning aids, such as a one-page product chart to help staff’s memory retention of critical product knowledge and a communication book to share key product items to focus on,” he shares. He explains that from an adult education perspective, IAL provides recognition of the competencies for workplace learning facilitators and offers more structured learning support for facilitators beyond simply pedagogical “know-how”. “IAL recognises that driving workplace learning is a complex ecosystem requiring partnerships and collaboration from enterprises, the adult education community and educational institutions,” says Kang Yam. “Through its domain expertise in workplace learning pedagogy and strategies, IAL is helping to empower and develop practitioners to provide effective learning strategies that achieve business results.” Kang Yam says that when SMEs heard the IAL was piloting an initiative that brought learning into the workplace, they were very excited as this would help them reduce the time taken to attend off-site training, facilitate a more direct application of learning to performance results, and create improved integration of learning with work processes. “Unsurprisingly, the reception for IAL’s workplace learning pilot initiative has been overwhelming. It is a clear win-win case for the participating SMEs,” he adds. Lee reveals that when done well, “workplace-based learning is a perfect complement to formal learning”.

Sharing the fruits of labour Synergising nicely with the SkillsFuture movement is the Training and Adult Education Professional Competency Model (TAEPCM) framework developed by IAL. This model offers training professionals the tools to foster both inter-functional and intra-functional skills to rise up the career ladder, or plot routes towards different job roles within and across the industry. Pertinently, this is where the IAL can offer its expertise. It provides training of adult educators who then go on to coach employees, or various employers as well. In addition, both employers and employees can benefit from TAEPCM. Employers can use it to identify competencies required by staff, earmark areas that need improvement, foster organisational capability and future capacity, and manage recruitment, staff development and advancement.

Meanwhile, employees can manage their skills acquisition needs, propose alternative career pathways, chart career and professional advancement, and boost job stability and income security.

IAL: Part of the SkillsFuture push IAL is part of the national SkillsFuture movement, with its schemes and initiatives being tied back to support the learning aspirations of the CET community. In order to lay the foundations of lifelong learning, the IAL strongly encourages companies of all sizes, as well as CET professionals, to come forward and to partner with it.

Developing CET professionals HR Developers

Adult Educators

• HRD Planning & Implementation • Organisation Development • Learning & Development • Talent Management

• Analysis • Design • Development • Delivery • Evaluation & Assessment

Workforce Developers

Training Managers

• WFD Development Research • WFD Development Policy Formulation • Workforce Framework Design & Development • CET Quality Assurance • Employment Facilitation

• Training Organisation • Curriculum & Programme Management • Training & Learning • Training Administration & Operations • Quality Management • Technology Management

• Master Programmes • Specialist Diploma Programmes • Diploma Programmes • Certificate Programmes • Workshops and Events

Inter-Mobility Professional Values and Ethics Committed • Aware • Personal • Aspirational • Exolutionary • Innovative • Principled Personal Fundational Personal Learning Excellence • Engagement in Continuing Education and Training • Human Capital and Workforce Fundamentals • Globalisation and Future Orientation Management Horizontal Training and Adult Education Consultancy • Strategic Planning and Implementation • Finance • Intellectual Property Management • Technology Management • Project Management • Business Negotiation • People Management Source: IAL’s Training and Adult Education Professional Competency Model (TAEPCM)

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LEADERS ON LEADERSHIP

Is it important for leaders to go through corporate leadership programmes? W hile corporate leadership programmes are an important part of developing leadership, the broader mantra of leadership can take many forms and can appear at all levels of an organisation. CBRE is founded on its entrepreneurial spirit, by empowering employees and encouraging them to strive to perform better every day in line with our corporate values. Senior leaders must set standards that others aspire to, and by mentoring ownership and responsibility from the ground up – encouraging professionals to take intelligent risks and explore new ideas – our professionals become leaders in their fields. This helps foster increased pride and a commitment to world class customer outcomes. CBRE has a great record of staff retention and attracting top talent. We

believe our commitment to investing in and developing our people as effective leaders has been an integral part of achieving this. Moreover, in a competitive business environment like ours, developing competent leaders is a vital part of what enables CBRE to continue to enhance growth and build advantage for our clients. CBRE has many excellent corporate leadership programmes. For example, our Asia Pacific Leadership Programme (APLP) sees participants from across the region given guidance and support from business leaders to build a more thorough understanding of the region’s business. This enhances their personal leadership development skills. We also have some tailored programmes, such as the Women’s Network, which supports more female professionals in reaching more senior roles.

HENRY CHAN CEO, ShopBack

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ailing from a corporate background and as the current leader of a start-up, I have had the opportunity to observe the leadership approach from both sides of the coin. In a corporate setting, the company has attained a certain level of maturity and is likely to be in relative “peace” – with well-established environments and a secured set of competitive advantages. At this stage, the leadership intention would probably be scaling steadily, with long-term sustainability at the top of its agenda. In a start-up setting, the company is experiencing rapid growth, and it is highly likely to be in relative “turmoil” – with dynamic environments and a malleable set of competitive advantages. At this stage, the leadership intention could boil down to just one core objective: survival. Corporate leadership programmes often suggest that they are designed with an intended direction in mind; with

ROB BLAIN Executive Chairman, CBRE Asia-Pacific

a fixed set of learnings to be internalised and cascaded down and across the different layers of management hierarchy. Hence, I feel that they may not be suitable for the start-up setting. What could be useful for a start-up are trainings and mentorship programmes that offer a higher level of customisation and flexibility. When selecting these programmes, start-ups should consider: • Relevance – whether the programme provides effective and actionable skill sets that will help start-up leaders better manage their current situations; • Time – in view of strapped resources and the fast paced environment, results need to be achieved in near terms (three to six months) as opposed to long terms (one to two years); • Return on Investment – results of programme should lead to improvements in leadership performances with measurable business impacts.

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MyHRM Communities HR Expert Panelists For The Month Of November

Stéphane Michaud, PhD Regional Manager, Strategic Planning & HRD Consulting, Mitsubishi Corporation

Mark Leong

Talent Partner APAC, UBS

Pauline Chua

General Manager Human Capital & CSR, Fuji Xerox Singapore

HR Expert Panelists For The Upcoming Months

Cara Reil

VP Talent Management & Development HR, SingTel

Dheeraj Shastri

Global Analytics, Abbott Laboratories

Gaurav Sharma

HR Director, Coca-Cola Singapore

A. Mateen

Senior VP HR, DHL Express Asia Pacific, Deutsche Post DHL

Preeti Subramanian Regional Manager Total Rewards, ZALORA Group

Aditi Singh

HR Manager Talent Management, ZALORA Group

William Chin

Staffing Director, Qualcomm Asia-Pacific

Vineet Gambhir

Vice President & Head of Talent APAC, Yahoo, Inc.

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Asia’s largest forum for people management professionals, MyHRM is where HR executives and decision makers gather according to HR specialisation to discuss pertinent and hot-button issues while exploring solutions to major challenges.

Choose between six diverse communities: • Compensation & Benefits • C-Suite • HR Generalists • Learning & Development • Talent Acquisition • Talent Management

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HR INSIDER

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HR INSIDER

Creating new dimensions for employees In a rapidly-changing industry, IT companies are often faced with talent gap challenges. HRM discovers how Dimension Data is determined to move with the currents of change

s a company which has gone through a significant growth phase in recent years, Dimension Data was on the lookout for a new office. The information and communications technology (ICT) and solutions provider found its new home at Aperia Tower 1 a few months ago. The new office is not just a location with more space to accommodate its increasing headcount - it was also designed specifically with employees in mind.

they would periodically come to the office only to make calls, conduct contact meetings, and so on. As for the crashers, van Vuuren likens them to backpackers who just need an informal space to work when they come into the office. “Some of these underlying rationales have been built into the office to give people different accommodation options to suit their needs,” he says. While the company understands that employees sometimes need the

3Cs of employees

AT A GLANCE

Categorising employees into 3Cs; ‘Creators’, ‘Callers’ and ‘Crashers’, Johan G van Vuuren, Dimension Data’s Director of People & Culture (Asia-Pacific) shares how the office design and infrastructure caters to these three distinct groups. Making up about a third of its workforce, creators are employees who are regularly-based in the office and need a standard office space. Another third of employees are classified as callers. They require less permanent space as

Total number of employees at Dimension Data (Singapore and Asia-Pacific): 800 Size of the HR Team (Asia-Pacific): 17 Key HR Focus Areas: - Strategic people and culture engagement - Pro-active talent acquisition - Leadership talent development - Integrated learning - Continuous employee engagement - Operational excellence

Muneerah Bee muneerah.b@hrmasia.com.sg

flexibility to work from home, it is also important for them to use the office as a base because human interaction at work is a big part of their jobs. “We like to see people interacting in the office and so much of what happens is because of the interactions and the interaction opportunities that the office provides,” van Vuuren says. The office also aims to ensure there is collaboration across the different groups of employees to meet the company’s business needs. They can have meetings at short notice and make use of collaborative spaces that help them work across the different business boundaries.

Proactive solutions Describing people as the company’s biggest asset, van Vuuren says proactive talent acquisition is important because it serves as a competitive advantage, given the ICT industry’s fast-paced nature. “The IT industry changes significantly at very short notice. Therefore, we need to attract new talent

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HR INSIDER The sweet spot Johan G van Vuuren, Director of People & Culture at Dimension Data Asia-Pacific, says one key differentiator for the company in terms of attracting, retaining and managing talents, is that the company culture is a middle ground between the agility of smaller companies without the bureaucracy of large organisations. “We understand that any large organisation has politics but we work very hard to focus absolutely on meritocracy, performance, and what we need to do for our clients rather to focus on internal dynamics, which can be a huge distraction,” he says. In fact, he receives feedback from new employees who said they see very little politics in the organisation, and that they have a very clear focus on what they need to do and deliver, and what they get rewarded for. “Accountability also lies even at lower levels within the organisation so sometimes when people join us, it’s a bit of a shock initially because they are held fully accountable for what they do,” he adds. needed for some of the new skills that we didn’t know existed two or three years ago, but that have now come into scope,” he explains. “We will continue to see changes in the kind of skills required as we move forward. Sometimes, we will not have enough time to develop those skills, so we have to go and find them in the marketplace.” The HR team, known as the People and Culture team, works closely with business leaders to understand how the organisation is going to change, and what the future demands will be. This allows them to identify how they can source for talent proactively, either by engaging with potential employees, tapping on graduate development programmes, or other strategies. Within the People and Culture team, the talent acquisition professionals solve current talent acquisition problems, but also dedicate their time to proactively identifying individuals in the market who possess skills needed for the future.

Incessant learning Developing its existing workforce is also important and learning is a big focus for Data Dimensions. “We also need to make sure that our people learn. We have a competitive advantage if we can outlearn our competition,” van Vuuren says. Dimension Data offers a large number of certifications to employees, which allow them to develop skills that meet the needs of clients. Explaining the

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importance, van Vuuren says, “When employees perceive the company to be investing in their development as IT professionals, then they are more likely to stay with an organisation and build their future with that organisation.” Learning also helps with employees’ career progression. “We have a job framework which outlines all of the roles the company has, and also the progression within one role to the next,” van Vuuren says. It helps employees understand the various options available as they chart their careers. There are a number of assessments associated with the framework, which helps staff to calibrate their skills and understand where the gaps are in order for them to progress to a particular position. “We never guarantee promotion, because that is always a combination of the availability of positions, being at the right place at the right time, being a high performer, and so on,” he says. “Certainly, we want to work hard to help employees improve their potential for being considered for high level positions.” Dimension Data also has a talent identification process where employees with potential and strong performance are identified every two years. This helps managers with planning the development of the employee going forward. As a multifaceted business, van Vuuren says the company will continue to have a multi-skilled workforce in

the future. “Increasingly, we will be working with clients to help solve business problems, so I think the nature of the technology and solutions will continue to change,” he explains. “So it’s important for us to constantly proactively understand what those changes will be, so we can help our employees develop the skills.”

Career rebirth Skill development also plays an important part in career regeneration, especially in an industry where skills become dated rapidly. “What we are doing as employers is to make sure that we help people keep their skills up-to-date so that they renew their own careers on an on-going basis because that is the nature of what happens today,” van Vuuren says. “You can no longer focus on what you learned at university, so that’s why lifelong learning and inculcating the desire in our employees to learn on an on-going basis are very important to us.” As an employer, the firm has a responsibility to society in making sure that people grow as a consequence of the time they spend with the company. “They can spend their days doing anything else, but they chose to spend it with us. And it moves us to make sure that we make it a truly meaningful experience for them and we help them to be challenged every single day,” says van Vuuren. “It’s very important that we do not create people with problems to society, but rather, make their employment experience with us a truly uplifting and wonderful experience.”

The leadership -retention correlation Dimension Data believes in quality leadership at all levels within the organisation, without having to build a celebrity leadership culture. “It’s important to have capable leadership at all levels,” van Vuuren says. For example, Dimension Data has a range of graduate programmes aimed at addressing specific leadership needs

HR INSIDER within different markets. van Vuuren has also been running a basic leadership skills development programme for the last ten years. “We can actually see the relationship between people attending those programmes and the levels of retention, which has convinced us that there is a very clear link between quality leadership and employee engagement and retention,” he explains. In addressing retention, he says the leaders are at the centre of all engagement, particularly in an industry where staff are very much focused on their own professional mobility. “So unlike in other industries where they join a company for life, employees in the IT industry tend to want to continue growing. If they are not growing, they are going to leave the company and join another employer,” elaborates van Vuuren.

Substantial recognition Employee engagement also takes the form of the company’s “People and Planet” programme, which is an environmental and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. “It’s very much of a voluntary approach, so we don’t have a single budget pool for CSR. We encourage the countries to set aside the money, and we provide some broad programme outlines,” says van Vuuren. Dimension Data also offers diverse health programmes which aim to appeal to various segments of the workforce

demographics, ranging from free medical screenings, free fruit delivery, health lectures, and Zumba classes – most of which can be held in the office. “Our new workplace can facilitate some of the activities so we can have them on site here,” van Vuuren shares. Besides in-house activities, the company also sponsors employees who enter running events and the like. “Not all elements of the programme appeal to everyone, but we try to make sure we tailor it in a way there’s something for everyone,” he says. Another engagement and retention mechanism at Dimension Data is recognition, which sees the company participating in regional and global programmes that recognise leaders at various levels in the organisation. “We also recognise them so that they can be held up as role models for others,” van Vuuren says. As the company is in the business of providing technical expertise, Dimension Data has a technical hall of fame within the region and globally which recognises employees who are deemed to be gurus in their respective areas. The organisation is also about to introduce a series of business unit awards which acknowledge excellence in each of its units. Besides skills and expertise, recognition is also given for exemplary behaviour. “Within the Asia-Pacific region, we have a Live Our Values Everyday (LOVE) awards which recognises behaviours that are in line

with our values,” van Vuuren explains. Dimension Data also seeks external recognition for its HR practices, and recent recognition as a top employer both regionally and globally has, for instance, helped to add a sense of pride among its employees as well as boost talent attraction. For example, when Dimension Data engages with potential employees and partners, they are informed about the recognition and awards the company has received. It also helps when engaging clients, as they want to know about the company’s HR practices. “Being able to tell them that we are highly-certified employer is a great help to us,” van Vuuren says. However, even as Dimension Data seeks recognition, van Vuuren says it must be meaningful and honest, as he believes it must be something the company can live up to. “We want it to attest to what we truly do, as opposed to seeking awards for the sake of awards,” he says. This is also a matter of integrity, he says. “When I speak to someone who is about to join our company, I have to be able to have a truthful conversation with that individual and I have to be able to sit with them a couple of months later and ask if we delivered on the promise that we made,” he explains. “Being truthful in the way that you recruit and engage with potential employees is absolutely essential because credibility is very important for us,” van Vuuren concludes.

WHO’S WHO IN HR

JOHAN G VAN VUUREN

Director, People and Culture (Asia-Pacific)

ELLIE ARGYROU Head, Talent and Organisation Capability

CATHERINE TAN Regional Manager, Administration and Facilities

IRENE SIM

Senior Manager, Operations

SAMANTHA TAY Senior Manager, Total Rewards

JASON NEO

Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition

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Manager, Headquarters and Business Units HRMASIA.COM 23

PROFILE

NUS BUSINESS SCHOOL

NUS Business School Executive Education

Shaping global business leaders for Asia E

stablished in 1965, NUS Business School is known for providing global management education from an Asian perspective. Since 1981, we have been offering a comprehensive portfolio of executive programmes to high-powered executives who seek current and applicable knowledge in an everevolving business landscape.

Global participants from different industries provide a rich diversity for cross-cultural learning as well as business networking

Excellence in Executive Education

Our range of open-enrolment programmes, conducted in both English and Mandarin, are designed for highpotential leaders and senior managers. We also work oneon-one with organisations to develop customised programmes tailored to their talent development goals. Our corporate clients include governments, multinational corporations and fastgrowing enterprises.

Teaching Methodology NUS Business School utilises a holistic set of methodologies to deliver an unparalleled

Executive Education, NUS Business School National University of Singapore Mochtar Riady Building, Level 5 15 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119245 Tel: +65 6516 7872 Email: exec_edu@nus.edu.sg Web: execed.nus.edu

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16th globally in customised executive programmes1 20+ open-enrolment programmes in English and Mandarin 34 years of executive education excellence 150 business school teaching faculty 3,500 global participants per year 38,000 executive education alumni learning experience. This includes: • A blend of case studies and business simulations delivering content in an experiential format. • Peer learning and sharing via group discussions, projects and presentations. • Content that addresses current marketplace realities as well as future trends. • Assessment and profiling tools to provide a personalised, reflective experience for each participant. Financial Times Executive Education Rankings 2015 – Customised Programmes 1

PAST PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIALS “Great networking experience with top people from different industries and institutions. A comprehensive, focused programme for top managers who have no time for an MBA” WOLFRAM KALT, PRESIDENT DIRECTOR, PT SOUTH PACIFIC VISCOSE, STANFORD–NUS EXECUTIVE PROGRAMME IN INT’L MANAGEMENT PARTICIPANT

“First class faculty, top-notch business leaders and a highly motivated class group” PHILIP FERNANDEZ, CORPORATE TREASURER, DBS BANK, ASIA LEADERS IN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS PARTICIPANT

“This is an essential programme – it helps you team up with different global participants who bring a variety of different perspectives. It makes you multifaceted leader” MANU NANDA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, WACOM INDIA, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME PARTICIPANT

CALLING F UTU RE LEADERS

2016

2015

HR LEADER

HR MANAGER EXECUTIVE EDUCATION With our Executive Education programmes, a small difference could make all the difference for the career development of your leadership team. Our short, intensive courses give your best people the chance to get better by learning alongside peers from across the region, all facing similar challenges themselves. Bring out the best in your leaders with these seven upcoming programmes, or see our full schedule at execed.nus.edu/hrm Time is of the essence. 16 – 20 Nov 2015 Leading Transformational Change Strategic Management Programme Women in Leadership 23 Nov – 4 Dec 2015 General Management Programme 30 Nov – 4 Dec 2015 Leadership Development Programme 7 – 11 Dec 2015 Emerging Leaders Programme Strategic Human Resource Management

LEADING FROM ASIA

ALIGNING YOUR LEARNING CYCLE TO BUSINESS CYCLE

Working towards a COMMON GOAL Companies often send their employees for training not just to upgrade their skill sets, but to also benefit the wider organisation. HRM explores what considerations should be taken when it comes to training interventions Naadiah Badib naadiah.b@hrmasia.com.sg

ending employees for training programmes generally allow them to hone their skills and increase their productivity at work. That has a key role in building the longterm profitability of a company. This is evident from the fact that a record of eight in 10 private establishments provided structured training to at least one employee last year. According to the biennial Employer Supported Training survey, 2014 saw an increase from seven in 10 firms, in 2012. Following the training, employers reported positive impacts on their organisational and staff performance. They include an increase in work efficiency (83% of employers surveyed noted this benefit), improved quality of services (78%), and the ability to meet the changing and future needs of the organisation (65%). A separate report by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency on the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) outcomes, found that companies have also benefitted from sending employees for training. A sizeable 48% of companies polled reported improvements in sales and profitability in 2014. “The impact an employee’s professional development has on the workforce is extremely positive and crucial to remaining competitive in the industry,” says Simon Blackman, Group Learning and Development Director at Park Hotel Group. “Arguably, employees feel more valued when organisations spend time and money investing in them, leading to increased loyalty, output, and motivation throughout the workforce.” However, employers need to keep in mind that they need to 26 ISSUE 15.11

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design the right training schemes to fit the needs of employees. “Being able to experiment, reflect on, and apply the learning during and after trainings is a factor we consider when designing our competence development offer to secure highly-efficient and impactful learning experiences,” shares Oussama Labib, Learning and Development Manager at IKEA Singapore. “It is only when co-workers complete the learning cycle that we can ensure our competence development initiatives are impactful and directly improving our store operations and overall customer satisfaction.” As Ted Baluca, Assistant Learning and Development Manager at Spa Esprit suggests, implementing training schemes helps to encourage both employers and employees to proactively develop their required competencies, including knowledge, skills and attitude. “This can also provide clear career pathways for individuals and help an organisation achieve its goals and objectives,” he says.

Tying training to business goals Employees are seen to be the main driving force in achieving most business goals. Whether it is to kickstart revenue growth, customer service excellence, or improve internal processes, it is essential for learning and development schemes to tie in with the respective business goals.

ALIGNING YOUR LEARNING CYCLE TO BUSINESS CYCLE

Often, learning schemes in “These initiatives need to workforces are delivered without strategically support these goals considering how and where they where possible.” contribute to what the wider Programmes should also meet organisation is trying to achieve. the needs of all departments A report from UK-based corporate within the workforce and allow A sizeable 48% of employers have listed finding qualified workers training provider KnowledgePool them to work together cohesively. as a top HR concern over the next few years. notes that achieving this alignment “The programmes must be The 2015 Emerging Workforce report revealed that currently, 62% is about building the right links aligned with corporate goals of employers are feeling worried about facing talent shortages. with the rest of the business. and customised to the needs Conversely, 35% of employees found it difficult to find time to “The right mix of this alignment of respective units in order to upskill themselves and another 29% felt their job skills were outdated. is recognised as a vital factor in help attain an organisation’s Thirty-three percent of staff believed that their current skill set helping learning and development business goals and objectives,” fell short of the requirement for future positions and 36% also schemes to make a demonstrable Baluca explains. stated their current skills would not help them gain a promotion. impact on the organisation’s “This can provide a bottom line,” it says. higher success rate in reducing cost, improved customer “It is important for learning and development programmes satisfaction, higher sales, improved productivity, and an to tie up with business goals to make sure there is an overall increase in the bottom line.” alignment to a common vision towards the direction in which Still, incorporating such schemes requires both employees the business is headed.” and employers to work together.

Are you giving your staff the right training?

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ALIGNING YOUR LEARNING CYCLE TO BUSINESS CYCLE “It is all about learning efficiency for business result efficiency,” Labib shares. “Our business ambition can be fulfilled only when the process of learning is integrated in the business processes. “It’s not an ‘either-or’ approach, but rather, a ‘both-and’ approach. It is business and people developing together,” he adds. Currently, IKEA is undertaking a campaign focusing on its kitchen lines as the core area of the home. Labib says that IKEA’s “It Starts with the Food” campaign is seen as a great opportunity to address people’s interest in leading a more sustainable everyday life at home, and a more affordable and healthier lifestyle. “Our learning and development schemes support this through developing our co-workers’ competency to sell kitchen appliances, dining material, and cookware, and to share our home farming range knowledge. The training aims to also enhance their passion for food and improve their customer service skills,” he says. “Our ambition is to inspire, engage and empower staff in order to better connect to our customers’ needs and dreams, and serve them in a friendly and reliable way.” Similarly at Park Hotel Group, monitoring employees’ development is a constant task, to ensure that the training will benefit the organisation. “Our Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) courses are specifically aligned to industry standards and our internal courses are strategically created to align to the needs of our own business and the industry in which we operate,” Blackman explains. “Having programmes that target the specific needs of our organisation, whether they be operational, supervisory or managerial, department-specific or any other, is naturally going to enhance the performance of the employee in that particular area of learning.”

Benefiting both parties Training and development can be initiated for a variety of

What is your best practice? According to the 2015 Talent Pulse Survey entitled, “Learning Unbound: Agile Employee Development” companies are expected to invest more in learning technologies for all employees over the coming years. Here are the most popular learning practices in 2015: • E-learning: 81% • Formal classroom learning: 74% • Workshops or seminars: 74% Opportunities to learn from senior management levels are also gaining popularity. In fact, formal mentoring programmes are expected to grow by 131% over the next two years. Other programmes, such as professional coaching and job rotations, will likely see further growth as well.

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reasons, including for both individual and organisational growth. In terms of individual benefits, Baluca notes that the reasons include addressing training needs and performance gaps, acquiring new skills, increasing employee contribution to the business, and building self-esteem. In line with this, Spa Esprit periodically conducts training needs analysis in order to identify any skill or performance gaps. “This can be done using various methods, including workplace observation, document analysis , analysing questionnaires interviewing key people, and conducting focused sessions with stakeholders,” he shares. Labib also states that there has been an increasing need to improve the performance of individuals. “Competence development is not only required to ensure high customer satisfaction, but to also impact our employee engagement and retention,” he explains. “When workers learn and develop new competencies, they become more engaged to our organisation and as a result, will influence other staff from their own department.” On the other hand, Blackman believes that business growth begins with an employee’s professional development. “The impact an employee’s professional development has on the workforce is extremely positive and crucial to remaining competitive in the industry,” he says. “Employees feel more valued when organisations spend time and money investing in them, leading to increased loyalty, outputs, and motivation throughout the workforce.” Essentially, a more skilled and educated workforce can act as a strong foundation and enhance performance and productivity level. Park Hotel Group’s programmes are targeted to the specific needs of the organisation whether they are operational, supervisory, or department-specific. This in turn, enhances the performance of the employee in that particular area and adds value to the business. Unique to its kind, IKEA adopts a useful measure to ensure that a single training session for an individual can benefit others in the organisation as well. “When attending training, our co-workers know that newlyacquired competencies and knowledge will have to be shared to their fellow colleagues,” Labib says. “Therefore, by developing one co-worker’s competency, we actually secure competency development for our entire workforce through post-training knowledge-sharing on the shop floor.”

Implementing learning and development schemes To come up with an applicable learning and development strategy, Blackman suggests that the first step is to identify current gaps and assess what needs to be done to close them. Initiatives should be based on a strong knowledge of the existing business. After this, planners should get buy-in from key

EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT stakeholders, as when implementing any form of change within the organisation. Since the hotel industry is a 24-hour operation that often runs on lean staffing levels, having access to traditional faceto-face training can be challenging. As a result, Park Hotel Group looks at other methods to ensure employees have access to progammers that can develop their careers. These opportunities include blended and e-learning solutions. At Spa Esprit, learning and development schemes aim to train employees to add value to the organisation. “Our programmes aim to equip individuals with the knowledge, skills and attitude needed for them to perform their respective job role, and this can result in a consistent and effective performance which will undoubtedly contribute to business performance,” Baluca says. For long-term profitability, IKEA performs a five-year overall competency gap analysis by comparing where the organisation stands today and where it wants to be. “We also believe that everything starts and ends with an annual development talk that ensures the individual business and succession goals are linked with all the development activities that will happen during the year,” Labib shares.

“Our business ambition can be fulfilled only when the process of learning is integrated in the business processes” Oussama Labib, Learning and Development Manager, IKEA Singapore

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ROLE OF LINE MANAGERS

The line to

GREAT SUCCESS Besides pushing to meet the objectives of their team, how can line managers play a part in encouraging a culture of learning in their organisation? HRM discovers how HR can partner with line mangers to maintain an updated and healthy talent pipeline Muneerah Bee muneerah.b@hrmasia.com.sg

he undisputed role of Learning and Development (L&D) in workforce development is evident in the way companies tap on different strategies to grow their employees. It is seen as a worthwhile investment to empower them to do their jobs better and more effectively over the long run. Granted, talented human capital drives successful businesses, but how do you ensure that your L&D efforts are fully maximised, even after they are given a significant portion of the company’s time and attention? The answer to this often lies in the effectiveness of a line’s manager’s ability to implement and get the most out of L&D opportunities.

In the line of learning A report by the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), entitled Learning and the Line, highlights there is a strong link between providing effective coaching and guidance by the line manager and levels of employee satisfaction, commitment, and motivation. While employees value L&D programmes that offer personal and professional growth, line managers need to be able to identify development opportunities which are relevant and targeted to learning needs and wants. “When this is aligned with business goals, business strategy and performance are properly aligned, resulting in better efficiency and productivity. Businesses can tap on L&D to offer training programmes that increase capabilities at various levels,” Justin Hill, Director of Strategic Accounts (Asia) at Skillsoft, says. 30 ISSUE 15.11

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CIPD describe line managers as those who “have responsibility for directly managing individual employees or teams. In turn, they report to a higher level of management on the performance and well-being of the employees or teams they manage”. As they helm a team and work with each team member closely, line managers are in a good position to identify the capability gaps of each employee. They therefore have a vital role to play in moulding careers and driving L&D programmes at an individual and company level. This in turn supports both the employee’s development goals, and business needs. “It is crucial that line managers encourage a culture of learning where no question is a stupid question. Also, emphasising the need for thorough thought behind the reasons for actions, and evaluating whether the proposed action is the best solution, can help to cultivate greater learning within the organisation,” Rick Chan, Head of Audit and Assurance at Mazars, says.

ROLE OF LINE MANAGERS

Additionally, providing employees with the necessary skills before assigning tasks to them can bring about a sense empowerment which can motivate them to complete the task with an effective fulfilment. “On a personal level, employees will also experience autonomy and valued as a trusted member of the team since they are entrusted with a task despite the potential risks involved,” Chan says. It also helps to equip line managers with a clear outline and direction when it comes to L&D requirements. JTC, Singapore’s national developer of industrial infrastructure, demonstrates this in its commitment to the training of its employees. “We have developed customised competency road maps for each critical job function, where the L&D requirements and job expectations are clearly laid out at each level of proficiency. With the help of these competency road maps, JTC managers will pro-actively work with staff to identify their specific training needs and meet their individual L&D outcomes,” Terence Seow, assistant CEO and Director of HR at JTC, shares. As the lead government agency responsible for the development of complex and future-ready industrial infrastructure, employees at JTC require a diverse mix of technical and management skills. Explaining further, Seow says these range from land planning skills to policy development; and from project management to ISSUE 15.11

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ROLE OF LINE MANAGERS specialised engineering abilities. “L&D is thus critical in helping JTC staff to grow in-depth technical expertise and problem-solving skills, as they undertake challenging industrial projects such as Jurong Rock Caverns and the one-north development,” he explains.

opportunities, these initiatives are also likely to be more impactful as well. To push a culture of learning and to make it a priority, Chan suggests HR should consider designing and implementing a reward system to The role of the line manager in supporting encourage more L&D opportunities in learning and development includes: the workplace. “Aside from that, HR • Listening The link to HR needs to allow sufficient time for line • Supporting Line managers often foster closer managers to perform their role, and not • Challenging relationships and have deep insights penalise them for delayed delivery due • Observing to their team members’ development to training,” he adds. • Motivating needs. They are usually the most direct The report by CIPD also points out • Coaching line of communication with team line managers need to have strong, • Setting objectives members. development-based support from their • Exploring mistakes It is therefore important that own superiors. “It’s nearly impossible • Setting problems HR understands and leverages the to exaggerate the importance of senior • Providing opportunities relationships that line managers have management support and action on • Unblocking obstacles with their team members, in order to the development of line managers, and • Encouraging risk taking initiate and implement successful and through them, on the climate of L&D in • Helping to focus efforts meaningful L&D opportunities within the organisation,” it says. • Feedback and reinforcing teams. Implementing a mentor or learning • Providing business context Conversely, line managers need to act buddy system can also be beneficial Source: Berkshire Consultancy as a bridge to provide feedback from their because having well-organised team team members to HR on what is needed structures with appropriate team in terms of their skills development. dynamics can better equip line managers to initiate L&D “Line managers must coach and mentor their teams and opportunities. incorporate these insights into the programmes, to encourage “HR also needs to provide a supportive organisational culture employees to enhance their skill sets and motivate them to that encourages co-ownership of personal developmental invest time in learning,” Hill says. goals,” Hill says. “While individual employees take It is also important that the feedback to HR is provided in a responsibility for their personal growth in the organisation, line timely and proactive manner to give HR enough time to revise managers should at the same time, be able to provide support to and improve the curriculum accordingly. This keeps learning help employees meet their goals by identifying the training and targeted, relevant and engaging. development needs of team members.” Being ahead of the curve in identifying and projecting Line managers who go through formal leadership training future skills required among the team will also allow HR are also in a better position to initiate and plan L&D to plan accordingly, putting the organisation ahead of the programmes for their team. As an employer, JTC makes a competition in terms of having a well-skilled workforce that concerted and sustained effort to equip its line managers with is able to meet the demands of the market. the relevant leadership and coaching capabilities. Surveys show there is a clear desire for a more inclusive Its over-arching Leadership Development Framework process in designing and implementing L&D initiatives. HR provides targeted support to line managers at different should plan them with input from employees, as conveyed stages of their leadership journey. For example, early career from the line managers, to ensure the programmes meet the managers go through an intensive Young Leaders Programme employees’ and business needs. to prepare them to manage a team for the first time, while Hill adds it also helps to implement frameworks that allow experienced managers undergo customised training to address the business to assess the impact of these programmes. Not specific developmental needs as well as to further hone only will they help to measure completion of the broader their leadership skills. “These skills would underpin our line goals, it is also useful when it comes to refining the curriculum managers’ ability to help their respective teams in achieving and recognising what can be done to meet unachieved targets. the desired L&D outcomes,” Seow explains. At the end of the day, human capital is key to an organisation’s Initiating new information success, and having a culture of learning among employees is An effective partnership between HR and line managers will of utmost importance. As Chan puts it, “We need to constantly not only make it easier to embark on and to roll out L&D ask: Why are we doing this? and How can I do it better?” 32 ISSUE 15.11

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What can line managers do?

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PROFILE

NTU NBS

Nanyang Executive Education

Empowering leaders of tomorrow C

onsistently ranked among the world’s top-tier business schools, Nanyang Business School is one of the most established providers of business and management education in the Asia-Pacific region. For over 50 years, we have nurtured leaders from around the world, employing innovative pedagogy that melds rigorous academic theory with realworld business practice. As a college of Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), we are able to draw on the strengths of a university on a rapid rise globally. Ranked 13th internationally, NTU is a research-intensive university, integrating non-traditional business and management topics into research and teaching. This holistic approach ensures that our student thrive and succeed in today’s increasingly dynamic and interconnected world. Our academic excellence and industry relevance is well recognised globally. Over the past 10 years, our MBA programme has been ranked regularly as one of Asia’s best. The Financial Times, for instance, ranked it the 38th best MBA programme in the world. It also rated our EMBA programme as the world’s 8th best in Nov 2014.

For more information, please contact us at (+65) 6592 3799 / (+65) 6592 3613. Email: nep@ntu.edu.sg

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We are accredited by the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – the world’s most widely recognised quality assurance standards for accounting and business education. Our research has also received outstanding ratings in various academic surveys, with several of our faculty recognised as global leaders in fields such as accounting, finance and culture intelligence.

Cutting-edge Asian management education Nanyang Executive Education is the executive education arm of Nanyang Business School. Committed to empower the leaders of tomorrow, our executive programmes are designed to help motivated individuals to sharpen their competitive edge, enhancing their ability to lead in Asia’s dynamic markets. Nanyang executive programmes are designed to deliver enriching learning experiences in which you will connect with other driven and talented leaders as well as our internationally renowned faculty. These non-degree management development programmes are offered to corporate clients and the general public. Open enrolment programmes are short, specialised programmes that are ideal for executives who want to update and refine management skills.

TESTIMONIALS FROM PAST PARTICIPANT “We have worked closely with a very supportive NTU team over a number of years, and have successfully completed a number of development programmes for our executives at the school. Some of their faculty are world class, and they conduct learning sessions that are engaging, lively, and filled with practical real-world examples. Consistently, our executives have rated the NTU programmes highly” LEE CHONG, HEAD,CORPORATE HR, RGE

These programmes provide high-level, value-added business education where you will learn the latest in management thinking and industry best practices. They include: • Management Development Programme @ Nanyang • WDA-Nanyang SME Hi-Potential Leadership Programme For a full listing of programmes we offer, please go to www.execed.ntu.edu.sg. We also work with public and private organisations to plan and implement management training and development initiatives

through customised executive programmes. Such programmes focus on specific strategic objectives within the company and are tailored to suit various levels within the organisation. Please write to nep@ntu. edu.sg to start exploring how we can support the growth and development of your company.

ONLINE TRAINING AND MOOCs

GEARING UP FOR

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ONLINE TRAINING AND MOOCs

sham@hrmasia.com.sg

hillip Raskin, Learning and Development Director, Asia, for public relations firm Golin says the “M” in the now common term Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is sometimes confusing. “The word ‘massive’ sounds like a huge, huge number, and much as massively multiplayer online role playing games don’t need a million people online at any one time to be successful, I think MOOCs can be ‘massive’ with only a few hundred or even fewer people,” he explains. From Raskin’s perspective, the key is the interaction and the quality of content. “I’ve taken courses online where we started with 60,000 people globally and ended with less than 5,000, and the forum conversations were dominated by just a handful,” he states. “And I’ve taken ones where there were far fewer of us, but it was a group of much more engaged people who contributed and interacted the whole way through.” He stresses that for corporate learning and development (L&D) professionals such as himself, “MOOC means that whatever the size of our organisation, and the openness of the course, it is specific to our employees and their training needs.” There are of course, other interpretations of what exactly constitutes as a MOOC. Michael Choy, Director of Dioworks, an e-learning design company in Singapore, says a MOOC is any piece of structured online learning package

with clear learning outcomes that anyone with a computer and internet can access. “The autonomy lies with the individual and not with the systems administrator or the designer.The MOOC can be offered for a fee or free of charge,” he explains. Examples of renowned global MOOC learning providers include Udacity, edX and Coursera. The potential of MOOCs is there for all to see. According to the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD’s) Learning and Development Annual Survey Report 2015, 13% of survey respondents expected MOOCs to grow in use at their organisation over the next two years.

Revealed: Career benefits of using Coursera Based on the 52% of Coursera learners who where self-reported career builders: • 62% are better equipped for their current job • 43% improved their candidacy for a potential new job • 26% found a new job • 9% started a business • 3% received a raise • 3% received a promotion Source: Coursera Impact Revealed: Learner Outcomes in Open Online Courses study

In addition, the Global Human Capital Trends 2015 report highlighted that the last three years had seen a spurt of new learning offerings, including MOOCs, comprising of more than 400 universities that now offer free or lowcost courses. MOOCs are not the only platform increasingly gaining traction; online learning and training are also rapidly entering the fray. Tellingly, 80.6% of respondents to BLR’s Training and Development Survey Summary - 2015 expected to use online training tools in the year ahead. Furthermore, the CIPD Spring 2015 Employee Outlook Survey found that online learning (29%) was cited by employees as among the top five L&D methods employed.

Charting the transformations in L&D Raskin says transformations have mainly occurred in two places on the HR landscape: employee behaviour and technology. “All of us have had increased demands on our time over the past five years, meaning less time and less focused attention span for learning. A lot of this is due to the second reason – technology – as we now have so much at our fingertips thanks to smart devices and ‘always-on’ connectivity that it’s sometimes hard to sit still,” he elaborates. Nevertheless, Raskin says this also presents HR professionals with an opportunity if they can tailor their programmes and offerings to this new environment. They will need to ISSUE 15.11

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ONLINE TRAINING AND MOOCs that is an important part of the HR function,” he states. “Organisations would do well to place more emphasis on developing strategic A study by researchers at RTI International, a research institute, has found that many organisations road maps for the development of staff are keen on utilising Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), for employee professional across all levels.” advancement. According to Raskin, if an In interviews with a subset of 20 of these HR professionals, participants signalled that as more organisation is not using online workers begin to telecommute or work outside company headquarters, MOOCs could emerge as a training or MOOCs, it is missing out on more convenient choice for employers to provide training. HR representatives also cited that they a huge opportunity to help staff develop liked how MOOCs could help them meet content needs and widen the range of course offerings that their skills. could be provided to employees. He says for today’s employee, Many HR professionals polled were keen to utilise MOOCs to meet employees’ wishes to develop training has to be always-on, location skills such as leadership, communication and management. agnostic, and served in bite-sized Researchers quizzed HR professionals from 103 North Carolina organisations between November pieces. 2013 and January 2014, and the study was published in Employment Relations Today. “They need training to be accessible whenever they want it, from wherever utilise more on-demand online courses lifelong learning.” they are at the time and in small that can be accessed across multiple enough sub-topics that they can start devices, in addition to finding the right Rewiring the L&D hardware and stop according to whatever time opportunities for live training and Raskin believes L&D has now evolved they have: in the office, during breaks mentorship, he says. from an organisation simply sending or free time at home, waiting for the “Because for employees today, the employees for training to having train or bus, or whenever else they have need to continue to improve and widen dedicated departments craft their own a few minutes to focus on it,” Raskin their skill set has never been higher,” organisation-specific blueprints. elaborates. Raskin explains. “All organisations, but especially “In a culture where we pick up and Bryan Tay, Director of training those that sell services, have to tailor leave off our work, not to mention our consultancy Dioworks, says there is L&D to their staff, as well as to each movies, games, TV and online reading a lot of buzz in Singapore over the team’s overall business goals in order at all times of the day and night, it implementation of the SkillsFuture to really be successful,” only makes sense that initiative, which includes a push he explains. we provide the same towards workplace learning and “Because we’re in the capabilities for our technology-enabled learning. age of the employee, training.” “The impact of this initiative there cannot be a Still, organisations cascades down to the individual level, one-size-fits-all acknowledge that empowering staff to source for and approach, so we’re in fusing these new to determine their own professional the business of creating training forms into development,” he elaborates. frameworks that cover existing frameworks is According to a survey carried out Another significant move, he says, many different types a challenge. by Cegos Asia Pacific in Australia, is the professionalisation of adult of employees and The Global Human China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, educators, led by the Institute for Adult many different job Capital Trends 2015 and Singapore, online learning Learning Singapore and the Workforce functions.” report highlighted that has emerged as the main form of Development Agency. His counterpart only six percent of training in all six markets. Across “Technology has also enabled Choy says there is no firms rate themselves the countries, 59% of learners learning to be realised in different clear-cut evidence of “excellent” at have utilised it. ways,” says Tay. such a shift, as L&D incorporating MOOCs “For example, Dioworks is the local departments are still into their L&D partner of Udemy to help promote sending employees programmes. and drive the adoption of MOOCs in for training, especially those at the In addition, Choy says while Singapore. All these initiatives help to supervisory or operational levels. e-learning was established in 1980s create a vibrant L&D marketplace that “Capability wise, organisations do and subsequently offered as online benefits organisations and individuals not seem naturally inclined to develop packages in the 1990s, there is a huge in professional development and their own L&D blueprints although potential for e-learning and now,

Employers open to using MOOCs

Online learning booming in Asia-Pacific

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ONLINE TRAINING AND MOOCs more specifically, MOOCs to do more upskilling of workers. “Imagine the incorporation of learning experiences with the Internet of Things where people are able to quickly activate a learning programme to understand a particular problem or issue and subsequently, have a personal learning tutor to help connect the learning dots together,” he explains. “We are only at the onset of a major learning revolution, especially when the technology is only starting to make available all these options and when the people are starting to be more psychologically prepared to allow technology into something as personal as learning and reflection. “Going forward, the pedagogy will have to evolve to catch up with the technology.”

Tapping on the benefits So, just what are some of the benefits of incorporating MOOCs and online training into a firm’s training mix? According to Raskin, while reach is the obvious one, there’s much more to it. “There’s also the ability to be extremely specific in the courses and programmes an organisation creates, and to be very responsive to changes in the industry and also to changes in what teams may need to learn,” says Raskin. “There are also a lot more opportunities for tracking, quantifying and in my perfect world, eventually gamification.” In fact, he reveals Golin already incorporates online training and MOOCs into its L&D framework. “We have our own bespoke Learning Management System, GolinUniversity, which already has a great deal of content that is very specific to the communications industry and to our company, and which we also use as the main point of entry for all webinars and live training,” explains Raskin. “On top of that, we’ve partnered with other content providers, such as the Corporate Executive Board and most 42 ISSUE 15.11

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L&D reluctant to use MOOCs Research from Future Workplace has highlighted that although nearly half of companies are keen on choosing and crafting Massive Open Online Courses, Learning and Development teams are the ones most reluctant to use them. A total of 222 HR and learning directors were asked: “Who would be the most resistant to the idea of curating MOOCs?” The answers showed those most reluctant were: • Training staff (44%) • IT department (32%) • Line of business executives (31%) • Employees (25%) • HR (18%) recently (online training platform) Lynda.com to provide additional content within our existing system. “So now, we have upwards of 4,000 courses we can provide online to our staff.” Choy explains MOOCs and online learning units enhance the options of training mix for organisations and individuals, in terms of content structure and design, delivery modes, flexibility of scheduling and learning pathways. “This is in evidenced by what Dioworks is doing in partnership with Udemy, which offers an online MOOC platform to more than eight million users worldwide,” he says. In fact, according to the Coursera Impact Revealed: Learner Outcomes in Open Online Courses study, which was recently released by Coursera, 72% of online learners who completed online courses on the platform reported career benefits (see: boxout).

What’s the end product? Tay says cost factors always matter when it comes to L&D. Lower costs mean more options for employers and employees, especially when it comes to upskilling opportunities. “There are two perspectives to

consider. We should not only ask ‘what is the cost of investing in this’, but also ‘what is the cost of not investing in this,” he explains. “Given that learning will become increasingly ‘mobile’, organisations need to do some serious thinking – not so much on ‘how much to spend’ but rather on ‘what to spend on’ to meet organisatonal needs and manage employees’ expectations.” From Raskin’s perspective, while organisations can cover a lot of ground with MOOCs they also get what they pay for in terms of online courses. It takes resources to provide good programmes that really engage and support employees. “An organisation shouldn’t go for online training if their only goal is saving money; they should go for online training because they want to provide great content to a wide audience and make learning more convenient,” he states. Choy emphasises that the MOOCs selected should fit with the original intent of the strategic L&D blueprints. “The support structure should also be put in place. Some forms of support, including face-to-face sharing sessions, are critical to anchor learning and to encourage application in the workplace. MOOCs can be a powerful resource to complement coaching and mentoring efforts,” he says. He says enterprises can also develop their own MOOCs to upskill their staff. Moreover, Raskin stresses that any firm can find something that works for its employees. “And if not, there are a number of customisable online portals and learning management systems that will allow organisations to create their own intranets with their own bespoke content,” he says. “The main thing is to keep the endgame in mind: what are the main things you need your employees to learn and to keep improving at in order to drive your organisation forward? “That’s how L&D teams can best help their organisations.”

EFFECTIVE MENTORING

Moulding the leaders of tomorrow Mentoring relationships can improve the professional development of both parties and their organisation. HRM explores the advantages and best practices for today’s globalised economy

entors play an important role in an employee’s career. As an individual who has a wealth of experience and knowledge, mentors are in a good position to advise staff, help them fit into the work culture, and navigate through workplace challenges. This is something Chan Wing Git, Vice President of HR at BreadTalk, stresses. Yet, the responsibilities of a mentor do not stop there. Chan identifies the 44 ISSUE 15.11

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other key areas where mentors can provide a helping hand. “The mentors also serve as role models and ambassadors of the company’s core values, and help to model the way for the staff,” he says. “They help to guide the employees on the right path to achieving their personal goals, while also aligning them to the bigger business mission and goals.” While a mentoring programme is obviously seen as a benefit for

Naadiah Badib

naadiah.b@hrmasia.com.sg

the mentee, Imre Vadasz, Regional HR Director at Sony, says there are actually advantages for both parties. “Having the opportunity to discuss any situation, issue, dilemma, or concerns with someone independent in an informal, confidential and open environment can strongly support and accelerate learning, thus enhancing performance,” he says. “At the same time, it is a great opportunity for senior leaders to hear and learn directly from junior

EFFECTIVE MENTORING

employees. This helps them to understand the values, aspirations, feelings and concerns of someone in a different career stage.” At Heineken, mentorships are practiced as part of an effort to groom new trainees and talents with great potential. Annually, the beer company holds an Asia-Pacific graduate programme which comes after a rigorous selection process regionally. “Each Asia Trainee is assigned a mentor for the duration of the programme as we feel it is very important to support them at this early stage of their careers,” Peter Crawshaw, Regional Learning and Development Manager at Heineken Asia-Pacific, explains. On top of this, he adds that mentoring provides an independent sounding board and allows the opportunity for trainees to get feedback in a safe environment. In turn, it provides a great boost to their confidence.

Selection of mentors To help mould individuals into better employees, mentors must first prove that they are able to guide them and showcase their ability to do just that. Specifically at Sony, mentors are selected from a wide range of criterias and are examined beyond their leadership positions. “We select mentors based on their personality and leadership skills, and not based on the position,” says Vadasz. “However, we ensure that mentors are not from the same function as their mentees to minimise dependency, encourage ease of communication, and to provide a different viewpoint.” In a typical session between the two parties, Vadasz shares that the agenda is usually driven by the mentees themselves. It would cover several topics that the mentee is busy with at the time.

“Time is spent talking about career development, and also very often we talk about the ‘big picture’,” he adds. “This is about the company’s corporate mission, how things interlink at the strategic level, and about the ‘how’ and ‘why’. So often, I will hear an ‘ah, now I can see’ response from the mentee.” Sony’s selection procedure is similar to that of BreadTalk. BreadTalk considers all staff with supervisory responsibilities to be mentors, due to the fact that they are already expected to guide their teams to excellence. “We encourage our supervisors, be it of mid or senior management, to take it upon themselves to train and lead the next generation of employees,” Chan explains. “At the same time, we hope that they will get to grow in their roles and hone their leadership skills.” BreadTalk has a more laissezfaire approach for the mentees and employees are able to seek and choose who their mentors are. “In so doing, we hope to encourage our employees to take ownership of their own development,” Chan says. “We have also realised that a forced approach would not be

effective, and it is important that the mentor is someone whom the employee respects, and has a good rapport with.” Conversely, Asia trainees at Heineken are often paired with exemplary senior leaders. “This demonstrates the credibility of the programme and the commitment of our leaders,” Crawshaw shares. “The mentoring assignment also allows our leaders to further hone their people development abilities by engaging and grooming young talent.” Mentees are accountable for the mentoring relationship. He states that once a successful matching has taken place, it is up to the trainee to organise the meetings. “Usually on first meetings, they will agree on the objectives of the mentoring programme and make it more specific to the objectives of the trainee,” he adds.

Helping one another Vadasz shares that mentoring programmes also help to solve a range of challenges that can be faced within the workforce. “It supports potentially different generations to allow us to work better

How to be an effective mentor • Set a mentorship goal: Find a goal you’re passionate about and get involved in a group that aligns with it. Both you and your mentee will get more out of it. • Dedicate time: Once you know how much time isn’t taken up by your business, figure out how much you can use to give back. • Know the qualities of a good mentee: Familiarise yourself with the qualities of a good mentee. Someone who has the potential to grow will jump through hoops to do so. • Cut when necessary: This may sound harsh, but your time is valuable. If a mentee has some critical flaws, don’t be afraid to say no to the relationship. Ask questions such as, does he respect your time by being punctual? Does he accept constructive criticism well? Finally, don’t forget that this should be a mutually beneficial relationship. Source: “Four Tips for Getting the Most Out of Becoming a Mentor” from Entrepreneur

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EFFECTIVE MENTORING

“Effective mentorships will motivate and retain our key talent, strengthen our culture of growing these future leaders, reinforce our values and behaviours, and accelerate the growth of the trainees” Peter Crawshaw, Regional Learning and Development Manager, Heineken Asia-Pacific.

together, enhance teamwork, and even have a positive effect on managing diversity,” he says. “It all starts with a better understanding of another person, value and benefit from a different viewpoint.” At BreadTalk, a team of senior staff make the time and effort to help to mentor their subordinates. In one example, production heads spend time to impart their pastry making skills to the younger bakers. Additionally, several senior management staff share tips on how the people in charge can improve the management of outlets. “Such formal and informal sharing help to accelerate the learning and development of our employees, resulting in a more productive and engaged workforce overall,” Chan explains. “The benefits are two-way. While the new employees learn from the mentors, the mentors also widen their perspectives when working with the new colleagues and improve their people management skills.” 46 ISSUE 15.11

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Heineken sees such opportunities as a useful tool to retain their highpotential talents, and further improve employees who are already excelling in their jobs. “Effective mentorships will motivate and retain our key talent, strengthen our culture of growing these future leaders, reinforce our

How are you impacting your mentee? A survey by the Internet Marketing Association identified the key areas that an individual mentoring relationship should touch upon. They are: • Strong personal branding • Business ethics • Persistence • Clear communication • Exposure to new experiences.

values and behaviours, and accelerate the growth of the trainees,” Crawshaw shares.

Tables turned The satisfaction of grooming younger employees to become better professionals plays a vital part in boosting a mentor’s professional development, even in HR itself. “The mentoring process has taught me a lot in the area of people management,” says Chan. “Specifically, I have learnt to listen better, to empathise, understand challenges and concerns from another person’s perspective, and to suggest constructive ideas to help my officers achieve their work aspirations and resolve problems.” He says these skills have been relevant not just in his role as a mentor, but in being an effective leader and a professional. For Vadasz, the mentoring programmes has helped him in both his professional and personal lives. “These conversations are always refreshing for me, where I learn a lot from my mentees,” he shares. “I learn from their feedback and from their questions, and many times I also ask them about dilemmas I have and ask for their opinion because naturally they often see things from a very different perspective.” Crawshaw also emphasises that it has been a two way learning process for his own career as well. “Not only have I taken huge satisfaction from engaging with and contributing to the trainees’ development, it has also certainly helped build my own skills, both personally and professionally,” he says. “This has especially taught me about listening more empathetically, giving and receiving feedback, and continuously working out what my strengths are, and what improvements will assist me in my career development.”

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Four critical steps to practical analysis

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR With Big Data making waves in the HR space, guest contributors Awie Foong and Derrick Yuen argue that taking a practical approach to analytics is key to sustained success. Here, they provide a detailed description of how companies can benefit from the virtuous cycle of practical analytics

hen English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge penned “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink…” in his poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner towards the end of the eighteenth century, the world as he knew it could not have been a more different place. Yet, this often repeated phrase is probably just as applicable today in our technologically advanced commercial world, as it was during the time when those poor hapless sailors were envisioned by Coleridge to have suffered the misfortune of being stranded at sea. One of the effects of living in a digital age is that data, particularly in an electronic form, is constantly being produced all around us. Data is almost always found in abundance; however, for the longest time, no one really knew how to make much sense of it. This tremendous potential is now achieving a measure of recognition and realisation, and the tide is finally turning. Companies are slowly realising the value and are thus making better use of the data around them; some have even found real success in doing so. The term “Big Data” was coined to denote the ambition and eagerness of business executives to gather knowledge beyond the boundaries of their own organisations and to integrate their own data with data from the wider world. Some governments too, have begun to keep a look out for Big Data solutions in an effort to improve their policy making decisions. Amid the growing excitement surrounding Big Data, the undercurrent is the universal theoretical recognition that factual insights based on rigorous analyses always help decision makers. That is true whether analytics is used to augment senior leaders’ experience and intuition, or whether it is used to form the core reference from which decisions are derived. This therefore begs the question, “How can we convert that theory into reality?”

This undertaking is not without its challenges. To successfully do so first requires the establishment of a certain analytics regime and related capabilities. The good news is that this need not involve large-scale or complicated operations; there are usually sufficient sources and quantities of data already residing within the control of an organisation that can reveal a great deal about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks that such an organisation faces; all this even before embarking on the Big Data journey. This article details a four-step approach to practical analytics (see: figure 1). With the right approach, any organisation, whether large or small, can enjoy the benefits that analytics brings.

Figure 1: Intuitive Reporting Enhanced Capabilities

Impactful Insights

Fact-based Decisions The Four Critical Steps to Practical Analytics – A Virtuous Cycle

Reports that tell a story

The journey begins with a practical approach to data reporting. The volumes of data generated with every transaction or operation are a veritable gold mine; but the real challenge depends on how well this data can be turned into useful and accessible information from which decisions can be based. To put it another way, how can intuitive reporting turn traditional data reports into a dynamic, and interactive tool that tells a coherent story? ISSUE 15.11

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR A very different approach is required, beginning with the right set of business questions. Knowing the right questions allows the analytics team to formulate the right metrics, and that in turn, helps in identifying the right sources of data to focus on. Put simply, if the compass isn’t working properly, you probably won’t get to where you need to be. It’s not uncommon for some organisations to put the cart before the horse and attempt to determine the metrics first. However, this approach seldom results in deriving the intended benefit. The other crucial element of intuitive reporting is the interactivity of the reporting tool. This means that the same version of a report can be elevated to different strategic levels, allowing it, on the one hand, to speak volumes to senior executives, while at the same time, ensuring it can also be drilled down in order to assist an entirely different audience in understanding the issues, say, at an operational level.

Insights that help connect the dots

Important insights can often be made when data from different business functions and disparate origins are appropriately connected. For example, a general manager of a consumer products company in Singapore discovered the need to improve business process efficiency when employee survey data was connected to sales, operations and external market data. The analysis revealed that despite low employee turnover and strong engagement scores, the employees suffered from poor worklife balance. As the general manager wanted to further improve productivity levels, he learned through analytics that the best way to achieve this, within an increasingly competitive talent market, would be through non-labour intensive strategies. In another example, after suffering persistently high levels of employee turnover which threatened the longterm sustainability of one of their plants in China, the manufacturing vice president of a multinational company learnt that economic transformation forces were the main driving factors of this phenomenon. This, in turn, led him 50 ISSUE 15.11

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to initiate a strategic planning process in order to better secure the future of the plant, which included bringing high value-add production activities and conducting an assessment of alternative plant locations.

Analytics that help decision making

According to a recent survey of C-suites executives by the Aberdeen Group, entitled Analytics in the C-Suit: Fortifying the Executive Decision, 40% of the C-Suite executives polled expressed concern over the many business decisions made “based on inaccurate or incomplete data”. Indeed, the ultimate objective of analytics is to improve decision making in strategic planning, performance improvement, and operational excellence. However, the evidence suggests its current levels of penetration within the market could do with more breadth as well as depth. So how can organisations stop missing out? Our view is that organisations must recognise that analytics can and should be critical to decision making; and this can happen in at least two key ways. Firstly, we believe that analytics can “connect-the-dots” and therefore provide a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the issues at hand. For instance, sales effectiveness is an issue that requires the integration of finance, sales, marketing and HR functions. Secondly, analytics is critical in evaluating and challenging assumptions, and eventually validating the hypotheses that senior leadership may have hitherto held close to their hearts. Some assumptions that may have been valid in the past may now not hold true under present circumstances; while others may simply be contextspecific and hence, not relevant in other situations. For example, on a previous occasion, we had discovered that workforce productivity need not necessarily have a positive impact on profit margins within the banking sector in the same way that it had within the retail and pharmaceutical sectors. When an important decision is based on one or more assumptions, those assumptions need to be carefully evaluated; or at

the very least, augmented by adequate analytical evidence.

Building personal and organisational capabilities.

The message is clear. Analytics is a good thing, and it should be considered as both a functional competency as well as an organisational capability. How then can this be crystallised within an organisation? At an individual level, competency in analytics requires both hard technical skills, including data skills (sourcing, collection, mining, manipulation, and visualisation) and analytical skills (statistical analysis, modeling, and programming); as well as a set of soft analytical skills (data interpretation, pattern recognition, connecting the dots, and storytelling). These form the basic building blocks of data analysis. Analytics capabilities should ideally be built across business functions. Simply having individuals with data and analytics skills in one part of the house may not be enough to bring impactful change throughout the entire household. For organisational analytics capabilities to flourish, an environment must comprise of a blend of the abovementioned “hard” infrastructure, “soft” data-driven culture, and strong organisational level support. Indeed, like Rome, analytics capabilities simply cannot be built in a day. In fact, the formation of an organisation-wide data-driven culture may take years. It is therefore appropriate to consider both “hard” and “soft” capability-building alongside organisational maturity. By adhering to the four practical steps of intuitive reporting, drawing insights by connecting the dots, making fact-based decisions, and continuously enhancing analytics capabilities, every organisation can position itself well to harness the power and benefits of analytics. Still not convinced about what analytics can do for you? Think about it this way; imagine how different things might have been for Coleridge’s sailors if they had the means to desalinate sea water. That’s the kind of sea change that analytics is starting to bring to organisations today. You should be tempted.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR ABOUT THE AUTHORS Awie Foong, PhD

Derrick Yuen, MBA

Awie Foong is a principal consultant at FYT Consulting. He has more than 12 years of analytics and consulting experience with top management consulting firms and multinational corporations. In his previous role, Foong led the formation and establishment of the People Analytics Centre of Excellence for a multinational healthcare company. In this global role, he consulted the business and HR leaders on a wide range of people-related issues, including talent strategy, green field investment, employee engagement and talent development. Foong obtained his PhD in Organisational Behaviour and Knowledge Management from the National University of Singapore. He also holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering; and is a subjectmatter-expert in the field of labour and socio-economics.

Derrick Yuen is a principal consultant at FYT Consulting. He has more than 12 years of analytics experience across various functions including finance, operations and HR. He has also worked across industries in both the private and public sectors. In his previous role, Yuen led the design and delivery of a workforce analytics programme for a large Singapore statutory board with more than 2000 staff. This included designing data systems, visualisations, and training, as well as delivering proofs of concept for the application of workforce analytics in risk assessments, new hire turnover and employee engagement. Yuen graduated with an MBA from the University of Southern California and holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the National University of Singapore.

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HIGH TURNOVER

TURNING OFF THE TURNOVER TAP

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HIGH TURNOVER

There is no running away from the fact that organisations continue to feel the heat from the turnover enigma. But how can HR play an instrumental role in fixing this issue? HRM investigates

Sham Majid sham@hrmasia.com.sg

lthough Finian Toh, Associate resignation rate rose marginally over the Director - HR Practice, Kerry quarter to 1.9%. Consulting, acknowledges that the Ministry According to Toh, the turnover rate of Manpower’s Labour Market Second in Singapore for the remaining 2015 is Quarter 2015 report showed that turnover expected to remain rather subdued, due has remained low this year, as evidenced to uncertain global market conditions by the low average monthly recruitment and cautious hiring expectations. and resignation figures, he stresses that “A recent survey revealed that 82% high turnover is not a thing of the past. of participants expressed uncertainty “Organisations operating in the about the job market in 2015. But it is emerging economies, such as in China, interesting to note that an overwhelming India and Southeast Asia have to cope majority (80%) are still considering with high staff turnover,” he says. changing jobs in 2015,” he says. Indeed, according to the Investing Nevertheless, Toh’s sentiment into Asia’s reform landscape: Asia Business that turnover is still very much at the Outlook Survey 2015 report, proportions forefront of companies’ thoughts is also of staff turnover seem to be rising echoed by Bruno Marchand, Manager across the region. HR and Business Support, Robert Walters The report cited that organisations Singapore, and Jaya Dass, Country Director, operating in the fastest-growing Randstad Singapore. economies, particularly “High turnover is China, India and still not a thing of Southeast Asia, are the past despite the dealing with doublefact that we have digit staff turnover rates seen more companies (see: boxout). strengthening their Respondents in Singapore were Staff turnover is employee wellbeing and asked how likely they were to termed by the report retention programme consider switching jobs over the next as “the percentage of strategies,” highlights 12 months. They responded: workers that must be Marchand. replaced each year”. Dass meanwhile, • Very likely: 41% “Competition for argues that high • Quite likely: 26% talent is even more turnover is also not • Not likely: 20% acute due to the lack of quite a past notion • Unsure: 13% qualified talent, rising as Singapore is still a Source: The 2015 Michael Page salaries, and hence, this robust market globally Singapore Employee Intentions Report has pushed up turnover and continues to see rates in such markets.” movement of talent. Toh says turnover rates are indicative “In the 2015 Randstad Award findings, of the unique labour market dynamics of 30% of the polled population stated that different industries. they were looking to change employers “For example, the retail and food and in the next 12 months. This will only beverage industries typically have higher likely slow down if the economy goes turnover rates because of their heavy into a recession,” she explains. reliance on contractors to cope with fluctuations in demand,” he states. Threats of turnover The Labour Market Second Quarter 2015 According to Marchand, high turnover report deduced that labour turnover in poses a number of significant potential Singapore stayed largely at five-year perils for businesses. lows in the second quarter of 2015. The Firstly, he cites the aspects of seasonally adjusted recruitment rate financial and time investments. remained unchanged at 2.4% while the “Companies spend a good amount of

Employee turnover in 2016

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HIGH TURNOVER time interviewing and hiring employees or replacement staff. There is additional money spent in the recruitment process via agencies or other recruitment tools,” he elaborates. Interestingly, the 2015 Michael Page Singapore Employee Intentions Report reveals that “a high volume of interviewing activity among jobseekers is expected to translate into high staff turnover for employers”. Marchand says the time spent training the new hire and the period of time before the new employee gets up to speed with the business and becomes efficient also impacts productivity. Thirdly, he says high turnover is also likely to lower the morale of other employees seeing their colleagues leaving. “It is inevitable that some may perceive a problem in the company and start a new job search too,” he adds. From Dass’ perspective, with a two per cent unemployment rate in Singapore, she says there is a constant talent crunch and a chronic shortage of talent locally. “Turnover is always a serious issue for employers in Singapore. According to findings from our 2015 Randstad Awards, 29% of those surveyed left their jobs due to a lack of career growth opportunities, 26% due to poor leadership and 24% resigned as a result of low compensation,” explains Dass. “This means employers need to be mindful of their organisational climate and understand the key push factors that are spurring candidates to move. The cost of hiring and retraining a new employee (both in terms of time and resources) will almost always be higher than retaining top quality talent.” She stresses that this is why firms should adopt a greater focus on retaining their high performing staff, which will enhance their productivity over the long term. Her counterpart Toh says regardless of the size of companies, high turnover will undermine productivity, quality and profitability. “Generally, reducing employee turnover has a direct impact on the bottom line as

Annual staff turnover in 2014 China

12.9%

India

11.9%

Southeast Asia

11.5%

Australia/New Zealand

8.5%

South Korea

6.5%

Japan

4.8%

Source: Economist Corporate Network Asia Business Outlook Survey 2015

resources saved from not having to recruit and train replacement employees can be directed to other needs,” he explains. “Each employee who resigns is costly. This is because all the resources spent in training and developing the individual walk out the door with that employee. Additionally, high turnover rates are disruptive to the continuity of service to clients.” Toh says it is especially challenging in industries that rely heavily on client relationships. “Consistent relationships with clients help to foster strong loyalty to the company as a consistent and highquality level of service can be provided by competent staff that don’t change often,” he says.

Employees keeping tabs as well In The 2015 SHRM/Globoforce Employee Recognition Report, a significant 40% of HR professionals listed ‘employee retention and turnover’ as their top organisation challenge in 2015. However, Toh reveals that high turnover concerns are not solely restricted to employers only. “Candidates do take into consideration an organisaton’s turnover when deciding to take up the job offer from that particular organisation,” he explains.

“This is because high turnover is a telltale sign of an organisation’s culture, workplace dynamics, environment, and management practices.” Dass says employees are definitely aware of the negative impact job hopping can have on their careers. “They are selective about moving to the next opportunity and see value in only moving for the right reasons,” she remarks. Marchand also agrees that employees are turning their thoughts towards the notion of turnover. “It can lower productivity as there are new employees who have to be trained and the remaining employees have to fill the gaps and work extensive hours in some cases with increased workload and more pressure. This will also impact employer branding,” he says.

HR leading the fight So, how can HR position itself as a weapon to combat high turnover? Marchand reinforces his view that the role of HR is imperative to fighting high turnover, and through several different strategies. Firstly, he says HR should track turnover rate and analyse the reasons for departures through exit interviews. “They can then identify the key push ISSUE 15.11

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factors behind employees leaving, analyse trends, and make strategic organisational changes. Problems can stem from a top-down management approach or the lack of benefits in the company,” he elaborates. Secondly, he advocates the enhancement of training and onboarding processes such as providing new recruits with an individual mentor, a proper welcome on the first day, as well as a formal review of internal policies and procedures. Marchand also urges HR to conduct a strong follow up on new recruit’s performance levels and check on how they are coping in the company to quickly identify any potential issues. He also advises HR to boost employee engagement by suggesting new projects to keep employees motivated and engaged. Compensation and benefits is another aspect HR should look into to curb high turnover. Marchand says employees who are appreciated will have a higher level of job satisfaction and will feel more valued by the company. Lastly, he also encourages HR to focus on career progression. “We have seen companies roll out and implement listed tools and measures,” he adds. 56 ISSUE 15.11

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“However not every industry or organisation has the same practices. Permitting flexible working hours or working from home are other examples to assist employees in having a good work-life balance.” Dass also concurs that “HR’s role is critical in addressing turnover”. “It is a function that is all encompassing, from compensation and benefits, to training and development, and from employee engagement to organisational development,” she explains.

Revealed: HR challenges According to The 2015 SHRM/Globoforce Employee Recognition Report, the top three challenges faced by HR organisations today are turnover, employee engagement, and succession planning. The top organisational challenges cited by HR professionals in 2015 included: • Employee retention/turnover (40%) • Employee engagement (39%) • Succession planning (35%) • Recruitment (29%) • Culture management (24%)

“Attracting the right talent, grooming and nurturing them, and providing them with opportunities for growth are functions of HR to ensure that turnover is contained and managed at the right levels.” According to Dass, employee engagement, looking at an employee’s life cycle within the organisation, workforce planning, improved hiring practices, and on-boarding have increasingly become key areas of focus for HR practitioners. “HR practices have evolved to cope with changing generational needs and employee sentiments,” says Dass. “With four generations in the workforce, HR is more aware of designing policies and schemes that address the varying needs and look at their people and talent development issues proactively rather than retrospectively.” Toh also reaffirms the proactive stance that HR must adopt to tackle high turnover. “Examples of what HR can do is to develop proactive employee retention strategies which includes improving employee communication and engagement, and increasing learning and development opportunities,” he says. “Organisations that have strong employee development practices enjoy higher employee satisfaction, which leads to lower turnover. Evidently, employees will have little reason to look for external opportunities where each employee has a well-structured development plan that is regularly reviewed and contains a variety of growth opportunities.” In addition, Toh stresses that employee communication needs to be pervasive and consistent. He says it is insufficient to have a monthly staff newsletter or town hall meetings. “Communication needs to take many different forms and be a constant priority for all management levels,” he explains. “HR professionals who are effective in reducing turnover do better by ensuring that they are hiring people of the right ‘fit’ as opposed to simply hiring people quickly just to fill headcount. Hence, a lot more thought needs to be devoted to having a tight interview and selection process.”

EMPLOYEE REWARDS + BIG DATA CONGRESS COMPENSATION & REWARDS • BIG DATA & TALENT ANALYTICS

24-25 November 2015 | Kuala Lumpur Part 1: Compensation & Rewards Congress features interactive peer-to-peer interactive roundtable discussions, best practices and practical solutions to address today’s pressing issues faced by heads of compensation & benefits, rewards, performance and HR strategy in the region. The event will examine crucial issues around everything employees value in their employment relationship - Compensation, Benefits, Work-life Effectiveness, Performance & Recognition and Development & Career Opportunities. Part 2: Big Data & Talent Analytics Congress will be the first event in the region to help you and your team develop data-driven decision making skills to effectively transition from simple HR reporting to strategic workforce analytics. Find out how to align your metrics with your business strategy and create a buy-in for your analytics initiatives.

Featured speakers: Shazmi Ali Human Resource Director PFIZER

Gan Sow Chat Asia Pacific Benefits Director HONEYWELL

Andrew Ng Human Resources Director SANOFI

Yeoh Sai Yew Group Head, Rewards & People Services AIR ASIA

Asha Menon Director, Human Resources & Administration (Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam & Cambodia) AGILITY

Eli Wong Head of Cluster – Human Resources MAERSK

Akmal Niza Ahmad Head, Compensation & Benefits PETRONAS

Frank Trampert CEO & Director TUNE HOTELS GROUP

Mohit Tandon Chief Operating Officer EASTSPRING INVESTMENTS

Chloe Gan Associate Director, HR ARVATO SYSTEMS

Hari Nair Head - Business Partnership & Continuous Improvement BASF PETRONAS CHEMICALS

Bandhana Rai Talent Acquisition Director DELL

Mei-lynn Chan EVP & Head Group Organization Development & Human Capital Group Technology MAYBANK GROUP

Ng Yee Zer Greater Asia Region Talent Marketplace Program Manager INTEL

Animesh Mukherjee Head, Human Resource Centre of Expertise DIGI TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Supporting Organisation:

Supporting Partner:

To register, please visit www.hrmcongress.com or email us at info@hrmasia.com.sg

CORPORATE LEARNING

THE SOFTER SIDE

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OF THINGS The impact of having soft skills cannot be undermined. What are the important soft skills required by HR professionals? HRM finds out Muneerah Bee muneerah.b@hrmasia.com.sg

hile there is often a strong emphasis placed on technical skills and competencies in the workforce, the area of soft skills should also not be overlooked. HR professionals in particular have a lot to gain from learning soft skills, even if they are often viewed as being less tangible. A CareerBuilder survey from last year showed that 77% of employers believe that soft skills are just as important as hard skills. Soft skills have proven to be vital to an individual’s success in their workplace and it is often said that while hard skills can get you an interview with a potential employer, it is the soft skills that get you the job. Having good soft skills also allows an individual to stand out among a crowd of applicants.

The HR perspective Research by Hay Group has found that 92% of HR directors in China, India and the US believe that social and emotional skills are increasingly important as organisational structures evolve in today’s business environment. Soft skills are also important to HR professionals specifically, as the HR function permeates through an organisation at all levels. “With multi-dimensional responsibilities and communication channels, the ability to connect emotionally and rationally with various stakeholders is vital to drive performance and results,” Christina Ho, Head of Executive Development Services, Marketing Institute of Singapore, says.

While HR jobs require hard skills, such as handling IT systems, developing task lists, operational checklists, and reviews, HR professionals also need soft skills to engage and motivate employees. So what are some of the coveted soft skills needed by HR professionals in their roles? Learning and Development professionals HRM spoke to list a number of valued qualities, including emotional intelligence, influencing and persuasion skills, interpersonal skills, critical thinking, team skills, communication, and problem-solving skills. For example, effective vertical and lateral communication skills include being aware of verbal and non-verbal cues. This requires active listening skills along with the ability to ask powerful questions, based on analysis of what the other person has just said, either through their words, tone or body language. “It might seem to be a truism but people will only work with each other if they

communicate and understand what each other’s expectations are,” Theresa Ong, Coaching Division Manager of Executive Coach International, says. She adds HR professionals also need to master, analyse and understand team dynamics as some employees may be great individual contributors but may not produce the same good results when they have to work in a team. “Therefore, the HR professional must understand how a group works, how to identify personal chemistry issues, and how to bring the best out of people.” Likening HR professionals to a football coach, Ong says they have to know how to make their top players perform at their peak. “This often means that all the staff need to believe in the organisation’s strategy and understand where they are going. Creating such a powerful story is also part of the HR professionals’ required skill set,” she adds.

Sussing out soft skills A study by Hay Group, which included interviews with more than 200 Australian and New Zealand business leaders, shows around 80% of organisations used personality testing when evaluating employees, while 68% used assessment tools to measure ability, and 40% screened for emotional intelligence. Only 35% of assessments were being used to evaluate job-specific skills, and less than half, 40%, used a competency framework to assess all roles.

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Pearson’s Mindset for winners workshop While training allows HR professionals to understand frameworks and techniques, it will take effort and dexterity to apply the knowledge to different situations because there is no fixed formula when it comes to dealing with people. “Understanding the context of the situation, applying the right technique, and topping it up with a dose of empathy usually makes up a good recipe. However, this is no panacea to all problems as people are in a state of constant change,” Ho explains.

Bridging the soft skills gap While the importance of soft skills has been clearly established and identified, some employers may struggle to plug the gap it exposes. The Employer Perspectives on Soft Skills 2014 survey by the Washington State HR Council found that a large majority of respondents said that sourcing for candidates with needed soft skills was “extremely challenging” (19%) or “somewhat challenging” (52%). To bridge this disparity, HR professionals can tap on soft skills training opportunities available in the market. Linda Lim, Manager of Vocational and Corporate Sales, Pearson Singapore and Malaysia, explains, “Soft skills can be trained in a couple of ways. Qualifications like the Business and Technology Education Council’s courses make soft skills an integral part of learning hard skills, where participants need to demonstrate skills such as teamwork, 60 ISSUE 15.11

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leadership, and presentation in order to succeed. Other courses focus purely on soft skills either as a group, or target a particular area like communication.” Coaching can also be a very powerful tool as it helps HR professionals to listen actively, understand what is said as well as what is unsaid, to analyse employees’ driving factors, and to build high performing teams. “We have seen a rise in HR professionals attending our Professional Coach Training Programme (PCTP),” Ong, a professional certified coach, says. “They recognise the benefits of having relevant coaching skillsets that can forward them in their careers.

Top 10 sought after soft skills The most popular soft skills companies look for when hiring are: • Strong work ethic (73%) • Dependability (73%) • Positive attitude (72%) • Self-motivation (66%) • Team-orientation (60%) • Organisation skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities (57%) • Ability to work well under pressure (57%) • Effective communication (56%) • Flexibility (51%) • Confidence (46%) Source: CareerBuilder survey in 2014

Participants have learned how to refine their communication styles to fit the person, and how to better work team dynamics.” By guiding, rather than directing and ordering employees, coaching can empower and make participants feel responsible for their work and respective projects. During the PCTP, learners are also exposed to a tried and tested model to enhance staff performance. As soft skills are integral to success in any role, and at every stage of someone’s career, Lim says an organisation where employees are armed with great soft skills will be more collaborative, efficient, and innovative.

Can they be learned? Soft skills are often associated with an individual’s personality traits, and some may doubt that they can be learned and adjusted through training programmes. But while nature, genetics and hereditary factors do play a part, there is still plenty of room for nurturing someone’s abilities and soft skills. Ong shared an example of a client in the civil service who wanted to create breakthroughs in his career and in his communication skillsets, specifically, to be able to speak publicly with confidence and flair. However, he was held back by his own fears. “Through coaching, he gained greater self-awareness of how he often wanted to play down his own abilities, and was able to better manage the way he approached his work and public speaking. Moreover, he deepened relationships with his colleagues, resulting in a more vibrant workplace and career progression,” she recalls. Describing soft skills as both art and science, Ho says that while families, external and social environments influence the way people think and act, psychological and physical behaviours are constantly changing due to the intrinsic capability to infer meaning and to adapt to those external stimulus. “The fact that we are not static in our responses to different situations, means

CORPORATE LEARNING that soft skills can definitely be learned and adjusted through training,” she says. “Although it might take a lot of conscientious effort and practice in the initial stages, it will come a little more naturally after conditioning the mind and internalising the processes.” Similarly, Lim opines that even if soft skills are inherited, they can still be developed for optimal success. “It is definitely easier to develop these skills for someone who naturally has a positive and driven disposition, but for someone who does not have, it can be built upon,” says Lim.

Applicable at all stages So at which point of a HR practitioner’s career are soft skills most important? A workforce survey by the British Chambers of Commerce, entitled Developing the Talents of the Next Generation, found that 57% of employers believe a lack

of soft skills such as communication, resilience and team working, is the main reason why young people are unprepared when they enter the workforce. While it is necessary to have soft skills from the start of a career as they instil consistency and help a worker move up the corporate ladder, employees need to keep in mind that soft skills require constant training and evolution. They will have to keep upgrading and updating themselves with personal development tools throughout their careers. HR professionals will require soft skills at all levels of their careers. “While typically the importance of soft skills typically tends to rise in tandem with one’s career pathway, this is not the case with HR practitioners,” Ho says. “Due to the intensity and amount of human interactions with various stakeholders, they need to be well prepared at all times and at all levels.”

Long-term contributor Learning soft skills is not only beneficial to the HR function and its practitioners alone. It can also contribute to the wider organisation’s success over the long run. With better soft skills, HR practitioners improve their ability to select the right candidates to join the company, and will also be more in tune to employees’ motivations. Thus, they can devise learning and development programmes that are aligned and tailored to meet their aspirations. HR can also help employees to evolve from individual contributors to effective team members, and in turn, develop more cohesive teams that will benefit the organisation’s revenue streams. It can also have a ripple effect throughout the organisation, as HR professionals who acquired the right set of skills can becom vocates in training other employees, Lim adds.

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+ PLUS Featuring 2-Day L&D Analytics for ROI Masterclass REGISTER NOW & DOUBLE YOUR ROI! 2-for-1 Package FOR 2-Day Masterclass + 2-Day Congress!

Learning Innovations 2016 Evolving Roles, Enhancing Skills

2-Day Congress: 20 - 21 January 2016 Post-Congress 2-Day Masterclass: 26 - 27 January 2016 Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel

As markets shift and the war for talent intensifies, companies must switch gears to ensure the sustainability of their businesses. Are you on that train? Featured speakers: Raman Sidhu Global Learning Manager, Shell Eastern Petroleum

Makarand Tare Regional Talent Director - Asia Pacific McCann Health

Megan Scott Second Vice President, Talent Development Northern Trust Corporation

Jeanette Tan Deputy Director, Talent, Learning & Development IDA

Philippe Bonnet Vice President, Global Head Learning & Development, Human Resources Essilor International

Phillip Raskin Learning & Development Director, Asia Constituency Management Group (CMG)

Fermin Diez, CCP, SPHR Fermin Diez Ilja (M) Rijnen has more than 30 years of experience in human resources, FerminCEO Diez & Deputy Group Regional Human Director Director Asia which includes consulting, corporate and academic roles Resources in 40 countries National Council for Pacific & India in all continents. Social Service The Edrington Group As a consultant he has advised major multinationals, large local companies and public sector organisations at the Board and C-Suite levels. He has also managed the P&L in several geographical locations and businesses.

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L&D Analytics for ROI Masterclass 26 - 27 January 2016 MASTERCLASS TRAINER INTERNATIONAL L&D ANALYTICS GURU Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D. Chairman

Learning Analytics for ROI is a 2-Day masterclass designed to provide a highly interactive, hands-on, practical introduction to L&D analytics by looking at the variety of data that can be collected, analysed and visualised to prove the ROI of your L&D programmes.

As an HR leader, he has been Regional Head of HR for two large MNCs in Asia Pacific and in Latin America. Currently he is Deputy CEO at the National Council for Social Service

To register, please visit www.hrmcongress.com or email us at info@hrmasia.com.sg

Fermin is an Adjunct Professor at both SMU and NTU. He co-authored the book â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Human Capital and Global Business Strategyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; along with Dean Howard Thomas and Rick Smith from SMU. Fermin has also previously taught Business Policy and Strategic Planning. He has been teaching WorldatWork course for more than 10 years in the US, Puerto Rico, Australia, the UK, Malaysia,

HRCLINIC When it comes to talent management, what is the difference between coaching and mentoring?

oaching is about helping individuals to achieve specific outcomes, be they performance improvement or enhancement of a particular issue at work. Coaching helps to identify the issues impeding excellence and provides solutions to improve the outcome. Coaching usually has specified performance objectives, and the relationship may also end upon the achievement of those objectives. Mentoring is more holistic in nature. Mentors have a vested interest in the overall development and career progression of their mentees and will take a longer term view of the person as a whole. A mentor is usually someone more senior who can offer a great listening ear, provide good advice in return and, open doors for the mentee. It is driven by establishing a trusting relationship, as compared to the performance of a specific task. From a talent management perspective, it is important to discern these differences as they apply

SEVEN

to a fairly unique set of circumstances for staff. If weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking to increase the performance of a particular team or individual, coaching could very well be adequate. The selection of the coach could be a subject matter expert within the organisation who could offer their specific expertise. Mentoring on the other hand will require more commitment and planning. Nurturing identified high potentials would be a good setting for when mentoring would be effective. Caution however, must be taken to ensure that the right mentor-mentee fit is in place. If a rapport cannot be established between them, it would be difficult to build a fruitful mentoring relationship.

Benjamin Festin

Assistant Vice President of HR (Talent Management), MediaCorp

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

9.00 AM I am generally on minimum efficiency without my first cup of coffee and hence, that is the first task to complete before logging in to clear the emails that are outstanding from the night before.

10.00 AM

Ronald Tay Executive Director and Head of Talent, Asia (excluding Japan), Nomura International

Typically, this would be the most productive part of my day and I would devote the energy to spend time designing new programmes, team management planning, or aligning global strategies into regional implementation.

12.00 PM I make it a point to meet a new contact once a week for lunch. The remaining appointments would include colleagues (both former and existing) as

well as vendors that partner closely with our firm.

2.00 PM This would generally consist of team meetings, stakeholder meetings with internal HR colleagues, or meetings with vendors. Alternatively, my team may require me to facilitate a half-day training session for employees.

4.00 PM This is the time that our European colleagues would typically start their day, and also when I will start my global calls with these counterparts on joint projects.

6.00 PM No matter how much of a backlog of work I have for the

day, this timeslot is generally reserved for a quick one hour workout at the gym.

7.00 PM I will dedicate an extra 30 minutes or an hour to clear any remaining work but would aim to leave the office by 8.00pm to have dinner or drinks with friends.

9.00 PM During the work week, I would have two night conference calls on average with other global counterparts who have started their day. These consist of updates and global management calls. Otherwise, I tend not to check my Blackberry at night in order to unwind and to also not stress my team excessively.

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HRM CONGRESS HIGHLIGHT

HRM CONGRESS POST EVENT REPORT

Fostering excellence in shared services

or the third time in three years, HRM Asia’s HR Service Delivery Congress was a formidable success. Held at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel on 28 – 29 September 2015, the highly engaging event brought a lively group of HR leaders together to discuss strategies for bringing service delivery to the next level. This two-day congress and workshop featured multiple roundtable discussions on different challenges faced by HR leaders, and touched on different challenges within HR operations. These included aspects such as engaging and keeping talent in operations roles. The presentations and case studies from leading companies in the field, along with interactive debate from participants confirmed the need for sharing of best practices as more organisations embark on the journey of forming or creating HR shared services. Furthermore, change management and communication strategy for

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change were highlighted as two of the most critical issues in the current business environment. HRM Asia’s post congress workshops were also well received by participants, who were able to add further to their in-depth understanding of blended service delivery. Participants also discussed how to help their companies develop the optimal model. The Change Management skills and frameworks also proved to be very helpful for participants in enhancing their communication and project management skills during times of change. HRM Asia would like to extend a very special ‘thank you’ to all the speakers who took time out of their busy schedules to share their experiences, thoughts, and case studies. It is through the support of our amazing line-up of HR professionals and business leaders that we are able to continue to

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 that you continue to participate in our upcoming HR congresses.

UPCOMING CONGRESS HRM Asia is proud to be your partner in progress and professional development. We bring you quality conferences and training and have many exciting congresses and masterclasses in the upcoming months. Mark your calendar now! • Anti-Corruption & Whistleblowing Practices Masterclass 4 – 5 November 2015, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza • The Talent Congress 18 – 19 November 2015, Singapore • Employee Rewards + Big Data Congress 24 – 25 November 2015, Singapore

TALENT

LADDER

Dalena Lee

Philippa Penfold

Kim Leech

PayPal has recently appointed Dalena Lee as its Talent Acquisition Partner. In her new role, Lee will oversee PayPal’s talent acquisition activities across all corporate functions, including finance, marketing, and sales in Singapore, Southeast Asia and India. Prior to this new role, Lee was a consultant in the HR division of Robert Walters for one and a half years. “Being in an agency setting really pushed me to develop resilience, commercial savviness and confidence in dealing with people across all levels,” she said. “My original plan was to get about two to three years of agency experience before going back inhouse, but the opportunity with PayPal came up and got me excited!” Lee brings with her five-and-a-half years of work experience and specialised skills in talent acquisition. She hopes that her new position will play a key role in PayPal’s success. “We are a people-driven company, and I really do believe that identifying and attracting the right talent is essential to the company’s success,” she said. “I hope to always find the best people to bring in to our business, improve our recruitment processes, and work towards establishing PayPal as the preferred employer in the market.”

Philippa Penfold has been appointed as the HR and Talent Director, Asia-Pacific for GroupM. Her responsibilities entails supporting GroupM’s agencies including Mediacom, Maxus, MEC, Mindshare, Vocanic and Xaxis, across the Asia-Pacific region. She will also provide thought leadership on HR practices, and design new and creative talent initiatives to address business challenges. Prior to this, Penfold was an Organisational Change Manager, supporting the restructure of BHP Billiton’s Global Business Information Services. She was also previously a senior consultant in Mercer’s Talent Practice and held regional level HR roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Penfold’s experience covers most areas of HR. Recently, she specialised in supporting business transformation through change management and organisation development. However, her interest is at the convergence of management science, strategy and HR. On her new role, Penfold said, “My aim is to design and implement HR programmes that address these issues and create a workplace in which young, digitally-savvy employees can thrive.” “Having the freedom to build the future workplace and develop the future workforce by pushing the boundaries of HR is very exciting.”

Kim Leech has been appointed as Senior HR Manager at Lucasfilm. In her new post, Leech will be responsible for leading the HR department in developing and implementing strategic HR initiatives to improve organisational performance and develop organisational capability. Previously, she held the role of Head of HR, Southeast Asia at AON Hewitt Consulting. While she enjoyed working there, she felt the need to expand her range of experiences. “I was looking for my next challenge and to expand my experience outside of the financial services industry. I feel that as an HR professional, it is important to have exposure across different industries to ensure we continue to grow and add value to business,” she said. Leech brings with her over 17 years of HR experience in which she has been involved in all aspects of HR centres of excellence. On her new position, she hopes that she will be able to play an essential part in her organisation’s growth. “I am looking forward to making significant contributions in my new role and working closely with the leadership team to develop the organisation’s capability through further enhancing the talent development strategy,” she says. “At the same time, I hope we will be able to continue to support the growth of visual effects and animation professions in Singapore.”

Talent Acquisition Partner, PayPal

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HR and Talent Director, Asia-Pacific, Group M

Senior HR Manager, Lucasfilm

IN PERSON WAN NING GOH HR Executive, BreadTalk Group

How many years of HR experience?

This is my third year in the HR field. I started as an intern and rose to be an HR business partner in the food and beverage industry. I enjoy the challenges that we face on a day to day basis that is essential to keep the operations going.

Why HR?

I feel that managing employees is full of uncertainties and is determined by the way an HR professional helps to define organisational well-being. Thus, it is important to make a difference in every employee’s work life by giving them a strong pillar of support.

Why BreadTalk?

BreadTalk has a strong global footprint and is also expanding rapidly, both locally and regionally. The experience and exposure that is gained here is extremely valuable. As the food and beverage industry is labour-intensive, the human capital priority in this company is always present.

Biggest achievement?

I am grateful to have good mentors who are able to guide me to become influential. I have also learnt to develop my ability to handle a huge headcount of employees and to recognise most of BreakTalk’s employees at its various outlets. Knowing your people is the most important factor!

After hours?

In the food and beverage industry, we often have to rush out for work as HR also has to provide administration support to operations. However, on some occasions, we celebrate and have party nights out with our colleagues. I also spend my time after work hanging out with friends and look for new opportunities to further my studies.

Family?

I am the eldest in my family with two younger siblings. My parents have always showered us with lots of care since young and now that I am grown up it is time that we reverse those roles. Spending quality time with my family and showing support to each other is a frequent practice among us.

BOOK REVIEW

Achieving a more engaged workforce A

re you struggling to maintain employee engagement at work? Do you find it hard to differentiate a satisfied employee from a motivated team member? If so, then New Deal of Employee Engagement: A Sustainable Body-and-Mind Engagement Model is just the resource to help you grasp the essential leadership skills needed to create a more engaged workforce. This book primarily focuses on employee engagement by identifying trends, addressing challenges, and presenting solutions. In each chapter of the book, author Bernard Coulaty proposes a combination of personal experiences, research and concepts. In the second and fifth sections specifically, practical actionable tools are introduced. These are the Sustainable Body-and-Mind Engagement model and the Engaging Managers and Organisations for Engaged Selves and Teams framework. Suitable for any type of organisation, these models are explained thoroughly, together with the eight profiles of engagement. They cover key factors of success in building an engaged workforce. Unique in its kind, this book commences with a reference to the “Holy Grail” which sets the tone of employee engagement. This topic analyses the main drivers of engagement and highlights its paradoxes. Aimed to advise a clear framework to better understand and define the notion of engagement, this book can act as a guide for readers looking to implement operational models and improve action plans, as well as for individuals seeking to assess and develop their own engagement levels.

Title: New Deal of Employee Engagement: A Sustainable Body-and-Mind Engagement Model Author: Bernard Coulaty Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education Price: S$31.50 (Before GST)

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The Partners In Leadership® Three Tracks To Creating Greater Accountability® – Self, Culture, and Others Accountability Training and Consulting Services, form a comprehensive and proven approach to creating greater leadership and workplace accountability. The methodology, developed and refined over two decades, help people at every level of the organization take greater personal accountability for overcoming the obstacles they face and asking “What else can I do?” to achieve Key Organizational Results. Glides Consulting Partners is the Exclusive Authorised Representative in Singapore and Malaysia of Partners in Leadership®.

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info@glidespartners.com www.accountability.asia www.ozprinciple.com No 7 Kaki Bukit Road 1, #01-09 Eunos Technolink, Singapore 415937

AHRDSPEAKS HR’s role during organisational change

e often hear that the only constant is change. While it may sound cliché, it is particularly true of organisations today, where there is a pursuit of organisational development for effectiveness, driving both top line growth and bottom line discipline. HR professionals are called upon by their business leaders to partner them in people management during times of organisational change. These are times where we can call upon our functional strengths in empathy and communication to make a positive impact. During organisational change, empathy plays an important role. HR professionals can coach the

line and help sense the emotions of those around. Ask colleagues how they feel, and what is the first thing they do when they come to work? Do they focus on the ‘Me’ (the employee themselves, how is he or she doing), the ‘Us’ (colleagues, and others around them) or the ‘It’ (the first email that comes or the next task at hand)? To maximise effectiveness at work, all three circles (Me, Us and It) should be equally integrated and overlapped like a venn diagram. None of the circles should overpower and become bigger than the other. When HR cares about colleagues and the overall morale of the organisation, HR can help

60% CASH BACK

the business hear the unvoiced questions, anticipate the needs of colleagues, and help to give voice to their emotional well-being at work. For all of these reasons, people will be drawn to HR professionals and we can be an advisor behind the partner if they have a pressing issue or concern at work. During any time of organisational change, communication is key and HR can help influence the choice of communication channels. We can leverage traditional channels, such as emails and town hall sessions, but we shouldn’t stop there. Be bold, be pioneering and most important of all, be caring to colleagues during times of change.

Lim Zhi Rong Regional HR Business Lead, Asia-Pacific, Mondel z International

Programme Acknowledged by the American Institute of Business Psychology

The Productivity Innovation Credit (PIC) Scheme

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP Design Your Organisational Culture Development Action Plan

2-3 December 2015 | Singapore

This workshop is not just theory! It is specifically designed for HR professionals, OD professionals, senior management and CEOs to craft a ‘Specifically Tailored Organisational Culture Change Action Plan’ for your organisation. At the end of 2 days, you will have a clearly defined strategy to affect visible culture change results within 3 months.

+PLUS! All New Programme With Additional Modules!

To register, please visit www.hrmcongress.com or email us at info@hrmasia.com.sg ISSUE 15.11

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HIGH

IMPACT HR

Millward Brown:

Taking the ABW route

You’ve definitely heard of flexible working, but do you know about activitybased working? For those who’re keen to boost productivity and engagement levels via the skillful use of workplace spaces, Millward Brown’s strategy is sure to set tongues wagging

Sham Majid sham@hrmasia.com.sg

ackelyn How, Senior HR Manager of Millward Brown Singapore, says her organisation discovered through surveys that its existing space was under-utilised. “We had an open plan office that was inefficient to the way we wanted to work and was unable to support increased collaboration,” she says. “It was also clear that our employees had an appetite for agile working; they wanted quiet areas to concentrate in and to make phone calls, and also wanted more interesting and comfortable places to work in.” The branding agency turned to activitybased working to solve its space conundrum. But what exactly is this strategy? How says activity-based working is founded on the concept that the office is designed with a variety of work spaces to support different activities that employees do throughout the day. “Employees do not have assigned workstations but now have a flexibility of choice on how, when and where they work within the office,” How explains. “Outside the office, the employee can work from anywhere while remaining connected to their colleagues. It is more about the work 70 ISSUE 15.11

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we do and less about where we work. “We wanted the space to be more efficient and to work harder for us and saw this as an opportunity to transform our existing space to activity based working that will support our work-life balance initiatives and change the way we work.”

Championing for change According to How, the activity-based working project kicked off as the company was exploring ways to tackle two key issues: planning for an increased headcount for the next few years; and work-life balance for the agency’s employees. “It led to two questions: what does worklife balance mean to our employees?; and do we keep leasing more space?” she says. “Both are seemingly unrelated but the two are closely and intrinsically woven together.” How reveals a few key themes emerged when her HR team discussed the definition of work-life balance. She says some individuals were looking for flexibility in how they spend their hours and were keen to spend more time with their families. They were therefore happy to take their laptops home to work

after their children were asleep. “Other employees were keen to keep their work hours focused solely on work, so that they could have time to pursue their other interests after work hours,” How elaborates. “Some others were looking for a relaxed working environment where they could take on-and-off breaks to have some breathing time and to play a game of foosball in the office pantry.”

The plusses of ABW So, has Millward Brown Singapore seen any tangible benefits as a result of its adoption of activity-based working? How says she and her team have found that employees are more engaged in their work and that there is an increase in job satisfaction when they are able to achieve work-life balance and have the autonomy to choose how they do that. “With the flexibility that comes with activity-based working, employees are able to fulfill their work and nonwork commitments. The new space is now more supportive of a collaborative work environment and the kind of work employees want to do for their clients,” she says.

“Department silos are broken down which leads to improved interaction and employees have a better appreciation of how different teams work and organise themselves.” How reaffirms her belief that the organisation’s new activity based workplace is designed to give employees choices in terms of where and how they work. “We have integrated collaboration points as part of the general workflow. These collaboration points are all designed differently to give employees options based on their activity and serve to achieve the objective of facilitating accidental meetings and maximising collaboration opportunities,” she explains. “There are also quiet focus areas for employees who need to concentrate on their work and phone booths for confidential calls.” In addition, the company’s meeting rooms also have wall-mounted TVs, voice over internet phones, writeable surfaces, and coloured pin boards to liven up the space. “Functionally and aesthetically, these rooms encourage collaboration and interaction. At the heart of the office is the café-style pantry where employees come together to eat, work and play,” states How. She stresses that employees have greater ownership on how they manage their work and time; they make their own choices on where, when and how they accomplish it. “Autonomy, flexible working and choice lead to an increase in overall productivity and individual performance,” she adds.

Fitting in the techie tools While How explains the new workplace looks vibrant and has a lot of excitement around it, she emphasises that the design alone does not change the organisation’s culture. “It is a journey and it takes time. As everyone is managing their own time, there is a risk that an employee may feel disconnected,” says How. “So, it is important that we continue to engage with our employees so they feel connected with their team, colleagues and part of the larger office.” How says technology has played a key and obvious role in supporting the firm’s mobility. For example, Millward Brown

Asking three questions Jackelyn How, Senior HR Manager, Millward Brown Singapore, says she and her HR team conducted a series of workshops and focus group discussions across the organisation to uncover answers to the following three questions: • As an individual, what does your ideal worklife balance look like to you? • What are the barriers in achieving this worklife balance? • What can the company do differently to eliminate these barriers to empower individuals to achieve their ideal work-life balance? Additionally, her team uncovered several barriers that were categorised into four themes: • Culture • Policies and Protocols • Ways of working • Technology “Following the identification of the barriers, we identified steps within each key theme that the company could take to enable work-life balance for employees,” she says. Singapore added boosters to existing Wi-Fi coverage; laptops were loaded with communication and collaboration tools, and were issued to all employees, allowing them to work anywhere while staying connected to their team.

Allaying productivity worries How admits that before her organisation commenced on its activity-based working journey, there was concern that employees’ output levels would drop. The management was unsure of how the activity-based working would pan out in the daily deliverables.

A quiet area alongside the windows with ample natural light for employees who need to concentrate on their work “To tackle these issues, we developed a guide for managers to remotely manage their employees and to re-emphasise the importance of key performance indicators in the assessment of performance,” she says. “We also worked with workplace strategy consultants and implemented a change management programme that would prepare employees for the changes ahead.” For example, the workplace strategy consultants facilitated a series of workshops to enable employees to co-create protocols, agree on desired behaviours and understand the challenges and benefits of adopting the new workplace. “The protocols developed were tested when we moved into the new space, and were reviewed and further refined,” How explains. In addition, there was participation from the organisation’s senior leadership team. “We also had representatives from each function of the business and formed a team of change champions. They were responsible for communicating to the wider office, obtaining feedback from their team and addressing any concerns,” she adds.

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SME SPOTLIGHT

Engineering

HR SUCCESS TEE International has come a long way from its early days of operating a small site office. Senior staff share how the group and its workforce have grown over the years Muneerah Bee muneerah.b@hrmasia.com.sg

t all began with engineering. Before TEE International became the organisation that it is today, with 450 employees across its three business arms, it started with just three people 25 years ago as a small electrical subcontractor. Over the years, it branched out into infrastructure and real estate, and as the business grew into new sectors, the HR team had to upgrade its knowledge and skills to match the latest market trends in those industries. “Human capital is very important to us, as it’s an asset to the company so we continue to invest in it and we try to nurture the staff to meet the business needs,” Loh Chooi Leng, HR Director, TEE International, says. To attract talent, TEE International taps onto various channels. These include career fairs on university campuses to recruit fresh graduates into a range of roles. For the past few years, the group has aimed to bring in 10 fresh graduates every year, mostly joining the finance or engineering divisions, Eric Phua, 72 ISSUE 15.11

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Leading the daily safety briefings on-site Deputy Group Managing Director, TEE International, shares. With a career path provided, the group has a strong record of employees who joined TEE International as their first job and rose through the ranks. For example, engineers who perform well can look forward to management positions, such as project manager roles, and after another five years of good performance, they can earn a senior title. Seven project directors at TEE International have gone through this route, with two of them also progressing to become executive directors this year.

Exemplifying leadership Leaders within the business teams have responsibilities to guide the newer

employees and interns. These mentors help to bring across some of the best practices within the industry, and help employees grow in their roles. TEE International believes in leading by example. For instance, when the safety briefing, also known as a toolbox meeting, is conducted at the construction sites every morning, the project director for every trade must be present with the workers. It’s not good enough to simply leave it to the safety officer to conduct. Besides setting a good example for workers, this also improves employees’ performance, as managers are able to show them what is expected of them. Career progression at TEE International also comes in the form of overseas opportunities for employees.

SME SPOTLIGHT “I always encourage my employees. If you get the chance to be posted overseas, please grab it and go. It will broaden your horizons. You’ll be trained and moulded to be more independent,” Phua says. He shares that employees who are sent for overseas assignments are also likely to have been earmarked to take on higher responsibilities upon their return. Loh says working abroad is one of the topics that has been discussed during focus group sessions between staff and management. “This way, we can identify suitable and interested employees and we can groom them in that direction. As the company is expanding, there are plenty of opportunities open for our employees,” explains Loh.

Avenues of communication These small focus groups of around ten people are held as an opportunity for employees to voice out any concerns and interests. TEE International also holds roundtable discussions as another avenue to communicate with employees. Senior management makes it a point to attend such sessions, and employees get the chance to mingle directly with them. There are also fellowship dinners and gatherings, as well as regular dialogue sessions with staff. On a daily basis, team leaders (including project directors and project managers) are expected to be in constant dialogue with their teams to boost

Engaging in CSR activities

In constant dialogue “I seldom email employees because I believe in building very interpersonal relationships with them,” Eric Phua, Deputy Group Managing Director, TEE International, confesses. Even as a company with 450 employees, TEE International is still a close-knit organisation where everyone knows each other. This also comes across in the way Phua spends half of his day on the company’s project sites, talking to staff to find out if there are any problems and gathering first-hand feedback. “We are big but close-knit; everybody knows each other,” Phua says. interpersonal relationships. Other employee engagement efforts in place include celebrating festivities. For example, the group organises buffet lunch

Celebrating Lunar New Year

sessions during festive seasons to promote team bonding. The management also gives out goodies as a small token of appreciation to employees, as demonstrated during the last Mid-Autumn Festival when mooncakes were distributed. “It is our tradition and it adds a human touch to the workplace as these are small things that make the difference,” Phua explains.

Running towards a shared goal For greater team cohesiveness, TEE International also organises team building initiatives throughout the year. These are activities in which employees are able to get together and have fun, such as bowling tournaments. Phua shares that there is a running culture in the company and every Sunday around 20 to 25 employees, along with the group CEO, gather to run with a common goal of covering 18,000 kilometres within two years. This new target was set after the running club achieved its last goal of 15,000 kilometres. A member of the HR team keeps track of the distance covered by each employee every week, and the cumulative distance by all the runners is tallied to reach the goal as a team effort. In fact, TEE International even sends employees to participate in marathons. “We believe that a happy and healthy workforce will drive the company and business performance, so we encourage people to exercise and to participate in sports. That’s why we have such an open and friendly culture,” Loh says. The group also has a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee to encourage employees to contribute something to the wider society. Loh explains, “I think this is where we build our people, in terms of their personality and characteristics to not only do their jobs, but to also achieve work-life balance.” ISSUE 15.11

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Prof. Julian Birkinshaw

Ng Ying Yuan

Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship & Director of the Deloitte Institute at the London Business School

Director for Human Resources and Organisation Development Economic Development Board (EDB)

17 - 18 May 2016 Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre

17 - 18 May 2016 | Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre

Keep your finger on the pulse of ‘everything HR’ and join us at Asia’s biggest and most empowering people management event of the year!

For more info and to register now, visit us at www.hrsummit.com.sg

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50 Global Management ThoughtLeader, Best Selling Author and World-renowned Leadership Coach

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For enquires, please call us at +65 6423 4631 or email us at info@hrmasia.com.sg

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? Ever since I was exposed to the subject of HR in my polytechnic, I have been developing an interest in human behaviour. As you learn more about human behaviour, you are able to match reasons to the behaviours displayed. For example, an employee who might have difficulties adjusting into a job could be the result of their personality type, unestablished work relationships with colleagues or even due to insufficient training to smoothen the transition. By majoring in HR, I want to make better judgments in implementing policies to ease the surfacing problems that can influence employees’ behaviours, attitudes and performances.

What aspect of HR do you hope to specialise in upon graduation? I do not have a preference for any aspect of HR currently, but I do have an interest towards the Training and Development field as I like the idea of being able to make decisions that enable people to learn job-related knowledge, skills and behaviour to improve their work performances.

The top three things you want from your HR career? A sense of fulfilment would certainly be the first. Knowing that you are able to make decisions that influence peoples’ lives and allow others to benefit is a must-have for me to realise job satisfaction. Secondly, having ample learning opportunities matters to me because I feel there is never enough in life to learn about, particularly in a career when

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you work with so many different stakeholders. Lastly, I want to be able to learn to make good decisions. I think sometimes in life, we all get caught up with having to make decisions without giving them a good think-through about how we can make good decisions that impact peoples’ lives positively.

What challenges do you anticipate? The first will be overcoming the stereotypes of Generation Y, which is sometimes better known as the “strawberry generation”. I wish to prove myself right that as a Generation Y individual, I can undertake hardships, failures and mistakes. As much as I know it is difficult to change the stereotypes, I hope I start displaying the better side of us to show that we – the fresh blood in the workforce –are capable of showing off our flair to companies too. The other challenge will be to effectively balance the different interests of the various generations in the existing workforce. With so many differing values held by different generations, it is crucial to understand them and their underlying motivations so I can make good and informed choices.

Your HR career five years from now? Since I do not have a strict preference of the HR function that I wish to specialise in, I hope that regardless of the HR position I am holding on to, I will love my job as well as the challenges that will be entailed within it. More importantly, I hope I will continue to keep up with a positive attitude and to always give my best in the things I do.

Sheridin Tan Wan Ting Third Year Business Student, Second Major in Organisational Behaviour and HR, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

Hobbies or inspiration? I love travelling! There are so many beautiful places in this world and so many different cultures to experience. While I can, I hope I will be able to travel to as many countries as possible. I also enjoy doing leisure runs too. It takes my mind off work and allows me to think about life. Running also provides a training ground for me to develop a deeper perseverance for challenges and a stronger discipline.

Can women have their cake and eat it too? By Sheridin Tan Wan Ting

n this 21st-century world, I aspire to be seen as a smart and capable individual. I want to have everything a person needs for a full package – the wits, courage and abilities. I want to be seen as someone who is bold in taking risks and as someone who has never-ending drive. Ultimately, I want to be seen as an inspiring role model for my peers, my children, and for others to follow after. Of course, this is probably what everyone wishes for too, but the only issue is that I am a woman.

How am I supposed to have the cake and eat it too? Centuries ago, the most important job for women was to marry into a good family and to fulfill the multiple duties of a housewife. However, wearing the shoes of a woman in society today, I am educated and have my own set of thinking and beliefs. I do not want to be a full-time housewife when I am entitled to path my own career dreams, stay financially independent, and have a home with my family to return to everyday. As a modern woman, I define success in my own ways. Today, the roles of women have evolved from traditional housemakers to educated and ambitious career goals. While it is seemingly good that women are gradually breaking away from the traditions of stay-home wives or mums to become independent and success-

driven women, this phenomenon still has its fair share of challenges to overcome. Multiple concerns have been raised, questioning whether women today can effectively balance work and family.

Underlying problems At work, high productivity and efficiency are often expected between co-workers to ensure that deadlines are met promptly. Employees are also expected to work harmoniously to meet objectives, keep costs low, and maintain productivity so that a company’s growth and profits are guaranteed. Anything that appears to jeopardise this simple flow at work is seen as a taboo subject, and this is no exception for women who want to give up some work time in exchange for more family time. At home, traditional beliefs regarding women’s roles are still deeply ingrained in the older generations’ mentality that women should stay domesticated and not neglect these duties. This belief even holds firm for women who are offered very attractive job opportunities. In recent research from the Ministry of Manpower, it was found that a typical average full-time Singaporean is already working up to 47.1 hours in a week. In addition, it was also found that husbands or male partners often do not share a significant load of women’s traditional responsibilities;

hence, women are struggling even more with managing their professional and private lives. A woman cannot expect to have both family and work commitments balanced in the same equation, because for every decision a woman chooses to make, a bigger sacrifice to their professional or personal life is necessarily made.

Solution Ultimately, I believe my worries as a modern day woman can be resolved someday when more support is given from organisations, government and the wider society. When firms recognise the value female talents bring to an organisation, a review of HR policies to support women in care-giving responsibilities can be conducted to foster an inclusive workplace where women are motivated and engaged. Additionally, the government can continue to implement schemes to provide favourable arrangements that ease the workload of families through more accessible childcare services and assistance in inculcating a pro-family business culture. Last but not least, family and peers are essential to providing emotional support in helping women reduce their burdens. Since these support pillars are not readily in place yet, I conclude that it is impossible for women to have their cake and eat it too. This is for now at least.

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Regional Compensation and Benefits Lead

Learning & Development Manager

› US Industrial MNC › HR business partnering and operational role

› Global industrial MNC › Centre of Excellence function

› Leading financial institution › Centre of Excellence function

A global brand name, our client has an established presence in Singapore. It now seeks a dynamic and consummate HR Manager to play an integral role in their Singapore operation urgently.

An industrial player with global footprint, our client is seeking for an accomplished Compensation & Benefits Analyst to perform a key role in the Centre of Excellence team.

A leading financial institution in the Asia Pacific region, our client is seeking a dynamic and passionate Program Manager to play an integral role in their Learning & Development function.

Reporting to Country Head of HR, you will partner closely with Business Heads to ensure HR goals are aligned with the organisational plan for the assigned business units. You are responsible for the development and application of fair and consistent selection systems, policies and programs in the area of recruitment, HR planning, compensation & benefits, talent development and management, performance management, employee and labour relations.

You will lead the review and development of Compensation & Benefits strategies, policies and programmes to ensure competitiveness, and manage global mobility activities. Partnering with Business and HR leaders, you will recommend and enhance related plans, programs and initiatives to contribute to the overall success of the business. You will play led roles in driving program and projects, and ensure compliance and governance processes.

You will be responsible for program management from conceptualisation to delivery stages by consulting and engaging with key stakeholders to identify learning needs and develop solution. It includes designing program contents to address the business needs and employees’ career development, liaising with vendors, identifying trainers, and gaining and evaluating participants’ feedback. You will maintain a network of best in class training providers and share with the team.

Degree qualified, the successful candidate should have at least 4 years HR Leadership and Business Partnering experience in a well established MNC. Site HR management experience and ability to work with all levels of employees in a manufacturing environment is mandatory. You possess high adaptability, are hands-on and possess excellent interpersonal, communications and influencing skills and ability to work in a diverse culture environment.

Degree qualified with Compensation & Benefits professional certifications such as CCP or GRP, you have minimum 6 years of relevant experience including Asia Pacific exposure gained within MNC. Ideally you have worked within Centre of Excellence model with experience integrating related programs and policies. You are a hands-on team player with influencing ability, have strong analytical, project management and presentation skills, and have operated in a highly matrix and fast-paced environment.

Degree qualified in Human Resources management or related fields with professional training certifications, you must possess 5 to 8 years of relevant experience in MNC with strong preference to financial institutions. You are highly energetic and hands-on with excellent communication skills and able to interact well with all level of employees. You possess strong project management skills within Learning & Development with experience in designing and delivering high impact programs. You are a team player and able to work in demanding and multicultural setting.

Reference number: MH/JD52208/HRM Contact person: Maureen Ho (Registration Number R1105976)

Reference number: MH/JD49644/HRM Contact person: Maureen Ho (Registration Number R1105976)

Reference number: MH/JD51848/HRM Contact person: Maureen Ho (Registration Number 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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Talent2 Singapore Pte Ltd. Company Reg. No. 200909448N EA Licence No. 10C4544

An Allegis Group Company

1143/10_15

Human Resources Manager

MICHAEL PAGE

Regional HR Director, Asia Pacific

ASEAN HR Business Partner, ASEAN

Talent Management Director

› Newly created role › Attractive remuneration

› Growing global business › Leader in industry

› Newly created role › Highly strategic role

Our client is a global, diversified engineering business with a strong footprint across the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. Reporting to the Chief HR Officer based in London, you will be supporting the organisation’s growth in Asia Pacific. This is an exciting time to join the company as it is expanding operations and is growing rapidly in the region. This newly created role will be critical in establishing robust processes and driving a new business-aligned people strategy. We are looking for a strong leader with regional experience across APAC.

Our client is a global luxury FMCG multinational with wide coverage across ASEAN. The are looking for an ASEAN HR Business Partner to support their expansion in the region. Reporting directly to the APAC HR Director based in Singapore, you will be responsible for providing advice to the HR teams across the region. You will work closely with the HR Director to review and formulate new ideas/policies/ processes that will continue to help push the business forward. You must have strong stakeholder management skills and be adept at handling highly fluid situations.

Our client is a reputable professional services organisation with a strong footprint across Asia Pacific. Due to business demands, they are looking to expand their presence across the Asia Pacific region. Reporting directly to the Global Head of Talent and with a dotted line to the Chief HR Officer, you will be responsible for all strategic talent management requirements across Asia Pacific and will lead a team of 4. You will work in partnership with country HR partners and Global Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development teams to develop talent pools for critical roles across the Asia Pacific region. You should have strong business acumen and stakeholder management skills.

Please contact Sean Tong (Reg. no: R1110029) quoting ref: H2934460 or visit our website.

Please contact Sheldon Toh (Reg. no: R1438671) quoting ref: H2938230 or visit our website.

Please contact Eugene Wong (Reg. no: R1331128) quoting ref: H2928960 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

#15564 | 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 HR Business Partner

Payroll Manager

APAC portfolio Opportunity to join a dynamic team Competitive compensation package

Leading US Services MNC Attractive remuneration package Good supervisory and leadership expertise

Our client, a large MNC with a global presence, is seeking a HR Business Partner. Reporting to, and working closely with the Senior Regional HR Manager, you will take a lead role in developing strategic HR plans across multiple sections of the business in Singapore and across Asia Pacific. To be successful, you should have at least 8 years’ experience of working in a HR Generalist role, with at least 2 years at HR Business Partner level in a matrix working environment. You need to be business-savvy, an excellent communicator with good ability to develop strong relationships with all internal stakeholders and an effective HR representative within the senior management team. Experience in dealing with unions and industrial relations issues is an advantage but not essential. You should also have good HR project management experience with strong understanding and knowledge of the HR system, processes and solutions. Ideal candidates must be able to work in Singapore without visa sponsorship.

Our client, a US listed MNC is currently in search of a Payroll Manager due to business needs. You will report directly to the Senior Finance Controller. In this role, you will take on the reins of the Singapore Payroll team to manage the payroll and billing of the contract workforce. This will be a very hands-on role with complex payroll and multiple pay cycles. You will lead 12 Payroll Officers to conduct 3 payroll runs according to organisational requirements. If you enjoy a fast-paced, high volume, dynamic and challenging environment, this will be a great opening for you! To be successful, you should possess at least 8 years of payroll management experience with strong understanding of Singapore payroll scale and familiarity with Singapore Employment Act and related regulations. You should have strong payroll system knowledge and be well versed in MS Excel.

If you meet the above criteria, please email your detailed CV in WORD format to ivy_tan@kellyservices.com.sg. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Tan Li Tze EA Personnel Registration No. R1108261

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 8,000 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 Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 Energy & Commodities Engineering & Supply Chain Healthcare & Life Sciences Human Resources Legal Sales & Marketing Technology

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www.kerryconsulting.com | Returning the Human to Resourcing

HRBP – Pharmaceutical Industry

Regional HR Manager – Luxury Industry

HR Generalist – Manufacturing

Expansion Dynamic Culture Pharmaceutical Industry

Renowned Luxury Brand Strong Stakeholder Management Southeast Asia Region

Strong Recruitment Exposure Dynamic and Challenging Work Environment US-headquartered Multinational Company

Our client is a growing pharmaceutical company whose regional headquarters is based in Singapore. It is a reputable player in the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa regions, and it is now seeking a HRBP who will be business partnering with regional senior leadership business heads in Singapore. Reporting to the HR Director, you will fulfil the role of a full-fledged Human Resource Business Partner. You will support the business and line managers in the full spectrum of HR work, build strong relationships with business stakeholders, and provide advisory on strategic and operational work. In addition, you will handle project management and change management, develop, retain, and motivate talent, manage the performance evaluation process, as well as drive retention and engagement initiatives for the office. You will have at least 6 to 8 years of business partnering experience and a solid background in the full spectrum of human resource, including performance management, compensation and benefits, and HR operations. You should also be a strong communicator and an excellent team player, with a passion for human resource.

This is an excellent opportunity to join one of the most renowned luxury retail companies in the world. As the HR Manager for Southeast Asia, you will report to the Managing Director, SEA, and be responsible for the overall HR function of Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

This is a US multinational company with a sizeable presence in Singapore. It is now seeking a HR Generalist to cover the technical and corporate headcounts in Singapore.

To apply, please submit your resume to Joy Seow at js@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number of 9241. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Reg No: R1107886

You will partner with the business to provide proactive, commercially focused, and high quality HR support in areas such as recruitment, compensation and benefits, performance management, training needs identification, policy management, and employee relations. You will also make recommendations and decisions as well as promote HR initiatives to empower long-range business plans and positively impact the results of the business. You will have at least 6 years of HR experience and have ideally worked in a luxury retail/retail environment. You should also be able to engage and influence the business, as well as possess a proven track record in stakeholder management. To apply, please submit your resume to Joy Seow at js@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number JS 9182. We regret that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Reporting to the HR Manager, you will be part of the HR team where you will perform a human resource generalist role with a strong emphasis on recruitment. You will also be involved in areas such as employee relations, HRIS, manpower planning, and in-house payroll processing. You will have at least 3 years of HR experience, preferably in a recruitment or generalist role – experience in payroll will be an advantage. You should also be a good communicator and a hard worker, with a willingness to take on new and exciting challenges. To apply, please submit your resume to Junchen at jc@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Reg No: 03C4828

Reg No: 9182

HR Executive – FMCG

Regional HR Manager – Talent Development (Oil & Gas Industry)

Learning & Development Manager – Southeast Asia

Regional Retail MNC Full Spectrum HR Exposure Fast-paced & Challenging Work Environment

Talent Management and L&D Focus Excellent Career Opportunity High Visibility to Senior Management

Newly Created Role Excellent Career Opportunity Southeast Asia Focus

This regional player in the luxury retail industry has presence in about 10 countries across Asia. To meet enhanced HR needs due to expansion and growth in the region, it is now seeking a HR Executive to join the HR team.

This European MNC is in a high growth stage and possess excellent opportunities in the region. Due to continuing business needs, it is now seeking a dedicated and high-performing HR professional to take up this exciting role.

Reporting to the HR Manager, you will assist with the full spectrum of human resource activities, including recruitment, learning and development, compensation and benefits, and payroll supervision. You will partner certain business units and work closely with line managers to provide HR advisory and support their business needs.

Reporting to the HRD of Asia Pacific, you will work closely with the management team and implement best practices for the Singapore office. This is a generalist role encompassing issues pertaining to resourcing, talent management, learning and development, as well as other ad-hoc issues. In particular, you will partner with the business in matters regarding competency development and recommend development curriculum for key job roles.

Our client is a high-profile industry leader with significant global footprints and it is poised to enjoy continued growth in the region. Reporting to the SEA HR Director, you will focus on implementing and managing the Learning & Development strategy and processes.

You will have at least 3 years of experience in a fast-paced and challenging industry, ideally in the retail, F&B, or hospitality sector, on top of exposure to the full HR spectrum and excellent communication skills and confidence to engage the business. You should also have very strong work ethic as well as the ability to commit to long working hours and a demanding work environment. To apply, please submit your resume to Junchen at jc@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Reg No: 03C4828

You will be HR qualified and have at least 8 years of experience in a progressive multinational company. You should also possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and be comfortable with presenting before the management team. In addition, you need to be a strong hands-on team player with a can-do mindset and the ability to think at a very broad level. To apply, please submit your resume to Finian Toh at ft@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number FT9292.

You will create a learning environment that provides a platform for the overall development of employees and aligns with the company’s business performance. You will also manage the effort to develop cost-effective L&D options to meet specific business needs of the organisation, including training budget support and recommendations. You should be experienced in running a training/L&D function in a managerial capacity and possess knowledge of various technology tools to deliver the L&D platform. You should also have demonstrated success in developing and implementing learning and development strategies aligned to the business strategy and organisational capability requirements. To apply, please submit your resume to Finian Toh at ft@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number FT9297 Reg No: R1104310 Licence No: 03C4828

Reg No: R1104310

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HUMAN RESOURCES EXPERTS TRANSFORM YOUR CAREER Regional Director - Learning and OD Drive the global agenda across APJ

Regional HR Business Partner (IT) Drive & implement regional HR strategies

A global US multinational within the life sciences industry is expanding across Asia Pacific and is seeking an experienced Organizational Development and Talent Management specialist. Reporting to the senior HR leadership teams in the region and globally, your primary responsibility will be to implement and drive the learning and development, talent management as well as organizational development needs at the APAC level. You will adapt global strategic initiatives in these core functions and adapt them to support the overall needs of the employees and the business in Asia Pacific.

A global MNC in the information technology and internet services business needs a HR Business Partner in Singapore. You will drive and implement regional HR strategies by partnering closely with various regional and global leaders as well as driving ad hoc HR projects and initiatives across the region. You have at least 8 years of solid business partnering experience with a track record of working in a fast paced environment. With the ability to influence and coach senior leaders, you will posses strong HR acumen and have excellent communication skills.

Director, HRBP & Talent Management (Central) Develop leadership competencies

VP Human Resources (APAC) - Ops and Tech Drive & influence change with initiatives

Due to portfolio growth an exciting opportunity as Director, HRBP & Talent Management is currently available within a leading home-grown MNC. You will co-manage business partnering at the corporate level and take ownership of talent programs for group senior leadership. You will be a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s/Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Degree graduate with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience and are resourceful, engaging, and strategic. You have excellent HR knowledge and ability to engage at all levels.

A leading, top tier Financial Services organisation has an exciting and rare opportunity in its operations and technology division for a VP HR to partner with the business, translating their strategic objectives into specific HR initiatives. Working closely with line business leaders, you will provide HR generalist cover to ensure all people management and HR programs are delivered in the most effective way. This full spectrum generalist position will be leveraging off the Centre of Excellence and it will require you to be a true partner.

For further information or if you are keen to discuss your career, please contact our HR team on +65 63030721 or email hr.singapore@hays.com.sg

hays.com.sg

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EA License Number: 07C3924

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