Human Resources, Malaysia - Q2 Apr-Jun 2015

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ARE YOU SOCIAL ENOUGH? LEVERAGE ON THE POWER OF NETWORKING TO MAKE MORE INFORMED PEOPLE DECISIONS PAGE 16

RM12 / Q2 2015

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Q2 2015 « CONTENTS

COVER STORY 16 Time for HR to get social How can HR leaders harness the full potential of social media to enhance processes such as employer branding and recruitment?

Akankasha Dewan explores.

Features 12 Q&A

Len Jillard, CPO and corporate VP at McDonald’s APMEA, enlists family/friends, flexibility and future as the components of a perfect EVP.

22 Re-looking at recruitment

Jerene Ang identifies the various ways in which recruitment has evolved to meet the needs of the new generation of Millennial talent.

28 Is it time for an HR upgrade?

In this ever-changing job market, Jerene Ang delves into how HR leaders can develop their own careers and skill sets to keep pace with environmental changes.

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Opinion 32 Learning & Development

Franziska Huggenberger, BASF’s head of regional recruitment for Asia Pacific, on ways to craft an employer brand so authentic that new employees can relate to it.

34 People Issues

Prakash Santhanam, head of talent development and engagement at DAL Group, shares the best ways to take a more proactive approach to managing talent.

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35 Unconventional Wisdom Acknowledging failure and embracing mistakes is key to becoming an authentic leader, says Susan P. Chen, director of HR for Asia Pacific at Visa Worldwide.

36 Upwardly Mobile

Srikanth Chandrashekhar, head of talent management for APAC at Pall Corporation, expands on the areas HR leaders should focus on to lead transformation.

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40 Last Word

Retrospective advice comes easy to most of us, so Aditi Sharma Kalra pens down work tips for her younger self.

Any suggestions or tip-offs for Human Resources?

Email aditis@humanresourcesonline.net Q2 2015 « HumanResources Malaysia «

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EDITOR’S NOTE

regional editor senior journalist journalist sub editor contributors

Aditi Sharma Kalra Akankasha Dewan Jerene Ang James Foster Franziska Huggenberger Prakash Santhanam Srikanth Chandrashekhar Susan P. Chen

regional art director senior designer circulation executive

Shahrom Kamarulzaman Fauzie Rasid Deborah Quek

regional directors

Karen Boh Yogesh Chandiramani Jaclyn Chua Naomi Cranswick

regional marketing manager

Lei Ching Yew

regional producers

Darren Beck Sharissa Chan Nikita Erpini Kenneth Neo Jenilyn Rabino Evon Yew

regional head of event services regional finance director group editorial director group managing director

Yeo Wei Qi Evelyn Wong Tony Kelly Justin Randles

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Technologically speaking With smartphones having penetrated to four in five Malaysians, there are spoils to be had for firms that use this wisely, be it for recruitment, training or even performance reviews.

But research this year showed that employers in Malaysia have the lowest percentage of company websites that provide a mobile-optimised experience to job seekers in Southeast Asia.

Less than half of the employers surveyed were found to have a mobile-enabled job application process, demonstrating a gap between the adoption and potential of technology.

As a borderline Millennial, technology has been at my side for work and play, making life more convenient in a number of ways. I can’t imagine a day at work without it – so why would your potential job candidates and current employees?

In this past quarter this is exactly what we set out to explore, with a cover story on making HR social, digital and mobile – speaking to HR and talent experts from Ogilvy & Mather and Hootsuite.

We also had the pleasure of hosting our firstever conference in Malaysia, Talent Management Asia, this past quarter, bringing a regional flavour to our signature annual talent event.

Over two intensive days in Kuala Lumpur, we saw talent and HR leaders come together to debate the top HR challenges on their minds.

As I pen this note, I can’t help, but reflect on the days past. Besides the perks of travelling to and hosting them in three cities (including Singapore and Hong Kong), the conferences unearthed some treasures for my team and me.

Louis Carter, one of the world’s leading leadership development specialists, got us thinking when he asked – why are we here?

“To make a dent in the universe,” was the unlikely answer that none of us were able to express clearly.

Every one of us, he affirmed, must start by asking – why are we doing what we are doing.

Infusing this sense of meaning into what we do is the base of result-oriented organisations.

To make a difference to others, he suggested trying to feed-forward instead of feedback. “When you do that, people begin to listen! No one wants to know how lousy they did.”

We also had a speaker from India – Charandeep David – who heads learning and development for the Aircel Academy in India.

She had the audience thinking by demonstrating the very real return on training investment by translating how much each dollar the company invested generated into productivity increases.

Stories of failure can be just as interesting as stories of success and Jenny Ooi, senior VP of HR at USG Boral, pointed out the three main reasons HR can fail – under communication, lack of engagement with peers and the CEO, and the inability to maximise the talent bandwidth available within our own teams. Many in the audience agreed, and the conversation immediately shifted to how these can be bridged.

All in all, it was a fantastic ground for learning, and we reported much of the happenings live on social media.

You can catch up on some more insights from the conference by visiting our website, and we look forward to meeting you at one of the other bespoke conferences we have in store for you later this year. In the meantime, do enjoy this issue.

Photography: Stefanus Elliot Lee using Nikon D810 – www.elliotly.com; Makeup & Hair: Michmakeover using Make Up For Ever & hair using Sebastian Professional – www.michmakeover.com

HumanResources

Aditi Sharma Kalra Regional editor Q2 2015 « HumanResources Malaysia «

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News from humanresourcesonline.net

THE 10 MOST AND LEAST STRESSFUL JOBS

Due to the physical danger, unpredictability, negative psychological effects, tight deadlines or high expectations, some of the most stressful jobs of 2015 with their median salary (US$) are firefighters ($45,600), enlisted military personnel ($28,840), a military general ($1 ($196,300), airline pilots ($98,410) and police officers ($5 ($56,980) rounding up the top five in CareerCast’s new ne report.

In sixth to 10th place, we hhave actors ($60,070), event co($46,070), broadcasters ($60,0 ordinators ($45,810), photo journalists jour ($42,530) and newspaper reporters ($37,0 ($37,090).

On the opposite end of the sscale some of the median salary are least stressful jobs with their me audiologists ($69,720), hair stylists ($22,770), audiolog university professors (tenure (tenured) ($68,970), medical records technicia technicians ($34,160) and jewellers ($35,35 ($35,350) rounding up the top five least sstressful jobs.

These are followed by medical llaboratory technicia ($47,820), technicians seam seamstress/tailors ($25,590), ($ dietitians d ($55,240), librarians ($55,370) and forklift operators ($ ($31,150) in sixth to 10 10th place.

PREDICTIONS FOR HUMAN RESOURCES THIS YEAR

A new report from Bersin by Deloitte listed 10 predictions for HR in 2015 – the first of which is engagement, retention, culture and inclusion will remain frontburner issues.

Companies will look to simplify their performance process to a more development and “coaching-oriented” one. Alongside, HR is expected to review the work environment and advise business leaders on how to simplify work.

Corporate learning is expected to take on increasing importance, as big data analytics and mobile learning apps gain prominence. Recruitment, on the other hand, is more likely to be led by referrals, talent communities and internal talent mobility than third-party agencies.

The study anticipated internal talent mobility will drive longer tenures and more productivity by encouraging incentives that force managers to let people shop for new jobs internally, instead of pinning all their cards on a promotion.

It also called for HR managers to rigorously assess leaders at all levels, as well as give leaders incentives to develop their people.

The evolution of HR technology will ask HR to focus on user experience, real-time data and integration with social networks.

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THESE ARE THE TOP FIVE JOBS OF 2015

A role as an HR manager is ranked as the fourth best job for 2015, while the top three jobs are a physician’s assistant, software engineer and business development manager.

This is according to Glassdoor’s inaugural report on the 25 best jobs in the US for this year, ranked on the basis of earning potential, career opportunities rating and the number of job openings.

1. Physician’s assistant: 45,484 openings, an average annual salary of US$111,376 and a career opportunities rating of 3.5.

2. Software engineer: 104,828 openings, an average annual salary of US$98,074 and a career opportunities rating of 3.3.

3. Business development manager: 11,616 openings, an average annual salary of US$94,907 and a career opportunities rating of 3.5.

4. Human resources manager: 8,073 openings, an average annual salary of US$96,443 and a career opportunities rating of 3.6.

5. Finance manager: 9,728 openings, an average annual salary of US$122,865 and a career opportunities rating of 3.4.

APR-JUN WHY TOP LEADERS IN ASIA ARE QUITTING THEIR JOBS

Tensions with global headquarters (HQ) is causing a majority of leaders in Asia to resign from their companies.

According to a study by CEB and Russell Reynolds Associates, only 25% of leaders in Asia have high intentions to stay with their current employer, as compared to the 38% global average.

The study, surveying more than 1,000 leaders in Asia, found that a mere 12% of leaders in the region felt their counterparts in the global HQ understand the business situation here.

Less than one third (29%) of respondents also felt their opinions are heard by the global HQ. What took priority for leaders in Asia were factors such as senior leadership recognition, degree of empowerment, the market position, and ethics of an organisation.

They also said they preferred to relocate internationally rather than within the country.

Understanding the motivating factors of Asian leaders is necessary for companies to seek and deploy leadership teams capable of harnessing the region’s potential, the report stressed.

» HumanResources Malaysia » Q2 2015

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TIPS TO MAKE YOUR EMPLOYEES FEEL LOVED

There is no greater way to keep employees feeling loved than to have a healthy and supportive working relationship with them, according to Virgin Pulse’s latest survey of 1,000 full-time employees in the US and Canada.

Three in every five survey respondents said the employeremployee relationship affected their focus and productivity at work positively.

Another important engagement driver was found to be the work itself, with more than half of respondents stating that “interesting and challenging work” was the top reason they loved their company, beating out the company’s mission (38%).

From the report, employees also wanted their managers to show support in maintaining a work-life balance, as stated by 40%.

In addition, almost one-third expressed their preference for “free programmes and resources supporting my wellbeing”, and the same number also wished for “on-site gyms, fitness classes or health club reimbursements”.

Another not-so-secret to employee happiness was found to be good co-workers, cited by 40% of the respondents as the top reason they loved their company. Two-thirds said this had a positive impact on their focus and productivity at work.

ZUCKERBERG’S SECRET TO HIRING TOP TALENT

Want the best people to work for you? Then get ready to hire only those who you would be willing to work for. This, Mark Zuckerberg says, is the secret to sifting out top talent during recruitment.

In a town hall with employees and partners, he was asked about how he recruits the best people.

“I would only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person,” was his response.

“This rule has served me pretty well. I think as long as you have that as your rule for picking the people you work with, you’re not going to go wrong.”

How do you know when it is the best time to delegate? This was another question posed to Zuckerberg.

As a general rule of management, he believes: “If you get someone who’s really good on your team, they’re going to need the ability to fully exercise their creativity and capacity, or else they will not have the biggest impact.”

At Facebook, he says he does this by keeping the team “as small and flexible as possible”.

ASIA’S TOP 10 COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

Google has now proven its popularity with professionals in Asia, emerging as the best organisation to work for in Asia, in Great Place to Work’s inaugural list.

Analysed on the basis of trust, pride and camaraderie, the top companies were found to spend about 95 hours on training.

A quarter of their management team members were women, while the average rate of absenteeism was 3%.

“Asia’s best also are part of a wider global trend toward higher levels of workplace trust at the best workplaces. This positive development is rooted in a number of factors. These include the rise of balance-minded Millennials, increased transparency into organisations, and mounting evidence that hightrust cultures lead to better business results.”

Here are the top 10 best places to work in Asia in 2015: 1. Google 2. Marriott 3. Ericsson 4. American Expresss 5. NetApp 6. Hyatt 7. Microsoft 8. AbbVie 9. Estée Lauder 10. Adobe

MALAYSIA TOPS ASIA IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

Malaysia has outpaced neighbour Singapore in English language proficiency, emerging number one among Asian nations.

However, despite being the top two in the region, Malaysia is only ranked 12th in the worldwide rankings while Singapore is 13th.

A new report by English First finds Malaysia and Singapore were the only Asian countries noted for their “high” English proficiency, while India and Hong Kong fell in the “moderate” range of proficiency.

In Asia, the countries pointed out for their rapid progress in proficiency levels were Indonesia (sixth regionally and 28th globally), Thailand (11th regionally and 48th globally) and Vietnam (ninth regionally and 33rd globally).

Hong Kong was called out for its slipping English proficiency since 2007.

Compared with China, it was said to be trailing, with Shanghai having a higher level of English proficiency than Hong Kong for the first time this year.

Hong Kong is ranked eighth in Asia and 31st globally.

Another key finding is the gender gap in overall English proficiency, with women (with a score of 53.53) speaking better English than men (with a score of 50.75).

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WORK LIFE » People GET INTO THE BOSS’S HEAD

Wong Kien Keong Chairman Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow

How have you seen the company evolve in the long tenure you’ve had here?

I have been with Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow and its predecessor, Baker & McKenzie, for 28 years.

When I joined there were only eight lawyers.

This has grown to over 100 lawyers or lawyer equivalents, about 20 paralegals and about 130 other staff within the same premises.

Our firm has changed from being an offshore law firm to a full-service international firm in a joint venture with Wong & Leow LLC. How would you define your leadership style?

My leadership style involves being pragmatic, fair, firm and friendly. I hire people whom I believe are better than me to ensure that our succession pipeline is of a high quality.

I also prefer adopting a consensual approach when dealing with others. At the same time, I ensure my decisions are firm and fair to all concerned and are executed in a timely manner.

My approach towards running the firm is a pragmatic one, simply because we need to adapt to our environment or the situation at hand.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy most working with very bright and smart people with passion and tenacity who add value, and who do not drain the energy of our staff.

What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make as a boss, and what did you learn from it?

Dealing with high-quality partners who may have lost focus, may have misaligned themselves or become disruptive to the enterprise is a tough decision to carry through.

We have had to deal with such tough decisions and choices concerning very smart and very high-quality persons from time to time. This was usually done after much thought, consultation and consensus building.

We have had to take this to a vote once, and this was the toughest decision we ever took, although it was amicable and the process was agreed upon beforehand.

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The lesson here is to plan well, hire well, make new partners carefully so that the risks for both parties are well understood, turn to new opportunities quickly in times of recession and absorb economic shocks as much as possible within the organisation.

When you’re struggling with stress or a bad day, how do you unwind and re-energise yourself?

I normally exercise, do yoga or listen to some music. I also like to spend time with my wife and son.

How do you engage and motivate staff when they are struggling with work?

I meet and socialise with them. We share mutual life stories and adventures together to take our minds off the work at hand.

What is your view of human resources as a business function?

Organisations today do well because they have high-quality human resource functions. Hiring high-potential persons, training them, coaching them, mentoring them and retaining them are real challenges and HR is crucial in dealing with these challenges.

Without a good partnership with and in HR, any organisation which hopes to be successful will find the process daunting. The management of talent is utterly important and high-performing talent which fit the organisation’s culture, ethos and mission is very hard to find.

Could many HR leaders make it to a CEO level?

Why/why not?

Anyone with the right attribute that the organisation needs in a particular time of its history would be suitable to be a leader and a CEO. That includes HR leaders.

Typically, a CEO must grasp the business of the organisation well, understand its culture, have a strategy to take it from where it is to where it should be. Following that, the CEO should chart a plan to implement that strategy, and must then be able to harness resources to implement that plan.

I don’t see why HR leaders can’t become highperforming CEOs. Most have a good EQ potential and if they have been working in high-performing organisations, they would have acquired great organisational smartness and intelligence, high quality business sense and financial savviness.

What has been your most memorable moment with the organisation?

I founded two local law firms which are affiliated with Baker & McKenzie. One is Wong & Leow LLC which is the joint venture partner of Baker & McKenzie LLC in Singapore, and the other is Wong & Partners in Malaysia, which is a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International.

These two firms are milestones in my life as they have become well recognised.

How can HR R contribute better to onal goals? organisational HR must be engaged in key discussions and be he decision making of the organisation involved in the to ensure it iss fully apprised of its vision, mission nd the strategy to achieve its goals. and goals, and ncouraged to own the strategy of the It must be encouraged organisation as well.

Further, it must be given the support and the base to draw from to discharge its tasks and s. Equally, high-performing HR must be programmes. assionate, engaged, and not fearful of intelligent, passionate, nged by the boss. being challenged sonnel should also be encouraged to HR personnel provide factss and evidence when assisting top managementt in their decision making.

» HumanResources Malaysia » Q2 2015

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People WORK LIFE

SpacialAwareness

OF TREES, TECHNOLOGY AND TEAMS: OGILVY’S OFFICE IN KL Collaborative, idea-centric and discipline-neutral were the cornerstones of Ogilvy & Mather’s philosophy in designing its office in Malaysia.

“Our people spend a lot of time in office and we wanted it to be a place that provides comfort, yet inspires them to think differently and creatively,” said Jacey Lee, MD of Ogilvy Public Relations, based in Kuala Lumpur.

This was expressed in the way space was used, with exceptionally large common areas, designed as a place to which staff and clients could gravitate to, and once there, relax and engage.

The objective was also to facilitate better daily interaction between employees, “something which is extremely important for a large firm like ours.”

The latest office project was the Newsroom where, using the latest technology, Ogilvy creates and tracks constant on and offline engagements between its clients’ brands and consumers. This is also the place for colleagues from all departments to be pulled in for impromptu meetings.

“By giving teams the freedom to be organised

to client needs, it enables an agile culture.”

In fact, the office has several breakout rooms, each with a table and telephone for staff who need privacy to brainstorm, or are working on something confidential or making conference calls.

The O-Bar features a circular bar complete with a draught tap and a billiard table.

Other interesting features are a timber-lined “Japanese Box”, a formal meeting room containing a circular table and tree structure, tactile fabric “pods” for more intimate discussions, and an “interactive wall” with a disappearing table and stools.

The “meeting corridor” from the common area leads to a continuous flow of work spaces designed to create an interplay of “the daily world” and “the world of inspiration”. Eye-catching details include an evocative tree structure, circular openings in the ceilings and a mix of baroque, modern, natural and industrial decor cues.

The office also has a lactation room where newly back-to-work mums are accorded privacy.

“Having a staff force where 50% are women,

this room is an important feature of our firm,” Lee explained.

Lee acknowledges that an engaging office certainly improves productivity. She advises firms to decorate their offices with their business and staff in mind, adding, “they are intertwined and one will not be able to grow without the other”.

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WORK LIFE » HR by numbers

Why HR folks are unhappy HR leaders are becoming dissatisfied with their jobs, in part, because they believe HR is being perceived as a less important function. That was the key finding of a new survey of more than 1,000 HR professionals from 30 countries. It found that only about one in three HR managers were “very satisfied” in their roles, and a dip in the number of those who were happy with how HR was perceived (61% in 2013 to 58% in 2014).

32%

44%

of HR managers stated they were planning to change jobs in the next two years.

of HR professionals are “very satisfied” in their role, a number that has dropped from 37% in 2013.

Exciting work

is the number one thing HR professionals are looking for in their jobs, followed by the importance of their role to the business.

Top three issues

HR is facing today are recruitment, an ageing workforce, and getting the right skills.

Source: Harvey Nash’s 2015 Global HR survey

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People WORK LIFE

snapshot

15 minutes with ...

Eswaran Nadarajah

human resources director Club 21 WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST HR JOB, AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HR AS A PROFESSION? My first HR job was an entry level HR executive role with a leading Malaysian telecommunications company in 1997.

I would be lying if I said I chose HR as a profession, as my passion was to actually be a professional footballer, but that did not quite work out.

However, my soccer coach in university also happened to be the associate professor teaching organisational behaviour, so I kind of got influenced by him to join his class. I enjoyed his classes and started to enrol in more HR-related subjects, and the rest is history.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK? The variety that comes with the job; there is never a dull moment in HR. Engaging with different people every day or the same people with different situational behaviours. The challenge of trying to create a stronger impact on the business – be it revenue generation or cost management through effective HR initiatives – and planning, presenting and attaining management buy-in to change areas of work, roles and organisation structure, so we can stay competitive into the future.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE A REGULAR WORKDAY? My regular workday has changed since January 12, as we have just gone through a “rethink work” campaign using the full suite of Office 365. The only thing that has not changed is greeting our office security associate in the morning as I walk into the office. So my “new” regular workday is logging into the system to check my meeting schedules for the day and to ensure I have all the necessary information and details for those meetings.

Next I check our internal social media feed for company updates and check part of my emails. I speak with my managers on their work progress and review and complete necessary reports.

I have lunch alone (unless I have a scheduled lunch meeting) normally to catch up on my reading, social media chat and online gaming on my phone. I visit one or two of our stores in the Orchard area and then it’s back to the office to complete all document signings for the day. As I am involved in several other ongoing “rethink work” projects, I connect with the various project stakeholders.

Finally, I’ll reply to a few more emails (they never stop!) and in between all these things, I also stay connected on our internal social media network and constantly post on both the public and private groups to keep information and communication flowing all day.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE “RETHINK WORK” CAMPAIGN? It is aimed at engaging everyone within Club 21 to think about their work and find ways to change the way we work to be more productive and improve collaboration for better results.

The first project we worked on and completed was a new performance management and reward programme for all managementlevel team members. The projects I am currently working on together with members from our MIS, L&D, merchandising and finance teams

are various technology centric initiatives to better support collaboration, communication and mobility.

The second thing is integrating a leading visual analytics tool into our business processes and decision making. Finally, we are looking into reviewing and changing some aspects of our store front technology to reflect the growing trend of seamless omni-channel retail transaction, enhanced customer service and improve productivity to better manage the current labour crunch within the industry.

My primary role in these projects is to support the change management process as we change the way we work, and managing individual and team experiences during and after the change.

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED? Job experience helps you navigate similar work situations better, but in this day and age where things change at a click of a button, similar work situations rarely happen and are more complex.

The key is to never stop learning and always ensure your skills and job knowledge are relevant into the future because that ensures better career progression.

"Mobile technology will be more widely used to deliver all, if not most, HR services."

HOW DO YOU THINK THE HR FUNCTION WILL EVOLVE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? One thing for sure is that mobile technology will be more widely used to deliver all, if not most, HR services such as pre-screening interviews, onboarding, claims, payroll, benefits administration, training content and short videos and performance feedback. There will be less of a need to meet in person to get things done.

With this, the flow of HR information will have less friction, more real time and no location constraints. I can also see technology such as Google Glass or Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets make a change in the way we orientate staff, and things such as Apple’s Siri technology could allow employees to ask anything relating to work, such as employment contracts or benefits, and get answers without having to check in with a HR representative.

In short, I think technology will take away some aspect of the HR function delivered by a physical HR representative. This would mean a future HR leader will actually be an HR plus IT person who is working on technology that delivers the service.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU FEEL HR CAN DO BETTER TO PLAY A BIGGER ROLE IN ORGANISATIONS? I think we need to better equip ourselves with the knowledge to use various analytical tools so we are able to manage, explore and analyse data better. Once we have mastered this, the next step is to use the data to predict various outcomes for an initiative using multiple assumptions and to pick the right initiative with the highest probability to succeed.

As an HR practitioner armed with subject matter expertise, understanding of behaviours and data analytics, business owners and shareholders will seek you out more often to shape the business.

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WHITE PAPER » Leadership

WHY THE BEST COMPANIES ARE WILLING TO HIRE LOW-EXPERIENCE CANDIDATES

United States – Despite what conventional wisdom suggests, large prestigious companies are more likely to take the risk of hiring candidates without industry experience than smaller start-up companies.

A paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that for full-time employment, candidates with experience had a 3.75 times higher chance of being hired by smaller or nonprestigious companies compared to candidates without experience.

In prestigious companies, they only stood a 1.74 times better chance of being hired.

The researchers based their study on the labour market analysis for students pursuing a

two-year full-time MBA programme based in the US. It identified names of prestigious companies using Fortune MBA 100 annual rankings during 2007-2009.

“We find that firms prefer to make offers to candidates characterised by low uncertainty – namely, those individuals who have worked in the firms’ industry,” the report noted.

Hiring decisions are in part driven by the adjustment costs that a company is likely to suffer in the event of a wrong hire.

That implies that larger more prestigious organisations receive numerous applications from candidates, which makes their job of filling a vacancy easier. On the other hand, not only

are smaller, less prestigious firms more likely to receive less job applications than their more prestigious counterparts, but they are likely to be lacking in resources needed to replace a failed hire. As a result, they are more likely to opt for candidates with a better industry fit or experience, in a bid to avoid high firing and replacement costs.

The study identified a potential hire’s productivity on three attributes – general ability, skill and interest match, and how well a candidate fits into a firm’s strategies and company culture.

While general ability could be seen from an applicant’s grades, the other two attributes could be studied through the course of temporary employment.

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Leadership « WHITE PAPER

WHY THE UNEMPLOYED CAN’T FIND JOBS

Global – Talk about being stuck in a rut. It’s bad enough when you are unemployed, but what do you do when being unemployed may indirectly be the very reason discouraging bosses from hiring you?

According to a study published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Applied Psychology, unemployment could cause changes in one’s core personalities: people can become less conscientious, agreeable and open when they fall into unemployment.

This may pose a challenge for them when searching for jobs.

The research team performed standard personality tests on 6,769 Germans at two points over four years, and found that both women and men became less agreeable after a period of one and two years of losing their jobs respectively.

Interestingly, agreeableness of men increased slightly in their first two years of unemployment, compared to those who never lost their jobs.

However, after that, their agreeableness levels began to diminish. As for women, their agreeableness dropped with each year of unemployment.

In addition, openness levels in women plummeted in their second and third years without a job, rebounding in the fourth year of unemployment.

While the levels of openness remained fairly steady in the first year of unemployment for men, they decreased steadily with the increase in the years of unemployment.

“Although unemployment is likely to have precipitated personality change, the results suggest that personality rebounds upon reemployment,” said Christopher J. Boyce, lead author of the study.

“The results challenge the idea that our personalities are ‘fixed’ and show that the effects of external factors such as unemployment can have large impacts on our basic personality.

“This indicates that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought.”

He added policies to reduce unemployment rates were therefore vital not only to protect the economy, but also to enable positive personality growth in individuals.

NEARLY HALF O OF MILLENNIALS PL PLAN TO CHANGE JO JOBS THIS YEAR Unite States – Employers need to enhance their compensation, reward and United deve development strategies if they wish to retain Millennials in their companies.

TThis is because almost half (43%) of Millennials intend to switch jobs in 2015 2015, according to a new survey by Aon Hewitt.

Canvassing responses of more than 2,500 US employees, the survey foun found Millennials felt what they value in an organisation is different than the prior priorities of their current workplace.

Most believed their employers’ current values focus on more organisational-oriented themes, including teamwork, profit and customer satisfaction.

When asked what qualities they find the most desirable in an organisation, Millennials cited more relationship-oriented values, including work/home balance, employee recognition, loyalty and respect.

Other values with large perception gaps between current and desired levels included open communication, professional growth, fairness, humour/ fun, clarity and wellbeing (physical/emotional/mental/spiritual).

“Beyond wanting competitive pay and benefits, Millennials expect to feel appreciated for their efforts, see opportunities to advance, be more empowered in the workplace, and also have the flexibility to balance their lives at work and home,” said Pam Hein, partner for communication consulting at Aon Hewitt.

“Younger employees want to work in an environment where information flows freely and authentically and where people know they can count on one another.

“The data shows there is a significant opportunity for employers to offer a more unique and compelling work experience that will match what Millennials want, and in turn, increase retention long-term.”

The areas Millennials want to see improved in their current workplace

%

Pay and benefits

51

Good career or development opportunities

39

Performance recognition

38

Open/complete communication

34

Flexible work environment

33

Fun

30

Having a strong management and leadership team

30

Source: Aon Hewitt’s Inside the Employee Mindset study

Corporate Intelligence Advisors Sdn Bhd

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PROFILE » Len Jillard

Len Jillard

Chief people officer & corporate VP McDonald’s APMEA Catering for change

By ADITI SHARMA KALRA

Art Direction: Shahrom Kamarulzaman; Photography: Stefanus Elliot Lee using Nikon D810 – www.elliotly.com

Q Having started behind the counter of a restaurant, what made you stay for another 43 years?

People ask me how I can possibly stay with one company for so long, certainly in today’s world that’s different and unique.

I describe my time here as many careers within one. McDonald’s provides different opportunities to try new things, as long as the individual is committed.

Each step of the way – development, coaching and mentoring has been first class. Anything you lack from a functional perspective, they shore up by training.

That’s so unique about the McDonald’s culture, that moving here from Canada has been a fairly easy transition.

There are nuances in culture and country, but it is still the same “McFamily”.

Q How did you get into HR from the storefront?

My background is from operations. While in university, I worked here part-time, mainly to continue playing hockey. It was great because McDonald’s provided me flexibility in my schedule, which no other part-time job offered.

After university, I went full-time as a restaurant manager, and soon moved to the training function in Toronto.

From there, I moved back into operations as an area supervisor, and later into the service side which deals with the owner-operators and franchises. That was a big step because from running corporate restaurants to dealing with independent business people required a different skill set to influence them.

VITAL STATS Len Jillard is a 43-year veteran at McDonald’s, starting out as a crew person at a store in Ontario.

He worked his way up, spending time in training, operations and management positions before taking up the role of chief people officer at McDonald’s Canada. In November 2014, he moved to Singapore to lead the HR team for the APMEA region.

I got an opportunity to move to Mexico as senior director of operations which I call my real-life MBA. This was right after the peso crashed, and to go in and help support the business that had been devastated overnight, was fascinating.

After three years, I moved back to Canada to handle a fairly large geography, and then moved on to become chief people officer, after the CPO retired.

I always had a lot of passion behind the people part of the business, understanding that nothing gets done if you don’t have the people motivated, trained and engaged to do the job.

I firmly believe in being an HR business partner. If you’re just going to be transactional, you aren’t providing the full value you can to the business. It’s very important that you understand and engage with the business and its leaders.

I got a call for this APMEA role last summer, so I talked to the boss, meaning my wife. She said it would be a good thing, and it has been very exciting.

The diversity, differences and the number of countries are in different stages of growth, and it is pretty cool to be part of that. Asia is positioned in a way for incredible growth in the years ahead.

Q What are the “McFamily” values that helped you make this transition?

The core values of McDonald’s align very much with my personal values, and that makes it easy to stay.

The commitment to our people is first and foremost. It’s not just about talk, but about living it in what we do daily.

It’s also very important that we operate our business ethically. Our approach is open and candid. There are things which can be done which might be easier, but that doesn’t make them right.

Giving back to our communities is important. I have gone through my career being involved with Ronald McDonald House Charities, and it’s an important thing for my wife and kids too.

Again, there’s that alignment with personal values, which makes our company values universal.

That doesn’t mean they are perfect, but what the values do is lead us. We expect them to be followed in actions and behaviours. They enable and empower people in our restaurants and offices to make decisions, using them as a filter.

In making the transition here, the people have been terrific – so welcoming, open and friendly.

However, it doesn’t diminish in any means the diversity and culture that exists in Asia. You have to be open and receptive to experience it, have fun with it and learn from it. On the personal and professional side, the growth in such a role is exciting.

There are nuances within each culture that you have to be aware of. I always ask questions to help me understand why they do things a particular way.

Q After having relocated here, what are your priorities for this region?

I have two goals, the first of which is under engagement and education.

The engagement piece is to really help people understand what it means to

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PROFILE » Len Jillard

“It’s very important that we operate our business ethically.

There are things which can be done which might be easier, but that doesn’t make them right.”

be part of McDonald’s. I’m not sure they understand the opportunities available, and why I, for example, stayed for 43 years.

Engagement, on the other hand, relates to the customer. So we will look at how we engage employees there to embrace the brand, and how important what they do at the front of the counter is.

Tying in with that is education, which we have been working on in parts of the world, and Asia is starting to gain traction.

We have long been recognised for our development and training systems. When someone sees McDonald’s on a resume, they know the candidate is bringing in a skill set, particularly in retail and other customer-facing businesses.

They know our candidates are welltrained, know how to deal with customers and situations, and have a strong sense of teamwork, self-discipline and commitment.

They smile and enjoy what they do.

The education piece is how we provide more opportunities for them, whether they stay with us for a year or a career. Let’s train and teach them as best as we can.

If they stay with us, that’s great

because that will set the foundation for their future growth. If they choose to go somewhere else, that’s fine too, because we want them to look back fondly and say their best experience was at McDonald’s.

We are working with schools, colleges and universities towards accreditations to provide more opportunities for our staff.

The second big thing for us are the tools and experiences to ensure we are getting the best and brightest talent.

By 2030, the whole workforce dynamic will change so dramatically, so it is important to find individuals who are looking for growth opportunities.

Besides training and development, this will focus on opportunities to go down whatever career path they want.

families to learn about the career and development opportunities at McDonald’s.

Flexibility has different parts to it. For a mum, it means the ability to get her kids off to school and then come to work part-time, with flexible hours, and to be back home when the kids come home.

McDonald’s was also one of the first to begin hiring mature workers in the 1980s.

Career flexibility is another, where you’ve got to be able to do what you want to do. For example, at a recent golf tournament, I was talking to a young lady working part-time at our restaurant.

Waiting to tee off, I asked what she was studying at university, to which she replied, finance. I asked, why not join McDonald’s after you graduate?

She looked at me funny. I told her, we are a big company, we have lots of finance people and we need accountants, and requested her to keep my card.

The learning for me in that was that we don’t do as good a job as we could in explaining the opportunities that exist.

When it comes to the future, we’ve got the Millennials who are just looking for opportunities to build their career path.

In fact, 50% of all McDonald’s restaurant managers in Singapore began their career as a crew member.

What I find interesting about our EVP is that we can adjust it for the needs of all four generations that work at McDonald’s.

Q With such a vast mix of company owned and owner-operator stores, how do you plan to drive engagement?

Within the business, we have what we refer to as “plan to win”. It is a framework that provides consistency to our priorities, and cascade this down to what it means for the restaurant.

We spend a lot of time communicating how we’re doing to the franchisees and staff. We also have commitment surveys with the staff. We don’t just sit in the office reading reports. We go out visiting restaurants because that’s where it’s all happening. Even there, we don’t just meet the consultants and vice presidents, but the store manager and crew.

Q Will that focus on developing

Q How do you plan to communicate

careers define your EVP going forward?

Our EVP is underpinned by three things – family/friends, flexibility and future.

The first, family/friends, is a social component. Various activities are held to encourage bonding and for employees’

what the EVP offers to potential and internal candidates?

Externally, the recent Aon Hewitt recognition, as “best of the best” in Singapore, helped generate conversations.

One of our strengths as a company

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Len Jillard « PROFILE is we are very humble. At the same time, we need to be more proud and loud of the great things we do.

Over time, you’ll see more proactive external communications. Internally, it is about reinforcing opportunities for staff and creating dialogues with them. I am very impressed with the way China and Singapore are doing that.

Q How do you guide the line or store managers to reinforce these?

It lies in finding out how often they talk to our staff about how we are performing on the business plan, and letting them know what’s coming in the short and long-term, and the role they can play.

Q A lot of companies this size try to get their employees together frequently. Do you do that?

We have a webcast coming up, featuring a quarterly update for the group. We also do town halls. Whenever I’m in town, we encourage the president or functional VP to set up a staff meeting. Inevitably, I get an email afterwards with specific questions.

Q I know it’s early days, but have you

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identified any HR issues in this region?

I haven’t been shocked by anything. It is more about the degree to which a challenge is – for example, the staffing challenge may be a degree higher than what it was in Canada.

Different markets can have different staffing challenges for a multitude of reasons, but more often than not, it’s needing to get out there and letting people know what the EVP is.

Q How big is your regional HR team?

It depends on markets, since they’re closest to the customer. My team at the zone level is made up of 11 people, primarily in Singapore and Hong Kong.

We also leverage our global team in terms of policy design, while my team looks at a more strategic perspective.

You can’t paint Asia with one brush, so my team’s responsibility is to provide the markets with the tools they need.

Q Recently HQ announced new benefits for company-owned store employees. Do you have those planned for this region as well?

Each country and its needs are different.

What we do on an ongoing basis is assess what is happening in each market, what we need to address, and ensure we are a strong and committed corporate citizen.

We reflect on what needs to happen in each community. The teams here are very much on top of the particular issues in each market, and it comes back to the EVP.

Q The company is often questioned because of the nature of the fast-food industry. Is there something you do to educate your employees on wellness?

Here’s one of those opportunities we are getting better at – to educate our staff from a supply chain perspective, in terms of where we source our food, and the policies that exist within that.

More often than not, we meet or exceed government requirements. And we should be able to tell that through our quality story, not just internally, but externally as well.

A lot of our training covers awareness of the food safety perspective, both at the time of orientation and certainly through the business practices within the restaurant.

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FEATURE » HR Technology

Social media is here to stay and revolutionise the way HR works. Akankasha Dewan calls out the need for HR leaders to maximise its potential to increase the effectiveness of their recruiting and branding efforts.

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HR Technology « FEATURE ven though sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been around for about a decade, it has now become hard to imagine a life before social media. Today, bosses are increasingly acknowledging the role social media has to play in enhancing HR processes and priorities.

Innovative companies are mining connections on key social networking sites.

Brands are maintaining their reputation online, and watching how their own talent is interacting on public platforms.

They are also leveraging on social media to create talent communities that engage passive candidates and promote their brand.

A 2013 survey by JobStreet found more than 80% of Malaysian employers strongly believe social media tools can be used to drive business prospects. Likewise, more than 90% of the 900 local employees agree on its positive effects.

“Companies not taking advantage of this useful business tool may want to reconsider their policy on social media at the workplace, as 88% of employees responded they were more likely to join a company which was active in its social media platform,” the survey stated.

Clearly, social media is here to stay, and influence the way HR works.

“Social media has given HR an opportunity to demonstrate how it contributes to the organisation in an even bigger way,” observes Sue Olivier, regional talent development director for Ogilvy & Mather (Asia Pacific).

“We now know what people think about the organisation, what they say about it and what the most important issues are to people working in their company. If we pay attention, it gives us a more informed view on managing our people.”

Indeed, HR professionals today can benefit from using social media in a plethora of ways, increasing the function’s value as the company’s strategic business partner.

“From improved communications to external recruiting and even increasing employee satisfaction, social media allows HR to align to both the real-time and predictive environment, contributing to better strategy and tactics when it comes to employee retention, company brand-building and overall business revenue,” says Sabrina Jaksa, head of HR for Asia Pacific at Hootsuite.

Using social media as a recruitment tool Out of this wide range of social media uses,

recruiting stands out as a great example of how the HR function can utilise social media – especially in the Asia Pacific region.

The 2013 Kelly Global Workforce Index found 67% of respondents prefer searching for jobs using social media over traditional methods such as newspaper advertisements, online job boards or recruitment companies.

Thailand and Indonesia were identified as the top two countries in the world to embrace social media when looking for jobs, coming in at 79% and 70%, respectively.

“Online recruitment and social media have transformed recruitment and provided an exponential increase in the volume of job information in circulation,” the survey reported.

“People not only search for jobs online, but engage in conversations and swap information about jobs, careers and prospective employers.”

More than half of the Asia Pacific respondents (56%) had also been contacted about a potential job via social media, compared with 41% in the Americas and 38% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“Social media has democratised hiring.

Suddenly, you have so much more information at your fi ngertips – a global database of candidates,” Olivier says.

“Today, pretty much all candidates get checked out instantaneously on social media the moment you have had a look at their CV.” She explains the recruitment process has been further democratised in terms of who can announce the availability of vacancies for a specific position.

In current times, not just HR, but representatives from any function, anywhere, can put out communications of all kinds on social media – including those for recruitment.

“Many more people have access to performing functions such as recruitment.

You now have a bigger pool of internal recruiters,” she explains.

Despite these advantages, Jaksa warns HR leaders that social media hiring cannot be used to replace face-to-face recruitment completely.

Instead, a synthesis of the two is what essentially leads to optimal results.

“While digital recruitment provides a more interactive outreach, the hiring process still requires a certain level of offl ine interaction, such as face-to-face interviews for recruiters to make the best hiring decisions,” she believes.

Olivier agrees, and adds face-to-face

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FEATURE » HR Technology recruitment is actually integral for some organisations – especially in the services sector.

“As a service industry we rely on our people to deliver and improve our services, and you can’t recruit people from a distance without being able to assess the fit. In addition, our industry tends to be informal and personality based. Ultimately, there is no substitute for the face-to-face discussion.”

Judging social media profiles But for bosses to effectively judge a candidate using their social media profi le, they should keep in mind certain behaviours or values which differentiate between a good profi le and a bad one.

In a CareerBuilder survey, 51% of American employers, who had researched job candidates on social media, said they had found content that caused them to not hire the candidate.

Social media accounts with provocative or inappropriate photographs or information made up the highest percentage of unsuitable job candidate profi les online (46%).

More than four out of 10 (41%) employers also cited they had rejected job candidates because their profi les featured them drinking or using drugs.

Additionally, 36% of bosses had passed on candidates because they had posted messages which had bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employees.

“How we judge a candidate’s social media profi le is dependent on the context of it,” Olivier says.

She advises that hiring managers need to ask themselves about the type of expectations that they have from the role and subsequently from the candidate.

“More senior roles tend to carry higher expectations with them. The type of industry and organisation will also dictate what is deemed ‘acceptable’ personal social media posts and behaviour.

“Warning signs in a candidate’s social media behaviour (regardless of industry) would include rants against employers, posting inappropriate photos or a general lack of judgment in what is publicly shared.”

Jaksa agrees, and concurs that a candidate’s social media decorum, the type of content posted and online demeanour, are reflective of a person’s personality.

She warns, however, of the dangers of being

over-critical when judging a candidate by their social media profi le.

“Overall, recruiters should assess the candidate’s social media decorum. Th is is particularly important as the types of content posted and online demeanour are reflective of a person’s personality,” Jaksa says.

“That said, recruiters should not totally discount the capabilities of employees or candidates who seem to have a lack of social media presence. It doesn’t mean that they are not digitally savvy – they may just be guarding their privacy.”

Echoing Jaksa, Olivier says recruiters should be careful when looking at candidates’ profi les because candidates themselves have become more savvy about what they want visitors to their profi le to believe.

“Although social media gives you a lot more information about people, we’ve learnt that you cannot judge a book by its social media profi le only,” Olivier says.

“Sixty endorsements on a candidate’s social media profi le doesn’t mean they are 60 times better than another candidate – it just means they are more savvy about getting endorsements.”

Learning effective use of social media But with this added layer of complexity accompanying social media recruitment, are HR professionals today sufficiently skilled to accurately judge candidates through their online profi les?

Apparently not, according to Jobvite’s 2014 Social Recruiting Survey, which canvassed responses from more than 1,800 recruiters and human resources professionals across various industries and regions. The survey found 82% of recruiters believe their social recruiting skills to be only “proficient” or less.

“Being a good judge of character comes with the territory for HR practitioners. But I do think we can all benefit from being more media savvy,” Olivier says.

“In the sea of available information, HR leaders need to decide which sources should be their priority and how they can best access it to gain information and insight, and to inform their talent approach and practices.”

Jaksa agrees, and adds the need to educate HR professionals on using social media is made even more compelling because social media in itself is constantly evolving.

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HR Technology « FEATURE “Th is means HR practitioners need to keep their own skill sets updated through regular training sessions and online engagement in social,” she says.

“Employee training is another key area that HR practitioners are typically focused on, so the betterment of their skills naturally benefits the wider organisation as well.”

Social media training should, she stresses, be provided to not just HR personnel but all employees, as it can help make them great brand ambassadors of their companies.

If done properly, Jaksa believes proper social media training can lead to higher levels of engagement and retention in organisations.

“Employees can be great brand ambassadors on social media platforms once they are empowered with the relevant social media skills and knowledge. If they know why employer branding matters, then you will get their engagement as well.

“Also, by monitoring social conversations around the business on a regular basis, HR and business leaders can evaluate and shape the organisations’ employee engagement strategy to ensure the company’s culture is aligned with employees’ needs.”

Overcoming the risks of social media But this training remains essential, not only to ensure better usage of social media and increase staff engagement levels, but also to overcome the risks inherent in using social media tools.

“Social media is unforgiving and instant,” Olivier warns.

“Anything negative can be picked up, retweeted and re-posted. If you aren’t quick enough to catch it, it could potentially cause a crisis for the organisation. How, and how fast you act, points to your brand values as a company – do you ignore the situation or handle it immediately?”

As such, she advises any organisation with an active social media presence to have policies which constantly monitor content online. The responsibility for this should be undertaken, she adds, between HR and the corporate communications divisions – especially when it comes to people-related issues.

“The fi nal danger is probably inadvertent poor judgment from employees who post on social media – with or without company sanction,” she says.

Savvy about social: Judging a candidate’s social media profile is dependent on context.

Jaksa highlights learning how to manage social media accounts is even more integral for companies because they do not have much control over the type of content posted online.

“We don’t know what you are going to include in your post and whether that is in line with the company’s brand values and policies.

All you can do is provide good guidelines and hope they will do the right thing.”

She adds that to deliver key business goals in the digital era, HR and business leaders need to look beyond the confi nes of social media as a marketing tool.

Instead, they need to plan a unified social media strategy across different departments within the entire organisation.

“It is only through adhering to a social business structure that enterprises are able to truly capitalise on social media capabilities.”

Such an approach to social media networks is advisable, especially because the proliferation of these networks is only going to increase in the future.

“We can expect even more social media talent tools in the future, leading to more choice, but also to the need for discernment in terms of functionality and value-add to your organisation,” Olivier predicts.

“Practitioners will see the value of educating themselves about using social media and become more discerning about how they use it.

“Th is will create opportunity for social media savvy HR practitioners who embrace new technology and are always on the lookout for new ways in which to make it work for themselves and their people.”

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FEATURE » HR Technology

CASE STUDY: OGILVY & MATHER ASIA PACIFIC Sue Olivier, regional talent development director for Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, speaks with Akankasha Dewan about how the company has strengthened its recruitment and employer branding campaigns through the effective usage of social media.

Social media networks were a novelty five years ago, but today their importance is no longer debated.

“The functionality of social media tools in this space has made for early and wide adoption to the extent that it is hard to imagine a world without social media as a recruiting, tracking, rewarding, creating and connecting tool,” says Sue Olivier, regional talent development director for Ogilvy & Mather (Asia Pacific).

“It allows an organisation to have a relationship with potential or past employees and many companies do a good job of maximising its potential.”

Ogilvy’s approach to social media recruitment One of the ways in which social media aids recruiting is in narrowing down the vast sea of candidates available.

“What social media tools help you do is to fi lter information,” Olivier says.

Th is is especially useful for companies who recruit candidates based not only on hard skills, but also soft skills such as personality and culture fit.

“Our founder David Ogilvy was very specific in much of the work he published on the type of people he wanted to be part of the organisation,” she says.

Ogilvy has eight defi ned traits which the hiring managers look for when hiring, growing and rewarding people, such as having courage and being playful.

“If you don’t hire for these qualities, it is unlikely they will develop them later. Because it is such a distinct culture, it is important we hire for a natural cultural fit.

Our industry tends to be informal and personality based.”

She adds that when recruiting, the company is likely to check out all possible avenues of social presence – be it a Twitter account, blogs, LinkedIn profi le, etc.

But how can companies measure the effectiveness of such recruitment tools? In the past, companies would do so in seeing how quickly the position was closed.

“Now, it is quicker for recruiters to assess the quality of candidates that one recruitment tool delivers versus another, rather than just quantity of responses.

“You have more data more readily available to get an accurate return of investment. Experimenting with different recruitment strategies in social media tends to be more cost-effective than traditional media channels.”

The role of social media in Ogilvy’s employer branding strategy The company also uses social media to build its employer branding proposition. “Every owned asset that you

have – whether it is your website, your job board or your LinkedIn profi le – helps in building or diminishing your employer value proposition.”

Many of its offices have their own social media accounts and most of Ogilvy’s disciplines have their own owned communities. The content in such pages is also shared among personal communities of employees.

Olivier explains Ogilvy has a high rate of returnees.

Employees leave and come back – sometimes in a different discipline or a different office or geography.

To help them stay informed of its latest happenings, the company has alumni pages on LinkedIn for different communities – global as well as regional.

For Ogilvy, this page has also proven to be an effective medium to advertise vacancies, especially because the page’s followers are mainly ex-employees who are already familiar with the culture of the agency and would make a good fit for the company. Additionally, they are also more likely to recommend candidates who would be a good fit.

Ogilvy’s social media policies Olivier stresses that social media content management should be part of an overall organisation media policy.

Leaders need to consider elements such as the seniority of the spokesperson and the tone of voice, as well the nature of what content to include and avoid, and how to handle negative press.

She emphasises that handling social (and all other) media should involve the corporate communications teams, including social media guidelines for employees.

The company currently follows WPP and Ogilvy policies on responsible social media practice, which all newcomers are exposed to within the fi rst 100 days.

In conclusion, Olivier says companies in general are on the right track to maximise the potential of these social media tools. Th is is fuelling the popularity of social media and increasing the role it has to play in being part of a company’s business strategy.

“There is an increased focus on talent management in all organisations – we all know that the people with the best people win.

“As a result of the heightened awareness, overall there seems to be a greater willingness by organisations to invest in talent and talent-related tools, whether for recruiting, tracking, connecting, developing or rewarding.

And as the interest grows, the business opportunity for these tools also grows.”

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THIS ARTICLE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY WENTWORTH PEOPLE SINGAPORE

SUCCESSFULLY MANAGING CHANGE WITH AN IT ROLLOUT Companies spend millions on new IT systems often without budgeting enough for the change management process; and then wonder why staff don’t or won’t use the new systems. This always leads to a dip in employees’ performance and morale.

Without end user consultation, especially with those who use it daily, companies will end up with systems that make it difficult for staff to complete their daily tasks easily. At its worst, confused users may end up entering wrong data, which can cripple a company’s performance.

Success in realising the perceived business benefits and return on investment is wholly dependent on planning change management activities alongside the IT rollout. Get it right the first time – otherwise it could extend your programme by 12-plus months and easily cost millions of dollars to rectify.

3. Business change • Jobs – although it may not mean headcount reductions, tasks and roles will inevitably change. Do the assessment in advance, as well as communicate job changes sensitively as they will unsettle all the teams impacted. Manage the emotional impact early – don’t ignore it or leave it for last, as staff will imagine the worse without positive intervention.

• Organisation structure – role changes could mean team changes. You may also find that various roles are now defunct and new ones created.

• Business processes and policies – conduct an impact analysis on processes and policies which have to change or could be improved. You may be surprised as to just how many may have to change.

Back to basics A new IT system can impact some or all of the following: • Staff jobs.

• Organisation structure.

• Business process and internal policies (especially for shared services).

• IT systems, software and hardware (may need to upgrade or change platforms).

4. Change journey • Recruit and support internal change agents – choose them wisely as they are your ambassadors and champions. Often they can also be your trainers and testers. Try to make sure they are your best people, as they are your linchpins; your local teams will be as strong as these people.

• Get external change experts to advise, mentor and train the change agents.

The four essential elements to successful change management 1. Training • Effective training materials take time to develop – plan three days of preparation for each one-day workshop (use a professional rather than someone from IT, otherwise it’s going to be too technical).

• Localise training into employees’ mother tongue for complex systems – users will learn and retain information easier and quicker rather than struggle and misunderstand instructions.

• Use relevant examples of the current system and how this maps across to the new system – this helps users make the correlation.

• Don’t forget to train staff in the changes to business processes and policies.

• Consider a train-the-trainer programme to cascade training onto all teams. This will also give you the added benefit of using them as testers for usability and UAT (user acceptance testing).

• Produce quick reference guides and one-page cheat sheets to pin on desks.

• Keep training close to the go-live date or give refresher sessions to retain learning and reinforce new modes of behaviour.

• Better still, run business simulation trainings the week before with the full end-to-end system so users can start to embed the new behaviours in a “real” business environment rather than being thrown in the deep-end at go-live. This also gives IT a chance to test that all the new hardware, software and infrastructure works together.

2. Communication • All messaging needs to include: what the change is, why it is needed, when it is happening and what it means for the employees.

• Stakeholder mapping – know who has vested interests and keep them onboard.

• Communication plan (aligned with the IT rollout) – you can’t communicate too much. Most people forget, or just may not have absorbed the previous communication.

PHASE 1 Kick-off change team Localise and align change management strategy, approach and plan with global and regional.

• Develop stakeholder map and communications plan.

• Start establishing relationships with all key stakeholders to understand issues and concerns.

• Recruit and get ready local change agents.

•

PHASE 2 Market preparation Prepare market to identify tasks and resources, and provide training to conduct these activities.

• Continue to support local change agents.

• Start change readiness assessments.

• Internal and external communications and resolving issues and concerns, and mitigating risks.

•

PHASE 3

• •

•

• •

Training Train the trainers.

Localise training materials and agree to training plans.

Align and work with markets to identify any role changes, and map current roles to new roles.

Check and resolve any compliance issues.

Continue communications and engagement.

PHASE 4

• •

•

•

•

Go-LIVE and BAU Training in new system processes.

Consider business simulations to continue practice and confidence.

Cut-over and go-live support – preparation and alignment.

Prepare and align user support and transition to BAU (business as usual).

Celebrate programme completion.

Anna Tan has successfully helped companies transform their business with IT rollouts for the past 18 years, and has indeed won various awards! Contact us for consultancy, advice, training or help.

Find out more at www.wentworthpeople.com.sg or write to anna.tan@wentworthpeople.com

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FEATURE » Recruitment

As the Millennials become the majority in the workforce this year, companies are adapting their recruitment strategies to hire this generation more effectively.

Jerene Ang looks at how hiring strategies have evolved and the challenges recruiters are facing as they seek out the desired skill sets.

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Recruitment « FEATURE

ith the nature of businesses and organisation structures becoming more complex, and the generational shift bringing in a new dominant generation to the workforce, to remain relevant in changing times, the recruitment landscape also has to continue to change.

It is predicted by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics that by this year, Millennials will make up the majority of the workforce. With each generation being slightly different from its predecessors, it is essential to note that recruitment strategies are being tweaked to cater to this generational shift.

Karen Tok, CEO of ScienTec Consulting in Asia, says: “To attract Millennials, it is critical to embrace their traits of high energy, techsavviness, outspokenness, impatience for change and growth – and channel them into the right job functions.”

New trends in recruitment Recruiters are embracing the new generation’s tech-savviness. According to LinkedIn’s 2015 edition of the Global Recruiting Trends Report, more of them are turning to social media to promote their talent brand.

Dion Groeneweg, Mercer’s region lead for HR transformation and workforce planning and analytics, is of the opinion the biggest disruptor today is, in fact, technology.

“The biggest change for organisations is in the way they interact with Millennials. The use of social media is on the rise and there are a lot of companies using LinkedIn to drive their recruitment processes.

“Some tech companies are building games to assess people’s capabilities in certain technical areas,” he says.

Shai Ganu, Mercer’s market business leader for talent consulting in Asia, agrees, adding that predictive hiring is catching on in companies.

“A trend we’re seeing at the progressive companies is predictive hiring – that is, looking at gamification concepts or social media presence to try and get a sense of whether the person would work out in the organisation.

“Th is also involves correlations and models about potential candidates, what behaviours and competencies they tend to exhibit, and

different assessments to predict if they will be successful in your organisation.”

Other than these trends, Shalini Bhateja, Schneider Electric’s director of talent management for Asia Pacific and the Middle East, also points out that as organisations become more matrixed, there is an increase in the number of stakeholders in the recruitment process, especially when recruiting for more senior roles.

“In that sort of matrixed set-up, I think what has majorly shifted in recruitment is the number of people and decision makers involved in the recruitment process,” she says.

“I think the stakeholders who are doing recruitment have gone up because people work with multiple stakeholders and then everybody needs to be consulted before someone is recruited for a mid to senior-level position.”

Challenges in recruitment Witnessing these new trends is interesting, but so are the new challenges that have emerged.

According to Glassdoor’s Recruiting Outlook Survey, 48% of hiring decision makers feel that there is a shortage of qualified candidates for open positions.

Bhateja agrees that it can be difficult to fi nd someone with the right qualifications.

Especially when hiring for senior roles, it is common to over-hire when one is trying to hire for the future and build a pipeline for tomorrow.

“In such cases the fi rst challenge is to fi nd the right profi le of candidate. The second challenge is to convince them to be hired for the future,” she says.

Another challenge she points out is the ability to make the right decisions as well as to follow a structured process when hiring.

“A challenge which is always in recruitment is making the right decisions.

“Th is means we have to be very careful, there have to be assessments and a foolproof structured methodology drilled down to what actually is done,” she says.

Yet another challenge is to be sure of the competencies needed to successfully carry out a role as well as to know what type of candidate you want to hire.

“The other thing is that fi rst, you have to be sure of what you are looking for. The second question is, how much of each aspect is needed to be effective in the role?

“For example, you defi ne some

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FEATURE » Recruitment competencies that the person would need, but at that level, how much of that and what level of proficiency would be needed?

“I think that hiring is a very scientific process, so you have to prepare well before going into the hiring discussion. Sometimes I feel the preparation part doesn’t get done well.”

With a shift in workforce demographics, catering to the needs of each generation, and not just Generation Y, is another challenge that is faced by recruiters.

Despite feeling that Millennials are not that different from other generations, May Lo, group human resources director at Grace International, notes there are some traits of Millennials that set them apart.

“In my opinion, Millennials are generally not so different from the other generations.

Th ings like job security and to be challenged at work, to work for a good company, all of them apply across the generations.

“Malaysia is madness when it comes to hiring. It is a very competitive market and you find that between rounds of interviews, companies complain about their candidates being snatched or even worse, people not showing up on their first day.”

– Godelieve van Dooren, Mercer’s market business leader for ASEAN for information solutions

“However, we also take note of certain traits of Millennials and we try to cater to those.

Obviously, I don’t want to change the policies because of them. That doesn’t make sense because then it will mean that I’m just catering to one group of people, but we will acknowledge they have certain traits.”

Additionally, Groeneweg notes the onboarding process for Millennials can pose a challenge as this workforce generally has higher expectations.

“Millennials’ expectations are much higher, they expect everything to be ready and working from day one when they arrive at the office.

“But the onboarding process needs to start even before the fi rst day at work. Companies

need to prepare their touch-points to keep their candidates warm throughout the process, given that it can take up to two months from when they are selected to when they join.”

Godelieve van Dooren, Mercer’s market business leader for ASEAN for information solutions, agrees and adds: “These are not unreasonable requests as it’s what this generation is used to.”

She is also of the opinion organisations have to speed up their decision-making process in order not to lose the best candidates.

“There’s also a lot of discussion around the number of rounds that candidates need to go through to get hired. I think there are too many!

“One of the larger internet companies has eight rounds of interviews before a candidate is hired. However, the best candidates might be snatched away by the competition in that time.” van Dooren also feels that companies, especially those in competitive markets, have to be in contact with candidates throughout the recruitment process so as not to lose the connection with the candidate.

“Malaysia is madness when it comes to hiring. It is a very competitive market and you fi nd that between rounds of interviews, companies complain about their candidates being snatched or even worse, people not showing up on their fi rst day.

“That is why companies need to be in contact throughout because if the process is too long they will lose that connection.”

The sought-after skills With so many new trends in recruiting, what are the skills companies seek that make it worth overcoming these challenges?

Lo points out she looks for technical skills.

“Because this is very operational-based, there will be skills that are a given – you must have the technical knowledge,” she says.

However, acknowledging that attracting candidates is not an easy feat, she says the company is willing to train candidates, bringing them to the next skill she looks for – adaptability.

“But having said that, even if you don’t have the technical knowledge, because we acknowledge that it is not easy to attract candidates, we are willing to train.

“We always prep the person joining – we

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Recruitment « FEATURE say that if it’s a new industry, you need to have a change of mindset, you need to be adaptable because this is defi nitely not going to be what you are used to.”

Agreeing that adaptability is an essential skill in today’s world, Bhateja adds: “We are now in a VUCA environment and it’s very unpredictable. Business models are changing fast and to be successful in that kind of environment, the fi rst thing you need is learning agility.”

In addition to that, she sums up three other important skills while recruiting – role fit, leadership fit and culture fit.

“These are three things to look at not just for the Millennial generation, but across generations. You absolutely have to look at all three.” van Dooren also notes that more organisations are seeking candidates who have potential in the area of global mobility.

“Apart from great candidates with soft skills and technical skills, increasingly organisations say candidates need to have worked in different locations. So that is the ideal candidate in this connected, multicultural world.

“They want someone to lead a multicultural team, be able to move around easily, not only within Asia itself, but also to communicate with the headquarters, which may have different cultural perspectives.”

Recruitment methods Pointing out a good way for testing a candidate’s cultural fit, Groeneweg says: “One organisation I know about brings together people from all levels and makes the candidates present to them in order to test their skills. They usually get 20 minutes to solve a problem and 10 minutes to present the solution.”

A lot of this fit also relies on the candidate’s personality. With regards to recruiting based on personality, Bhateja observes there is an increase in the use of psychometric testing.

“Psychometric testing was previously used for development, but now it is also being used for recruitment.

“Basically, there are various tools available in the market nowadays for personality assessment. Using those, a person will take a computer-generated test, which then provides a report on their personality.”

However, she notes that those cannot be solely relied on to ascertain a candidate’s fit and

The chosen one: The number of hiring decision makers has gone up.

they have to be used in conjunction with other tools of assessment.

“You have to match it up with the structured interviews that have been done, and putting the two together, you can use that for recruitment and many organisations are doing that today.”

She suggests a good time to use psychometric testing is in the middle of a series of interviews.

“For example, you might typically have six interviews for any role. After the fi rst short-list, and after the second or third interview, we can introduce a psychometric assessment.

“There will be areas that will help the next set of interviewers to pick up from the questions and clarify areas in the report and, hence, you are able to judge the person better.

“I think that’s something good to do when making critical recruitment decisions.”

When it comes to recruiting based on personality, here’s another frequently asked question by hiring managers – active recruiting or passive recruiting?

In Lo’s opinion, it is a mixture of both with active recruitment being a little easier.

Her reason being: “The person is already looking so they will know what to expect.

Technically, personality doesn’t come in as much there because they already have the skill sets and they know what to expect.”

She notes that passive recruiting may be more challenging as the person may not be willing to move from their job.

She says to attract a passive candidate, “HR needs to know the job description well because only then can you tell that person, ‘these are

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FEATURE » Recruitment your job demands and duties and these are your skills’ and then identify the skill gaps that they would receive training in. Only then can you point out what they will gain from joining us”.

Adding that, “if the person does not have the knowledge of this job or industry, we can only rely on personality because if they are able to change and adapt their mindset, then it can work”.

Bhateja agrees that both passive and active recruiting are effective depending on the role.

However, she feels that neither are the best recruitment method.

In her opinion, the best method is a proactive approach to recruitment.

“Even if you don’t have a role open, as a business leader, I’m not saying only HR, but also as a business leader, you should know people outside the company so that if a role opens, these could be some people who we could approach.

“HR needs to know the job description well because only then can you tell that person, ‘these are your job demands and duties and these are your skills’ and then identify the skill gaps that they would receive training in. Only then can you point out what they will gain from joining us.”

– May Lo, group human resources director at Grace International

“I think that passive and active, people would use it as and when needed. The more important one is proactive recruitment, what we call talent mapping.

“You should have mapped the market and know who are the people in the market who could fit into these roles if needed. I think that is most effective.”

Another query that comes to mind is whether to engage an agency or do it in-house.

To this question, Lo answers: “We do it inhouse fi rstly because the department heads have more ownership.

“On top of that, they are able to then compare an external candidate against what we would call an internal candidate, meaning an

existing staff who you might want to promote for career progression and career growth.”

Bhateja says that at Schneider Electric, it uses a mix of both in-house recruiting and engaging recruitment agencies and notes that each has its own pros and cons.

“I think for in-house, the positive thing is that the people doing the recruitment understand the company better and are able to explain about the company.

“But the problem with in-house is scale.

How much can you scale? How many resources will you have? What kind of expertise do you have?

“If you look at recruitment agencies, they can scale their experts, the downside is that you pay them a lot and they might or might not be able to understand your business.”

The future of recruiting After discussing the different trends, challenges and ways of recruitment in the VUCA environment today, we can be sure there will be more new trends to come in the near future.

One of the trends is the shift to mobile, as expected by respondents of the Glassdoor Recruiting Outlook Survey, where in the next one to two years, an average of 26% of job applicants will come through mobile devices.

Feeling the same way, Groeneweg says: “I think it’s about being mobile-friendly. Gen X and Gen Y want to be able to apply for a job on their smartphones. They don’t want to fi ll up big forms, instead they want something quick and fast. It’s the mobile-fi rst generation.”

According to Ganu, another trend is “thinking about your talent pool a bit more differently”.

“That includes things like referrals and secondments,” he says.

Th is means to let employees accept offers to work for competitors instead of fighting them, allowing employees to gain more experiences and skills which would be an asset should they come back to the company.

“It’s also good to have a structured alumni network because that tends to be a pool that might come back and if they don’t come back, then at least they are likely to recommend who to hire,” he says. van Dooren agrees and adds: “We call them boomerangs. If you throw a boomerang well, which means if you’re a good employer, they will come back.”

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FEATURE » Leadership

In this ever-changing job market, HR leaders spend most of their time trying to help employees develop their careers while often overlooking their own career er development. de Jerene Ang delves into how HR leaders can develop their own careers and skill sets to ensure de sure they are at par with environmental changes.

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Leadership « FEATURE hile many say HR is relatively slow to evolve, it has progressed greatly since the turn of the millennium.

Initially only known as the policemen of policy, HR leaders are now increasingly becoming business partners, playing significant roles in driving organisational objectives.

Part of driving organisational processes is ensuring the organisation has a solid succession pipeline, and as such, many HR leaders play a big part in developing their employees’ careers.

But how are they developing themselves to stay ahead of the trends?

According to a study by IBM in 2013 – “New expectations for a new era: CHRO insights from the global C-suite” – an area HR should be moving towards is using analytics to manage talent and working together with other functions within the organisation to fi nd new value and capabilities in the organisation.

Peter Hatt, regional head HR, ASEAN at Standard Chartered Bank, believes that in the past three years, HR has helped leadership teams make better decisions by building capability around business intelligence tools, data insights and analytics.

“HR needs to continue on this journey using evidence-based data insights, including techniques such as predictive analysis to help line managers make good people decisions and help understand the ‘pulse of the organisation’,” he says.

Lau Yin Cheng, cluster director (for the human resources and organisational development cluster) at Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), agrees and confi rms HR has been working more and more with other functions in the business.

“HR leaders need to be able to pull together the various functions to better enable the business outcome, be it for organisational restructuring, being involved in mergers and acquisitions or a switch in strategy that requires new capabilities.”

Hatt observes another way that HR has evolved lies in the maturing of the HR business partner models which help drive sustainable business outcomes.

“HR professionals have been spending more of their time understanding the business needs to help shape the people agenda, spending less time on transactional HR activity, and are being an effective partner to the business,” he says.

Additionally, he notes the HR function

increasingly leverages on technology to help drive scalable HR products and processes, including in the areas of performance, reward, talent and succession management.

“HR technology is a real enabler for organisations, allowing the HR function to reduce manual interventions and free up HR practitioners’ time to focus on driving sustainable business outcomes through the people lens.”

Think you’re competent enough?

To keep up with the pace of change in the HR function, what are some of the competencies HR leaders need to have?

According to another report by IBM – “Unlock the people equation: Using workforce analytics to drive business results” – less than 20% of organisations are currently able to apply predictive analytics to address people issues.

Moreover, it stated that more than 40% of organisations are presently limited to basic HR reporting capabilities.

On this, Shweta Shukla, Facebook’s head of HR for India and Southeast Asia, says that more important than metrics are the conversations they generate.

“In Facebook, we don’t conduct massive HR business metrics reviews every month,” she says.

“Instead, we have regular conversations with our leaders, where we bring in relevant insights valuable for them and which speaks to the current context.

“That’s a much better way of engaging your business because if you show things such as ‘attrition is 5%’ without any insight then what do you really want them to take away from this?

Otherwise we can get all lost in data and it can become an end in itself.”

She reflects that in her role as the head of HR, another skill HR leaders need is to be able to ask the right questions.

“A majority of the time, you play the role of a coach.

“I’m not saying you should have the answers to everything, but you should have the ability to ask the right questions and bring in insights from what you have learnt from other businesses.”

Another skill she brings up is to be solution focused – solving problems instead of throwing policies at them.

She thinks the more an HR leader is sought

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FEATURE » Leadership out to solve business problems, the better they will get at their jobs.

“It is very easy for you to fall into this zone if you keep throwing policies at people in response to their questions; it is the best way to get rid of people who are looking to seek your views,” she clarifies.

It goes without saying that to be able to ask business leaders the right questions and to solve problems, a deep knowledge of the business is needed.

“Most people working here are very smart. They know how to get their jobs done, but the part about being exceptional lies in understanding your stakeholders and knowing what they expect from you,” she says.

“It is fundamentally important for an HR business partner not to just understand the business, but also to connect the dots.”

In addition to understanding the business, she feels that an HR leader also has to be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“What that means is, in every conversation

“My learning is that the decisions that we took, whether it’s about structure, or the people in it or introducing new programmes, it was about helping leaders make the right call at the right time by asking the right questions and putting the right data in front of them.”

– Shweta Shukla, head of HR at Facebook, India and SEA

you get different pieces of information about the business and its people. You should be able to connect the dots and go back to your business, show them the value and identify possible solutions.”

Hatt agrees and says: “Increasingly HR leaders need to think about their contributions at the franchise-wide level, not just their domain expertise.”

Lau also thinks it is important for HR professionals to know the business. He sums up what HR professionals need.

“One, know the business better than the business itself. Two, know the people better than their managers. And three, know yourself better than the others.”

According to Shukla, another skill necessary for HR leaders is objectivity and the ability to make tough decisions.

She is of the opinion that instead of being the most well-loved HR person, HR professionals should “put people and business objectives in the centre. Then, ask the right questions, instead of moving in any one direction”.

“As an HR business partner you have to be very objective because you are the voice of reason and rationality. Deep employee trust is only generated if you display objectivity in all your interactions,” she says.

If the competencies mentioned above look all too familiar, Hatt says: “I think the competencies required haven’t changed significantly. It is more that we just have to get better at them.”

Take ownership of your own career Now the skills and competencies are all laid out, what should HR professionals do to move up the career ladder?

IDA’s Lau advises: “My personal philosophy is that as an HR professional, focus on enjoying your job and delivering value, then the promotions and recognition will come.”

In his opinion, HR being a helping function, should “focus on what is in the best interests of the organisation and its people”.

When it comes to picking up the skills needed to be a good HR leader, his take is that the best approach is the “aspiration approach”.

On the topic of career progression for HR leaders, he says: “I feel it takes both sides, one is the individual having the interest and desire to contribute. On the organisation’s side, it’s really about creating the environment to allow people with the aspirations to want to learn.”

Shukla is also of the opinion that HR professionals have to take up the ownership of their careers.

Hence, when she has discussions with people in her team about their career growth and development, she usually starts from their career goal and works backwards.

“We want everyone to have a career vision and a lot of conversations are centred around that. So most of my discussions are about the career goal they have in mind and then working backwards from there,” she says.

Hatt is also of the opinion HR professionals should be the drivers of their own careers.

Frustrated when he hears people

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Leadership « FEATURE complaining about their job, he advises: “If you don’t like what you are doing, then do something about it.

“We are in the driving seat for our own careers. The organisation can help you manage your careers and give you opportunities, but we must take ownership of our own careers – no one else can do this for you.”

“Increasingly HR leaders need to think about their contributions at the franchise-wide level, and not just at their domain expertise.”

– Peter Hatt, regional head HR, ASEAN at Standard Chartered Bank

Specialist or generalist?

Another hot question on the theme is the route HR professionals can take when progressing in their careers.

Shukla is of the opinion there is no set path to success and that being a specialist and a generalist can lead to success.

“You can succeed both ways because gone are the days where you needed to be a generalist to succeed. Deep expertise is equally valued and functional leadership is very valued too.”

An often overlooked aspect about career progression, she points out, is leadership.

Her advice is to be very open about these things, “because at the end of the day, a lot of your growth is dependent on the leadership skills along with your subject matter expertise”.

Reflecting on her career, she says: “Every day I know that if I am growing, it’s not just because I understand my own discipline, but it’s also because I am developing my leadership skills. How am I connecting the dots, how am I influencing and helping my business leaders take better decisions.”

Hatt agrees and says: “There are many opportunities for HR professionals within HR and outside of HR. “You can have very successful and fulfi lling careers going down the generalist route, whether it is being an HR business partner at a global, regional or country level or becoming a country head of HR. “At the same time, you can have a very successful career going down the specialist route whether it is in the area of talent acquisition, performance, reward and benefits, HR service delivery, employee relations, HR risk management, talent and learning or HR data analytics.”

He also feels it’s possible for HR professionals to take up C-suite roles later in their careers.

“In HR, we are in a privileged position in that we often get to see things at a macro and franchise-wide level,” he says.

“There are not many roles which can give you this opportunity and visibility and I think HR practitioners can gain valuable skills and critical experiences that are required at the C-suite level.”

Looking towards the future After this discussion about competencies and career paths, Shukla has some suggestions for the way forward.

Shukla points out that the concept of knowing the business and being a business partner is expected to remain, with more to be done in that aspect.

“The concept that we need to partner with our business has not changed, but there is still room for evolution,” she says.

“My learning is that the decisions that we took, whether it’s about structure, or the people in it or introducing new programmes, it was about helping leaders make the right call at the right time by asking the right questions and putting the right data in front of them.”

In addition, she is also passionate about how technology will impact the culture of the organisation in the future, not just for tech companies, but also for fi nancial services organisations as well as consumer goods companies.

“The significance of real-time communication is clearly evident as it directly impacts the quality of decisions being made by your workforce.

“Organisation structures and decisionmaking processes also impact how well an organisation is able to adapt to the digital, social world,” she says.

“There are increasing questions around work structures and decision-making hierarchies making their way into the digital transformation discussion. HR can play a very pivotal role in decoding these changes and helping organisations deal with it. The future belongs to those who can hack this.”

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OPINION » Learning & development

How to avoid disappointing new employees FRANZISKA HUGGENBERGER Head of regional recruitment for Asia Pacific BASF

New employees are naturally sceptical when starting a job, so how can you create an authentic employer brand that ensures they know they’ve joined the right company?

Turn that frown upside-down: How can you turn your naturally sceptical candidates into employees who feel they have joined the right place?

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Learning & development « OPINION

A while ago, I read 76% of people believe companies lie in their advertising. Looking at the massive popularity of online product review platforms and blogs, it is evident the only opinions people really trust are those of other consumers.

When we buy a mobile phone or book a hotel for two nights, the downside of making the wrong choice is relatively minor, but when we apply for a job, we run the very real risk of ending up with a position we do not enjoy, or which does not provide proper career development.

As the consequences of a wrong career decision can have a big impact, job seekers spend a lot of time checking with friends and doing their due diligence on portals such as Glassdoor before taking the leap of signing a contract or even applying. Marketeers would call that a “high involvement” purchasing decision.

So, how can you bridge the gap to your naturally sceptical candidates and turn them into employees who feel they have joined the right place?

It can be challenging, but it can also provide an excellent opportunity for raising candidate engagement. Over the past two years, I have been working on a global project redefining the employer brand of BASF. Here are a few ideas for sharpening your company’s image towards job seekers.

Let real people tell their stories Storytelling may be the marketing buzzword of the decade, but it does make sense in employer branding. Instead of displaying smiling models on our recruitment materials, we choose to tell stories of real innovations in the company, portraying the colleagues behind these projects and their achievements.

In a fully integrated approach, the colleagues you promote could be visible on social media, websites and career events, providing job seekers with real persons with whom to identify. BASF has recently started showcasing employee ambassadors on its new career website.

Candidates can send messages, ask them for career advice and even have a live chat with them. We are starting to see many interested job seekers and very good questions coming in through this channel.

Walk in your candidate’s shoes So now you have got the applicant interested. However, one bad experience during the hiring process can destroy the entire reputation you have built with a candidate in an instant.

This is why you will want to look not only at your obvious brand interfaces such as a website or your job postings, but also at the experiences they have with recruiters, with hiring managers, or while visiting your office.

One bad experience during the hiring process can destroy the entire reputation you have built with a candidate in an instant.

For example, if your company prides itself in excellence and efficiency, speeding up your screening process will prove just that. If personal interactions and a caring attitude is at the core of the corporate culture you want to convey, doing good follow-ups, and giving proper feedback can shape the candidate experience in a way that shows what your company really stands for.

Furthermore, to help you understand the mindset of your target groups, survey your applicants or follow the social network buzz and reviews on Glassdoor, Kanzhun or Naukri.

Doing this, and in parallel, keeping tabs on the development of your business and its current and future talent needs, will help you build a business case for investing.

“If your company prides itself in excellence and efficiency, speeding up your screening process will prove just that. If personal interactions and a caring attitude is at the core of the corporate culture you want to convey, doing good follow-ups, and giving proper feedback can shape the candidate experience in a way that shows what your company really stands for.”

Consider your current employees Your employer brand can lose all its credibility if a new colleague walks through the door and finds they have joined a completely different company than they had expected.

It will take much longer than an external brand revamp to make sure that what you stand for is also expressed in the way your company treats employees. Consider aligning your brand promise with your corporate culture, performance management and development approaches.

Nevertheless, in our project we learned that working on our employee experience is a way to make your employees your most engaged spokespersons.

The value of engaging employees in recruitment became evident to our team when we managed to hire up to one third of our new joiners through an employee referral programme.

Building trust with candidates and delivering on your promises is more important than ever with today’s well-informed job seekers. It can make the difference for your talent pipeline and, ultimately, your company’s bottom line.

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OPINION » People issues

Three ways to improve your company’s talent health PRAKASH SANTHANAM Head of talent development and engagement DAL Group

Keep your talent in the pink of health by creating an atmosphere of communication as well as by making a certain amount of learning hours mandatory each year.

Beating steady: Recognising long-standing employees by asking them to act as talent retention ambassadors can be an excellent strategy for organisations.

Talent is the magic word that can make or break a business. Without having the right talent, an organisation is bound to suffer – regardless of having adopted the most sophisticated systems and world-class processes. A vital task for all talent professionals, therefore, is to manage and utilise the talent’s unique strengths.

So what creative methods can you adopt to understand employees’ opinions about their jobs, working environments, as well as financial and non-monetary benefits?

In my organisation, we practise the “IFON” concept, which stands for “inside first, outside next”, during the hiring process.

We also train influential employees to be organisational “value ambassadors”.

It is important to note we can’t afford to focus only on operational tasks anymore, as HR professionals. It’s time to add a human touch as well as strategic thinking within our daily responsibilities. In other words, be the proactive change agent rather than the reactive firefighter, and assess your organisation’s talent health.

This means, firstly, identifying key talent When doing so, I suggest considering past performance, longevity in the role and organisation, significance of the position, and most importantly, contribution to the business.

Along with identification, talent professionals have the responsibility to actively engage and retain such talent.

Keeping in mind all of the above talent attraction and retention considerations, I have summed up three key points to ensure your talent is in the best of “health” and is able to contribute optimally to the company.

Communication and atmosphere There is no doubt that a communication breakdown at any stage can jeopardise employee morale and productivity. Talent professionals play an essential role in communicating across the organisation – both top-down and bottom-up.

Providing accurate information at the right time and through the right channels creates a sense of belonging to the organisation. Some of the common communication tools are digital notice boards, company e-newsletters, suggestion schemes, focus groups, team-building and employee retreats.

Learning and growth Promote mandatory completion of a certain number of learning hours each year, inclusive of non-classroom learning solutions.

Also it is important to incorporate suitable L&D interventions to cater to and customise for both talent and business needs.

One L&D tool I find effective for employees across the business is the skill set inventory, which includes a list of all of the hard skills and soft skills required for each position, with ratings assigned from both self and manager from one (lowest) to 10 (highest). The average of these ratings can then be used to generate an individual development plan for the year.

Rewards programme Recognising long-standing employees by asking them to act as talent retention ambassadors can be an excellent strategy for many organisations. Hold a regular knowledge-sharing session to gather key information from this experienced talent. Additionally, longevity awards, bonus disbursements, and monthly and quarterly incentives improve employee retention.

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»

Unconventional wisdom OPINION

Are you appreciating the success in failure?

SUSAN P. CHEN Director of HR for APAC Visa Worldwide and author of The Success of Failure

Authentic leadership implies leading others with a full understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and values, and it is growing in importance.

Generally, authentic leaders are positive people with truthful self-concepts, who promote openness, and improve individual and team performance in good times and in bad.

The power of storytelling Recently, there has been attention on the power of storytelling in translating authentic leadership into leadership practices.

We hear the story of Steve Jobs and his no-apology, straight-talking leadership style, and the return of Martha Stewart, continuing to build her empire after a very public failure.

The ability to share your own failure’s narrative means you are at peace with your imperfections. Such awareness allows you to embrace others’ shortcomings with compassion, and treat yourself and others with more kindness.

More importantly, storytelling allows the next generation of leaders to see and learn from their role models’ failures.

Success in failure: Authentic people are willing to say, “I am wrong” first.

The concept of “authenticity” has its origins in

Greek philosophy, where it emphasises being in control of one’s life and the ubiquitous admonition: “Know thyself.”

Authentic leadership, here, implies leading others with full understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and values.

But how does this relate to failure? Authentic leadership embraces weakness, which in turn, encourages vulnerability.

In a TED Talk, Brené Brown shared the key findings of her research: what separates people who hold a strong sense of “worthiness” from those who do not?

It turns out that what separates them is a clear sense of courage and the ability to fully embrace vulnerability.

Having such courage means having the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, as we can’t practice compassion with others if we can’t treat ourselves kindly.

How can you be an authentic leader?

In an organisational context, this means to lead without trying too hard to be a leader.

Authentic people are willing to say, “I am wrong” or “I am sorry” first. They are willing to do something where there are no absolute returns; or say “no” when a “yes” is demanded.

Not only are they willing to invest in a relationship that may not work out, but also lead when success isn’t guaranteed.

Authentic leaders build trust and legitimacy through honest relationships with team members, for an ethical foundation.

How to lead in times of failure The first time this reflection hit me was when I was called out by a direct report as being impatient and too direct in my feedback to the point of limiting others to be the best they can.

I think about that moment every time I reflect on my leadership style going forward. Leaders don’t get to lead only in good times, but also in times of failure – be it a personal failure or team defeats. I continue to embrace a style as to who I am, but nowadays I openly ask others to speak up instantly if my style is counterproductive to the situation.

Instead of blindly changing who I am as a leader, I ask for help from those I am leading, as vulnerable as admitting weakness may be.

Embracing the success of failure in leadership may seem counter-intuitive in the business world, as leaders are expected to be strong and lead, and to a certain extent, predict success and lead the team to the path of glory.

It is scary, but starts simply from self-reflection.

With that in mind, I end with an encouragement to you to reflect on your authentic leadership with a few questions: • How are you allowing your team room to celebrate failure?

• How are you constantly demanding for perfection?

• How are you mentoring and coaching your team through imperfections?

• What story of failure are you willing to share?

Authentic leadership requires you to look deep within yourself to connect with not only your strengths, but also your limitations. It is a journey – connecting your head with your heart.

Q2 2015 « HumanResources Malaysia « 35

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27/7/2015 4:55:43 PM

OPINION » Upwardly mobile

How to become an HR leader 2.0

While we have been talking about HR transformation for organisations, true change starts from within.

SRIKANTH CHANDRASHEKHAR Head of talent management for Asia Pacific Pall Corporation

of your business can go a long way in engaging leaders within and outside, and not only helps you attract potential candidates, but it also transforms your image as an HR professional.

Tips to act: Use one of the many news apps on your mobile devices to read industry news, stock prices, analyst views, etc.

Internally, spend time with your sales intelligence team members.

A few months ago, I was approached by a famous

We have a free cash flow problem!

More often than not, the finance competency of an HR professional is directly proportional to their job level. The HR head usually talks business performance at the company’s annual HR meeting and I could’ve sworn I heard the heartbeat of the person sitting next to me during the Q&A. Understanding business performance and the ability to comprehend financial reports add a lethal edge to your thought process and outlook. You don’t need to think a CFA degree, just a basic programme will set you on the right course.

Tips to act: There are so many online resources to brush up your finance. And once you feel confident, start with your own company annual reports over the past few years.

What does your organisation do?

No single function in your company represents the brand and its people as much as you do. Understanding the macro economics

Social media Have you thought about how social media platforms are impacting your function and your business?

It’s probably hard not to be involved with technology nowadays, but I would urge you to build a “technology mindset” within HR. Your business leaders are neck-deep in these changes and are looking at you for advice on people decisions.

Tips to act: Leverage the power of that iPhone. News apps, tech and business publications are a great way to stay informed.

If you’re looking to embark on social media for HR, invite the guys from LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc. If you have some money in your budget, working with a technology/social media consultant is a great place to start building a roadmap.

These are some broad and generic areas for you to think about and I am sure that as you place them in the context of your own organisation, you will realise this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have been extremely fortunate that my formative years were spent being a part of a truly global HR organisation that was valued for developing the organisation through the use of technology and innovation in human resources.

Having said that, I probably wouldn’t be as competent today in the absence of solving those challenges I mentioned above.

I would consider my tenure a success if and when I have created a sustainable HR function that is considered a breeding ground for future business leaders and I wish godspeed to anyone trying the same.

Making your way: You don't need a CFA degree to read annual reports.

multi-billion dollar corporation for a regional leadership position in HR. Upon inquiring further, I was informed the HR team only consisted of recruiters and this position was being introduced to primarily enhance the hiring ambitions of the company.

After a brief discussion, I walked away from the opportunity disheartened because it was a sad moment for HR practitioners.

If a billion-dollar technology company thought that hiring people was the core to HR, then we HR people have been trying to scale Mount Everest in our shorts and a windbreaker.

But I have to admit that I do see reasons behind their view.

Frontline HR leaders in most organisations are guilty of playing catch-up with business strategy and their back office using an archaic HR model, rather than building an integrated HR group that possesses industrial knowledge, a mindshare of the business strategy and are innovators at heart.

“I have 15 years of C&B experience” and “I was a global HR business partner for 10 years for this Fortune company” seem to be a yardstick for functional excellence when our marketplace and businesses are being drastically reshaped.

I believe that while we have all been talking about HR transformation for organisations, true change starts from within.

So here are a few areas I thought I would share with you on what an HR leader 2.0 should be competent at.

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27/7/2015 4:55:19 PM

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CAREERS » Personal development

uptheranks Tracking HR’s industry moves Who: Alan Couldrey From: Brand Union Asia Pacific To: Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific Alan Couldrey has been appointed chief talent officer for Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, reporting to the APAC chairman and CEO, Paul Heath.

He will be responsible for employee development and training, the recruitment of top talent and overseeing Ogilvy’s HR function.

He will also continue his current role as CEO of Brand Union Asia Pacific, which he has held for five years.

“The key to success for an organisation like Ogilvy is its ability to attract the right talent, to find the right mix of talent for today and the near and coming future, and to challenge, train, stimulate and reward those people with an exciting career that once you pick up you simply can’t put down,” he said.

Starting his career with Ogilvy & Mather in Hong Kong as a copywriter, then moving on to Jakarta as a creative director, Couldrey has moved up the ranks with the company.

Who: Srikanth Chandrashekhar From: Bombardier Transportation APAC To: Pall Corporation APAC Srikanth Chandrashekhar has moved to Pall Corporation to head talent management across the Asia Pacific region. Previously heading HR for Bombardier Transportation in APAC, he has also held regional HR roles in EMC and Honeywell.

In the new role, he is responsible for organisational development, performance management, and learning and development; including leadership hiring and development.

“One of the constant challenges for me from day one at Pall has been how we can enable our talent mobility across our markets, as well as moving from a specialist role in one market to becoming a portfolio sales leader,” he told Human Resources.

For 2015, he is working on organisational talent reviews for the region, as part of OD planning for financial year 2016.

personalgrowth ONWARDS TO DIVERSITY Akankasha Dewan ponders how HR can help small (and thrifty) companies achieve diversity in thought.

Not all companies have the financial resources to redesign hiring strategies towards a focus on diversity.

What then can such companies do to still reap the benefits of diversity of thought without embarking on luxurious projects?

Taking an example from Human Resources, we are a small and closely knit team. However, there is no dearth of diverse perspectives available – because it is diversity in thought, rather than in race or gender that we strive to establish.

Looking out for (and glorifying) the differences between us has helped us attain the real benefits of being diverse individuals.

Diversity comes in various forms

Even when two team members hail from the same country, their backgrounds and personalities can make them vastly different, enabling them to view issues from different lenses.

Such differences exist in every employee, regardless of similarity in race, gender or sexual orientation. Inculcating a culture which encourages the expression of each one’s views and differences can help in achieving diversity of thought in your team.

This should not, however, be used as an excuse for not hiring different types of people.

Instead, it’s a reminder that hiring to merely fulfil diversity quotas is a waste of time and money. Isn’t it pointless to have employees of different races, if their individuality is not allowed to thrive in the company?

Ask a stock question, get a stock answer

To bring out the unique side of your employees, you have to ask them unique questions.

Instead of asking stock questions such as, “what do you think?” at the end of a presentation, ask them questions such as, “what part of the project did you like the least?”

This will prevent them from giving their bosses standard answers which they think are right, and instead force them to give their own view.

Soon, expressing honest opinions and different angles will become second nature to staff. Sure, it may not always be what you want to hear, but it will provide them an opportunity to understand alternative perspectives, and help them grow as professionals.

While diversity campaigns are useful metrics for any company, they are but a means to establish diversity in thought – something which even small and financially limited companies can achieve.

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Good reads to improve your business life

Pick of the month

Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr Wiley S$28.18

What does it mean to be a values-based leader? What are the practices such leaders actively adopt?

These are the questions which Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr aims to answer in his book about leadership.

Becoming a Top Manager: Tools and Lessons in Transitioning to General Management Kevin Kaiser, Michael Pich, I. J. Schecter Wiley S$47.81

In this book, the authors explore the key challenges managers in o ont. transition confront. i ing By introducing three fictitious managers on similar journeys, the authors highlight the intangible realities of operating as a leader. The book includes comments on the journeys of these three managers from past participants of the three authors’

Negotiating at Work: Turn Small Wins into Big Gains Deborah M. Kolb with Jessica L. Porter Jossey-Bass S$29.05

Negotiating at Work offers practical advice for managing workplace negotiations. From how to get opportunities, promotions, flexibility, and credit from your work, Deborah M. Kolb, together with Jessica L. Porter, examines several corporate contexts which require negotiation – and how to do it successfully.

The book takes its basis from the fact the world today is not a level playing field – especially for women – but one which can be made better if professionals can turn small wins into much bigger gains.

Bookmark this!

Genuine humility diminishes the “I” and elevates the “we,” and not in a false way, like the boss who notices the team members once or twice a year, with a blanket “thanks for all you do” – not that he or she has any idea who is doing what two levels below. Genuine humility reminds us that we’re all in this together – page 45.

executive education programmes – a broad mix of people from different backgrounds, industries and geographies. Through these comments, the authors isolate 10 key success factors that they claim will help guide others in making a transition from functional to general management.

These include principles such as viewing questions to be more important than answers, and understanding that learning comes from trust.

Bookmark this!

The general manager must actively look for ways to incorporate experimentation and learning through feedback into day-to-day business.

Only he or she is able to provide this space by encouraging learning, supporting experimentation and avoiding behaviours which hinder either one. Learning occurs when the GM builds experimentation into the business in such a way that potential losses due to failure are less than the expected value of the learning to be achieved.

– page 9.

Rooted in reallife case studies, the book highlights strategies for creative problem-solving – even when the parties involved don’t see the issue at hand as negotiable.

Bookmark this!

Sometimes asking for and getting advice can help make it a shared problem. Seeking guidance can actually help you prompt your counterpart to engage in perspective taking – meaning she might be able to understand your interests and help find a creative solution.

– page 160.

Photography: Fauzie Rasid

Becoming the Best: Build a WorldClass Organisation Through ValuesBased Leadership

Drawing on his oown w experiences as the fformer forme fo o CEO and chairman t International, as off BBaxter well as those of other notable leaders and companies, he lays out a guide for how leaders can be the best they can be, create the best teams, make the best partners and invest in the best talent.

Focusing on values such as self-reflection, balance, true self-confidence and humility, the book acts as a “how-to” for anyone wanting to build a world-class organisation.

Powerful case studies from companies such as Ernst & Young, Target, Northern Trust and many others demonstrate the four principles of values-based leadership in action and show how thinking beyond the corporate can lead to positive consequences.

shelflife

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LAST WORD

If you could go back in time, would you do everything the same, asks Aditi Sharma Kalra

1. Stand up for yourself and your views A yes-man syndrome pervades many workplaces today, and that’s the best way to curb any new ideas and enthusiasm at work.

If you disagree with someone’s views in a meeting, don’t hesitate to share your point of view and the reasons for it. If you feel like you are being bullied, report it to your manager and whoever else possible immediately.

Many years ago, I was talking to business communication expert Shari Harley, who told me: “Everyone around you treats you the way that you train them to treat you.”

Being candid is the base for any great relationship. It may not always be smooth sailing, as at times you may have to time your candidness.

But it’s so important because it helps you build your image and your opinions, it gives you a voice at the workplace, but it is also what people associate you most with.

2. Work hard to fill in your boss’s shoes A good manager will always groom you to be just as good as him or her. And, that can happen only if you’re ready to learn as much as possible. New skills and experiences are your best friends.

Being good at your job is usually not the hard part, if you’ve got an environment that allows you to be productive. But it is your personal skillbuilding efforts that help you grow as a person,

and ultimately you realise how much more value you are able to add at work because of that.

3. Don’t hesitate to build relationships Reality TV is replete with contestants affirming: “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win.”

Throughout my career, I’ve managed to make some wonderful friends at work, without sacrificing on my ability to win.

Having a support system at work is good for you in so many ways – a tea break with them keeps you going on the long, rainy afternoons, and catching up with them is the reason you end up coming to work before time.

Besides, taking the time to know your colleagues helps you work with them more effectively on projects, after you’ve been able to understand what kind of competencies each of you brings to the table.

4. Grab your mentors (and never let them go) Off and at work, I have been fortunate to have a mentor by my side constantly. Having their support has encouraged me to make the hardest decisions, and follow through in times when I have held back.

The interesting thing about having someone like that is that you don’t want to disappoint them, and often, that thought enables you to achieve things which may have looked hard at first.

The bottom line is that mentors are valuable in many ways, and if you’re fortunate to have someone like that guiding you, hold onto them.

5. Define what work-life balance is for you Getting enough sleep, working on your hobby, and spending time with loved ones is a constant struggle. But if you prioritise, you may be able to define what mix of work-life works for you.

When I was speaking to Aileen Tan of SingTel, she preferred to use work-life integration, which is about focusing on the quality, not the quantity, of the time spent at work and at home. Being clear about what’s most important to you, at each point in time, will help make that decision about where to spend time just a little bit easier. aditis@humanresourcesonline.net

Photography: Stefanus Elliot Lee using Nikon D810 – www.elliotly.com; Makeup & Hair: Michmakeover using Make Up For Ever & hair using Sebastian Professional – www.michmakeover.com

Words of advice for my younger self

The best part about growing and making progress is that, no matter how far you have come in your journey, you will always have an experience to share with others on the same path.

I dove into the corporate environment at the age of 20, when I first started writing, and have been at it ever since.

Along the way, I have been shaped by my managers, colleagues, company cultures, and working environments (probably in that order).

If I could go back in time and do things again, I’d probably do everything pretty much the same, but some nudges in the “right” direction would sure have done me good.

Thinking back on these years, this is probably what I would have advised my younger self.

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27/7/2015 4:52:33 PM

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