Human Resources Online, Southeast Asia Q1 2022

SOUTHEAST ASIA

The smart HR professional’s blueprint for workforce strategy

January-March 2022

FREED OM.FLE XIBILI TY.RA LOUISE DICA L TRA PENDER NSPA RENCY CREATING ‘WOW’ MOMENTS IS HIGH ON ZALORA CPO (AND GENERAL COUNSEL) LOUISE PENDER’S AGENDA FOR EMPLOYEES. PAG E 8

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editor-in-chief Aditi Sharma Kalra senior journalist Priya Sunil journalist Lester Tan

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CONTENTS

January-March 2022 New columns 6 Roving Reporter

editorial intern Arina Sofiah sub editor James Foster creative director Mohd Ashraf subscriptions Deborah Quek event production Prassana Pillay head, project management Renamel Torres delegate sales Seraphine Neoh Reggie Ola Adrian Ray April Osinsao

Q&A: Interview conversation with Priya Sunil, ADVOCATING InLouise Pender, General Counsel A LIMITLESS and CPO, ZALORA, talks about MINDSET IN interventions for supporting EMPLOYEES employees through tough times;

how no market is left behind in every initiative; and why Zalorians are proud advocates of the company’s culture.

marketing Cyrus Ching regional head of event services Yeo Wei Qi group managing director Evelyn Wong

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Feature From an academic expert who has seen it all evolve, to leaders who have implemented it, and to those who are considering it, Arina Sofiah dives into the past, present, and future of the fourday workweek.

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An average of 17.1% of board seats in SEA were held by women in 2021 This was a 2.8% rise from what was reported in 2018, consistent with the increase observed globally.

36 Breaking Barriers

A fighter since young, this leader is speaking up against social and cultural mores Having had to work part-time to supplement her family’s income and siblings’ education growing up, here’s how Pamela Phua, Product Management Director, Decorative Paints, SESA, AkzoNobel, surmounted several walls.

37 The Last Laugh

YOUR 360° LEADERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE FOUR-DAY WORKWEEK

EMPLOYEE MOBILITY: BOON OR BANE IN 2022?

Feature No one could have anticipated a world where overseas assignments aren’t coveted, or where the lack of physical mobility opens up opportunities to a decentralised workforce – yet here we are. In conversations with mobility decision makers, Lester Tan probes how the new talent mobility landscape is shaping up.

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The most annoying corporate jargon of 2021 Every workplace brims with buzzwords, and these were among the most overused (or most hated) phrases in 2021, according to a study in the US.

Regulars 3 Ed’s Note 4 Suite Talk 30 TAFEP Talks

Images / 123RF.com and Provided

publisher Naomi Cranswick

WORK-LIFE HARMONY. WORKS FOR TALENT ATTRACTION AND RETENTION. As a Work-life Ambassador and consultant, I see flexibility, technology, and empowerment as hallmarks of future workplaces.

As more individuals seek to integrate work and personal goals, an effective work-life strategy will help organisations attract, retain and engage employees.

As the workplace evolves, to adapt is to adopt work-life initiatives for better talent management.

Passionate about Work-life Harmony too?

Join us as a Work-Life Ambassador at tafep.sg

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EDITOR’S NOTE

INTO THE FUTURE WE GO The opportunities for CHROs in today’s world are limitless. Our cover interviewee, Louise Pender, General Counsel and Chief People Officer (CPO), ZALORA, aptly says: “What we need to provide for our people has changed for good. We’re catching up with something that our employees already wanted. The ultimate word these days is ‘flexibility’ in the wider sense – how we can connect the needs of our people to be able to deliver on our business plan is where the art and science mix.”

As a leader who wears two hats – that of general counsel, and another for CPO, Pender is a self-declared advocate of the company as much as an advocate for the people.

Having launched the ‘Future of Work’ strategy across the e-retailer’s seven markets since 2020, she’s come to realise that in catering to the varying cultural needs and nuances per market, everything boils down to three key drivers: freedom, flexibility, and radical transparency.

The biggest way Pender and her team are bringing these values to life is by listening to employees, and introducing initiatives they really want. For instance, when the transition to work from home started, feedback from both employees and managers showed that not everyone was coping well with the isolation that working from home brings, thus raising concerns about mental health.

To address this, not only does ZALORA provide tools to manage mental health (for instance, access to confidential counselling services), but it also introduced cultural tweaks, such as Zoom-free time every Wednesday morning. “Knowing how active and connected Zalorians are, I’m surprised to see how much uptake this has got, and how much people appreciate that time.”

Read all about Pender’s conversation with Priya Sunil on page eight.

The values that ZALORA’s Pender highlights, trust and transparency, also form the basis of our feature on the four-day workweek. Will this new way of working blend well in Asia? How will one less working day impact productivity? Does it have to come with reduced pay?

Head to page 14, where Arina Sofiah dives deep into the past, present, and the future of the workweek – through interviews with a UKbased lecturer who takes us back to the six-day workweek (yes, that existed!), a US-based leader who implemented the four-day workweek just before the pandemic, and more.

In catering to the varying cultural needs and nuances per market, everything boils down to three key drivers: freedom, flexibility, and radical transparency.

On to our last feature, no one could have anticipated a world where overseas assignments aren’t coveted, or where the lack of physical mobility opens up opportunities to a decentralised workforce – yet here we are. In conversations with mobility decision makers across Asia, Lester Tan probes how the new talent mobility landscape is shaping up on page 24.

One of the rare silver linings of the past couple of years is how proverbial borders have been broken down, in light of the ‘work from anywhere’ revolution.

Decision making, project allocation, and leadership representation are far more decentralised, as organisations are not limited by country borders.

With that in mind, we’re going regional too!

Your go-to e-magazine will now bring you a panAsia flavour of the best practices in HR – beyond borders. In this, the first edition of 2022, you can look forward to hearing from interviewees from Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, US, and more. So welcome to the new borderless HRO e-mag. Enjoy the issue.

Aditi Sharma Kalra Editor-in-Chief

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online

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WORK LIFE Leadership

Rachael Harding, CEO, Club Med ESAP

Rachael Harding tells Lester Tan how she is unfazed by the challenges the travel & tourism sector is facing caused by the pandemic. If anything, it has taught her the importance of staying nimble, and ever-ready to pivot and adapt.

Previously a GM at Club Med for three years, Rachael Harding was appointed CEO of Club Med ESAP in July 2021, where she is responsible for leading the brand across Asia Pacific markets, as well as emerging ones with a profitable growth strategy.

How has the journey been since you joined Club Med in August 2018? Share with us the mantra that inspired you to be where you are today.

A well-defined vision and an inclusive team have been imperative to my journey so far. Although we had strong momentum and a solid business model leading into the pandemic, a clear vision and focused approach has always been my first practical step.

This has been more apparent in the past two years through the pandemic where every team needs to be mentally ready to anticipate the constant challenges.

In parallel, I bring the team on to every part of the journey. Every person is an important cog in the wheel that turns the business. By being transparent and inclusive, the job becomes so much more than making money, and gives the team a strong purpose.

In turn, I would hope they trust me to do what is right and fair for them as I guide them to strive and reach our collective goals. There is a quote I love and stand by, it goes: “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” This applies to your core values – both personal and professional.

Starting a new role mid-pandemic must have been tough. What challenges did you face, and how did you manage them?

One of the challenges was the many uncertainties that were brought on due to the pandemic. This crisis 4

Human Resources Online January-March 2022

has definitely exemplified the importance of staying nimble and ever-ready to pivot, especially in light of the ever-changing circumstances brought on by COVID-19. The stop-start nature of the pandemic has also brought along disruption to plans, and the constant need to readjust our strategies.

The biggest challenge I faced as a leader was keeping the team engaged and connected in an industry that was uncertain. We needed to preserve the right talent, not just to get us through the crisis, but to also accelerate our progress beyond it.

As CEO, what kind of support do you provide for your employees, and what are some ways that you work with HR to offer that support?

As a leader, I believe in getting down in the trenches with my team. With all the uncertainties and challenges brought on by the pandemic, it is more important than ever that we tackle our responsibilities as a united front. During the downtime, we also organised engagement activities among the teams to keep up morale. These included ongoing development and training with external stakeholders, as well as internal best practice sessions which allowed employees to learn more about each department.

We also maintained consistent checks to ensure employees are well-taken care of.

In addition to the above, I have weekly workin-progress calls with our human resources team, and always ensure HR representation in executive calls and meetings to underpin all that we do.

We also conduct employee surveys and use this data to tailor each country’s needs, desires, and solutions to fit their environment and the individual.

In 2022, for example, we are moving our office in Singapore to give our employees a fresh space to begin the year.

That’s not all from Harding. Read her full interview here, as she shares how much the concepts of ‘talent’ and ‘recruitment’ changed because of the pandemic, what the future may look like postpandemic, the ways Club Med is giving back to the local community through employment, and more.

PARTNER INSIGHTS

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY HOWDEN

HOWDEN TAKES HOME FOURTH HR VENDORS OF THE YEAR AWARD The winning team attributes this to its people-first culture, where employees are empowered with trust, training, and technology to deliver the best service for its clients.

Howden Singapore is proud to announce that we are the only employee benefits (EB) insurance broker to be recognised as the Best Employee Insurance Provider 2021 in the HR Vendors of the Year 2021. Since 2018, we've received this honour four years in a row.

We would like to thank everyone in the HR and EB community, including our clients, partners, colleagues, and friends, for believing in us and helping us get to where we are today.

Our employees are our greatest assets, and they are at the heart of everything we do. We focus on removing barriers and empower them with trust, training, and technology to allow them to deliver the best possible solutions to our clients.

We practise quick turnaround and provide value by designing EB programmes that promote long-term sustainable business growth by understanding our clients’ business objectives, their people strategy, as well as HR’s role.

We leverage technology to help business professionals be more efficient, which also allows us to reach out to new potential clients. Our commitment to expertise, technology, and customer service remains steadfast. Since 2015, we've grown 400%, establishing ourselves as one of Singapore's leading insurance brokers.

Going forward, we will continue to make waves in the EB market by embracing digitalisation and technology as part of our value-added solutions to clients to maximise productivity and efficiency. Our key focus for the coming year will be on: • Putting people first.

• Global specialisations, driven by local experts.

• Data and technology-driven services.

• Sustainable organic and accelerated growth.

We strive to partner with top-tier insurers/providers to offer more expertise in areas such as employee wellbeing and mental health, flexible and voluntary benefits schemes, and enhancements to travel policies that include COVID-19 coverage, and more, giving our clients more options and choices.

Four HR trends we foresee over the next three years HR’s role has changed radically because of the pandemic. Thus, here are four key trends that we believe will impact global HR: • Hybrid working arrangements: Increased productivity, a more equitable work-life balance, and stronger collaboration and trust can all be benefited from a hybrid work model.

• Wellness and mental health: HR will have to be aware of the full variety of employee mental health experiences to redefine mental health by focusing on solutions that enable employees to achieve personal and professional success.

• Data-driven people analytics: Big data not only improves the efficiency of hiring and recruiting, but it also allows HR to recognise gaps and opportunities, and raise workforce productivity.

• Up/reskilling: Another major facet of evaluating performance will be the reskilling of employees for arising job requirements.

HR will undoubtedly need to think of new strategies to manage performance levels.

To learn how to elevate your employee benefits strategy, head to our website at www.howdensingapore.com.

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online

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NEWS

ROVING REPORTER An average of 17.1% of board seats in SEA were held by women in 2021 This was a 2.8% rise from what was reported in 2018, consistent with the increase observed globally.

Per a recent Deloitte study of more than 10,000 companies spanning across Asia

Pacific, the Americas, and EMEA, women hold just 19.7% of board seats globally – a 2.8% increase from what was observed in 2018. If this rate remains consistent, the world could expect to reach near-parity in 2045, as compared with 2052, which was predicted in the previous edition.

Closer to home, Southeast Asian countries included in the report collectively fared better with an average of 17.1% of women in board seats compared with 14.3% in 2018. This was also higher than the overall Asia average of 11.7%, even closing in on the global average of 19.7%. Overall, the region reported a 2.8% increase from 2018, consistent with the 2.8% increase globally.

Looking into the data by countries specifically, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines reported percentage increases, surpassing the global figure:

• Singapore – 3.9% • Malaysia – 3.4% • Thailand – 3.6% • The Philippines – 3.8% Meanwhile, Indonesia saw a 1% decline. Check out the market-specific snapshots:

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Human Resources Online January-March 2022

NEWS

Indonesia findings • Board seats held by women has gone down to 8.3% in 2021 (down from 9.3% in 2018), while 3.1% of CEOs comprise women among the 96 companies analysed.

• Average tenure of a woman board member has stayed steady at 7.1 years in 2021 (compared with 7.1 years in 2018), while the average age of this demographic is 58.5 years.

• Top industry with the highest percentage of women on boards: Financial services.

Singapore findings • Board seats held by women has gone up to 17.6% in 2021 (up from 13.7% in 2018), while 13.1% of CEOs comprise women among the 101 companies analysed.

• Average tenure of a woman board member has gone down to 4.4 years in 2021 (compared with five years in 2018), while the average age of this demographic is 58.1 years.

• Top industry with the highest percentage of women on boards: Technology, media & telecommunications.

Southeast Asian countries included in the report collectively fared better with an average of 17.1% of women in board seats compared to 14.3% in 2018.

Malaysia findings • Board seats held by women has gone up to 24% in 2021 (up from 20.6% in 2018), while 3.7% of CEOs comprise women among the 137 companies analysed.

• Average tenure of a woman board member has gone down slightly to 5.2 years in 2021 (compared with 5.4 years in 2018), while the average age of this demographic is 57.5 years.

• Top industry with the highest percentage of women on boards: Energy & resources.

Thailand findings • Board seats held by women has gone up to 17.8% in 2021 (up from 14.2% in 2018), while 11.6% of CEOs comprise women among the 124 companies analysed.

• Average tenure of a woman board member has stayed steady at 7.7 years in 2021 (compared with 7.7 years in 2018), while the average age of this demographic is 59.6 years.

• Top industry with the highest percentage of women on boards: Energy & resources.

The Philippines findings • Board seats held by women has gone up to 17.7% in 2021 (up from 13.9% in 2018), while 6.8% of CEOs comprise women among the 45 companies analysed.

• Average tenure of a woman board member has gone down to 8.6 years in 2021 (compared with 9.5 years in 2018), while the average age of this demographic is 62.6 years.

• Top industry with the highest percentage of women on boards: Consumer business.

Vietnam findings • Board seats held by women held up at 17% as noted from all Vietnamese listed entities 2020.

• 9% of CEOs comprise women, also as noted from all Vietnamese listed entities 2020.

Source: Deloitte’s Women in the boardroom: A global perspective – 7th edition.

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online

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PROFILE

Louise Pender General Counsel and Chief People Officer, ZALORA

Advocating a limitless mindset in employees

By PRIYA SUNIL What do you call someone who wears the hat of general counsel, and another hat for chief people officer? You get a leader who is not only a true-blue advocate of the company, but equally an advocate for the people – and for Louise Pender, General Counsel and Chief People Officer (CPO) at ZALORA, this is a perfect blend of both her experience and her personality.

Joining e-retailer ZALORA as General Counsel six years ago, she moved to take on the additional portfolio of CPO in 2020. It’s not every day someone with a law background takes on the role of a ‘people’ leader, so Priya Sunil took the opportunity to ask her how this all came together one sunny afternoon.

Laughing, she replies: “I get asked this question fairly often, and it’s not so surprising because it’s unusual. But people who know me and who have worked with me wouldn’t find it much of a surprise!

“I am naturally a ‘people’ person, I’ve never been the kind of general counsel who sticks within her lane. Part of the responsibilities of a general counsel is also to take ownership of culture in a company and helping to set that tone from the top. And I think that translates very well into the ‘people’ role.”

The opportunities for CHROs in today’s world are limitless, which ties in with one of ZALORA’s relaunched values from this past year: “Limitless mindset.” To Pender, this value reflects strongly in ZALORA’s approach in truly putting people first – which shows in how they care for each other, whether people are caught in floods or their family has been hit by COVID, the heart of the company comes out.

In this interview, let’s uncover Pender and her team’s

VITAL STATS 8

interventions in supporting employees through tough times; how no market is left behind in every company initiative; and why Zalorians are proud advocates of the company’s culture.

As an online platform, ZALORA would no doubt have seen a surge in customer demand in the past two years, with people around the region heading out less and relying more on online orders. Yet on the people front, it was also a time where companies have had to pivot to remote/ hybrid working, or the new way of work. How did you and your leadership team work to ensure your workforce could adapt to the workplace and customer changes?

In terms of what my role is bringing to the leadership team, first of all, in making sure ZALORA is able to meet its strategy and look after its customers, we equally have to be able to focus on our people. My and my team’s focus was on attracting the best talent for ZALORA – talent that would fit well within our culture, and have a home both in terms of the skills and cultural fit.

Secondly, my job is about creating an environment in which they can perform. That, in terms of the people and culture mission, creating a happy and vibrant workplace, and delivering an outstanding end-to-end employee experience.

If people are happy, then they’re going to perform. And that’s why we make sure to look after their development and welfare, and provide them with the flexibility they need in today’s uncertain context. So that’s what my team is bringing to the table in helping our employees to meet or create those ‘wow’ moments for our customers.

Louise Pender is the General Counsel and Chief People Officer at ZALORA. In her roles, she concurrently heads the company’s Legal and Sustainability teams, while overseeing all HR functions across ZALORA’s seven markets. Together with her 63-strong People team, she looks after nearly 2,000 employees. In her free time, she enjoys running, swimming, and cycling.

Human Resources Online January-March 2022

PROFILE

I am naturally a ‘people’ person, I’ve never been the kind of general counsel who sticks within her lane.

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online

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PROFILE

We did a number of surveys, using a listening approach to know what our employees wanted and found helpful.

Tell us about how you introduced the ‘Future of Work’ strategy which played a part to help employees adapt.

We developed our ‘Future of Work’ strategy quite quickly. We were able to pivot to working from home within a matter of days after the pandemic hit. One of the lessons we learned is the more flexibility, certainty, and transparency we could provide to our employees, the more we could operate effectively at home.

This was also evident in our engagement surveys – we found that our approach was increasing our engagement scores and the general satisfaction of employees with their work.

At the end of 2020, we transitioned permanently to a hybrid work environment. We haven’t been able to open up fully in any of our locations yet, but where we have been able to do that periodically, we’ve said to our employees, ‘it’s your choice, in collaboration with your manager and what’s going to work best for you. Use the office as your base to collaborate, connect, have meetings, have fun, it’s really up to you. We trust you to be able to do your job.’ And I believe this has had a very positive impact on our culture and productivity.

As we continue to open up, we are looking at how we can repurpose our workspaces into more collaborative spaces, rather than the traditional desk-and-chair office environment.

How are you adapting this across all your markets, given that each market has its own regulations and workforce needs?

We’ve recognised the cultural needs and nuances are very different across the seven markets our people are located in. So it comes down to freedom, flexibility, and radical transparency. While we’ve provided the framework, we have also provided the flexibility around that, within certain constructs.

So, it’s up to how our local leadership teams want to formalise their own local ‘Future of Work’ strategy. That includes (guidance around) how we keep people safe, making sure that we are supporting our company culture, connectivity, that we’re not leaving anyone behind, and ensuring a sense of belonging.

In the same vein, ZALORA introduced a series of wellness initiatives for employees in the past year.

Please talk us through the process.

When we first transitioned to work from home, what I, our CEO, and the management team were generally very concerned about was whether we were going to lose this [culture] if we did so.

From talking to our people, feedback from managers, and from employee surveys, we understood that not everyone was coping with working from home, and the isolation it brought along. We were thus concerned about the second pandemic – mental health issues.

The other thing that we were really concerned about is, we are not mental health experts, so we did not want to put in place something that was not going to help our employees. Therefore, we started with what we always do – asking them. We did a number of surveys, using a listening approach to know what our employees wanted and found helpful.

And we ended up putting in place a number of things.

For example, we have partnered with a mental health platform that gives all of our employees free access to counselling services – and they can do that without anyone in ZALORA being aware of it. It’s fully confidential, and free of charge. This support was what our employees and leaders were asking for most.

What surprised me most was the success of our Zoomfree time every Wednesday. If employees have accepted the calendar invite for this time (from morning till after lunch), no one is allowed to schedule a meeting with them during that period. Knowing how active and connected Zalorians are, I’m surprised to see how much uptake this has got, and how much people appreciate that time.

I try and use it myself when I can as well, but I’m not always so disciplined!

10 Human Resources Online January-March 2022

PROFILE

That’s very interesting! Do you see all these extending beyond the next one to two years, or evolving in any way?

I see us looking further into this, and I don’t see it going away.

What we need to provide for our people in organisations has changed for good. We’re catching up with something that our employees already wanted. The ultimate word these days is ‘flexibility’ in the wider sense – how we can connect the needs of our people to be able to deliver on our business plan is where the art and science mix.

What else can your employees look forward to in the coming one to two years as part of your top priorities?

The first one is our diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) strategy and framework. We’ve got 33 different nationalities across our organisation even though we are only present in seven countries. And we speak a number of different languages. But this (framework) is more about making sure that we’re truly fostering diversity in our workplace, not only in gender, because this is really what makes ZALORA strong.

In terms of diversity of thought, it involves integrating the science mindset with the creative mindset to develop something special, given the types of backgrounds our people come from.

It is also about making sure that we are creating an environment that is truly inclusive, where everyone has a say and is comfortable to do so, and that they feel they belong at ZALORA. Creating an environment like this is a draw – we really want people to be able to bring their full selves to work.

Promoting our DIB framework will be a big thing for us to focus on.

One key group of stakeholders through all of this is the line managers. How are you looking to train or develop your line managers to own these strategies?

It starts with awareness. Our markets are very different, so one of the things that we found very early on, for instance, when we first started rolling out our ‘Celebrating Diversity’ policy, was that people have different ideas of what diversity is. We know it’s a complex topic that’s so much more than gender. Even the idea of inclusion can be quite abstract for some people.

Therefore, we are rolling out a number of programmes, centred around the education of our leaders. At the core of that is the ability to recognise our biases.

One of the key programmes we are rolling out in Q1 and Q2 for our leaders is our ‘unconscious bias’ programme. We’ve established a new pillar [around this], and our new director (of Culture and Organisational Effectiveness) reporting in to me, is one of the key people helping to develop our DIB framework.

She is rolling out a great exercise (that she has tested on me!) – where she walks people through a real-life situation, then asks them some very daunting questions about what that person looked like, what nationality they were, what sex they were, and so on.

I can’t wait to get it fully rolled out across our leadership because once people are more aware of their unconscious biases, it can have a massive impact on the way we behave towards others.

Being so passionate about your job, what are some personal highlights you’d like to share?

When I came onboard six years ago, we did not really have a legal team, or a sustainability team. And now, here we are, rethinking how to structure the People team to be the most effective. So, a highlight for me would be to watch and build those teams, and to see the people develop, move on, and progress. This gives me the most satisfaction.

I see us looking further into this, and I don’t see it going away. What we need to provide for our people in organisations has changed for good. We’re catching up with something that our employees already wanted. The ultimate word these days is ‘flexibility’ in the wider sense – how we can connect the needs of our people to be able to deliver on our business plan is where the art and science mix.

It’s time for a fun question! I understand you’re a fitness enthusiast, so if you could run, swim, or cycle with any leader in the world, who would it be?

This is the hardest question so far! I could think of a number of people, but because I’m a proud Kiwi, I will pick Jacinda Ardern. She came into the political scene long after I’d stopped living in New Zealand, but she fascinates me, and partly it’s because she has a really difficult job, and she is the epitome of a working mum. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and I think that is a real strength that resonates with people.

Would you like to give a shout-out to all your employees/ stakeholders who have played a pivotal role in bringing the company forward?

I couldn’t pull out one person on my team, because as all leaders would know, we are only as successful as our team makes us. Everyone on my team plays a very important role, and there’s no way I could go through a day without them.

If there were three people that I’m extremely grateful for – firstly, it’s Gunjan Soni. I don’t think there are many CEOs who would give their general counsels the opportunity to step out and try something outside the box as she has. That takes a great vote of confidence.

Next is Yana Valletta, who brought me into the company six years ago. She’s always been a mentor for me in terms of giving me confidence to try new things, helping me to believe in myself, and pushing me to do more than I think I can do. I count her as a great friend, and she’s still my boss as I report to her in her role as Group General Counsel for Global Fashion Group (GFG).

The person I’m so thankful for, day to day, is Nic Strauss, who is the Chief People Officer of GFG. I go to her all the time for wisdom, advice, and know-how. I don’t know how she deals with me, but I’m leaning on her a lot for sure.

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online 11

OPINION People issues

Leaders from DBS & ABRY are bringing D&I to life through empowerment, ownership, and more TAFEP gets personal with Susan Cheong, Group HR, DBS Bank and Adriana Lim Escano, Founder & CEO, ABRY as they share their beliefs for better D&I and work-life harmony — both as leaders and as individuals.

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is one of the most underlooked, yet powerful, aspects that can affect the way an organisation

functions. Leaders who prioritise it are able to maximise a wider range of strengths, skills, and perspectives to work towards a common goal. Yet, many still risk losing out on these benefits right from the beginning – during the hiring process.

In this exclusive, Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) gets personal with Work-Life Ambassadors, Susan Cheong, Group Human Resources, DBS Bank and Adriana Lim Escano, Founder & CEO, ABRY as they share their beliefs for better D&I and work-life harmony — both as leaders and as individuals.

CASE STUDY: DBS BANK IS SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES IN WORK-LIFE HARMONY AND WELLBEING THROUGH CAREER INVESTMENTS AND MORE Susan Cheong, Group Human Resources, DBS Bank, believes that by building diversity in the workforce, leaders get access to a greater range of talent that bring with them varied and valuable experiences, perspectives, and skills.

We recognise that the needs of an employee evolve depending on life stage and personal circumstances.

The starting point for several D&I issues is often recruitment. In your opinion, why does D&I need to be integrated into hiring practices?

Embracing D&I is important to enable us to attract the best people, build the best teams, and produce the best work.

By building diversity in our workforce, we are able to access a greater range of talent that bring with them varied and valuable experiences, perspectives, and skills.

By building a culture of inclusion, we can harness the power of our diverse workforce so as to succeed in this complex, interconnected world and create impactful outcomes for our businesses, customers, and communities.

How do you support work-life harmony and wellbeing initiatives for others (especially women) at your organisation?

We recognise that the needs of an employee evolve depending on life stage and personal circumstances.

Hence, we launched a range of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) in 2021 to better support employees in remaining invested in their careers, including: • Work-from-home (WFH) for up to 40% time, launched in February 2021; • Up to 100% WFH for six months for parents with

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young children and caregivers, launched in August 2021, and • Our job sharing programme where one full-time role can be performed by two employees, with over 100 employees in the programme in 2021.

With the pandemic being more protracted than we hoped, our employees had to manage the blurring of lines between work and home due to working from home for a prolonged period. We addressed this proactively before it took a toll on employee mental health with the following initiatives • ‘Focus Friday’, where Friday afternoons are kept free from internal calls or meetings, so that employees have a few hours of protected time for focused work, learning, or even quiet reflection before transiting to the weekend.

• A bank-wide mental wellness campaign to equip our people with practical tools to combat burnout. We rolled out a series of programmes and sharing sessions around mental health, to normalise employees saying "I'm not OK" and encourage frank conversations on mental wellbeing so as to destigmatise this topic.

How do you synergise career with personal life/goals?

At times, work takes priority over family or self. On other occasions, family or myself takes precedence over work.

People issues OPINION

In your opinion, why does D&I need to be integrated into hiring practices?

Everyone deserves an opportunity. Diversity brings strength. We all have limited resources and want to support people who have to work while facing other life issues, so it is very important for us to make each resource work for us and to know how to motivate them to do their best. To achieve this, we use the Reiss Motivational Profile, a unique scientific assessment, which reflects the motives in one’s human nature which determine one’s values, traits, and how one would behave in various situations or when interacting with other people. It therefore helps us (the employee and myself) to understand who they are, how best to motivate them, and what they can do to be more effective and happier in what they are doing.

As our workforce comes from diverse parts of society, it is important that we inspire and manage them as individuals instead of applying a one-shoe-fits-all approach.

How do you support work-life harmony and wellbeing initiatives in your organisation?

I get to know the lifestyle and circumstance of each individual and, as much as I can, structure a working schedule and scope

Building a rhythm around my work versus family or friends helps me in allocating protected time for different areas of my life.

The time allocation is not always equal. There may be trade-offs between career and personal life/goals and I recognise that. It’s not only about recognising, but also accepting the trade-offs comfortably, because there is no point living in guilt or regret one way or another.

I am also constantly working on being present, i.e., not to get distracted by work when I am with family and not to worry about things at home when I am at work.

This is where I am grateful for the spousal and extended family support which has allowed me the space to build my career.

What drives you? Are there any personal beliefs/ people from whom you draw strength?

Taking pride in my work and my personal brand motivates me to excel. I am always ready and willing to do more as I have learnt so much more and developed much faster by doing that.

Integrity is important to me so I can sleep well at night with the decisions I’ve made and the actions I’ve taken.

I am positive by nature, believing that the worst times can’t last forever.

CASE STUDY: WHY (AND HOW) ABRY ADVOCATES THAT ‘DIVERSITY BRINGS STRENGTH’ “As our workforce comes from diverse parts of society, it is important that we inspire and manage them as individuals instead of applying a one-shoe-fits-all approach, Adriana Lim Escano - Founder & CEO of ABRY, CoFounder of mums for life, says.

A supportive and empathetic culture ensures that one would not feel guilt for taking time off.

that they can manage. I also build buffers that in the event someone has to take care of personal matters or get a sudden COVID notice, there is someone else who can help cover and the individual doesn’t feel overwhelmed that the burden rests on them entirely. Knowing employees’ hobbies and interests is important to help them remember that they have an identity beyond work.

By being an employer as well as the co-founder of MUMs for Life, I let employees tend to family over work. If one’s family is not in order, it’ll be distracting to focus on work.

Work will always be there, but we only have one marriage, and the kids grow up too fast. A supportive and empathetic culture ensures that one would not feel guilt for taking time off. We also watch for safety and will be aware not to have a female employee alone with a male one during work. I have found that this gives empowerment and ownership.

How do you synergise career with personal life/goals?

It has taken me a journey to realise that I had not always paid attention to my family in the pursuit and adrenalin of growing the business and achieving more. It took me few visits to the hospital wondering if I’ll get another chance that I slowly decided to work slowly and spend more time with my children. At this stage, family comes first. I prioritise them, then career comes after. I do what I can for work and celebrate small wins. I don’t have to overachieve and prove that I’m competent, but rather focus on looking after my health in order to sustain longer. I’ve given up projects or travelling for work, knowing that the growing up years of my children are irreversible. I can catch up later.

They have joined me on a few trips or at work together, and that’s a bonus when we get to do it together.

What drives you? Are there any personal beliefs/ people from whom you draw strength?

Building platforms that give others opportunity, and being a conduit of hope, inspiration, and encouragement. The world could do with more of it. I believe that every individual was born for a purpose, carries a destiny, and hopes for a world of dreams lived out. I draw strength from God, it’s like He hears my inner thoughts, accepts me regardless of work performance, knows when to cheer me up, performs these miracles beyond my imagination and meets me with renewed spirit if I feel discouraged or alone.

Being with like-minded people and seeing how much they are giving of themselves to build others, inspires me; and mentors who take time to advise me. It’s important that we know ourselves well enough to know when to take a pause, replenish from the inside out and self-lead when we don’t feel our best.

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YOUR 360° LEADERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE FOUR-DAY WORKWEEK From an academic expert who has seen it all evolve, to leaders who have implemented it, and to those who are considering it, Arina Sofiah dives into the past, present, and future of the four-day workweek.

The working world as we see it today has evolved far from where it started.

Naturally, it is hard to discuss this evolution without bringing up the COVID-19 pandemic that started in early 2020. What began as a limited concern has now spread worldwide and brought major disruptions to businesses globally, limiting mobility and the in-person presence often considered necessary for a business.

Two years on, however, and virtual meetings, remote working, and a tech-driven employee experience have all become the norm. The world is even breaking away from the current rigid five-day workweek status quo that has reigned for decades. So let’s take this a step further and consider the four-day workweek.

Will this revolutionary new way of working blend well in Asia? What does it truly take to implement a shorter workweek? How effective can such a policy be?

In this feature, we dive deep into the past, present, and the future of the workweek as we know it, in interviews with a full spectrum of experts, starting with the evolution of the working world from UK-based Dr Mengyi Xu, Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Cranfield University – from workdays

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being cut down to five for religious reasons, to how different countries took to the change. Moving forward, we offer you a 360° of leaders’ perspectives in moving to a four-day workweek.

Holding dear to the belief of ‘work smarter, not harder’, US-based Banks Benitez, Co-Founder and CEO of Uncharted, retells his journey of implementing a four-day workweek, even before the pandemic. Meanwhile, Lim Chee Gay, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, TDCX, is leading the conversation around shorter workweeks in Malaysia, as he talks us through TDCX’s process of considering a hybrid workplace reality.

While there are no current plans of moving to a four-day workweek, flexible work arrangements have always been part of Microsoft, Karynne Choong, HR Manager – APAC HR Consulting Team, shares. Over at dentsu Philippines, a reservationbased hybrid working arrangement has been implemented, as Fabi Cariño, Country Head, Human Resources – Philippines, dentsu International, emphasises the importance of facts, not perspective in implementing a new working arrangement.

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SEVEN DAYS TO FIVE: HISTORY OF THE WORKING WORLD 101

Dr Mengyi Xu, Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Cranfield University

Implementing a four-day workweek is not a solution if you already have a toxic workplace where workers are leaving, engagement is low, and there are high levels of grievance.

Did you know craft workers in the mid18th century used to work from home, making dresses, shoes, or matchboxes in their kitchens or bedrooms? In fact, it wasn’t until the first Industrial Revolution (which occurred around the mid-18th century to the 1830s) that workers in Britain, for instance, started working in factories.

Working from home is therefore not a new concept, says Dr Mengyi Xu, Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Cranfield University.

More interestingly, the conventional workweek was not always five days – it was six days.

So how did we go from working from home pre-factory days, to a conventional five-day workweek today, hybrid working, and to exploring a four-day workweek? We find out from Dr Xu. When factory work came about, Sundays were set as a holiday for workers – mainly because of religious reasons. The six-day workweek was therefore common at the time, up until the early 20 th century.

Fast-forward the years, and the first five-day workweek in the US was initiated by a New England cotton mill, for two reasons.

The first reason was productivity, Dr Xu explains. “Factory owners found that their workers arrived on Monday without a clear head or any enthusiasm after the Sunday break, and they expected more leave entitlements.

Later studies, for example from Human Relations School, showed that giving breaks and leave to workers made them productive. The advancement

of technology also made it possible for people to complete their required work in a shorter time, and as a result, some factory workers decided to make Saturday an off day or a day free of work.”

The second reason was due to religious reasons. “As Jewish workers have Sabbath on Saturday, having that Saturday free was a boost for them, which led to other industries introducing a five-day workweek.”

In terms of the reactions – the beginning of every change brings resistance, Dr Xu affirms. This was not an exception.

Reducing workdays and hours meant less pay for workers, making some workers unhappy with the idea.

For further context, there was not too much consumerism at the time or entertainment for them to engage in, so a majority of their life was about working and earning money to afford their financial needs.

This unhappiness continued until five work days was commonly adopted by a range of industries and factories.

Dr Xu gives kudos to legendary car maker Henry Ford, who gave his staff Saturdays and Sundays off, as well as set up the 40-hour workweek in 1926. This gave his workers the opportunity to spend their downtime buying consumer products, as well as spend time with their families, thus having a significant economic impact as they could keep cash circulating through the economy, Dr Xu points out.

This was particularly important given the US experienced the Great Depression which started in the late 1920s, where around one in five people lost their job. The five-day system was officially adopted in 1932 in a bid to counter this significant loss in unemployment.

Meanwhile, for some emerging, developing countries, which were suffering from the Second World War, they didn’t establish a five-day workweek until possibly up to the 1990s.

In the context of China, Dr Xu shares an example, where the five-day workweek was announced in 1994 to ease traffic in the urban areas, provide jobs for the staggering ranks of the unemployed, and to enable workers to enjoy more free time.

We have come so far from these events to where we are today. While we can all acknowledge that challenging work norms is here to stay, will a four-day workweek become the reality that more countries – and employers – will embrace?

For Dr Xu, who admits to taking on a pessimistic viewpoint, this will take time, and may “possibly be impossible, even”.

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She elaborates: “There has been much debate on working time regulations in the past five decades.” Going on to share the example of a “fake” four-day workweek, where employees work full-time – 40 hours over four days, she specifies: “A four-day workweek isn’t a compressed work schedule, but rather, reduced hours. It would be considered as 32 hours for four days, reduced from the 40 hours for five days.”

That said, she does note there are companies and countries already piloting this idea, with promising results for both employers and employees.

One such example is Iceland, where after up to 2,500 Icelandic workers took part in a ‘four-day week’ experiment for around five years, workers have either moved to shorter hours for the same pay, or their wellbeing improved across a range of indicators – from perceived stress and burnout, to health, and work-life balance.

What it takes to apply a four-day workweek Applying a four-day workweek would require “radical change” in the workplace, Dr Xu tells us. “The organisation would need to analyse whether the current organisational structure, capabilities, culture, performance system, and rewards system, will allow that to happen. Comprehensive change is needed, along with a solid commitment to the operation.”

She adds: “The four-day workweek is not merely a matter of changing one practice. Instead, a change in the structure of the organisation is required.”

However, Dr Xu cautions, the four-day week is not a “panacea to workplace problems”.

“Implementing a four-day workweek is not a solution if you already have a toxic workplace where workers are leaving, engagement is low, and there are high levels of grievance.

“Reducing working hours does not truly make the environment any less toxic. Instead, we need to find out what the workforce wants. Do employees feel comfortable moving from five to four workdays without feeling any career stigma? Some debate is that even if employers do offer such benefits to attract and retain employees, employees do not feel comfortable taking it up.”

The reason for this, she notes, is there is a “very strong image of ideal workers in the workplace”, with many employees holding the belief that the longer and harder they work, the more they will get in return, such as better career development, promotions, and pay rises.

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“Even if you work reduced hours, and you do show that dedication and commitment, there is a lot of competition in the workplace. Some employees will work harder and longer to get more. This ‘ideal worker’ image in the organisational culture will make applying a four-day workweek much harder.”

Overall, Dr Xu confirms the fourday workweek is not possible in the short term because of the complexities behind this change. However, in the long run, when rules are more formalised, paired with humancentred culture systems, there is a chance it could become a reality.

That said, the reality will depend on the industry, sector, and nature of the business – for instance, such an arrangement would be particularly difficult to apply to hospitals, airports, or other service sectors, as customers expect service seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

What does the future hold for the workweek?

Looking to the future, with these considerations, Dr Xu sees a four-day workweek becoming a viable and anticipated option. Particularly, the advancement in technology would allow businesses to continue as usual while still pushing for a meaningful career with a better work-life balance. Dr Xu explains: “Manual tasks or heavy work have been replaced by AI or robotics.

Understandably, some people have concerns about losing their jobs. People will need to upskill themselves, and there will be new job positions popping up, but we are still a time away from that.

“In the Asian context, the working culture in many parts is influenced

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by Confucianism where work dedication and hard-work ethics are emphasised. With this being deeply rooted, yet with the expectation of work-life balance and Zenism increasing especially in Generation Z, Dr Xu believes the legacy working culture will not be easily challenged in Asia. “The trending involution (‘neijuan’) phenomenon in China would be around for a while, like a rat race. Even if the four-day workweek is formalised, I do have concerns about its validity and effectiveness.”

Dr Xu points out that many Asian employees can’t thoroughly enjoy the full weekend as it is, as a lot still work on the weekend. She brings up the ‘9-9-6’ working pattern common in China, where employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week – 72 working hours in total. As such, even with five working days and two days off, employees are not able to enjoy the weekend as Dr Xu found in her work-life balance research in China. Thus, her concerns are about whether or not the four-day workweek will end up as a kind of tokenism, where people would still work to demonstrate better performance so as to achieve better rewards and compensations.

With this knowledge, we dive into how business leaders are playing their part in the change we see today.

EXPLORING ‘UNCHARTED’ WATERS: MOVING TO A FOUR-DAY WORKWEEK BEFORE THE PANDEMIC

Banks Benitez, Co-Founder and CEO, Uncharted

I always tell people that Uncharted might not be in the top 1% of all compensation, but we are in the top 1% of workweeks as a competitive recruiting advantage for us.

Uncharted, a Denver-based social impact accelerator that has worked with 87-plus social impact start-ups, started looking into the four-day workweek in November 2019. At the time, there were few examples of companies that had explored the idea, and therefore, some research was needed, Banks Benitez, Co-Founder and CEO of Uncharted, tells us.

“I ran it by our executive team in December 2019, and asked: ‘Should we try this out in 2020?’ And so, Uncharted agreed to get into it in the new year.”

Until COVID-19 hit. Benitez acknowledges this outbreak made him ponder the move: Was this the best time or the worst time to switch to a four-day workweek? The team then contemplated the idea of carrying out a three-month trial of a four-day workweek.

“This is not the worst time, it’s the best time,” he concluded amidst it all.

And so began the journey.

Following the decision, Uncharted announced its fourday workweek to the team in early May 2020. The team collaborated all throughout the month of May, identifying the best way to optimise the week. The pilot was then launched for June-August 2020.

The pilot yielded positive results, much to the joy of the team. For a thorough analysis, the organisation hired a third-party evaluator to evaluate the data. Prior to the pilot, it had already begun collecting baseline data. Eventually, in September, Uncharted made the four-day workweek a part of its company policy.

Curious, we asked Benitez how the transition took place.

The first, he shares, was the design phase. “The executive team designed the four-day workweek and standardised the same day off for all employees – Friday. In terms of compensation, it was decided that employees would get 100% compensation for 80% hours. They would get paid fully for working four eighthour days, not four 10-hour days,” he explains.

Phase two then focused on collaborative team planning, with the intention to decentralise decision making. Each department considered the best way to optimise the workweek with each specific dimension of work in mind, be it marketing, finance, operations, or fundraising. Through it all, Uncharted wanted to distribute the responsibility of the fourday workweek across the entire team.

Over the course of the pilot, the organisation consistently

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received feedback from staff, reviewing what worked and what did not, along with the challenges faced. When necessary, tweaks were made along the way.

Putting it simply, Benitez compares implementing a fourday workweek to a fitness membership, noting that in the same way that owning a gym membership doesn’t guarantee optimal health and fitness, a four-day workweek “does not guarantee that all of a sudden, everything is better”. Instead, it requires specific fitness on an ongoing basis. The company is still practising the four-day workweek.

The highs, the lows, and the reflections Even with such a thorough preparation, the team did face certain concerns. For instance, the perception of its customers, partners, and external stakeholders – would they perceive that Uncharted was not serious about its work, or that the team was not available when needed?

The response turned out to be a “pleasantly” surprising one, as partners and peers “completely understood” and were supportive of the change. In fact, it gave them the motivation to accomplish their tasks in four days as well. In the two years that have passed, there have been a lot more proof-points out there of companies trialling shorter workweeks than there were in early 2020. As such, there is even more credibility now, Benitez believes.

Second, the organisation placed a great focus on how it organised and structured its weeks. Instead of only utilising the calendar to highlight meetings and leaving the blank spaces in between to be filled in with time to get work done, it inverted the calendar. With this, only after allocating time for important tasks, did it use the remaining time for meetings.

Finally, Benitez admits to first feeling incomplete on a shorter workweek. “So much of the broader work culture right now is, ‘everything’s a priority. Everything’s urgent.

Everything must be perfect. You can’t de-prioritise anything’.

When I close my laptop on Thursday, I feel like I haven’t gotten it all done, but I’ve done truly the most important work.

“And so, for me personally, shifting my relationship to this idea of incompleteness has been important. And in some ways, we overwork ourselves because we’ve convinced ourselves that everything must be complete. That’s not necessarily true.”

On a larger scale, he has observed the prioritisation of working hard over working smart, whether it be in the social impact sector or the broader workforce. He therefore

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challenges – why not work smarter, instead of harder? There is certainly a need to shift cultural norms away from working hard as a badge to working smart for success.

In taking this leap, he points out several benefits of implementing a fourday workweek in the organisation. There was a reduction of workplace stress and an improvement in mental health, as compared with the baseline data collected before the four-day workweek commenced. There was no drop in productivity – instead, employees became better decision makers.

“I always tell people that Uncharted might not be in the top 1% of all compensation, but we are in the top 1% of workweeks as a competitive recruiting advantage for us.”

How employers and employees can find that balance Now that we’ve heard from Benitez on the ideation, the process, and the progress, what final tips does he have to share for employers looking to possibly implement a four-day workweek?

First, he emphasises the importance of distinguishing essential work from non-essential work. Team meetings, for example, raise the question – does the entire team need to be present in this meeting? What’s the purpose of the meeting? Increasing judgment about what’s important and what’s not is key to finding work-life balance, he affirms.

The second key factor would be pushing back against workplace norms that require employees to be constantly available. Undeniably, there’s an expectation that employees should be available all around the clock, including at night and on weekends. To tackle

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this, the team came together to ask – can we proactively co-create norms and expectations with our partners? What this meant was, instead of telling partners that they would only respond to their late emails the following work day, they worked to co-create ways to collaborate from Mondays through to Thursdays so that late-night phone calls and weekend meetings could be avoided.

“So it’s basically saying – ‘let’s be as effective as we possibly can during those four days because I’m not going to be around on Friday’.”

Rounding up the conversation, he shares a peek into how his personal journey at Uncharted – having joined the company in the spring of 2012 as an unpaid intern – has helped his growth as a leader.

“When I started early on as an intern, in my early first couple of months, I was really trusted by our team. I noticed that when I’m trusted, I’m smarter and more capable. When I’m not trusted – when I’m undermined – I’m actually dumber,” he says.

“There’s this powerful thing – when you trust people, they bring out their best selves. That’s what happened to me personally.”

Leading with trust is evidently one way to put everybody in a place of personal power – thus helping them to bring their best selves to work.

FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS: A GROUNDING FRAMEWORK FOR A CONSISTENT EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Karynne Choong, HR Manager – APAC HR Consulting Team, Microsoft

For some, the five-day workweek rhythm has become very ingrained in the way of work.

Flexible work arrangements have always been part of the work culture at Microsoft, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated and strengthened their implementation, says Karynne Choong, HR Manager – APAC HR Consulting Team, Microsoft.

Previously, the tech major did not have any policies on flexible work practices. Instead, they were based on a needsbased approach.

Now, a fully-fledged policy that guides employees’ asks around working from a different city, country, or even hours, has been implemented, and Microsoft strives to provide a grounding framework for a consistent employee experience, workplace accommodations, as well as a standard process that enables both work-life balance and business success.

Given this emphasis, the way Choong and her colleagues at Microsoft look at a four-day workweek is more through the lens of providing employees the flexibility to do what works best for them – while empowering the business.

“We are an ecosystem where businesses are interconnected, be it with our customers or partners,” she explains. “Hence, if we were to implement a four-day work week permanently, it would be pertinent to have sustainable

solutions to ensure the ecosystem continues to flourish.”

Another necessity she cites is having in place a mature workforce who engages and commits to fourday workweek arrangements to ensure sufficient coverage across the ecosystem; and at the same time being confident and at peace to step away from the intensity of work.

As such, Choong is clear that the ability to move to a shorter workweek depends on the needs of each organisation. For some, the five-day workweek rhythm has become very ingrained in the way of work. As such, it could appear challenging to trim working hours down to a four-day model.

“Leader-led change management efforts would be essential to influence for change and remove any barriers to enabling a successful transition,” she highlights.

She also cites the need for intentional efforts to be made for

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creating psychological safety as well as for enabling boundaries to be in place for employees to thrive in such a scenario. “Core values such as trust, respect, communication, accountability, and integrity would need to be second-nature for employees to be successful in cultivating this new set-up.”

Looking to the future, while shorter workweeks may not necessarily become the norm, she sees this as part of a wider trend around a more progressive workforce truly being empowered through flexible work arrangements. “Employees having ownership of their responsibilities and being successful without (being) driven by ‘rules’ of five or four-day workweeks.”

“With digital transformations taking place and a degree of work-life integration, I’m not surprised with how workweeks or work hours may shift in the next five to seven years,” she concludes.

EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES: WHY FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE MODELS ARE KEY TO WINNING THE TALENT WAR FOR TDCX

Lim Chee Gay, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, TDCX

The recent pandemic has driven organisations to rethink about employment types, working hours, and work location.

Lim Chee Gay, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, TDCX, is a firm believer in the hybrid workplace, which in his industry of business process outsourcing (BPO) services speaks volumes about the commitment to being a progressive employer. So much so, that the group has placed 99% of employees on a work-from-home arrangement over the last two years, and currently 80% are still on this work-from-home arrangement.

It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the TDCX team is in discussions about making the four-day workweek a reality in the organisation.

“The recent pandemic has driven organisations to rethink about employment types, working hours, and work location. We need to be more agile and flexible in our workforce model and policy,” Lim says.

In discussing this transition, he shares the organisation continues to listen to, and allow employees, to give feedback on the work environment. For example, it conducts weekly pulse surveys, and continues to focus on its ability to have more real-time sentiments from employees.

Pointing to the need to be both flexible and agile in policies, Lim prompts that this is integral to “continue to build a high-performing team and win the talent wars”.

In his view, as long as the results and desired productivity are achieved, companies should be flexible in their workforce models – particularly for work locations and working hours. This is more so given that organisations are able to collaborate more effectively and flexibly as a team, given the technology and tools on offer.

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“As we drive continuous performance management, and an output-based focus, we will be able to be more flexible in employment contracts to meet our talents’ needs,” Lim says. “The working hours will be the same, but work days can be compressed.”

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A FUTURE POSSIBILITY: WHY DENTSU IS OPEN TO TRIALLING THE IDEA FOR ONE TO THREE MONTHS Fabi Cariño, Country Head, Human Resources – Philippines, dentsu International

Productivity does not connote the number of hours at work. Rather, productivity is based on results – the output, the effort that you put in, and the prioritisation of tasks.

Like most employers, the pre-pandemic setup for integrated marketing solutions agency dentsu Philippines was fairly traditional, Fabi Cariño, Country Head, Human Resources – Philippines, dentsu International, admits; think biometric logins, desktop workstations, and a nine-to-five office routine.

However, with the worst of the pandemic behind us, dentsu has now moved to a hybrid working arrangement, whereby employees can come into the office once a week by reserving a seat. They can choose which day works best for them, and the office now sees typically between 30-50% capacity as compared to the 100% in the pre-COVID era. Even the biometric entry-exit system of monitoring employees’ time has given way to more trust and empowerment.

Now, dentsu relies on results instead. All objectives, scope, and timelines are communicated clearly at the beginning as there is less interaction among teammates expected further down the line without the need to physically be at the office.

One of the greatest challenges in any change management activity, Cariño notes, is mindset, and in creating a postpandemic workplace, this was the first step she addressed as well. As HR head, she brought together representatives from each department to represent the voice of the whole department in any new policies and procedures created.

Secondly, she highlights, leaders must be clear on what they want,

cautioning against a one-size-fits-all policy. Simply emulating what the Singapore office is doing, for instance, was not good enough – instead, it’s about being clear on what the Philippines team wanted. To do so, she rolled out a survey and assessment tools to ensure that everyone, beyond the nominated departmental representatives, could share how they felt about the change and give suggestions on the physical setup of the office, the office timing, the overtime considerations, and more. It was important to be open to all the possibilities to ensure an ideal and robust set up, Cariño points out.

Going a step further, what then are the factors of concern specific to a four-day workweek? Efficiency is one, says Cariño, so there is no sacrifice in the quality of work.

“Many people are used to rationalising productivity with the number of hours at work, when this is, in fact, not true.

The old paradigm needs to be changed; productivity does not connote the number of hours at work. Rather, productivity is based on results – the output, effort, and prioritisation of tasks,” she highlights.

This HR leader believes change starts with the objective in mind. Employers need to be able to see the long-term benefits of a shorter week – be it through improved work-life balance, mental wellbeing, and efficiency, without impacting the quality and quantity of work that gets done. It would also help to invest in platforms, technologies, and better systems for staff to work efficiently.

Equally importantly, employers should work hand-inhand with employees to ensure they feel psychologically safe, in terms of evolving to become more self-reliant without as much supervision or micromanagement that some may have been used to.

With all these considerations, Cariño does see the fourday workweek becoming a reality in the future, with some government offices in the Philippines already piloting it.

“We learn from the triumphs and successes, and also from the mistakes.”

Piloting is often the least-risk way to kick off a new project, and Cariño is open to trialling the idea at dentsu for one to three months. Through a trial, she would accurately be able to measure the impact on employees and their productivity; thus, leaders can view the idea based on facts instead of perception.

“As a leader, I would like to see the early results. I also want to see the return on investment on my employees. Facts and figures are the only way to measure effectiveness.”

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online 21

OPINION Unconventional wisdom

FEDEX SINGAPORE’S NEW PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DRIVES TRUST & TRANSPARENCY Eric Tan, Managing Director, FedEx Singapore, shares insights into this performance review approach — from its inception, to what it entails, along with what employers could consider in the intended shift to such a model.

Delivery service provider

FedEx lives up to our corporate philosophy of ‘peopleservice-profit’.

FedEx Singapore (FedEx) is a keen advocate of a culture of continued engagement and transparency at its workplace, one where open communication and trust thrive amongst its over 1,000 employees.

This is done through a series of engagement initiatives such as its ‘Open Door Policy’ and ‘Survey Feedback Action’ (SFA), says Eric Tan, Managing Director, FedEx Singapore.

“This allows our employees to understand the big picture and the part they play in the success of the organisation. FedEx lives up to our corporate philosophy of ‘people-service-profit’: By taking care of our people, they will provide outstanding service for our customers, which enables business growth, and we reinvest this revenue back into our people. All programmes and policies, at every organisational level, synchronise with this philosophy,” he affirms.

One way the company has been driving this is through a change in its performance management system — from a conventional performance appraisal system that utilised a comparative 10-point rating scale leveraging the bell curve methodology, to an enhanced performance review structure, which focuses on the work that employees accomplish (goals), and how it is accomplished (competencies).

Tan explains: “As a ‘people’ company, FedEx strives to continuously improve its performance management processes to drive individual, team, and organisational performance.

To achieve this, we assume a holistic approach towards performance management and the employee experience.

With a continuous improvement mindset, FedEx across Asia Pacific proactively anticipates process and technological enhancements so as to enable us to successfully transition into a new performance management process.

“These are all part of our concerted efforts to sustain a workplace culture where our people stand at the centre of our corporate philosophy.”

What this enhanced performance review structure entails According to Tan, this enhanced structure is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of what success looks like for the employee. It adopts an absolute rating scale to evaluate employee performance, based on the ratings of

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“Exceeded Expectations”, “Met Expectations”, and “Did Not Meet Expectations”.

Competencies refer to observable behaviours that an employee exhibits in their role when applying their knowledge, skills and abilities. To ensure these competencies are applicable to employees’ job roles, varying competency models for frontline employees, professionals and managers have been built for their individual application. To illustrate: • Frontline employees are customer-centric and team-focused. Hence, the focus for them is to adapt to changes and communicate well to both internal and external customers.

• For professionals, having a business thinking mindset is imperative, so they need to build on their analytical skills and make timely decisions and recommendations.

• As for managers, it is critical for them to be equipped with the ability to lead, influence, inspire, and serve, as well as to cultivate exceptional team performance while ensuring their team members are valued and empowered in their day-to-day responsibilities.

No doubt, this change involved several key considerations, with the most impactful one being to instil a growth mindset that encourages employees to focus on future performance as opposed to reflecting on past performance.

It also came with its own set of challenges, with the main one being to manage this change as well as facilitate it. To address this, the HR team developed a collective approach to help prepare and support all employees through the transformation, ensuring a seamless process from start to end.

The employees responded “very well”, as a result.

Tan notes: “We focused on employee engagement and concentrated our efforts on fostering genuine commitment between the manager and employee as we recognise the value in supporting our employees in their learning journeys as they develop and grow professionally. We believe this will, in turn, result in higher levels of productivity by our team members.”

Overall, this new system goes hand-in-hand both with FedEx’s rewards framework, and career development framework. Tan highlights: “Building a performance-based

Unconventional wisdom OPINION

work culture not only serves to boost employee morale, productivity, and performance, but also prepares the company for strategic workforce planning. It is especially pivotal for us as industry leaders to look at a blend of individual and organisational components to instil a growth culture for our people to be successful.

“Every employee is given the chance to pursue their dream in FedEx, and support is always readily available to help maximise their potential, through training and development platforms accessible to all.”

Words of advice Like Tan and his team, more leaders are shifting away from “quantitative” rating scales, to a more “qualitative” approach to appraisals. Yet, there are still leaders who prefer the former approach. And as Tan points out, there is no perfect structure to follow, as every approach comes with its unique pros and cons.

Thus, he says, it is more important to look at the direction the organisation is headed and adapt a model that works best for both the employees and the organisation at each stage. “The goal is to move all stakeholders, including employees, in a concerted manner toward our collective goal that serves people growth and business profitability.”

At FedEx, this also means that apart from working closely with key stakeholders including but not limited to HR and senior management teams, the management is well supported in performance, development, and management skillsets through avid training programmes.

This encompasses effecting a mindset change by shifting from system-related work to providing resources and tools, to empower managers to conduct effective and meaningful performance and development conversations, build manageremployee relationship, and consistently engage their team members by leveraging coaching and feedback skillsets.

Reflecting on the company’s experience, Tan shares his words of encouragement for employers intending to improve their own performance management processes.

“Performance is an ongoing journey, and we need to recognise the importance of continuously looking at improving the overarching employee experience by encouraging ongoing learning and communication rigorously and regularly. In any scenario – whether personal or professional – one should not stop learning, developing and upskilling to make the most of their talents and grow on the right trajectory, thereby bringing value to their teams and peers.

“Human performance is the function of many influences: accountability, feedback, motivation, skills and knowledge, rewards and recognition. These influences are interdependent and ultimately result in the desired performance.”

FedEx Singapore is a Human Capital Partner in the Human Capital Partnership Programme.

The Human Capital Partnership (HCP) Programme is a tripartite initiative that brings together a community of exemplary employers in Singapore who have progressive employment practices in their organisations and are committed to developing their human capital.

4 KEY STEPS TO IMPLEMENT A PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY THAT SUPPORTS YOUR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES From the Human Capital Implementation Toolkit, we share a snapshot on how employers can work towards a performance management strategy that cultivates the right environment that connects employees with the organisation and motivates them to excel.

Step 1: Set a strategic performance management philosophy HR plays a strategic role in ensuring that company goals can be met through Human Capital programmes.

• Establish strategic organisational goals with senior leadership, detailing the key thrusts, KPIs and targets needed in the short, medium and long term to support their vision.

Empower managers • Empower managers to recognise and reward beyond targets and goals.

Reinforce desired behaviours • Address the past year’s performance gaps and set new goals for the next year.

• Reinforce desired behaviours by recognising, rewarding and cultivating them. Identify role models within the organisation to be champions of certain desired behaviours.

Step 2: Cascade and communicate goals Provide a clear line of sight to create a more engaged and motivated workforce.

• Cascade corporate goals through business units down to individual employees, enabling them to understand how their actions influence the success of the organisation.

• Communicate strategic objectives and how each performance measure supports those objectives.

• Develop training/development plans for employees to achieve the capabilities to reach these goals.

Step 3: Manage performance Supporting managers as the main link between employee performance and business outcomes.

Step 4: Evaluate and reward performance Managers’ ability to evaluate and reward performance, and optimise touchpoints for growth and learning will be key to the success of this step.

Track performance • Track performance against targets and schedule periodic performance reviews.

• Seek timely and multiple sources of performance feedback, e.g., managers, peers, customers, etc. to provide a fair and holistic assessment.

Equip and train managers to • Drive and evaluate performance.

• Coach poor performers.

• Conduct performance conversations.

Differentiate rewards • Cultivate a strong pay-for performance culture.

• Communicate the wage structure so employees understand how it impacts them and how to change their behaviours.

• Design discretionary monetary or non-monetary recognition schemes.

Conduct performance conversations regularly at meaningful points • These allow managers to manage employee expectations, identify performance gaps, address performance concerns, discuss future growth plans, and enable employees to voice their opinions.

While systems and practices are essential, a key differentiator for an effective performance management practice is the alignment between culture, values and systems. This involves establishing an organisational culture that provides steadfast support to employees in their personal learning and development that views every touchpoint as a growth opportunity.

The performance management process should not be solely centred on employees’ past contributions but perform as future-focused stay conversations that support and engage employees in ways to grow, learn and improve.

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FEATURE Employee mobility

EMPLOYEE MOBILITY: BOON OR BANE IN 2022?

No one could have anticipated a world where overseas assignments aren’t coveted, or where the lack of physical mobility opens up opportunities to a decentralised workforce – yet here we are.

In conversations with mobility decision makers, Lester Tan probes how the new talent mobility landscape is shaping up.

It’s been years since HR has shed its stereotypical image of being the company police, and constantly being blamed for referring to the rule book. HR leaders are now seen as far more empathetic to the employee cause, as well as true change leaders who bring solutions to the table.

In fact, no other function of HR has seen the rule book tossed out as hard as the talent mobility space which has been completely overhauled given the events of the past two years. Border closures, visa rejections, and assignee safety, were just some of the grave issues facing mobility leaders – issues that we’re only just emerging from in some parts of the world.

This is why, for this feature, we have reached out to HR leaders across Asia for their experiences and insights into this new talent mobility landscape.

“Don’t become a ‘one-size-fits-all’. This is not the time to [cite] the rule book. This is the time to tell your employees, ‘Buddy, we are with you. In these difficult times, we will support you as much as we can’,” says our first interviewee, Vishal Sharma, Head of HR Asia, Aditya Birla Chemicals, part of the Fortune 500 Aditya Birla Group.

“This is not the time to talk about rules or policies.

This is the time to think outside the box.”

Thinking outside the box has become second nature to talent mobility leaders, as we find out in conversations on how they are overcoming challenges, and looking at the function with a new lens.

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Employee mobility FEATURE

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online 25

FEATURE Employee mobility

Hold on to your passports “Employee mobility myths have been broken,” Sharma says.

The concept of long-term assignments, for example, where talent leaves the home country, and spends a few years in the host country, is “completely gone”.

“The expectation that every talent is willing, and dying to go for an international assignment, has been absolutely shattered,” he adds.

He believes this could be attributed to many considerations, ranging from business needs, where several jobs and roles have been decentralised to become region-agnostic, to personal reasons. For the latter, he cites examples of families of talent who have become “less supportive of this transition than they were a few years ago” because of the pandemic.

As such, Sharma continues, talent has huge pressure to “look at family first, and then look at the career [next]”, a trend he foresees for at least the next two to three years.

Irene Goh, Senior Manager, Regional Strategic HR, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia, supports his observation, and adds the psychological element to the equation.

“Some assignees suffer from the fear of uncertainty,” she says. “For instance, there have been many queries on the changing immigration procedures, and of the quarantine period reducing from 21 to 14 days. Or which hotel they will be assigned to, which is something out of our control.”

Others, she adds, are concerned about the health services in the country they are assigned to. If it is, say, less developed, the company must be agile to react, and evacuate the assignee should the pandemic worsen.

In Sharma’s case, such concerns have been addressed head-on, where the organisation has created local support networks based on the assessment of the situation. For example, health facilities such as ICU beds and hospital rooms have been reserved for employees in anticipation of future requirements.

“We are going all the way to make sure employees feel safe,” he shares.

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It’s not you, it’s business In terms of the business perspective to employee mobility programmes, Goh names plenty of factors for consideration, from the availability of immediate successors to repatriation planning – but we will focus first on cost.

“Who bears the cost [of employee mobility]?” Goh asks. “Headquarters, host, or home country?”

The question might sound rhetorical to some, as based on Goh’s experiences, to achieve the objective of employee mobility, to groom leaders, and to exchange experiences and knowledge, the sharing of costs between the host and home countries is commonly seen today.

Sharma adds that beyond costs, mobility decision makers have to think hard about roles most suited for the move.

“You have to choose which role becomes a talent-mobility-fit role.

Not every role would qualify [for talent to be mobile]. You will need to continuously assess which role will or will not be qualified, and which roles are going to emerge [as mobile] tomorrow,” he reveals.

As such, he urges decision makers to continuously assess what talent deficit they are facing, and which ones require talent mobility.

Employee mobility FEATURE

“Don’t take the burden off the entire organisation by thinking that everybody is fit for a role outside your home country. That’s a flawed strategy,” he says.

“Your repatriation engine has to be absolutely strong, and very well thought of. The problem which many don’t realise is when you send somebody on a three or four-year assignment, you need to have available career roads when the person [returns].

“So plan at least a year in advance if you’re bringing talent back to your home country. If you don’t, then you run the risk of not having a role available.”

Be aware of your surroundings Even with decision makers paving the road ahead, there are surrounding elements to consider.

“The first is when the borders and the economy start to do well,” Sharma continues, “there will be a lot of demand for jobs in the home [or host] country. What happens then is, the same talent is being chased by you, and by many other organisations.”

With the demand for jobs, comes the demand for salary.

“Once the economy is doing well,” Sharma explains, “the job market gets moving. So, the competitiveness of your compensation package runs the risk of getting diluted.”

In one hiring scenario, for instance, he shares that, in India, salaries have “absolutely topped the region”.

“I have seen that – when I was hiring, people have multiple offers – the difference between India’s salary, and Thailand’s salary, or Singapore’s salary is not much. So, talent are asking - for this much of differential, why should I risk [and move abroad]?”

A new approach To cope with these unending considerations, Sharma shares that mobility decision makers can contemplate utilising a hub-and-spoke model to their mobility strategy. Taking this concept of goods distribution into the world of mobility, he suggests using a centralised-hub approach for housing talent.

With that logic, talent can work for you without having to move across the globe.

“Let’s say, you’re looking for talent who is very knowledgeable in Europe’s food regulation process for the office here [in Thailand],” he says.

“Now, one method is I send my current crop of talent to Europe to learn, and work. Another method is that I find a regulatory specialist sitting in Singapore, who has working experience with the European market, or who is a European and knows the ins-and-outs of the region’s regulatory landscape.”

These are, he finds, possible options that may alleviate certain challenges.

Talents are the priority The approach cited above would, of course, only work for organisations with regional offices. Those without can still rely on offering “attractive remuneration packages”, or ensuring employees are “well-insured”. Even using conventional international assignments is possible, but the advice is to keep them short and simple – what Sharma calls “short-burst” assignments.

“For example, you go to Malaysia for a one-year assignment, and come back. That’s how talent can also get the required expertise,” he explains.

Doing so in today’s operating world, however, also requires employers to be mentally prepared for early repatriation in case of environmental instability or career detours.

“We’re not asking any questions,” he says. “If you’re not feeling safe, or if you feel that you made a wrong decision then come back. We are not putting pressure on assignees to complete six months minimum, for instance.”

Once the economy is doing well, the job market gets moving. So, the competitiveness of your compensation package runs the risk of getting diluted.

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FEATURE Employee mobility

Putting talent as a priority, he reiterates, is important because “otherwise, you’re giving the impression to an employee that wellbeing does not matter, but business matters. And that’s permanent damage you can do as an organisation to an employee”.

“Business will improve after six months, but the perception that the employee will carry will never improve”.

Goh matches her organisation’s approach to Sharma’s point.

“With employees’ safety and health as a top priority, we prioritise our leadership development. We have put on hold moving our younger potential leaders for overseas assignment physically. Instead, they are put into key projects utilising remote working with the advancement of the technologies.”

This has brought on the added benefit of opening up career opportunities to a wider group of talent, Goh says.

“For example, working mothers who were concerned about children’s education, or spouses who needed to forgo their current career when they were selected for overseas assignments, are now nominating themselves for global projects as now they are able to contribute instead of relocating for an overseas assignment.”

A diverse workforce Goh highlights an interesting point: opportunities, a wider group of talent, working mothers, spouses. This puts diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) right into the employee mobility equation.

“That’s a very important part of employee mobility,” Sharma shares. “Until now, or until a few years ago, if you were working up the career ladder, you were more likely to be seen and recognised. But for those who were outside the [career] picture, the recall of them is very low.”

So, can mobility support the cause of DEI? It certainly looks possible.

One way Sharma’s organisation does this is to run internal programmes to learn about, and remove,

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We have put on hold moving our younger potential leaders for overseas assignment physically.

Instead, they are put into key projects utilising remote working with the advancement of the technologies.

unconscious biases in the workplace. In addition, the company has initiatives, and has incentivised choices that specifically involve those who aren’t in the picture, or in focus – letting them know “our talent [mobility] strategy is not complete without you”.

Robert Line, Vice President, Global Talent Mobility, Cartus, agrees.

“International assignments, executed well, and with the right approach to ‘difference’ provide an engine and mechanism for innovation and development unlike any other.”

As such, assignees – and those managing across cultures – must be equipped to bridge diversity to thrive.

“When these employees are attuned to cultural realities, recombining and redefining ideas, processes, and practices becomes second nature: innovation occurs and businesses see progress,” he says.

“In successful organisations, evidence of an effective global DE&I initiative should be seen in the application of increased intercultural competencies by staff.”

What other benefits does the infusion of a DEI-driven culture bring to mobility?

Line paints a vivid picture: “Global teams are more able to end the exclusion of certain groups, along with

Employee mobility FEATURE

unproductive, polite stand-off situations. Business units in multiple countries are better able to unite and collaborate.

Centres of excellence assemble local knowledge, and turn it into global expertise.”

He also issues a note of advisory, saying “approaches can look different in practice depending on where in the world you are. Meanings and focus points vary, according to cultural context and local regulations; DE&I-infused programme roll-outs must, axiomatically, be diverse, equitable, and inclusive”.

Working mothers who were concerned about children’s education, or spouses who needed to forgo their current career when they were selected for overseas assignments, are now nominating themselves for global projects as now they are able to contribute instead of relocating for an overseas assignment.

Look beyond At the end of the day, talent mobility is ultimately about “being flexible, and being supportive to the employee”, Sharma believes. This phrase should be the mantra, the key approach all organisations and decision makers should have – lest our raison d’être becomes a self-restricting “one-sizefits-all” approach which is considered an ancient policy in today’s workplace.

TL;DR? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED WITH OUR ONE-MINUTE SUMMARY •

It’s time to throw out the rule book on employee mobility and treat such decisions with more empathy, situational awareness, and almost on a case-by-case basis.

•

You have to choose which role becomes a talentmobility-fit role. Not every role would qualify (for talent to be mobile). You will need to continuously assess which role will or will not be qualified.

•

As borders start to come up, be prepared to deal with circumstances such as early repatriation, family-driven concerns, a boom in the job and salary market as demand picks up, and more.

•

Assignees – and those managing across cultures – must be equipped to bridge diversity to thrive.

Evidence of an effective global DE&I initiative should be seen in the application of increased intercultural competencies by staff.

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online 29

BE AN EMPLOYER WITH EMPATHY: STEPS TO BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE Empathy should emanate through the organisation, where employees make a collective effort to foster a deeper sense of inclusion, experts from Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) point out.

What does it mean to be an inclusive employer amidst growing diversity in the workplace?

Beyond being fair in employment practices, it is also about using values such as empathy, altruism, and compassion to shape an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels that they belong.

Creating an inclusive organisation leads to a winning and harmonious workplace, where employees are more engaged and productive, according to studies from McKinsey.

Here are three ways for employers to build an inclusive workplace with empathy.

1. Value difference Having employees with a variety of experiences

or backgrounds prevents groupthink and provides better solutions to issues.

Valuing differences also means showing empathy in considering the person as a whole, and not just viewing them as mere manpower to achieve business results. For example, do we judge people by the way they speak or are we able to accept and embrace the cultural differences reflected in the way they communicate arising from a diverse workforce?

Employees who do not feel the need to “code switch” at work, using diction or references they would not normally use, are more comfortable offering opinions based on their experiences. When employees feel their unique voices are heard, they become more confident in their contributions.

2. Be sensitive and proactive As an employer with empathy, you can help your staff feel included by identifying exclusionary behaviour and being proactive in addressing it. It may not be easy to spot these individual incidents, but some company-wide occurrences require closer attention. For instance, is there a tendency to use non-English languages at the workplace that may exclude certain employees from the conversation?

Of course, not all practices that may exclude some employees are considered discriminatory.

For example, a ‘Bring a Child to Work Day’ can be enjoyed by all at the office, whether one has children or not.

3. Forge bonds Empathy should emanate through the organisation, where employees make a collective effort to foster a deeper sense of inclusion.

Employers can organise bonding activities, such as corporate social responsibility initiatives.

This allows employees to build deeper relationships while contributing to the common good. Activities can also promote cross-cultural understanding and competencies, bridge gaps, and strengthen bonds.

An example is to assign local colleagues as buddies to foreign employees, where the former can share more about Singapore’s sociocultural norms to help the latter settle in.

Empathy is a crucial ingredient at the workplace, resulting in a more inclusive culture with better-engaged employees. Be proactive in addressing gaps that may undermine inclusion efforts and prevent exclusionary practices from becoming entrenched as organisational culture.

Tap on the Fair and Progressive Employment Index (FPEI), a free online selfassessment tool to evaluate your organisation’s workplace culture today.

personalgrowth LET’S COMMIT TO DELIGHTING OTHERS Inspired by renowned author Ron Kaufman at the Lazada Learning Festival 2022, Lester Tan is on a mission to delight those at home, the workplace, and the community.

I have a confession to make.

I did not give my 100% attention to author Ron Kaufman’s talk at the Lazada Learning Festival 2022. He was talking about uplifting service, the cornerstone of his New York Times bestselling book. And I unfortunately lost focus as “delighting customers” did not feel relevant to what I am currently doing in the workplace. But I soon realised how wrong I was. What Kaufman imprinted upon me is that the act of ‘delighting’ isn’t limited to time, place, and people. In fact, ‘delighting’ can be ingrained in my DNA, and be the essence of my character to make the world a better place to live in.

The act of ‘delighting’ mustn’t be confused with the act of ‘currying favour’. It is, as Kaufman put it, “contributing to the wellbeing of others”.

The service culture guru explained that to make that contribution is to step up, take personal responsibility, and create a better experience for someone else whether it is at home, the workplace, or within the community. And what taking personal responsibility represents, Kaufman shared, is when you see something that can be done, or should be done, you step forward, and elect yourself to be the one to do it. With this

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behaviour, you’re showing to everyone else that we can be responsible for creating an environment where living well with others is possible.

So what does this entail in everyday behaviours? This can be as simple as holding the lift door a tad longer than usual assuming someone is just on the way; or at work, making the effort to understand someone else’s workflow and contributing your knowledge-based input rather than letting them work from scratch on your project; or flagging the bus down for someone who is chasing after it to make sure they don’t miss it.

The point is to be more aware of our behaviour, and to be more intentional in thinking for others.

To sum up, here’s what I want all of us to take away – and they are three simple quotes. One, from the Biblical realm, “love thy neighbour as thyself”. Two, in the linguistic world, “treat others as you wish to be treated”.

And three, part of Kaufman’s teachings, “a life well-lived contributes to the wellbeing of others” whether it is physically, emotionally, or psychologically.

This is so, both you and I, can leave this place better than we found it.

So, join me in ‘delighting’ others.

PARTNER INSIGHTS

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY TAFEP

BUILDING A SAFE AND HARASSMENTFREE WORKPLACE Workers need to trust that they can report incidences of workplace harassment, without their confidentiality being compromised, share experts from Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP).

There has been a spate of workplace harassment incidents reported in the media in recent times.

This has opened the space for greater dialogue on this important issue, including what can be done to build safe and harassment-free workplaces.

Based on the workplace harassment reports that TAFEP has investigated into in the past two years, more can be done upstream within companies.

Employers and the HR community have a key role to play in stamping out workplace harassment, and making workplaces safe for all. By taking a proactive approach to address workplace harassment, and requiring accountability from all parties involved, employers provide their workers greater confidence that any workplace harassment incident will be dealt with fairly and responsibly. Employers would also be in a better position to respond, if and when such incidents are reported to TAFEP. The following are key upstream measures that employers should adopt: First, implement and communicate the company’s zero tolerance policy towards workplace harassment. This mandate should come from the top.

Business leaders and the management team should consistently “walk the talk”, and reinforce this zero tolerance stance at employee briefings, townhalls, and even in the process of managing actual incidents.

Second, put in place safe and effective channels for grievance and workplace harassment reporting. The Tripartite Advisory on Managing

Workplace Harassment outlines key principles for employers to keep in mind: • Confidentiality Workers need to trust that they can report incidences of workplace harassment, without their confidentiality being compromised.

• Neutrality In establishing a harassment reporting line, care must be taken to ensure that the channels include neutral parties who are not directly involved and have no conflict of interest in the case.

• Non-retaliation This could mean giving workers the assurance that there will not be negative repercussions, such as consequences on their appraisal or performance ranking, upon making a report.

Third, build up confidence in your company’s grievance handling system and the management of harassment reports, such as how they are investigated and followed up on. Employers should promptly follow up on all harassment complaints, and document each step of the investigation process. A timeline should be established and communicated to all parties involved. This includes updating them of the progress and findings/ outcome of the investigation.

The final step of ensuring proper closure

of the harassment incident, and preventing recurrence, is just as important. Beyond taking appropriate disciplinary action against the harasser in cases where workplace harassment was established, employers should also provide adequate support to the affected individual, such as re-deployment of the harasser, providing access to counselling, and availing interim options such as additional leave or flexibility to work from home during the investigation and/or recovery period.

It takes a determined effort within the organisation to combat workplace harassment.

Fortunately, support is available for employers on this journey to develop a robust anti-workplace harassment regime for their companies. TAFEP has worked with various partners to develop resources in this area, and these are available online for employers to utilise.

With employers playing their part, we can build safe and harassment-free workplaces that enable employees to focus on contributing their best at work.

TAFEP Workplace Harassment Resource and Recourse Centre provides advice and assistance to employers and affected individuals on workplace harassment matters.

Contact tafep.sg or call 6838 0969.

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OPINION People issues

Words matter: How to use inclusive language in the workplace Preet Grewal ensures inclusive introductions during presentations at Twitter; while Karen Lim continues to build empathy in day-to-day engagements at Skyworks, as Arina Sofiah finds out.

While the concepts of diversity &

inclusivity may have been around in society for a long time, the support and emphasis around them is a much newer process for businesses. With the rapid globalisation of the working world, more and more people now have access to new cultures, traditions, ways of thinking, and environments.

An increasingly diverse workforce demands change from old norms. Organisations need to adapt. One of the easiest – yet most overlooked – ways to do so is through inclusive language.

Words matter. Communication is one of the most essential ways to help everyone feel valued, acknowledged, and respected, as well as create a sense of belonging in teams and organisations.

Many workplaces struggle with ingrained language which is no longer inclusive – for example, many business letters still start with ‘Dear sir’. Washrooms continue to have just two symbols, while emails start with ‘hi guys’ by default.

How do businesses improve language use in the workplace come 2022 and beyond?

In this feature, Arina Sofiah speaks to HR leaders from Skyworks, and Twitter to find out.

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Skyworks Solutions creates psychological safety instead of going into gender specifics Karen Lim, Head of Human Resources, Asia Pacific Region, Skyworks Solutions, believes that inclusive leadership is highly critical, especially for a company operating in an international capacity. “It’s very important for leaders and people managers to have the ability to communicate inclusively to all employees regardless of rank. They need to be sensitive in their day-to-day language used across all levels,” she says.

As a “very simple” rule of thumb, Lim and her team make it a point to address their audiences and teams with inclusive language such as “hello, everybody” or “hello, everyone”.

It is important not to go into gender specifics, she highlights. Rather, the focus is on making sure that everybody feels psychologically safe.

“If employees feel safe to speak up and engage with managers and leaders, it helps make their day-to-day work more productive and fulfilling, building a more engaged environment, and a seamless employee experience.”

With such a diverse and large reach across the

People issues OPINION

globe – Skyworks has operators, technicians, and engineers, along with Lim partnering with various leaders across Asia – how are these practices adapted to each market to be respectful of each culture? Lim emphasises the need for empathy in day-to-day work and across engagements.

As an example, if managing a conversation with an operator, she ensures she is more sensitive to their personal work and family situation “as most often, their family and close ones are not residing with them in Singapore”.

“It’s key to understand the employee’s personal circumstances during day-to-day work, and take them into consideration,” she points out.

“Leaders must be empathetic because not all employees are able to operate in an environment where they are happily settled.

“I always remind myself to reflect: ‘How is the employee’s situation right now?’, even if it’s a very senior leader. I don’t assume that the employee whom I’ve engaged in a conversation would have those 30 minutes of time for me, so I have to also be very respectful in that manner.”

Twitter builds an inclusive culture for employees to bring their authentic selves to work Being inclusive, even in the smallest of interactions, can greatly impact how employees are at work, according to Preet Grewal, Head of Inclusion and Diversity (I&D), JAPAC, Twitter. She explains: “Words matter, and intentional inclusive language aims to exclude no one. Inclusion is felt in the small moments, and in interactions between colleagues; and when an organisation builds an inclusive culture, employees can bring their authentic selves to work.

So, using inclusive language is essential for creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and included.”

In that vein, she shares, Twitter is on a journey to becoming the “world’s most inclusive and diverse tech company”. One way the company is making a conscious effort to do so includes having speakers introducing their name, pronouns, and also visual identity descriptors for the benefit of blind or visually impaired people at the beginning of meetings, presentations, or workshops.

The second is by incorporating inclusive language in Twitter’s code – in 2020, it started moving away from noninclusive language such as “blacklist” and “sanity check”.

Last, is by normalising the use of pronouns. “We regularly underscore the importance of normalising the use of pronouns. When a person uses an incorrect pronoun, it not only incorrectly addresses the other person, but also creates a sense of exclusion, lack of consideration, and disrespect to the person’s identity,” Grewal highlights.

When asked about possible red flags for leaders to identify, she shares: “There are the obvious, for example, derogatory slurs and harmful terms that are often passed off as ‘jokes’. But there are also several commonly used terms and phrases that are more subtle in how they exclude various communities.

Seconding Lim’s example above, she adds: “Let’s take the term ‘guys’. It’s seemingly innocuous, but has the potential to reinforce unconscious gender biases.

Inclusive language would instead use ‘everyone’ or ‘team’.

“Other phrases like ‘tone deaf’ or ‘lame’, often used to describe something that missed the mark, can perpetuate ableism. Similarly, referring to someone as ‘normal’ because they don’t have a disability implies that those who do are ‘abnormal’.”

When leaders encounter situations like these, they should be an ally and point out that the language used was not inclusive, and offer a better alternative.

Cultivating an inclusive environment may not happen overnight, but every progress in the right direction is important, Grewal stresses.

An increasingly diverse workforce demands change from old norms.

Organisations need to adapt. One of the easiest – yet most overlooked – ways to do so is through inclusive language.

Head on here for the full interviews, where Karen Lim shares how remote working has impacted inclusivity, while Preet Grewal talks about possible misconceptions on what it takes to be inclusive.

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online 33

OPINION Upwardly mobile

Upwardly mobile OPINION

TAKEDA’S HOLISTIC AND SCIENCE-DRIVEN APPROACH TO ENGAGING EMPLOYEES IN APAC

Janice Yee, Head of Human Resources APAC, Takeda, shares with Lester Tan what 'Project Explore' entails as the company's approach to bringing employees closer to the future work environment in a post-pandemic world.

As many would know, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (Takeda) is an R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, focusing its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and gastroenterology. Present in about 80 countries globally, in the APAC region, Takeda has an employee strength of more than 800.

The company is also invested in sustainability and wellbeing, with its a net-zero carbon emissions building – a first-of-its-kind in its global network – in Singapore. So not only is it committed to caring for patients, but also to protecting the environment.

With Janice Yee’s help (and spirit), the organisation is also attentive and supportive towards its employees.

The future of work “Takeda celebrated its 240 th anniversary (in 2021) – and this rich heritage and impactful legacy would not have been possible without the people who each play their part to address the unmet medical need of patients,” Yee says.

“People have always been the cornerstone of our success, and as we pivot towards hybrid working practices, we are taking the utmost care to ensure our employees are involved every step of the way.”

One of the ways this is coming to life is in the form of Project Explore, Takeda’s approach to engage employees and bring them closer to the future work environment in a postpandemic world – with flexible ways of working taking up a chunk of airtime (which is undeniably an important topic of late).

“We cannot deny how much the pandemic has transformed how we work and engage with our employees, partners, and stakeholders,” Yee explains. “We pride ourselves on being 34 Human Resources Online January-March 2022

People have always been the cornerstone of our success, and as we pivot towards hybrid working practices, we are taking the utmost care to ensure our employees are involved every step of the way.

flexible at Takeda, but when COVID-19 hit us, and different countries were going into various degrees of ‘lockdown’, the notion of flexible ways of working definitely evolved. Employees who once found themselves commuting to the office five days a week may now prefer more flexible work arrangements, and the workforce has now adapted to predominantly operate from home for a prolonged period of time.”

Project Explore Enter Project Explore. By gathering and accounting for the opinions of Takeda’s people – through an Explore Survey – Takeda has taken “a holistic and science-driven approach” to create a future work environment that engages employees across the organisation. According to its survey, that garnered views from more than 10,000 people globally, the concept of a ‘borderless workplace’ is coming to life, which Yee shares is about “an environment in which they would feel inspired to collaborate, build relationships, and innovate in”.

With her team’s support, and the experiments they did, the results have been exciting not just for Takeda, but for the industry. “Our Singapore offices will be one of the first globally to launch the borderless workplace, a design concept created through research, industry benchmarking, and feedback from our people,” Yee says.

In addition, it was designed to achieve Singapore’s BCA-HPB Green Mark for Healthier Workplaces, and the global Fitwel certification status, which “is part of Takeda’s commitment to employee health and wellbeing”.

The design is underpinned by six key principles: • A hybrid experience; • A hospitable workplace that provides a seamless experience for Takeda employees and visitors; • A variety of work settings at the office, with the right technology to be virtually inclusive; • Enabling mobility through technology for seamless operations; • Balancing mental and physical wellbeing through space, programming and policy; and • Designed for longevity and the ability to swiftly adapt to changing business needs.

There is more to learn about Takeda’s approach towards the future of work. Read the full interview here.

Learning & Development OPINION

Leveraging strength in the employee learning journey at PHG Jenpakorn Veerachayapornpong, VP People and Culture, Pacific Healthcare Group, talks to Priya Sunil about reskilling employees to keep up with the shift to a hybrid work model during the COVID upheaval.

Pacific Healthcare Group

(PHG), an international pharmaceutical and healthcare company based in Thailand, has been serving the Thai healthcare industry for 60 years, standing tall among the healthcare distribution leads of today with more than 500 associates across Southeast Asia.

When COVID-19 struck in 2020, Jenpakorn Veerachayapornpong, Vice President People and Culture, stepped up to play a critical role in not just engaging and Jenpakorn motivating employees, but ensuring those who could not Veerachayapornpong work from home were kept safe.

VP People and Culture In this interview, he talks about how he and his team across Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Myanmar Pacific Healthcare worked to reskill employees to keep up with the shift to a Group hybrid work model.

With PHG’s services being primarily customer-facing, the priority was to reskill the workforce to a hybrid/remote model, while meeting rising customer demands – and the ‘adopt and adapt’ model played an important role. First, employees were made to understand the current situation – the new cases, what it meant for them, as well as the impact on the business.

“Then, we let them think about what to expect of the situation, and how we can all continue to live and continue the business in these tough times.”

As such, the conversation followed the chain concept, where milestones were highlighted on where the company was, and where it wanted to be, and a discussion where employees’ inputs comprised a vast part in coming up with the action plan.

For skilling, the first focus was on resilience, to help employees understand the situation and to prevent potential depression or falling to pressure. The team also tried to help

employees see the opportunity in the situation, not just focus on the negatives – for example, to see how the growing importance of technology in these times could help accelerate their digital skills.

The second was to reskill them to be flexible and adaptable. Jenpakorn explains: “For instance, in healthcare, people in general keep using the term ‘new normal’, but for us, it has become the ‘now normal’ since 2021 as we should already be used to the situation. It is time for us to train ourselves and stay true to ourselves, thinking – ‘hey, even once COVID-19 ends, our lives won’t go back to what it was, so it’s time we start thinking about learning new practices’.”

Putting this into practice, PHG worked to change how it conducted certain activities with its customers and employees – such as renaming its ‘Fun Fit’ activity to ‘Fun Fit at Home’, and taking it virtual.

“We cannot forget communication as the most important aspect of reskilling, particularly communication using technology,” he points out.

Last, but not least, was to focus on planning and organising. “We are not really trend crashers, rather, we think about what is important to us and how we can do it in order to create an impact on our business and our people.

Planning and organising are very basic skills, but they are very important at this moment,” he says.

“If we talk about one of the seven habits, for instance – to be proactive – this is very basic for all people to be disciplined in, and to independently choose, not only employees. We can’t use COVID-19 as an excuse to stay in the corner and say, ‘hey, sorry, I can’t serve you’. No. You can continue to serve, but you have to change the way you do it.”

Employees are, importantly, encouraged and motivated to work on their top five strengths, using Gallup’s StrengthsFinder.

“Why? Because we need to educate and develop our employees by leveraging their top five strengths. This is how we want them to be disciplined, and take more responsibility for themselves, to learn more about themselves and what they like, what they enjoy, and so on,” he highlights.

Simply putting it, he believes a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for him as an HR leader. “That is why, especially in these times, we empower, motivate, and encourage our employees to use these strengths to plan out how they should learn and be trained. This is how we reskill our employees,” he affirms.

Sorry to leave you hanging, but we’ve run out of space! Fret not, you can head here to check out the full interview to find out if the team faced resistance, the challenges he as a father and leader faced in the process, and more.

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online 35

BREAKING BARRIERS

A FIGHTER SINCE YOUNG, THIS LEADER IS SPEAKING UP AGAINST SOCIAL AND CULTURAL MORES Having had to work part-time to supplement her family’s income and siblings’ education growing up, here’s how Pamela Phua, Product Management Director, Decorative Paints, SESA, AkzoNobel, surmounted several walls, as Aditi Sharma Kalra finds out.

In this brand-new series of interviews titled

Even at work, women must work twice as hard to gain recognition.

I feel there is a perception that being a leader is too challenging for women – although I think that is slowly changing in more progressive companies.

Breaking Barriers, HRO speaks to women leaders globally who have forged their paths, made a mark in their career of choice, and are doing what they love best – living out their passions and uplifting others to go further and faster.

For this edition, we catch up with Pamela Phua, Product Management Director, Decorative Paints, Southeast Asia and South Asia (SESA), AkzoNobel, who has spent 18 years in R&D and product management at AkzoNobel, launching innovative products such as the Dulux Weathershield/PowerFlexx.

Based in Singapore, she covers the SEA, South Asia, and APAC regions, with the key markets for decorative paints being India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Phua is also an A*STAR-certified auditor, and is actively involved in projects to create inspiring living spaces for local communities and to promote green architecture trends, which really speaks to her passion for sustainability.

What drives you? Are there any personal beliefs/ people from whom you draw strength?

I have been a fighter since I was young. Growing up, my family wasn’t well off. As the oldest of four siblings, I had to work part-time to supplement my family’s income and my siblings’ education.

I have had the fortune of working for leaders who believed in me and pushed me to achieve more than I thought I could. I managed to surmount many walls by standing on their shoulders.

The most important role of any leader is to break down barriers and inspire their teams to do what they thought was impossible.

Now that I am a senior people leader myself, I am compelled to do the same for my team. I actively put aside my biases and push members of my team to achieve their full potential. I strive to create a level playing field for everyone to reach their aspirations.

Have you faced any barriers in your career because of being a woman? How did you overcome them?

Women face barriers in all stages of their lives. When I interviewed for medical school, it was clear that men were preferred as “female doctors might leave the profession when they start a family”. Social and cultural mores tell a woman to stay home to take care of her family.

Even at work, women must work twice as hard to gain recognition. I feel there is a perception that being a leader is too challenging for women – although I think that is slowly changing in more progressive companies.

AkzoNobel creates an environment where everyone can speak their minds and be passionate about what they do.

This helped me to get outside my comfort zone to take on various important positions in the company.

What is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about their careers?

Bruce Lee said, “be like water”, I say: • Be resilient – Love what you do and work hard to achieve your goals, but do it with passion and poise.

• Be patient – Accept that sometimes there are detours along the path of life. Give yourself time to learn, and forgive yourself when you make mistakes. Don’t be your worst enemy.

• Be creative – You can’t drive innovation if you don’t try new things and fail along the way.

• Be curious – Every day and every interaction, whether positive or negative, is a learning opportunity.

36 Human Resources Online January-March 2022

Giving 110%

59%

(to give all you have, and then some)

The most annoying corporate jargon of 2021

Did you cringe reading the above? We did, and we apologise for putting you through that. But would we be wrong to guess that you’re using at least some of these phrases every day at work, or possibly in your personal life too?

59

%

(to contact someone via computer or phone)

Think outside Low-hanging fruit the box

54

56

%

%

(something you can obtain with little effort)

(to think creatively)

Reinvent the wheel

52%

(to duplicate a method that already exists)

This week, I hope you’ll be giving your 110% to think outside the box and capture low-hanging fruit by simply reinventing the wheel – but if you are unable to move the needle, just ping me to touch base on the next plan of action.

I’ll ping you

Take it to the next level

50

Synergy

52

%

(the combined value of two or more things will be greater than the sum of the separate individual parts)

Blue sky thinking

%

49%

(to further improve something that’s already successful)

(brainstorming where ideas don’t need to be grounded in reality)

Bring to the table

49

%

(to provide something that will be

Touch base

49%

(to make contact or reconnect with someone briefly)

a benefit) Every workplace brims with buzzwords, and these were among the most overused (or most hated) phrases in 2021, according to a MyPerfectResume Now that we’re aware, let’s all do our part to avoid study in the US. Here are some others: adding these 10 jargons to 2022’s list, shall we?

January-March 2022 Human Resources Online 37

Save the date: 26 May 2022 Shangri-La, Singapore

REIMAGINED WORK: REWRITING THE GLOBAL TALENT ROADMAP In-person conference for global mobility professionals navigating the new era of talent mobility Exclusively for mobility decision makers, Human Resources Online is bringing back our annual mobility conference to cast a spotlight on best practices amidst trying times.

The event is everything you loved about our former conference Workforce Mobility Interactive but in a brand-new revamped format with power-packed topics and speakers.

What’s more, as an in-person event, you can benefit from networking and high-value conversations with your fellow delegates as well as event sponsors on how to adapt talent mobility programmes for the new normal.

If you’d like to attend, or nominate a colleague, please do write in to us! https://bit.ly/ TalentMobility2022HRO

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