HRM 12.01 by Key Media

Welcome to

Fresh recruitment strategies Favouritism at work L&D trends

hrm Innovation Special

Price inc. GST $9.95

ISSUE 12.1

Bright ideas for HR in 2012

+ Changing employee mindsets at SingPost + How Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;OrĂŠal ignites engagement + HR technology highway

CONTENTS

hrm12.1

COVER STORY 22 Driving innovation

Companies are changing their business practices to be more innovative in order to engage their employees. HRM looks into what HR is doing to help promote a culture of creative thinking

IN THIS COVER STORY “In an industry such as ours, waiting for perfection takes too long so it’s important to be innovative, try new things, learn from those mistakes, and apply those ‘learnings’ to one’s next project” Sarah Robb, Head of People Ops for G&A in JAPAC, Google EDITOR

Sumathi V Selvaretnam JOURNALISTS

Shalini Shukla-Pandey Priya de Langen EDITORIAL RESEARCHER

Vivien Shiao Shufen

TRAFFIC MANAGER

Nur Hafizah Leizel Cabaning

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Amos Lee

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

John Paul Lozano

REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

GENERAL MANAGER

Evelyn Lim

Yogesh Chandiramani

Natasha Vincent Charlene Lim

Kaveri Ayahsamy

REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR

George Walmsley

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Richard Curzon

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

David Teng Photography PRINTED BY

Times Printers Pte Ltd

MICA (P) 158/07/2010 ISSN 0219-6883

Published by: Key Media Pte Ltd 121 Telok Ayer Street #02-01 Singapore 068590 • T: +65 6423-4631 • F: +65 6423-4632 • E: info@keymedia.com.sg

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

hrm12.1 CONTENTS

56 FEATURES

12 You’ve got mail

SingPost, a frontrunner in the local postal industry, has had to reinvent itself over the past decade to stay relevant to its customers in the internet age, says Loh Choo Beng, executive vice president for retail and financial services

16 Through the looking glass: L’Oréal Singapore

With over a century of producing beauty products, the L’Oréal Group has become one of the world’s leading organisations. Alice Lim, HR director of L’Oréal Singapore, says the organisation prides itself in recruiting innovatively and engaging its employees

30 Recruitment: Keeping it fresh

The tight talent market today has prompted HR to find fresh and creative recruitment strategies to win the talent war and survive the ups and downs of the global economy. HRM speaks to some forward-thinking organisations with rather unique hiring strategies

35 Powered up learning

Learning and Development teams are continuously being challenged by demands for better, more cost-effective training. HRM reveals how some companies are moving away from traditional classroom settings and using innovative methods to help employees realise their full potential

40 Intelligent HR

HR technology is becoming more astute, enabling organisations to not only manage their existing talent more effectively but also sieve out future stars from a sea of resumes. HRM looks at some of the technology innovations that help organisations stay ahead of the curve

44 Innovate or perish!

Drawing parallels from the almost insurmountable challenges faced by Tata Motors, the creators of a revolutionary Rs 1 lakh (US$2,100) car, guest contributor Dr Kevin Freiberg shares strategies on inspiring innovation in your workforce

50 The office pet

Favouritism at the workplace – intentional and unintentional – is a common occurrence that may lead to decline in productivity and morale. This can upset co-workers’ sense of propriety and fairness, undermining an organisation’s performance in general.

56 Inviting stays

Red-eye flights, back-toback meetings -life on the road can be stressful for frequent business travelers. HRM examines how hotels and serviced apartments are ensuring that these group-trotting employees have a relaxed and worry-free stay

REGULARS 4 Analysis

60 MICE

69 Twenty-four seven

74 Viewpoint

6 News

63 In person

70 Talent ladder

75 Executive appointments

11 Leaders on leadership

67 Resources

73 Talent challenge

Contact us: Read something you like? Or something you don’t? Perhaps there’s some insight we haven’t considered? Have your say on HRM’s news, features, and contributions by emailing: info@keymedia.com.sg

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

analysis

A hotbed for HR A

string of global HR associations are establishing a base in Singapore, bringing industry-specific knowledge and expertise into the region. UK based Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), Europe’s largest HR Association with 135,000 members across the globe, announced their arrival at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Development Agency Summit back in September 2011. “We were attracted by the unique context of Asia – high growth, with human capital unequivocally positioned as a critical enabler of that growth,” said Sarah Miles, Managing Director, CIPD Asia. “The government’s commitment to establishing Singapore as a talent hub for Asia made this an even more natural location for our regional base – and they encouraged us to locate here for that reason.” Hot on their heels is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest HR association with some 260,000 members. “We are setting up our presence in Singapore. Not necessarily opening an office,” said G. Ravindran, Member, Global Leadership Team, SHRM. The move is part of SHRM’s plans to refresh its global focus in 2012, especially in the Asia Pacific region. “Singapore is critical to anchor this effort in the long term,” Ravindran said. SHRM will engage its stakeholders through various services such as professional development & certification programmes, advisory services and academic initiatives. When asked if they are looking to attract new members in Singapore and Asia, Ravindran said, “We have a good platform to start from. As a not-for-profit professional association, we are keen to build the community as this would enhance knowledge sharing & development of ‘next’ practices.” CIPD too, is working with existing HR practitioners to provide professional accreditation and is also partnering with academic institutions in Singapore to groom a new generation of HR talent, Miles said. “We’re confident we’ll continue to attract many new members across Asia, motivated by the gold standard CIPD membership represents, and by the opportunities for continuous, career-enhancing development that maintaining CIPD membership entails.”

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Other players in the burgeoning local HR scene include the American Society for Training and Development Global Network Singapore (ASTD GNS) and the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI). Apart from promoting networking between professionals, these bodies also conduct professional training courses and industry events. MOM told HRM that the presence of more HR associations in Singapore adds to the vibrancy of the local industry. “It bears recognition of Singapore’s effort to establish itself as a talent capital and a thought leader in human capital development and management,” said a MOM spokesperson. The new knowledge, ideas and networks that these HR associations bring with them will likely lead to even more strategic HR conversations conducted in Singapore, the MOM spokesperson said. “This will result in greater perspectives, richer ideas and more innovative solutions that address people challenges locally and regionally.” Is Singapore large enough to sustain so many HR associations? According to MOM, there are abundant opportunities for everyone. “Most of these HR organisations do not just serve the local market. They see Singapore as the ideal platform to serve the Asia-Pacific market, given our strong base of multicultural and cosmopolitan talent, the strong presence of MNC regional HQs in Singapore, as well as our high connectivity and accessibility to the rest of Asia,” the spokesperson added. ASTD GNS believes that there is room for specialisation as it serves Learning & Performance (L&P) professionals in Singapore. “We are not restricting ourselves to HRM or HRD,” said its Vice President, Raymond Yap. HR associations that HRM spoke to also said that they are keen to collaborate with their peers. ASTD GNS for example, partners with the Singapore Training and Development Association (STADA) as well as other HR and training organisations to present conferences and events. CIPD plans to do the same. “We’ll continue to work with organisations like SHRM and SHRI in pursuit of our mutual goals of supporting and raising the profile and influence of our global profession,” Miles said.

Trusted

Experienced

Connected

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. KellyÂŽ offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, contract and permanent basis. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 530,000 employees annually. Revenue in 2010 was $5 billion. Kelly has been at the forefront of the recruitment industry for over 60 years and has set the industry benchmark with our innovative recruitment and retention strategies. We pride ourselves in delivering a high level of customer service and providing the right talent in accordance with our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requirements. All our candidates undergo a stringent screening process to ensure they are the best possible fit for the job. Our global operations, coupled with our unique strengths and extensive experience will add value to our stakeholders wherever they operate around the globe.

Adhoc and volume workforce solutions that include temporary, contract, permanent placements and vendor on-site.

Specializes in placing engineering professionals in temporary, contract and permanent employment across all disciplines.

Specializes in mid to senior level permanent and contract IT recruitment.

Executive search and selection practice in the mid to senior professional space.

Global innovator of managed outsourcing and HR consulting solutions.

Offers talent acquisition, consulting and management services for CEO and senior level searches around the world.

kellyservices.com.sg

NEWS ASIA THAILAND

INDIA

Thai transvestite flight attendants take to the skies

Bosses given approval

Thai transsexuals are taking to the air as flight attendants for a new airline, in a move towards greater workplace diversity in the country. PC Air originally planned to hire only male and female flight attendants, but changed its mind after more than 100 transsexuals and transvestites applied as well. In the end, four were chosen, along with 19 female and 7 male flight attendants. “This is the beginning of the acceptance of transsexuals in Thailand, giving the opportunity for us to work in various fields,” said Tanyarat Jirapatpakorn, a 22 year old transsexual flight attendant, in a report by Reuters. “Maybe in the future we can get any job that transsexuals never did before, such as police, soldiers or even pilots.” Airline president Peter Chan concurred with the creation of increasing workplace diversity in Thailand. “The transvestites might provide better services than male and female [flight attendants] because they understand both male and female. And they’re well-trained accordingly with the aviation standard.” Known as ‘katoeys’ or ‘ladyboys’, Thai transsexuals have greater visibility in Thailand compared to many other nations in Southeast Asia. However, they are usually limited in their job choices, and are often seen working in cosmetics shops or health stores.

issue 12.01 hrmasia.com

More than half of Indian employees (58%) believe their bosses have done a good job in preparing them for future endeavours and successes, according to the Kelly Global Workforce Index. Around 29% disagreed and the remaining 14% were uncertain. Sixty-one per cent of employees in Tamil Nadu and 65% of those in Andhra Pradesh gave their bosses a favourable report. Delhi’s figure was 55%. “In this dynamic economy where employer brand has huge significance, an employee’s view of an organisation and its leadership certainly carries a lot of credibility and has a major impact on the ability of a business to attract and retain talent,” said Kamal Karanth, Managing Director, Kelly Services India. The survey also indicated that around three-quarters of those surveyed would be willing to recommend their current employer to a friend or acquaintance. “In the existing competitive scenario, employers are under constant and intense scrutiny from a range of stakeholders, including their own employees. The senior management needs to put their best foot forward and win the trust of employees to shape not only the company’s future but the employees’ as well, as successes with both are inter-related,” said James Agrawal, Consulting Director and Head, BTI Consultants.

SINGAPORE

Pay rise to continue in 2012 Workers in Singapore can expect their paychecks to increase in 2012 despite the bleak economic climate, according to a salary outlook by global management consultancy Hay Group. Titled Bracing for an unpredictable economy, the report forecasted that salary increases next year will be an average of 4.4%, which is similar to the actual pay growth this year. The top three sectors with the highest salary increases are Banking and Financial Services (7%), Transportation (4.9 percent) and FMCG (4.6 percent). Victor Chan, Regional General Manager (Singapore and ASEAN) for Productised Services, Hay Group, said: “Traditionally, the market trend around actual and forecast for salaries indicates a higher salary forecast for the following year. This time around, we’ve observed

that the forecast is stagnant. Although the outlook for 2012 is less optimistic, the tight labour market in Singapore will nevertheless ensure that salary increments remain positive.” The report was based on a survey conducted in September among more than 480 Singapore-based companies. They were polled on their business sentiments and salary and bonus projections for the next 12 months.

NEWS ASIA INDIA

ASIA

Wage inequality doubled in 20 years

Healthy living: Employers can do more Employers can play a bigger role in helping employees lead a healthy lifestyle, revealed a recent survey by life insurance group AIA. Covering 15 Asia-Pacific nations, The Healthy Living Index Survey found that across the region, people score an average of 61 out of a possible 100 in health living indicators. “What’s particularly interesting to us was what employees told the researchers about work environments,” said AIA New Zealand CEO, Wayne Besant. “When asked

whether companies could do more to help staff lead healthier lives, 76% of Kiwi respondents said yes, and added that offering healthy food options in the office and providing flu vaccinations were the two best ways that companies could help.” Australian employees said the same. Koreans, Taiwanese and those in Hong Kong highlighted “less overtime/less stress” as their preferred option. Indonesians and Singaporeans most wanted “medical check-up assistance (subsidised or free)”. Respondents from Macau and Brunei were the most interested in the flu jab. Indians, Vietnamese and Brunei respondents wanted employers to “make sure the workplace is clean”. Thais and Malaysians and also those in Brunei most wanted companies to “organise health events for employees and families”. Thais were most in favour of having employers “encourage exercise to and from work”.

India’s income inequality has doubled over the last two decades, making it the worst performer in this category of all emerging economies. The top 10% of wage earners in India now make 12 times more than the bottom 10%, up from a ratio of six in the 1990s. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report, Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising, “the main driver [of this increasing ratio] has been the low wage Singaporeans received Workfare increase in wage Special Bonus (WSB) in December 2011 inequality between (Source: Ministry of Finance) regular wage earners and contractual employees hired over a period of time.” “By contrast, inequality in the casual ASIA wage sector to workers employed on a day-to-day basis has remained more stable,” the report added, with India having by far the highest proportion of Gender discrimination is still a problem when it workers in informal employment by any comes to attaining top management positions, national or international measure, as especially in the finance sector, according to a survey compared to other emerging economies. by recruitment services firm, eFinancialCareers. There is also evidence of a growing Forty-five per cent of respondents for the concentration of wealth among the elite, Gender Diversity Survey 2011 stated that says The Economist Times. remuneration is not equal for men and women in The consumption of the top top management positions. 20% of households Other statistics revealed that more than a third of grew by almost the respondents (34%) sensed a gender bias in the 3% per year in recruitment process while 42% said that being male the 2000s as makes it easier to succeed in the finance sector. Also, compared to almost four in 10 believe that they have been 2% in the discriminated against in the workplace or know 1990s, while colleagues that have been discriminated against. the growth in George McFerran, Head of Asia Pacific, consumption eFinancialCareers, said that gender discrimination is not just confined to one industry or of the geographical location and highlighted that financial institutions should promote gender bottom 20% diversity programmes to tackle this issue. McFerran also added that a quarter of the of households respondents confirm that their firms do not have explicit gender diversity programme. remained The survey was conducted among 1,355 finance professionals from Singapore, Hong unchanged at Kong and China (Greater China), and Australia in association with the Financial 1% per year. Women’s Association Singapore (FWAS) and The Women’s Foundation in Hong Kong.

354,000

Glass ceiling in finance sector

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

NEWS INTERNATIONAL GERMANY

Networking hooks jobs

Measures to attract foreign talent

Germany is facing a shortage of skilled labour, according to a report submitted by an expert-committee in the country. The committee reported that a shortage of skilled labour will be a severe problem in the years to come. Currently, the country has difficulty filling positions in certain industrial sectors and this is being exacerbated by an ageing population. Also, Networking is still the best source of jobs in the US, as 75% of current immigration laws make it difficult for jobseekers found their jobs through this means, a study has found. foreign talent looking to come into the country. The data, released by talent development solutions company The committee announced that “more and more German citizens Lee Hecht Harrison, also revealed that only 11% of respondents are becoming aware of the fact that immigration of alien talents into sourced new positions through job boards. Germany bears positive effects on the country.” It has recommended “While online job boards can help identify opportunities, that visa requirements for non-EU workers coming to Germany technology alone isn’t always going to result in an offer,” said should be relaxed so that skilled workers can legally look for work Peter Alcide, president and chief operating officer for Lee Hecht in Germany without a formal job offer. Currently, non-EU applicants Harrison. He added that networking will continue to be the best must firstly have a job offer with a detailed job description from a way to find a job. “A combination of in-person networking along German company in order to gain a German work visa. with online social networking is today’s most efficient method to The German government has already made plans to reduce the connect with the world, allowing job seekers to reach an incredibly minimum yearly income required for settlement from €66,000 to large number of people.” €48,000 (about US$85,000 to $62,000). Presently, highly-qualified Figures also showed that with foreign workers can be granted a regards to severance and separation settlement permit from the practices, 79% of respondents outset; qualified people include identified a blend of in-person scientists in a specialist resources and technology as being technical field, teachers or most important in their scientific personnel in organisation’s outplacement prominent positions, and programme. specialists and executive The study analysed job search personnel with special statistics from over 1,200 candidates professional experience and an in the US who received outplacement annual salary of at least €66,000 services through their firm. (about US$85,000). The number of unemployed people in Spain

4.42 million

Source: Ministry of Labour & Immigration, Spain UK

UK facing brain drain The UK is experiencing a brain drain with 26% of UK executive job changers having chosen to work in a different country over the past year. This is a 6% increase from 2009, according to a new study. The research conducted by international online career and recruitment service, Experteer states that this number compares starkly with emigration rates of only 7–8% in Germany and Italy, the lowest rates for propensity to relocate. The Talent Mapping research revealed that of Experteer’s members, over 70,000 senior-level professionals changed jobs in the 12

issue 12.01 hrmasia.com

months leading up through the first quarter of 2011. Almost one-sixth (15.6%) of these job changers – a total of 11,188 – took up a new position in a different country, with 7.2% originating from the UK. Data also found that for UK senior talent who have secured employment abroad, the first choice of country was Germany. The second largest group chose to migrate beyond Europe, while France was the third-most popular destination. Movement between neighbouring countries remains most prevalent. Common language skills as well as proximity to home countries no doubt influence this pattern. Remuneration differences continue to have less influence, but average salaries of international movers are notably higher in Germany and Switzerland.

leaders on leadership

Workplace harassment What are the best ways to resolve incidences of workplace harassment?

Leela Nair

Managing Director, Mindshare Singapore

At Mindshare, we believe that unresolved incidents of work harassment may lead to the victim suffering from an extended period of psychological or physical abuse. This may affect our employee work performance and also cause long-term psychological trauma. We always aim to resolve such incidents effectively by identifying the signs early and addressing them fairly. Organisations must inform their employees about the strict no tolerance policy against such behaviour and regularly remind them of this. Workers at all levels should be encouraged to report such incidents even if they are not the victims. Awareness must be created to inform employees that all such matters will be dealt with privately and anonymously to protect the individuals. Leaders and managers should be encouraged to talk about such matters with their teams openly and regularly remind staff that action will be taken against the perpetrator and the person reporting should not have fear of reprimand or punishment. Leaders must maintain an open, approachable demeanor and keep their eyes and ears open to even the slightest signs of workplace harassment.

Corinna Lim

Executive Director, AWARE Singapore

It is important for employers to establish a zero tolerance culture towards workplace abuse such as sexual harassment. Companies should provide training for people managers and staff to raise the awareness about sexual harassment. In addition, companies must establish strong written policies that explicitly prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace and establish clear written procedures to tackle grievances and complaints. It is in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest to maintain a workplace sexual harassment free environment. Companies have a legal obligation to provide a safe place of work and they would be in breach of their legal duty if they did not take steps to tackle such issues properly. As employees, they need to know their rights. They should be aware that sexual harassment is a form of bullying. Not saying NO to sexual behaviour will give the impression that one is comfortable. This will only encourage such behaviour and weaken their legal position. If there is no objective evidence, take steps to collect this. The person could also consider reporting the incident to the police. Call AWARE if you need help on how to deal with a harasser at your workplace.

Patrick Fiat

General Manager, Royal Plaza on Scotts

Even though the hotel has not encountered workplace harassment incidents to date, Royal Plaza on Scotts takes a proactive approach towards staff welfare by implementing preventive measures. Manual panic buttons were acquired in early June this year. Besides ensuring that all Housekeeping attendants on duty each carry with them a manual panic button, the hotel is also currently planning training for employees. The training programme will include equipping them with the knowledge and skills to handle such circumstances. For instance, the training programme will ensure that each employee is aware of what constitutes workplace harassment and also, the standard operating procedures to help them handle the situation, should they encounter it. Our Housekeeping and Room Service colleagues have provided feedback that they now feel more at ease whilst attending to their duties as such preventive measures make the work environment safer. Employees also feel that they are now able to keep a look out for their colleagues and help one another in case of emergency situations, when the manual panic alarm button is set off. issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

leaders talk hr

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

leaders talk hr

You’ve got

mail

SingPost, a frontrunner in the local postal industry, has had to reinvent itself over the past decade to stay relevant to its customers in the internet age. This included a renewed mindset among employees, says Loh Choo Beng, executive vice president for retail and financial services By Sumathi V Selvaretnam

he rise of the internet, mobile phones and fax machines brought on new challenges for the global postal industry. SingPost, the leading provider of mail and logistics services here in Singapore had to re-examine its business strategies to stay relevant to its clientele. The postal giant is traditionally known for its strong service culture. However, to be competitive in a changing marketplace, SingPost saw the need to include a strong sales element in its business. It started introducing new products, such as easy-touse postage paid delivery packs. As with most major organisational changes, this called for renewed attitudes among its employees. Instead of just processing mail, frontline staff were asked to identify new sales

opportunities based on customers’ needs and to promote the right products based on these needs. “The job became more demanding and employees had to work smarter to be more productive,” says Loh Choo Beng, executive vice president, Retail and Financial Services, SingPost. “Our people needed a mindset change and we had to get them aligned through regular communication and sharing of information.”

Leading change

Good leadership is a critical part of organisational change. Recognising this, SingPost places a lot of emphasis on leadership training to ensure that senior managers are adequately prepared to drive transformation, Loh says. issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

leaders talk hr

Senior managers at SingPost attend an Organisation Management Course, a 5½ day programme on topics such as assessing organisational performance, managerial practices and group dynamics. By the end of the course, participants gain a better understanding of how to analyse the way a group functions and will be able to redefine the management process in the light of technological and social changes in the world, Loh says. Good leaders need to be more than just technically competent – they must be able to connect with employees. This is where a person’s emotional quotient (EQ) can make a difference. At SingPost, officers in supervisory roles must attend a one-day workshop on EQ. The course teaches them to be more self aware, to increase their emotional literacy and manage emotions in conflict situations. “You need a certain level of EQ to influence the other party to work with you and achieve the desired outcome. Having a good EQ can also minimise potential conflict and improve the work environment,” Loh says. SingPost also engages its high-performers through a cross-functional coaching programme. Here, senior officers from different departments come under the wings of a senior management staff member. Through regular interaction, the officers learn about issues faced by the organisation while exchanging ideas and providing feedback. This approach allows employees to be aware of what their

peers are doing and prevents a silo mentality. “It encourages people to step up in a challenging transformational environment and be aligned in the same direction,” Loh says.

Mature workers

New legislation introduced this year requires companies to offer re-employment to workers who have reached the retirement age of 62. SingPost has been ahead of the pack in this respect, offering its own re-employment scheme since 1994. Employees at SingPost can continue to work on a yearly renewable contract after they turn 62, so long as they are medically fit and able to meet their performance goals. While the new law allows companies to adjust the salaries of these workers, SingPost has decided not to participate in any paycut regime. It is also looking at ways to increase medical coverage for this group of employees. According to Loh, many older workers in the organisation know the postal business well and come with a wealth of knowledge. They also have good influence at the ground-level “Age is not a constraint. Will and skill are more important,” Loh says. SingPost chairman Lim Ho Kee is a strong supporter of these re-employment initiatives, Loh says. It would have been difficult to convince the various departments to accept re-deployed workers without management support, he adds. At present, SingPost hires about 2,300 full time staff. Some 400 are aged between 55 and 62. Of this, 32 will turn 62 this year.

Bio brief Loh Choo Beng Executive Vice President (Retail & Financial Services) Loh joined SingPost in 2003 to spearhead the Company’s foray into financial services. In April 2006, his role was expanded to include the retail business. Loh started his career with Overseas Union Bank Limited in 1984, and moved to Keppel Bank of Singapore Limited in 1992 where he pursued his banking career through the subsequent merger of Keppel Bank and Tat Lee Bank Limited, and the final merger with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited. With 18 years of experience in the financial business, Loh has held various functions covering branch banking operation, product development in consumer and small and medium enterprise lending, and initiation of strategic business units including the priority banking and wealth management businesses. He is a board member of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and also a member of its Audit Committee. Loh graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

leaders talk hr

me-myself-i + I love: Personally, I like new challenges in a dynamic organisation. I love to take calculated risks to drive entrepreneurial spirit within the organisation. + I dislike: I dislike criticism without facts and constructive proposals. + My inspiration: My source of inspiration comes from any new innovation/idea that is "destructive" so as to change the norm. + My biggest strength: Self motivated with a strong urge to coach/groom people. + My biggest weakness: Impatience, particularly towards slow moving projects that have a high impact/visibility. + In 5 years’ time: To bring more value to our customers through our new generation of post offices.

Stretch Your Time – How to Get More Done in Less Time

24 Feb

Workplace Improvement using Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping ® Techniques Creative Sparks! Spinovator Magic Kit (Magic + Toolkit)

2 - 3 Feb 20 - 21 Feb | 15 - 16 Mar 9 - 10 Jan | 19 - 20 Mar

12 - 15 Mar

WSQ The Service Innovator WSQ Certified Service Professional

9 - 13 Jan | 16 - 20 Jan 13 - 17 Feb | 20 - 24 Feb

WSQ Lead Service Innovation

22 - 24 Feb

WSQ Implement Continual Improvement in Service Delivery

25 – 27 Jan | 20 – 22 Feb

WSQ Manage Service Innovation

5 – 7 Mar

Striking a balance

SingPost has introduced a number of initiatives to foster better work-life harmony among employees. One of the major drivers of this is Zesto, a sports and recreation committee that aims to build better relationships among staff through activities that also promote health and wel being. Zesto gives staff an opportunity to get out of the workplace and participate in activities like walks, futsal games, badminton tournaments and movie outings. Employees can form their own teams across divisions, getting to know each other better in a non-work environment. Every month, the HR department arranges for fruit or biscuits to be delivered to the desks of every employes. Called ‘Joy Breaks’, it serves as a token of appreciation for employees’ efforts, Loh says. Individual divisions at SingPost are also able to form their own team work programmes, which often take place in an outdoor setting such as East Coast Park. This serves as a less formal platform for employees to hold discussions among themselves and bond with each other.

PSB Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Lean Thinking for Six Sigma Professionals

9 Jan | 21 Feb | 6 Mar 3 – 6 Jan | 10 – 13 Apr

Customised Trainings are also available. *Up to 90% funding available for selected courses. Terms and conditions apply.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

For more information on our courses and funding possibilities, please contact us at 6885 1488, SMS 9741 8687 or email learning@tuv-sudpsb.sg

hr insider

Through the

looking glass L’Oréal Singapore With over a century of producing beauty products, the L’Oréal Group has become one of the world’s leading brands. Alice Lim, HR director of L’Oréal Singapore, says the organisation prides itself in recruiting innovatively and engaging its employees By Priya de Langen

ver the decades, the L’Oréal name has become synonymous with these words – beauty and perfectionism. Celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Frieda Pinto and Julia Roberts are known for fronting advertisements for the Group’s beauty products. Currently, the L’Oréal Group is one of the leading names in the beauty and cosmetics industry with 23 brands across the globe. The organisation also boasts 66,000 employees on a global scale, and managing this large group is no easy feat. Locally, the L’Oréal Singapore HR team manages over 200 employees. So, what does it take to attract talent into this multi-billion dollar organisation?

Attracting and nurturing young talent

“The key challenge is getting the right talent with a right fit,” says Alice Lim, HR director of L’Oréal Singapore. The organisation uses innovative ways to bring in talented individuals, especially young employees. The L’Oréal Group has been running an initiative – called Brandstorm – to find

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

At a glance + Total number of employees: 250 employees comprising the Singapore and ASEAN teams + HR team: Six + Key HR focus areas: Learning for development, recruitment, and integrating people into the organisation

hr insider

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

hr insider

L’Oréal Group facts + +

+ + +

talented tertiary-qualified students for 20 years, and it is now in its 10th year in Singapore. L’Oréal Singapore engages students from three local universities – NUS, NTU and SMU – to work on a case study for a brand. In 2011, tertiary teams €19.5bn consolidated sales in 2010 worked on the L’Oréal Professionnel Homme case study, a 23 global brands (includes L’Oréal hair care product for men, devising concepts for marketing Paris, Lancôme, Ralph Lauren the brand and how they would go about doing it. and Kiehl’s) The organisation works with professors to shortlist the 130 countries top four teams in each university and these teams 66,000 employees globally complete a presentation in the semi-finals in front of 612 patents filed in 2010 L’Oréal Singapore’s brand managers and other stakeholders. Subsequently, shortlisted teams will enter the finals and the winning team will represent Singapore in the international L’Oréal competition in Paris. Thus far, teams from Singapore have won the international finals three times. Lim states that the Brandstorm initiative helps L’Oréal Singapore attract young employees. So far, it has attracted several marketing students, though those from other faculties also sign up for the project. “The benefits are twofold – it helps with the employee branding and it also promotes L’Oreal awareness in universities. Brandstorm is only one of the tools we use to do this, but it’s a powerful one because we get to work with the universities,” she says. Complementing Brandstorm, the Singapore team also conducts campus recruitments annually and, on average, about six to 12 people are employed in this way, notes Lim. Subsequently, learning and development starts from the moment employees join the company. “L’Oréal believes in nurturing talents from within, thus, we place high emphasis on developing our fresh graduate hires,” says Lim. There is a Management Trainee (MT) Programme for fresh graduate hires. It is a one-year programme where they go through a series of attachments with various departments such as sales, marketing, retail, and HR and operations. This allows the new hires to get a better idea of how L’Oréal runs its business, states Lim. She explains that these high-potentials have already been identified during the campus recruitment process through interviews and assessment centre evaluations, where they are assessed on Ellen Foo various skills such as their critical thinking abilities, creativity, Executive Secretary communication skills, and how well they fit into the organisation. “After recruitment, we continue to evaluate our MTs based on their capabilities and performance at work and then plan for their career development in L’Oréal,” highlights Lim.

Who’s who in HR?

Alice Lim

Tan Yee Sin

Human Resource Director

Assistant Compensation & Benefits Manager

Integrating and igniting employees

Maggie Seah

Celine Loh

Vineson Tan

Recruitment & Learning for Development Manager

Employee Engagement & Integration Manager

Human Resource Executive

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Bringing talent into the company is essential but equally important is for employees taking their time to understand the intricacies of a new corporate culture and adapting to it. As such, L’Oréal Singapore takes employee integration seriously and runs several programmes to ensure that its new hires are well-adjusted into their work environment. The organisation provides mentorship for new employees, which is part of the two-year FIT (Follow-up and Integration

hr insider

Track) programme. “This mentorship offers assurance to our new hires that they have someone to turn to when they are faced with difficulties, especially when they first join the company,” explains Lim. The company also runs a Discovery Programme, which is conducted once or twice a year. Running over two days, employees are given the opportunity to learn about different divisions and different areas of work. Employees from various divisions also share their experiences about their work. Employee engagement also plays an essential part in retaining employees in any organisation and L’Oréal Singapore has it as a major priority. Open communication and an easy-to-approach attitude practised by the organisation’s managers help in this area. “Employee engagement is a big part of what we do with our people. We encourage people to go and talk to the managers, and employees know what the channels are and who to approach if they have an issue,” explains Lim. Employee engagement activities play a great part in getting employees to work together in L’Oréal Singapore. The organisation has an Ignite Team, a committee that comes up with various activities for employees. It comprises eight people (excluding sponsors) from various divisions across the Singapore team and it is rotated every six months. Any employee who has an interesting team activity in mind could propose it to an Ignite team member. Lim says that it is informal and fun, and it helps employees from different divisions to work together. Furthermore, a monthly employee gathering or a town hall meeting of sorts is conducted where basic announcements are made. These gatherings have different themes each month. Lim recalls that there was an Ethics month (the L’Oréal Group runs an Ethics Programme that explores ethics in business management), a Chinese New Year lunch, and even an mid-autumn festival month during which information regarding the festival was shared with expatriate colleagues. Employees also receive a bi-monthly newsletter regarding the happenings in the organisation such as the latest product launches as well as welcome messages for newcomers in the Singapore team. The organisation’s Beauty Advisors (who work at the stores) receive a hard copy of the newsletter.

Learning is a priority

While integration is just the first step, ongoing development of employees is one that plays a big role in retaining them. Lim explains that although L’Oréal Singapore brings in external talent, especially for high level positions, it prefers to develop its internal employees through its ‘Learning for Development’ track. Learning for development is a must for all employees and programmes include workshops, seminars specific to technical skills, and generic IT or language skills. However, not all training is done within the classroom; there is self-learning or on-the-job training, explains Lim. Occasionally, the organisation also invites VPs or MDs from Asia or international teams to give a talk about a particular topic. In the virtual campus, known as the Management Development Centre located in Shanghai, the zone director who is in charge of learning and development manages and distributes programmes to the various countries, including the Singapore team. Besides these programmes, employees from the Singapore team also have secondment opportunities to develop their skills or to work on projects. However, Lim explains that this is on a needs-basis. “Sometimes there can be projects which are to be completed in a short timeframe of between three to six months. Also, it could provide for the development of a person, in which case it might be between two and three years.”. issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Innovation Special + HR's strategic role + Recruitment: Keeping it fresh + The future of L&D + Intelligent HR: Technology trends + Guest contributor: Innovate or perish!

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Driving innovation HRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic role

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

“T

Companies are changing their business practices to be more innovative in order to engage their employees. HRM looks into what HR is doing to help promote a culture of creative thinking By Priya de Langen

he best organisations are those that combine the three elements of people, workplace, and technology in equal measure,” states Scott Dodds, general manager for marketing and operations in Microsoft UK, in an article entitled People, places and technology: A hybrid future. This could not be truer, with an increasing number of companies adopting a more flexible structure and using innovative methods to engage and retain their employees. For instance, some organisations are utilising telecommuting to provide a flexible working environment while others are providing various platforms for their employees to voice new ideas or feedback. With technology acting as an enabler, many of these innovative moves are possible.

Platform for ideas

Employers say that they want to promote an innovative culture, where employees can do out-of-the box thinking that will benefit the organisation as a whole. Moreover, they explain that HR has a big part to play when it comes to implementing innovative workplace practices on a daily basis. Sarah Robb, head of People Ops for G&A in JAPAC, Google, says that Google’s philosophy is to “launch and iterate” and this transcends into the work that employees do. She says that the organisation allows its people to make mistakes and learn from them. “In an industry such as ours, waiting for perfection takes too long so it’s important to be innovative, try new things, learn from those mistakes, and apply those ‘learnings’ to one’s next project.” In order to foster an environment of ideas and open discussion, Google has communal ‘workplace huddle rooms’. “A lot of innovative ideas came from this type of casual gathering and discussion.” The organisation also ensures that teams are small – around four to five people – in order to keep it engaging, she explains. One of the more innovative methods that needs highlighting is the 20% project time. Google employees are allowed this time to work on new projects that are outside of their usual work responsibilities, and Robb says that this has been effective. “Google News (a central place to find news) and Gmail came from this 20% project time,” she notes. Several other companies are also providing platforms for employees to share their ideas, and this is especially so for organisations that thrive on innovation. Michael-Joerg Ivan, general manager for HR Policies, Processes and Projects AAP in Daimler SEA, states that the company has an intranet portal known as ‘My Idea’ for employees to share their ideas. It is a global employee portal and the Business Innovation Unit (a team based in Germany whose job is to only think about innovation, from car batteries to mobility concepts in big cities) manages it. “Employees whose ideas have been chosen get rewarded. However, there are some criteria such as how big the innovation is and whether the proposal helps to cut costs,” explains Ivan. issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

“In an industry such as ours, waiting for perfection takes too long so it’s important to be innovative, try new things, learn from those mistakes, and apply those ‘learnings’ to one’s next project”

Ai Sim Tan, Director of HR, ASEAN, Lenovo Singapore, says HR has an essential role to play as “HR must be a key contributor of the corporate agenda, from both a culture as well as an agenda-setting perspective.” In Lenovo, HR has implemented a framework called ‘The Lenovo Way’, which incorporates the company's strategy and values in a working system. The company has an ongoing practice that encourages its employees, whether at regional or country levels, to provide suggestions to improve on work processes. Citing an example, Tan says that the company’s Talent Acquisition Team is gradually eliminating the use of hard copy employment contracts. Instead, contracts are drawn up electronically, and stored on Thinkpad Tablets. This way, new hires can sign and receive a soft copy Sarah Robb, Head of People Ops for on their gadget instantly. “The suggestion to do this came from the Talent G&A in JAPAC, Google Acquisition specialist who wants to do his part for the environment and showcase Lenovo’s latest technology,” she explains. Also, for the company to encourage as well as continue this process, HR organises a ‘4P culture ambassador’ (the 4Ps are part of the Lenovo values) nomination competition, where employees can select a colleague as an “ambassador” depending on the “strength and frequency of contributions and ideas.” Another technology company that promotes innovative ideas is AlcatelLucent. Tina Yap, VP of HR, North and South East Asia, Alcatel-Lucent, says that HR leaders in the company The design of the workplace also plays a part in promoting a barrier-free are mandated with the responsibility and innovative environment, say some employers. The What makes a Great of transforming the way the Workplace study highlighted that a good workplace design can encourage organisation works. One of the HR interaction and collaboration that is vital to creating an atmosphere of initiatives is the “Innovative Boot information sharing and knowledge creation. Camp” with its research arm, Bell In fact, more than 70% of respondents in the study rated that the best Labs. “Groups of employees bring places to work companies are those that support impromptu interaction. innovative ideas such as a new way Companies such as the Omincom Media Group (OMG) affirm that their open work environment promotes creative thinking. Torie Henderson, CEO of OMG of doing business or new technology Singapore states that they did away with cubicles to open seating areas inventions to the table. If selected, with the exception of two offices for the CEO and the CFO, as it posed the company will sponsor these ideas physical barriers for exchanging ideas and having fun in the workplace. and help to bring them to market,” she says.

Barrier-free environment

Pushing for flexibility

More and more companies are also finding that allowing employees more flexibility in terms of work hours is beneficial, especially knowing that with technology, they will be able to work whenever and wherever. This helps with their work-life balance, say employers.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

Innovative workplace outlook

Empowered employees Flexible working structure

Breaking barriers – open office design

Innovative workplace

Platforms to share new ideas Technology as an enabler

Robb explains that Google’s culture encourages flexibility, especially in terms of work-life balance, and it is HR’s role to facilitate this. “It doesn’t matter that you aren’t at your desk all day as long as you get the job done. You decide how to structure your work day.” Moreover, she adds that Google has a PTO (People Technology Operations) team that helps to automate information. As the organisation’s systems are web-based, employees are able to access them from anywhere. “Information is not connected to a desktop or a file folder in an office; it’s all ‘in the cloud’ so we can access large amounts of data securely whenever and wherever we need to.” Daimler also provides flexi-work hours and time-working modules for the convenience of their employees. Employees can choose from a number of contracts, all with various conditions such as the ability to work for 20 hours. In addition, the organisation has a global sabbatical leave policy which employees can access for personal reasons or when they are pursuing executive education such as an MBA. Companies such as Lenovo and Alcatel-Lucent also offer flexible working hours in order to accommodate their employees. Lenovo has a ‘Work from Home’ (WSH) policy where staff can address their personal needs by working from home whenever necessary and are also given notebooks to work with.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

Kudos to colleagues Rewards and recognition are ways that organisations can appreciate their employees and besides monetary gifts such as bonuses, several organisations have come up with interesting ways to acknowledge their workers. Moreover, employees can also appreciate a colleague’s work. Daimler has launched a new programme called Extra Mile for its employees. It is an appreciation system, under which supervisors as well as employees can use to recognise and appreciate each other. “Gift certificates can be given to another person and these are presented in town hall meetings every quarter. They could also propose money as long as it is below a one-month’s salary of the person receiving the gift,” explains Ivan. Robb says that Google has different scales of recognising employees and awards can be specific to departments or be global and cross-functional. “Some non-cash examples include giving an employee a massage coupon or sending them a ‘kudos’ message of thanks that then shows up connected to their profile in our internal intranet (and alerts their manager).” There are also Spot Bonuses, an online system where employees can recognise each other and can give bonuses of up to $200 (the amount varies between different countries).

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Pravina Jit, Director Manpower, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), says that since the majority of ICA employees are working around the clock at checkpoints or at service centres, the use of work-life initiatives help to mitigate work stress. “We have identified high-risk or high-pressure jobs in the organisation. In addition to close monitoring of operational fatigue in the various work units, our supervisors are also trained to detect early signs of stress and instability.” Other options available to ICA employees include working part-time hours or the ability to apply for no pay-leave; study leave is also given to those who are pursuing further studies.

Effective retention

With the war for the best and the brightest, employers know that effective retention strategies are essential for keeping such employees. Robb says that Google hires people who are smart generalists who can move internally throughout the company as there is flexibility of international mobility, thus retaining talent within. “If you’re analytical in your approach to problem solving then your abilities can transcend the specific role into which you’re hired.” Ivan says Daimler uses a preventative approach to retain key employees, especially in Asia where the war for talent is strong. The company uses an IT system known as ERT or Engagement and Retention Tool to help retain employees, especially high-potentials. After line managers have identified the high-potential employee, “the HR has a check-up in four fields and it will analyse the situation. The IT system will give a solution and this is offered to the line managers. In this way, employees feel that the company is doing something for them,” explains Ivan. The ability to grow in the company is important to employees and organisations understand this. Alcatel-Lucent practises an internal ‘full open market’ for job opportunities – jobs are made available to all employees in all 130 countries. Besides fostering career development, organisations also understand the importance of giving employees a platform or outlet for their feedback and HR has helped facilitate this through various ways such as undertaking annual employee surveys or even company portals to air employee opinions. Robb explains that the organisation conducts two reviews each year – a mid-year and an annual one. Employees have their career development conversation with their managers. The organisation also conducts an upward feedback survey globally, on which employees can rate their managers. She says that it is anonymous and “managers get to know the areas that they need improvement.”

innovation special

Voted No. 1 Recruitment Website

MEET THE FUTURE WORKFORCE IN OUR BIGGEST CAREER EXPO EVER!

CAREER “ More than 41% EXPO 2012 @SUNTEC CONVENTION

“

of jobseekers in Singapore are likely to attend job fairs.

CENTRE HALL 404

OVER 70,000 VISITORS MORE THAN 700 EXHIBITORS

Source: Boardroom Research Survey

WHY JOIN US Branding and Exposure The Career Expo provides companies an excellent platform for branding and exposure through mainstream media including TV, Internet and print.

Unlimited Job Postings Participating companies will enjoy unlimited job postings during the Career Expo week.

Extensive Outreach Reach out to more than one million jobseekers in our extensive database, through the Career Expo and pre-event marketing.

Face-to-face Meetings

012 23 March C2itizens and

*Singapore Residents only t and above. Permanent be 16-years-old us

*All visitors m

rch 20 24 - 25 Ma ublic

Opens to p

10am - 7pm

Daily

Employers can meet their future hires face-to-face during the Career Expo. Interview rooms equipped with printing and online facilities are available onsite.

Paperless Technology Resumes are seamlessly captured via a barcode scanner and a LAN-connected laptop at every exhibitor’s booth.

Call us at 6861 1000 or email to sales@jobsdb.com.sg to book your booth issuenow! 12.01 hrmasia.com 27

innovation special

Thinking out of

the box

Some of the finalists in the ‘HR in Innovation’ category of the 2012 HRM Awards share their thoughts on promoting a creative and forward-thinking culture in their organisations It starts by selecting HR leaders who bring different profiles and innovative thinking to our business. In Alcatel-Lucent, HR leaders sit on every senior leadership management team. They actively engage with the executive committee of the company. It is disruptive, it is experimental in nature, and it works. It has brought a completely different perspective to our people and leadership agenda. Tina YAP, VP of HR, North and South East Asia, Alcatel-Lucent In this aspect, HR plays an important role by developing HR strategies and plans to cultivate the innovation capabilities of our officers so as to achieve manpower and workforce success. Innovation is embedded in our key HR focus areas – recruitment & selection, staff involvement & commitment, learning & development, health & satisfaction, and performance & recognition, not only as an underlying force that drives our HR strategies and plans, but also as a HR strategic outcome. Pravina Jit, Director Manpower, ICA Not many people know that about 125 years ago, Daimler invented the first car. HR can drive a lot of innovation and it is important that employees are encouraged to be creative. Employees that have a great idea can share theirs in an intranet portal called ‘My Idea’, which is part of the worldwide employee portal. Michael -Joerg Ivan, GM, HR Policies, Processes and Projects AAP, Daimler SEA Google’s philosophy is “launch and iterate” and that transcends into how we do work at Google too. In an industry such as ours, waiting for perfection takes too long so it’s important to be innovative, try new things, learn from those mistakes, and apply those learnings to your next project. Sarah Robb, Head of G&A People Operations, APAC, Google

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Each organisation will have their own approach to innovation of products or services – so the first task is for HR to understand where value is created through innovation and to then look at the levers available. One area where HR can contribute is through the design of incentive and recognition schemes – for example how to incentivise engineers to develop products through to patent stage, yet still keeping those products focused on genuine customer needs. Hew Evans, Director, Regional Human Resources, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific Innovation happens when staff are trusted and given the support and opportunities to try new ways of doing things. One impactful approach to creating a culture of innovation is in being a community of learners and constantly applying and putting into practice small and big ideas. Staff with diverse experience and interests can share ideas across functions, taking action with business leaders and managers. Geraldine Lee, Chief Human Resource Officer, NTUC First Campus Co-operative As one of the world’s leading technology and innovations companies, the value we place on talent at Yahoo! motivates us to create an environment that is enriching and rewarding. We work closely with each of our employees to help them develop their skills and invest in their future by giving them opportunities to grow. Empowering people is what we do best, and right from our intern programmes to leadership training courses, we nurture our people. Jessie Lim, HR Director, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

ur ow yo s n ok eat Bo e/s bl ta

23 February 2012, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

Don’t Miss the HR Night of the Year

Hossan Leong Singapore’s Premier Comedian & Actor

WE aw ard s2 012

Award Partners

(65) 6423 4631 | www.hrmawards.com

EAT H R

Title Sponsor

Emcee Cheryl Fox Channel NewsAsia Presenter / Producer

P P O RT

innovation special

Recruitment:

Keeping it fresh

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

he New Year brings with it familiar talent challenges, especially in the recruitment sphere, as the talent market increasingly tightens. Thus, it bodes well for HR to adopt a fresh approach to standard recruitment practices, inevitably adding value to the hiring process. Innovative hiring strategies are definitely the need of the hour in today’s fast-changing global economic scenario. While selecting the right people to spark innovation is widely acknowledged to be critical, the top methods for recruiting and selecting creative people are not being utilised by most companies, says new research from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and 3M Corporation. Karen B Paul, manager – Talent Assessment, 3M, says, “human capital functions such as HR play a significant role in making innovation systemic, but how often do you hear about their of employers say candidates involvement?” with promising paper résumés The research found fail to cut it in person that people who are Source: Robert Half International innovative and creative tend to know other people of like mind – and companies who participate in referral programmes typically have higher revenue, profitability, market share and customer satisfaction than their competitors. However, less than 7% of respondents from all organisations use referrals to attract innovative people. Also, searching for and tracking innovative people in graduate school and in other organisations has a high correlation to market performance, but less than 15% of highperformance organisations employ this strategy.

72%

Staying connected

With the explosion of social media, the importance of networking has increased dramatically. New research by talent and

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

career management consultancy Right Management shows that face-to-face and social networking were used by 74% of recruiters and HR managers surveyed. LinkedIn topped the list of most useful social and professional networking sites for sourcing candidates, but Facebook was cited by over half the respondents as the second most useful site.

BP Graduate hiring programme BP recently completed an innovative graduate attraction campaign. The ‘BP Graduate Chat Portal’ – a first for BP in Singapore – complemented the oil and gas giant’s existing graduate programme website which includes video profiles, behaviour questionnaires, corporate information, personal insights from the programme sponsor and online application. The portal offered the opportunity to extend direct engagement with prospective graduate hires beyond the stand-alone presentation dates on campus. “We have combined traditional university presentations with an interactive trading simulation and have designed and facilitated an online chat forum through our website for students to talk directly in real time with our trading managers, HR and present graduates,” says Alan Agnew, head of Talent and Resourcing, Eastern Hemisphere, BP Integrated Supply and Trading (IST). “This has been really well received, as reflected by the record number of applications to this year’s graduate programme at BP IST in Singapore.” Based on feedback garnered through Question & Answer sessions at universities, BP identified that students were keen to learn more than just basic facts about BP, the graduate programme structure or the assessment process, much of which already exists on the corporate website. Students highlighted that they wanted to learn of personal stories of how careers are developed at BP IST. The company then published ‘A Day in the Life of a BP Graduate’ whereby graduate employees offered real-time updates and descriptions of their working day – somewhat like a corporate Twitter page – to demonstrate exactly what a graduate could expect in terms of job rotations, office culture, opportunities, and so on. “Feedback from students showed that the forum had increased their knowledge, familiarity and, with that, trust of BP IST as an employer, re-affirming their decision to apply,” says Agnew. “As head of Resourcing, it enabled me to spend more time on articulating our employment proposition with increased vigour, creativity and honesty, with some real-time feedback!”

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Qualcomm has embraced the use of social media in its recruitment efforts. Online, social media and referrals have consistently made up for more than half of Qualcomm’s sources of hires. The company’s employee referral programme alone generates over 30% of hires despite the fact that no monetary bonus is offered for referrals. Qualcomm instead believes in fostering a great work environment where employees refer colleagues not for the sake of a monetary award. “Social media allows us to reach an audience that we may have otherwise missed,” says William Chin, director, Staffing, AsiaPacific, Qualcomm. “I consider social media as an extension of the traditional referral programmes. The difference is that we can reach more people online.” However, introducing social media into its recruitment mix was not without its challenges. For instance, one of the new things Qualcomm did was to encourage the hiring team and line managers to use social media. “Initially, they were reluctant because either they didn’t know how to do it or they did not think it was part of their role to recruit,” says Chin. “We held pizza-lunch sessions for a hands-on demo of how they can utilise their online network (personal and professional). In some cases, it was as simple as posting a status on their instant messenger (IM). They found that it was easy after receiving a few responses back from their online connections.” Social media recruitment is also highly valued at Yahoo! “Not only is it vital to recruitment, it’s also essential for branding,” says Jessie Lim, HR director – Southeast Asia, Yahoo! “Today, if you’re not connected to social media and believe that the traditional methods will support your business, you’re very much mistaken.”

innovation special

CONGRESS

SERIES

www.hrmcongress.com

INNOVATION IN HR Tech-savvy

Developments in technology are also making their mark on the recruitment process. While just 17% of respondents surveyed by Right Management stated they used video CVs, almost half said they would consider using them in the future. Employers can save time, money and hassle by pre-screening potential candidates through video résumés, before investing in a face-to-face interview. Prevview.com is the first portal in Asia to utilise video résumés – Visumés – in an interactive manner that breaks the barrier between employers and jobseekers and creates lasting first impressions that help in the recruitment process. Every registered employer is given an online video branding platform – a first in the market. This comes fully equipped with a short corporate video(s) and titbits about the company, including “getting hired” tips, allowing the employer to attract suitable job candidates and desired talents to the company. Users can use Prevview.com to share information and directly engage employers in conversation via Reviews (on schools, industries, employers and internships), Interview Questions and “In the Shoes of” blogs from working professionals; all of which provide insider information to job seekers that would help them integrate into the working world easily. Webcam and video technology is currently also not being commonly used in

CONGRESS 2012

“Social media allows us to reach an audience that we may have otherwise missed”

HiltonCONGRESS Hotel, Singapore 8 & 9 February 2012

SERIES

www.hrmcongress.com Learn from leaders of innovation, create new strategies and promote a culture of ingenuity. The Innovation in HR Congress 2012 is a two-day event packed with case studies and practical solutions on how to successfully implement innovative people strategies and maximise your organisation’s full potential.

William Chin, director, Staffing, Asia-Pacific, Qualcomm

Esteemed Speakers: Jessie Lim HR Director YAHOO!

Alice Tan Group Director, Corporate Services LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY

Hew Evans Director, Regional Human Resources, Asia Pacific SONY

Suresh Rai HR Director, Talent – Markets UNILEVER

Noel Lenehan Vice President, People & Culture, Asia Pacific VESTAS

Dr James White (Former) Technical Director 3M

Yong Hsin Ning Senior Manager, Talent, Organisation & Performance ACCENTURE

Khor Ling Ling Deputy Director, Performance and Rewards CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL

Kenneth Kominski Area Director, Human Capital & Development PAN PACIFIC HOTEL SINGAPORE

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Roger Collantes CEO GLOBAL LEARNING SOLUTIONS

www.hrmcongress.com

innovation special

Rajah & Tann Rajah & Tann recently launched a microsite for recruitment – a first for a local law firm in Singapore. “This microsite aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the firm, its people and what we are looking for,” says Rebecca Chew, partner, Rajah & Tann. “The design of the recruitment microsite, including the presentation of the content and its design, is intended to appeal to the younger generation and to engage issues that are relevant to them.” While there were the usual challenges in introducing such initiatives, including cost, time, etc, the firm decided to proceed, taking into account the future of the firm and the bigger goal of recruiting the best and the brightest from among the younger generation. “We have received a great deal of positive feedback in respect of our recruitment microsite and we are pleased that we made the decision to launch it,” says Chew.

the selection process, but the Right Management survey found that 40% of respondents said its use was likely to increase in the next five years.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Rebecca Chew, partner at Singapore’s largest law firm, Rajah & Tann, believes the use of technology can and will facilitate quicker communication and hopefully, will result in better decision making. “Traditionally, we often use a paper-based approach,” she says. “However, in today’s competitive market and given the size of our firm, we have to leverage on technology to improve our HR efficiency and effectiveness.” The firm is now looking at setting up an e-recruit system which would allow potential candidates to apply online and help HR streamline the selection process. “As we have always been on the lookout for competent, driven and ambitious lawyers, we will continue to explore new and innovative ways to attract them,” says Chew.

innovation special

Powered up learning Learning and Development teams are continuously being challenged by demands for better, more cost-effective training. HRM reveals how some companies are moving away from traditional classroom settings and using innovative methods to help employees realise their full potential By Shalini Shukla-Pandey

any companies across the region are stepping up when it comes to training and development, ensuring their programmes remain up to date with changing times. The Singapore government has also been encouraging companies to innovate and develop capable talent with the knowledge to lead in Asia. A study by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) last year found that Singaporeans value retention factors such as training and development, job opportunities and career advancement. Locals also look for workplace flexibility and an environment where they are encouraged to innovate.

Training programmes must evolve and adapt accordingly in order to stay targeted, relevant, and measureable, and also engage the learner in non-traditional ways. At the same time, they must instill learners with a set of critical thinking and leadership skills necessary to move the entire organisation forwards.

Non-traditional learning

According to a global study by ESI International, a global project management

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

Lunch and Learn learning company, organisations are expecting more productivity from their workforce even though training budgets will largely be maintained at current levels. The Learning Trends survey results validate the proposition that innovation and flexibility in learning content and delivery, when combined with a results-oriented approach, are critical to learning success in 2012. For instance, an overwhelming proportion of organisations report that innovative learning solutions (70%) are needed to accomplish their business objectives. Regarding professional development solutions, the majority of organisations report that their learning programmes must evolve and support a variety of learning modalities (71%) and be delivered through blended solutions (57%). Gaurav Sharma of Coca-Cola Singapore says the e-learning portal that his organisation launched with Harvard ManageMentor enables Coca-Cola employees to work on their soft skills online, at their own pace through the e-learning training catalogue. “This launch provides flexibility in any location (home/office/travel) to the line manager and the employee for self-paced learning,” says Sharma. Experienced employees are also a rich source of knowledge. Sony Electronics takes an internal academy approach to facilitate functional and management training in

The individual employee development ‘formula’ at Coca-Cola Singapore Beverages is 70% On-the-Job, 20% through Coaching & Feedback by the immediate supervisor, and 10% through traditional channels like Classroom/e-Learning. To augment the entire capability experience, Coca-Cola has started some new initiatives that focus on building business and subject matter knowledge through informal sessions called ‘Lunch and Learn’. “This is essentially a 60-minute best practice sharing format, with content from within or outside our business by means of an informal lunch-time presentation,” says Gaurav Sharma, Coca-Cola Singapore. “The participation is based on a self-nomination process and participants come from various functions. As a refreshing break from their work schedules, the participants leave with a new idea or practice which may help them to become more effective in their roles.” Sharma says Coca-Cola is also looking at introducing experiential learning through simulation and business case studies for identified managers, as part of a global initiative by Coca-Cola’s Bottling Investment Group division.

Singapore. This is led by the experts in the company who are keen to share their knowledge with their fellow colleagues. For example, Sony Electronics’ managing director for Asia Pacific, Narihiko Uemura, has led by example by starting his own Management Academy. “We are also working with the Human Capital Leadership Institute here on some interesting consortium programmes to increase human capital capabilities in Singapore,” says Hew Evans, director, Regional HR, Asia Pacific of Sony Electronics. Ultimately, ESI says high-performing organisations will make smarter investments in

Tech forums 3M Electronics uses tech forums to drive learning and innovation in its workforce. These are available to all 3M technical and engineering staff. Almost every 3M location around the world sponsors a Tech Forum. “Tech Forums allow for the exchange of ideas via frequent events, such as poster sessions, where engineers and technology developers present their work to a diverse audience,” says Dr James R White, technical director for 3M Electronics (retired). In country R&D centres such as Singapore, these events often correspond to the presence of distinguished 3M visitors. “These events are a great way to receive

constructive critique of projects and for engineers to have the chance of looking at activity outside of their particular area of expertise,” says White. To promote discretionary travel, for the past few years 3M has been sponsoring virtual tech forum events via the internet. Now employees all over the world can enjoy participation in these events called Virtual Technical Information Exchanges (vTIE). The Tech Forum and vTIE events are encouraged for all technical employees, ranging from corporate scientists to entry-level R&D engineers. “It is a phenomenal technology and idea exchange mechanism,” says White.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

Newest training methods Using technology as an enabler, L&D teams worldwide are coming up with innovative training methods to engage employees. HRM lists some of the latest trends: + Mobile apps – Smartphones such as the iPhone, Blackberry have brought about the concept of mobile learning or otherwise known as mlearning. This form of learning is slowly being implemented in organisations in various countries. In Japan, for an instance, some companies are using language training for employees to help with vocabulary building, scenarios and pronunciation support. Also, employees will be able to access information instantly. + Tablet pcs – Just like a smartphone, tablet pcs can be used for training employees on-the go. In the US, learning solutions company, JPL is creating an iPad app to train sales representatives and support them in sales presentation to prospective customers. + Online gaming – Several organisations are using online gaming to get employees interested in acquiring new knowledge. Companies such as Cold Stone, Cisco Systems, and Canon have implemented interactive training games in order to engage and teach young, media-savvy employees sales, technical and management skills. Cisco, for an example, has a game that teaches technicians how to build a computer network.

their workforce by utilising innovative, nontraditional learning approaches to maximise workforce productivity and adapt to today’s global economic realities.

Building a business case

The ESI study also shows that three years of global economic stress have pushed organisations to maximise the productivity of their employees and, as budgets tighten, to make strategic decisions on trimming spending in a way that does not compromise future growth. Sharma says although his organisation has been a proponent of innovative learning and development programmes, return on investment is the biggest influencer for implementing new ideas. “Traditional methods are still valuable, hence there is significant inertia experienced when attempting to change methods if the current practice still works,” he says.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

“Tracking and monitoring utilisation also needs to be considered, to ensure the new programme is being harnessed effectively and the learning outcomes are achieved,” he adds. Hew Evans, director, Regional HR, Asia Pacific of Sony Electronics, agrees saying it is almost inevitable that HR faces management scepticism whenever new ways of learning are introduced. “We often have to take a leap of faith since these new and innovative ways of learning often consist of content and methods that are unproven,” says Evans. “We try to address this by using the management team as a pilot group in order for them to experience these methods for themselves.”

Cost issues

Total learning and development budgets may remain the same or even decrease this year, but organisations expect to see more productivity from their workforce. Both qualitative and quantitative measurements of the business continue to be impacted by learning investments. Sixty per cent of respondents of the ESI survey report that the organisational priority to measure the business impact of learning will increase, while over half (52%) confirm the

A centre for global leadership In mid-2012, Singapore will be home to Four Acres- a new 6,000-sq-metre global leadership development centre by Unilever. Located at Link@ Nepal Hill in one-north, this is the second centre after its ‘Four Acres’ leadership centre in London. Through Four Acres – Singapore, Unilever will be enhancing its partnership with universities and business schools in Singapore, and developing programmes that will raise the capabilities of the consumer business workforce. The first training programme for Four Acres – Singapore is targeted to be delivered 2013.

innovation special

Leadership academy requirement to develop effective business cases for learning investments. When asked where they expect to see the greatest business impact of their learning investment, the majority of respondents (64%) expect that training dollars and outcomes will translate into increased workforce productivity. Evans says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we see the value in these (innovative training) investments and believe that such learning and development programmes are necessary and will reap benefits for us in the long run by developing an innovative global talent pool.â&#x20AC;?

Far East Organisation provides many training and development opportunities for their employees such as encouraging them to learn a different language, go on overseas study trips, and participate in workshops, thus expanding their horizons and exposure to new inspirations and ideas. By finding talent from within, Far East Organisation offers career succession opportunities to local talent. To facilitate this succession, Far East Organisation recently launched the Far East Academy to develop managers and leaders for the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s businesses. The training programmes offered by Far East Academy are customised to develop junior managers into future leaders. For high potential individuals, the development process provides accelerated learning in order to prepare them for critical leadership positions in the organisation.

e Chin

Breaking the language barrier

Chinese is the new lingua franca of the business world. Improve the level of Chinese proficiency within your organisation and look forward to better business performance. With a teaching staff of native speakers and an interactive curriculum, SIMA Business Chinese courses improve overall linguistic skills and foster greater appreciation of the Chinese culture. Approved for 70% grant on course fees, they are the perfect springboard for organisations to charge ahead in the competitive business landscape. Sign up with us today.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

Intelligent

HR 40

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

uicker and more efficient performance evaluations, less time spent on rehiring, a bigger pool of potential candidates – these are some of the possibilities being offered by new developments in HR technology. These solutions are also becoming more cost effective. Cloud application services or Software as a Service (SaaS) has made it possible for a greater number of HR applications and services to be available on the web. This has levelled the playing field for small enterprises, says Tay Thain Lin, Technical Director, PayRollServe. “They now have access to the best payroll applications, HR information systems and other related applications at a fraction of the cost of investing in an onpremises server-based system.” With HR technology, HR personnel can now offer senior management a way to better understand its workforce, see how productive it has been, and measure its relative performance against remuneration, says Tay.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

“Smart companies don’t hire for critical roles, they hire for non-critical roles and then develop their talent for critical roles within the company through clear career paths, ensuring a steady supply of talent for essential functions” David Wilkins, Vice President, Taleo Research, Taleo Corporation

Helicopter views

Having the right people in the right roles can help an organisation maximise its productivity, spur innovation and agility. However, with an increasing number of employees working in virtual teams spread across different geographies, it is often difficult for a manager to keep tabs on individual performance. One of the major issues facing managers is, how do I stay aligned with my team and ‘know’ their core strengths and abilities?” says David Wilkins, Vice President, Taleo Research, Taleo Corporation. The increasingly matrixed nature of work and the workplace is resulting in 70–80% of all new employees working crossrecruiting and learning functionally in order to meet implementations business objectives, Wilkins Source: Gartner says. “Given this, managers don’t have perfect visibility into employee contributions.” Citing research by management professor Rob Cross from the University of Virginia, Wilkins adds that managers can identify the best talent for a particular initiative only 5% of the time. Knowing the strengths of your talent as well as their aspirations can go a long way in staff retention. “I know of a large MNC that had more

SAAS SOLUTIONS REPRESENT

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

than 20,000 internal applications in one year and an audit showed that 30% of those applicants left within that same year. Why? Because the company had no communication tool or process to deal with it,” says Matt Allanson, Sales Director, HiringBoss. This is where a unified talent management system can make a difference, as it is able to aggregate data across multiple interaction points such as recruitment, succession planning, and learning and development. To make data interpretation easier, talent management software often comes with a ‘dashboard’ or a graphical tool that displays information through charts, dials and other diagrams.

Smart hiring

Passing on hard copies of a potential candidate’s resume might soon become a thing of the past with the increasing adoption of recruitment software. Such tools help to automate the hiring process so that companies can process resumes more quickly and efficiently. “Keyword scanning, job history validation, competency checks, among other techniques, can ensure a high quality pool where there is a high volume of candidates,” Wilkins says. At Qantas for example, an increased availability of candidate and process information to managers reduced recruitment approval time by 5%. It also decreased the time between a hiring decision and a hiring offer by 3%, shares Wilkins. At Vodafone, staff turnover fell by 7–8%, largely due to increased visibility of internal job openings and an increased ability to recruit internally through greater process and talent awareness. Often the hiring managers provide recruiters with what they think is an ideal candidate

innovation special

profile, but in reality this doesn’t reflect the needs of the organisation, Wilkins says. HR technology prevents this by looking at existing high performers in a given role and models the criteria for a desired candidate profile with relevant competencies, experiences, job history and areas of expertise. “A lot of companies forget that they actually pay for candidates so why not store, measure, rate and communicate with high potentials?” asks Allanson. Good software will also allow you to build a picture of the competencies a manager needs. “Eventually you will know who, and who not, to send through for an interview,” he adds. Lastly, HR technology enables organisations to improve the accuracy of hiring by including not just external jobseekers but internal candidates as well. Many companies overlook highly qualified talent that they already have internally, says Wilkins. “Smart companies don’t hire for critical roles, they hire for non-critical roles and then develop their talent for critical roles within the company through clear career paths, ensuring a steady supply of talent for essential functions.”

Social engagement

63.6%

US companies that have successfully hired through social media sites

Social media is Source: Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey 2011 gradually making companies examine their HR strategies. Apart from opening up new channels for recruitment through sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, social media is also becoming a key driver of employee engagement. Performance reviews are a good example of this. Typically, the only participants in this process are managers and their employees, says Wilkins. Colleagues, managers from other groups and third parties like vendors and suppliers are left out of the equation. Social media platforms can help aggregate feedback from these individuals so there is a more holistic assessment of the employee’s strengths, weaknesses, contributions and potential. “Similarly, the ability for employees to nominate and vote on high potentials or successors can be another key driver of engagement,” Wilkins says. Social media doesn’t always mean wikis or blogs, Wilkins explains. “It is about re-thinking fundamental processes so they benefit from more inputs, perspectives, and increased diversity of opinion.”

Top tips for choosing talent management software + Before deciding on a talent management solution, get a clear understanding of your organisation’s needs and requirements related to key areas such as recruitment, succession planning and learning & development + Ease of use should be top priority. Choose a system that is easy to navigate and requires minimal training + Good talent management systems enable users to easily extract targeted information about employees + Ensure that your talent management software is able to seamlessly integrate with your other HR software solutions that support areas such as payroll processing, recruitment and benefits

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

Innovate or perish! Drawing parallels from the almost insurmountable challenges faced by Tata Motors, the creators of a revolutionary Rs. 1 lakh (US$2,100) car, HR Summit speaker Dr Kevin Freiberg shares strategies on inspiring innovation in your workforce

eaving Bangalore one evening during the monsoon season, Tata Group Chairman, Ratan Tata said to his driver, “Please be careful it will be very slippery.” As they got out into traffic a motorcycle with a family of four on it passed Ratan’s car and went down. Bodies everywhere. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. At that moment Tata dedicated himself to putting families like this in a safe, affordable form of transportation that would cost a little more than the motorcycle itself. In his book, Nanonvation: How a Little Car Can Teach the World To Think Big and Act Bold, co-author Dr Kevin Freiberg examines how Tata overcame seemingly impossible odds to produce a Rs. 1 lakh (US$2100) car- the Tata Nano. Applying lessons learnt by the Tata Nano team, Freiberg shares some strategies that HR

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

leaders can use to inspire innovation among employees:

should be ahead of the curve in preparing executives for what’s next.

Dare to be radical and revolutionary

Question the unquestionable

Most organisations are cautious, metered, and incremental with regard to implementing new ideas. There is nothing wrong with incremental innovation. In fact, it’s what keeps you in the game – at least for a while. But, incremental improvements rarely create and sustain the kind of growth that is expected from investors, and they don’t generate an evangelical response from customers. HR leaders can take a big step in the right direction by working with line leaders to create an environment that rewards people for taking risks. Step out of the prevailing paradigm. Think like an outsider. Challenge your taken-forgranted assumptions – about the way your industry works, about what your competitors are doing, about your customer’s expectations, and what your employees are truly capable of doing. What would happen if HR got a cross-section of people together quarterly to identify the deeplyheld assumptions that the company makes about what customers really want, what competitors are really doing and what employees are really capable of accomplishing?

Look for the intersection of trends to find opportunities

You can’t win with yesterday’s ideas, so what are the big, converging trends that are headed your way? There is huge opportunity for innovation where rising trends intersect. Competitive advantage goes not to the strongest, smartest, or richest companies, but to those that develop the capacity to see what others can’t see and turn those insights into innovations faster than their competitors do. Why can’t HR be the junction box, the catalytic agent that draws key thought leaders within the company together to identify these trends and what they mean for the future of the business? From an internal perspective, what are the big trends shaping HR? Whether it’s the disintermediation of jobs via technology, lifelong learning and retraining the workforce to meet the demands of a new economy or managing multiple generations of workers in the same business, HR

Jettison the incumbent mentality

Incumbents are vulnerable to the often-fatal trap of thinking the future will be more of the same only better – more choices, better features, and better design – all incremental improvements on yesterday’s headline. Incumbents seek to grow market share by being ‘better’ than the competition. But even if they are better, competitors catch up, innovations become commoditised, and incumbents eventually get forced into a price war. Innovators side-step the price-value discussion by creating new markets and making the competition irrelevant. HR leaders can mitigate the incumbent trap by helping employees and senior executives create a culture that knows how to LET GO. That is, helping people manage the creative tension that comes with pouring yourself into something the world is ecstatic about and then letting go of it or changing it to pursue the next big thing.

Look beyond customer imagination for the next big thing

Customers are smart and never to be underestimated. But customers don’t always know what they want and if they do know what they want, they can’t always tell you. In fact, listening to customers might even derail you from pursuing breakthrough innovation and changes that will radically differentiate your business. Sound like heresy? Maybe, but how many customers are on the cutting edge enough to know what’s possible in your industry? How many customers are aware of your future capabilities? How many customers are in the right frame of mind to share their ideas for an innovative new product that is likely to displace the one they just bought?

Look for breakthroughs beyond your industry

Where do new ideas come from? They don’t come from sitting in the same office, talking to the same people, looking at the same computer screens day after day. Spending the majority of your time with people who share your beliefs and assumptions doesn’t unleash your creativity. It sharpens your prejudices. It doesn’t promote discovery. It leads to close-mindedness. Some of the best ideas for game-changing innovation will come from outside your industry. issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

innovation special

What if HR initiated a programme where everyone in the business was required to spend three days a year visiting other industries with a specific eye for how to apply their best practices to your industry?

Let limitations drive creativity vs complacency

Limitations: Are they a blessing or a curse, an asset or a liability? That’s your choice. Whether they are financial, regulatory, geographical or political, limitations can be springboards to creativity. They can call forth cleverness, focus you on what’s most important, and drive you towards more elegant solutions – if you let them. While your competitors are whining and moaning about the limitations you both face, why not apply your imagination and ingenuity to find unique solutions within those constraints? THAT could radically differentiate you. What if you could create a culture where employees saw overcoming limitations as a badge of honour versus an excuse for doing nothing? You can. You do it by mining stories about those who refuse to give up, those who refuse to let limitations be limiting. These stories can have a contagious effect on people’s attitudes.

Maintain the dignity of the end-user

Shake it up! Hire some CRAZIES. Diversity inspires innovation

The best products and services in the world enhance; they don’t denigrate the user’s experience. Every step of the design process must be taken with at least three questions in mind: » What’s it like to be the end-user? What are their pressure and pain points? What are their hopes, dreams and ideals? » What’s it like to live where the customer lives? What’s unique about the context in which the end-user will experience this product or service? » How do end-users think of themselves – particularly when they use what we’re creating? When your focus is on the needs and dignity of the end-users, and when you make their needs your cause, you start to get very focused on things that really matter. What if HR led an effort to get anyone associated with a product or service design to spend one week each year shadowing and working with customers and experiencing their experiences?

Surround yourself with off-the-wall dreamers and doers who don’t think and act like you do. You

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

know who they are. It’s the hippie mum with a gypsy skirt and funky earrings who writes killer marketing copy. It’s the gear head who reads comic books at lunch, but radically reduces costs and cuts cycle time by revamping your whole IT infrastructure. It’s the oddball fashion designer who reconfigures the layout of your entire facility and creates space for people with diverse perspectives to bump into each other and engage in unscripted, yet stimulating dialogue that leads to new things. These ‘crazies’ are the non-conformists, frustrated activists and eccentrics on the lunatic fringe. Are they bizarre, peculiar and a little bit psychotic? Yes. Are they uncomfortable and unnerving? Yes. But if perpetual innovation is your goal you need to be around them. HR can play a critical role here by challenging business leaders, managers and supervisors NOT to do what’s comfortable, not to hire people like themselves. HR should be the standard bearer for shaking it up.

Invite people to change the world

Call it leadership by outrage, a genuine sense of empathy and compassion, being purposedriven, or capitalism with a conscience; gamechanging innovation is driven by solving a problem that matters. The Tata Nano grew out of one man’s desire to make life better for others. People who see their work as noble are hungry for change. They have a drive to succeed, a will to win, and a deep-seated passion for taking risks and trying new things that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. People don’t lay down their lives for a job. They don’t give the totality of who they are to line shareholder’s pockets. But, they will give everything they’ve got to play a role in changing the world. HR leaders can start by asking, “what’s noble and heroic about what our people do? What’s the heroic cause for which we fight?” Once the cause is identified, HR must build a compelling business case for managers that shows why a noble cause is essential in motivating people to engage. Then, working with managers, it’s important to ensure that every employee has a direct line of sight to the cause. A company breeds commitment versus compliance when employees know how their individual contributions link to, and support, something bigger, something that matters! + For more resources and to join our online community visit: www.freibergs.com

10th Anniversary Special

9 & 10 May 2012 • Marina Bay Sands • Singapore Back by overwhelming popular demand! Don’t miss Chester Elton only at the HR Summit

Discover Qian Hu’s ‘Fishy’ HR ideology with Kenny Yap ‘The Fish’, Chairman & Group CEO

Jessica Tan Soon Neo Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore Member of Parliament East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC)

The Future of HR Rick Von Feldt International Speaker & HR Futurist

Siemens Case Study: The CEO Agenda and Leadership Nicolas Von Rosty Corporate Vice President Siemens AG

Future Talent Staffing Challenges Likely to Face Singapore Within the Next 10 Years Low Peck Kem Divisional Director, National Human Resources Division Ministry of Manpower (MOM)

HRM in Emerging Markets: Untold Stories Dr John Vong International Speaker & Leadership Expert

Innovative Leadership in Uncertain Times David Kwee Founder and CEO Training Vision

Branding Through People Positively Reflecting Your Organisation’s Image Christina Ong Branding Expert & Image Master

Flexibility and Work Life Integration - American Express Case Study Sonia Cargan VP Human Resources - East Asia American Express International

The Secret World of Employee Egos Graeme Newell International Speaker & Emotional Marketing Specialist

Managing Your Demographic Risk Cheryl Liew-Chng WorkLife, Gender & Generation Expert

How HR Can Create Value to Impact Company Results Karl-Heinz Oehler, VP – Global Talent Management, The Hertz Corporation

Social Media Strategies for HR William Chin Director, Staffing, Asia Pacific Qualcomm

HR Lessons in the Face of a Natural Disaster - Christchurch Earthquake Case Study Leeanne Carson-Hughes General Manager HR Christchurch International Airport

If Succession Planning Works, How Do the Wrong People Get to the Top? Prof. David Clutterbuck International Speaker, Author & Management Thinker

Talent Management in a Global Chinese Company: Growing Pains Steven Wood, Global VP HR Enterprise BG HUAWEI

Work-Life Continuum - A New Proposition on Staff Engagement Stephen Tjoa Partner Human Resources KPMG

Developing Introverted Leaders: Building on Their Quiet Strengths Dr Jennifer Kahnweiler International Speaker, Author & Executive Coach

Beyond HR: Orchestrating the Broader Organisation to Build Future Capability Varun Bhatia VP Human Resources Kraft Foods APAC

High Impact Talent Management Aparna Kumar Vice President, Human Resources DB Schenker

Reverse Mentoring - Turning Traditional Learning On Its Head Steven Murphy, Regional Director, APAC North Text 100 International

Highly Effective Criticism, Discipline and Feedback Skills for Managing Employee Performance Pamela Jett International Speaker, Author & Communication Skills Expert

Diversity & Inclusive Leadership Christina Lu Vice President HR Volvo East Asia

Unlocking Culture - The Key to Executive Adjustment Peter Allen Head Alumni Programme-Talent Mgt. Group Learning & Talent Development Standard Chartered Bank

Priceless Innovation Strategies: How to Thrive in Challenging Times Alexander Blass International Speaker & Expert in Innovation

Talent Assessment and Profiling to Create a Thriving Organisation - Hilti Case Study Low Khim Wah Head of Human Resources Hilti Far East

Practical & Effective Retention Strategies Michael-Joerg Ivan HR Policies, Processes & Projects, Africa & Asia Pacific Daimler AG

How to Build an Award-Winning Service Culture Ron Kaufman International Speaker & Customer Service Expert UP! Your Service

Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Avril Henry International Speaker & Author

Making Learning Stick! Jeremy Kang, VP Head of Training Hong Leong Finance

Driving a Culture for Success Lydia Goh Executive Coach, HR & Management Expert

Progressive Discipline - How to Motivate or Terminate the Difficult Employee Bernadette Vadurro International Speaker & Author

Premium Gold Sponsors:

Special Extended Session Leading Flawless Execution From the Top Afterburner Inc.

Official Document Sponsor:

Voted No. 1 Recruitment Website of the Year

www.hrsummit.com.sg | booking hotline: (65) 6423 4631

V SA E 60 % *

Asia’s most popular HR event is celebrating its 10th Anniversary by offering you the greatest speakers, widest choice and best value for money from any HR Event Identifying, Developing & Retaining High-Performance Employees Lawrence Lee Head of L&D, APAC Hilton Worldwide

Talent Management Diversification: How do People with Disabilities Fit Into the Equation? Nadine Vogel Author & Expert of Disability in the Workforce

Vision Critical: How to Redefine Your Future, Grow Your Business and Improve Your Bottom Line Donald Cooper Business Speaker & Coach

Value Match and Job Fit Dr Elizabeth Martin-Chua HR Expert & Author

Conquering the Challenge of Corporate Climate Change Catherine DeVrye International Speaker & Motivational Expert

The 8 Enemies Masterclass for HR Success in the New Marketplace Kevin Panozza International Speaker & Engagement Expert

Build Loyalty and a Sense of Mission Among Your Youngest Employees Amy Lynch Author & Generation Y Expert

Grooming & Developing Future Leaders Geraldine Fraser HR Director, Asia Pacific Diageo

How to Move a Tech Giant in the Right Direction - L&OD Leading Change & Transformation Patrick Lew Leader, Learning & Development Dell Global (Singapore)

High Performance Under Pressure Dr Janelle Barlow International Speaker, Author & Entrepreneur

Growing the Leaders of the Future Karen Schmidt International Speaker & Leadership Development Expert

Wiring the Change Elements through People in a Transitional Organisation Sujata Tyagi HR Director, ASEAN & India L’Oreal

The 7 Key Steps to Creating Outstanding Teams Charles Kovess International Speaker & Motivational Coach

Dr Low Lee Yong CEO/ Founder MHC Asia Group

Leadership DNA Timothy Sebastian Group Director, Human Resources Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Leadership Development in Asia Tom Pedersen Head of Learning & Development DBS Bank

Motivation Through Effective Employee Learning

Leading Innovation in Your Organisation Michael Stanleigh International Speaker, Innovation & Change Expert

Employee Engagement Across a Multi-Generational Workforce Pauline Chua General Manager, Human/ Organisation Resource & Development Fujixerox

Performance Management Nokia Siemens Networks Case Study Ciaron Murphy Head of Business HR Sales East & Head of HR APAC Nokia Siemens Networks

The Art of Our Craft Learning & Development with Heart; Techniques in Making it Meaningful Glenn Carter VP People Development, Deutsche Bank AG

Career Development in the Creative Industry Sue Olivier Regional Director, Talent Management, Asia Pacific Ogilvy & Mather

Games Trainers Play Ed Scannell International Speaker & Training Expert

Building a First-Class Talent Pipeline Pete Baker HR Director, Asia Pacific Maersk Line

HR & ROI - Myth or Reality? Dr David Cohen International Speaker, Author & Business Strategist

Leadership Matters Peter Baines International Speaker & Leadership Expert

Understanding Employee Emotions (E2) – The Key Challenge for HR Today! David Too Vice President Achieve Group

The Future of Equality Management Susan Bulkeley Butler International Speaker, Author & Women Leadership Expert

Health & Productivity The Next Generation Dr. Rajeshree (Gina) Parekh Director, Health & Wellness, Asia Pacific Towers Watson

Creativity - The Most Important Human Resource Fredrik Härén International Speaker, Author & Business Creativity Expert

Don’t miss Dr Kevin Freiberg on the talent challenges behind TATA’s Nano only at HR Summit

Ramesh Muthusamy Head Of Corporate Training, Master Trainer and Senior Programme Developer Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group

Panel Discussion: Managing Talent in Challenging Times

Panel Discussion: Linking Performance & Rewards Caroline Buhagiar Regional Learning & Development Director and Campus Head AXA Asia

Juliana Ang Senior Director, Area HRM, ASEAN & Pacific Philips Electronics

Hew Evans Director, Regional Human Resources Sony Electronics Asia Pacific

Anuradha Naik Director L&D Asia Pacific Emerson Process Management

Frances Chee Director, Compensation & Benefits, Asia Pacific InterContinental Hotels Group

Hans Han Head, Compensation & Benefits, Asia Pacific Huntsman

Ann Ann Low Global Talent Acquisition, Mgt. & Dev. APAC, ME, Africa MasterCard Worldwide

Don Yeo Deputy Chief Executive Officer CPF Board

* Early bird discounts are now available. Not applicable to vendors/service providers who are welcome to attend at the normal price Gold Sponsors:

Official Venue:

www.hrsummit.com.sg | booking hotline: (65) 6423 4631

feature

office pet The

very office seems to have its brushes with the case of an office pet, although the consequences of having one doesn’t normally bode well for the leader in question. Infamous cases of favouritism at work include former World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, who had to resign after being accused of arranging a big raise and promotion for a woman with whom he was having a relationship with. Favouritism is also one of the top peeves that workers have about their bosses, according to CareerBuilder.com. Last December, the online job site completed a survey of nearly 4,000 American employees and found that nearly one-quarter thought their manager played favourites.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

feature

Favouritism, Chinese style:

Guanxi

“Guanxi” literally means “relationships” in Mandarin. The Chinese businessman mentality is very much that of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” By getting the right “Guanxi”, organisations minimise the risks, barriers, frustrations and disappointments when doing business in the country. While it is common for individuals of an organisation to visit the residence of their acquaintances from other organisations, bringing gifts such as wine, cigarettes, etc, to establish “Guanxi” need not be based on money. Treating someone with respect while others treat him/her unfairly could result in a good “Guanxi”. Building trustworthiness by delivering as promised is another way to build “Guanxi”. Also, frequent contacts with each other to foster an understanding and emotional bonds is also key as the Chinese often feel obligated to do business with their friends first.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

feature

Favouritism at work

Favouritism may arise when one employee is perceived to be receiving preferential treatment (outside the norm) as compared to others. “For instance, an employee could be seen by others as constantly receiving a lower (or higher) workload allocation or priority in taking leave and getting time off approved,” says Joana Yap, head of Service Quality, HRG Singapore. Kathi Elster, executive coach and president of K Squared Enterprises, says favouritism actually pits the favourite employee against everyone else.

“Because it’s impossible to compete with this favouritism, the tendency is for the staff to want to show the boss how wrong he/she is, so it’s natural to want to set the favourite person up to look bad in the boss’ eyes,” says co-author of Working with You Is Killing Me and Working for You Isn’t Working for Me. “This usually backfires.” In the Philippines, favouritism is more prevalent within boards of directors. “Family and friends of the seated board are ‘untouchables’; HR is at their mercy. If the boss tells HR that ‘so and so’ will be reporting for work, and to give him orientation and appointment papers, HR has to oblige or risk losing their jobs,” says Fely Serafin-Atienza, former HR management & development manager at a global automotive company. She is fortunate that this did not happen at her previous company, but this is because it was not a family corporation. “Sometimes, however, even in multi-national companies, candidates who have been personally recommended by staff are given priority over another applicant who may have the same level of experience and aptitude,” says Serafin-Atienza.

Favouritism hurts

Silent bias A recent survey by Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and research firm Penn Schoen Berland has found that the vast majority of senior business executives surveyed (92%) in the US say they have seen favouritism at play in employee promotions, including at their own companies (84%). But while nearly all see favouritism as being widespread, fewer (23%) are willing to admit they have practised favouritism themselves – and only 9% say they have used favouritism in their last promotion decision. Fely Serafin-Atienza, former HR management & development manager at a global automotive company says while she has not encountered the problem of favouritism very often, she knows of top executives who practise it “silently”. “This is a challenge for HR. We must be strong, firm and consistent. HR should be empowered and have a 'voice' in delicate situations such as these. An empowered HR can truly be the backbone of an organisation, developing and managing its greatest asset – its people.”

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Favouritism can result in a number of pitfalls in the office. Most prominently, Yap says, is a decrease in motivation, morale, and productivity among workers, leading to a negative and unproductive working environment. “Our people’s ability to constantly deliver excellence to our clients is our strength, so we are constantly on the look-out for potential cases of favouritism to ensure that it is not affecting the performance of our employees negatively,” says Yap. According to online communications management and mediator, Anonymous Employee, “favouritism says that it’s all who you know, not what you do”, leading employees to develop a “why bother?” way of thinking – no matter how hard they work, they may not be the ones getting ‘fast-track’ promotions.

feature

Favouritism as a tool “Favouritism can be rather demoralising,” says Serafin-Atienza. “When I put myself into the shoes of staff, I know I would not perform well, knowing that someone else will be promoted just by being the favourite.” This friction in the office environment doesn’t bode well for working relationships between staff and management. “Playing favourites at work can be harmful to everyone, says Elster. “The favourite person becomes the target of hatred to the rest of the staff, and the staff learns that the boss is unfair and a lack of trust is now present in the workplace.” Dr Graham Tyler, a registered organisational psychologist and executive director of PsyAsia International, says that favouritism may also result in ‘brain drain’ within the organisation as key talents leave. He talks of one such case: “Ling was an exceptional employee in the sales team of a banking corporation in Singapore. Her boss, Ivy, had enjoyed their first conversation and from the start had decided that Ling was extremely bright. Ivy gave Ling more work than the others on the team because she felt that Ling was more able to cope with it. At the same time, Ling was showered with praise for her achievements and attitude. Other members of the team felt cheated and became despondent towards Ling. Ling herself felt uncomfortable, as well as being unfairly overworked. The end result was that the performance of the other members of the team declined, along with morale and Ling ultimately gave her notice and took her exceptional skills elsewhere.” “Overall, a costly situation for the organisation, resulting in not only having to recruit another exceptional member of staff, but also the need to take notice of the contributions that the other team members made and then rapidly improve their morale,” says Tyler. Organisations seen by employees as being unfair in pay, promotion or other practices also naturally have negative employer branding. According to research by Wharton management

It is very rare for favouritism to have its advantages says Joana Yap, Head of Service Quality, HRG Singapore. “At HRG, we are committed to having a corporate environment that is free of favouritism and thus we reward employees who perform well in order to encourage them to further increase their service quality and levels.” This can be done by showing employees the kinds of privileges that are awarded to those who achieve high levels of performance, which in turn motivates them to work towards accomplishing the same level of performance. “In order for this to happen though, clear and transparent criteria must be laid out so that employees know what is expected of them in order for them to receive the extra benefits,” she adds.

professor, Jennifer S Mueller, these companies have higher rates of stealing, bad-mouthing and other damaging behaviours by their employees.

Addressing the issue

Ultimately, communication and transparency come out tops on ways to deal with favouritism. “If the favourite employee is in fact an excellent performer, that’s great, but they usually are not,” says Elster. “HR needs to be sure that performance evaluations are correct and that promotions are handled properly.” Yap says HR should be transparent about key performance indicators (KPIs) and other such guidelines so employees are aware of how they are measured for good performance. “This can be done by having a set of clearly stated, measurable performance criteria in order to avoid any speculation as to how performance is measured,” she says. “In addition, it would also be necessary to align a performance criteria to the privilege accorded so that employees will understand what is required for them to receive the perceived benefits. This would also help to clarify any doubts and uncertainties, and ensure that everyone is clear as to why a certain employee is getting preferential treatment – if that is the case.” issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

feature

“Playing favourites at work can be harmful to everyone, the favourite person becomes the target of hatred to the rest of the staff, and the staff learns that the boss is unfair and a lack of trust is now present in the workplace” Kathi Elster, Executive Coach and President, K Squared Enterprises

Serafin-Atienza agrees, saying HR should ensure good Policies, Systems & Procedures (PSPs) and a Code of Ethics are established within the company. “PSPs and employees’ Code of Ethics or Conduct are the barometers of a good evaluation,” she says. “If a company has these in place, even the top executives cannot refute it.” She also says HR should be very cautious in addressing any situations which might be

construed as favouritism. For instance, if a CEO recommends someone for a certain position, HR should get documented proof of performance when hiring that individual. “They must see to it that a periodic job performance evaluation is administered,” she says. “With this information, the CEO can rightly make a decision based on the performance of his recommended candidate.” Yap also underscored the importance of having explicit company policies that will deter cases of biasness. “Favouritism is a subjective matter that can vary from person-to-person, and case-by-case,” she says. “Unless privileges accorded are explicitly unwarranted by company policy, open communication with staff on such matters should be used to help address any perceptions of unfairness. In order to ensure that our team is motivated to provide excellent service standards to our clients, we need to ensure that any signs of favouritism are dealt with professionally.”

HRiQ Human Capital Management Soluuon

Call

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Email sales.sg@iqDynamics.com

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE LINE REIGNS AGAIN

Best Cruise Operator, Asia 2008 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2011

FOR THE FOURTH TIME!

Set Sail on the Award-Winning Cruise Line from these Spectacular Home Ports: 3 to 7-night cruises from SINGAPORE Sailing period: Jan, Feb, Mar, May, Jun, Nov, Dec 2012 Itinerary highlights : Phuket, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Penang, Malacca, Bali

4 to 8-night cruises from HONG KONG Sailing period: Mar, Sep, Oct, 2012 Itinerary highlights : Halong Bay, Danang, Sanya, Xiamen, Okinawa, Boracay

4 to 7-night cruises from SHANGHAI Sailing period: Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, 2012 Itinerary highlights : Kobe, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Okinawa, Jeju, Busan

5 to 7-night cruises from TIANJIN Sailing period: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, 2012 Itinerary highlights : Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Beppu, Nagasaki, Jeju, Busan

6 to 9-night cruises from YOKOHAMA Sailing period: May, Jun, Sep, 2012 Itinerary highlights : Hokkaido, Aomori, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Vladivostok, Busan

Come 2012, Voyager of the Seas together with Legend of the Seas will sail from these spectacular home ports in Asia - an award-winning cruise experience awaits you with more variety of exciting destinations, complete with innovative onboard facilities and thrilling activities!

Royal Caribbean Cruises (Asia) Pte Ltd

3 Anson Road #13-02 Springleaf Tower Singapore 079909 Tel: (65) 6305 0003 Email: RcclGroupSales@rcclapac.com www.royalcaribbean-asia.com l facebook.com/RoyalCaribbeanAsia

feature

Inviting stays Red-eye flights, back-toback meetings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; life on the road can be stressful for globle-trotting employees. Understanding this lifestyle, hotels and serviced apartments offer a myriad of services and conveniences to help their guests have a more comfortable stay. HRM finds out just how these properties cater to varying needs By Sumathi V Selvaretnam

Lanson Place, Ambassador Row, Kuala Lumpur

Studio Premier Apartment, Ascott Raffles Place Singapore

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

feature

he uncertain economy does not appear to be putting a dent on overseas business trips. A recent survey by Deloitte found that corporate travel is expected to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;take offâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in 2012 as more Millennials and Gen X employees are sent on foreign assignments. Eighty-five per cent of business travellers surveyed expect to take more or the same number of trips next year, with 27% of 18-44 year olds expecting to take more trips in 2012. This upward trend certainly bodes well for the hospitality industry, and service providers are constantly upping the ante to differentiate themselves from the competition. However, with hotels and serviced apartments both being popular choices, how do you decide between the two?

Hotels stays

One of the main draws of business hotels is their proximity to central business districts, which means that guests can zip in and out of meetings quickly and efficiently. Many such hotels also come with their own convention facilities that are able to host large-scale meetings and conferences. In general, hotels cater more to the short-term travellers and the room inventory and room size is smaller in comparison to a serviced apartment, says

Premier Room, Carlton Hotel

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

feature

Leung Yi Wen, Marketing Communications Manager, Carlton Hotel Singapore. However, guests benefit from a daily room cleaning and other value-adds like daily breakfast and a free laundry service of up to two pieces per stay. Many hotels are also offering luxury room fittings and amenities to attract guests. At Carlton Hotel, all new Premier and Premier Club Rooms come equipped with high-speed wireless internet, a moveable ergonomic glass table, a Herman Miller chair as well as a Sealy Posturepedic mattress. Busy executives who are looking for fuss-free dining options would appreciate the unique all-inclusive service at Quincy Hotel. Guests are served three meals a day at the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant. They can also enjoy complimentary cocktails, beers and other drinks between 6pm and 8pm.

Serviced apartments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a home away from home

Business travellers who prefer the luxury and comfort of a home-style environment might prefer to stay at a serviced apartment. Normally larger than a standard hotel room, these apartments often feature multiple bedrooms, and are suitable for families. In many countries, such as Singapore, most serviced apartments require a minimum stay of seven nights, making them suitable for longer stays. From a cost perspective, serviced

Swimming Pool, Quincy Hotel

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

feature

What’s your pick? apartments’ monthly rates are perceived to be marginally lower than hotel rates. Serviced apartments come equipped with facilities like a separate dining area, kitchenette, fridge, washing machine and dryer, cable television, DVD player and internet access. “This allows our guests to simply move straight in without having to worry about finding a new home,” says Tan Boon Khai, Regional General Manager for Singapore and Malaysia, The Ascott Limited. Unlike hotels, where guests are generally isolated from each other, operators of serviced apartments organise certain extras that create a more community-like environment. “We offer personalised services, such as helping our guests to understand the local culture, helping them out with their daily needs, showing them where the shops and local

Good for Short-term stays

Hotels

Serviced Apartments



Long-term stays



Larger floor area (Standard accommodation)



Daily housekeeping



Mostly weekly or upon request

Homely atmosphere



Pets



Restaurants, bars and entertainment facilities



Swimming pool and gymnasium



Hotel preferences differ by age group Younger workers are more loyal towards their preferred hotel brands, revealed a recent Deloitte survey. Nearly half (46%) of the 18-29 year olds surveyed said that they prefer to stay at their favourite hotel brand even if it does not offer a convenient location, whereas only 37% of those aged 30 and over would do the same. Working styles also differed across age groups. Two-thirds of respondents (67%) said that they often work in their hotel room, with younger business travellers enjoying working in more social environments such as business lounges, the lobby or common area. Some 36% of the 18-44 year olds surveyed say they often work in the lobby or common area, while only 17% of those 45 and older do the same. Younger travellers also preferred automated kiosks rather than checking in with a hotel employee, the survey found.

attractions are, as well as finding international schools for their children,” says Graeme Laird, Senior Vice President, Lanson Place Hospitality Management. Over at Ascott, a host went the extra mile for a Korean guest by equipping the apartment with an electric rice cooker and a selection of Korean food staples, like rice and kimchi, shares Tan.

Quincy Hotel

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

mice feature

Meeting needs Mention meetings, and most executives will complain that they are a waste of time. However, they are indispensable for any organisation that wants to function well – after all, it is during meetings when most important decisions are made. How can HR play a role in ensuring that meetings are run efficiently and productively? HRM finds out By Vivien Shiao Shufen

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

ver had a meeting where all you did was discuss what happened in the previous meeting and what is going to happen in the next meeting? Or one that had at least 50 people attend and then no decision made at the end? After hours of mind-boggling progress charts and thumb twiddling, you are left scratching your head about the meeting’s purpose. Sounds familiar? You are not alone. Often regarded as a ‘necessary evil’ in most companies, meetings do not have a good reputation in the workplace. A recent survey by project management firm Clarizen found that almost 40% of respondents felt that meetings are a waste of time, even though more than half (55%) of respondents spend one to three hours per week attending them. However, a well thought-out meeting can lead to positive results for the company. “Meetings that are short and focused can be very productive and useful,” says Grace Wong, HR director of Flextronics. “A good meeting should have an agenda, preferably with materials and the presentation slide deck for advance reading,” she

mice feature

adds. Having concrete action plans in place can also ensure that objectives are achieved during the meeting. Non-structured meetings, on the other hand, are not only counter-productive, they can also result in employee disengagement and underperformance. Therefore, it is imperative that HR takes control of the situation in order to stop talent from leaving and to keep staff working at an optimal level.

Strategic meetings management

One method that HR can utilise to prevent time and costs being wasted in managing meetings and other MICE activities is through implementing Strategic Meeting Management (SMM) programmes. This is a growing trend amongst companies in the Asia-Pacific region that gained momentum during the economic downturn in 2008, when companies fast realised the usefulness of such programmes. “SMM can add value to MICE activities by enabling companies to control and leverage expenditure, monitor trends, identify travel alternatives and manage security and risks for employees,” explains Greg James, general manager of HRG Singapore, a corporate travel services company. In short, SMM attempts to make better use of valuable time and financial resources of companies. One of the key components of HRG Singapore’s SMM programme is reducing the number of hotel partners and suppliers by creating preferred partnerships or a one-stop service which has led to cost savings. “Savings from SMM programmes range between 10 and 20%, while the time allocated to venue sourcing is reduced significantly by almost 50%”, says Jonathan Mills, vice president Commercial, of InterContinental Hotels Group Asia Australasia.

Value is key

HR personnel may choose to engage the services of external organisations to better manage their meetings. The InterContinental brand launched its InterContinental Meetings programme last year which provides event planners with inspiring ideas for bringing professional interactions to life, while making their job easier with new web-based tools and services such as virtual tours, interactive floor plans and e-Proposals. That is not all. “Exclusive to the InterContinental Meetings programme is the Insider Collection,” announces Mills. “It offers a selection of local venues, authentic experiences and services unique to each InterContinental hotel, created to motivate and connect delegates with the destination through every element of the event.” Meetings that are held in another country will bring the history, culture, flavours and experiences of the destination to delegates, issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

mice feature

Insider access InterContinental Hotels Group has launched its Insider Collection, which is part of their InterContinental Meetings programme. It aims to motivate and connect delegates with the destination, through each element of their event. It comprises five elements: + Insider Locations: The hotel team holds the key to a side of their city tourists don’t see using their local knowledge and connections + Insider Speakers: Every InterContinental hotel and resort has lined up a selection of exceptional motivational speakers they can call on to bring events to life + Insider Community: The hotel teams have created experiences which see delegates contribute to the local community while building rapport as a group + Insider Interactions: Each InterContinental hotel and resort offers teambuildiing activities to engage and motivate interaction + Insider Breaks: Range of time-out options are designed to connect delegates with a destination to bring life to local cultures

while making it easier for planners to create events using new online tools and resources established as part of the new programme. Adding value while minimising cost is key. HRG has also recently launched a landmark meetings management tool to enable clients to determine the most cost-effective way of meeting colleagues across the world. “This new tool combines a client’s specific events and meetings data with its hotel programmes in order to get the best possible savings,” James explains. “The technology then uses this information with broad industry search criteria on 3,500 routes and transient hotel rates to work out the most cost-effective place for them to meet.” Strategic meetings management is a trend that appears to be here to stay as more HR personnel understand the value of well planned meetings. Implementing such programmes can play an important role in keeping companies running smoothly, with employees in tune with the organisation’s direction and needs.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

in person

Christine

Tan

HR Manager, Dimension Data Singapore Years in HR? 8 years. Why HR? I love interacting and working with people. Being in HR allows me to continuously engage and help different people which, gives me a great sense of satisfaction. I strongly believe in the importance of HR to the success of an organisation. Why Dimension Data? I love the culture of the company and the people here. It’s an environment that allows me to think out of the box and implement new ideas! The people in Dimension Data Singapore are a group of highly dynamic individuals who are passionate about their work.

Awaken your senses. Ignite your creativity at MAX Atria. C

Biggest achievement? The biggest satisfaction derived from my role is being able to help change or touch someone else’s life. Family? My 70-year-old mum is a workaholic who still refuses to retire for fear that she will be bored at home. She is the most amazing person I know and is my main source of motivation. What happens after hours? I am an outgoing person with so many interests that I won’t be able to list them all. But generally, I enjoy hanging out with my friends for dinner and drinks to catch up on our lives.

pace, om.sg vent s maxatria.c e r u o y @ k s g o le o .s il sa tria.com To b a e ema pleas www.max it is re. o or v m t ou to find

At Singapore’s freshest MICE facility, natural light and lush greenery fuse with versatile spaces to provide you with a palette to fuel your imagination and spark off new ideas.

Discover MAX Atria in early 2012, where conventions are redefined.

• Column-less rooms for conferences, meetings and banquets

• Adjacent ground-level convention-exhibition halls available at EXPO

CMY

Artist’s Impression

Managed by Singex Venues Pte Ltd, an ISO 9001:2008, Business Continuity Management SS540 and BS25999 certified company Artist’s Impression

Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre 1 Expo Drive, #02-01, Singapore 486150 Tel: +65 6403 2160 Fax: +65 6822 2616

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

profile Park Avenue

Luxurious Living for Global Nomads T

he Big Day has finally arrived and we are welcoming a new member to the Park Avenue family - Park Avenue Rochester Hotels & Suites. As part of The Rochester development, Park Avenue Rochester is beautifully crafted with 70 business hotel rooms and 201 serviced apartments (also called serviced suites). Located from levels 4 to 23, the units are furnished with considerate touches for the busy businessman.

On The Rochester

+ Park Avenue Clemenceau +65 6732 8200

The Rochester stands out as one of the tallest + Park Avenue Robertson urban buildings amidst a dynamic landscape of +65 6732 1600 greenery, innovation and retail opportunities. One give its guests a space that they can truly call home, so + Park Avenue Rochester +65 6808 8600 of its towers features savvy hotel suites and that even if they find themselves overseas on extended + Park Avenue Changi serviced offices while the other houses a swanky business, they are never homesick. Business Park condominium. Both towers are connected by a +65 6732 8200 chic shopping mall at the lower levels, admirably The Power of A Team + www.parkavenueintl.com self-sufficient yet inspired by the neighbouring David Liew, Managing Director of R&D giants, universities, parks and gardens in its vicinity. Unique in United Engineers Developments, is delighted that the tiny Singapore, The Rochester evokes a university town culture, or ever expanding Park Avenue Team has come thus far. ‘self-contained township’, teeming with opportunities, life and buzz, “The right dynamics of the group play a direct impact where residents, entrepreneurs, scholars and creatives can mingle. to our success today,” shared Liew. Employees at Park David Liew, Managing Director of This exciting integrated development designed by renowned Avenue represent diverse nationalities and this allows United Engineers Developments architect Paul Noritaka Tange and developed by United Engineers them to exchange ideas and meet the challenges they face in serving Developments (UED), represents the very ideals of modern living: a cosmopolitan clientele, ultimately enhancing the quality of service. convenience, nature, diversity, flexibility and technology. “To date, we are holding on to about 800 keys and in 3 years time, we plan to grow to hold 1000 keys with geographical A Prestige Residence to call Home coverage in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and For the cosmopolitan business globetrotter who is frequently Vietnam. I have confidence that with my current team, this vision checking in and out of airports and hotels, Park Avenue Rochester can be realised,” Liew continued. aims to make one feel right at home during work visits to Singapore. Opt to stay in one of Park Avenue’s business hotel About Park Avenue rooms, fully equipped with home theatre docks for iPods and Since its humble beginnings in 1997, Park Avenue, the hospitality iPhones, broadband Internet access, cable television channels and arm of United Engineers Developments has strived relentlessly to voicemail telephone service, among others. For longer stays and a establish a strong foothold in the local and global markets. Today, more homely experience, the serviced suites, which offer a kitchen while Park Avenue has earned recognition from the industry and and washing machine, are readily available. On top of these, enjoy business travel communities, and its fair share of accolades, the common hotel facilities, including a swimming pool, 24-hour unfaltering effort it started with continues. access to the gym, baby-sitting services and express check-outs. With its opening in January 2012, Park Avenue Rochester will While every room in Park Avenue has been designed with the be the only 4-star hotel in Singapore’s West, conveniently situated savvy business traveller to Asia in mind, the cherry on top of the Park near to popular biotech R&D industry at one-north, the Science Avenue experience is the personalised service and attention dedicated Parks and National University Hospital (National University to guests. It latest mantra, “A Prestige Residence to Call Home” is not Singapore). Other than Rochester, Park Avenue’s serviced suites just lip service. It is a promise to its guests, a promise that does not end are located at Clemenceau and Robertson. In 2012, another new with providing a comfortable and familiar space. Park Avenue aims to offering will be unveiled in Changi.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

www.parkavenueintl.com

PARK AVENUE CLEMENCEAU +65 6732 8200 • PARK AVENUE ROBERTSON +65 6732 1600 • PARK AVENUE ROCHESTER +65 6808 8600 • PARK AVENUE CHANGI BUSINESS PARK +65 6732 8200

ome

njoy coming

Clemenceau | Robertson | Rochester | Changi Business Park

A Prestige residence to cAll home

talent feature

Hiring the best Paper qualifications alone do not guarantee a good job fit. Organisations need to delve deeper and also assess the expectations, values and personality of the jobseeker to ensure long- term success, says Steven Seek, Managing Director of JobsDB.com Singapore

Steven

seek

Managing Director, JobsDB.Com Singapore

n order to create a sustainable competitive advantage, organisations are investing heavily in the creation of high performance teams. They are looking at bringing onboard the right kinds of people as a part of their corporate strategy. Fitting the right people in the right jobs will allow companies to successfully react and learn quicker than their competitors. The right people onboard will ultimately ensure success. Getting the right staff is the single most important factor to any organisation’s success. Hence, it becomes imperative that organisations do not leave the hiring process to chance. A systemic approach to attracting, screening, interviewing, assessing and developing individuals to create a culture of high performance is essential. The system needs to be able to avoid hiring

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

candidates who have the necessary skills on paper but do not have what it takes to be a true member of the team. When companies bring in people who are ill-suited to their work, they build a culture of low performance, creating stress in the organisation. Why are leaders not getting their best hiring fit for their organisation? The cause can be traced to one of the following possible reasons: » Inability to attract qualified candidates » Analysis of the job functions » Poor judgement of behaviour or skills » Inadequate initial screening and interview system » Inadequate interviewing training and questioning techniques » Company and career expectations do not align » References not checked

Recruitment leaders need to have answers to three fundamental questions before they hire or promote someone, namely: Can they do the job? Often the hiring decision is made on ability alone. While this consideration is important, it is merely the first step to ensure consistently successful hires. Will they do the job? There can be a distinct gap between ability and the willingness to do the job. Do they fit? The third level of a candidate’s evaluation, of paramount importance to a successful hire, is whether they fit into the company’s culture. A person who is able and willing, but nonetheless does not fit with the rest of the team, will not work well in the organisation. When we hire well and select the best, an immediate positive impact is created within the organisation. To hire well, we must begin with the premise that hiring is an ongoing process, a constant investment of the company’s time and resources, whether or not there is a specific position to fill. The rewards are handsome, and in most cases, far greater than what you would expect.

+ For more information, email to marketinginfo@jobsdb.com.sg

resources

How Leaders Lead

eaders are often talked about, but few are aware of what it takes to be one. In How Leaders Lead, author David Lim presents readers with 71 life lessons on leadership that often seem like “common sense”, but are not practised widely enough. Lim is well-known for being the leader of the first Singapore Mt Everest Expedition in 1998 and his writing is influenced by the many first-hand experiences that he had as an adventurer. Currently an adjunct lecturer at INSEAD business school, Lim also draws expertise from his work as a corporate coach to organisations. In the book, Lim deconstructs key leadership experiences and combines it with industry-level tools to help people grow as leaders. According to Lim, leaders have to start off knowing who they are, have a goal for themselves, and if the journey involves others, win their buy-in to walk the path as a team.

He goes on to state that some of the skills needed to be a leader include self-leadership skills, working in a team, bouncing back from setbacks, taking risks, adapting to change and living a balanced life with integrity. This little tome is filled with nuggets of information and real-life examples that are easy to digest. What makes this book a valuable resource is how Lim has veered away from talking purely about his climbing experiences to include many depictions of the corporate world that readers can relate to. The book is a great tool to motivate, inspire and improve any leader or aspiring leader. It is the distillation of Lim’s findings, in bite-sized chunks, of what leadership looks like and how leaders should lead. Insightful and filled with wisdom, this is a read that won’t take long to finish, but you will be glad you did.

At a Glance How Leaders Lead Authors: David Lim Published by: Everest Motivation Team Retail Price: $25 before GST

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

twenty-four seven Changi Village for the delicious Ayam Penyet and hearty hawker fare too!

1.00pm I make a call to the media agency

Cheng Yeow Tong Recruitment Executive, Singapore Prison Service

8.00am Into the office changing room to don my uniform and put on a big bright smile for the day.

9.00am Prepare for the arrival of

decisions made by the panel on their choice candidates.

11.15am After handling the phone call

candidates for scheduled interviews and chat with early birds who may be feeling nervous.

from a student enquiring about internship matters, it is time to organise and complete outstanding tasks before being out of office for a career fair in the afternoon.

11.00am Back to the office to sort out

12.00pm Off we go as a team for lunch

the interview notes and consolidate the

at Downtown East. We also frequent

handling our advertising to enquire about the status of our recruitment ads in the upcoming newsprint. This is also the time to review the advertising proposals and see if there are better ideas to engage our potential candidates.

2.30pm Rummaging through the Recruitment cabin for our brochures and small mementos for participants at the career fair.

3.30pm Arrival at the career fair. I help out in setting up the booth and await the influx of potential candidates who will be keen to ask, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Can you share with me what does a prison officer do?â&#x20AC;?

7.30pm End to a fruitful day. Apart from career enquiries and recruiting resumes from candidates, its time to pack up!

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

talent ladder Alessandro Paparelli

Regional Executive Director, HR and Organisation, Salvatore Ferragamo

Maurice Tan

HR Director, Asia Pacific, Tectura Singapore

James Foo

Director, HR, Mรถvenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa, Singapore

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Alessandro Paparelli has recently been promoted to Regional Executive Director, HR and Organisation at Salvatore Ferragamo, the Italian luxury house that has recently completed its successful IPO in Milan. In his new role, he will continue to lead the development of the company in Asia Pacific for all HR areas, as well as assume the responsibility of projects related to the organisational development of the brand. This includes the structures, processes and policies for both the Greater China and South East Asia markets. Now based in Hong Kong, Paparelli first joined Ferragamo in 2006 as an Organisational Development Manager based in its headquarters in Florence. His previous experiences include management consulting at EOS and in academy at Bocconi University of Milan.

Maurice Tan has taken up a new position as HR Director, Asia Pacific with Tectura Singapore and will be responsible for the HR function in the region. Prior to his appointment, Tan was a Senior HR Manager at REHAU. He has more than 29 years of HR experience and has been in a regional HR role for the past 15 years. His HR experience spans various industries including oil and gas, aerospace, engineering, manufacturing, FMCG, engineering and IT. With his regional exposure and experience in various industries, Maurice will work with the regional management team to develop HR best practices as well as position the HR function as a strategic business partner in Tectura.

James Foo has recently been appointed as the Director of HR by Mรถvenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa, Singapore. As a HR Generalist, Foo brings with him over 11 years of experience in the field of HR. He has previously worked at Raffles International Hotels & Resorts, Parkroyal, GuocoLand, CapitaLand and Resorts World Sentosa. In his new role, he aims to build a professional and high quality workforce in the organisation by developing and retaining key talent, in order for Mรถvenpick to be a choice employer. Foo looks forward to developing strong working relationships with all the Department Heads and his HR Team members. He is currently working on leading the team in HR strategic planning and executing, as well as Learning and Leadership Development.

profile THE FOREST BY WANGZ

Stay inspired at THE FOREST BY WANGZ

brand new urban oasis for the sophisticated traveller – THE FOREST BY WANGZ is an exclusive boutique serviced residences located in one of Singapore’s most vibrant neighbourhoods. It is just a few minutes’ walk away from the nearest MRT Station and the medical hub at Novena, and a short drive away from the financial district and Orchard Road shopping belt. Dedicated to anticipatory service that is discreet and comfort that is indulgent, residents will be pampered to a memorable accommodation experience at THE FOREST BY WANGZ. The serviced apartment offers flexible short-term and long-term stays, and is the perfect choice for the frequent business travellers and savvy tourists. Architecturally stunning, the property’s external facade is inspired by the sculptural forms of the lush tropical rainforest and its kaleidoscopic shadows. THE FOREST BY WANGZ showcases a collection of specially commissioned artworks reflecting a passion for melding art and nature. Whether it is the animated artforms in the common areas, or the bold designer furniture and vibrant artpiece in every apartment, art is, as they say, in the air! From the Studio apartment to the One-bedroom Premier apartment with balcony, all 38 apartments are designed with comfort and functionality in mind. Featuring colourful artpieces by Singaporean pop artist, Andre Tan, and individually handpicked designer furnishings, every living space is about originality and exclusivity… to ensure a truly inspired stay. With floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking views of the city and lush

greenery, each apartment offers a Sealy Posturepedic king-sized bed fitted with luxurious bed linens and a fully-equipped kitchenette. A relaxing rain shower with weekly replenishment of Molton Brown bath amenities are just some of the ways we indulge our residents. To go a step further, a SoundBar Home Theatre System and complimentary wireless and wired internet access throughout the property ensure residents are stimulated – and connected – at all times. The interior – which promotes communal activities, entertainment and exchange of ideas – is a haven after a day’s work or play. Whether residents prefer to unwind in the cosy ambience of the Residents’ Lounge, take a dip in our infinity pool by the lush landscaped garden, bask in pure serenity against panoramic views from the rooftop deck, or energise themselves with an invigorating workout in the fitness centre, they can be assured of a welcoming respite.

Facade

+ THE FOREST BY WANGZ 145A Moulmein Road, Singapore 308108 + Tel: (65) 6500 3188 + Email: inquiry@forestbywangz.com + Website: www.forestbywangz.com

Residents’ Lounge

One-Bedroom Premier

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

talent challenge

Pressure on high-potentials

High-potentials who are groomed to become future leaders may feel suffocated instead of privileged as they are expected to conform. Comment? There is a view that organisations identify high-potentials by examining if they already possess and demonstrate qualities that “fit the bill” of a future leader, and Zarina Piperdi therefore is a Hi-Po (otherwise, it would be pure conjecture of potential). Senior Vice Therefore, when the organisation develops the Hi-Po, it is actually President, HR, Singapore Airlines strengthening some attributes and qualities that the Hi-Po would already possess, Engineering and adding other desired qualities and attributes that he may be lacking in. This development journey, therefore, does not really start from zero. Therefore, if an organisation is identifying and developing Hi-Pos in a structured and deliberate manner, and if the current leadership team’s assessment of potential is generally accurate, I would not expect that a Hi-Po would feel suffocated. The path that he is being led on ought not to look so foreign to him, as he had shown himself earlier to potentially become one of those who would “fit the bill”. Yes, he may sometimes feel overwhelmed or out of depth, but if he’s the right chap, he would feel privileged and valued.

Ngiauw Ling Lee

We have a NSN Leadership Code that espouses consistency in leadership behaviours – leaders are supposed to create value for customers, drive innovation, empower his/her team, inspire others, and be accountable. We take a Glocal Regional Head Talent Leadership, approach to leadership expression – globally defined and locally expressed with Organisational each high-potential manifesting behaviours using his/her own leadership style. Development – APAC, Our high-potential is expected to own a Personal Development Plan (PDP) that Japan & India, Nokia leverages on the individual’s strengths and supports his/her learning agilities’ need Siemens Networks for career growth and development. We always start by recognising each high-potential for his/her unique strengths and talents. We then provide support to hone the individual’s talents by empowering and engaging the high-potentials so that they can unleash their creativity and passion. This would then result in a sustainable and high performing organisation.

Dr Lee Chay Hoon

At Keppel Offshore & Marine (KOM), we understand that managing our talents, or high-potentials, is of paramount importance to our organisation. Much effort is put into the selection and development of our talents. General Manager We galvanise our talents with a common set of beliefs and core values which (Organisational has been effective in motivating our talents and strengthening their identification Development), Keppel Offshore & with KOM. We also invest in long-term skills training, mentorship, talent Marine management and career planning to help our talents realise their full potential. With a culture of open communication, Executive Management engages in frequent dialogue and sharing sessions with our talents through enterprise-wide platforms. Such interactive platforms allow Executive Management to share and exchange ideas, and to foster a positive learning environment for our talents. At KOM we constantly seek ways to develop the capabilities of our talents and encourage them to seek new challenges. Management also actively engages talents through mentorship, training and leadership development programmes to guide them through different stages of their career. issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

viewpoint PayrollServe

Leave Management Solution: What it means to HR and employees As an organisation grows and matures, the types of leave and leave policies will multiply in “breath” and “depth” in terms of eligibility criteria and leave forfeiture rules. Since leave is integral to the organisation’s HR policies and practices, poor management may give rise to unwarranted employee motivational issues.

n today’s businesses where speed and accuracy are keys to competitiveness, leave policies management cannot be an after-thought by the HR department. Just as new leave policies are carefully crafted to match the demands of the workforce, the administration and management of leave policies must support the underlying HR and business strategies. The new generation of leave management solutions can immediately help to resolve the difficulties of managing leave transactions on paper-based forms and spreadsheets. Everyone understands the inefficiencies in managing paper flow in today’s organisations: application forms sit on managers’ desks for too long; they get “lost” in the routing process; and there is no easy way for employees to know their leave balance, eligibility and other related information immediately. Summarising and compiling leave records becomes an insurmountable task for organisations relying on manual leave records. Without doubt, any leave management solution must automate all the essential workflow and related leave policies and processes, and perhaps even more. For the HR department, such a system allows HR personnel to create and administer new leave policies, defining associated eligibility criteria and rules that may be practically difficult to enforce in a paper-based system. A leave management system also gives HR personnel valuable information on leave trends, resource

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Tay

thain lin Technical Director availability and other exception reports policies and eligibility criteria checking such as the frequency of unapproved automated, approving managers need not absence from work. Armed with better worry that they might mistakenly knowledge of leave trends, HR can now endorse any leave in non-compliance. better advise their management on the Timely reminders and email notifications characteristics of their workforce. make sure that managers do not leave The direct beneficiaries of a robust any leave transaction unattended. online leave system will be the employees HR managers can specify and themselves. For the employees, an online configure the work flow of leave leave system means that one can better applications, especially for leave that plan and manage requires multi-party or one’s leave bank. multi-step verification + PayrollServe With detailed leave and approval. 8 Wilkie Road, #03-08, balance and Leave management Wilkie Edge, Singapore 228095 transactional solutions is one of the + Website: www.payrollserve.com.sg information of every critical administration type on a 24x7 web and automation tools of portal, employees no longer need to today’s organisations. Using these, contact the HR department just to find out organisations can almost reap immediate about basic leave information. and quantifiable benefits with the successful For leave approving managers, they implementation of a comprehensive leave can immediately view the new leave management solution. applications, take note of their duration, and compare this against the resource + This is part 1 of a 3-part series. In the next issue: availability calendar of their department Part 2 – “Considerations for migrating from a during a festive period for example, manual to an automated leave management before endorsing approval. With the system: A HR practitioner’s perspective.”

executive appointments www.michaelpage.com.sg

Meet May. She’s tactful, understanding and a great judge of character. And now, thanks to our global client network, May’s talent is being recognised in her new role as Head of HR. Our specialist consultants help people like May realise their career potential everyday.

How far can your talent take you? Assistant Director – HR Business Partner Leading Brand Name Newly Created Business Partnering Role Our client is an established market leader in the energy sector and has registered year-on-year profitability growth in the last two decades. In view of continued business success, we are looking for a strong HR Business Partner for one of their subsidiaries. In this individual contributor role, you will be responsible for the organisational review, staffing and talent needs for the subsidiary’s engineering division. You should possess a degree from a local university with more than 10 years of HR generalist experience. Please contact Peiwen Teo quoting ref: H1112690

Senior Executive – Talent Management & Organisation Development Newly Created Position Attractive Remuneration Package Our client is a leading local MNC with an accelerated focus on talent management and organisation development.

#12458

You will work closely with the managers and participate in the effective design, development and implementation of solutions, including the Total Learning Plan for Corporate Centre employees. The successful candidate should have 8 years of experience in the field of training including course design, development and adult education/learning styles. Please contact Cherry Wu quoting ref: H1112850

Regional L&D & Training Managers Strategic Regional L&D Role Great Career Progression Opportunity Our client is one of the global leaders in the FMCG industry with two newly created roles - Regional L&D Manager and Regional Training Manager. These roles combine leadership program deployment and regional engagement initiatives across Asia Pacific. The successful candidate should have at least 8 years of experience and deliver leadership intervention programs to a broad range of leaders. Language fluency in English and Mandarin is preferred. Please contact Ling Quek quoting ref: H1096790

Human Resources Director Business partnering and talent management focused role Global MNC Our client is an international company in the media and entertainment industry. As the overall Human Resources lead for Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, you will spearhead the full spectrum of generalist responsibility, focusing on talent management, organisational development, as well as rewards programs. The successful candidate should have at least 10 years of business partnering experience. Senior talent management or learning and development specialists are welcome to apply. Please contact Audrey Neo quoting ref: H1099890

To apply for any of the above positions, please go to www.michaelpage.com.sg/apply quoting the reference number or contact the relevant consultant on +65 6533 2777 for further details.

Specialists in HR Recruitment

156 offices in 32 countries | www.michaelpage.com.sg

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

HuDson is ceLeBRating 15 yeaRs of successful partnership with our clients and candidates in singapore. 15 years of positive impact on the performance of top companies and talented individuals by finding the best fit for them.

gRowing togetHeR witH you oveR tHe yeaRs

with your support, we have evolved, grown and emerged as singapore’s premier Recruitment service provider. and through each year, we better understand your needs and continuously strive to serve you better. continue to grow and improve with us. contact our HR specialists at 6339 0355: iRene cHan MauReen Ho suRiani noRaHiM

RegionaL DiRectoR, coMpensation & BeneFits Well-Respected and Global Brand Operational and Strategic Leadership Challenging and Rewarding Role a well established global brand, our client currently seeks an accomplished and dynamic compensation & Benefits expert to play an integral role for its asia pacific operation. you will lead in the development, implementation and communication of strategies, and drive the translation of market practices and provide guidance on related matters to all key stakeholders in a highly matrix environment. you are responsible of rewards systems and tools, and delivery of all c&B projects with your team. Degree-qualified with professional certifications, you have at least 10 years of relevant working experience within Mnc. you are strategically attuned and capable of operating at a very hands-on level. you possess excellent working knowledge of apac c&B practices and regulations, and experience in the design and implementation of variable pay and sales incentive programs. exceptional leadership, influencing, interpersonal and communication skills are essential. Contact Maureen Ho quoting HRMP/32090A/MH.

senioR ManageR, expatRiate ManageMent Global Brand Exciting and Leadership Role Make a Difference, Make an Impact a leading player in its industry, our client has an immediate need for a proven and dedicated expatriate Management expert to join them. Leading a team, you will ensure the successful operational delivery of assignment services for all international assignees throughout their employment life cycle. you will develop and maintain effective workflow, and ensure the efficient and seamless deployment and ongoing expatriate management services. as part of the leadership team, you will partner closely with functional heads, HR partners, and all key stakeholders at all levels. you must have minimum 10 years experience in global mobility management within both corporate and vendor environments. you are process-driven, have in-depth knowledge of international mobility life cycle, with proven track record of responsive service delivery in fast-paced environment. with demonstrated leadership and operational capability, you possess outstanding customer service, interpersonal and communication skills to interact with all levels of staff in multicultural environment. Contact Maureen Ho quoting HRMP/32092A/MH.

to apply please enter the relevant reference number in the ‘Job ref number/keyword’ section of jobs.sg.hudson.com. alternatively, email your resume to sgresume@hudson.com quoting the relevant reference number.

HRM_2p_12.indd 1-2

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

coMpensation & BeneFits ManageR Fast Moving & Profitable Company Vigorous Operations Salary Circa $140 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 150K Per Annum need a challenge? Join a global firm, rapidly growing in its field. they are currently looking for a c&B Manager, reporting to the global c&B vp. you are expected to provide reward subject matter proficiency for apac, supporting the senior HR Director for apac on salary benchmarking, package proposals, legislative compliance, approval management and issue escalation. you will also assist the global c&B vp, in regular reward activities such as quarterly sales incentive payments, annual salary review, monthly compensation reports and ad-hoc integration work requirements. we are looking for a Degree qualified candidate, with minimum 8 years of apac compensation experience within an Mnc. you must be well-versed in interpreting market information and the apac pay environment. you must be analytical, and be able to manage several projects and deadlines. with a strategic acumen, you must familiarize quickly to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operating environment, and gainfully engage with various partners across the organization, within a multi-region environment. Contact Suriani Norahim quoting HRMP/ 32173/SUN.

HR ManageR, RecRuitMent (FMcg) Well Established and Profitable Fast Moving and Successful Glamorous Environment Demonstrate your initiative and join a leading international FMcg corporation. Due to an aggressive growth plan, our client seeks a HR Manager Recruitment, focusing on staffing and HR Business partnering activities. you are responsible for recruitment, supporting the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth by sourcing talents, setting the appropriate strategy to attract and select the best candidates for the organization. you will work closely with business leaders, serve as a strategic partner and change facilitator to the business, and initiate, design and implement HR programs, and translate objectives into HR deliverables. Degree qualified, you possess professional HR qualification and minimum 7 years of solid hands-on recruitment and HR Business partnering experience within an Mnc. experience in recruiting for it professionals is ideal. you are a strategist and hands-on operator with experience working within a matrix organization. an excellent communicator, you possess exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills, and ability to work in a fast-paced and energetic environment. Contact Suriani Norahim quoting HRMP/ 32095/SUN.

13.12.2011 14:08:58

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

www.achievegroup.asia Singapore | Malaysia | Hong Kong

Established in 1990, the Achieve Group is a multi award-winning organisation and HR outsourcing partner-of-choice for local conglomerates and multinational corporations within the Asia Pacific region. It specialises in Talent Acquisition comprising General Recruitment, Technology Recruitment, Foreign Recruitment and Executive Search Divisions, as well as HR Consulting.

1. Human Resource Manager

2. Human Resource Manager

Dutch MNC 5 days/ Ubi - East Very good company

Human Resource Manager F&B Industry Up to S$5K

Our client, is an international company delivering print systems and document management solutions for business-to business environments. The main strength of is in the combination of highly intelligent ICT applications with productive and user-friendly equipment. All technologies are developed within their own R&D departments throughout the world. They are a global company with wholly owned operating companies in 32 countries and is employing over 22.000 people. The turnover is over 3 billion US$ a year. The headquarters is located in Venlo, the Netherlands.

Our Client is is an established International F&B company with over 10 years presence in Singapore. Reporting directly to the General Manager, they are currently looking for a Human Resource Manager for their growing business.

Responsibilities

Requirements

Responsibilities Maintain and enhance the organisation’s human resources by planning, implementing and evaluating employee relations and human resource policies, programs and practices to achieve the organizational goals.

• Recruitment • Performance Appraisals • HR development • HR consulting • Salary administration and employee information management

• Degree in Business Administration / Human Resource Management • Minimum 5 years experience in similar capacity • Excellent interpersonal & supervisory and analytical skills • Proficient in Microsoft Office

Requirements

Interested candidate please submit your updated resume in MS Word format to:

• Degree + Min 5 years of HR Generalist experience with 3 years is holding a Senior HR Exec OR HR Manager position, preferably have worked in a MNC environment • Experience in Comp & Ben strongly desired • Adaptability to work in a less structured environment

Position 1: blessing1@achievegroup.asia Position 2: aspire5@achievegroup.asia We regret only shortlisted candidate will be notified. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

141 Market Street #13-00 International Factors Building Singapore 048944 T +65 6323 0050 F +65 6323 3006

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

MAKE A QUANTUM LEAP Regional Talent Acquisition Director Exciting opportunity to be part of a Global MNC

Highly visible role

Our client is a global giant in the financial services industry. An opportunity is now open for a seasoned Regional Talent Acquisition Director to lead the Regional staffing strategy and meeting day to day recruiting objectives for the region, especially in Singapore. Reporting to the Global Head of Talent Acquisition and dotted line to the Head of HR, you will develop regional talent acquisition strategy in accordance with global head of talent acquisition. You will help to drive the global resourcing agenda and oversee recruiting process for senior/ critical positions (start to end lifecycle) for region and in Singapore. You will work closely with HR Business Partner and client groups to meet recruiting needs in a cost effective and timely manner, ensuring internal equity. You will also provide overall leadership and direction to recruiters and staffing specialists. You should be a graduate with minimum 10 years of staffing experience in related industries such as banking, insurance or consulting with a focus in high-volume recruiting in a fast paced, geographically detached global organization. The ideal candidate must be well versed in working in a global firm with appropriate exposure and experience in interfacing with business executives, senior HR staff, and other stakeholders in a multi-national organization. You should possess strong technological and analytical skills and have experience with various applicant tracking systems and e-recruiting tools. To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to adeline_chew@kellyservices.com.sg or contact Adeline Chew at 6227 2251 for a confidential discussion.

HR Director, Asia Pacific Asia Pacific Regional HR Leadership role

Fortune 100 Global Company

This is an opportunity for an experienced senior HR Leader to be part of a reputable global companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuous business growth and expansion in the Asia Pacific region. As the functional HR head, you will be responsible for leading a culturally diverse team across 12 countries to support a dynamic and fast moving business. This is a full spectrum HR leadership role which requires an experienced HR leader to mentor and lead a team, while also playing a vital part as business partner to the President of the Asia Pacific business. The ideal candidate is Master Degree qualified with over 15 years of relevant working experience in good class matrix MNCs. You should be confident and well presented with a track record of senior stakeholder management. You must possess strong communication and influencing skills. To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to sharon_wong@kellyselection.com or contact Sharon Wong at 6227 2251 for a confidential discussion.

Kelly Services is a leader in providing workforce solutions. For more than 30 illustrious years, Kelly has been partnering Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading companies to deliver the best talent in the market. Today, Kelly Singapore operates from over 10 strategic locations island-wide. Complementing our general staffing capability, Kelly also offers great expertise in the sourcing of specialised professionals across technical disciplines such as Engineering, Technology and Science, as well as functional specialities for Finance, HR, Sales & Marketing, Procurement and Banking.

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

Towards unparalleled career advancement with

Kelly Professional and Technical division

HR Specialist (Compensation & Benefits) Technology industry

Positive career progression

Our client, is one of the global leading company in the technology industry. They are currently searching for a HR Specialist, Human Resource (Compensation & Benefits). Reporting to the HR Manager, you will assist to review, develop, and implement appropriate compensation and benefits programmes and strategies. You will also participate in salary bench-making and benefits surveys, develop market data guide and pay ranges. In addition, you will also conduct analysis survey result and recommend appropriate strategies to maintain market competitiveness and equity; administer and enhance the employee performance management system with the objective of rewarding and motivating employees as well as assist in the management of human resource functions such as industrial relations and employee services. To qualify for this role, you should be a degree holder in any discipline preferably with postgraduate qualifications in HRM. Minimum of 5 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; relevant experience in HRM in a large organization with some years of specialization in compensation and benefits. Relevant experience in industrial relations would be advantageous. You should be meticulous with strong numerical and analytical skills, mature team player with ability to multi-task and prioritize efficiently. Possess strong interpersonal and fluent English and Mandarin communication skills. To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to audrey_ng@kellyselection.com or contact Audrey Ng at 6227 2251 for a confidential discussion.

Senior OD Manager Global Operations

Interesting and Exciting role

Our client is an established leader in its market with an excellent business model and a well respected leadership team. They are now hiring a Senior OD Manager to join the HR team. This is a newly created and individual contributor role. You will be required to be a trusted advisor and an internal consultant to the senior management team. You will lead overall people development strategy such as talent management review and programs as well as executive learning and assessment for key talents. You will drive organizational development initiatives to create a high performing workforce and develop HR programs that propel organizational effectiveness. You are degree qualified and have worked a minimum of 10 years in a progressive and dynamic environment, preferably in the oil & gas/ mining industries. You must have strong leadership skills to lead people through organizational change process. Strategic to have a broad based perspective and operational enough to roll up sleeves and get things going. Flexibility combined with strong drive and the desire to make a difference is also important. It is critical that you are an effective communicator, with a drive for excellence and a flexible approach. This role is based in Singapore with some travel regionally as well as globally. To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to lili_kang@kellyselection.com or contact Li Li, Kang at 6227 2251 for a confidential discussion.

kellyservices.com.sg

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

Returning the Human to Resourcing

C&B Manager (Contract to Perm)

Country Talent Manager

Head of HR – Malaysia

Exciting Industry

Premier Bank

Global Financial Institution

Strategic Business Partnering

High Growth Phase

Base Salary circa S$140k + bonus

Excellent Career Prospects

Highly Challenging Role

Our client is an established UK multinational, a leader in their industry. Due to team movements and anticipated global initiatives, there is now an opportunity for a C&B professional to join them on an interim assignment. Subject to individual performance, there is a possibility of a permanent conversion.

This premier bank promotes talent development and retention through proactive talent development and succession planning programs. It is now recruiting a senior Talent Manager for Singapore.

This premier financial institution serves its global network of clients with sophisticated services and operates in a dynamic, entrepreneurial and culturally diverse environment. It is recruiting a dynamic professional for the position of Head of HR – Malaysia.

Reporting to VP C&B based in London, you will provide reward subject matter expertise for the APAC region, including salary benchmarking, package proposals and legislative compliance with local country requirements. You will also assist in leading reward activities such as quarterly sales incentive programs, annual salary benchmarking, and reviews and run compensation reports and analysis, for the region as a whole.

Reporting to Singapore Head of Talent & Learning, you will play a critical role in supporting the Bank’s strategic people agenda and massively multiplying the Bank’s leadership capability. You will be responsible for talent strategy, planning, assessing talent development needs, developing and implementing customized talent programs to develop high-potentials and future leaders.

Ideally you should be degree qualified and have a minimum of 8 years experience in C&B. Strong foundation of APAC compensation practices, legislations and trends is highly advantageous. You are a proven leader, an effective communicator and possess strong influencing skills. You are highly confident and have no issues dealing with senior management.

Degree qualified, you will have significant years of talent management and development experience gained in a major bank or MNC. You possess strong relationship building, influencing and communication skills. You are driven, commercial, self-motivated, independent and also a strong team player.

Degree qualified, with significant years of HR experience gained in a major MNC or financial institution, you are highly credible, a self-starter, highly-tenacious and proactive in driving results and organizational change. You will thrive in a fast-paced environment and are able to operate at both strategic and tactical levels.

To apply, please submit your resume to Cecelia Koh at ck@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number CK3762\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Adnan Atan at aa@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AA3702\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Adnan Atan at aa@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AA3779\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

banking | finance | human resources

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

This is a highly critical hire in support of the company’s growing operations in Malaysia. As part of the senior management team and the key decision-maker for human capital, you will drive people agenda and contribute to the alignment of the business and employee objectives through utilizing appropriate HR interventions and change management tools.

executive appointments HRM Awards 2009 Sponsor of the Best HR Manager of the Year Award Asiamoney Headhunters Poll 2009 Best Headhunting Firm - Middle/Back-Office category No. 2 in Asia

HR Manager

Learning Program Director

HR Business Partner

Leading US MNC

Progressive Global Bank

Newly Created Position

Team Management Role

Program & Instructional Design Preferred

APAC Focus

Base Salary circa S$150k + bonus

Consumer Banking

Base Salary circa S$150k + bonus

Our client is a leading global MNC with extensive operations in Singapore. Due to continuing business needs, there is now an opportunity for a dedicated and high performing HR professional to join them as a HR Manager.

Our client is a progressive global bank with diverse businesses and global network of clients. It is recruiting a dynamic and high caliber Learning Program Director.

Our client is in a high growth stage with excellent opportunities in the region. Due to business expansion, there is now an opportunity for a dedicated and high performing HR professional to join them in this newly created role.

You are HR qualified and have worked a minimum of 10 years in a progressive multinational, preferably with some years spent in a manufacturing environment. Prior experience in pharmaceutical, chemical and oil and gas industries will be highly advantageous. You are hands-on, have strong knowledge around local employment practices and are overall, an excellent team player. To apply, please submit your resume to Cecelia Koh at ck@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number CK3681\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Reporting to the Head of Learning for Consumer Banking, you will design and develop learning solutions to enable the Consumer Banking business to achieve its strategic intent, including defining business aligned learning agendas, curricula design and development, faculty identification, learning roadmaps and certification. Degree qualified, you will have relevant years of experience in learning gained in a progressive bank or MNC. With strong learning consulting and business engagement skills to identify and analyse requirements, you will have advanced facilitation skills to deliver at Train-the-Trainer program level. Instructional design background would be highly desirable.

To apply, please submit your resume to Adnan Atan at aa@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AA3437\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Working with a team of professional and energetic colleagues, you will work closely with the management team and implement global best practices for the region. This is a generalist business partnering role encompassing issues pertaining to policy rollouts, talent management, compensation and benefits, learning and development as well as other ad-hoc initiatives. As this is a newly created role, you can also expect an administrative element to the position, especially in the onset. You are HR qualified and have worked a minimum of 10 years in a progressive multinational, preferably in the high-tech/IT software industry. You are hands-on, yet have the capacity to think at a very broad level. You are a strong team player and have a strong â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;can-doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mindset. To apply, please submit your resume to Cecelia Koh at ck@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number CK3692\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Licence No: C690801Z

Working with a team of professional and energetic colleagues, you will report to the HR Director, APAC and be responsible for effective and efficient delivery of the entire end-to-end HR functions for both the local operations as well as the regional teams based in Singapore. This includes providing strategic and tactical advice to business leaders in the areas of learning and development, general C&B and talent management.

www.kerryconsulting.com issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

Human resources professionals speak to tHe experts Hr manager (employee engagement) unite the workforce.

training & Development manager for private Bank passionate about investing in people.

Reporting to the HR Director, you will be responsible for leading and developing an engaging workforce culture at the corporate level. You will partner with senior management, line managers and HR business partners to design, develop and action effective employee engagement initiatives. You are expected to plan and implement engagement strategies and review/monitor employee engagement levels and their impact on business performance. You should hold a degree or postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management with at least three years of related experience in employee engagement.

A leading bank in Asia-Pacific is looking for a Training & Development Manager for their private bank function. You will be responsible for developing and conducting stand-up training delivery for both soft skills and investment/insurance products for personal bankers/relationship managers. With at least five yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in the finance industry, preferably in sales and training. You must have financial market and investment advisory related training experience gained in the banking sector. Previous experience as a Certified Financial Planner or as a Chartered Financial Consultant is also highly desirable.

Hr Business partner - Generalist Handle the full spectrum of Hr.

program Director Distribution, consumer Bank provide a world-class training curriculum.

This bank has a strong footprint in Asia and great presence in Singapore. They are seeking a HR Business Partner for their retail business. The ideal candidate must possess at least five years experience in HR and should hold a Business Partner position and thorough knowledge of Singapore employment legislation. An ability to handle high volume employee queries on a range of issues such as payroll, C&B, recruitment and training administration a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;can doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attitude with a willingness to learn will serve you well here.

A global financial services organisation, with strong presence in Singapore and in the region, is looking for a Programme Director to design and develop learning solutions to enable the consumer banking/ distribution business to achieve its strategic intent. This includes defining business aligned learning agendas, curricula design and development, faculty identification, learning roadmaps and certification. They are particularly interested in meeting individuals from the service sector with a focus on designing customer service related programmes.

please contact ash russell, mamta shukla, thomas Girling or Vargin Yeke at hr.singapore@hays.com.sg or +65 6303 0721.

hays.com.sg

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

executive appointments

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Charterhouse FPFC 190x238 v11_A 12/12/11 2:06 PM Page 1

executive appointments

Great people are at the heart of every successful business. It is this belief to invest in our team at Charterhouse that makes it possible for us to provide our clients with professional, specialised and tailored executive search services and the best possible talent for each company.

In people, for people

Our client list spans across multi-national companies and global enterprises with a vested interest in people and talent development. These companies are currently searching for HR professionals to develop a rewarding professional career for and to value add to the following professional and executive roles.

HR Regional Manager (Singapore/APAC)

HR Business Partner (Singapore/APAC)

This organisation is a global manufacturer of advanced scienti ic technology seeking for a dynamic and proactive individual to pioneer the business operations and its regional L&D plans and strategies.

This organisation is one of the world’s largest global sovereign wealth fund management companies. It is looking for a collaborative, dynamic individual achieve business performance, goals and objectives.

Responsibilities: • anticipate and meet the needs of business leaders, staff and line managers through the HR function • ensure that compensation and bene its programs are cost effective • ensure compliance of HR practices in relation to local statutory requirements • ensure pipeline of quality candidates through effective sourcing, screening & selection process • create a learning organisation, identify learning & development needs and ensure timely and effective development of HR • work with managers to drive a high performance culture through performance reviews Requirements: • minimum 8 years HR experience with the last 3 years in a management role • solid interpersonal and communications (English and Mandarin) skills • resilient and ready to construct HR infrastructures and practices as well as driving change throughout the organisation in a dynamic and fast‐pace environment

To apply, please email your CV to perryb@charterhouse.com.sg or call Perry Barrow on +65 6435 5634

Learning & Development Manager (Singapore/APAC)

Responsibilities: • monitor replacement and recruitment costs and ensure headcount resources are optimised • partner with the C&B team on surveys to ensure that employment T&Cs, including compensation and incentive schemes are market competitive • drive and work with line managers on annual performance appraisal exercise • work with the line managers to encourage the growth and career development

Requirements: • minimum 10 years HR experience; ideally in multinational companies • ability to strategise and recommend appropriate course of actions on issues • strong interpersonal as well as written and verbal skills to in luence various stakeholders • team player, independent, mature, driven and resourceful in delivering a robust and proactive business led HR service in a fast‐paced environment

To apply, please email your CV to shereenf@charterhouse.com.sg or call Shereen Foo on +65 6435 5610

Talent Management Manager (Singapore/APAC)

This company is one of the world’s largest leading inancial body. It is seeking for a highly dynamic and resourceful individual to lead and pioneer the development of innovative L&D programs and initiatives.

This company is a global market leader in cutting‐edge technology. It is seeking for a highly resourceful and innovative individual to build a strategic approach to talent management.

Requirements: • degree holder in Human Resource Management or relevant discipline • minimum 8 years HR experience and 3 years in a management role with a strong background in L&D • experience in designing, delivering and managing development through a variety of sound, cost‐effective L & D solutions • self starter, articulate and con ident in delivering to large audiences • possesses excellent communication skills both written and spoken

Requirements: • degree holder in Human Resource Management or relevant discipline • minimum 8 years HR experience and 3 years in a management role with a strong background in Talent Management • able to operate individually and employing solid decision‐making skills • able to in luence, develop and maintain highly effective relationships with various stakeholders • excellent interpersonal, communication and leadership skills

Responsibilities: • work with business leaders and managers to identify training needs and trends • design, with both in‐house and expert third parties, solutions which include a blended approach to towards learning and development • deliver blended solutions and training sessions to delegates, mostly at management level • manage and oversee the development of training teams • management of the training budget

To apply, please email your CV to perryb@charterhouse.com.sg or call Perry Barrow on +65 6435 5634

Responsibilities: • develop, implement and evaluate leadership programs • design and develop innovative and effective talent management programs • provides consultation on all phases of talent management • collaborate with business leaders and HR to develop and execute an incorporated approach to development, learning and talent management • work with clients to assess development needs, and perform gap analysis to build people management and leadership skills

To apply, please email your CV to perryb@charterhouse.com.sg or call Perry Barrow on +65 6435 5634

For more information on your career and recruitment needs, please visit www.charterhouse.com.sg

www.charterhouse.com.sg

issue 12.01

hrmasia.com

Investment inPeople People Investment in

Asia • Middle East • Australasia

Come home to one of Singapore’s most coveted waterfront addresses Breathtaking ocean vistas. Vibrant waterfront playground. Luxurious urban lifestyles. Residences at Reflections opens up a new dimension to waterfront living. Residences at Reflections presents a unique opportunity to expand your incomparable lifestyle. With 131 fully-furnished apartments ranging from cosy two-bedroom suites to a lavish penthouse, Residences at Reflections is your home away from home. Our meticulous attention to detail, uncompromising service and full suite of amenities ensure you receive only the best. Located in the most vibrant and prestigious southern part of Singapore, residents enjoy easy and direct access to the city and central business district. Residences at Reflections’ proximity to Sentosa Island, Singapore’s largest retail and lifestyle hub, VivoCity and trendy dining venues invite residents to savour unique pleasures and a limitless variety of leisure options in this exciting cosmopolitan city. Welcome home to Residences at Reflections, life’s haven by the bay.

Residences at Reflections 1 Keppel Bay View, Reflections at Keppel Bay, Singapore 098402 For enquiries and reservations, please call (65) 63763400 or enquiries@residencesatreflections.com.sg

NOW DEFINING GLOBAL LIVING IN SINGAPORE

Our Serviced Residences in Singapore Ascott Rafﬂes Place • Citadines Mount Sophia Somerset Bencoolen • Somerset Grand Cairnhill • Somerset Liang Court • Somerset Orchard

From the spacious exclusivity and refinement of Ascott to the vibrancy of independent city-living at Citadines, or the pampering touches for the family at Somerset, there is an Ascott serviced residence designed to make you feel at home. Because life is about living. For further information and global reservations, please visit www.the-ascott.com or call 1800 272 7272 (Singapore toll-free) The Ascott Limited is a member of CapitaLand. It is the largest global serviced residence owner-operator in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Gulf region, managing the Ascott, Citadines and Somerset brands in over 70 cities across more than 20 countries.