HRM 12.9 - Interviews from Hell

hrm ISSUE 12.9

WWW.HRMASIA.COM

HELL Interviews from

Recruitment horror stories

PLUS:

Coaching for Yin • Global talent movements

Developing hi-potentials at OCBC Bank HR’s role in fraud prevention How DHL attracts fresh talent

HRM 12.9

Contents 18 Cover Story: What interviewees want First impressions count.

Unprofessional hiring behaviour can damage an organisation’s reputation and hamper its recruitment efforts. HRM looks at some interview horror stories and provides tips on how HR can avoid such blunders

EDITOR Sumathi V Selvaretnam JOURNALISTS Shalini Shukla-Pandey Priya de Langen EDITORIAL RESEARCHER Vivien Shiao Shufen TRAFFIC MANAGER Azimah Jasman SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Amos Lee GRAPHIC DESIGNER John Paul Lozano REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Evelyn Lim SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Yogesh Chandiramani ACCOUNT MANAGERS Natasha Vincent Charlene Lim GENERAL MANAGER Kaveri Ayahsamy REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR George Walmsley MANAGING DIRECTOR Richard Curzon PHOTOGRAPHY BY David Teng Photography Firefly Photography

IN THIS COVER STORY

“Sometimes interviewers think that they reign supreme and don’t give interviewees the basic respect they deserve”

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– PR EXECUTIVE FROM A LEADING RECRUITMENT FIRM IN SINGAPORE MICA (P) 137/07/2012 ISSUE 12.9

ISSN 0219-6883

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HRM 12.9

Contents

Check out HRM online:

14 FEATURES 14 | Putting the ‘person’ in personnel Recently named the world’s strongest bank for the second straight year, OCBC Bank leads the way not only through its disciplined approach towards credit and risk management but also its active talent development initiatives. Eric Ong, Head of Emerging Business, Global Enterprise Banking, OCBC Bank, shares how the bank’s leaders make the personal effort to groom their talent

24 | Delivering a successful brand Logistics company, DHL Express has been tapping on global hiring markets for decades, but A. Mateen, vice president of HR, Singapore and Southeast Asia, says that the organisation still faces challenges in attracting talent. The company relies on its strong employee value proposition to ensure the brand’s success

29 | Internships: Getting it right There’s more to interns than cheap or even free labour. While the benefits to students may be obvious, including increased employability, improved communication skills, and a better grasp of the realities of working life, how important are these temporary placements to business and HR?

34 | Fraud prevention unit: HR There has been a whopping 2,000% increase in cyber-attacks over three years with nearly half originating from the Asia Pacific region. Research has also found that more than three-quarters of people would stop dealing with an organisation in the event of a security breach. HRM finds out HR’s role in preventing corporate fraud.

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24 41 | Plugging the IT skills gap Employees who lack essential IT knowledge can delay work processes and drag down the business. On the other hand, a structured training programme can equip employees with the knowledge and skills to overcome challenges posed by emerging technologies

46 | What Genghis Khan’s HR Director Knew Companies today can take a leaf from the organisational design principles of the famous warrior to ensure high-performance at the workplace, writes our guest contributor Andrew O’ Keeffe

50 | Coaching for Yin What might your organisation look like if more leaders embraced feminine (Yin) energy?

Taking a leaf out of Taoist doctrine, Dennis Roberts discovers the likely result would be workplaces filled with collaborative, creative, and sustainable traits and energy

57 | Travelling in style Companies in Asia are sending their employees on a growing number of short-term business trips across the region. HRM considers the range of services and amenities these properties are offering the busy corporate traveller

63 | A night to remember It’s that time of the year again when the company’s annual dinner and dance takes shape. Love it or hate it, it has become one of the regular fixtures on the office calendar.

HRM takes a look at several venues for firms to hold that night to remember

50 REGULARS 4 | Analysis 6 | News 12 | Leaders on Leadership 22 | Spotlight 61 | Restaurant review 71 | Twenty-four Seven 72 | In Person 75 | Talent Challenge 77 | Talent Ladder 79 | Viewpoint 81 | Resources 82 | Talent Feature 83 | Executive Appointments

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 2

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ANALYSIS

Talent Management

Rise of the contract worker Around 15 years ago employment markets in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia began seeing a rise in temporary and contract work arrangements.

Now, this global trend has arrived in Asia

By Shalini Shukla-Pandey

Managing contract staff • Do the introductions, explaining each team member’s role and their specialities • Explain when and how people should communicate, and with which tools • Ensure temporary staff know where to find the information they need on shared drives and web sites give temporary workers the context of the tasks you set out for them Source: Hays

The incidence of term-contract employment among Singapore employees stands at about

11% in 2011

Source: Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower

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The benefits of employing temporary or contract staff are gaining the attention of business leaders in Singapore.

According to Hays, the nation’s contracting population has more than tripled over the past 18 months and the growth is expected to continue, with demand primarily seen in the IT, Finance Technology and Banking sectors.

“With world economies at varying stages of crisis and recovery, employers are now looking for more flexibility when it comes to workforce planning – and the obvious answer is temporary assignments,” says Chris Mead, Regional Director of Hays in Southeast Asia.

Temporary workers do not only offer benefits during times of uncertainty. A flexible workforce is also about a long-term workforce management plan in which such factors as project work, peak demands, annual leave and system updates are considered.

“Given emerging skills shortages, contract workers provide employers with the ability to access specific skills and broaden the pool of talent, rather than restricting their search to only candidates looking for a permanent role,” says Mead.

In certain situations, employers may pay a premium to their employees to compensate for the short-term nature of certain contracts in professions where skills and expertise are in demand, says Dr. Amy Khor, Singapore’s Minister of State for Manpower.

“By taking advantage of the benefits of temporary assignments, an organisation can get ahead of competitors by fully utilising such flexible workforce arrangements,” Mead adds.

Exploring the temp staff option Employers face a reduced administrative burden as temporary workers are paid by the recruitment agency. They come fully-interviewed and reference-checked, and have undertaken all necessary pre-employment medicals, safety checks and occupational health and safety training, says Mead.

“This is most important for roles that naturally have a high level of attrition – for example, some administrative or secretarial staff,” says Peter Baker, HR Director – Asia-Pacific, Maersk Line.

Employees also benefit. They are able to try out an organisation before agreeing to a permanent role. Employees also have the chance to advance their skills and career on more flexible terms with a variety of tasks and workloads.

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“Not everyone wants a permanent job,” says Mead. “Those candidates attracted to temporary assignments see them as a way to gain a better work-life balance.”

Baker concurs and says that the idea that some staff have a desire to move around among different employers is probably a good one and becoming more prevalent among younger workers.

However, he adds that employers still look unfavourably upon people who have job-hopped a lot, so having their CV say “Hays” or “Adecco” as their primary employer (while also identifying the company where they were placed) is likely to be viewed more positively by an employer than someone who has resigned from many permanent roles.

SPRING Singapore and the Workforce Development Agency are also working on a formalised training plan that will develop the skills of the nearly 195,000 part-time workers here.

Employees who enter into such employment arrangements should also be aware of the implications, says Khor.

“Notwithstanding that, companies should consider converting their contract employees into permanent staff if they are found to be suitable for the job and if the job is expected to be available on a permanent basis,” she says.

“This will provide greater employment certainty to the employee and enhance employee engagement.”

For instance, Japan’s recently revised labour contract law gives the country’s estimated 12 million contract workers the option of becoming permanent staff after five years’ employment at the same workplace.

The tide hasn’t turned just yet Maersk uses contractor workers in three circumstances: when there is uncertainty about whether the role will exist in the future; when there is surge capacity needed for specific short-term projects; and as maternity leave replacements.

However, the shipping giant is still seeing that a large majority of candidates prefer the certainty that comes with a permanent role.

“Also, we find higher engagement among permanent staff, who can feel more part of the company culture,” says Baker.

“Regardless of whether employees are on term contracts or permanent contracts, they are similarly covered under Singapore’s employment legislation,” says Khor.

NEWS

Asia SINGAPORE

HONG KONG

Local workers too choosy and demanding

Workforce highly disengaged A new Global Workforce Study by Towers Watson has revealed that more than 80% of Hong Kong workers are not fully engaged in their work and are struggling to cope with work situations that don’t provide sufficient support.

This finding suggests employees are finding it difficult to sustain the kind of positive connection to their companies that yields consistent productivity — the result of more than a decade of pressure to do more with less. They are also having difficulty responding to the challenges of global competition, everevolving technology, and the on-going need for strict cost management.

While there are variations in employee attitudes across the regions influenced by local economic conditions, the study shows that employees everywhere are working more hours, feeling more stress, and are tired of workplace change. That said, Hong Kong’s workforce is one of the world’s most disengaged, with only 19% of employees fully engaged, relative to a global figure of 35%.

“The survey results are disturbing. When we see such a large percentage of workers feeling disengaged, Hong Kong employers must contend with greater performance risks,” said Jeffrey Tang, Director of Talent and Rewards, Towers Watson Hong Kong.

Levels of stress, the severity of workloads, alignment with company goals and objectives, and support on the job from leaders and supervisors stood out as attributes that employers could change to improve engagement and increase productivity.

The study found that just 37% of employees say they have trust and confidence in their company’s senior leadership team.

Also, only 38% believe their supervisors have enough time to handle the people aspects of their role. Nearly 40% of employees feel they are often bothered by excessive pressure on the job and only half of the workforce say their stress levels are manageable.

The maximum length of unemployment benefits in China is up to

24 months

depending on province and city INDIA

Demand for new MBA’s stays strong Demand for new MBA hires in India has remained stable at 88% of companies this year. This exceeds both the global average (79%) and the Asia-Pacific average (80%).

According to a report by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), global employer demand for new MBA hires is up in 2012. Nearly 80% of companies plan to hire recent MBA graduates in 2012, compared to 72% that hired them in 2011.

Indian residents represent the third largest group of Graduate Management Admission Test examinees in the business school pipeline, after the US and China.

Michelle Sparkman-Renz, GMAC’s director of research communications, 6

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says: “India’s status as a growing economy may be a driver of demand”.

On-campus visits (72%) topped the list of recruitment methods Indian employers use when seeking new graduate business hires. Employee referrals (69%) were the second most popular method, followed by hiring of former and current interns (48%), use of online job search tools (48%), and company websites (45%).

Top three industries with demand for graduate Indian students Industry Consulting High Technology Finance and Accounting

Percentage 76% 44% 33%

Source: Graduate Management Admission Council

Source: Mercer 2012 Worldwide Benefits & Employment Guidelines

South Korea’s ruling party chief wants to push up the statutory retirement age to

70

by 2020 Source: Korea International Labour Foundation

India has generated

270,000 jobs during the first half of 2012 Source: The Associated Chambers of Commerce (Assocham)

More than half (52%) of companies surveyed are finding it difficult to hire Singaporeans, according to a new report by the Achieve Group. Its special report in to the hiring of local workers against imported talent found that 45% of Singaporean employers claimed that “Singaporeans are too choosy” when it comes to the nature of their work, location, hours, and conditions.

Nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) said “Singaporeans are demanding too high salaries”, and one fifth reported that they simply received no responses to job advertisements.

The report also polled companies on the impact this talent crunch is having on their recruitment and HR strategies – and what organisations are doing to address these issues.

About a fifth of respondents reported having a greater focus on talent retention strategies such as employee engagement. Sixteen per cent said they were increasing multi-tasking within the workforce’ by having existing employees take on additional portfolios, while 15% stated that they were looking to increase productivity through measures such as business restructuring and automating processes.

Joshua Yim, CEO, Achieve Group, says that the findings have shown that staff retention is coming into greater focus, and he urged businesses to take advantage of Singapore government assistance schemes. “I encourage small to medium enterprises, in particular, to utilise the Innovation and Capability Voucher and redeem the grants by Spring Singapore,” he said.

NEWS

SINGAPORE

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has proposed increasing the statutory employment ratio of disabled workers to

Having women on board pays Companies with at least one woman on their board have outperformed organisations with only male directors by 26% over the last six years. According to the Gender Diversity and Corporate Performance report by Credit Suisse Research Institute, companies with at least one woman on their board also exhibit higher returns on equity, lower leverage, and higher valuations.

The study also found that in the middle of the decade, when economic growth was relatively robust, there was little difference in the share price performance of companies with and companies without women on their boards. However, since the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent deterioration in the macroeconomic environment, listed companies with female board representation have strongly outperformed those with only male directors.

The average return on equity (ROE) of companies with at least one woman on the board over the past six years has been 16%; four percentage points higher than the average ROE of companies with no female board representation (12%).

Also, net income growth for companies with women on the board has averaged 14% over the past six years, compared to 10% for those with no female board representation.

Stefano Natella, Co-Head of Securities Research and Analytics, said: “This in-depth study provides investors with striking evidence that greater gender diversity is a valuable additional metric to consider when evaluating investments.

The results of our analysis are irrefutable and for the first time offer a global view of this topic and a compelling explanation of why gender diversity adds value.”

Nearly half (48.4%) of Singaporean companies had one or more women on their board by the end of 2011, compared with 25% at the end of 2005.

1:50

for companies with 50 or more workers

66%

of Singapore companies intend to freeze hiring in the second half of 2012 Source: Achieve Group Hiring Trends Report 2H 2012

PersOnal effeCtiveness & PrOduCtivity

SIDELINE to SPOTLIGHT

Productive Time and Stress Management

Oct 30 & 31

Creating and Sustaining a Positive Workforce – For Enhanced Productivity and Profitability

Nov 7 & 8

Essential Business Etiquette

Nov 8 & 9

Organising Yourself for Maximum Effectiveness

Nov 29 & 30

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Nov 29 & 30

Understanding and Working Effectively with All Personality Types

Dec 3 & 4

FISH!TM EXPERIENCE: Bringing Passion to Work and Life

Dec 5

Reversing Forward

Dec 5 & 6

Brain@Work

Dec 6 & 7

For more information, call 6248 9418 or email estinayap@sim.edu.sg Register online at www.sim.edu.sg/pd

2013 Economic Outlook October 19, 2012 Members of the siM Group

Visit www.sim.edu.sg/eof Contact estina @ 6248 9418

Other Programme Categories: Advanced Management Programmes | Senior Management | General Management | Communication | Creativity & Innovation | Finance | Marketing & Business Development | HR Management & Development | Negotiation & Legal | Office & Administrative | Operations Management | Personal Effectiveness & Productivity | Project Management | Sales & Customer Relationship | Supervisory Management | Team Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

Companies may apply for tax benefits under the Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme. For details, visit www.iras.gov.sg or email picredit@iras.gov.sg

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Enjoy Special Rates as an SIM Member.

Call 6248 9451 or email yvonneteo@sim.edu.sg for details.

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NEWS

International GREECE

UK

The UK top choice for work

Bring your baby to work

The UK is the top choice for Greeks who want to move abroad, according to a report by Intelligence Group and Totaljobs.com.

Amidst significant economic woes in their country, more than 55% of Greek workers would consider moving to the UK, the survey revealed. The second choice of destination for a move was Germany at 43%, and the US was the third most popular prospect at 42%.

The top reasons stated by the respondents for their hopeful move were improved career opportunities (70%), a better standard of living (63%), and the chance to start a new life (31%).

Greece unemployment has hit a record high of 22.5% mid this year, up from 16.2% last year. Over half of young Greeks are unemployed. Compared to this, the UK economy is doing much better with a more positive outlook for the labour market in particular.

The number of jobs there went up by 76,000 between March and June this year.

Increase in overall salaries across sectors dramatic average salary drop year-onyear, with companies scaling back the function of HR departments.

As a result, expatriate HR managers in the United Arab Emirates, saw their wages slashed by an average 37%.

“Roles like organisational design, payroll and recruitment were all represented in HR headcount, but now have been rolled into one HR generalist role,” said Christo Daniels, managing director of recruiter Morgan McKinley.

Qatar salaries is where the growth is the highest, with the salary survey reporting Creative Directors seeing increases of 32% in monthly salaries.

Middle East Overall - salary survey ranked results (monthly salary in US$) Position

2012 Salary 2011 Salary

Head of Sales and Marketing

$11,560

$10,470

Head of Human Resources

$11,468

$12,007

Project Manager/Chief Engineer

$11,454

$11,105

Branch Manager, Treasury Manager and Retail/Personal Banking Manager

$11,240

$10,931

Head of Information Technology

$10,593

$9,900

Public Relations Director

$9,839

$8,083

Creative Director

$9,548

$7,697

Real Estate Manager

$9,086

$8,500

Hotel General Manager

$8,598

$8,377

Editor

$7,545

$6,308

The 2012 Gulf Business salary survey of middle-east jobs was calculated by taking the average salary across the region for Western, Asian and Arab expatriates across different sectors in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries for the first quarter of 2012.

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Portugal’s special tax for non-residents on generated income Source: The Telegraph

35%

Rate increased for work permit fees for foreign workers in the Cayman Islands Source: The Royal Gazette

MIDDLE EAST

Neither the international financial downturn, nor the economic impact of the Arab Spring political upheaval have taken the shine off salaries for jobs in the Middle East over the past year.

The 2012 Gulf Business Salary Survey revealed that average salaries have increased across a range of industries.

Salaries for roles such as the Sales and Marketing Heads, Project Managers and Chief have all increases from the previous year (see table below).

Although HR managers earn the second highest salaries in the region at around US$11,468 per month, HR was the only industry that witnessed a

20%

There’s no easy solution to the question of how parents juggle kids and work.

However, some companies are offering a solution – allowing their employees to bring their babies to work.

UK minicab and chauffeur company, Addison Lee has introduced a programme allowing new mothers and fathers to care for their babies at their desks. The scheme started as a trial for a BBC documentary, but was introduced permanently at Addison Lee’s London office, where 900 workers are based. It was partly designed to encourage staff to return to work after maternity leave and so far eight babies have been brought on site.

The BBC show was based on a project in the US that encouraged companies to allow workers to bring their infants to work. So far 170 companies have signed up and more than 2,000 babies have been brought into workplaces. “As a familyowned business we were excited at the chance to participate in this project to create a better work-life balance for our employees,” said Liam Griffin, managing director of Addison Lee. He added that the initiative offered benefits such as increased staff loyalty and retention, and elevated morale.

US

Low leadership confidence Less than half of all US employees respond favourably when rating their degree of confidence in their company executives, especially leaders. According to a research by consultant firm, DecisionWise, only 46% of respondents agreed that they have the right people in senior leadership positions in their companies. Nearly one-third responded negatively to this question.

“Lack of support, lowered performance, inability to change and employee attrition, are among the possible negative results we find when confidence in leaders drops,” said Dr Tracy Maylett, CEO, DecisionWise.

The global cover with local flavour convinces me.

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CAN’T WAIT TO BE INSPIRED

AND

TAKE

INSPIRATION

NEXT LEVEL

TO THE

LEADERS ON LEADERSHIP

Diversity

Boosting morale How can leaders motivate staff during tough times?

Jason Peng

Vice President of Global Operations, AB SCIEX

Open communication is critical as a motivating factor during tough times. It helps to create an environment of trust.

As our management team listens carefully to concerns and ideas, our staff remains engaged, and they know that we are striving to continuously upgrade their knowledge and skills to help advance their careers, even during tough times.

We believe in investing in our staff, and recognising and rewarding continuous improvement. We also remove traditional barriers across functions with a value stream structure to enable stronger teamwork.

At AB SCIEX, we use visual metrics to keep staff motivated to meet goals. I have also found it important to articulate a clear vision of the future – how we as a company will work together to succeed.

Associates want to see our level of commitment to persevering and doing what it takes to thrive.

We like to ensure that our workforce sees the impact that they are making, such as letting our manufacturing workers in Singapore see how their products are used around the world to improve health and safety.

Continual encouragement further helps our entire team in Singapore stay focused and motivated.

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Ian Robb

Regional President, Asia, Morgan Ceramics

It is important to continue to motivate and create a positive environment for employees during tough times.

One way that I would do this is by engaging employees in motivational discussions and reinforcing the company’s intent to overcome the challenges together as “one team”.

It is also vital that team work is encouraged to tackle difficult issues that may include how we navigate ourselves out of any tough times.

I believe that during an economic slowdown, it is a chance for the company to face the challenge by being innovative in developing new business.

Hence, the passion that our people have in our business should be encouraged by reminding them of greater opportunities over the hill. Continued expenditure and recruitment for good reason and business case should be supported.

Finally, striking a good balance between empathy with the struggle through tough times and the need to deliver performance for shareholders is also crucial. This has to be understood by both the staff and management.

Hence, continual communication and engagement with the people is important for today’s leaders managing through tough times.

Roger Marshall

Managing Director, Bite Communications

Motivating staff in the tough times doesn’t differ much from the good times – a leader’s motivational skills must be in ‘always-on’ mode otherwise, the motivational effort comes across as contrived. At Bite, we have five motivational values of Courage, Creativity, Teamwork, Passion and Fun which we eat, sleep, and breathe every day.

Leaders naturally assimilate ‘tough times’ with financial challenges, yet the team will often view challenges as career-centric and personal. Good leaders will redirect some of their financial focus towards non-financial elements of the business such as redistributing tasks with tangible, incremental milestones, assigning new responsibilities, and introducing non-financial rewards such as remote working privileges. Public recognition of great work will also demonstrate you’re thinking creatively for your team and can see beyond the tough times.

Good leaders will also motivate ‘horizontally’. As challenges appear, they’ll roll up their sleeves and pull everyone together.

Finally, telling teams ‘not to worry’ is like telling a car driver not to hit the pylon – they’ll hit it every time! The leader’s responsibility is to be an anchor that listens to concerns, finds the shards of light, and then shines that light across the whole team.

Bio brief Eric Ong joined OCBC Bank in 2004 as Vice President in charge of the Business Development team. Currently, he is head of Emerging Business, Global Enterprise Banking, responsible for driving the growth of the Bank’s Emerging Business unit, which focuses on providing a whole suite of products and services to meet the needs of Singapore’s small business owners.

Ong is a veteran in the banking industry, with 17 years of industry experience, beginning his career with Overseas Union Bank in Commercial Banking. Prior to joining OCBC, he was with Citibank, N.A. from 1999 to 2004, working in business development with the corporate and investment banks in Singapore and China.

Ong holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the National University of Singapore, and a Master in Applied Finance from Macquarie University, Australia.

A competitive man who indulges in sports such as marathons, Ong wakes up at five o’clock every morning to run with his dogs. If he does not have a lunch appointment, Ong does hot yoga for 45 minutes. Almost on a daily basis, he is in the office by 7.30am and if need be, stays until midnight. Still, amidst his hectic schedule, he finds time to exercise, saying that exercise makes the mind clear.

LEADERS TALK HR

OCBC Bank

Putting the ‘person’ in

personnel Recently named the world’s strongest bank for the second straight year, OCBC Bank leads the way not only through its disciplined approach towards credit and risk management but also its active talent development initiatives.

Eric Ong, Head of Emerging Business, Global Enterprise Banking, OCBC Bank, shares how the bank’s leaders make the personal effort to groom their talent

By Shalini Shukla-Pandey

With a history of more than 80 years in Singapore, OCBC is a bank centred on people. The Bank has come a long way from its first days of helping rice merchants continue to trade times of war. This is evident in its sterling performance in recent years. In May this year, Bloomberg Markets magazine announced OBCB as the world’s strongest bank. Also, one in two businesses currently operating in Singapore has an account with the Bank.

The success of the bank is built on the back of sound business policies and active talent management and development.

For instance, within the first three days of a company being incorporated, OCBC will contact them about opening a corporate account with the bank. “The Bank practices the same proactivity when it comes to managing and developing its people,” says Eric Ong, Head of Emerging Business, Global Enterprise Banking, OCBC Bank.

Career framework OCBC takes training and development seriously as human capital is the Bank’s key differentiator. Investment in this area helps to build the capabilities of employees to deliver superior performance.

“Learning is part of the Bank’s ongoing business strategy and helps to create a win-win situation for us and our staff,” says Ong. “By aligning employees’ learning objectives with

business goals, we help employees succeed in building a career and not just a job with OCBC.” OCBC encourages its employees to take charge of their own careers through the Bank’s ‘Career Best’ programme, launched in 2002. This programme involves helping employees evaluate their strengths and career orientation, and finding the best fit between their talents and OCBC’s needs.

The Bank also introduced the ‘OCBC Learning-3’ programme in 2007. A structured three-year development programme for employees, OCBC Learning-3 clearly delineates learning roadmaps for individual employees during their first three years of service with the Bank.

“Underscoring our commitment to training, we have created the OCBC Learning Academy and also dedicated an entire floor at the OCBC Centre, called The Learning Space @ OCBC, for the sole purpose of learning and development,” says Ong. In addition to the typical classroom training, the Bank has also tapped on learning technologies like eLearning and virtual classrooms. Through the use of Web 2.0 and video conferencing technology the training programmes are now able to reach out to employees in different geographies.

Employees are given the first opportunity to learn of and apply for job-openings within the OCBC group through the Internal Job-Application Programme, in which after 18 to 24 months, an employee has the open to move into another role.

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Every

one in two

SMEs in Singapore has an account with OCBC

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LEADERS TALK HR

OCBC Bank “There has to be a little risk-taking, be it with the business or with our people. Being senior in management, we can give that gentle push, allowing our staff to soar” – ERIC ONG, HEAD OF EMERGING BUSINESS, GLOBAL ENTERPRISE BANKING, OCBC BANK

Me-myself-I • I love: sports, marathon, hot yoga

“We want to encourage employees to continually acquire new experiences, knowledge, skills and competencies, and allow individuals to fulfil their career aspirations at different stages of their careers,” Ong explains.

This is especially so for Gen Y staff who constantly seek change and want progression – something to look forward to. They need to feel challenged and recognised for the work they do. If they are ‘stuck in a rut’, performance dips.

“In banking, employees need foundation,” says Ong. “I was once a bank teller. I then moved on to typing bank drafts and the like.”

Leaders walk the talk too. “In my business review, one part is financial numbers and business initiatives, while a large part (50%-60%) is based on the human resources,” says Ong.

• I dislike: slow pace • My inspiration is: business growth, customer satisfaction, and people growing in the bank • My biggest weakness is: impatience • In five years’ time I’d like to be: bringing OCBC’s business to the region, beyond Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia • Favourite quote: CapitaLand Group President and CEO, Liew Mun Leong’s ‘3P’ mantra for success: Perseverance – you don’t give up, it’s about hard work, diligence Perfectionism – do anything, do it well, raise the bar, raise the standard. It reflects on the organisation as well Paranoid – being overprepared is better than being underprepared. Pre-empt questions, possibilities, and scenarios

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Hi-po attention A mentor to even people who’ve left the business, Ong believes in developing his people’s potential to the fullest.

“I meet with business heads and see if there are vacancies in which we can slot the high potential candidate in,” he says. “This makes sure these people are given opportunities within the bank before they start looking elsewhere for them. It’s a proactive measure of staff retention.”

Senior management constantly works to push high-potential talent out of their current roles or

LEADERS TALK HR

comfort zones. This exists at all levels, be it ground sales people to middle and senior management level staff.

“We don’t want staff to be ‘too comfortable’ in their roles. They are not stretching their potential,” says Ong. “We assign them to other departments for three to six months. My sales folks, for instance, might be posted to risk management or operations.”

While there is risk of losing talent to another department due to this job rotation, the advantages outweigh those risks. “After coming back from their short job rotation stint, they come back with fresh insights and they can come up with new business ideas leading to increased productivity and business success,” says Ong. Ong cited an example of an employee who moved to the operations unit two years ago. When he came back to the Emerging Business department, he gave a new idea which was piloted and resulted in business growth of five times.

Hi-potential staff are also given opportunities to travel and explore new markets. Young staff are accompanied by their senior leaders on these trips.

“There has to be a little risk-taking, be it with the business or with our people,” says Ong. “Being senior in management, we can give that gentle push, allowing our staff to soar.”

Communicating with the people Transparency is essential in the OCBC’s communication strategy.

For instance, business leaders in Emerging Business (EmB) track numbers on a daily basis. This is readily shared with members of their respective teams so that if there are anomalies, everyone can work together to immediately pull the numbers back in.

EmB staff are also kept abreast of happenings within the Bank through ‘Pulse lunches’ during break time, one-to-one sessions with hi-potential talents, monthly key meetings and quarterly dialogues where financial numbers are flashed out. Quick daily discussions keep communication channels free of static.

At 8.30am every morning, EmB business heads meet for the ‘Big 5’ session to discuss the top five priorities of the day. “This can include issues they have been facing, lessons learnt from the things they did the previous day and plans for the future,” says Ong. “This ensures that everyone is on the same page.”

Also, if any business head is facing an issue, putting these heads together solves the matter more efficiently, he adds.

After the ‘Big 5’ meeting, at 9am, all 300 EmB staff come into little huddles. As most employees in the unit belong to Gen Y or are new to the banking industry, these huddles accelerate their learning process.

“The huddles are about 15 to 20 minutes long,” says Ong. “They can’t be too long so that attention is held for an optimum period of time.”

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COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

Recruitment

HELL Interviews from

Recruitment horror stories

First impressions count. Unprofessional hiring behaviour can damage an organisation’s reputation and hamper its recruitment efforts. HRM looks at some interview horror stories and provides tips on how HR can avoid such blunders

By Priya de Langen “I was at a job interview and the interviewer gave me a scathing look and told me at one glance that I wasn’t suitable for the role, that I was more suited to be a model or actress instead.” The person who revealed this was applying for a piano teacher position at a music school in Singapore.

Currently working as a PR executive in a leading recruitment firm in Singapore, she recalled another bad interview that she went through – a disorganised affair in which no one actually knew about the scheduled appointment with her. Also, mid-way through the interview, the first interviewer stepped out and another interviewer took over, asking questions such as “You’re very tall, do you play basketball?” and “Do you have a boyfriend?”.

“I thought the questions were rather inappropriate and completely irrelevant to the job at hand. It turned out that she was trying to hire me as a recruiter for her own company, rather than focusing on the job at hand” she recalls.

As bizarre as those interviews sound, there are many other examples of potential hires who have had bad interview experiences. As a response to Wall Street Journal blog’s Learning from a Terrible Interview, one reader posted: “I once greeted an interviewer with ‘pleased to meet you’, to which he said ‘yes, I’m sure you are’ and proceeded to trash my schooling, which he didn’t think measured up to his own.” The reader also mentioned another interviewer who was in the room later took him to lunch and apologised for his colleague’s behaviour.

One in seven

job seekers (15%) reported having a worse opinion of the employer after they were contacted for an interview

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COVER STORY

Recruitment Top interview No-No’s 1

Stay away from humour – Jokes, anecdotes and witticisms are the most readily misunderstood means of communication. To avoid sending the wrong message, speak literally. Also, attempts at humour on sensitive subjects (gender, age, national origin, etc.) are never acceptable.

2

No opening monologue – It is often tempting to have a monologue at the beginning of your time with a candidate. Giving too much information about the type of candidate you are seeking, or providing a substantial amount of information about the position and responsibilities can be detrimental.

Avoid closed ended questions – The first type of question to avoid is one that can be answered by a “yes” or “no”. Even if you think “yes” or “no” is your desired response, rework the question to allow for a more thorough response.

Rephrase general questions – To simplify the interview process, managers sometimes use standard questions that can be used for any job. However, ask a generic question and you will receive a generic answer. To improve basic inquiries, try to target your questions to the specific position.

Avoid leading questions – It is good to control the flow of the interview through the questions you ask, but do not lead an applicant too far. Be careful to not give your candidate the preferred answers by the way you ask your questions.

Be careful with age – The only times you can ask about age are when it is a requirement of a job duty, or you need to determine if a work permit is required.

Do not ask about religion or sexual orientation – Although candidates may volunteer religious or sexual orientated information in an interview, you still need to be careful not to discriminate. Ask questions that are relevant to work experience or qualifications.

3 4

5 6 7

Source: CareerBuilder

Pitfalls and blunders So, what are the major issues that potential hires have with their negative interview experiences? A study by CareerBuilder, Applicant Experience, highlighted how employers may be losing out on talent and business if someone has a bad experience applying for a job with their company.

The study revealed that one-in-seven job seekers (15%) reported having a worse opinion of the employer after they were contacted for an interview. Also, one-in-five job seekers (21%) reported that the recruiter was not enthusiastic about their company being an employer of choice, while 17% of respondents did not believe the recruiter was knowledgeable and 15% did not think the recruiter was professional.

The PR executive who introduced this story states that “sometimes interviewers think they reign supreme and don’t give interviewees the basic respect they deserve”. Also, she says that she has come across interviewers who seem in a rush to get candidates out of the room, which leaves a negative impression of both the interviewer and the company’s brand name. “As a job seeker, you feel like you won’t be losing out much even if you don’t get shortlisted.”

Experts also say that as much as there are positive comments about organisations, there also negative opinions.

Joanne Chua, associate director of the HR division, Robert Walters Singapore, has heard her fair share of negative comments from candidates. She lists some of these opinions – unprepared interviewers who sometimes have no CV in front 20

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of them, interviewers who yawn or keep looking at their phones or answering calls, and interviewers turning up late.

First impressions count and companies should be aware that such negative opinions can be detrimental to their reputation.

Potential hires that have gone through a negative interview experience can and will share their opinions through word-ofmouth and even via social media. In fact, the Applicant Experience survey highlighted that 78% of respondents said they would talk about a bad experience they had with a potential employer with friends and family, while 17% said they would post something about their negative experience on social media.

A further six per cent said they would blog about it.

Make a good impression Experts and experienced employees alike say that much can be done to make the interview process better through training and listening to feedback and making relevant changes so that organisations can get the best talent on board.

Bryan Jasper Balangue, Country Recruitment Manager, IBM Malaysia, says that potential hires deserve a good interview.

“Potential employees expect and deserve a great recruitment experience starting from the moment they applied to the time they are onboarded.” He says that this refers to basic issues in the recruitment process such as keeping candidates updated with what is happening with their application, subject matter expertise, and a high touch approach when handling candidates.

June Cho, Director, Global Talent Acquisition, Symantec Corporation, says that potential employees are generally looking for a few things in the job interview process: validation of the job description applied for, company information, a ‘connection’ with interviewers including the recruiter and

Give a star interview Here are some tips that HR can follow to ensure that potential employees get a positive interview experience.

The interviewer should: • Act as an ambassador to the organisation – be prepared and knowledgeable, and able to answer questions about the role and the company.

• Ask only relevant and professional questions that are related to the work at hand; asking personal questions may put off the interviewee • Be attentive when interviewees speak; do not attend to phone calls or other distractions.

• Let interviewees know how long the interview process is going to take and follow-up after the interview. Even if the candidate is rejected, an email or phone call thanking them for their time is good.

• Check, and check again – triple check links on your company career page, online job sites, and relevant social media pages to make sure the connections are live and leading to the right information

COVER STORY

“Sometimes interviewers think that they reign supreme and don’t give interviewees the basic respect they deserve” – PR EXECUTIVE FROM A LEADING RECRUITMENT FIRM IN SINGAPORE

Nightmare interviews Interview horror stories spread like wildfire and can cause a serious dent in your organisation’s reputation and affect future hiring efforts. Here are some real-life examples of people who’ve experienced disastrous interviews :

“Well a few years ago I had an opportunity to apply for a HR generalist related role with a large local organisation. The meeting started about half an hour late and there was a panel of three interviewers. The head of HR was there together with two other female executives. After 15 minutes, the head of HR actually dozed off during the interview! I was truly taken aback and found the situation hilarious. After all, they do represent their company, don’t they?! At that time, I didn’t know how to react to it and was unsure if her subordinates caught her falling asleep. I just pretended that nothing happened and continued talking as normally as possible. She woke up a few minutes later and continued as if nothing had happened and behaved rather aloofly towards me.

– ALISON (NOT HER REAL NAME), HR MANAGER IN SINGAPORE

potential boss, a sense of the work location, a collegial environment, and information on future career opportunities.

Cho adds that her organisation gives training to its managers to ensure that they give a positive experience to potentials recruits. “Within each employee’s annual targeted learning credits, we offer two online and self-paced learning courses – ‘Hiring for Success’ and ‘Interview for Results’. The learning objectives cover Symantec’s hiring philosophy, processes and interview approaches.” Also, these courses include tips on planning and writing interview questions, use of different formats, and stages of conducting an interview.

Moreover, some organisations are conducting surveys to receive feedback on their interview processes. Cho says Symantec conducts quarterly new hire and hiring manager surveys (both are separate and anonymous) to review feedback.

“In the event that we receive negative comments, we will investigate the issue. Dependent on the severity, we will decide the course of action and pursue it impartially. This, of course, will follow Symantec’s ethics and compliance investigation procedures,” Cho says.

Balangue says that his organisation ensures that it acts on feedback received. “Issues we have resolved are more on improving the turnaround time in processing applications and keeping the candidates updated with what is happening with their applications,” he says, adding that feedback is sought from candidates, hiring managers and business leaders.

“The people conducting interviews should definitely undergo a basic training course on how to conduct a proper interview. I’ve gone for interviews where the person seemed more lost than I was,” says the PR executive.

“I once showed up for an interview at an office only to be met by the chap’s driver. I was driven to his home and let into his house whereupon the interview was conducted with me at the foot of the stairs and the MD taking a bath. I was offered the job but the interview was just too surreal an experience to ever consider taking it, when I explained that I was informed that the MD was eccentric and regularly took meetings whilst in a domestic situation. The mind boggles.”

– MATT S, LONDON, A READER WHO COMMENTED ON BBC’S FIVE JOB INTERVIEW BEAR TRAPS

“I drove 300 miles each way at my own expense to interview for a position at a particular company. When I sat down for the interview, the interviewer (an assistant manager) only asked me one question, ‘Can you tell me about yourself?’ After I gave a brief 90 second introduction, she indicated that was all the questions she had and asked if I had any questions for her. Somewhat baffled, I proceeded to interview her -- on her background and skills, her position, her department, the company, and company culture. With such a complacent and unenergetic attitude to recruiting qualified employees, I left that interview and the company unimpressed.”

– MATTHEW H., MARKETING MANAGER, SIX JOB HUNTER HORROR STORIES, CAREERBUILDER

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SPOTLIGHT

hr insight

Global workers Employers have been quick to tap into the global workforce – and with good reason According to the 2010 UN Human Development Report, migrants account for approximately 3.1% of the world population (as of 2010). The number of people living outside their country of origin has risen from 120 million in 1990 to approximately 214 million in 2011.

A Manpower survey of more than 40,000 employers across 41 countries found that the hardest jobs to fill globally are skilled trades workers, engineers and sales representatives. Employers in Japan have the most difficulty finding staff, followed by those in Brazil, Bulgaria, Australia and the US. Several European countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, ranked at the bottom of the list, with fewer than one in 10 employers struggling to find the right workers.

ASIA TO WESTERN CANADA Canada – particularly Vancouver – has become a very attractive destination for professional emigrants from Asia. Canada's immigration target is 1% of its population, or 300,000 pa; in recent years, 225,000–250,000 worldwide immigrants have arrived.

TO AUSTRALIA FROM THE UK Australia has a large British contingent.

Of the 4.8 million foreign-born in 2005, 23% came from the UK.

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OTHER EUROPEANS TO THE UK

INDIAN PROFESSIONALS HEAD FOR THE US

FROM THE UK TO NEW ZEALAND

KIWI EXODUS

Around half the immigrants in the UK come from the EU, though the most significant sending country is still Ireland, whose citizens have unrestricted rights of entry.

India has become a major source of computer talent for the US. Around two-thirds of the ‘H-1B’ visas issued to professionals in 2006 were to Indians.

Until 1986, New Zealand gave migration preference to the ‘traditional source countries’, primarily the UK. In the census of 1996, 75% of the population identified themselves with a European ethnic group.

BANKING ON SINGAPORE

HRMASIA.COM

In recent years, more people have been leaving New Zealand than arriving. Most go to Australia, since New Zealanders and Australians are free to live and work in either country. Australia has 355,762 NZborn residents, of whom 116,500 have become Australian citizens.

More bankers in the UK are fleeing from the Europe debt crisis and headed to Singapore. Several global recruitment agencies have seen spikes in bankers looking for jobs in the sunny city-state.

KEY Arrivals and departures Arrivals Departures

WANDERING FILIPINOS Nurses from the Philippines who have migrated to the US provide a prime example of the positive and negative economic effects on both sending and receiving countries.

US positives

 Facing severe nursing shortages, US hospitals have found a deep pool of experienced nurses

 Offering higher salaries and better living standards, US hospitals have been easily able to lure Philippine nurses US negatives

 While the jobs taken by Philippine workers would not necessarily have been filled by domestic labourers, American nurses see their salaries decrease as Philippine nurses arrive and are willing to work for lower wages.

MORE AUSSIES TO SINGAPORE Philippine positives

 The nurses can earn as much as 20 times what they were making back home. They send part of this home to support their families. This money helps boost the Philippine economy and supports the local population.

 If and when the migrant nurses return

to the Philippines they will bring with them greater amounts of training and experience contributing to social capital.

Philippine negatives

In a reversal of roles, there is an increasing trend of Australians moving to Singapore.

More than 88,000 departures from Australia to Singapore were seen in 2010, nearly double the number a decade earlier.

TAIWANESE TO CHINA

Taiwan is facing a serious brain drain problem with an estimated 30,000 Taiwanese leaving its island every year. A growing number are heading to emerging markets like China.

 The benefits of government expenditures on education are not coming to bear fruit in the Philippines but rather in the US.

 Furthermore, turnover at Philippine

hospitals is so high that even operating rooms are staffed with novice nurses.

FROM INDONESIA TO MALAYSIA

Indonesia has lost around one million illegal workers to Malaysia, with most of the men working on plantations, and most women working as maids.

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HR INSIDER

DHL Express

successful Delivering a

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HR INSIDER

brand

Logistics company, DHL Express has been tapping on global hiring markets for decades, but A. Mateen, vice president of HR, Singapore and Southeast Asia, says that the organisation still faces challenges in attracting talent. The company relies on its strong employee value proposition to ensure the brand’s success

By Priya de Langen

At a glance DHL Express Southeast Asia • Country markets: 11 • Total number of employees: More than 5,500 (including contract staff) • Size of the HR team: 43 • Key HR focus areas: Enhancing employee experiences through engagement and talent management

Most of us would have seen a courier delivering a yellow labelled package with the name DHL Express on it. This iconic brand has been present in global markets for decades, delivering both personal and corporate items for millions of people worldwide.

It is easy to mistake DHL Express as a simple courier company, but there is much more to it than that. “A misconception that people have is that they think that DHL Express is a courier company, but it is not, says A Mateen, vice president of HR, Singapore and Southeast Asia for the organisation. DHL Express is an express logistics organisation providing customers with not just delivery of packages but also other solutions for freight transportation, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain.

As much as the brand is well-known, there are other issues that pose challenges for the organisation to attract talent. “Logistics is not seen as a sexy industry and people want to join management institutions and pharmaceuticals companies. This is a challenge in itself,” Mateen says candidly.

To put the word out there, especially to engage potential graduate hires, DHL Express attends campus talks and career fairs. Moreover, recently the organisation started “The International Specialist” campaign, an advertisement campaign across 42 key markets giving the brand message of DHL’s speed, efficiency, and strong customer service.

Another challenge that the organisation faces, says Mateen, is that the younger generation of employees look for fast-track careers and start moving from the company after two years if they are not offered career progression. However, he says the business has a process in place to identify talent and it takes time.

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HR INSIDER

DHL Express “Logistics is not seen as a sexy industry and people want to join management institutions and pharmaceuticals companies.

This is a challenge in itself” – A MATEEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF HR, SINGAPORE AND SOUTHEAST ASIA, DHL EXPRESS Assimilating employees DHL Express Worldwide: Facts & figures • Revenue: €11.8 billion (US$14.3 billion) per year • Shipments: 468 million per year • Markets: More than 220 countries and territories, served by more than 500 airports globally • Employees: Approximately 100,000

Attracting talent is the first step but the assimilation part is critical, says Mateen. “We need to show them that we care for them from day one of the induction onwards.”

Deutsche Post DHL, parent organisation of DHL Express, launched the Certified International Specialist programme (CIS) last year to train employees in maintaining a high level of excellent service. The programme also focuses on four main DHL values: “Speed”, a “Can-do” spirit, “(getting it) Right First Time”, and “Passion”; the programme underscores the importance of enhancing and ensuring customer satisfaction through every role and interaction.

Employees are given a two-day induction to the CIS programme. The International Express Programme, for one and a half days, gives trainees a thorough understanding of the business, while the remaining half-day takes on a local flavour with the “Welcome to my Country” seminar. “It gives employees the knowledge of how the business works

in their countries, the challenges in their countries, and the demographics of customers,” Mateen says.

Functional training is also given to employees, to ensure that they know the basics and are able to succeed in their roles. Depending on the function, the training can be between one and three weeks. Customer service employees, for an example, undergo three weeks to one month of classroom training that focuses on how to handle customers and how to handle an incoming call.

“We don’t throw them at the deep end without any training provided when they come in on the first day of work; they might go for lunch and not come back,” says Mateen. Staff will be guided by supervisors in a controlled situation as part of the learning.

Moreover, he adds that employee progress is carefully monitored.

The trainers constantly observe the employees and make sure that they follow-up whether it is during a break for counselling or even to just say ‘hi,’ and ‘how are you doing?’ he explains.

Leadership and career progression Mateen says DHL Express employees are looking for employee engagement and active leadership, and this is why the organisation has a range of CIS leadership programmes, which aim to develop leaders from all levels.

Every leadership programme is about ‘respect’ – respect for employees, customers, stakeholders, and for getting results.

There are different levels for leadership training – Level Three is for supervisory positions, Level Two programmes are for middle managers, and Level One courses are for senior management, explains Mateen. However, he says that with all levels of training, there are some key elements to learn such as how to motivate people, what a 21st century manager should look like, and how to keep employees engaged.

Senior managers attend either the Group Executive Leadership Programme (GELP) or the Top Executive Leadership Programme (TELP). Mateen says the leadership courses are currently conducted in-house, instead of sending leaders for external training as the organisation used to.

DHL Express also identifies high-potential staff and

Who’s who in HR

• Customers: Approximately 2.5 million

A Mateen

vice president of HR, Singapore and Southeast Asia

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Ong Hui Boon HR Manager

Johnson Chua HR Manager

Amit Singh HR Manager

HR INSIDER

develops them through coaching and mentoring. “All high-potentials are assigned to one senior management team member for coaching for about a year. As the coach can be from another function, it gives them good business exposure.”

Management keeps track of these employees’ progress through feedback from the coaches, as well as reviews from the employees themselves.

Delivering rewards Giving out perks and rewards is a way of keeping employees engaged, and DHL Express ensures that it recognises all its employees, particularly its best performers.

“DHL Express recognises the 100 top performing individuals with outstanding contributions and who went the extra mile for that year,” says Mateen. Winners are taken on a three day trip to a chosen destination. However, he says that it is not just about fun. It is also about networking and getting to know counterparts from other countries.

The trip also includes the winners involving themselves in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

Previously, winners visited Siem Riep in Cambodia, and donated four water pumps.

HayConsulting_4p.pdf

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8/3/12

The CIS certification Playing an integral role in DHL’s overall global strategy, the company places great emphasis on improving the skill sets and service levels of employees.

Designed by DHL, Certified International Specialist (CIS) accreditation programme trains all employees to maintain excellent service levels that meet the international business environment.

Focusing on the four key DHL values, namely “Speed”, a “Can-do” spirit, “(Getting it) Right First Time”, and “Passion”, the programme underscores the importance of enhancing and ensuring customer satisfaction. Globally, 100,000 DHL Express employees will be trained through the programme.

In Singapore, 1,020 employees and 140 service partners as well as contractors have already undergone a rigorous CIS foundation course.

Mateen says he also encourages the leaders of DHL Express country offices to give out long service awards. “I am always encouraging the countries to give out long service awards at the service centre where the employee works.” Mateen says that a proud moment for him was recently awarding a courier in Singapore a prize for 35 years of service at DHL Express.

3:52 PM

What the

BEST do to stay at the TOP

C

M

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CM

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CY

CMY

K

Turning strategy into results The world’s best-in-class organisations know how to stay at the top by turning strategy into results. The best create workplace environments and processes that enable innovation to thrive by building agile organisations, promoting collaboration, and celebrating successes.

Hay Group can help sharpen your ability to execute your strategy – just as we have helped countless organisations of all shapes and sizes around the world over the past 70 years.

To learn more, visit www.haygroup.com/sg or call +65 6323 1668.

LEADERSHIP & TALENT | ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS | REWARD | EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

www.haygroup.com/sg

ISSUE 12.9

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Right GETTING THE

EXPERIENCE

PEOPLE

Growing SME (Small & Medium Enterprise) taps on Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programmes to arm line managers with successful recruitment practices Creating people managers

QUALIFICATIONS

This suggestion greatly enhanced Teambuild’s interview processes.

A key ingredient behind every thriving business is a team of skilled people managers. This is vital for smaller companies, where senior and line managers take charge of functions like recruitment, appraisal and employee retention.

Rise to the top Teambuild Group (“Teambuild”), a construction company, has empowered its senior and line managers with training in recruitment skills. 26 of them attended the Human Resource (HR) WSQ course in “Conducting Interview and Making Hiring Decisions”. During the training, they examined several case studies and role-played interview scenarios to practise their new skills.

PERSONALITY

Sweet returns Since then, Teambuild’s management and managers have adopted a more conscientious approach to hiring and managing employees. “Prior to the course, the emphasis had been on recruiting candidates for their technical skills,” elaborates Seow Seng Wei, Chief Executive Officer of Teambuild. “After the course, we re-emphasised soft skill training and people management to improve our recruitment processes.”

In addition, Teambuild’s line managers have proposed ways to improve the company’s HR processes, such as holding a pre-interview meeting among interviewers before every job interview.

Teambuild will continue to send its line and HR managers to HR WSQ courses to keep abreast of HR practices. With WDA’s Enhanced Training Support for SMEs scheme funding up to 90% of training costs, Teambuild is able to commit more managers to be trained in people-management skills and improve overall staff performance.

As an SME where every employee counts, Teambuild has armed its line managers with better people management skills that will add to the company’s success.

Scale up with WSQ training SMEs with less than 200 employees can leverage on WDA’s Enhanced Training Support for SMEs scheme, which will provide up to 90% of course fees for WSQ courses. There is also a higher absentee payroll of 80% of basic hourly salary, capped at $7.50.

For more information, please contact our HR WSQ training partners: • Human Capital (Singapore) Pte Ltd 6423 0388 www.hcs.com.sg • Singapore National Employers Federation 6827 6927 www.sgemployers.com • PACE O.D. Academy 6278 8289 www.pace-od-academy.com • Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute 6213 8133 www.otcinstitute.org.sg • Hay Group Pte Ltd 6323 1668 www.haygroup.com/sg/

WSQ builds your company’s manpower capabilities.

For more information, please visit www.wda.gov.sg or call 6883 5885

FEATURE

Internships There’s more to interns than cheap or even free labour. How important are these temporary placements to business and HR? HRM looks at the ins and outs of taking on interns, and how companies can make the best of this young talent

By Shalini Shukla-Pandey Nineteen-year-old iPhone hacker extraordinaire Nicholas Allegra, also known as Comex, was hired as an intern at Apple last year. While this news may turn some heads within the business community, it actually makes good business sense to do this. “Jail-breaking” (going around Apple’s security to access the operating systems of its hadware) may become a bit harder (in the short term at least) as Apple uses Comex’s inside knowledge to its advantage.

Like Comex, interns are young, eager to learn, and willing to work for a significant discount; they bring with them youthful enthusiasm that can spur creativity and innovation in an organisation. However, Chris Eccles, director of the Employment4students website, fears the “i” word may increasingly be turning misleading.

Getting it

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LEADING FROM ASIA

FEATURE

Internships “We all used to know what work experience meant, but in the 11 years since we’ve been around, I’ve seen more and more employers using the term ‘internship’ for the most mundane of work in the belief that it is somehow more glamorous,” says Eccles.

“If bright young people simply spend their time making tea or stacking shelves, perhaps for no pay or for minimal expenses, then the entire notion of internships will continue to be devalued by both employers and students, when it should be a fantastic way of drafting in the next generation of movers and shakers.”

HR’s vital role Members of the HR profession are the ‘gatekeepers of recruitment’, and have a vital role to play in ensuring that recruitment practices are open and transparent, and internships are well-managed, said Jackie Orme, late chief executive of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Orme added, “Internships are a valuable resource for those looking to improve their employability before taking their first step on the career ladder, but they must be fully accessible and operated to a high standard if they are to be of maximum benefit.”

In developing a good internship program, line managers and HR are key partners in L’oréal’s bid to attract interns.

“We value interns and we give them the opportunity to have real time working experience in the company and live projects,” says Sujata Tyagi, HR Director – ASEAN & India.

“At the same time, we use the opportunity for our managers to work with Gen Y and appreciate them, building understanding of their motivation and capability while developing bonds with the new generation of potential employees.”

Quality internships benefit both the intern and the company. “Done right, internships can provide a real kick-start to an individual’s career and offer a great opportunity for employers to widen their horizons and find new talent,” Orme said.

However, according to global performance improvement firm, J-InterSect, only five percent of the estimated 240,000 internships offered in the US each year are in programmes that meet global benchmark standards. These internships are highly successful. In fact, 84% of new hires at global benchmark companies were previously there as interns.

Top ten society benefits of Global Benchmark Internship Programs 1 Attract better talent

6 Develop future sector employees/leaders

2 Expand sector’s reach

7 Increase contribution to GDP

3 Improve entrepreneurship

8 Increase sector growth

4 Improve professionalism

9 Increase sector funding

5 Improve sector performance/ effectiveness

10 Generate innovative & bright ideas

Win-win

The ‘i’ word The word ‘internship’ was first coined in the US more than a century ago to describe trainee doctors, but was later adopted by politics and industry.

Almost

ONE IN FIVE

British businesses admit to using interns as cheap labour

Internships help ease those with little experience into the working world. They imbibe young talent with marketable skills necessary for businesses to compete more effectively in the global world economy. Eccles says the intern pool offers far more than just youthful enthusiasm.

“Our employers tell us that interns bring in the sort of web savviness that can make a real difference to their web presence and can, in a short period of time, bring real value to any business looking to develop its social media or mobile operations.”

“While a naivety about how businesses work comes as pretty standard among youngsters who may never have worked before, save for a paper round, the freshness of their approach and their understanding of 21st Century technology can be worth its weight in gold,” he adds.

Internships are especially beneficial in the fast-moving digital media industry. While developments move at breakneck speed in this sector, the talent base has traditionally been rather limited. Jessie Lee Koon Lim, HR Director, Yahoo! Southeast Asia says, “It therefore requires us to incubate talent, and what better way to do that than with young people who grew up with internet and whose lives are intertwined with the web.”

“Working with young, talented and bright students, from across different faculties and various parts of the world is amazing. These students can either intern with us locally or in a foreign office; once they graduate officially from school, they fully understand how Yahoo! operates and they fit right back in again,” she adds.

Graduates who are brought into L’oréal are groomed to take over middle management roles as part of the internal talent pipeline to be ready in three to five years. “(The) internal talent pipeline enables us to support business readiness linked to our growth

The UOB internship United Overseas Bank (UOB) offers internship programmes to graduates from local universities and polytechnics. University interns are attached to different businesses of the bank and work on various projects during the ten-week programme.

“They are given opportunities to gain valuable banking experience and work with different teams across the bank. They are also exposed to the culture of the bank so that they can consider how well they would fit in and enjoy a longterm career with UOB,” says Jenny Wong, Head of Group HR, UOB. Supervisors and managers are also roped in to guide interns and assess their performances, identifying potential full-time hires for the Bank in the process.

Through panel discussions and networking sessions with supervisors and managers, the interns benefit from experience sharing while the bank gains insights of the behavioural traits of Gen Y,” says Wong.

To attract more interns to join the Bank, UOB offers those who have shown exceptional performance during their internships an opportunity to participate in its Management Associate programme.

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FEATURE

Internships Best practices of Global Benchmark Internships 1 Customised, high value-add training (40-50 hours/intern) • Preparing interns with diverse backgrounds and experiencelevels to perform at a high level along-side senior staff • Personal mentoring and consistent feedback enabling interns to learn quickly and grow 2 Developing brand through the intern’s experience • Working on high-impact assignments, sometimes on a rotational basis, providing early exposure to different aspects of the industry • Networking and senior management involvement helping interns understand how they fit in the organisational structure, and encouraging internal circulation of new ideas 3 Benchmarking and best practice collection • Internal and external benchmarks and best practices are implemented to ensure the programme and company continuously raise the performance bar 4 KPI management & Program assessment • KPIs used to measure and improve effectiveness and efficiency of the programme • High conversion rates of interns to entry-level hires, demonstrating intern satisfaction and maximising returns on company investments in intern training and mentorship Source: J-InterSect Project Report 2011

ambition and internal talent pipeline in the event of employee attrition,” says Tyagi.

“In Southeast Asia and India, we focus a lot on L’Oréal’s Internship programme. Interns are exposed to real time projects, culture and people. Successful interns may land themselves a permanent job with L’oréal upon graduation.”

Money matters From an employer’s perspective, one of the trickiest aspects of internships is pay. Generally, leading student work websites say paid internships receive far more applications than unpaid.

Eccles says, “A sum of £100 (US$162) per week, which can only be a token for anyone living in London, keeps the intern under the tax and national insurance threshold, thereby minimising the cost to the employer.”

“Yet more than 10 times as many students are likely to apply for an internship that offers a token wage compared to one that offers only travel expenses. I would argue, therefore, that if a company is looking to use internships as a way of sourcing good future talent, then they will only see a fraction of the potential candidates by being too mean. It certainly looks like a false economy to me.”

The website for the ‘Graduate Talent Pool’, a recent UK government initiative aimed at helping graduates find work, has the following advice: “...in some

circumstances, employers may wish to offer unpaid internships. Before you decide to offer an unpaid opportunity, make sure you have taken account of the guidance on minimum wages. It will then be for graduates to decide whether the benefits of taking up the internship outweigh the fact that it is unpaid.”

Tyagi says internship pay should be benchmarked with the overall market practice. “From what I know, paid internships are more common both in Singapore and Asia. Singapore being the hub of the world, companies are generally adopting paid internships.”

Organisations in Singapore typically pay their interns S$600 to S$1300 per month.

ONE IN THREE

internships advertised on a British government website for graduate jobhunters last year was unpaid

Gaining traction According to results of a 15-month Project Report by J-InterSect, summer internships are a ground-breaking job creation initiative that can reduce youth unemployment by 26% in the U.S. John C. Whitehead, former chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, and former US Deputy Secretary of State, says, “The idea of summer internships in the public sector, the private sector, and the non-profit sector is a win-win idea. The young students benefit from the job and the experience and the employer benefits from the extra hands.”

Christina Ahmadjian, Dean of Hitotsubashi University’s Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, agrees, saying that the need for, and benefits of, high quality internships based on global benchmarks and high value-add best practices, is increasingly recognised as a critical issue in Japan.

Closer to home, Wong says UOB intends to extend its internship programme to students from the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.

Yahoo!’s internship advantage A Singapore Management University graduate, Edmund Chia interned with Yahoo! Southeast Asia’s HR team for 11 months.

Chia was embraced as a valued member of the team and participated in all HR meetings, bringing him face-toface with real issues that HR professionals operating in a multinational environment encounter on a daily basis. His opinions and feedback were also given equal consideration.

Chia had the opportunity to work on assignments such as recruiting talents, managing and fine-tuning Yahoo!’s acquisition tracking system and rolling out a talent development programme. He also organised training sessions, team-building events, and a regional conference involving 60-odd participants from across Asia-Pacific, meeting and networking with global heads of HR in the process.

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FEATURE

Strategy HR

Fraud prevention unit: There has been a whopping 2,000% increase in cyberattacks over three years, with nearly half originating from the Asia-Pacific region.

Research has also found that more than three-quarters of people would stop dealing with an organisation in the event of a security breach.

HRM uncovers HR’s role in preventing corporate fraud

By Shalini Shukla-Pandey

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What’s the biggest threat to organisations at the moment?

The World Economic Forum says there is greater risk of cyber threats destroying global infrastructure than anything else. This largely unknown quantity ranks higher than financial collapse, natural disasters and terrorism in terms of real, ongoing threats. What’s more, when cyber crime does hit an organisation, the price can be devastating.

PricewaterhouseCooper’s 2011 Cybercrime: Protecting against the growing threat - Global Economic Crime Survey found that almost one in ten organisations reporting cyber fraud did so after suffering losses of more than US$5 million.

A recent State of the Internet Report by cloud platform provider Akamai Technologies found there was a whopping 2,000% increase in cyber attacks over the three years to the third quarter of 2011. Of those, more than 49% originated from the Asia-Pacific region.

White-collar crime in the business world today is something almost every leader has to grapple with. Paul Curby, Executive Director – Forensic with corporate recovery advisory firm KordaMenthaNeo, says this is because of natural changes with process, people and systems.

“Every change creates an opportunity,” he explains.

“Much of the white-collar crime that I have seen started out as an opportunistic crime. Usually a small amount to start with and increasing amounts as the perpetrator’s

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confidence increases that they are either unlikely to be challenged or get found out.”

Fraud at work Typically, vigilance decreases as trust increases. “Human nature compels people to trust each other and avoid workplace confrontations,” says Curby. “A fraudster will play on this. Often, after the event, staff in an organisation will tell that they never suspected or simply couldn’t believe that their staff member would commit the fraud.”

The type of fraud risk to an organisation is dependant on the industry in which it operates. The most common fraud is asset misappropriation, says Curby. This includes schemes such as theft of cash, expense-related fraud, and the manipulation of billing systems such as through submission of false invoices.

Procurement fraud is also an area that features prominently in the top five. “Collusion between staff and vendors is a risk and constant monitoring is required,” Curby explains.

A recent case in point occurred when Singapore’s National Parks Board bought Brompton bicycles costing $2,200 each for its officers to use on patrols. An internal audit by the Ministry of National Development found some discrepancies which, although inconclusive, suggested the possibility of

THREEQUARTERS of people say they would stop dealing with an organisation in the event of a security breach Source: Unisys Security Index. (2011)

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FEATURE

Strategy HR bias in the procurement. The National Parks officer involved in making the purchase of the 26 foldable bicycles, with a total bill of $57,200, has since been suspended.

HR’s role in preventing fraud Company culture plays a significant role in determining a company’s susceptibility to thefts and scams. “HR can instil integrity into the organisation by publicising consequences of policy breaches and lessons learnt,” says Wilson Ang, Of Counsel, Norton Rose (Asia) LLP. “Effectively and accurately managing information when reporting to the Board is an important aspect of the proper functioning of a company’s compliance system.”

HR needs to push through sound policies (for instance on IT, including social networking, and expense claims) around the company’s expectations of its staff. “Staff need to understand that there may be consequences to their actions,” says Curby. “A framework should exist and be adhered to as it provides guidance to staff and management.”

HR can also help ensure that there is consistency in the application of policy. Other staff may watch very closely to how another staff member is treated with regard to an allegation. “The perception must be that there is procedural fairness with an investigation or you run the risk of creating disharmony among employees,” Curby explains.

Yet another useful tool in the fight against corporate fraud is not only pre-employment screening, but also screening during employment. “It is important to re-screen an individual as they advance to more senior roles within the organisation,” says Curby. “Promotion will usually bring greater responsibility, access to systems, and the ability to circumvent or override controls.”

“A company needs to hope for the best but prepare for the worst” – PAUL CURBY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – FORENSIC, KORDAMENTHANEO. A number of investigations Curby has done involved an individual or their family members incorporating their own company and then using this shelf organisation as a vehicle to invoice their employer. “Basic screening may uncover this and the employee can then be questioned as to the purpose of this new entity,” he adds.

Encouraging whistle-blowers There is still over-reliance on the audit function (both internal and external) as a stop-all measure against internal fraud. An audit generally tests existing processes and controls. But those existing controls or processes might be flawed in the first place. Hence, most experts agree that more can be done to proactively and independently check where loopholes might be.

While internal audits may detect about 14% of fraud, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ 2012 Report to the Nations on occupational fraud and abuse, the majority of fraud is uncovered by a tip-off.

Organisational culture, therefore, can play an important part in the willingness for someone to come forward.

More than

49% of cyber-attacks originate from the Asia Pacific region Source: Chartis Insurance

Key to integrity According to a new research report by international chartered accounting organisation ICAEW, and Leeds University in the UK, there is a mismatch between how different techniques to encourage integrity are perceived, when matched against the perceived integrity of an organisation.

Many of the research respondents were sceptical about ethics training, and perceived it as tokenistic, simplistic or even patronising.

Similarly, only 24% said that ethical behaviour was rewarded in their organisation even though organisations that did reward ethical behaviour found it to be effective. Finally, whistle-blowing was the technique rated lowest in terms of perceived effect on integrity, yet is shown to exhibit a significant positive effect in reality.

Mark Billington, Regional Director, ICAEW Southeast Asia, said: “Integrity is much-desired but

little-understood. It is also something all types of organisations must actively seek to promote.”

The report’s principal author, Jim Baxter, Professional Ethics Development Officer at Leeds University, said organisational leaders need to be seen to be leading by example, and should also work on creating an open culture within their organisation. “People need to feel that they are able to raise issues and concerns without fear of retribution, either direct or indirect, and that their contributions are valued,” said Baxter.

Techniques which were found overall to have a significantly positive effect on organisational integrity were: • Management setting tone and leading by example • Open cultures • Stated organisational values • Support for whistleblowing

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FEATURE

Strategy HR Corporate governance code revised Singapore’s newly-revised Code of Corporate Governance will generally take effect for annual reports relating to financial years commencing from November this year, with a five-year transition period for board composition changes.

The key changes include: • Requiring more detailed remuneration practices and disclosures • Placing greater emphasis on director independence • Implementing board composition guidelines • Holding companies responsible for director training • Limiting and requiring disclosure of the maximum number of board representations directors may hold • Limiting appointment of alternate directors • Ensuring the board oversees risk management • Encouraging companies to protect and facilitate shareholder rights

Whistle-blowing is a valuable tool but needs to be underpinned with good policy and procedures. “Employees need to have confidence that their anonymous report remains just that; anonymous,” says Curby. “Also, there should be an assurance that the employee will be protected from harassment and that their promotion prospects will not be curtailed by virtue of the disclosure.”

Employees also need to have confidence that their report will be reviewed and acted upon accordingly. Equally important is a robust complaint assessment procedure to evaluate and classify each complaint.

HR should encourage employees to blow the whistle whenever they witness fraud in the organisation. Several methods to do this include the availability and accessibility of channels; assurance of non-retaliation, regular updates to the whistle-blower if a complaint is lodged and, where appropriate, rewards, says Ang. “It comes down to a culture where checks and balances are routine in the company, and expected by staff,” says Curby. “A company needs to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. The results of various fraud surveys conducted over many years are testament to that.”

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FEATURE

Corporate Learning

Plugging the

IT SKILLS GAP

Employees who lack essential IT knowledge can delay work processes and drag down the business. On the other hand, a structured training programme can equip employees with the knowledge and skills to overcome challenges posed by emerging technologies

By Sumathi V Selvaretnam

Every minute that an employee spends trouble shooting a problem with your organisation’s IT helpdesk can lead to a loss of productivity and profits. In an increasingly connected world, it is critical for employees to be equipped with basic IT skills so that they can increase their competency and value in the organisation.

A survey by CompTIA, a US-based nonprofit organisation for the IT industry, revealed that business operations are being impacted by a widening IT skills gaps. In the survey, 41% of respondents said that IT skills shortcomings impacted staff productivity, 32% of them observed that the issue can affect customer service and engagement, while 31% said it causes security problems.

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FEATURE

Corporate Learning According to the survey analysis, a lack of IT skills also impacts profitability, with 23% of small companies feeling the bottom line pinch along with 15% of large and medium firms.

IT is recognised as a major enabler when it comes to raising an organisation’s productivity, transforming business processes, and service excellence. It can thereby enhance an organisation’s overall competitiveness, says Lim Swee Cheang, Director, Institute of Systems Science (ISS). “Besides the typical business process automation, IT can span across functional and organisational boundaries, making virtual presence and distance collaboration a possibility.”

“With the rapid pace of technology development and changes in business processes as well as service innovation, it is even more essential for companies to equip and upgrade their employees with IT skills,” Lim adds.

Comprehensive IT training can also provide business benefits to the entire organisation’s operations, says Arthur Chiang, Assistant Director, Learning, Curriculum & Design, Kaplan Learning Institute. “Our face-to-face training is designed to go beyond technical skills and delve into organisational integration, and the strategic connection between using your database in greater scope and scale.”

Lim from ISS concurs. He says that an employee’s new found skills and knowledge can be quickly applied to the business for greater efficiency and growth. “IT training is not limited to equipping the participant with IT expertise; it includes skilling the participant with the technical and management knowhow of integrating technology with business strategies, change management and governance.”

Top five IT challenges for US companies • • • • •

Network infrastructure Data storage Business continuity and disaster recovery IT Security Mobile technology

Source: CompTIA , “State of the IT Skills Gap” survey

In recent years, emphasis has been placed on IT skills driving service innovation, and the effective deployment of social media to share organisational knowledge and wisdom, adds Lim.

Skills in demand Training service providers offer a variety of programmes to help organisations plug their IT skills gaps. Innovation and productivity are key concerns in most organisations and these call for the need to review and reengineer processes and services.

Business process reengineering, enterprise architecture as well as project management courses that integrate new technologies with processes and services are much sought after at ISS, says Lim. “For the individuals, these courses offer some of the greatest employment opportunities and job security as they increase their competency and value,” he says.

Participants also take up certification courses as these provide a benchmark of their expertise, he adds.

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FEATURE

Corporate Learning A surge in mobile data usage is also urging organisations to get employees equipped in the area of mobile application development. Many training providers are offering courses that enable employees to develop their own iPhone, iPad or Android applications that can help businesses extend their reach. Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) launched its Applications-on-Multi-Platforms Simplify (AMPlify) initiative in 2010 to strengthen the domain and technology capabilities of local mobile application developers and enhance their global competitiveness. It has so far groomed more than 40 developers in various mobile application development skill sets. In June 2012, IDA enhanced the AMPlify initiative to focus on enterprise mobility, with the aim of developing more than 100 developers and 150 students in a year’s time.

There are also courses that can help non-IT staff raise the efficiency of their processes. Kaplan Professional for example, offers courses in ICDL Words and Excel as these are widely used in the preparation of letters, memos, and the tabulation of accounts, says Chiang.

“With the rapid pace of technology development and changes in business processes as well as service innovation, it is even more essential for companies to equip and upgrade their employees with IT skills” – LIM SWEE CHEANG, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF SYSTEMS SCIENCE

Course delivery According to the CompTIA survey, online learning is the primary method 50% of US companies use in addressing their IT skills gap challenges.

Similarly, web-based training is also gaining traction in Singapore. A well-developed online training programme offers activities that stimulate the learners, facilitating them forming a learning community, and gives learners practice in applying knowledge and skills, says Chiang. “This supports the experiential method of learning and learners are able to transfer and apply the knowledge and skills into their workplace.”

Blended learning is another option. The ISS conducts blended courses where the knowledge can be obtained through web-based modules while discussions and interactions are conducted via instructor-led sessions.

Kaplan professional is also exploring the potential of utilising mobile applications as a supplementary material to face-to-face training. In face-to-face training, it is difficult to individualise the lessons to accommodate all the participants. However with mobile learning, learners are provided a learning path that is conveniently accessible, informal and personalised, Chiang says. “The availability of a contextualised learning tool offered in an informal setting would encourage incidental learning where the learners themselves are motivated to improve their skills.”

Contributing factors to IT skills gaps Larger firms Relatively more concerned about fast changing technology, insufficient transfer of education and training to workplace performance, and competition for the limited pool of skilled IT workers Smaller firms Generally more concerned about a lack of resources for education and training IT industry firms Relatively concerned about insufficient transfer of education and training to workplace performance, competition for the limited pool of skilled IT workers, an insufficient focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, and IT careers not currently attracting the best and brightest candidates Source: CompTIA , “State of the IT Skills Gap” survey

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Performance management

What

GENGHIS KHAN’S HR Director Knew

Companies today can take a leaf from the organisational design principles of the famous warrior to ensure high-performance at the workplace, writes our guest contributor Andrew O’ Keeffe

Genghis Khan must have had good HR advice. In 1203 he undertook a major restructure of his army using the laws of nature as his design principles.

Designing our organisation according to human instincts means we are harnessing natural energy. If we ignore human nature we design dysfunction into the system.

The results of Genghis Khan’s restructure were spectacular. In today’s business terminology, we would say he was the leader of a high performing organisation! Here are the highlights of his performance review: • You united the Mongol people for the first time in our history.

• In a 25 year period your army conquered more people than the Romans conquered in 400 years.

• You organised history’s largest free-trade zone (the famous Silk Road).

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

• You recognised religious freedom, financially supporting Christian, Buddhist and Moslem faiths.

• Your creative and fearsome military capability made walled cities redundant as a defence against attack.

• On the balanced scorecard, your staff are highly engaged and no general ever deserted you throughout your six decades as a warrior.

Good job, Genghis. And his organisational challenges were as complex as a modern global CEO’s, with 100,000 warriors spread from China, through India and the Middle East across to Hungary and Russia.

What are the principles of organisation design according to human instincts, and what did Genghis Khan decide?

PRINCIPLE 1 – Teams as family-sized groups Human societies are built on family units.

We have an instinctive need to connect intimately with a small group of others.

In our ancestral setting our family units numbered around seven people and we carry that bonding principle with us as we changed our habitat and moved into offices and factories.

We should therefore build our organisations on work teams of around seven people (between five and nine).

Teams much larger or much smaller than that number tend to be dysfunctional.

Large teams of say 12, 15 or even 20 people are too large for the team members to bond and feel a sense of identity, too large for the manager to support and service the team and too large for the manager to be sensibly held accountable for the team’s performance.

Predictably, the team will break into smaller units and informal “team leaders” emerge to coordinate sub-groups.

Small teams of say two or three people are dysfunctional for different reasons. The team is too small for people to feel a sense of identity and the team members invariably complain of being isolated. If for some sensible reason a small team exists, then the higher-level manager needs to find ways to connect the small team with a

family-sized group.

Organisations that design around family-sized teams report that “suddenly things become more productive”.

PRINCIPLE 2 – Voices at the Table For top teams the rule of seven coincides with the number of functions that most determine the organisation’s success.

The functions that the CEO needs to oversee will normally cover research/ product development, production, sales, delivery, finance, people, external stakeholders and systems.

These functions reflect the voices that need to be heard around the table. If there are significantly more than seven voices, then it is highly likely that there will be duplication of voices and the leader will be trying to skate across too many activities. If there are significantly fewer than seven voices, then the leader will not hear the range of opinions that should be heard to make effective, balanced decisions.

PRINCIPLE 3 – Power distribution For hierarchical animals like humans, team managers (including senior executives) should be conscious of the distribution of power in their team.

Leaders (and designers of organisations) should avoid the concentration of power in a single direct report.

One CEO shared with us negative consequences of a structure where a Chief Operations Officer reporting to him had much more power than the rest of his direct reports. The COO had the key operating units and most of the organisation’s staff reporting to her. The imbalance of power in the hands of one direct report weakened both the CEO and also the functioning of the organisation.

PRINCIPLE 4 – Departments as villagesized units The size of the human brain allows us to gain a sense of identity and to follow the complex tune of politics in groups of up to 150. The downside of this dimension of the human condition is ISSUE 12.9

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Performance management that in organisations significantly larger than 150 silos or internal rivalries will naturally form around sub groups. Rather than ignoring or fighting against this principle we can use it to our advantage by structuring into clan groups of up to 150 – the subsidiary, the department or the factory.

PRINCIPLE 5 – Avoid the matrix Hierarchical animals find it difficult to report in two directions. Our nature is to fit into a pecking order in a single hierarchical line of authority. Dotted lines quickly become feint lines with people spotting quickly and easily the real power line (which is the one with the control of resources).

Associated with matrix reporting is having people report to a boss in a different geography, fighting against our natural tendency to connect with people in the same place. We are, after all, hardwired to recognise and read faces above any other characteristic.

The Mongol Restructure Genghis Khan may well have had these principles in mind in 1203.

He used family-sized groups as his organisational foundation, organising warriors into squads of ten (arban) who were to be like kin to one another (granted, slightly more than the range of 5-9 people).

No matter what their kin group or tribal origin, they were ordered to live and fight together as loyally as brothers. No one could ever leave another behind in battle as a captive. As in the family model of the day, the eldest took the leadership position in the group of 10, but the members could also choose another to be their leader.

He was deadly serious about the role of this family-sized group. The family group had responsibility for ensuring correct behaviour of its members. In a whole new dimension to performance management, a crime by one could bring punishment to all.

He used community-sized groups as his

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next layer. Ten of the squads formed a company (zagun) of 100 men, one of whom they selected to be their leader.

Ten companies formed a battalion (mingan) of 1,000 men. Ten mingan formed a tumen of 10,000, the leader of whom was chosen by Genghis.

He also had an elite personal bodyguard…. numbering 150 soldiers!

(Source: Jack Weatherford, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Three Rivers Press, USA, 2004).

Conclusion As one CEO who is using these principles said, “If not this set of principles, then what else? Following the laws of nature feels right.”

Organisational structure is one of the few people-levers that leaders can pull. Given the predictable consequences of structure, design of organisations should be retained as a decision of the CEO with the HR Director.

HR should be the design architects.

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Quick Quiz How aligned is your organisational structure to human instincts?

Question

Answer

Score

When each person in our organisation Between 5 and 9 people attends their team meeting and all 4 people or 10 people members are present, how many Less than 4 or more than 11 people are there?

3

How many voices are at the table of the top team (which reflects the lineof-sight of the top leader)?

Around 7 voices

3

5 voices

1

Less than 5 or more than 9

0

What’s the population size of our operating units?

Up to 150 people

3

Up to around 250

1

Many more than 250

0

Yes, almost always

3

Mostly

1

Are managers and their team members in the same location?

1

Scores 16

Perfect

Your organisation is designed for success and is no doubt performing well and out-performing your competitors.

12 – 15

Great

Your organisation is thoughtfully designed and would benefit from some slight changes.

7 – 11

Alarms

Your organisation is resisting human nature. If you are succeeding it is despite yourselves. You have lost opportunity.

Less than 7

Oh Dear

You are fighting or denying human nature.

There are many signs of dysfunction. This is a root cause.

0

Generally no

0

Do we have a set of organisation design principles that we follow?

Yes

1

No

0

Organisation structure decisions can only be made by the CEO or the HRD.

Yes

3

No

0

ISSUE 12.9

Andrew O’Keeffe is the author of Hardwired Humans and The Boss. He spoke at the HR Summit, Singapore in May 2012.

HRMASIA.COM 49

FEATURE

Learning & Development

50

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FEATURE

Coaching for

What might your organisation look like if more leaders embraced feminine (Yin) energy? Taking a leaf out of Taoist doctrine, Dennis Roberts discovers the likely result would be workplaces filled with collaborative, creative, and sustainable traits and energy According to the Taoists everything has both masculine and feminine aspects. There is an innate nature to all things and, furthermore, how we view things affects our interpretation just like wearing sunglasses affects the clarity of what we are seeing. We view the world through our own filter of the world.

I need to make a distinction at the outset. Feminine energy is not the sole preserve of women. Both men and women to varying degrees access their feminine energy.

If all things have both masculine and feminine aspects then this may relate to people, business enterprises, environments, work culture and everything else.

Let me contrast two perspectives of feminine (Yin) energy. At its core the feminine is a metaphor of the field of infinite potential. It has no boundaries, cannot be quantified, is latent, innate, unrealised. In colour terms the Taoists suggest Yin energy is dark. It is still, motionless, uniform, passive. It is a place of rest and retreat. If it were a direction it would be inward.

• There are two perspectives, or filters, through which we view this Yin energy and not surprisingly they are: • How the masculine views the feminine, or White Yin, and • How the feminine views the feminine, or Black Yin. • White represents the masculine (Yang) energy and black represents feminine (Yin) energy. The opposite also holds true, ie there is a white yang (how the

masculine views the masculine) and black yang (how the feminine views the masculine).

In business parlance a white yin perspective might embrace more feminine energy – for example, ask open questions, brainstorm ideas, invite contribution, adopt an open plan environment, etc for the purpose of creating a competitive advantage. The ends justifies the means. The masculine perspective is one of competition, advantage, victory.

On the other hand, a black yin perspective in a business setting might ask questions, brainstorm ideas, invite contribution, etc simply out of respect for the individual.

It is a show of empathy and genuine caring for the individual. The creation of authentic dialogue, trust and respect is integral to being in business, and being a leader.

A transaction doesn’t have to consummate the relationship. The relationship in and of itself is enough.

If we apply this black yin perspective, or how the feminine views the feminine, into a business context what might it create at the enterprise level? What sort of work environment or organisational culture may result?

Well, it would be a collaborative and creative environment based on real relationships and authentic dialogue where one might expect high rates of staff retention. Staff would feel personally empowered, work-life balance would be something practiced and not just preached. Plans would be more flexible.

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FEATURE

rather than directive and based on positions of power and authority. The goal of the business would reflect sustainable growth and work practices and not be consumed by growth for growth’s sake. It may shift the very driver of the business from profit maximisation (for shareholders) to something more equitable and sustainable for all stakeholders.

The central theme of Taoist philosophy is that we have an innate nature and life is best served being in tune with our innate nature. Finding flow is another expression of the same theme. This is in contrast with the traditional model of business premised on the Protestant work ethic and that is you must work hard to be successful.

A business enterprise which adopts more of this Taoist perspective is embracing more feminine energy and in a rapidly changing economic landscape being fluid and in flow is essential to health, harmony and prosperity. Perhaps it is the road less travelled.

Coaching for feminine (Yin) energy Here are five examples of the feminine (Yin) aspect: • Centre – rather than standing apart, the feminine seeks a return to the centre. For a human being this centre is the heart. And the path to heart evokes stilling of the mind and the exploration of a deeper felt sense of being. Beyond the senses one can explore heart consciousness and this is the quest many feel compelled to explore now, more than ever.

• Sustainability – the feminine (Yin) energy is not about the perpetual movement forward. It is about balance, restoration, rejuvenation, and “the pause between the notes”. Think of a rock climber. He climbs upward and pauses to secure his position by inserting a peg. Progress forward is only subjected to a falling back of one or two steps. The feminine balances advance with retreat.

• Space – a quintessential aspect of the feminine is the creating and holding of space. Space may be represented in a business context by a think tank, blank canvas, open agenda, question time, silent pause to consider a motion, or deliberation of the jury. None of these concepts are new, they are just not as widely considered as they might be. In the world of design, space is often used to create context and depth. In a busy, cluttered world this respite enables us to recharge and refocus.

• Empowerment – the leadership model embraced by the feminine (Yin) energy is situational leadership rather than positional leadership. Positional leadership confers power, authority and control. Power and authority are delegated. In the feminine aspect we (the collective) are all empowered to lead. It is erroneous to believe you can empower someone.

You can only empower yourself. You can, however, create an environment (read “the space”) or a culture that is conducive 52

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FEATURE

Learning & Development for people feeling empowered enough to step up into their masculine power. I use the term masculine power in the sense of being an individual not exerting their will.

• Potential – the epitome of the feminine is the field of infinite potential. It goes further than the notion of maximising your potential. In the domain of energy there is no ceiling. And that it has no definition, measure or boundary is further reflection of the feminine essence. The nature of potential is that is inherently unrealised.

Here is a table of distinctions between masculine and feminine aspects. This will give you clues as to which coaching style may be appropriate for a given situation and also point to possible development areas a client may benefit from working on.

To be a balanced, holistic being you may require a mix of both masculine and feminine approaches. Choose 2-3 development areas from both lists. Your real opportunity for transformational growth is in working on your non-dominant polarity. Find a more balanced mix of both polarities within yourself and in your business environment. This return to equilibrium will evoke a diffusion of polarities and fusion into a more heart centric model of business, one which you may find is its own reward.

Coaching for masculine (Yang)

Coaching for feminine (Yin)

Deductive

Inductive

Left brained

Right brained

Planned

Spontaneous

Delivery - outcome / results focus

Discovery – opening possibility

Action & Accountability

Reflection & Insight

Individualisation

Tribal/ collective

Differentiation / Finding your edge

Homogenisation (fit in) / Return to centre

Decision making

Brainstorming

Solar plexis chakra (Will/ ego)

Heart chakra

Assertiveness

Compliance

Focus strengths – strength based

Focus variances / gaps

Progress

Sustainability

Outward growth – progress

Inward/ upward growth

Getting out / withdrawal

Staying in/ Reinvestment

Leadership

Empowerment

Performance

Potential

Contract

Expand

Focus, choose, decide

Create & hold space

Act

Pause

About the author Dennis Roberts is a speaker, coach and mentor. He offers personal empowerment programmes for women at a personal, enterprise or corporate level. You can read more of his work on ‘The Rise of the Feminine: How women are changing the game of business’ at DennisRoberts.com.au

ISSUE 12.9

HRMASIA.COM 53

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Soft does not mean weakness. It is the ability to be flexible, yielding and adaptable.

The dynamic workplace requires us to be able to understand, empathise, share, present ideas, inspire, solve problems and cultivate a positive work environment, among others. All these demand for soft skills.

While one may be a functional expert at his job, soft skill enhances one’s ability to work as part of the larger environment. It fosters great team performance, and leads people to contribute to the organisation’s vision and strategy.

How can your organisation improve employees’ soft skills? Here’s a look at some suggestions:

1 Understand what is missing

Start by understanding what soft skills your employees lack and determine which are important for their jobs.

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There are plenty of good reasons to embark on training programmes, especially so with the government offering generous subsidy for training initiatives. Training helps to bridge your employees’ competency gaps. By attending soft skill training programmes, your employees will display better interpersonal skills. This invariably creates a positive impact to the organisation’s culture, spirit and success.

3 Select your partner wisely

Finding the right training partner is crucial to your training’s success. A training provider who is able to address your needs is a like match made in heaven. Some of the common key considerations when choosing the right training partner include: good track record, quality trainers, prime location, good facilities, ability to develop excellent material, service quality and ability to contextualise.

4 Measure your success

Evaluation provides an objective measurement of your training outcome – whether your objectives have been met.

It also gives you insight on what can be further improved.

Last but not least, skills learnt and not applied are as good as time and money wasted. Periodic check-ins and feedback are important to keep you and your employees’ abreast of what’s current and embrace continuous improvement.

For more information, please visit trainingvision.com.sg. For enquries, please call 6325 1077 or email cna@trainingvision.com.sg.

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FEATURE

Serviced Apartments

Travelling

in style

Companies in Asia are sending their employees on a growing number of shortterm business trips across the region. More and more, they are choosing serviced apartments to accommodate these workers. HRM considers the range of services and amenities these properties are offering the busy corporate traveller

By Priya de Langen

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NOW DEFINING GLOBAL LIVING IN SINGAPORE

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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.

FEATURE

Serviced Apartments An increasing number of businesses are sending their employees on short-term travel as part of their roles.

The Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report 2011-12 noted that there has been an increase in business travel and the demand for serviced apartments has gone up, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

Serviced apartments are further encouraging demand for their particular accommodation option by differentiating their services, and standing further out from the crowd of hotels and resort accommodation.

Surge in short-term stays Serviced apartments providers say that they have encountered a surge in short-term business travellers to their properties. “Yes, there definitely has been an increase in shorter term reservations across all of our four serviced residences in Singapore,” says Tonya Khong, Area General Manager, Frasers Hospitality.

“Whilst we do have a range of lengths of stay, anything from one week to 10 years, more and more over the past year, we are seeing more requests for shorter stays.”

Another serviced apartments provider, The Ascott Limited, says that it has seen a similar trend in its properties. “We do see an increase in the number of business travellers staying with Ascott for shorter terms, ranging from a few weeks to six months, as compared to longer periods of two to three years,” says Alfred Ong, Managing Director, Southeast Asia and Australia, The Ascott Limited.

Uber-luxury serviced apartment provider, The Club at Capella Singapore has also seen an increase in its short-term business. “We see a trend in the number of short-term business travellers choosing to stay in long-stay accommodation such as The Club at Capella Singapore as they typically provide guests with more living space. The serviced apartment option is especially favoured, if the business traveller is travelling with accompanying family members,” says Robert Lagerwey, General Manager of Capella Singapore.

There are a few reasons for the increase in business travellers taking shorter-term stays in serviced apartments, say experts. Ong explains that it has to do with changing attitudes towards relocation – employees nowadays are focused on work-life balance and are less willing to relocate for two to three years at a time. Businesses are becoming more prudent in managing costs of corporate travel and short-term travel is lower cost alternative to those longer-term assignments, he adds.

When budgeting for these short-term assignments, companies have been keen to take advantage of the all-in services that serviced apartments provide.

Khong of Frasers Hospitality adds that travellers themselves are also appreciating the chance to stay in accommodation that more closely resembles a home

“Employees nowadays are focused on worklife balance and are less willing to relocate for two to three years at a time” – ALFRED ONG, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SOUTHEAST ASIA AND AUSTRALIA, THE ASCOTT LIMITED environment. “Having more private space, having the choice of cooking your own meal and even doing your own laundry; all these attributes of serviced apartments are definitely appealing and makes more sense to a business traveller staying more than a few days for work,” she says. Moreover, she adds that serviced apartments offer very flexible lease arrangements for longer or shorter stays, which makes it attractive for companies.

Giving catered service Serviced apartments providers are pulling out all the stops to differentiate their services and cater to the individual needs of their guests. Khong says that Frasers Hospitality constantly looks for ways to innovate and stay relevant. For example, she points out that Fraser Suites Singapore just completed a renovation, extending the gymnasium and adding other amenities.

“Most of these facilities are available in the hotels, but we have the edge not just on the space guests get in their apartment, but also the services of our team,” she says. “For example we have very frequent activities for our guests, from Chinese New year celebratory ‘lo hei’ to trips to wet markets and durian farms. Basically, we try as much as possible to integrate our residents into our city,” she says.

Frasers Hospitality has also come up with a new brand, called Capri by Fraser. It caters directly to younger, technologically savvy business executives on shorter-length stays (see below).

Ong says that The Ascott Limited offers companies significant savings when executives travelling in a group share an apartment, with each individual still having his or her own bedroom. He adds that Ascott’s serviced apartments cater to the growing demand from business travellers for a spacious and homely alternative to the typical hotel room.

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FEATURE

Serviced Apartments Catering to the e-generation traveller Do you want to iPad check-in to your apartment or play Wii or the Xbox while doing your laundry? No problem, say Frasers Hospitality. The serviced apartments provider recently launched its new brand, Capri by Fraser, which is catered to fit the needs of young and ever connected business travellers.

Serviced apartments in more than 73 properties in 39 cities worldwide within the next three years will come with a range of technical conveniences for the busy business traveller.

There is a menu of intelligent services for each guest to choose the way they want to rest, relax and recharge. This includes iPad activated check-ins, interactive e-concierge, AirPrint and Wi-Fi e-Print facilities for business, meeting rooms with interactive walls, and a Data Box to charge all digital devices.

Also, a laundrette offers different types of play from Wii and XBox Kinect to boardgames so that doing laundry becomes more of a social experience.

The 24-7 flexibility also extends to that of working out in the gym.

A selection of unique leisure experiences, ranging from Harley motorbike rides and sports car drives to salsa dancing and personal pilates sessions, are also available as part of Capri by Fraser’s customisable online menu.

Ascott offers apartments ranging in size from studios, to four-bedroom apartments and even penthouse suites.

Besides full amenities and facilities provided for guests, Ong says that the properties teams help residents navigate their new environment through residents’ programmes such as city tours. “For the busy professionals, our staff can help arrange for services including couriers, secretarial services, and even grocery shopping,” he states.

Also, the organisation offers other perks and conveniences to business travellers. Corporate bookers are offered membership to the Ascott loyalty programme, The Link Club, that has special benefits and promotions. Guests can also access the brand’s websites via mobile phone as well as through an online chat site that enhances travellers’ search and reservation experience, explains Ong. “Based on our experience, no two residents are the same and we want to ensure we are extending a product and service that is distinctively catered for them,” says Lagerwey. Besides the facilities in the apartment, The Club at Capella Singapore extends the services of the hotel’s facilities, which includes 24 hour in-room dining and concierge services, as well as special rates at the food and beverage and spa facilities. There is a provided shuttle service which runs between the hotel, The Club and Vivo City shopping centre, he says.

Keeping safe Safety is a major concern for organisations that send their employees on business travel and the serviced apartments that receive them. Providers of serviced apartments say their guests’ safety is a big consideration and they work to ensure that security measures are up to official standards or even higher. Features include closed circuit television networks on every floor, regular fire drills and 24-hour security measures. Staff are also trained in first aid.

“We conduct regular audits of our properties to ensure ongoing compliance with local safety regulations and our internal standards,” says Ong of Ascott. “We also regularly review our security measures and organise relevant training for our staff so residents can enjoy peace of mind when they stay at our serviced residences.”

The Club at Capella Singapore, together with Capella Singapore, offers its residents 24 hour security surveillance and patrolling. On top of that, Capella Singapore has a doctor on standby, as well as a fire command centre to deal with any medical or fire emergencies promptly. Along with the concierge, the engineering department is on standby around the clock, Lagerwey says.

“Safety concerns are a top priority, especially for single female business travellers, or business travellers with young children.”

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RESTAURANT REVIEW

Morton’s of Chicago –The Steakhouse

Steaking out at Morton’s In the world of constant change, it is great to know that some things stay the same. Morton’s of Chicago – The Steakhouse keeps its food simple, sumptuous, and generous in portions.

In typical steakhouse fashion, the restaurant features dark woods and subdued lighting that create a warm dining ambience. Service is top notch as the waiters have thorough knowledge of the menu and are able to suggest good food and wine pairings.

Morton’s is renowned for its best grain-fed beef so the steaks are a must-try. Some highlights include the Double Cut Filet Mignon, the New York Strip Steak and the Porterhouse Steak. The Double Cut Filet Mignon is tender and flavourful and the New York Strip Steak is delicious and done to your preference and perfection.

Seafood lovers also have a variety of dishes to savour at Morton’s including the fresh

Ocean Platter that comes with oysters, prawns and other delectable shellfish.

A range of desserts aim to provide a sweet ending to your meal. These include the signature Key Lime Pie, as well as new offerings such as Morton’s Legendary Sundae and Home Made New York Style Cheesecake.

In addition to the sumptuous fare, Morton’s also caters to organisations hosting corporate events.

The dining room seats 120 guests and private dining areas are also available for reservation.

Furthermore, companies can reserve the entire restaurant for a minimum food and beverage spend of S$4000++. The restaurant also offers gift cards which can be ideal for employee rewards.

Main Dining Hall

Double Filet Mignon

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Morton’s of Chicago –The Steakhouse Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 4th Storey, 5 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039797 Tel: +65 6339 3740

HRMASIA.COM 61

MICE

Dinner and dance

A night to

remember It’s that time of the year again when the company’s annual dinner and dance takes shape. Love it or hate it, it has become one of the regular fixtures on the office calendar. HRM takes a look at several venues for firms to hold that night to remember Vivien Shiao Shufen

Resorts World Sentosa Waterfront Promenade

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MICE

Dinner and dance Yes, the annual ritual of the company dinner and dance (D&D) is upon us once more. It is the one night where work is set aside, and staff gather for a time of merry-making and entertainment.

Everyone has a story to tell about that last company dinner and dance, where ‘so-and-so’ did something wild, or how the usually stern boss turned up in an outrageous costume. While it is all the name of fun and revelry, it is not simply for tradition that companies tend to hold their annual D&D year after year.

Its significance goes beyond an annual party where employees shake free of their inhibitions. If done right, it can be a great impetus for a company to reach even greater heights.

“We renamed the annual D&D as ‘Staff Appreciation Night’ as it is an important opportunity for our senior management to show their appreciation to all our staff members,” says Pauline Chua, General Manager, Human and Organisation Resources and Development, Fuji Xerox Singapore.

“It is an occasion for both management and staff to let their hair down, have fun and establish closer bonds with each other,” she adds.

Venues galore With employees looking forward to a bigger and better D&D each year, HR has got the unenviable task of matching such sky-high expectations. One of the most significant aspects of the D&D is always the location.

“With more than 700 attendees to host and, at the same time, not compromising the event quality, we have to weigh more aspects - for example, the capacity of the hotel to host our group, the accessibility of the location, the quality of the food, and cost management,” explains Chua.

Tawandang Mircobrewery

New York Street in Universal Studios Singapore

If space is a concern, one location to consider is Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). It has a wide range of differentiated venues that can host any dinner from 40 to 35,000 in its sprawling resort complex. These include Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park, the world’s largest oceanarium, Asia’s largest column-free ballroom (seating 6,500 guests), as well as 37 function rooms and 20 varied event venues.

“With our gamut of attractions, accommodations, entertainment and performances – all housed under a single destination – we are offering a one stop MICE destination that has never been available before,” says Paul Stocker, vice president, National MICE and Group Sales, Resorts World Sentosa.

For companies that want to spice up their event with unique themes, RWS has a plethora of venues to choose from. For example, organisers can book a D&D that uses the nostalgic streetscape of 1950s and 1960s New York as décor, yet is fully covered and sits 1,500 people banquet style. Another interesting venue would be Ancient Egypt at the Universal Studios, where employees can dress up Pharoah-style, and even take a ride on Revenge of the Mummy rollercoaster.

By the end of this year, RWS will also open the world’s largest oceanarium – Marine Life Park – comprising a water park and aquarium. This will provide even more unique event spaces for D&Ds such as the Open Ocean Gallery where D&Ds can be held “in the deep ocean”, or beach-themed D&D at their wave pool – Bluwater Bay – which even comes with its own cabanas.

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Dinner and dance can customise packages to fit the needs of clients and ensure smooth delivery from planning to execution.

“Cookie cutter events are definitely not our signature,” says Stocker.

A chilled out evening If a spectacular bonanza is not what you are looking for, consider Thai-German microbrewery Tawandang for a more chilled-out evening. Tucked away in a lush corner of exclusive Dempsey, this is a laidback venue with great food, beer and music that is bound to satisfy every employee.

Tawandang can accommodate up to 160 guests seated inside the restaurant, and a further 150 al fresco style outside. Known for its beer brewed directly at the location and its authentic Thai and German dishes, it is an ideal venue for companies that want to just relax and have a good time.

To complement the all-time favourites in the regular menu, including Tawandang’s deep fried pork knuckle and grilled seabass with spicy sauce, there are some new dishes that are guaranteed to tingle the taste buds of staff. Some sizzling new additions include catfish with red curry, crispy grilled chicken, triple seafood salad, and fried pork chop that are all tasty and flavourful.

The restaurant has recently invested in a stage where it features regular performances by the resident band, with different themes such as The Sound of Music and popular musical Grease each month. For companies that plan to book the entire venue for an event, they are able to make requests for the type of performances staged.

Each performance promises to be spectacular and engaging, with companies free to tailor the event to fit their needs.

One of the charms of Tawandang is the flexibility involved in organising an event there.

“We provide a free projector, lighting, sound system, soundman and even the band,” says Veeratham Setthasit, Director of Tawandang. “We can also hire an emcee who can plan and play games with the audience. We can even get a magician.” This deal is sweetened by his own admission that corporate packages can be negotiated with him.

“We renamed the annual D&D as ‘Staff Appreciation Night’ as it is an important opportunity for our senior management to show their appreciation to all our staff members” – PAULINE CHUA, GENERAL MANAGER, HUMAN AND ORGANISATION RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, FUJI XEROX SINGAPORE.

All in the atmosphere For companies that value aesthetics in a venue for their D&D, Chijmes Hall might just be the right location.

Known for being an ideal wedding venue, due to its charm and elegance, Chijmes Hall is increasingly getting popular as a venue for corporate events such as gala dinners and product launches.

Accommodating up to 300 guests, it has a strategic location in downtown Singapore, making it easily accessible for staff. However, the highlight of Chijmes

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MICE

Dinner and dance

Chijmes Hall exterior

Hall has to be its magnificent architecture and unique atmosphere.

The building exterior features flying buttresses and a five-storey spire, while the high-ceiling chapel interior features delicate stained-glass windows that were produced in Bruges, Belgium by Jules Dobbelaere, one of the finest stained glass craftsman of late nineteenth-century Europe.

This fairytale setting may be traditional, but Chijmes Hall offers the state-of-the-art modern space that companies look for in a D&D venue. The chapel has integrated audio-visual equipment together with a sophisticated sound system, wall-mounted plasma TV and Wi-Fi. A professional planner to assist clients with all arrangements ranging from entertainment to F&B can be provided.

“Our planners are trained to work closely to our customer’s needs,” says Joey Wong, Chief Planner – Chijmes Hall, Watabe Singapore. “We not only want to create a successful event in Chijmes Hall but also create the right atmosphere and a memory that will last a lifetime.”

Over the years, Harry’s has become one of Singapore’s iconic destinations. From its humble beginnings with just one spot at Boat Quay, Harry’s has since grown and now operates 30 premium lifestyle bars targeted at the PMEBs (professionals, managers, executives and businessmen). Strategically located in the high traffic city and business districts, Harry’s also has a large presence in the suburban towns. The brand is also one of the first to greet travelers at the Singapore Changi Airport with bars located within the transit area at both Terminal 1 and 3.

The Group also includes other F&B establishments such as Mirchi-Taste of India, Marrakesh - Moroccan Lounge and Bar, Rupee Room-Bollywood and Beyond and Harry’s most recent addition to the industry goes by the name of the club, a chic 22-room boutique hotel nestled on the historic Ann Siang Hill with a rooftop bar Ying Yang run by Harry’s.

The Harry’s experience is not limited by physical localities. The Group has also expanded its catering arm and over the years, has participated in events such as Formula1 Singapore Grand Prix, Barclays Singapore Open, Beer Fest Asia 2012 and many more.

rooftop bar

marketing@harrys.com.sg 68

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/harrysbar.sg

CONGRESS SERIES

HRM CONG

RESS SERIES

Calendar of Events Managing Employees: Challenges & Strategies 26 September 2012 HRM Awards Best Practices Congress 10-11 October 2012 Recruitment & Retention: Building a Loyal Workforce 18 October 2012 Graduate Development Congress 23 October 2012

Performance Management & Appraisals 6 December 2012 Innovation in HR Congress 23-24 January 2013 HR Strategies in Asia 26-27 February 2013 3rd Annual Social Media Congress 13-14 March 2013

4th Annual Talent Management Congress: Growing a Strong Talent Pipeline 7-8 November 2012 HR as a Business Partner 21 November 2012 Leadership Development Congress 28 November 2012

+65 6423 4631 | www.hrmcongress.com

TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN

HR at work 7.45am I use my travelling time from home to office responding to emails, going through my calendar and making sure I am prepared for the day ahead.

catch up with my team to share and update progress for the week. I analyse and provide guidance in managing business issues and the emerging business priorities from the different lines of business across FADA.

8.45am Quick start for the day –I take my daily boost of Vitamin C. I then prepare and consolidate the Recruitment Requisition report that I receive from the global key business leaders across continents and direct these to the Arvato Leadership team for approvals.

Cyl Lin

Regional Business HR Manager (APAC & Japan), Arvato Bertelsmann

3.00pm Here comes our weekly business management meeting – I will present the first item in the agenda.

The content revolves around recruitment, talent management and development updates and provides consultation and advice to the business stakeholders.

10.00am It’s time to move into an exciting journey in the talent acquisition process – interviewing and selecting candidates based on work experience, job competencies and cultural fit.

4.30pm I attend the weekly manpower forecast and review teleconference with my Workforce Management team from the Europe region. We discuss and share the challenges of our business and the need to relook into the manpower requirements with our business stakeholders.

11.45am My lunch is spent with my HR team at Alexandra Retail Centre’s Auntie Kim. They serve authentic Korean delicacies and I am a fan of their seafood pancake and my must-have – the rice juice!

6.00pm End my fruitful and busy day with a smile after the completion of all planned tasks. That’s what we call job satisfaction!

1.30pm Grab a cup of Japanese tea and head off to

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ISSUE 12.9

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IN PERSON

HR talent Susan Lim

Years in HR? 20 years

Director, HR Swissôtel Merchant Court

Why HR? I like connecting with people from a variety of backgrounds and experience. As a HR practitioner, I have the opportunity to influence countless aspects of the organisation, to assist in the development of the employees, and to play a part in influencing strategic business decisions.

Why Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts?

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts is part of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with over 95 hotels and resorts worldwide. Swissôtel Merchant Court has a family-like work atmosphere. Everyone, from the General Manager to the rank & file workers treat one another with respect and care. It is a happy working environment.

Biggest achievement?

My greatest accomplishments come from making a difference in my team’s life. I have given opportunities to many of my HR team members who initially had no HR

experience or qualifications but wanted to pursue a career in HR. Till today, many of my ex-HR team members still call me for advice, be it work or personal.

Biggest challenge?

One of the biggest challenges I face now is the shrinking labour force in the hospitality industry due to various factors such as changing demographics and tightening of work pass regulations. To gain a sustainable competitive advantage in this increasingly challenging business environment, I need to be innovative in order to attract and retain the talent.

Family?

My husband works in the telecommunications industry.

We are blessed with two lovely children, a 11- year- old son and a 20- month-old daughter.

What happens after hours?

Although it can be quite tiring for a working mother, I enjoy that little time in the evening bonding with my children. Both my children are very attached to me.

Singing Servers offer a unique mix of surprise, comedy, song and dance all in one extraordinary 5 star entertainment experience. Ideal for dinner & dances and corporate events.

To discuss how Singing Servers can help to make your next event an even bigger success, please contact us at: Info@singingservers.com.sg +65 6235 2085

www.singingservers.com.sg 72

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HRMASIA.COM

Enhance Your Infocomm Competency with WDA and IDA-Supported Training The National Infocomm Competency Framework (NICF), developed by WDA and IDA, defines the competencies needed for various key Infocomm job roles and forms the backbone of the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) system for the Infocomm sector.

The Institute of Systems Science (ISS) of National University of Singapore is an appointed Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centre for the NICF. We deliver professional courses which are accredited with up to 70% funding of the course fee for eligible participants (Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents) and with absentee payroll for eligible organisations.

Join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ISS.NUS PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE

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For enquiries Our website isstraining@nus.edu.sg www.iss.nus.edu.sg

Benefits of NICF Enhance your employability and performance by using the NICF in the following ways: Understand competencies required for career advancement Upgrade knowledge or acquire a new set of skills Attractive funding support FEE S$ (S’POREAN/PR)

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NICF - Architecting Software Solutions NICF - Building Enterprise Applications Using Java EE NICF - Cloud Economics & Technology for Practitioners NICF - Object Oriented Design Patterns NICF - Object Oriented Analysis & Design NICF - Service-Oriented Architecture Essentials BUSINESS ANALYSIS

NICF - AIIM Business Process Management Master (BPMC) NICF - Business Process Reengineering NICF - Business Analysis Fundamentals – Requirements Development NICF - Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) Preparatory Course NICF - Enterprise Business Analysis NICF - Software Testing IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT

NICF - Certified ScrumMaster NICF - Certification in IT Project Management (CITPM) Preparatory Course NICF - Certification in Outsourcing Management for IT (COMIT) Preparatory Course NICF - Essential Leadership Skills for Project Managers NICF - IT Outsourcing Management for Practitioners NICF - Managing Project Stakeholders : A Practical Approach NICF - PMP® for Project Managers NICF - Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P3O®) Foundation & Practitioner NICF - Project Management for Information Systems NICF - PRINCE2® Foundation & Practitioner Certificate IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT

NICF - ITIL® Intermediate Certificate: Continual Service Improvement (CSI) NICF - ITIL® Intermediate Certificate: Operational Support & Analysis (OSA) NICF - ITIL® Intermediate Certificate: Release, Control & Validation (RCV) NICF - ITIL® V3 Foundation for IT Service Management IT RISK MANAGEMENT

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Funding is based on the number of CUs passed.

Fee quoted is after GST and 70% WDA funding. These courses are aligned to the National Infocomm Competency Framework (NICF) and accredited by WDA. Up to 70% WDA funding of the course fee is available for eligible participants (Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents). Absentee payroll subsidy is available for eligible companies and companies on a short work week system will receive the absentee payroll subsidy based on their employees' current income.

To encourage more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to send their workers for skills upgrading and to enhance productivity, the Government will be increasing the funding subsidy for this group. The Enhanced Training Support for SMEs will help SMEs further lower the cost of sending their employees for certifiable training programmes supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), and academic Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes offered by the five Polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education.

SMEs will get to enjoy subsidies* of 90% of the course fees when they sponsor their employees for the above-mentioned courses as well as claim absentee payroll funding* of 80% of basic hourly salary at a higher cap of $7.50 per hour.

Terms & conditions apply. Please visit www.wda.gov.sg for full details.

1

TALENT CHALLENGE

Employee engagement

Managing toxic employees How important is it for HR to recognise and handle toxic employees?

Alessandro Paparelli Pooja Taneja HR Director, GroupM

It is very critical that HR has a plan to track employees who may be toxic. Toxic employees are those who try and bring down the image of the organisation by their words and actions, create a rift in the teams they work with or have poor relationships with the people they work with.

However, it can be hard to recognise toxic employees as the employees can be subtle in the manner in which they share their negative opinions and guise it as feedback. It is also important to differentiate between people who are toxic and the people who genuinely care about the organisation but may be vocal in their opinions in a bid to improve the company.

Toxic employees need to be managed as it can lead to morale and retention issues with other good staff.

At GroupM, if any employee is viewed to be getting very negative, then the person is encouraged to share their views in a constructive way and come up with solutions for the company to improve.

However, if people continue to be toxic, they are also told how their behaviour comes across to others and the impact it has so that they have a chance to try and change. People sometimes do not realise that they are being toxic and awareness is sometimes all that is needed to help them make the change.

Alice Gouk

HR Director, APAC, ADM Cocoa

The first priority is to recognise what a toxic employee is. They are people who are always negative and discontent, blame others for their problems and lack motivation. This causes problems for both customers and colleagues as they sabotage others’ work and influence co-workers to be like them.

The next step is to refine the hiring process to prevent hiring toxic employees.

HR should check references and ask behaviour-based interview questions to find out how applicants work through problems and conduct personality tests. It is also important to set clear expectations and have a clear job description that can be validated to employee if issues later arise.

Toxic employees have to be swiftly confronted before they pollute the organisation. This calls for disciplinary action in your work policy. Plans for discussion and improvement with the employee need to be initiated with specific incidents cited. HR also needs to present clear information about our expectations and the potential consequence of failing to meet the expectations. There should also be follow-ups to see if the problem has been resolved and disciplinary action needs to be issued if it continues.

Termination may be needed if there is sufficient supportive evidence.

Regional Executive Director, HR & Organisation, APAC, Ferragamo

Toxic employees can actually be a godsend.

It means at least that they allowed your organisation to face issues that should probably have been faced before. These are some of the questions that may be brought about when toxic employees emerge: • Did the supervising manager actually manage this person?

• Can any employee take advantage of company policies that are weak or not enforced?

• How could this person pass the recruitment process in the first place?

• Do we have shared criteria and protocols for hiring?

• Is it really a matter of a “toxic” individual?

Or is the organisation not equipped to manage diversity?

• Were there training needs that have not been recognised?

• Is our organisational culture strong and healthy enough to single out toxic elements?

In other words, such situations should trigger a check-list, through which we might discover that sometimes the toxicity comes from the system, not the individual.

My focus would not be on the toxic element, but rather at doing a medical check-up of the organisation, understanding its weak points and most importantly, building up a strong immune system.

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TALENT LADDER

HR movements Irene Wee

Deputy Director, Talent Management and Succession Planning Office, Strategic HR, Singapore Health Services Irene Wee has recently moved up the corporate ladder to be Deputy Director, Strategic HR. She first joined SingHealth in February 2011 as an Assistant Director to start up the Talent Management and Succession Planning Office.

Wee has 26 years of experience in the public and corporate sectors specialising in talent management and

succession planning, as well as management consulting and coaching.

Her strategic priority in the next three years is to build a high quality and sustainable leadership pipeline in SingHealth.

Wee plans to achieve this by establishing core talent management and succession planning processes. This will

enable the organisation to enable and engage its talents for key leadership positions.

“I am thankful to the management for recognising my team’s efforts in our new start-up. It’s all about training our minds and developing our character so as to be able to reframe challenges as opportunities, and turn them into our advantage.”

Personal Systems Group.

Lam started his career with the Singapore Armed Forces in 1990 on a government scholarship, during which time he served, for a duration, as the Head of Career Planning for the Army in the Ministry of Defence. He also worked in various roles at top firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture and IBM. He continues to participate

actively in the Asia HR network and speaks regularly at business forums on leadership and workforce trends in Asia, and its implications and imperatives for HR. In addition to his role as VP, HR at Applied Global Services, Lam is also actively serving his military reserve duties. He now holds the rank of Senior Lieutenant Colonel in the Army reserve.

Prior to this, Ng was with HR solution company Adecco, where she was one of the pioneering members of a team that spearheaded the Selection Division. She handled various portfolios including general staffing, key account management and headhunting.

In her new role at Gartner, she is looking forward to growing with the world’s leading

information technology research and advisory company.

One key area that she will be focusing on is to strengthen the strategic partnership with other hiring managers in the Asia Pacific region to ramp up recruitment efforts. In doing so, Ng aims to develop and become a trusted HR advisor in Gartner that will bring the company to a greater level.

Eugene Lam

HR VP, Applied Global Services, Applied Materials Eugene Lam is the new VP, HR for AGS at Applied Materials.

He is responsible for leading the AGS HR function, formulating the HR strategy in line with business goals, and driving the implementation of key people programmes to enable business performance and growth.

Prior to joining Applied Materials, Lam was the Asia Pacific/Japan HR VP at Hewlett Packard, supporting the

Ng Ai Li

Sourcing Specialist, Gartner Ng Ai Li has recently taken up a new role at Gartner Singapore as a Sourcing Specialist. She will be responsible for managing recruitment for the Gartner Asia/ Pacific region.

Before joining Gartner, Ng worked at MindChamps as a Talent Acquisition Manager. She was handling both corporate and educator recruitment, as well as career planning and development.

ISSUE 12.9

SUPPLEMENT 77

VIEW POINT Matt Allanson Sales Director, HiringBoss

HiringBoss

Local markets, local conditions, local software…

Global reach Understanding the intricacies of the local talent landscape is essential for businesses seeking an edge in the war for talent, says Matt Allanson, Sales Director, HiringBoss, Singapore Apple recently launched a full-fledged iTunes store in Singapore. It’s a brilliant system and more than a little addictive. But what impressed me most about Apple’s launch is the local flavor of the content.

Go on, login to the iTunes Singapore store. What do you see? No ads for ‘Snoop Dog’ or ‘Powder Finger’, but a proliferation of K-Pop and Asian artists. Apple is smart. They respect the fact that the local market knows what it wants, so they deliver exactly that.

The same goes for HR and recruitment software.

I think we would all agree that the HR landscape has changed radically in recent years with the arrival of social networks, smarter technology and the advent of globalisation in business life. Hiring is now faster, more competitive, more social. Talent acquisition follows new processes and new rulesand is no longer limited by geographical location.

Can your business adapt to that world?

Any HR software provider that is taking this region -Asia- seriously knows what CPF, EPF, AWS, FWL are. Your HRIS should understand that an applicant’s current location and EP/PEP status can mean a lot … and that KIV is not a music label. It should recognise differences between compliance regulations in Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and Korea..even if you don’t. It ought to differentiate the legal annual leave requirements across all the regions your company operates across… and be backed-up by availability in multiple languages to ultimately boost user adoption.

Is that really too much to ask?

How about support? It is astounding- the amount of well-established and supposedly ‘global’ HRIS providers who claim to offer full customer support packages, when, in reality, they are woefully ill-

equipped to respond to their customers’ needs outside of core US or European business hours. Why, if you are an Asia-based business, would you really want to be tied to a support team in San Francisco, London or even Sydney? It just doesn’t make sense.

These are the questions that motivated us to create our own TAS (talent acquisition system).

HiringBoss is designed, built, run and supported in Asia, for the Asian marketplace. In fact, HiringBoss is the only TAS that was conceived from day 1 with a clear focus on delivering truly localised applicant tracking and talent management software to Asian businesses that have a local and global reach. This is what makes us different.

This is why HiringBoss is available in 12 languages and has three support centers across the region (with three more coming in the next six months). We prioritise local, native speaker support as an absolute must. Plus, we’re integrated with local job boards, so posting your new vacancies to relevant and targeted candidates is more effective and easier than ever. These are needs that a US or Europe focused software company does not understand, let alone meet.

We believe that our customers should not have to make any sacrifices on great HR and recruitment software, just because they are based in Asia. In fact, we think that driving intuitive and optimised hiring processes for businesses in the world’s most dynamic marketplace is a pretty amazing task. It’s that simple.

So tell me, have you been frustrated by your software provider’s lack of engagement in Asia or empty promises of responsive customer support?

Contact us anytime for a demo, we’d love to hear from you.

ISSUE 12.9

Headquartered in Singapore.

Offices in Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong.

Tel: +65 62226077 Email: sales@hiringboss.com Web: www.hiringboss.com

HRMASIA.COM 79

RESOURCES

Book Reviews

Rapid Change:

Immediate action for the impatient leader The only constant in life is change, so leaders of today need a game plan to effectively manage changes in this fast-paced world, says author Joe Laipple in Rapid Change: Immediate Action for the Impatient Leader.

In the preface, Laipple states that the aim of the book is to help improve the influence of managers and leaders in implementing and achieving meaningful change – especially in helping others become more successful. The book provides leaders with a recipe for translating the proven science of behaviour change into a process that helps get change quickly, easily and with impact.

Laipple is certainly an author who knows his stuff – he is a behavioural scientist who has over 20 years of practical experience designing and implementing change in over 50 companies as a consultant, coach and mentor.

In the book, Laipple uses extensive in leadership and HayPS_4p.pdf 1 his 8/3/12 3:59experience PM

change management to provide practical examples on how to troubleshoot and overcome the inevitable signs of resistance that leaders will encounter. He also provides tools and techniques for influencing incremental change on a daily basis, including what he terms the “Three Minute Meeting”, which refers to frequent yet brief interactions among leaders and employees.

The book shares a clear path on how to create and sustain culture change, making this a very useful guide for any leader. It provides real-world, actionable steps that can be used in just about any situation. The author also breaks the book down into manageable chapters and sections that makes for easy reading, without all the confusing jargon that is commonly found in leadership books.

Title: Rapid Change: Immediate Action for the Impatient Leader Author: Joe Laipple Publisher: Performance Management Publications

Having trouble

making your reward packages

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Using data from over 18,000 organisations, you'll be able to:

Get competitive!

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• Accurately benchmark the pay and rewards you offer • Understand pay levels in markets all over the world • Protect your bottom line.

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TALENT FEATURE

Adecco

Tapping on the social media advantage Can social media really benefit the business? You bet it can, says Lynne Ng, Regional Director, Adecco SEA But what about maintaining productivity in the workplace, when social media is so readily available to use?

Lynne Ng

Regional Director, Adecco SEA

Human Resources…People Solutions…Capital Management. No matter how you put it, it’s about connecting with people. As a HR practitioner, it is our responsibility to ensure that we have an ear to the ground, and to keep up with what makes talent tick and to understand people inside and out. Social Media can play a key part in this and is able to support the business.

The professional use of social media in a corporate environment can allow us to be ‘who we are’ and to ‘do what we need to do’ - albeit in different ways. Think about it. Social media presents a host of resources for HR professionals. It allows us to meet and network and to enter into discussions, partake in forums and is an excellent way to share best practices.

By using social media in a responsible and creative way, my colleagues and I now get to network with fellow industry professionals and meet with potential clients and candidates. It sometimes feels like going through a live recruiting session - without the formalities. My Facebook profile has become a platform for me to share industry news, internal events, as well as a tool to share successes with employees. It is transparent and it allows for open communication and feedback.

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It is important to realise that social media is likely here to stay and no matter how often some people try to discourage, stop or block it, your employees will likely be engaging in it somehow! This may be by tweeting, blogging or updating their Facebook status on a very regular basis. As Facebook is so regularly visited and read by Adecco colleagues, I use the platform as a means of ensuring that important messages and communications are read. We also Tweet about Adecco’s successes and achievements, and blog about industry trends etc.

Changing the Culture The culture of a company plays a huge role in attracting, engaging and retaining the best people.

Today, more often than not, the CEOs of global multinational and local organisations are maximising their presence on social media to reach out to stakeholders, industry colleagues and employees.

As we continue to focus on keeping the human element in human resources, there has never been a stronger need to demonstrate transparency and open communication. And the best part is that we have the ‘social’ tools to do so.

Time to update my Facebook status about the inspirational person that I just met. What about you?

For more information about Adecco see www.adecco.com.sg or www.facebook.com/AdeccoSingapore

Fiona Nesbitt Singapore

frazerjones.com

HR Roles HR Generalist Energy Sector Our client, an industry front runner in the energy sector, is looking for an experienced HR generalist to join its Singapore team. With an impressive global presence and further expansion plans, the company is moving from strength to strength meaning this is an exciting time to join the team. The position calls for a strong, highly organised generalist to handle all HR administration matters relating to the Singapore office and to develop and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders, outside vendors and the Ministry of Manpower. This role supports a headcount of around 100 in Singapore and has plans to grow to around 200 in the next two years. Ref: FN187021.

SG$95,000

HR Operations Manager C&B Focus This is an opportunity to champion and manage selected global processes across performance, rewards and benefits, with a focus on pay, performance and potential interim and final reviews. Support continuous development and improvement of various global performance, reward & benefits products and processes with simple, scalable and sustainable global solutions. Applicants should have strong HR operations experience coupled with some previous involvement in reward operations and strong experience in project management and delivery. Previous experience within an international rewards team is highly desirable.

Ref: TH187801.

SG$180,000

To discuss HR roles across Asia, please contact Theresa Hall on +65 6420 0515 or Fiona Nesbitt on +65 6420 0520.

Alternatively, email theresahall@frazerjones.com or fionanesbitt@frazerjones.com | EA Licence No: 10C4100.

THE SR GROUP . BREWER MORRIS . CARTER MURRAY . FRAZER JONES . SR SEARCH . TAYLOR ROOT LONDON . DUBAI . HONG KONG . SINGAPORE . SYDNEY . MELBOURNE

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Specialists in HR Recruitment

164 offices in 34 countries | www.michaelpage.com.sg

13258-AC_SG_HRM_Sept2012.v4.indd 1

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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.

EA Licence No.: 05C3451

1. Senior Human Resource Manager

2. Senior Human Resource Manager

West, 5 days work week Healthcare Group, Salary up to $8000 per month

East, 5 days work week Excellent Remuneration Package

Our client, an established healthcare group, providing excellent clinical care, research and education. One of the leading players in the healthcare industry.

Our client, a German MNC specialising in electronic products with one of their asia office in Singapore is seeking dynamic individuals to expand with them.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Responsibilities include recruitment, manpower planning, staff retention strategies, employee relations (staff discipline, grievances, industrial relations), talent management and succession planning, HR policies and processes, projects etc • Review, develop and implement HR policies, plans, processes and programmes to ensure they are effective, relevant and aligned to organizational goals and objectives and market trends and competitiveness. HR plans and programmes cover broadly 6 thrusts: o Attract & Induct Talents o Recognise & Reward Staff o Train & Develop Staff o Engage, Communicate & Involve Staff o Care for the Well-Being of Staff o Provide Excellent & Pro-active Service to Departments/Staff • Lead, manage, coach and motivate a team to deliver comprehensive HR services to the business • Manage manpower cost and resources effectively and efficiently both with HR Department as well as Departments under the charge of the specific business unit • Work with management, business units, union and staff in providing value-adding consultancy, advice, resource and service to attract, retain, train, develop, reward, care and engage our talents • Employee Relations in dealing with complex staff disciplinary, grievances and HR issues etc • Track, monitor and analyse HR KPIs so as to develop and implement effective HR plans and programmes promptly to address key issues and gaps

• Provide strategic HR consulting and solutions to business units in alignment with business goals, development of capability and long term retention strategies • Manage HR support to business units, covering employee relations, manpower planning and budgeting, performance and reward management, compensation and benefits, leave administration, exit management, staff engagement and communications • Manage relations with the union covering Collective Agreement, wage negotiations, employee grievances, employee counseling and disciplinary actions • Ensure Company policies and procedures are followed and maintained in accordance with corporate guidelines and current legislation • Consult with senior management at strategic level on organization change and talent/ capability building

Requirements • Possess a Degree with at least 5 years of HR Experience in a managerial capacity • Prior experience from healthcare or related industry is highly favored • Post-graduate qualification in HRM will be an advantage • Exemplary leadership skills • Strategic thinking & strong analytical skills • Excellent communication & interpersonal Skills • Results, customer as well as people oriented • Bold, pro-active, creative, with strong passion and drive • Proficient in MS Office

Requirements • Candidates should possess a Degree in Human Resources or Business Management • Prior experiences to managing compensation and benefits for organization sales team highly advantageous • Strong experience in managing a team, working with union, organization development and change management • Minimum 7 years of relevant HR experiences in Human Resources with at least 3 years in Business partnering role • Able to guide the HR team on operational HR matters • Demonstrate understanding of relevant legislation and industrial instruments • Strong analytical skill, good time management and organization skill, high level of integrity and ability to keep sensitive information confidential Interested candidate please submit your updated resume in MS Word format to: Position 1: blessing10@achievegroup.asia Position 2: theaces2@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 86

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Returning the Human to Resourcing

VP, Learning Manager

HR Manager, Global Healthcare

Senior Recruiter, Financial Services

Dynamic, Fast-Growing Bank

Global Leading Medical Hub in Asia

Global Investment Management

Strategic Role

Innovative and Highly Stimulating Environment

Regional Projects Exposure

Regional Focus

Attractive Remuneration Package

Newly Created Position

Our client is a dynamic, fast-growing bank with significant international footprint and is continuing to expand its presence aggressively in Asia Pacific.

Our client is an innovative player in the medical hub of Asia and a global leader in the field of integrated healthcare. It is also one of the fastest growing integrated healthcare providers with presence across 10 countries. Headquartered in Singapore, the company is expanding their presence regionally. They are now seeking a HR professional with strong HR Management skills.

Our client is a global investment management organization listed in New York Stock Exchange.

With extensive global presence, this client manages investment vehicles for individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts, partnerships, and other clients. Due to business growth, there is an opening for a senior recruiter covering Singapore and Malaysia.

Reporting to the VP, you will be a key contributor in managing and administering generalist responsibilities, encompassing issues as well as other adhoc matters. Together with a team of professional and energetic colleagues, you will work closely with the management team, to develop and implement new HR policies, practices and guidelines.

You will take ownership for attracting talent by proactively recruiting, sourcing and hiring qualified talents. You will establish and monitor service agreements, operating procedures and role clarity across Asia-Pacific region for all talent acquisition. You will be working independently to search by proactively networking and establishing talent pipelines. You will also lead Regional Talent Acquisition programs, operations, and processes in collaboration with Corporate Programs and Regional Partners.

This is an exciting role where you will partner with senior business and HR stakeholders to provide strategic consultation for design and oversight of the development of capability curricula for Regional Consumer and Institutional Banking Operations. You will work closely with senior leaders to ensure that the strategy and commercial aspirations roll up into the capability plan, and work with learning operations and execution to ensure effective delivery. You will also monitor ROI of L&D costs, proactively manage the spend, and advise your stakeholders on learning best practices.

You are degree qualified with relevant experience gained in major banks. You are a strategic thinker with strong stakeholder and relationship management skills. You are also a self-starter with strong communication and influencing skills, and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

As a successful applicant, you will have at least 8 years of generalist experience with strong business acumen. You will possess a good allround experience of HR systems, policies, legal requirements, programs and practices. A proven track record in project management and organisational change management skills is essential. You are an independent worker, have good negotiation skills and possess a flair for problem-solving. You also enjoy working in an evolving and challenging environment.

Knowledge of the healthcare sector is preferred.

To apply, please submit your resume to Audrey Chan at ac@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AC4408\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Priscilla Chen at pc@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number PC4435\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

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As a successful candidate, you are degree qualified with at least 5 years of progressive experience in Recruiting. You should have solid knowledge of Singapore and Malaysia labour laws and regulations. Excellent recruitment techniques are highly desirable. Preference will be given to those with knowledge of hiring systems such as Taleo, and familiarity with PeopleSoft.

To apply, please submit your resume to Priscilla Chen at pc@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number PC4468\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

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

Head of Talent & Learning Operations

Head of Employee Relations

HRD, HRIS

Global Bank

Global Bank

Global Scope

Competitive Remuneration

High Growth Potential

Strong Business Partnering

Excellent Career Progression

Excellent Career Progression

Salary circa S$200k-S$250k + bonus

This premier global bank promotes talent and learning development through its well-established talent management practices and programs.

It is recruiting a dynamic and high caliber Head of Talent and Learning Operations.

Our client is a leading global bank with significant business interest globally. It is now recruiting a dynamic Head of Employee Relations.

Our client is a globally respected leader within the transportation and logistics industry. Due to continuous process improvements and senior management initiatives, there now exists an opportunity for a high caliber, self-driven HR professional to join them and lead their HRIS initiatives.

Reporting to Singapore Head of HR, you will provide advice and support to business on strategic people management issues and Industrial Relations environment in the country.

You will align ER structure and processes to support business model and deliver business performance, and ensure compliance with regulations and corporate governance.

You will support Global Head of ER to deliver key deliverables and implement strategy in fostering healthy employer-employee relationships, with particular emphasis on relations with unions.

Reporting to the Global Head of HR, and working closely with the senior management team, you will drive global HRIS projects, some involving greenfield initiatives. You will work with the global teams and drive strategic change management initiatives such as, ERP systems migration to new/enhanced platforms. You will also lead special projects, possibly in the area of HR shared services.

Degree qualified, you will have at least 15 years of relevant experience gained in a progressive bank or MNC. With strong interpersonal and leadership skills, you are familiar with learning technologies, process migration, project management, financial analysis and product management life cycle for talent and learning products.

Degree qualified, you will have at least 10 to 12 years of relevant experience gained in a progressive bank or MNC. With strong leadership and communication skills, you possess strong union management experience and high sensitivity to the social, economic and political environment.

You are HR qualified and have worked at least 12 years in a progressive multinational.

You have the bandwidth to operate at the strategic levels and yet have the capacity to be operationally hands-on. You thrive on challenges and are a driver with high levels of initiative. You are excellent in building relationships and are a strong business partner.

To apply, please submit your resume to Adnan Atan at aa@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AA4060\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 AA4486\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Cecelia Koh at ck@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number CK4365\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Licence No: C690801Z

Reporting to the Head of HR Country Service Delivery and Group Head of Talent and Learning Product Delivery, and managing a dynamic team, you will provide thought leadership, delivery expertise and support to the Talent and Learning function to ensure seamless implementation of Talent and Learning products and services. This would cover technology infrastructure, process optimization, standards, governance and controls, decision-support analytics and financial data analysis, risk management and team management.

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Human resources professionals speak to tHe experts Hr manager facilitate the Hr functions

senior compensation consultant Work with some of singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major mncs

This leading provider of facilities management services and well known MNC is looking for a HR Manager. In this role you will manage the full spectrum of HR functions including recruitment and compensation and benefits for the designated business unit. You will handle local and regional talent acquisitions including expatriate relocation management. Alongside reviewing compensations, salary increment exercises and benefits policies, you will implement and review performance management programs. You will have experience in liaising closely with employees unions.

This leading human resource consulting firm, engaged by some of Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest and most respected companies specialising in total rewards solutions, is looking for a compensation specialist to join the business. The role will encompass the development, implementation and communication of total compensation and talent management strategies. You must have a Degree in HR, Actuarial Science, Statistics, Engineering, Computational Finance, Mathematics, Accountancy, Finance or Economics, together with a minimum of five to seven years of relevant work experience within C&B including performance based compensation plan design and modelling, salary structuring, performance management and measurement systems.

regional Head of Human resources Build strong relationships This successful global investment management firm is looking for a hands on Regional Head of HR. You must be a very strong generalist who is highly professional and well versed in local employment laws of the Asia region. You must also have a proven track record of building strong relationships across the business and the ability to provide strategic advice. With a minimum of ten years HR generalist experience ideally gained in the financial services, you must have an in-depth knowledge of HR practices and employment laws in multiple locations across Asia.

regional talent acquisition manager recruit future talent This leading US asset management firm is seeking a Regional Talent Acquisition Manager to lead and direct talent acquisition activities for Asia Pacific. You will develop and drive talent acquisition strategies and develop a range of sourcing strategies including market mapping, networking and headhunting. Working closely with HR business partners and client groups, you will meet recruiting needs in a cost effective and timely manner, ensuring internal equity and provide overall leadership to recruiters and staffing specialists in other parts of the region.

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

hays.com.sg

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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.

People are our business

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.

Regional Compensation & Bene�its Manager

Change Management Project Manager

Our client is a MNC that specialises in manufacturing and advanced technology. An opportunity now exists with them for a Regional Compensation & Bene�its Manager to cover its Southeast Asia region operations.

Our client has strong local brand establishment and global prominence in over 50 countries. They are now seeking an experienced Change Management Project Manager to drive, monitor and support the implementation of their new system in the APAC region.

Responsibilities:

• review current total C&B structure for SEA region • design and re-align C&B guideline and strategies to attract, reward and retain employees • to effectively communicate and implement new C&B initiatives in the region

Requirements:

• 7 to 10 years of experience in the same capacity with experience at a regional level • working knowledge of C&B practices within SEA region • consultancy background experience would be an advantage • strong organisation skills, meticulous, excellent communication and presentation skills

Responsibilities:

• work in consultation with Country HR Heads and the team through close monitoring to ensure timely and accurate implementation of the project • identify and anticipate groups impacted by change and develop change management strategies • ensure all risks are mitigated and addressed through the conduct and evaluation of pre/post change with constant communication, coaching and training plans

Requirements:

• sound working experience in change management and project management lifecycle • independent, collaborative, analytical with strong communication skills and the ability to think critically and strategically

To apply, please email your CV to hr@charterhouse.com.sg or call Shereen Foo at +65 6435 5600.

To apply, please email your CV to hr@charterhouse.com.sg or call Shereen Foo at +65 6435 5600.

HR Business Partner, Asia Paci�ic

Head of Organisation Development

A US-based life science company, our client now has an opportunity for a talent to join their established name as a HR Business Partner, Asia Paci�ic.

Our client is a market leader in the �inancial sector. A great opportunity now exists with them to head up organisational development to help strengthen its people capital capabilities.

Responsibilities:

• work closely with APAC commercial management in providing HR consultation to optimise people, structure, process and culture • evaluate HR programs and practices and recommend changes to attract and maintain talent • provide coaching and feedback on how to improve individual and organisational performance

Requirements:

• 8 years of HR Generalist experience with at least 3 years of regional HRBP experience • demonstrated ability to manage relationships and consult at a senior business level • experience in managing learning and development programs and initiatives To apply, please email your CV to katherineq@charterhouse.com.sg or call Katherine Qu at +65 6435 5628.

Responsibilities:

• design and organise a menu of programs in organisational development • develop training programs by working with the organisation’s business units in identifying and meeting staff learning and development needs • reinforce or in�luence the development culture through targeted designing, crafting and implementing strategic initiatives and programs

Requirements:

• relevant working experience in curriculum design and program development • working experience in the �inancial industry will be a plus • possess strong analytical and interpersonal skills and organisational ability • required to do stand-up delivery, plus putting together new courses based on requirements

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

For more information on your career and recruitment needs, please visit www.charterhouse.com.sg Charterhouse believes in investing in people. If you want to join a company that provides more than a job but a rewarding career call Gary Lai at +65 6435 5601 or email garyl@charterhouse.com.sg.

EA Licence Number: 06C3997

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The Markets open at 6am.

Could Sarah be in the wrong one?

Sarah had always wanted to work in the stock market. Little did she know that she would end up working in the wrong market.

What happened?

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If you are looking to partner with a company that better understands you, your business and the available talent pool, then contact Adecco. Adecco HR Solutions are innovative, professional and unique to your needs. Call today on 6835 3400 or email HRSolutions@adecco-asia.com to understand more about how Adecco can help you to find the right talent for your market.

adecco.com.sg Business registration no: 198500164K