TH E C I P D M AG A Z I N E FO R AS I A
www.cipd.asia/pm ISSUE FOUR
T h e brain A
e d i u g s ’ r use ght be
i m e c n e i c ros u n e o n p a y e h w t W ten o p t s o m s HR’
PLUS
Redefining wellbeing The businesses taking a more holistic view of health
Gig economy How employers can tap into talent on demand
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Welcome
Sparking the conversation Welcome to the fourth edition of People Management Asia. Our core purpose at the CIPD is to champion better work and working lives. The rapid pace of change in the world of work has caused us to pause and ask ourselves: what do better work and working lives look like? And what role will HR professionals play in creating them? Is it the same as 30, 15 or even five years ago? And if we are defining good HR by socalled ‘best practice’, how can that continue to hold true in the face of an unknown future, when best practice is all about what worked in the past? CIPD Asia would like to build a community of HR leaders and practitioners, business chiefs, academics, NGOs and policymakers to address these questions. Because to achieve better work and working lives, we need to think about HR in the context of people, organisations and society. We would like to start a conversation about what it means to be an HR professional, to be an employee and to be human in a workplace increasingly influenced by technology. We ask you to join us in these conversations to discuss and dissect the challenges, joys and
Sarah Dunleavy Research adviser, CIPD Asia
surprises that are being experienced by professionals in this fast-evolving region. The purpose of CIPD research is to advance our profession’s body of knowledge and to provoke new ways of thinking about old problems. This knowledge will allow HR practitioners to develop context-specific solutions for their businesses. CIPD Asia will create a space for HR professionals and those who work alongside them to discuss the burning issues of the day. We will run a series of events and provide thought-provoking content that takes into account the regional context while drawing on insights from thought leaders around the world. In the year ahead, we will ask and answer important questions around a diverse range of topics such as the future of HR, talent, wellbeing and human capital measurement and reporting. We hope you find this issue a good starting point for our future conversations – and if you want to find out more about the research agenda and future events, visit cipd.asia. Visit the website and sign up for the newsletter www.cipd.asia/pm Tweet us @peoplemgt_asia Join our LinkedIn group Search ‘People Management Asia’
Contents TH E C I P D M AG A Z I N E FO R AS I A
www.cipd.ae/pm ISSUE FOUR
T h e brain s guide A uhysneuerosr’cience miweghaptonbe W st potent HR’s mo
PLUS
Redefining wellbeing The businesses taking a more holistic view of health
Gig economy How employers can tap into talent on demand
About the CIPD p5 News and analysis p6 Why Asia lags behind on board diversity Case studies p10 Focus on Veeam and Manulife Debate: female CEOs p14 Why don’t we have more women in the top job? Neuroscience: a beginner’s guide p16 Demystifying the power of the brain at work
Getting serious about wellbeing p22 Why investing in employee health pays off Ready for the gig economy? p26 Why Uber and Airbnb are inspiring a talent revolution The Knowledge p30 Key workplace skills, with expert commentary The View From Here: Summer Tang p34
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Marmalade Fish is a management and learning consultancy with a presence in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia Pacific. We partner with leading businesses to deliver on their organisational ambition. Our vision is to make work better by creating high performance cultures underpinned by values, enabling employees to be at their best, more of the time. How can we help you? PEOPLE CONSULTANT Experts in Learning, Talent, Resourcing, Nationalisation and Organisational Development
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VALUES AND CULTURE Transforming your business through culture change and values alignment
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EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Revolutionising learning through discovery, exploration and action
EXECUTIVE COACHING Facilitating personal and professional development to achieve your potential
Contact us info@marmaladefish.com www.marmaladefish.com
People Management is published on behalf of the CIPD by Haymarket Network and Haymarket Business Media, both divisions of Haymarket Media Group Ltd. Registered office: Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SP, UK
Editiorial email: pmeditorial_asia@haymarket.com Commercial email: pmsales@haymarket.com Editor Robert Jeffery Deputy editor Cathryn Newbery Art editor Chris Barker Associate editor Georgi Gyton Production editor Joanna Kelly Designer Richard Walker Digital content coordinator Emily Burt Online editor Mark Williams Picture editor Dominique Campbell Commercial director Cathy McDonagh Global partnerships director Nicola Fulker Commercial email: pmsales@haymarket.com Senior production controller Alex Wilton Production manager Trevor Simpson Managing director, Haymarket Network Andrew Taplin Editorial director Simon Kanter Creative director Martin Tullett Account director Issie Peate Senior account manager Julia Saunders CIPD Publishing Margaret Marriott Repro by Haymarket Prepress Printed by Stephens & George Print Group
CONTACT THE CIPD 43 Niven Road, Singapore 228390 (65) 6338 4528 cipd@cipd.asia
COPYRIGHT © All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format (including, but not limited, to any online service, any database or any part of the internet), or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of Haymarket Media Group Ltd, which accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.
Be part of a global community When you’re a member of the CIPD, you’re part of an international community of 140,000 members working in HR, learning and development, people management and consulting. The CIPD is the only professional body for HR and L&D in the world that awards Chartered status. It contributes to the development of HR internationally, sets and maintains HR standards, and works with governments, organisations and partners to help fulfil its broader mission of championing better work and working lives. CIPD professional membership is an achievement you can be proud of and will ensure you stand out in the workplace. It will give you status and relevance with employers and an edge over your peers. It’s a badge of your credibility: • It shows that you meet the CIPD’s rigorous standards for good practice and adhere to its Code of Professional Conduct. • It demonstrates your ability to make a difference to your organisation. • It inspires confidence in employers, clients and peers. • It proves a commitment to your continuing professional development. CIPD professional membership is respected by employers and industry, and can help improve career prospects and earning potential. It is available at three levels: Associate Member, Chartered Member and Chartered Fellow. When you gain professional membership, you can use designatory letters after your name to highlight your professional standing within the HR and L&D community.
Associate Member (Assoc CIPD) For professionals providing advice to managers across the business, and supporting the HR or L&D function. Associate membership is the CIPD’s first level of professional membership. It demonstrates that an individual has attained a recognised level of competence as an HR or L&D professional. Chartered Member (Chartered MCIPD) For experienced professionals managing, developing and implementing HR policies that support organisational objectives. Chartered Member is the CIPD’s second level of professional membership. Achieving Chartered Member status demonstrates that the individual has the knowledge and experience to create a real impact in the workplace and make a difference to an organisation’s strategy and people. Chartered Fellow (Chartered FCIPD) Chartered Fellow is the highest level of professional membership and is aimed at experts who are leading the development of strategic HR and L&D plans that drive business performance. A Chartered Fellow is a role model for the profession and part of a select group of senior HR and L&D professionals and business leaders who drive innovative people practices to help deliver strategy. Wherever you are in your career, the CIPD and its members will support and inspire you to achieve your full potential. For more information about professional membership and how to join the CIPD, please visit: www.cipd.asia/membership People Management Asia
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Notable female executives include (from left): Yvonne Chia of Shell Malaysia, Chua Sock Koong of Singtel and Yuwadee Chirathivat of Central Group. But fewer women make it into board-level roles
Diversity
female by 2020. Australia (21.5 per cent) and the US (20 per cent) also outperform Asian economies. It has led organisations to call for greater efforts to increase the numbers, citing the economic value greater diversity could bring businesses. McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), part of business adviser and counsellor Increased awareness of the importance of gender diversity has not McKinsey & translated into higher numbers of women in the boardroom, say experts Company, puts the global opportunity of a gender-equal Asia is lagging behind Europe and North representation of women on the boards society at $12 trillion, for example. America when it comes to gender diversity in of Hang Seng Index companies remained Speaking at the launch of Community the boardroom – and culture, not awareness, stagnant at 11.1 per cent in 2015, with Business’s report, CEO Fern Ngai said it was is the main reason, according to experts. two-thirds of companies reporting no “extremely disappointing” that no progress The number of female board members in improvement. The number of all-male boards had been made over the past 12 months: “The Hong Kong has only marginally increased has actually increased, with nine out of 10 glacial pace of women’s inclusion over the (by 1.5 per cent) over the past three years, appointments over the past year being men. past seven years indicates a lack of recognition despite a concerted effort to improve gender While female representation is a topical of women’s talents and tremendous imbalance in the workplace. Singapore has issue in all corners of the globe, Hong Kong contribution to the economy, and is a fared little better, achieving just a 2 per cent in particular is struggling to keep up with clear indication that there are cultural and rise over the same period. international counterparts such as the UK, institutional barriers that continue to prevent And Community Business’s annual where 26.1 per cent of board members are women from advancing to the top.” Women on Boards Hong Kong Report, women and there is a new target for 33 per She said it was important that Hong published earlier this year, showed that cent of the boards of the FTSE 350 to be Kong overcame inertia on gender issues,
WORDS GEORGI GYTON
Asia ‘falling behind’ on female leaders
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News and analysis and encouraged business leaders to take targeted action. Su-Mei Thompson, CEO of The Women’s Foundation and founder of the 30% Club Hong Kong, believes that while there is much greater awareness among companies of the issue of gender diversity, “there is a lack of urgency when it comes to implementation”. One initiative that has been set up to help tackle the problem is the Women’s Directorship Programme, which is designed to help women learn the skills they need to serve on corporate boards. Put together by leadership consulting firm Harvey Nash and The University of Hong Kong Business School, the fifth annual programme of sessions was announced in April. Kirti Lad, director of Harvey Nash Hong Kong and co-founder of the programme, believes part of the reason Asia is falling behind when it comes to gender diversity is the nature of business structures. Many firms are still family owned and run, and, even when they do recruit, they rarely seek third-party advice. “They are not doing their due diligence for the best candidates. They are just looking in their own small network – it’s the same names and those individuals are typically male,” says Lad. It’s not just an issue in Hong Kong and Singapore. Women make up less than 5 per cent of board positions in both India and Japan. In an effort to improve the situation, India introduced a compulsory quota system for listed organisations last year, but this strategy backfired when many chairs appointed underqualified female relatives. MGI believes the narrow representation of women at the top of the corporate hierarchy is not the only problem. If more women are to reach senior positions, they have to be more numerous in the pipeline that feeds into those positions, it says. According to the latest data available from The World Bank, there is by no means a consistent pattern when it comes to female labour force participation across Asia. In Cambodia, for example, 79 per cent of women aged 15 years and older were actively engaged in work in 2014, compared to 27 per cent in India, 49 per cent in Japan and 59 per cent in Singapore. This compares to around 56 per cent in the UK and the US.
GETTY IMAGES
“When firms do recruit, it’s the same names – typically, male ones”
✶ Why don’t we have more female leaders? See page 14
News in numbers
5 Singapore’s position in a global cities index from computer manufacturer Dell, which ranks the top 25 cities in terms of their development of high-potential women entrepreneurs
50.11 The number of hours in an average working week for employees in Hong Kong – the world’s longest
S$40m Amount now available to fund course fees and salary support for PMETs in Singapore who want to move to sectors such as retail, food services and events
1.8%
The average growth in the Filipino workforce per year, over the past decade SOURCE: DELL, UNITED BANK OF SWITZERLAND, SINGAPORE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, THE WORLD BANK
LEGAL UPDATE
An overview of the latest legislation and precedents affecting HR professionals, from across Asia. Get regular legal news online at www.cipd.asia/pm
Push to reform HK discrimination legislation Anti-discrimination laws in Hong Kong could be beefed up – including a boost to maternity rights – if reforms proposed by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) are accepted. A review of the country’s discrimination laws has included a four-month public consultation. A total of 73 recommendations were made to the government, 27 of which were identified as high priority. “It has become clear that there are multiple groups in society, including women, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities, who still cannot participate equally in everyday life and opportunities in this city. This is why it is time for Hong Kong to take our anti-discrimination ordinances to the next level,” said Dr York Chow, chair of the EOC. Priority areas identified by the EOC included the right of women to return to a work position after maternity leave; prohibiting race discrimination in government posts; and more protection from discrimination for people with disabilities who are accompanied by assistance animals. The review also stated that there should be more
effective application of the anti-discrimination ordinances, including making the definitions and protection against discrimination and harassment clearer and more consistent.
Re-employment age set to hit 67 Employers in Singapore will be legally obliged to offer re-employment up to the age of 67 from July 2017, in a major shake-up of retirement legislation in the country. The raise goes two years beyond the current reemployment age of 65 for eligible workers, and is seen as a move to manage Singapore’s ageing workforce. “The proportion of residents in the labour force aged 50 and above is about one-third now, up from about onequarter a decade ago,” said Sam Tan, minister of state for manpower. “This trend will continue over the next two decades, and we must be prepared to accept and embrace this new reality, and turn it into opportunity.” Rules allowing wage cuts of up to 10 per cent for employees over 60 – to make them ‘more competitive’ – will also be removed from law. But ministry of manpower statistics say 98 per cent of continued overleaf People Management Asia
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News and analysis
organisations have already made the choice not to reduce salaries after 60. To smooth the transition to the new re-employment age, the government’s wage offset of 3 per cent for employers that re-employ workers above 65 will be extended to 1 July 2017.
Controversy over new union law in Cambodia A new trade union law in Cambodia is causing widespread protests across the country, but the government is so far staying resolute in the face of calls to repeal or amend it. The controversial legislation includes rules for creating and running trade unions, increasing unions’ reporting requirements. Workers’ groups and Cambodia’s opposition party have criticised the bill for curbing workers’ rights and their ability to stage strikes. It is expected to receive royal assent soon, which will see it fully enacted into law. “This law is total nonsense. It does not benefit workers or the Cambodian people,” Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union of Workers, told Associated Press. “Once the law is officially implemented, workers will not be able to freely protest to demand their rights or benefits.” There were scuffles in Phnom Penh on the day the law was announced. It had first been discussed in parliament in 2015 but was amended after earlier criticisms. The events come against the backdrop of a series of ongoing strikes among textile workers across the country. 8
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Mobile technology boosts employee performance Singaporean firms that embrace mobile tech are more likely to have an engaged and productive workforce, study finds Singaporeans are embracing mobile technology, and seeing a boost in productivity as a result, according to a new report by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Mobility, Performance and Engagement study found that the country is the most mobile-tech friendly when it comes to adopting modern working practices.
Of the nine countries surveyed, including Australia, Germany, the UAE and the US, residents in Singapore were the most likely to own a tablet that they used for work, and to agree that mobile technology makes them more productive. Respondents from Singapore also rated their employers highly for mobile-
technology use, with six out of 10 going as far as describing them as a ‘pioneer’ or ‘good at using mobile technology’, which was higher than in any other country. Those who described their workplaces in such terms also gave themselves significantly higher scores for every other measure of engagement and performance than those who
Facts at your fingertips The latest CIPD research findings People metrics make a difference A third of employers are failing to disclose key workforcerelated information in their annual reports, according to new research by the CIPD. Reporting Human Capital: Illustrating your company’s true values found that 30 per cent of the largest London-listed firms are withholding information about data breaches, employee turnover and skills challenges. According to media reports, there were three cases of
workplace strikes among these companies in 2015, but only two of the businesses involved mentioned this in their annual reports. Four employees from different firms were also reported to have been involved in insider trading cases, but none of these were recorded in reports. The CIPD says omitting this information – as well as a broader lack of attention to people metrics – creates a risk to investors and others who rely on annual reports.
On a more positive note, the report reveals that the quality and quantity of reporting on human capital issues saw general improvement between 2013 and 2015. ✶ bit.ly/VYTreport
Digital future should prompt L&D rethink Half of L&D leaders believe their fellow professionals lack the required technological expertise for the digitised future of work, according to research from the CIPD and Towards Maturity.
PRESS ASSOCIATION
LEGAL UPDATE continued
Big thinkers
said their employer’s use of mobile tech was ‘bad’. Yet despite achieving glowing feedback on organisational mobile technology use, one area where Singapore didn’t score so highly was job satisfaction, with only 6 per cent giving a rating of 10 out of 10. In terms of productivity, 9 per cent of workers rated themselves a 10, compared to 5 per cent in Japan. The report suggested that “the impact of mobile technology on the employee experience offers IT leaders an opportunity to engage more deeply with other functions, especially HR”. However, it warned that this should be done within the context of the organisation’s overall employeefocused strategy, and that global organisations should pay close attention to regional differences. Overall results showed that the ability to collaborate with colleagues effectively was the factor that respondents said had the greatest impact on how creative they were in their job, and how loyal they were to their employer. The freedom to work anywhere in the office or workplace was the second highest factor in terms of encouraging loyalty, with 32 per cent of the vote.
✶ bit.ly/PMLDsurvey
BRIAN FINKE
Preparing for the Future of Learning also found only 23 per cent of leaders feel their teams have the right skills to exploit technology that could help improve business performance. On average, 19 per cent of a training budget is spent on technology; however, while the report suggests there is a mismatch between investment in these tools and the skills of the staff using them, it also found that many leaders are looking to address the skills gaps.
The latest round-up of inspiring ideas for HR professionals It won’t be long before we are working into our eighties, with the traditional idea of a ‘three-stage life’ replaced with up to five or six stages, and people dipping in and out of employment, selfemployment and extended sabbaticals. In their new book, The 100-Year Life, respected academics Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott set out a manifesto for longer working lives. With life expectancy ever-increasing, they believe HR departments can lead the way in designing fulfilling and flexible work that gets the best out of employees at all stages of life. While some believe that Ramadan leads to a slowdown in workplace productivity, pragmatic business leaders can ensure that the shorter working weeks actually add value to their organisations. In a recent article, Professor William Scott-Jackson, chairman of Oxford Strategic Consulting and an expert on HR practice in the Muslim world, says: “A great leader helps their team work effectively and happily to make the most of every hour.” A good night’s sleep, healthy food and regular exercise can not only help prevent illness but can ward off the damaging effects of rudeness and bullying in the workplace, according to Christine Porath, associate professor of management at Georgetown University in the US. In her forthcoming
book, Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace, Porath analyses the effects of today’s “epidemic” of bad behaviour and suggests how organisations can tackle the issue and create healthier working environments. Workplaces are falling prey to adherents of “functional stupidity”, explain Mats Alvesson and André Spicer in their new book, The Stupidity Paradox. Despite society’s technological advances and soaring collective intelligence, most jobs don’t require us to think critically, or even to think at all, which the authors put down to the rise of ‘knowledge work’ and over-education. Being more negative and cynical at work, as well as encouraging clandestine groups to counter the corporate literature, will help, they say. “Emotional intelligence (EI) is very important for success,” says academic Dr P Sethu Madhavan Puravangara. He argues that by incorporating individual assessment and feedback tools, and “emotional competence” – the social skills that are based on EI – into HR processes, such as recruitment and training, “organisations can institutionalise positive behaviour and a healthy working culture over a period of time”. Puravangara says EI is particularly important in developing economies.
believes Lynda Gratton ll soon be longer, working lives wi ople dipping in pe and will involve ment oy pl em of t ou d an
“If you treat people badly, there have to be consequences” Manulife, Hong Kong
How one of Asia’s best-known insurers has shaken up the way its managers lead others WORDS ROBERT JEFFERY PHOTOGRAPHY JAYNE RUSSELL
T
here’s little chance of missing Manulife’s Asian headquarters. Its name glares from the top of a 50-floor tower so starkly it is the first thing you read as you cross into Hong Kong Island, an imperious corporate font among a sea of garrulous neon. Yet reach the base and it becomes clear its location is also strategic. Not for the city’s most notable insurer the faceless security of the financial district (though it also has a larger location in Kowloon): Manulife jostles with the highend shops and teeming streets of Causeway Bay, where the people are. The symbolism wouldn’t be lost on David Thomas, senior vice president and 10
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chief human resources officer for Asia. The business, he says, is only as good as its people: “You can have the best strategy in the world, on paper. But unless you’ve got the talent to execute, it’s not going to go anywhere. Unless you have a compelling employee value proposition, you’re going to be thwarted. Unless you can convince people who are already here that this is the best place to work, you’re always going to be liable to lose people to very active competitors.” There are around 10,000 of those people across 11 countries in Asia, where Manulife offers traditional protection products as well as wealth and asset management. The Canadian-founded business has been active here for almost 120 years and leads in many of its markets. But the office Thomas surveys
from his sit-stand desk only offers a glimpse of the story. Manulife, like its rivals, relies on a small army of 60,000 door-to-door agents to sell and service its products. While it’s undoubtedly proud of them (unlike its rivals, says Thomas, its agents are all directly employed and are rigorously trained and selected, because “you only need one or two bad hires and suddenly you have huge reputational risk”), the times are changing. Customers increasingly want to buy insurance products online (often through comparison services) or via their banks. And insurers have huge amounts of data at their disposal, and a clear requirement to market themselves beyond the friendly face at the door. It means Manulife’s Asian division – which enjoyed a 36 per
Case studies
cent rise in revenues amid record sales in 2015 – is hiring a new raft of marketers and data scientists. And it has been thinking deeply about who leads such a rapidly changing organisation. In the past, says Thomas – who joined the firm in 2014 after 12 years with Standard Chartered – the business focused on recruiting the smartest actuarial scientists. “Many of those people became the leaders of our company. But we didn’t have people who were
“If you are a pain in the backside to work with, that is going to be reflected in your compensation”
Olympic standard in general management or leadership skills, and that’s become a huge focus for us over the last four years, and an intense focus over the last two years. We’re looking for people who are not just technically strong but can build followership – who are effective leaders. In tight talent markets, a lot of employees are just as loyal, if not more so, to their leaders than the organisation.” Manulife has identified 2,900 people managers in Asia, at all levels. And all of them, says Thomas, have been set clear expectations around both the technical aspects of leadership and the way they offer feedback, as well as the broader values of the business. Part of that has also meant being more particular about who becomes a leader, he adds: “There’s a risk that, if we’re not careful, where we’re looking to fill a technical leadership role, we’ll focus on technical skills. Over the last few years we’ve been ensuring we do structured leadership interviews – we’re getting a lot of data around how they work under pressure, how they work with other people and what’s their value set. And we’re linking that to our recruitment process.” Ultimately, he says, “if you have a manager who gets great financial results but treats their staff badly, there have to be consequences”. And that has meant the example needs to be set from the top. “In other companies, I’ve seen examples of where you get it right in the middle of the organisation, but cynicism happens because they don’t see the change in behaviour at the top,” he says. The top 10 individuals in the business have all been tasked with embodying the new values, and setting a strong example, says Thomas. But such a shift isn’t always easy: “If you’ve been leading in a particular way for 20 or 30 years, and suddenly you’re required to empower more, or being asked to support innovation, it’s a big change. We’re giving a lot of personal coaching for leaders who are going down that path.” HR’s most important role has arguably been to ensure this new mindset is
Manulife Victoria Park
Manulife Times Square
Hong Kong reflected in performance management. “We were a ‘nice’ company and we didn’t like giving people feedback on where they needed to improve,” says Thomas. But that has changed as an ability to innovate and, crucially, a willingness to delegate and empower others have become key metrics on which individuals at all levels are judged. That is also reflected in reward: “You can be hitting the ball out of the park in terms of what you deliver, but, if you are a pain in the backside to work with, that is going to be reflected in your compensation. The feedback we get is that they know we’re serious about the behavioural aspects of performance if it’s reflected in their pay.” And, unusually for a financial services business, the concept of 360-degree feedback is also well understood at Manulife, and is being actively practised among almost 400 top performers. As Thomas says: “We want to drive collaboration across the company, rather than having lone wolves or people acting in their own interests.” It’s a mantra as bold as the building he sits in – but you’d bank on it coming to fruition. People Management Asia
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“We want to act like a start-up” Veeam Software, Singapore
Speed is of the essence for a growing technology business – and that means getting recruitment right is vital
I
WORDS SUSAN TAM PHOTOGRAPHY RAHMAN ROSLAN
f Asian businesses are engaged in a breakneck war for talent, it’s in the technology industry where the battle is being fought most keenly. But someone obviously forgot to tell Julian Quinn. As vice president for Asia and Japan at Veeam – which has grown from humble origins a decade ago to become one of the top five data protection software vendors globally – Quinn has his pick of the brightest minds, he says: “We’re a high-profile firm in the market we operate in, and when companies grow this fast people naturally want to be associated and aligned with the market leader. “There are many people who approach me or other staff members about opportunities, which is encouraging to see. It means our brand is very successful and that we’re continuing to build it on a global basis.” The numbers bear him out. Headquartered in Switzerland, Veeam has around 2,000 employees globally and saw its 2015 revenues soar by 22 per cent to break the $500 million mark. It hopes to double that by 2018. But revenue alone cannot
“We operate speedy execution in all facets of our business. We don’t want people sat on decisions” 12
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explain the attraction. Veeam believes its core values and working practices – something the HR and recruitment teams have worked hard to explain and embed – ensure it gets the right people (it relies heavily on social media for hiring). And by constantly reinforcing how staff are stronger together, its operations are as effective as its recruitment. Onboarding, naturally enough, takes in an immersive sweep through both internal processes and “the expectations we set for our high-performing teams”. The ultimate aim is to achieve ‘Veeam Speed’, a highly adaptive and fast-moving work ethic that is every bit as responsive as the best in the sector. It’s an ideal that Veeam’s leadership has to model too, says Quinn: “We operate speedy execution in all facets of our business. That means we don’t want people sat on decisions. We want to act with all the virtues of a start-up, which means fast, flexible and focused. When we carry our business card and meet customers, we have to be a consummate professional in all we do.” Millennials, says Quinn, make ideal recruits given their energy and flexibility, but need to be seen as part of a diverse mix – something he embodies, having spent 30 years in technology working for Adobe, Netscape Australasia, Unisys and Borland Asia-Pacific. Veeam also leads the way on the employment of women in the sector: 60 per cent of its Asian staff (it is headquartered
in Singapore but also operates in Malaysia and Hong Kong) are women, working across systems engineering and technical roles as well as sales and marketing. It will need as much talent as it can get, of both genders, as it enters its newest market. The firm sees China, where the data protection market is expected to be worth around $120 million within two years, as a lucrative opportunity. It has appointed a female country manager, Joy Lu – who has more than 20 years’ executive experience in the data sector – to lead a new office in Beijing.
Veeam Museum
Golf course
Gardens Hospital
Veeam Software
Singapore
Case studies
Julian Quinn says there is a culture of “mutual respect and feedback” at Veeam
One of the keys to success in such a vast market will be retaining talent, and it’s here that Veeam believes it has the upper hand. The average turnover rate in China in 2015 was around 17 per cent, according to the 51job.com recruitment service, and technical specialists expect a minimum 9 per cent pay rise each year just to stay put. But Veeam has attrition of just 5 per cent and, although generous remuneration is part of the picture, Quinn says it’s a lot more complex than that. The business supports charitable causes nominated by its employees, offering them a sense of empowerment and a tighter bond with the company. Flexible working is supported and staff are encouraged to pursue a global career with the business. And, crucially, a culture of what Quinn calls “mutual respect and feedback” is practised
1 in 3
Estimated overall level of representation of women in the Asian technology industry
10.5%
Most recent estimate of proportion of Malaysian GDP accounted for by the technology sector
96%
Percentage of Asian employers that fear skills shortages will hurt their operations this year, according to Hays
across the board, particularly when it comes to performance management. For the HR lead, this means offering constructive feedback when it is due, praising excellent performance – and aligning it with reward strategies – and being tactful when improvement is required. Of course, he adds, the people you hire have to come in with the right expectations and attitudes. “If you don’t get recruitment right, it can be costly in terms of time and business impact. There is nothing worse than when a new employee comes in and we find there is a mismatch between our expectations and theirs. “But if you look after your employees and you’re an effective leader, they just want to do the best for the team. And that’s when you know you’re doing things right.” People Management Asia
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The debate
Why don’t we have more female leaders? Many companies are failing to achieve a gender balance in their senior ranks, but why is this and how can we change it? We asked the experts INTERVIEWS LIANA CAFOLLA
Marie Swarbreck Founder, FLEXImums, Hong Kong
Taking time off for childcare is still seen as a negative Many women find it difficult to get back into work if they have taken a long break. Even in large corporations, they find their CVs are too often put aside or are not really considered. Gender is relatively balanced in the lower ranks, but this changes at the highest levels – and that’s down to four main factors. First, there are differences in how men and women
are viewed as employees. Historically, men have been seen as stronger leaders, but genderbalanced companies have been proven to be more profitable because men’s and women’s skills are complementary. The lack of a work-life balance makes it difficult for women to combine work and family; the fact that they may take time off for childcare is still seen as a negative. A high-pressure, 24/7 work culture deters women from seeking leadership positions, and there are also fewer mentorship
and networking opportunities available to them. Finally, leadership norms that favour men are a big impediment. Change needs to come from the top – the leaders and line managers who make the hiring decisions need training and coaching. Quotas are not necessarily the best way to change the number of women in leadership positions but, in the business environment of today, they can be useful in making people look outside their comfort zones.
Jo Hayes Director, Pipeline Initiatives, The Women’s Foundation
We need to question our behaviour in recruitment, pay and promotion To support the pipeline of female talent and increase the number of women in decision-making positions, we need leaders who believe in the business case for diversity. Despite the reams of research proving that gender-diverse teams are less prone to groupthink, produce better results and have greater team satisfaction, men and women in senior management continue to underestimate women’s
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capabilities. We need to question our behaviour, attitudes and even the language we use to eliminate gender discrimination and bias in areas such as recruitment, pay and promotion. We also need to shift the focus of family responsibility from women to both men and women. Until we have greater equality at home, we won’t have greater equality in the workplace. While quotas have worked well in some economies, at TWF we don’t believe in them. We think
the solution lies in companies voluntarily setting their own aspirational targets for the representation of women in senior roles. Reframing job specs and promotion criteria so that problemsolving, collaboration and coaching skills are given greater weight would likely help women to advance in their organisations, and policies on parental and eldercare leave, flexible working and mobility will take us a step closer to retaining female talent. Unconscious bias training, mentorship and sponsorship are also critical, as is engaging men in the conversation and moving away from the view that this is about ‘fixing the women’.
Professor Fanny M Cheung Pro-vice chancellor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Enabling women to take up positions of power requires policy and culture change According to traditional gender roles, men and women should assume major responsibility for the separate domains of work and family respectively. For women, the work-family interface is particularly challenging. Women with family responsibilities are at a disadvantage when advancement entails putting in long hours away from home. Especially in the financial and business sectors, long working hours and a competitive environment have become the norm. Many women may opt out of the demands of
senior positions to achieve a better work-family balance. Others may fear the limelight, as a female leader can threaten the traditional power structure in a marital relationship. There are fewer role models and mentors who are sensitive to diversity and target the special needs of women. It is especially difficult for women in large corporations to gain the experience and skills to compete for leadership positions. Many women and men hold traditional stereotypes about gender roles in which men are expected to have superior status to women. A study of women leaders in successful marital relationships showed that
their husbands and others close to them endorsed egalitarian values and were supportive of their success. In Hong Kong, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Women’s Commission were set up as the central mechanisms to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Sex Discrimination Ordinance and the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance provide protection against unlawful discriminatory practices. However, empowering women to take up positions of power and decision-making requires concerted efforts to achieve policy and cultural changes.
Fern Ngai CEO, Community Business
Quotas can lead to tokenism rather than meaningful change In many cultures, women are expected to be the primary caregiver and have disproportionate responsibility for housework even if they are working full time. Although it is possible to have both a successful career and a family, these traditional expectations exert pressure on women and some may decide to put their careers on hold and focus on their families. Companies seeking to create a supportive environment for women to reach the top need to foster an
inclusive culture that values women and ensures that biases, discrimination or other barriers such as gender pay gaps are removed. An enabling environment with programmes and policies (for example, maternity, paternity or parental leave, flexibility, return to work programmes and women’s networks) is critical, as is having visible senior role models and influencers – both women and men – who champion and drive diversity. The use of mandatory quotas may be a fix that can achieve a
specific target, but they do not adequately address the root causes and can lead to tokenism rather than meaningful change. What is needed are strategies and targets at every level, from the classroom through to the boardroom, with an aim to eradicate biases and barriers and provide equal opportunities and true meritocracy. Good progress is being made with women on boards in the UK and Australia, for example, without the use of quotas. Enlightened organisations that embrace gender diversity and create inclusive workplaces for women to succeed will differentiate themselves as employers of choice and market leaders. People Management Asia
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RTE A STHER
The pathway to enlightenment
We know more than ever about what makes the brain tick. But can that give us a competitive advantage in the workplace? 16
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NEUROSCIENCE
WORDS DUNCAN FORGAN
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t’s the question everyone wants an answer to: what is the future of work going to look like? Will sophisticated computer applications remove the need for human operatives? Will robot foremen direct robot staff? Will a company HQ be more redolent of The Matrix than a traditional business space? In fact, despite the breakneck advances in technology, it seems more likely that the future of work – as the CIPD and others have espoused – will be human. And that means that a better understanding of the science of human behaviour has never been more essential for HR professionals looking to ready their organisation for the future. Key to this grasp on how human potential can be harnessed is neuroscience – the study of the brain and the nervous system. A better understanding of how the mind functions can help transform our knowledge of the way people work, with resulting benefits for learning, change management and motivation. “The advantages of using neuroscience theory as a development tool are extensive,” says Luke Salway, managing director of the NLP Top Coach consultancy in Thailand. “They include the reprogramming of our minds at the conscious and unconscious level, which results in long-term positive behavioural change.” Our comprehension of the brain’s awesome power and potential has come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of decades. The advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging – an advanced form of brain scanning – shows which parts of our brains are active at any given time. That means we know what genuinely changes our thinking (rather than just what we think changes it). “Neuroscience can enhance the overall experience at work and improve all-round quality of life,” says James Rule, an HR analytics expert who has worked with organisations including media giant Thomson Reuters. “The science is great, and harnessing it gives us the opportunity to target the right kind of intervention to the right person in the right way.” Neuroscience can be a complex beast. But with better appreciation of a few principles, such as those on these pages, HR practitioners can maximise the potential of people – helping nurture engaged employees who could never be mistaken for robots.
“Neuroscience can enhance our experience at work and improve our quality of life”
✶ Find out more about the future of work, courtesy of the CIPD, at futureworkishuman.org
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Neuroplasticity means you never stop learning By all reasonable measurement, Lee An could be described as a go-getter. A successful career woman, she studied at a top university in Australia and has built a solid reputation as a legal analyst in Hong Kong’s highly competitive corporate world. To broaden her knowledge, she is studying for her bar exams. Lee An, however, is not of an age traditionally considered optimal for learning new skills: she has just turned 70. Her case, and that of countless others in the workforce, underlines the significance of neuroplasticity: the idea that the brain is changeable and adaptable and that this flexibility continues throughout a lifetime. A knowledge of the most active parts of the brain can help us decipher workplace behaviour
Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex Superior temporal gyrus
The stereotype of being unable to learn new skills later in life has, at least in the past, been depressingly prevalent in workplaces. Until recently, our brains were viewed as fully formed by the time we reached our early twenties. Childhood neurogenesis (frenzied formation of new brain cells) ushered in a period of synaptic pruning in adolescence, as little-used neural pathways became redundant. And that – so the theory went – was that. Advances in neuroscience thinking have now scotched that notion. Elizabeth Gould, a researcher at Princeton University in the US, spent years studying the brains of adult rodents to show they were developing extra neurons during their lifespans. Similar tests on humans have since confirmed her findings. “I had always doubted the accepted thinking on the brain’s ability to develop,” says Stephanie Thompson of Sydney-based corporate psychologists Insight Matters. “It turns out that brains adapt to meet the demands placed upon them with aplomb.
NEUROSCIENCE
Want a ‘eureka moment’? Tap into your unconscious mind ‘brainstorming’ – forcing ourselves to have new ideas, either individually or collectively – simply doesn’t work because we’re concentrating so hard our unconscious mind is switched off. Instead, we would do better to create a regular space to let our mind process thoughts, when it is active but not over-burdened. Experts suggest that taking on puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, or simply enjoying a spell of reading, can stimulate deeper, unconscious thoughts. With all this sophisticated, not to mention bewildering, machinery working away under the mind’s hood, the question of maintenance is an important one. You will be more prone to allowing negative unconscious thoughts to affect your decisions if you haven’t slept or exercised, says leading neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart. “Interoception – the sense of the physiological condition of the body – means listening to your body and learning to recognise the data it sends to your brain. It is intrinsically linked with mindfulness,” she says. “From raised awareness and focused attention, we eventually see deliberate practice of good behaviours that isn’t difficult or challenging but becomes a natural part of your daily routine.” Thompson adds: “Excellent nutrition, exercise, mental application and attending to biological imperatives like sleep and downtime are essential.”
Allowing your mind to process thoughts can help unleash creativity
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Research has shown There’s no reason that that neurons ‘fire a healthy older person together’ over time should not be able to take on new information.” Neuroplasticity also has huge implications for coaching, as it makes ‘brain training’ a reality. And as societies age, and the notion of a 30- or 40-year career is overtaken by a working life of multiple stages and identities, we will need to retrain our brains more regularly. The more immediate challenge for companies and innovative HR professionals is to find the right mechanism for encouraging ongoing workplace learning – and to banish the idea that older employees are less likely to learn. “A common error is to confuse age with personality,” says Nicholas Lim, director of development at Emergenetics International Asia-Pacific. “A person who has held the same job for 26 years is likely to have lowrisk, low-adaptability personality traits. But those traits were already there 26 years ago. Older workers can adapt to new challenges and learn information – as long as they are supported in their work and their learning. “When I learn something, new neural pathways are formed in my brain. The more I reinforce that learning, the more permanent those neural pathways become, the stronger the neural connections. If my company or environment facilitates the learning, retention of that lesson becomes stronger.”
Anyone seeking confirmation of the unconscious mind’s mysterious power could do worse than look to the heady peak of 1960s rock. The song Yesterday came to Paul McCartney in a dream, while the riff and refrain of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction arrived fully formed in the mind of guitarist Keith Richards when he woke up with a start in a Los Angeles hotel room in the middle of the night. It’s not just rockers who mine inspiration from the very backs of their minds. Unconscious thought theory has long told us that we solve our thorniest problems and come up with our best ideas when we’re not trying – the so-called ‘eureka moment’. “Our conscious mind is what we are aware of in the present moment, and is known for logical thinking, order, language and numbers, for example,” says Salway. “Our unconscious mind is everything that we have experienced since the day we were born that we are not always aware of in the present moment. It is the realm of creativity, emotions and intuition.” During this ‘thinking without thinking’, a part of the brain called the anterior superior temporal gyrus, located towards the base, is working double time, processing data and reaching its own conclusions by connecting previously disparate concepts. One of the most important implications of the unconscious mind is that the idea of
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Recruiters are looking at the wrong part of the brain While his studies of specimens around the globe led him to formulate his theory of evolution and his views on the process of natural selection, Charles Darwin’s less famous belief that emotional expression was essential for survival provided a seed for one of the most HR-relevant principles of neuroscience: ‘emotional intelligence’. In essence, the idea is that being conventionally ‘clever’ isn’t the be-all and end-all of being effective, or even being intelligent. In his book, Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ, psychologist Daniel Goleman stated that emotional intelligence, or EQ (emotional quotient), was actually a more accurate predictor of success in life than a person’s intelligence quotient (IQ). Many organisations will have horror stories of hiring individuals who seemed highly intelligent but proved ineffective – or, even worse, destructive – when it came
to working with others. In part, that’s because we’re still wowed by conventional intelligence in the recruitment process but rarely consider or test for other types. Being emotionally intelligent means having the ability to recognise and control your emotions and behaviour while remaining aware of the effect that these have on those around you. It also enables you to understand the emotional state of others and to use this information to adapt your behaviour to achieve a positive response. It isn’t necessarily about being a ‘people person’ who’s overly friendly, or a good listener – it’s more about the ability to adapt your behaviour when doing so will get the best out of those around you. “It can be summarised as ‘know thyself and play well with others’,” says Adrian Cox, an NLP trainer. “It’s about self-and-other
“It’s about selfand-other awareness, and well-judged interpersonal behaviour”
awareness, partnered with well-judged, constructive interpersonal behaviour.” Closely related to EQ, and somewhat more rooted in neuroscience, is the mentalising system: a way of processing the signals we receive from others and our status in relation to them. This takes place in the parts of the brain – notably the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex – that only humans have, and is entirely separate from more formal learning systems for taking on board facts and figures. Those who are good at mentalising may appear to glide effortlessly through life, picking up friends in the most unlikely of situations. They also tend to be persuasive, inspiring and motivating. But despite these assets, many companies still work on the assumption that a person’s IQ is the key to business success. Forward-thinking HR professionals, however, are increasingly drawing on neuroscience findings to identify people with high EQ and who are good at mentalising by undertaking task-based interviews and questioning that encourages people to talk about times when they have been attuned to the needs of others, rather than focusing on individual achievement. Other ways of heightening these faculties include self-awareness and emotional mastery courses and executive coaching. Other, less formal, methods work too. “Just be determinedly awake at the wheel of life,” advises Thompson.
Conventional intelligence isn’t always an accurate predictor of success
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NEUROSCIENCE
Can we train our brains not to judge?
As companies look beyond qualifications and interview skills and towards neuroscience during the recruitment process, psychometric testing has become one tool at HR’s disposal. These tests can be used to evaluate the aptitude and personality traits of an applicant to measure how well they will fit into an organisation. Psychometric tests often involve questionnaires that ask people to agree to differing degrees with certain statements. The most famous of these is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which dates back to the 1950s and still acts as the basis of many modern tests. There are no right or wrong answers in a psychometric test – it is supposed to uncover what kind of person you are, with questions designed to expose how you behave and what motivates you. The tests can identify core drivers in individuals and whether the prospective talent has the edge over others in the running. As psychometric assessments become more sophisticated, they can be tailored around specific hiring needs, from entry-level positions to managerial and executive roles. But do they make a difference? Marc Baloch, head of global insurance at recruitment experts Harvey Nash, believes psychometric testing can be particularly valuable in global businesses. “Companies are often spread across culturally diverse markets, requiring leaders to quickly adapt to and manage various working styles,” he wrote in a post on the firm’s blog this year. It could, he suggested, be useful in developing “an effective multicultural and teamcentric environment”. ✶ Read the CIPD factsheet on selection methods, including psychometric testing, at bit.ly/PMpsychometric
PRESS ASSOCIATION
Psychometric testing comes of age
Most people, barring the most determinedly dogmatic individuals, like to think they are open-minded and objective. In the vast majority of modern workplaces, diversity is highly valued while equal opportunities – the stipulation that all people should be treated the same – is widely seen as sacrosanct, even where it is not enshrined via legislation. Unfortunately, one of the brain’s most powerful functions – its ability to process information quickly and efficiently – also has a major flaw in promoting unconscious bias. Our logical mind may not think that we are passing any kind of judgement, but Unconsciously, unconsciously we tend to like “Even if you don’t think you have people tend to like people who look like us, think a racist, ageist or sexist bone in those who look and like us and have a background your body, if that stereotype think like them similar to ours, while rejecting exists in the world, it’s somehow those who are different. This categorisation wired into your brain.” of people is an instinctive process that is Women continue to be the most hardwired in our brains. obvious victims of unconscious bias. The unconscious mind acts as an For example, working mothers tend to enormous database of beliefs, values and be paid less, are seen as less committed experiences. When human beings interact and are less likely to get a promotion. with each other, there is an abundance of Even though there are now more women in information to process, a lot of which is executive positions in Asia, gender parity suppressed, grouped and placed into easy- in the boardroom remains a long way off. to-identify categories. These enable us to Other unconscious biases, meanwhile, make quick decisions on future situations, are related to race, sexual orientation and and heavily influence how we view and income discrimination. evaluate others and ourselves. Increasingly, companies are taking While this categorisation is a useful action to combat unconscious bias. function in many social situations, in Tech giants such as Facebook and business it can be costly. It can cause Google have introduced training us to make decisions that are not programmes, while recruiters and HR objective, and can stymie diversity, professionals in Asia are turning to recruitment and retention efforts. It can methods such as panel interviews, skew talent and performance reviews formative evaluation and psychometric and affect who gets hired, promoted and testing to address the issue. developed – unwittingly undermining an “I brief every interview panel I lead organisation’s culture. on the essentials of avoiding bias,” “Preventing bias takes a lot of effort,” says Thompson. “HR has to be wellsays Professor Kyoko Kusakabe of the versed in bias control, and in objective, Asian Institute of Technology. “For instance, structured and rigorous recruitment to promote gender equality we do a lot of techniques. The same applies for training for recruiters and evaluators to managers conducting performance make them aware of their bias.” reviews. Learning these protocols is very But unconscious biases are inherent eye-opening and extremely worthwhile. in every company, says Lim. Swart adds: It builds wisdom – and EQ.” People Management Asia
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If you think
thiiss
what wellbeing looks like…
PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES
…think again 22
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A holistic view of employee health delivers impressive returns. So why do so many businesses still think a gym membership and a make-do-and-mend approach is good enough? WORDS KATE WHITEHEAD
M
ention the term ‘wellbeing’ to many senior businesspeople and they are likely to point to their corporate gym membership. But the concept of corporate wellbeing – how it is practised, how it is understood and, crucially, how it is accounted for – has moved away from the treadmill and into the middle of the office, as HR professionals know only too well. Their challenge? To help the rest of the company get up to speed. The key may be to speak the language of the business. If wellbeing – the concept that employee health should be holistically and proactively managed, rather than simply reacted to when absence occurs – is seen purely as a cost, it is easy to de-invest or deprioritise it when times get tough. But it’s not a one-way street, and the evidence is there to prove it. A recent report from the Australian government’s Comcare arm referenced global research suggesting that when employee health and wellness is managed well, the proportion of engaged staff in the
average organisation increases from 7 per cent to 55 per cent, while self-reported creativity and innovation reaches 72 per cent as opposed to 20 per cent. When it comes to productivity, a meta-evaluation from the US-based Chapman Institute found that a health promotion programme of average effectiveness could decrease employee sickness absence by 25.3 per cent. These are significant enough figures to impress any CEO (and, in particular, their CFO). And yet, businesses haven’t done the maths: 2015 research from consultancy Willis Towers Watson found that only 26 per cent of Asia-Pacific employers felt staff wellbeing was one of their key business objectives. Chay Yue Wah, associate professor specialising in wellbeing at UniSIM College at SIM University in Singapore, is one man on a mission to change this state of affairs. “When a company invests in a wellness programme, it also enjoys better visibility, corporate social responsibility status and good public relations,” he says. “Programmes should be seen not just as a form of
organisational coping, but as an integral part of people development.” But Chay also points to one of the key misconceptions about wellbeing, and one of the reasons Asian organisations in particular still tackle it in a less-thansatisfactory manner. By focusing largely or exclusively on physical health, we are only acting on a fraction of the issues that can keep the average employee from working at their best. And we also ignore the irrefutable links between physical and mental wellbeing: if someone is stressed, depressed or overworked, they are more susceptible to physical ailments, as well as being less likely to seek professional advice. The result is a toxic cocktail of underlying causes that have led to sickness absence increasing year on year even as our scientific understanding of wellbeing has grown exponentially. The number of people suffering anxiety and depression each year rocketed from 461 million in 1990 to 615 million in 2013, costing the global economy around $1 trillion annually. Asia is shouldering more than its fair share of work-related mental health conditions because of the prevailing People Management Asia
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long-hours culture: at 2,380 hours per year, the average Singaporean works longer than any other country in the world, and Hong Kong is not far behind. We need only look to the UK to see where this could lead. The phenomenon of ‘presenteeism’ – staff turning up to work while unwell because they are unwilling to use sick leave – is now an epidemic. Professor Sir Cary Cooper, CIPD chair and one of the world’s most respected experts on wellbeing at work, says the cost of presenteeism to the UK economy is now twice that of genuine absenteeism. Almost a third of workers persistently turn up to work while in some sense ‘ill’, and just 35 per cent are habitually both healthy and present. There is no research to support an ongoing belief among some senior managers that working longer hours makes people more productive, says Cooper: “If you consistently work long hours, you will get ill.” The toll may rise even further in the UK with growing evidence of what Cooper has termed ‘leaveism’ – staff using holiday to catch up on work they are unable to complete during their contracted hours. “Our research found that 76 per cent of employees who have practised leaveism have done so to avoid being labelled as ‘poor performers’ or ‘unable to cope’ with their workload,” he says. “This may lead to sickness absence going underreported by individuals, and distorting both the incidence of sickness in the workplace and the organisation’s ability to understand and manage employee wellbeing.” What these figures point to, more broadly, is that culture is paramount in defining whether people overwork, whether they feel able to report, act on and discuss illness, and whether their employer is willing to support them back to health. 24
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David Li, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, says it is imperative for employers that want to tackle wellbeing to look at the nature of work itself and the environment it’s conducted in. “If people are working long hours, look at the workload and workflow. There might be ways of improving the work processes to reduce the hours. And look at the relationship between staff. Management needs to have an openness and willingness to listen,” he says. Li suggests small changes that allow staff a little flexibility over their work hours, from the introduction of a 15-minute coffee break to the option to take a shorter lunch break and leave earlier. More profoundly, there are interventions that can truly transform individuals’ ability to cope with stress, from employee assistance programmes and support groups to mentoring and coaching. The take-up of such schemes might be one reason the US – where a long-hours culture is also frequently in evidence – has fewer issues with wellbeing. Half of employers there have a concerted wellbeing programme of some kind, from screening activities to identify health risks to nutrition and dietary advice, and return on investment has been estimated at $1.50 for every dollar outlay, according to a recent RAND Employer Survey. By contrast, only a third of Asia-Pacific organisations have a health strategy. Chay says this is because many do not understand the imperative to incentivise employees to consider their wellbeing. At the Hong Kong Jockey Club, one of the
Professor Sir Cary Cooper says consistently working long hours will make you ill
PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES, SIMON FERNANDEZ
Corporate wellness forms a key part of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s talent management strategy
country’s oldest institutions, it is a message that has been heard loud and clear. Founded in 1884, and now boasting 5,500 full-time and 20,000 part-time staff, the company has had a corporate wellness programme since 1999. It’s commonplace to see employees wearing Fitbits – they’re actively encouraged to do so – and there are prizes for those who exercise most regularly. The organisation’s ethos is to promote health in its most holistic sense. The club holds more than 70 seminars a year and more than 3,000 employees join its various health schemes. Christina Chan, head of HR operations, says it’s an integral part of its talent management philosophy. “You have to have happy employees to have happy customers. Highly engaged staff go the extra mile to help you achieve your business objectives, in particular customer satisfaction,” she says. Making a personal connection is also important. Cooper says support for individuals shouldn’t be nameless and faceless: “HR must make an emotional, personal connection with the organisation when it comes to wellbeing, and that means identifying ambitious goals that go beyond return on investment.” Tracy Hui, associate director of the BCom Human Resources Management programme at Hong Kong Baptist University, says the support of senior management goes a long way in guaranteeing the success of wellness programmes, alongside a worldview that takes in both the physical and the psychological. She would like to see senior executives speak openly about issues such as stress, but believes this is still some way off. “There is still a shame in admitting [to having mental health problems]; it’s a sign of weakness. Chinese leaders [in particular] will always show that they are competent and capable – this is the side they want to present to employees,” says Hui. Chay agrees that talking about mental illness reduces the stigma. “When leaders share their experiences of stress, employees can feel they have a champion who understands what they are up against and can therefore take on the challenge,” he says.
The rise and rise of fitness wearables
But other large companies, particularly in financial services, see it as part of ‘nudging’ employees to better all-round health. They can share their step counts or hours of sleep with their employer or health insurance provider, often as a way to receive better terms. Prizes appeal to employees’ competitive tendencies and help foster team spirit. So what’s available, and what do they offer?
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Fitbit The hugely popular US brand has a variety of activity wristbands backed by employee dashboards for corporate use. Prices start at $70.
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APPLE, GARMIN, FITBIT, JAWBONE
Wearable devices might have started life as a fun piece of consumer tech – a way to count the number of steps you take as you pass the gym en route to the café. But in the past 12 months, they have become an invaluable part of corporate wellness programmes as businesses realise they are a great way to get employees focused on fitness.
But the broader issue is culture, and the matter of what is rewarded at work. If overwork and a refusal to acknowledge stress are prevalent, it will be hard to tackle wellbeing matters as they arise, or to combat underlying problems. Hui says that, traditionally, corporate culture has rewarded those who are committed to their jobs and consistently accountable, fostering an unspoken rule in many offices that staff cannot leave before their boss. Junior employees will sit at their desks unproductively until the boss has gone home for the day. But that is changing – and it’s the shifting mindset among millennials that may force businesses to address wellbeing more holistically. “The
Jawbone One of the first and most affordable options. For corporate users, features like Smart Coach are designed to help teams achieve their goals.
For some, the motivation is to ensure compliance. The Singapore Police Force and Singapore Defence Force were early adopters of the popular fitness tracker Fitbit in 2014. “Now you can be penalised, or even lose your job, in the Singapore Police if you don’t maintain activity levels. The military in Malaysia and Thailand also use it: they’ve come to realise it’s a way to push staff,” says Chay.
new generation tends not to follow this informal culture. I see they are changing – they see it is useless to stay when they don’t have duties to perform. They see that such a mentality may block or hinder them from spending time relaxing,” says Hui. Working with the University of Hong Kong, non-profit organisation Community Business, founded by Shalini Mahtani, produces an annual report on work-life balance in the city and is known for its work on CSR, diversity and inclusion in Asia. Mahtani says it is the young generation that is pushing work-life balance to the front of corporate agendas:
“Younger staff see there is no point in staying late if you don’t have work to do”
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Apple Watch Launched in 2014, the muchhyped watch incorporates fitness tracking and health-orientated features with other Apple products and services.
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Garmin Garmin has announced 10 new wearables across running, cycling, golf and 24/7 activity tracking this year. The cheapest option comes in at $100.
“For them, work is just part of their life. They have a much more integrated life, and wellness is an inherent part of that.” She says that beyond the financial savings to companies from investing in wellness programmes is the opportunity to earn staff loyalty, which is especially critical with millennials. “One of the biggest challenges with gen Y is turnover. They tend to move a lot because they want to see the world and try different things. If you are able to give them things to do – go to the gym, do a course – they are getting their fix of growth. The happier they are, the longer they will stay with you, and what you get with that rejuvenated spirit is creativity,” says Mahtani. As business cases for wellbeing go, it’s certainly hard to argue with. People Management Asia
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AND TALENT ON DEM
platforms’ t n le a ‘t g n si u y d ea lr a re Organisations a begun en ev ot n e v e’ w t u B . b jo to pay workers by the it raises s n o ti es u q l ga le d n a l a ic to consider the eth WORDS MARIANNE CALNAN
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SUPERSTOCK, GETTY IMAGES
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f we judge art based on the number of people who enjoy and interact with it, Tangguh Karya may be one of the most influential artists in the world. Yet few outside his home city of Yogyakarta on the Indonesian island of Java have the slightest idea who he is. A largely self-taught designer of T-shirts – as well as posters and graphic arts – Karya’s work has been worn by millions of people across the globe, but he has never been on the books of any household name fashion label. Instead, he works almost exclusively on a website called 99designs, where he submits his ideas in ‘contests’ organised by clients including multinational retailers and fashion buyers. When he ‘wins’, as he invariably does, he signs over the rights to his creations and receives a generous payment in return. In the past, the chances of a talented, unconnected Indonesian designer getting rich off his work would have been remote. Until, that is, the gig economy came along – and it’s not just the Tangguh Karyas of this world who stand to benefit. The exact definition of the term ‘gig economy’ is suitably fluid, given the fact that it has no governance or central structures. It refers primarily to the principle of people taking on small pieces of irregular work rather than a single full-time job: the self-employed accountant who runs the numbers for businesses too small to afford a more formal arrangement, or the translator who takes on ad-hoc work turned around in a matter of hours. The archetype of the gig economy is Uber, the disruptive taxi app that is estimated to have approaching one million drivers globally on its roster and has impressive penetration in Asian cities such as Singapore. Uber has bypassed the traditional employment relationship by tapping into a flexible pool of self-employed labour that it connects directly with consumers via technology. But the gig economy isn’t just about individuals. Businesses such as Johnson & Johnson, Danone, Lego, Ford and Lenovo are known to use
Uber has come enrto listde fire didn’t un ola Coc froa-C m pr ot tors its r its dbackfoon feees neg imativ pacte on th e ta xinch mared lau and ke Cok ‘Ne anw d ho we’ it treats its drivet rs it anyway – it failed
technology platforms to staff their projects. In March, PwC launched a global ‘marketplace’ for freelance talent that would allow its offices to bid for the services of registered suppliers. More than one million designers are registered on 99designs, 20 per cent of them in Indonesia alone. Alex Swarbrick, regional director of Asia-Pacific at the Roffey Park Management Institute, says the trend is clear: “Some put the figure [for those working as freelancers of some description] at 6 per cent, others place it as high as 12 per cent, depending on whether all freelance work counts. It’s still early days, but the evidence suggests it is likely to grow.” In the US, 53 million people worked on a freelance basis at some point in 2014, equating to 34 per cent of the total labour market. In the UK, official figures suggest 450,000 individuals who have full-time roles also take on second jobs, most of them via online talent platforms. Many more, both younger people who prefer flexibility and older people pushed out of the labour market, are building careers of ‘gigs’. What links them all is that technology – principally platforms such as inploi, Elance, TaskRabbit and Tongal – directs people with skills to those who need them, and deals with the transaction itself too. Kevin Mulcahy, partner at Future Workplace and co-author of The Future
“Graduates want mobility and flexibility. Governments aren’t ready to deal with it”
Workplace Experience, says the efficiency of such channels is growing all the time. “Many platforms are improving their capabilities to allow contractors and employers to more efficiently screen for a better match of skills to assignments. And many have also evolved to automatically screen and recommend qualified workers for assignments,” he says. Our translator can post their services on TaskRabbit, stating an hourly rate, and sit back and wait for potential employers to contact them to ‘bid’ on work. Or they can put themselves forward for jobs posted on the platform, which handles the payment and paperwork and takes a percentage of each transaction. It sounds like a future-proof employment model, ideally designed for a global economy where work can originate and be fulfilled anywhere and no longer respects the nine-to-five, office-bound models of the past. But not everyone believes the gig economy is an untrammelled good. For starters, while an IT contractor or coder being paying handsomely for their in-demand skills is in control of their destiny, others are at the mercy of the technology. As Chris Rowley, professor of human resource management at City University’s Cass Business School, asks: “Do workers stuck with non-standard work prize the flexibility and freedom? Or are they marooned in jobs they desperately want to leave?” Like many critics, he points out that gig economy workers have effectively ‘traded off’ traditional employment agreements
TALENT ON DEMAND
including “stability of pay, hours, benefits, holiday and pensions” in favour of their Anthony Tan and Tan Ho oi launched Uber rival Gra Ling freedoms. This is financially b in 2012, and now hav e 200,000-plus beneficial for businesses, which drivers in 30 cities can reduce full-time headcount while still tapping into talent, but it leaves individuals in a potentially precarious position. And it could put the onus for their welfare back on to the state, which will receive less in tax revenue as self-employment increases. Uber has been at the sharp end of protests around the world, not just because of concerns about safety and the effects of its rise on the traditional taxi market, but also because many of its drivers feel they should be classed as employees and enjoy legal protections. Some have suggested a new class of worker will need to be created Grab to recognise those who exist between An app that connects consumers with taxis, employment and genuine self-employment. cars, motorbikes, carpooling and delivery Peter Outridge, managing director of services, Grab began life in Malaysia in 2012, the Asia-Pacific HR centre of excellence when Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling decided at KPMG, says younger workers are most to take on Uber before it achieved critical mass likely to be drawn to the freedom that comes in southeast Asia. The strategy appears to with working for yourself, and organisations have paid off: the business now claims to have and governments will need to respond: more than 200,000 drivers operating in 30 “The newest graduates want mobility and cities across six countries including Singapore flexibility on their own terms. I’m not sure and Thailand, while three million people use its that governments are fully equipped to deal services each month. with it – you see governments in Asia, with Uber, trying to control something they don’t fully understand. There will be a lot Truelancer of transformation in the next few years – for India is fast emerging as a hotbed of freelance example, consortiums of people working professionals, and Truelancer – founded collaboratively – and both organisations and in 2015 by Dipesh Garg and Rajshekhar governments have to think that through.” Rajaharia – already boasts more than Rowley says the gig economy will 250,000 registered users. Graphic design and change the ‘psychological contract’ multimedia, finance and social media are the between employers and employees, and most in-demand skills, but there is also a huge could encourage organisations to invest less range of managerial candidates looking for in training and developing individuals if they interim or remote roles. Garg says freelancing believe they can buy solutions off the shelf. comes naturally to India, which has long thrived These are profound questions that on an informal economy: the site believes its will need to be answered, and it’s only freelance market could be worth $1bn annually. early-adopter organisations that are beginning to answer them. For most, the gig economy remains an abstract concept. 90 Seconds But that will change, says Swarbrick: Producing corporate videos can be an “HR has historically been risk-averse – onerous business: 90 Seconds claims to it’s been about control and predictability. harness both the cloud The gig economy requires something and the crowd to completely new; different ways dramatically simplify of engaging with a workforce in a multiplicity of relationships beyond tos lisytefirnm formal employment.” onaediofdnm’tan Col a-is ocgo CLe
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THE SHARING ECONOMY IN ACTION
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it. Launched in New Zealand in 2010, it has connected 10,000 brands including Visa and Sony with a database of more than 5,000 creative professionals who offer a “real time The Hao Chushi chef workflow”. Revenue app has ambitious tripled during 2015, expansion plans and the service sees Asia as its key market for expansion: it has a presence in Singapore, Tokyo and Manila, and plans to enter Hong Kong this year.
Hao Chushi
Apps that take chefs into diners’ homes have been launched amid great fanfare and promptly sunk in the US. But hopes are high for China’s Hao Chushi (‘good cook’), which is using seed funding estimated at up to $8 million to push beyond its major city bases. Choose your cuisine and one of four pricing tiers – from romantic meal for two to banquet for up to 10 – and a chef will appear at your door to do the rest (though you still have to provide ingredients and utensils). Uber-style feedback mechanisms ensure quality.
Parking Duck
Parking Duck is trying to solve ‘Asia’s biggest pro blem’
There are seven million drivers in Bangkok. But when it comes to finding a parking space, it often feels like the whole city is ahead of you in the queue. Enter Parking Duck, which co-founder and CEO Paruey Anadirekkul says is trying to solve “Asia’s biggest problem”. Hailed as an ‘Airbnb for parking’, it connects owners of spaces with commuters, enabling them to hire out parking slots. Numbers aren’t available to quantify its popularity yet, but the site has ambitious aims to expand beyond Thailand into other bustling cities including Singapore.
Etsy
A hugely popular online service that combines the ethos of part-work sites with the technology of marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy connects those who make, sell and buy unique goods. It currently has 1.6 million active sellers globally, hosting more than 35 million items for sale. And Asia has emerged as a key marketplace: the business is expanding rapidly into Japan and Hong Kong, though it faces competition from local players including Taiwan’s Pinkoi, which allows artists to open their own virtual storefronts.
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THE KNOWLEDGE
Your quarterly run-through of essential skills, with expert commentary
1
Network with confidence
Networking in numbers
membership organisations or informal groups rather than commercial businesses that are likely to subject you to a ‘hard sell’. Consider looking for events in different sectors, or different disciplines, Networking is a word that fills even the which will enable you to meet people most confident individual with dread. outside the usual HR circles. And while the advent of LinkedIn and Before you arrive, spend time looking other online tools means you can make at the delegate lists and researching introductions virtually and maintain any speakers. The aim isn’t to turn a network of people you’ve the event into a slog, but being never even met, there’s still prepared will help you open of businesspeople prefer inno substitute for face-to-face conversations with confidence. person networking, according to Forbes research. There are interaction. Think about the things you can several reasons behind the choice, “The more connected offer in conversation – around the survey reveals you are, the more people in your own experience and your network, the more you recent developments in your can rely on someone within organisation, or your personal that band to help you out,” background. says Perry Timms, founder Don’t be afraid to approach 85% 77% 75% and director of the People anyone – at a networking & Transformational HR event, everyone is there for the say it leads to say it offers prefer stronger, more the ability the social consultancy, whose years of same reason and expects to be meaningful to ‘read’ the elements of networking have earned him spoken to. Asking someone relationships other person the interaction a diary full of contacts. But what they are working on or “networking can be done simply engaging in small talk clumsily, over-eagerly and just can open the door to more Timms and Goel downright noisily – and that meaningful connections. can be an effective way to establish trust believe face-to-face isn’t effective. Considered, “There’s nothing wrong early on, or emailing them a follow-up networking is superior genuine, gentle networking is with being honest about note to build a relationship. LinkedIn always the best way.” why you’re there, networks are also good ways to Vijay Goel, chairman of ASSOCHAM and what you hope to get out of maintain contacts. UK, one of the largest chambers of the event,” says Timms. “Be “Ensure a consistent and commerce in India, agrees: “Face-to-face curious and interested in timely follow up with your networking is better – you can see eyewhat others are saying and business contacts,” says to-eye and you will know how genuine they’ll be the same with you.” networking expert Sharon the person is. There is so much internet And if you’ve been able Schweitzer of Protocol activity these days you never know who to make potentially useful & Etiquette Worldwide. Preparing for an you are dealing with.” contacts, the next step is to But don’t expect immediate event will help build Even so, finding the right opportunities maximise them after the event. returns, she adds: “Keep in your contacts list can still be tricky. It’s worth investing Take note of who you spoke mind that these relationships time to identify small, targeted events to and what you discussed. Consider take time to develop. Focus on the long aimed at people like you, ideally held by introducing contacts to each other, which not the short term.”
WORDS VICKI ARNSTEIN
77%
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The Knowledge
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Design an awards programme There’s nothing better than climbing the podium to pick up a glittering award, the acclaim of your peers ringing in your ears. But designing a successful, HR-led employee award programme isn’t as straightforward as it seems – from choosing which channel to use to avoiding disengagement among those who don’t win, the importance of proper planning can’t be underestimated. Getting it right can help “tap into the best energy and efforts from your people”, says Ty Brown, managing director for India and APAC and VP international at employee reward and recognition company O.C. Tanner. “Study after study confirms that appreciation affects employee engagement and how they feel about their managers and the organisation. Engaged employees and teams work harder, dig deeper and reach higher.” To get the best out of a company award programme, Ashish Ahluwalia, a Korn Ferry Hay Group consultant, says it should be aligned with business objectives: if your firm encourages corporate social responsibility, for example, it makes sense to have an award that recognises effort in this area. Ahluwalia suggests those who miss out on awards needn’t feel hard done by: “If the criteria for the recognition are well understood, and the organisation maintains transparency and fairness in the programme, employees who do not win an award will not feel they’ve been unfairly treated.” But one way to increase the feelgood factor from awards (and spread the right sort of culture of appreciation)
“I f you maintain transparency and fairness, those who don't win will not feel unfairly treated”
We all like getting an award – and staff are no different to movie greats
is to supplement them with peer-topeer recognition. This can be done through ‘thank you’ programmes, or by giving department heads the authority to award small gifts for a job well done. “Recognition is social. It’s
What works in employee recognition? How businesses choose to celebrate employee achievement
71%
One-on-one with a manager
41%
Company-wide meeting
61% Special
55% Staff
36% Email
29% Intranet
event
announcement
meeting
announcement
SOURCE: WORLDATWORK, TRENDS IN EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
about connecting. When done right, it drives innovation, ignites energy and unleashes the best in everyone,” says Brown. This also removes the focus on a single winner-takes-all awards night, which might not always be feasible. Instead, says Ahluwalia, concentrate on providing a personal touch – having a business leader make a presentation to an award winner, even at a local level, helps bring their achievement to life. Company intranets and social media can help Brown and Ahluwalia amplify it. The actual say getting recognition right drives motivation award, he says, could be anything from a physical trophy or memento to cash, vouchers or gift ‘experiences’ such as hotel breaks. The key is how you contextualise it – and how you ensure the good news is shared by as many people as possible. People Management Asia
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Get started with video learning
If you wanted to learn how to cook something new, or master an unfamiliar household task, it would be second nature to go online and find someone who could visually demonstrate the answer. That’s why YouTube, the go-to home of online video, is now the world’s second biggest search engine. But too often, employees who use video learning in their personal lives are stuck with one-dimensional manuals or time-consuming training courses when they get to work. That’s changing, albeit slowly. According to a report from Ambient Insight, seven of the 10 countries with
the highest e-learning growth rates moving from a creation model to a in the world are in Asia, and much of curation model – part of the skill is being that can be attributed to the power able to source brilliant content that can of video learning. With training be used as part of a programme.” and development budgets often Many savvy employers are the first to be squeezed, many choosing to make links organisations are choosing to existing video content to forgo expensive training available on their intranet and turn to video instead, or company-hosted YouTube whether it’s created by channel, while others are a professional provider, taking it a step further and managed in-house or uploaded either generating their own by individual employees. training content or allowing “Learning departments are staff to share their videoGetting to grips with recognising that there is so learning solutions with peers. video needn't be much brilliant content available “With mobile devices, this an expensive affair now that they don’t need to keep is starting to happen more creating things,” says Andy Lancaster, often. For younger people who head of learning and development follow video blogs, it is very natural for content at the CIPD. “Learning is them to be working in this way. Those coming into the workplace now will be far more familiar with user-generated content,” says Lancaster. “Organisations need to recognise that this type of peer learning is going on already. It is just having the confidence to provide a process and a means by which those videos can be captured and shared.” There are, of course, some areas of learning where peer-contributed video simply won’t work – in compliance training or heavily regulated industries, for example. There are also issues around quality control. But for Lancaster, Be authentic that simply demonstrates that L&D Let interviewees or presenters rehearse what professionals should be at the heart of they want to say, but don’t worry if they make the process, helping guide and advise mistakes or stumble over their lines – often, it will make it seem more ‘real’ for viewers. learners along the way. He believes authenticity and brevity are two key factors in video learning. “The most important thing is that it is authentic and engaging. Bite-sized videos are preferable. Many clips on YouTube are a maximum of seven minutes – we are much more used to watching snippets,” Lancaster says. Ensuring content is relevant, accurate and up to date is crucial. And despite the increasing use and merits of video learning, it will not always necessarily be Avoid tricks Straightforward cuts between shots or a simple the best medium. Get the balance right fade-to-black are all you need to move between and you might never look at learning in scenes – snazzy graphics and effects simply detract from your central message. the same way again.
Make videos that work – in four easy steps
Keep it simple A clean, clear set means viewers can focus on
what matters – that means keeping backgrounds empty and even ensuring people wear simple, nondistracting clothing without stripes or patterns.
3 Frame your scene Leaving too much space around your subject will look awkward and unprofessional. Producers often prefer to shoot people ‘off centre’ so they are speaking into unused space.
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The Knowledge
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Get your people strategy down on paper
term. If a company wants to achieve 20 per cent growth in a particular area, for example, its people strategy needs to address how this will be achieved by its workforce. It might mean hiring additional people with particular skills, or upskilling existing employees. Strategy is the cornerstone of business Deborah Woollard, vice president of growth, and most HR departments – as HR for Asia, Middle East and Africa at well as most CEOs – will have a clear idea InterContinental Hotels Group (ICH), of where they’re going and where they agrees: “Most organisations have short want to be in the future. But the concept and long-term business goals and the of an ‘HR strategy’ is relatively insular. people strategy needs to reflect this. By instead defining a ‘people strategy’, For long-term goals, the strategy needs most experts agree that you can to predict capability and talent improve return on human capital requirements in the future.” investment and ensure you have At ICH, Woollard the right talent to meet your goals. says the people strategy is Alex Swarbrick, head of developed around four key Asia-Pacific at leadership pillars – organisation, talent institute Roffey Park, defines development, learning and a people strategy as how an development and enterprise plans to fulfil its winning culture – Woollard says a people purpose through the people to ensure it is ‘people strategy needs to reflect working with it, collectively ready’ to deliver against long and short-term goals and individually. “Whether company strategy over it’s called a people strategy, called the coming three to five years. something else, or is just a way of While a people strategy requires buyapproaching the challenges of fulfilling in from senior managers, its ownership is your purpose through the people, usually delegated to the HR department. without it, the chances are you won’t,” But defining it means consulting widely he adds. with the business. “This is definitely Swarbrick says a people strategy has to not just a job for HR. It is a business have a clear line of sight to the business strategy, and therefore needs to involve strategy in the long, medium and short all relevant parties,” says Swarbrick.
Skills are central to developing your people strategy
Why people matter A PwC survey of multinational CEOs suggests skills and talent issues are increasingly central to corporate strategy
81% 72% 67% 30%
81 per cent of CEOs are now looking for a broader range of skills when hiring 72 per cent say skills availability is a concern 30 per cent are focusing on upgrading employees' skills and adaptability
67 per cent think that, in five years, rather than going for the biggest pay cheque, talented individuals will prefer to work for organisations with social values that match their own
SOURCE: PWC, 19TH ANNUAL GLOBAL CEO SURVEY
Whether or not it is written down is not as important, in Swarbrick’s view, as having a strategy in the first place: “Sometimes, committing something to paper gives it an appearance of permanence and, in today’s business environment, that’s the last thing you need. Flexibility and agility are key.” Once you have a strategy in place, regularly reviewing it is essential. This will depend on the pace of change in your sector and your other business goals, but, if there are any signs that your people strategy is not working, it’s vital to intervene. Woollard says employees are also starting to take note of these issues: “Increasingly, employees take people strategy into account when they are selecting a company to remain with or to work for. A people strategy needs to be attractive to colleagues.” People Management Asia
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Comment
THE VIEW FROM HERE
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China is getting more women into work. But the next step is in HR’s hands
The changing Chinese economy – which means the information and knowledge era, as well as the boom in the service economy – has led to an environment in which men and women theoretically have the opportunity to participate equally in the economy and share value creation. Today, the female employment rate in China is as high as 73 per cent. There are growing numbers of highly educated and goal-driven professional Women in China women across the country. A recent face huge pressure survey by a Chinese recruitment agency to get married at found that most millennial women a young age believe they are as ambitious as men. Yet despite the more mature philosophy, long-lasting perceptions the benefits package for female workers, around men and women’s roles mean including but not limited to creating working women in China still face a more comfortable environment challenges that will take time to (such as secure lactation rooms) overcome. The societal pressure for and introducing flexible hours women to get married at a young for working mothers. The abolition age persists, and those who fail to of the one-child policy poses a do so by the time they are 27 are significant challenge as more labelled sheng nv (‘left-over and more corporations are women’). The more successful beginning to develop new a woman is, the more difficult leave policies, rather Summer Tang maternity it is for her to get married as than implementing better Management it is considered to be ‘stealing’ benefits packages. associate at Hilti Global and the husband’s job or thunder. In some cases, when graduate of the What’s more, the fact that it comes to internal CEMS international Chinese people place great promotion opportunities, business education importance on a mother’s while men are evaluated on programme presence for a child’s potential or performance, (cems.org) development places a burden plans to get married and have on working women. Even highly children are two of the major criteria for educated women sometimes make female candidates. sacrifices because there is no flexibility Training or coaching programmes are from either their family or company. also needed around female leadership, For many, the workforce does not gender issues and performance. That provide a sense of belonging, but this is way, women can learn to manage and something organisations can take steps use their strengths confidently. By to address. First, they need to reinforce supporting women in management 34 People Management Asia
roles, businesses can help decrease communication costs, improve operational efficiency and create a positive working atmosphere. Finally, leading companies must coach counterpart employees to change their traditional perspectives and support female colleagues. Some tasks are often still seen as the so-called ‘man’s domain’; for example, attending a professional business dinner or undertaking a site visit. If I work overtime in the office, high-ranked directors sometimes tell me I should ‘go on a date’, whereas overtime is considered normal for men. Many businesses in China have realised the importance of diversity and inclusion – for instance, in the construction industry, they have started to make considerable progress in recruitment by offering flexible career models, benefits packages for dual career couples and support for women in leadership roles. But many more now need to follow this example, so that women are able to build their confidence, become more outspoken and embrace challenges in the workplace.
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