Hr magazine summer 2015

2015 SUMMER

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST If it’s important to HR, it’s in HR Magazine.

SUPER TECH 28 HR HR's ascension into the mainstream tech world

22

COVER STORY The PlayStation generation Understanding, training & engaging millennials

32 5 KEY DRIVERS FOR HR

Five things HR should be doing to develop talent and drive the bottom line

The PlayStation generation

what HR needs to know

A new generation of staff is rapidly filling today's workspaces—we uncover how they think, what they want and how they work. Understanding, training and engaging millennials as effective team players in your organisation.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

IN THE NEWS Going into the summer of 2015, the issue of employee incentives looms large in Hong Kong as HR Magazine reveals that only 10% of employees highly value their work benefits, page 5. At the same time, the days of double-digit pay rises may be waning, page 4. Pushes for gender equality have been prevalent with Women’s Directorship Programmes being arranged, page 6; and gender diversity is finally beginning to improve on company boards, page 9.

COVER STORY Attracting young talent and incorporating them effectively into our organisations has long been a key challenge for HR across industries. This issue’s cover story examines the importance of dispelling the myths surrounding the much over-labelled ‘millennials’ and share what HR can do to help harness the power of PlayStation generation talent, page 20.

OTHER STUFF Still trying to get to grips with your Megabytes and Gigabytes? With our conference on Digital HR fast approaching, HR Magazine explores why transitioning into the digital age is essential for HR to hugely enhance its own capability and influence, while helping engage talent at the same time, page 26. We also highlight key strategies of high-performing APAC companies to provide you with the five key drivers to getting HR right, page 30.

Enjoy…

Paul Arkwright, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, HR Magazine

HR MAGAZINE

No part of this publication can be reproduced without consent from the Publisher. Copyright of all material is reserved throughout the publication.

Contributions are welcome but copies of work should be kept, because HR Magazine takes no responsibility for lost submissions. The views, conclusions, findings and opinions published in this magazine belong to those expressing such, and do not necessarily represent those of the Publisher, Editor-in-Chief or editorial staff.

EDITORIAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Paul Arkwright Copy Editor Ryan Mellor Staff Writers Carlos Bruinsma Rachel Forrest ART Designers Fish Wong Nikki Xu Beini Photographer Fish Wong

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Paul Arkwright Tel: (852) 2736 6318 paul@excelmediagroup.org ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP Carmen Leung Tel: (852) 2736 6862 carmen@excelmediagroup.org Katrine Leung Tel: (852) 2736 9820 katrine@excelmediagroup.org Dominic Evans Tel: (852) 2736 6339 dominic@excelmediagroup.org

SUBSCRIPTIONS Cedric Wong Tel: (852) 2736 6375 Fax: (852) 2736 6369 subs@excelmediagroup.org PUBLISHED BY Excel Media Group Ltd. Unit 101 Fourseas Building 208–212 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong PRINTED BY Paramount Printing Company Ltd. 1/F, 8 Chun Ying Street Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate Tseung Kwan O, NT, Hong Kong

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CONTENTS 2015 SPRING

HR NEWS 06 18 19 20

HR News HR Events HR in Numbers HR Moves

8

26

HK universities best in Asia

The PlayStation generation what HR needs to know

HR FEATURES 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 39

40

42

project management?

what HR needs to know

Why should I bother outsourcing project management?

HR super tech Transitioning into the digital age—a psychological journey 5 key drivers to getting HR right Deconstructing corporate myths—diversity A rolling stone gathers more pay New Aptis English assessment tool for HR How healthy is your workplace wellness programme?

Strategy activation

HR COMMUNITY

39

The PlayStation generation

Coffee culture for HR

HR TRAINING

Why should I bother outsourcing

COVER STORY 22

HR LIFE

44 46 54

Southeast Asia HR Summit 2015 HR Conference—Hold on HR... engaging & retaining key talents jobsDB Superhero HR Day: mastering the many HR hats

HR BOOKS

22

HR super tech

HR

56

How healthy is your workplace wellness programme?

HR CLASSIFIEDS 58

Coffee Culture for HR

28

56

40

You're Hired—Now What Do You Do? The College Student's Ultimate Playbook to Learning the Rules and Winning in Any Organization The Career Engagement Game

HR Classifieds

HR NEWS

HR NEWS

Double-digit salary increments but only in IT, Banking & Finance The days of double-digit salary increases may be at an end as employers look to reign in the strong salary growth of the last three years and offer non-financial incentives to attract and retain employees. According to the 2015 Robert Half Salary Guide for Hong Kong, employees are more likely to receive salary rises below the 10% or more compared to those received in previous years.

Pallavi Anand, Managing Director, Robert Half Hong Kong commented that double-digit salary increases are increasingly rare with the majority of

salaries across all industries expected to increase by around 5 – 9 %. She added, “Hong Kong is seeing moderate growth in salaries across most positions.

Employers are looking at non-financial ways to attract new employees and to compensate existing ones. A positive work culture, flexible working conditions, international opportunities and mentoring are regularly offered as incentives to retain and motivate employees. Some roles remain in high demand and companies need to offer attractive salary packages in order to recruit or retain talented individuals.”

While salary growth is moderating, the number of companies making new hires is increasing. The survey found that the Commerce and Industry Sector is the most active in terms of hiring, with 53% increasing their headcount of accounting and finance professionals.

The Banking and Financial Services Sector is also active in the employment market with 46% making new hires and two in five companies planning to add new permanent technology staff in the first half of the year.

Hong Kong salary increases % Salary increase

Sector

Positions

16%

Technology

IT Security / IT Risk

15%

Technology

IT Auditor

14%

Banking & Financial Services

Internal Audit Managing Director

13%

Finance & Accounting

Internal Audit Manager

13%

Finance & Accounting

Internal Audit Director

12%

Finance & Accounting

Internal Auditor

12%

Banking & Financial Services

Internal Audit VP/SVP

12%

Banking & Financial Services

Tax Associate / Manager / AVP

11%

Technology

Senior Business Analyst

11%

Banking & Financial Services

Project Management Risk, Managing Director

10%

Banking & Financial Services

Project Management Risk, Analyst

10%

Banking & Financial Services

Project Management Risk Associate / Manager / AVP

10%

Banking & Financial Services

Project Management Risk, VP/SVP

10%

Technology

Front Office Application / Production Support

One more day off work in China China's State Council has just announced that 3 September 2015 will be a national holiday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. According to DLA Piper, the exact status of the holiday is, however, unclear. The HKSAR Government has not declared the day a public holiday—when employees are entitled to be off work or receive 300% of daily pay if they are required to work—so it is not clear whether employers are required to give employees the day off and, if they do not, whether overtime will be payable.

The consensus view at the moment seems to be that employers should allow employees to take the day as a holiday, but if they are unable to reschedule their operations in such a way that they require employees to work that day, they should provide a day off in lieu.

6 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

Employee benefits disconnect There is a widening disconnect between the actual cost of employee benefits and their perceived value. Only 1 in 10 employers think that the benefits they offer are actually valued by their employees.

Employee benefits are seen as an integral part of an EVP with two-thirds of Hong Kong employers citing attraction and retention of key talent as the major focus of their benefit strategies. At the same time, benefit costs— which already represent a significant percentage of payroll costs—continue to rise and the management of benefit costs is cited as the top challenge for employers, according to new research from Towers Watson—2015 Asia Pacific Benefit Trends—which surveyed over 1,100 companies throughout APAC. While more than a quarter of employers said that they spend more than 20% of payroll on benefits, only 10% think the benefits are highly valued by employees. In addition, Hong Kong

companies that communicate their benefits effectively believe that their benefits were more highly valued by employees than those who do not communicate effectively. Jack Mak, Senior Consultant-Benefits, Hong Kong, Towers Watson commented, “Many employees are not seeing the value of their benefit programmes.

The gap between spend and employee perceived value could be closed by engaging employees more in their benefits—for example, by taking into account their opinions when determining which benefits to offer, or communicating with them regularly and effectively about the benefits that are available to them.”

While 37% of companies in Hong Kong said that they have increased benefit spend, 42% of companies said that theirs has stayed the same.

Worryingly, almost 30% of employers in Hong Kong said that they did not know how much they were spending on benefits.

Honeywell 3-year partnership with Resource Solutions

On opening the event, Ryder said, “The issues of jobs, equity, sustainability, human security, labour mobility and social dialogue, which need to be tackled in a future of work initiative, are almost by definition the key policy issues of our time.”

The proposed Future of Work initiative would be structured around four conversations: work and society; organisation of work and production; decent jobs for all; and governance of work.

Ryder called on delegates to, “Look at the longer term drivers of change, the transformational mega-trends, and what they imply for the goals we pursue in the ILO in its second century.”

According to the latest World Employment and Social Outlook report, global unemployment reached 201 million in 2014, over 30 million higher than before the GFC in 2008. Moreover, providing jobs to the more than 40 million additional people who enter the global labour market every year is proving to be a daunting challenge.

In addition to widespread joblessness, the employment relationship itself is facing a major transformation—bringing further challenges.

In addition to the Director-General’s Future of Work initiative, this year’s conference discussed the role of SMEs as a major job creation engine and how to ensure labour protection—wages, working time, maternity protection and occupational safety and health—which is at the heart of the ILO’s mandate and does not currently cover many types of employees.

Introducing more flexibility into the benefits programme is one way that employers are looking to address the benefits value gap. Almost one-third are looking at increasing flexibility over the next 12 months, whilst 14% are planning to introduce flexible benefits. For organisations that already offer flexible benefits, the majority felt that their programmes had been successful in recognising employees’ diverse needs.

First Duty of Care Conference tackles employee safety issues Globalisation, new markets and the need for services are causing organisations to send their employees around the globe to explore and seize new opportunities. Over the last few years, duty of care has become increasingly important as it is the employers’ responsibility to protect the health and security of their employees and to provide them with a safe working environment.

ILO calls for global initiative on future of work The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Director-General, Guy Ryder, recently called for a global debate on the future of work during his opening address at the 104th International Labour Conference in Geneva.

Elaine Hwang, Director—Benefits, Hong Kong, Towers Watson stated, “This apparent lack of awareness about their benefits spend suggests that employers are struggling with benefits governance, whilst juggling multiple systems, vendors and administrative platforms. If employers are finding it hard to put a number on their benefits spend, then it is perhaps no surprise that employees have low awareness of the value of their programme. A benefits programme that is aligned with employee needs, communicated clearly and delivered on one platform is likely to see better value attached from employees.”

Honeywell recently announced a three-year partnership with Resource Solutions.

Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, invents and manufactures technology solutions and is planning to expand its workforce throughout APAC. Neng Pin Yap, HR VP, Honeywell Asia Pacific explained, “The partnership with Resource Solutions will enable us to build staffing delivery capability, integrate resources and drive cost synergy, which will better support Honeywell’s growing business in this region.”

The partnership—which commenced on 1 May 2015—means Resource Solutions will now be providing RPO solutions including

direct recruitment and PSL management with dedicated teams managing recruitment for Honeywell across Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Macau. As Honeywell has more than 127,000 employees worldwide, including more than 22,000 engineers and scientists—they look like they have got their work cut out for them.

Commenting on the new partnership Simon Bradberry, MD, APAC, Resource Solutions said, “This new regional RPO partnership takes Resource Solutions into new geographies expanding our RPO regional footprint here in Asia Pacific.”

As a result, the International SOS Foundation in cooperation with Employer’s Federation of Hong Kong, organised a Conference on Duty of Care. More than 110 participants from 80 organisations attended.

In the opening speech, Louis Pong, Chief Executive Officer, the Employers’ Federation of Hong Kong commented, “The world is more risky than before and duty of care is a moral and legal obligation of employers.”

Representative of the International SOS Foundation, Dr Philippe Guibert said, “The issues associated with duty of care are very relevant to the business community. More companies know that building risk-management programmes to protect them is the right thing to do.”

|7

HR NEWS

HR NEWS

Goldman Sachs wins Hong Kong universities among best in Asia LGBT Workplace Inclusion Award Community Business recently announced Goldman Sachs as the winner of the inaugural Hong Kong LGBT Workplace Inclusion Awards. The Index is a benchmark on workplace inclusion practices and initiatives for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees in Asia. It provides companies in Hong Kong with a tool to assess their efforts towards LGBT inclusion.

Fern Ngai, Chief Executive Officer of Community Business commented, "We were delighted to receive over 50 nominations for these four awards this first year—far beyond our expectations. The caliber of the nominations was also extremely high, with each of the finalists standing out, going above and beyond in terms of raising the profile of LGBT inclusion, engaging key stakeholders and impacting change.”

Dr York Chow , Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission expressed his delight at the initiative, "Indeed, LGBT workplace inclusion should be a key business concern for all companies aspiring to be employers of choice, and this index provides an important tool for benchmarking and measuring progress. Such innovative actions can play a key role towards fostering a truly inclusive society."

Goldman Sachs received the Top Employer for LGBT Inclusion Award, ranking number one in terms of its performance in the Index. The organisations ranked as the Top 10 Employers in Hong Kong for LGBT Inclusion 2015 were: 1

Goldman Sachs

2

The HK and Shanghai Banking Corporation

3

J.P. Morgan

4

Morgan Stanley

5

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

6

Standard Chartered Bank (HK) Limited

7

Barclays Capital Asia Limited

8

Nomura International (Hong Kong) Limited

9

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited

10

British Consulate—General Hong Kong

10

British Council Hong Kong

According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject published on TopUniversities.com, Hong Kong universities rank among the top in Asia, and in the case of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), even the world. The expert opinion of 85,062 academics and 41,910 employers informed the results, alongside the analysis of 17.3m research papers and 100m citations (Scopus/Elsevier bibliometric database).

Hong Kong universities display increased international competitiveness with a strong presence across the subject areas, with HKU ranking in 33 subjects. They also cumulatively appear 67 times among the Top 50 across the disciplines ranked, with HKU having

26 subjects in the top 50 worldwide, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong ranking with 17 subjects.

Ben Sowter, Head of Research, QS commented, "Hong Kong has managed to consolidate its position among the world’s best despite the disruption of the recent switch to a four-year curriculum. The success of Hong Kong’s universities fits into a wider shift in the global balance of power, with Asian institutions emerging as genuine competitors to the US and UK, especially in the STEM disciplines.”

HKU is the third best performing Asian university, after National University of Singapore and The University of Tokyo.

Female leaders tackle boardroom gender imbalance Keen to address the continuing gender disparity entrenched in the highest echelons of business, 2015 will see two more instalments of the Women’s Directorship Programme (WDP) organised by Harvey Nash and The University of Hong Kong Business School to be held in Hong Kong in May and September. The international board preparedness programme, exclusively for women, was created in 2013 in answer to the worldwide business community's call to tackle the existing gender imbalance in boardrooms.

Led by faculty members of HKU Business School, the Women's Directorship Programme offers a unique combination of lectures and academic leadership theories, plus practical insights and real-life case studies delivered by international business leaders. The involvement of senior business leaders as guest speakers provides

unprecedented levels of access to their boardroom insights and experiences.

The 2015 programme will comprise six modules—including strategic leadership, ethics and compliance, finance and market regulation—taught over two three-day sessions (May 28-30 and September 10-12). Participants will have access to on-going support through the alumni programme and a global network of peers and senior business leaders.

Hiring up for finance & accounting Demand for finance and accounting professionals is at a three-year high with 53% of companies planning to expand their teams in the first half of 2015 to help roll out new projects and initiatives and penetrate new markets. Also, technology hiring is on the rise with four in ten companies planning to add new permanent positions.

The latest Hong Kong Employment Report

by Robert Half found that companies are planning a raft of new projects and initiatives that will require additional staff to manage and implement. The survey polled 400 senior business leaders including chief financial officers, finance directors and chief technolog y officers on their outlook and hiring intentions for the first two quarters of 2015. The data covers hiring trends in three sectors: banking and financial services, including insurance; commerce and industry—accounting and finance professionals in a range of industries; and technolog y The highest level of demand is for accounting and finance experts in commerce and industry, which covers a range of different sectors. The survey found 53% of companies will add permanent finance and accounting staff in the first half of the year, compared to 48% last year. Business and financial analysts are in strong demand, as are financial controllers.

The biggest turnaround in activity is among companies hiring technolog y professionals.

Last year only 26% of companies were hiring while 61% maintained headcount.

This year, a nearly equal proportion of companies are maintaining (41%) and adding more manpower (40%) to their technolog y teams.

In the financial services sector, employment activity has remained steady compared to 12 months ago. The survey found 46% of companies plan to add staff in the first six months of 2015—the same percentage as a year ago. However, there is an increase in the percentage of companies that have frozen all hires—from 5% in 2014 to 9% in 2015.

Pallavi Anand, Managing Director, Robert Half Hong Kong shared that companies are actively hiring to fill newly created positions as part of their growth strategies. She said, “Companies know they need to adapt and change in order to achieve growth. That’s why they are expanding their accounting and technolog y teams. Companies are also looking at expanding into new markets.

This could be either a new geographical location or to target a different segment of an existing market. Previously new hires were in response to a need to have extra capacity to cope with increased workloads.

This year, companies are pursuing growth by expanding their service offerings or their reach. New roles can be very challenging as there are no precedents or guidelines for the successful applicant to follow, but if they are prepared to show initiative, they can carve out a name for themselves in the new role.”

Premier Design and Contracting Ltd

Employees remain the most valuable assets in any organisation and with multinational companies expanding their footprints in Asia Pacific region, the challenges associated with hiring the right candidates have increased.

To ensure that the most suitable talent comes on board, it is imperative to be aware of the candidate's background.

A new study by First Advantage revealed, however, a 6.5% increase in candidates misrepresenting their CV, across 2 million background checks done by the company in Asia Pacific last year alone. The report is based on data drawn from employment background verifications and reference checks conducted by First Advantage in Asia Pacific.

Hong Kongers are among the worst offenders in APAC, with a discrepancy rate of over 16%. The only countries that scored higher in discrepancy rates were Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. Of those Hong Kong professionals who were found to have discrepancies on their CVs, almost half weren’t entirely honest about previous employment and 35% were found to have inaccuracies on their CV concerning education. Out of all employment discrepancies found in Asia Pacific in 2014, 54% was because of employment history.

Employers aren’t entirely unaware of this phenomenon, however, as employers are increasing the number of checks for their candidates—67% of all cases were subjected to at least five checks in 2014, compared to 42% in 2013.

info@premier.com.hk tel: 3595 1312 www.premier.com.hk

Albert Ellis, CEO, Harvey Nash Group commented, “Through the Women's Directorship Programme and our partnership with The University of Hong Kong, we are committed to creating lasting change across the world, unlocking the talent pipeline and empowering female leaders to gain the confidence and skills needed to secure board positions.”

INTERIOR DESIGN · CONSTRUCTION · PROJECT MANAGEMENT 8 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

CV discrepancies on rise in APAC

Registered Contractor ISO9001 · 14001 · 18001

HR NEWS

HR NEWS

HR must address costly commutes The cost of travelling to work has almost doubled in the past five years, according to new research by Regus. The study surveyed more than 44,000 senior business people across more than 100 countries, including 365 respondents from Hong Kong.

Yet travel expenses are accounting for a larger and larger slice of their yearly outgoings, in some cases making the commute to work prohibitively expensive and deterring prospective talent.” Businesses that want to retain and attract top talent need to address the often overlooked issue of costly commutes.

Ormiston added, “Flexible working hours can provide a solution for maxed-out employees.

Businesses that want to offer workers a real perk and retain valuable staff need to urgently address ways to reduce the cost of commuting by offering them the choice to work closer to home at least some of the time.”

Business school alumni earn more, rise faster Business school alumni earn increased compensation, exercise enhanced purchasing power and consistently climb to the executive ranks according to new research findings from more than 12,000 graduate business school alumni from 71 universities globally carried out by the Graduate Management Admission Council.

The results of the 2015 Alumni Perspectives Survey Report offer a global snapshot of employment and career progression for graduate business school alumni representing the classes of 1959 through to 2014. In the survey, 93% would recommend their graduate business programme to others and one in ten credit graduate management education with increasing their earning power.

10 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

Workplace of the future, at what cost?

Boards with at least 10% of their seats held by women enjoy, on average, a 3.6% higher Return On Equity (ROE) and 1.3% higher Return On Assets (ROA) compared to boards where women make up less than a tenth of directors. This, according to report findings published in Diversity Matters: Adding Colour to Boards in APAC.

With recent pushes for organisations to respond to employees’ needs and make adaptations to make the workday more flexible, more parent-friendly and less formal, many companies have chosen to enforce modern approaches to desk allocation and other stagnant working practices. However, according to a recent report from Cushman & Wakefield, it has been revealed that Hong Kong has the second-most expensive office locations in the world. Offices on Hong Kong Island now run to USD 1,806 per square metre per year, while global property prices have increased 7% in the last year.

Published by Korn Ferry and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School's Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO), the report examined the 2012–2013 annual reports of the largest 100 publicly listed companies in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.

The findings revealed that workers worldwide now spend an average of 5% of their net take-home pay on their annual commute to work. In Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, many staff have to suffer moderate or expensive commuting costs compared to Japan, the UK and the US where considerably more employees enjoy a relatively cheaper commute. In Hong Kong, 28% of respondents spend 5% or more of their annual take-home pay on commuting.

Globally, workers spent an average of 3% of their annual take-home pay on their commute to work back in 2010, but recently the situation has worsened significantly. In the past year in many countries, including South Africa, Brazil, France, India and Mexico, costs have risen even higher than the 5% average.

Michael Ormiston, Country Manager, Regus Hong Kong commented, “With living costs rising, every penny counts for the world’s workers.

Gender diversity adding up for HR

A global analysis of alumni salaries by work location in relation to GDP and purchasing-power-parity per capita (GDP PPP) also uncovered that business school alumni have purchasing power 1.6 to 6.8 times that of the average resident of the country where they work.

The research also revealed that the majority of alumni held mid-level positions one year after earning their degree. Five years after graduation, the majority of business school alumni are in senior-level positions or higher, and after 10 years, one in four alumni are in executive-level positions and 5% are in the C-suite. Four out five alumni surveyed said that their graduate management education offered opportunities for quicker career advancement.

It was found that the regional average for female representation in boardrooms stood at 9.4%, up from 8.0% in 2012, and there were fewer all-male boards in most countries surveyed. However, just 24 out of the 1000 boards had four or more women and few women were in board leadership roles with only 3% of chair positions held by females.

There were substantial differences between individual economies, with female board representation ranging from 2.1% in South Korea to 18.6% in Australia.

Female representation in Hong Kong's boardrooms has crossed the double-digit mark with female directors taking 10.6% of seats, up from 8.2% in 2012. This takes the city from sixth to fifth place in Asia Pacific. However, while it

has overtaken Malaysia, Hong Kong still lags behind China, where it stands at 13.2%.

The proportion of all-male boards in Hong Kong, meanwhile, has gone down by 8% to 34%, putting it behind only Australia and China. This follows the expansion of the Corporate Governance Code of Hong Kong in September 2013 to include a rule requiring all companies to have a policy on ensuring a diverse board. Hong Kong firms need to disclose this policy as well as their progress in achieving the gender diversity objectives.

The study also found that boardrooms in Hong Kong with at least 10% female representation enjoyed, on average, 18.8% ROE compared to 15.3% at boards with a female representation of less than 10%. Associate Professor Marleen Dieleman, Associate Director, CGIO, NUS Business School commented, “While Hong Kong has made progress in gender diversity, what we see in Asia Pacific is still too little of a good thing.

Having more women on boards is linked to better company performance, but too few APAC boards have substantial female representation.”

Alicia Yi, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Consumer Markets, Korn Ferry added, “Despite the efforts made by governments and organisations, women still remain under-represented on boards in the region.

Companies should consider taking concrete steps to improve board diversity by making a deliberate choice to consider female candidates for board positions and start by promoting more women to senior roles.”

Great Place to Work® Annual Conference Two CEOs of the San Francisco Bay Area's most widely recognised companies recently headed to Dallas, Texas to kick off the Great Place to Work(R) Annual Conference. CEO of Twitter—Dick Costolo—and CEO of Clif Bar—Kevin Cleary—provided key insights on the success of their award-winning cultures on April 22 – 23 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas and via live web stream.

This year's conference will feature best people practices and trends by other workplace leaders across all industries from companies such as Cisco, American Express, Mayo Clinic, SAS and Goldman Sachs. Speakers

will show attendees how to most effectively motivate, connect and engage employees and share key takeaways they have implemented in their own organisations. China Gorman, CEO, Great Place to Work commented, "Our Annual Conference is a unique opportunity for business leaders to come together, learn from each other and discover new ways to evolve their workplace with their laser focus on the overall employee experience.

Dick Costolo, Kevin Cleary and our other extremely inspiring leaders are shining leaders of organisations that put their people first, a core foundation that each of these companies attribute to their long-term business success."

What does this mean for employers? Essentially, they must ensure they are making the best use of space, while also requiring employees to move desks at the drop of a hat which is sure to make them pack light and store only the most essential of files. Yet it appears that companies are not making the very best use of their space.

According to Paul Statham, CEO of workspace utilisation and space scheduling company Condeco Software, companies cannot afford to not have an office on the Island, yet a shockingly high percentage of desk and meeting room space is still underused. In financial services, one of the main tenants of prime real estate, 48% of all seats are unoccupied during the day on average, while meeting spaces are only used 29% of the time.

Statham recommends the use of data in helping businesses to find out how much money they are throwing out the window just by failing to get a handle on their space usage. With demand for Hong Kong as a prestigious global business hub—leading brands based there are under immense pressure to use their prime real estate as efficiently as they can.

Statham cautioned, "Workspaces are becoming increasingly fluid as workers adopt flexible and remote working practices and companies cannot afford to let their space go unused for long periods of time. With global prices continuing to soar, it is imperative they invest in intelligence to provide real time data on how their second most costly asset is actually being used."

He added, "Failure to do so will see them needlessly haemorrhage vast amounts of capital—severely impacting their ability to grow.

More efficient use of space and the creation of a better, enhanced collaborative environment also delivers a powerful boost to staff morale and employee engagement.”

| 11

HR NEWS

HR NEWS

Indian employers raise bar in engaging employees Aon Hewitt recently announced its Best Employers—India 2015 list. Its research gave key insights into talent and business evolution and trends observed during the past 15 years of the Best Employers programme in India.

Austerity policies being announced leads to an overall drop in employee well-being, job satisfaction and engagement before cuts are even implemented, according to new research.

The highest average engagement score amongst all industries was seen in the hospitality industry—79%. Other industries with high engagement scores included Telecom and Media (72%) and Healthcare Equipment and Services (74%).

Key findings: • Rewards & Recognition, Brand and Career Opportunities emerged as the top three areas where employees are demanding improvement from their employers.

• Over 65% of Indian CEOs highlighted rising salaries and critical skills shortage as key concerns for their organisations.

• Gen-Y Engagement for Best Employers was at 85% from 71% last year and Women Engagement for Best Employers was at 82%, up 6% from last year.

• Six in 10 Best Employers had direct reporting of the HR head to their CEO compared to only 3 in 10 average organisations.

Austerity plans reduce UK job satisfaction & engagement

Academics looked at the UK Government’s 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review when Chancellor George Osborne announced a budget reduction of 19% over four years across a host of government departments. The Office for Budget Responsibility predicted it would lead to the loss of almost half a million public-sector jobs by 2015—around 10% of all public-sector employment.

Sandeep Chaudhary, CEO for Aon Hewitt Consulting in India commented, “A key finding that has emerged is that Best Employers are not always the most prominent employers. A third of Best Employers have been small emerging companies where the differentiator is not always about innovative practices, but about doing small things consistently.”

“Highly engaged employees are the bedrock of a successful organisation, especially during times of change. Therefore, it is encouraging to see organisations focus on measuring and analysing employee needs and engagement levels,” said Tarandeep Singh, Partner and Engagement Lead for Aon Hewitt Consulting in India.

Professor Tina Kiefer, Warwick Business School, revealed her research had found evidence of an immediate drop in employee job satisfaction, well-being and engagement among public-sector workers. Six months after the announcement, as more changes were implemented, they fell even more.

If, however, the changes were innovative

Workforce Analytics Institute launch The Conference Board and Mercer are pleased to announce the launch of the Workforce Analytics Institute (WAI)—the first of its kind in Asia. The WAI is a virtual platform which will provide businesses across the region, and specifically HR professionals, with the research, tools, methodologies and training they need to move from standard workforce planning to sophisticated workforce analytics, giving them a roadmap to build and implement robust workforce analytics. The WAI is designed to accelerate the progress of organisations on their big data journey and enable them to outperform their competitors.

Along with tailored research and industry access, the WAI will offer workshops, webcasts, city briefings and a range of communication vehicles.

The WAI, which is a membership-based platform, brings together leading intellectual capital from The Conference Board and Mercer, as well as peer learning from industry leaders who will be part of the Institute’s councils. The councils will convene twice a year and will offer members access to the knowledge and insight of industry leaders, as well as practical support.

Dion Groeneweg, Partner and HR Transformation & Workforce Planning Leader for Growth Markets, Mercer concurred, “We are very excited to be a part of this game-changing initiative, which addresses the divide between HR and big data analytics. A recent Harvard Business Review survey highlighted that only 9% of companies use predictive analytics to

Dr Rebecca Ray, Executive Vice-President, Knowledge Organization and Human Capital Practice Lead, The Conference Board stated, “The Conference Board is very pleased to join with Mercer and to contribute our decades of expert knowledge in strategic workforce planning, in order to address this critical need for our industry and to continue to lead the market in developing clear thought leadership in analytics.”

rather than 'salami-slicing', public-sector staff reported an increase in well-being, job satisfaction and engagement in their job.

Professor Kiefer said, “The announcement had a clear short-term impact, while the organisational changes themselves affected employee well-being, attitudes and behaviour over the longer term."

She added, “An announcement about cuts is an event with ‘real’ impact that signals potential changes to employees’ jobs and career prospects. It also hit home the scale of change, which may have confirmed—or been worse than—employees’ expectations.”

The results highlight the importance of understanding employee reactions to nationally instigated policies, rather than merely focusing on what happens within an organisation when organisational changes are implemented.

The British Safety Council has released a series of short videos on the monetary and business benefits of good health and safety filmed with experts from the European Agency on Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).

This provides a supplement to a literature report that compiled research and evidence on the business benefits of good health and safety released in 2013. It sits alongside other campaign materials on health and safety risk awareness in young people— Speak Up, Stay Safe.

Dr Dieter Elsler, Project Manager, EU-OSHA commented, “The evidence is clear. It shows that investing in health and safety produces a financial return for employers and helps to improve working conditions for workers.

The Agency demonstrates it has continued to successfully promote the economic benefits of investing in workplace safety and health by stressing the importance of working together.”

Frazer Jones Knowledge AT your fingertips

inform workforce decisions. However, in our experience of working with organisations across the world, we are increasingly seeing that the organisations that have embraced analytics and are investing in building analytics capability for the future are better placed to succeed. The WAI will combine research with the genuine insights we have acquired over two decades in helping organisations advance their analytics and workforce planning agenda.”

Frazer Jones has access to top human resources talent globally and the ability to match this talent with organisations, adding value to any business. We have worked closely with the HR community globally for almost 20 years and can help guide and shape your next key decision. We provide comprehensive advice on managing your HR career through our reports, salary surveys and career guides.

For more information or to request a copy of our published salary surveys, HR thought leadership and market commentaries please contact Shook Liu (shookliu@frazerjones. com) or Gemma Gastaldo-Brac (gemmagastaldobrac@frazerjones.com) on +852 2973 6737. Alternatively visit frazerjones.com

“A relatively small number of organisations have the capacity to manage and use human capital data,” said Nick Sutcliffe, Executive Director of The Conference Board in Asia.

He added, “Leaders today report a lack of confidence in HR being up to the challenge of dealing with twenty-first century human capital needs. The WAI will provide organisations with the techniques and insights to help them articulate the impact of human capital investments and to identify future trends that will influence both their business and human capital decisions.”

GLOBAL HR SEARCH & RECRUITMENT PART OF THE SR GROUP frazerjones.com

12 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

Videos highlight health & safety benefits

@FRAZERJONESHR

FRAZER-JONES

Brewer Morris | Carter Murray | Frazer Jones | SR Search | Taylor Root UK | EUROPE | MIDDLE EAST | Asia | AUSTRALIA | OFFSHORE

| 13

HR NEWS

Superwomen Female leaders tackle cybercrime & supply chain threats

Topical boardroom issues from cybercrime to supply chain threats led the agenda for the WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) Global Institute in New York City in early May, where more than 275 top female board members, directors and CEOs convened for WCD’s annual summit.

These business leaders and other policy and security experts met to discuss how boards around the world are stepping up to governance challenges as directors broaden their oversight

Onboarding faster with cloud platform Twenty of the tech industry’s best and brightest were recently announced as finalists in the highly coveted Australian CeBIT. AU Business Awards, which recognise the achievements of the diverse business technology community.

Finalist in the Top Business Solution category is WalkMe, a cloud-based platform that guides users through a website or software step by step, accelerating onboarding and speeding up processes. The technology has been proven to reduce costs of support via call centres, whilst improving customer service outcomes and overall user-performance.

14 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

of corporate risk and strive to be nimble amid rapid market and geopolitical changes.

Susan Stautberg, CEO, Co-founder and Global Co-chair, WCD commented, "Women are increasingly taking the reins of family-run firms as leadership is being passed to the next generation. In 1994, only 2% of CEOs in family businesses were women; today, it's at 11 –12%. Diverse boards can make a difference, not only around that table but in the world and for the world."

New to the invitation-only Institute this year was the Family Business Governance Institute— a day of looking at the particular challenges of governing family-run businesses and ensuring survival beyond the founder.

Family-controlled firms make up 19% of the Fortune Global 500—up from 15% in 2005—and are more likely to have women in the CEO seat and in board seats than non-family companies.

EEOC issues ruling on wellness The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in the US almost five years ago. The law was a game-changer for wellness because it allowed employers to base incentives on actual health outcomes, rather than just participation.

Outcome-based wellness programmes are becoming increasingly commonplace.

Regulatory agencies struggled to establish clear rules governing outcome-based incentives. The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-based rules concerning right of access to health information technology came into effect at the beginning of last year.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently clarified the

rules governing wellness programmes and issued a notice of proposed rulemaking. This, if ratified, would amend the regulations and interpretive guidance implementing Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as they relate to employer wellness programmes.

The proposed rule would amend ADA regulations concerning the extent to which employers may use incentives to encourage employees to participate in wellness programmes that include disability-related inquiries and/or medical examinations.

Current rules cap penalties for outcome-based programmes at 30%, or 50% for tobacco use.

The EEOC proposes applying the same limits to participation-based wellness programmes.

HR NEWS

Biggest global HR legal alliance just got bigger Ius Laboris, the world’s largest alliance of HR law firms, recently announced the appointment of four new member firms in Singapore, Canada and Switzerland. In Singapore and Canada, law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, and Mathews Dinsdale & Clark LLP have joined the alliance. In Switzerland, Zurich based Blesi & Papa, and Geneva based Schneider Troillet, two of the leading Swiss employment, pensions and social security law firms have also become new members.

Sam Everatt, Executive Director, Ius Laboris commented, “As always with labour issues, it is important to have the best legal advisors on the ground as employment law varies widely in each jurisdiction. Our new members’ commitment to superior client service will provide an invaluable resource for clients doing business in Asia, North America and Europe.”

HR NEWS

Antai College of Economics and Management The Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) was recently ranked among the top Asian business schools by The Financial Times. Antai College was ranked 15th for Executive Education—Custom Program in 2015. The ranking comprises of ten criteria, from course preparation to value for money and future use.

First-time entrant Antai managed to enter the global top ten in five categories, ranking first in ‘future use’, second in ‘follow up’, fourth in ‘value for money’, sixth in ‘teaching materials’ and tenth in ‘faculty’.

Professor Wu Dan, Vice-President, SJTU, congratulated Antai College on behalf of the University. “SJTU has always regarded serving society as one of the key components of school development. As an important way of doing this, EDP [Executive Development Programs] should provide better solutions and talent-fostering models that are independent, research-backed and specialised, thus

GSC jobs shrink Global supply chains (GSCs) are defined as demand-supply relationships where different tasks of a production process are performed in two or more countries and can involve both goods and services. They developed at a fast rate over the last two decades and the number of jobs associated with them grew rapidly from the late 1990s until the financial crisis, reaching almost 500 million by 2007. But after a sharp drop in 2009, GSC-related jobs have only recovered modestly and their share of total employment in emerging economies has continued to decline, according to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) World Employment and Social Outlook 2015 report.

Raymond Torres, Director of the ILO Research Department and lead author of the report commented, “In some cases, previously outsourced activities were brought back to the country of origin of the lead enterprise.

But there are other root causes behind this slowdown—sluggish global growth and weak aggregate demand has continued to weigh on trade, which is growing much more slowly than in the two previous decades.”

The crisis hit some export-orientated sectors, such as transport equipment and machinery,

16 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

particularly hard. In addition, the increased availability of domestic inputs in some emerging countries, such as manufacturing parts and components that were previously imported, has reduced trade in intermediate inputs of those countries and is believed to explain part of the slowdown in global trade growth since the crisis. In general, this points to an increased perception of risks related to GSCs during the crisis.

Among the countries and areas included in the review, Taiwan has the largest share of jobs associated with GSCs—with more than half of its workforce involved in global supply chain jobs—followed by the Republic of Korea and the European Union, where around one third of workers hold a job related to GSCs. By contrast, Japan and the United States have smaller shares of the workforce in jobs related to GSCs—15% and 11%, respectively. This is partly due to their large internal markets and less dependency on foreign demand but also because outsourcing to higher-wage and cost locations, such as the US and Japan rather than to other locations, is less likely to be profitable for foreign companies.

building an executive management training platform that boasts Chinese wisdom and an international perspective.”

Two representatives from the programme's long-term corporate partners, Liang Xiangfeng, General Manager of Learning and Development at Hong Kong–based Bank of East Asia (BEA), and Chu Lei, Vice-general Manager of Singamas—a Hong Kong– listed container manufacturer and logistics operator—were also present at a recent press conference, each sharing their own experiences of cooperating with Antai.

Developed by Antai College of Economics and Management, the first school in mainland China to be accredited by the world's three most influential business school accreditation associations, EDP has offered first-class business education to over a thousand companies and more than eighty thousand executives. In total, it has opened two course sessions in Singapore and earned wide praise among participants.

South African 'doctors' fired for fake qualifications

Opposition parties in South Africa have welcomed the recent firing of eight health department employees, including two ‘doctors’ who were found to have falsified their qualifications. To date, the department has uncovered 10 employees with fraudulent qualifications as part of its on-going qualification verification process.

Health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu revealed that 10 cases involved three administration clerks, two medical practitioners, two nursing auxiliary officers, two household workers and one porter. IFP caucus leader, Bonginkosi Dhlamini said the IFP called upon the Department of Health to ensure thorough screening of employees before acquiring their services and to take stern action against those who resist the process.

| 17

HR NEWS

HR NEWS

HR Events June

July

18/06/2015 Award for Excellence in Training and Development 2015 Organised by

HKMA

Location: Room N101, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Tel: (852) 2774 8519 Email: pinkyyam@hkma.org.hk Website: http://www.hkma.org.hk/training-award/

18/06/2015 – 26/06/2015 HR Metrics & Analytics Asia Organised by

Akolade

Location: Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel (18-19 June) , Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel (22-23 June) , Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay (25-26 June) Tel: (61) 02 9247 6333 Email: registration@akolade.com.au Website: akolade.com.au

22 – 23/06/2015 Next Generation Corporate e-Learning "Engage The Learner” Congress Organised by

LBCG (London Business Conference Group)

Location: Chicago, U.S. Tel: (852) 2823 1282 Website: www.engage-the-learner.com/program/

23/06/2015 Developing a sustainable benefit programme strategy for talent attraction & retention Organised by

HKGCC

Location: Chamber Conference Room 22/F United Centre Admiralty Tel: (852) 2823 1282 Website: www.chamber.org.hk/en/events

July

16/07/2015 Digital HR—trials, tribulations & triumphs Building a robust digital HR strategy Keynotes include: • Laura Cole, Regional Business Adoption Lead (AMEA) Horizon HR Transformation, BT • Patsy Wong, Human Resources Director, ImagineX Group • Debbie Mannas, Group Head of Human Resources, Wallem Group • Tony Tenicela, Global Leader, Workforce Diversity and LGBT Markets, IBM Corporation Key topics: • HR information systems—friend or foe • Staff management via digital platforms • Managing global diverse workforces via digital platforms • HR digitisation Location: Cliftons, 5/F, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2736 6399 Email: carmen@excelmediagroup.org Website: www.hrmagazine.com.hk Fee: FREE ENTRY for HR Magazine subscribers, non-subscribers HKD 1,200

october

Global Workforce Symposium 2015 Organised by

Worldwideerc

Location: Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, Boston Tel: (617) 954 2000 Website: http://www.worldwideerc.org/gws15/Pages/ conference-home.aspx

november 16/11/2015 – 19/11/2015

2015 Health Forum—Practical Solutions of VHIS to Employers and Employees

18th Annual Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Asia Organised by

Gain Miles Location: Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2798 2437

Website: www.gainmiles.com.hk

18 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

89%

45% Percentage of Asians who snack during work time.

Percentage of corporate real estate executives at large corporations reporting base salary increases from 2013 to 2014.

Source: YouGov panellist survey, 2015

Source: Global Compensation Survey, CoreNet Global & FPL Associates

60%

80,000 Online security breaches in 61 countries.

Percentage of senior executives & CEOs who admit to considering other employment options.

Source: Heidrick & Struggles APAC Consumer Markets Report 2015

Source: Verizon Hong Kong Data Breach Investigations Report, 2015

16.4%

Percentage of Hong Kongers who were found to have discrepancies on their CV after background checks.

26 Number of subjects in which the University of Hong Kong ranks among the world’s top 50.

Source: QS World University Rankings by Subject, TopUniversities.com, 2015

7/10/2015 – 9/10/2015

15/07/2015

Organised by

HR in Numbers

Source: First Advantage Background Screening Annual Trends Report, 2015

6 in 10 280 million

Amount of jobs that need to be created by 2019 to close the global employment gap.

Number of ‘Best Employers’ in India where HR head directly reports to CEO. The figure is only 3 in 10 in 'average' organisations.

IQPC

Location: MAX Atria, 1 Expo Drive, #02-01, Singapore Tel: (65) 6403 2160 Email: enquiry@iqpc.com.sg Website: http://www.ssweekasia.com

Source: International Labour Organization’s (ILO).

World Employment and Social Outlook 2015

Source: Best Employers—India 2015 survey, Aon Hewitt

| 19

HR MOVES

HR MOVES

HR Moves Marriott International, Inc. appoints Raj Menon as Chief Operations Officer, Southeast Asia and Pacific Marriott International, Inc. has appointed Raj Menon as Chief Operations Officer, Southeast Asia and Pacific. In his new role, he will be a key member of the Southeast Asia and Pacific senior leadership team and function as the operational business leader for the region. He will help drive Marriott International’s key initiatives and ensure implementation of brand and discipline programmes.

For the past seven years, Menon has been Marriott International’s Area Vice President for South Asia, during which time he also had responsibility for Pakistan, Malaysia and Australia. Under his leadership, Marriott International has expanded significantly and has been recognised as one of the best performing international hotel brands in India, receiving numerous best employer awards.

Alexander Mann Solutions expands leadership team Alexander Mann Solutions announced that it has enhanced its leadership team in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region with the following strategic appointments:

Caleb Baker, Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets, Alexander Mann Solutions Caleb is a qualified Organisational Psychologist with more than a decade of industry experience in Asia. His unique experience and understanding of multiple countries and cultures enable him to provide valuable insights to colleagues and clients.

Simon Cooper, President and Managing Director—Asia Pacific, Marriott International said, “Raj Menon is the perfect person for this role. He is an admired business leader and trusted colleague, both at Marriott and in the hospitality sector. His extensive management experience, industry knowledge and contribution to our business have been instrumental as we have innovated and grown. We needed someone who knew Asia Pacific inside-out to continue our regional expansion plans. Raj’s superb track record in India, where he led our growth from six hotels in 2007 to 27 Marriott managed hotels operating under seven brands today, speaks for itself.”

Deloitte Announces First Asia Pacific Leader from Japan Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) announced the appointment of Yoichiro Ogawa as the new Global Managing Director for Asia Pacific starting 1 June 2015. Ogawa, currently Deputy CEO of Deloitte Japan, was formerly the Vice Chairman of the DTTL Board. He has more than 30 years’ professional experience as an audit professional and lead client partner at Deloitte, including nine years in the United States serving Japanese Global Strategic Clients.

In his new role, he will be responsible for driving market leadership and quality across the region, strengthening the Deloitte brand and redefining client service delivery. Commenting on his appointment, Ogawa said, “I feel deeply honoured and privileged to have been selected as the new Global Managing Director for Asia Pacific. The Asia Pacific region is one of the most exciting growth and success stories for our network and the potential for further growth is tremendous.”

Victoria Murphy, Head of Implementation and Transformation, Asia Pacific, Alexander Mann Solutions Based in Singapore, Victoria is responsible for overseeing the successful execution of Alexander Mann Solutions’ talent acquisition and management solutions for clients in Asia Pacific. She has 18 years of global human resources and HR procurement experience acquired in-house and externally. Prior to Alexander Mann Solutions, she was Head of HR Vendor Management at Standard Chartered Bank.

Links International (Links) has appointed Nick Lambe to the position of Managing Director

Chance Wilson, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa, Alexander Mann Solutions

Nick Lambe has over 14 years’ experience within the Recruitment and Staffing industry. He has recruited in fields such as executive search, contingent and temporary positions across a broad range of industries including banking and financial services, commerce and industry, and professional services. For the past eight years, Lambe has served as Managing Director responsible for building the Hong Kong offering for a well-known global recruitment firm.

Chance is in charge of expanding Alexander Mann Solutions’ footprint in the Middle East and Africa. Prior to Alexander Mann Solutions, Chance was Interim Director of Talent & Development at Abdul Latif Jameel and Managing Director of Saudi Arabia at Hay Group.

Lambe will be based in Hong Kong and will oversee all Links’ businesses’ lines across the region focusing on recruitment, payroll, HR and business process outsourcing.

Toby Bland, Director of Links commented, “Links have taken their time to source Nick and the management team is confident that our company is now firmly on a trajectory to the next level in Asia Pacific. Links prides itself on attracting dynamic and engaging people and Nick will be a great role model to lead the team. His previous experiences put him in a good position to understand the Links platform and continue to grow the business in the region.”

20 | HR HRMAGAZINE MAGAZINE

Rosaleen Blair, Founder and CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions commented, “The expansion of our senior leadership team in Asia Pacific and the Middle East demonstrates Alexander Mann Solutions’ commitment to improving our high standards of client service, focusing our sector expertise, and meeting our clients’ needs to attract, nurture and secure today’s top talent. These roles are central to the next phase of our growth, as we reflect on our upcoming 20th anniversary as a company.”

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COVER STORY

COVER STORY

The PlayStation generation

what HR needs to know

For a large part of their lives Millennials have been reading on the Internet focusing on one subject one minute, and something completely different the next

learn from their mistakes after. Based on their interactions with video games, this dynamic has been firmly embedded in the consciousness of Gen-Y. Moreover, their lives are non-linear, according to Maznevski. She argued, “This generation has never seen the world as a safe and coherent place. They will have non-linear career trajectories and they know it. A lot of them will go back and forth between traditional employment and entrepreneurship.

For a large part of their lives millennials have been reading on the Internet focusing on one subject one minute, and something completely different the next.”

This might sound like fickleness, but it also means they are extremely prepared for complexity and variety in a world that is swiftly changing. This fluidity does, however, lead to millennials being bad at boring-but-necessary work and not having clear assumptions about privacy, boundaries and roles.

A new generation of staff is rapidly filling today's workspaces—we uncover how they think, what they want and how they work. Understand, train and engage millennials as effective team players in your organisation.

Gen-Y, Gen-C, Millennials…call them what you will, tomorrow’s workforce has been on the HR agenda for quite some time now. Editorials, blogs, speeches and many in HR have emphasised both positive and negative traits of this much over-labelled generation. Negative labels have alluded to their obsession with instant gratification, three-minute attention spans and not being ready for failure—due to constant parental and environmental reinforcement as they were growing up. Positive labels emphasise their

22 | HR MAGAZINE

creativity, social skills and computer literacy.

What truth is there to these stereotypes? Are the Playstation Generation really so different from their predecessors?

Millennial myths Martha Maznevski, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and International Management, IMD opines that while there may be some truths to the generalisations we encounter about the millennials, they are not so different from previous generations. She

commented, “The stereotype of a millennial is a digital version of what 20-year-olds have been like since the industrial revolution.”

That is not to say that they are exactly the same in their attitudes and ways of thinking.

Maznevski has identified a number of traits that distinguish millennials from their predecessors, but she emphasises that the principles are the same. For example, millennials are much more likely to learn through experience—failure first then

Maznevski explained, “In order to develop expertise and wisdom in any industry, people have to invest in non-glamorous grunt work to get to know their sector by heart. Today's senior managers should put in extra effort to show the digital cowboys why the hard work is important.

Leaders need to make sure that entry-level talents know that having a deep understanding of the different aspects of an industry will help them in more senior roles later on.”

So what about how they view the world?

Maznevski argues that millennials are actually fiercely loyal—just not to individual people.

She commented, “They will not follow your lead just because you are the boss. Millennials need to know that they are working to make the world a better place. They believe that there is no success without sustainability for individuals, organisations, society and the environment. If you can convince them in an authentic way that what you are doing is principled, they will get behind you.”

6

things HR should know to harness the power of the PlayStation generation

1.

They learn through experience.

2.

Their lives are non-linear.

3.

They are loyal, but to principles and not to people.

4.

Assumptions about privacy, boundaries and roles are fluid and permeable.

5.

Power is distributed and control requires permission.

6.

They are not good at boring-but-necessary work.

Greatest fear lack of professional growth The idea that millennals are seeking purpose and innovation was echoed in The 2015 World's Most Attractive Employers (WMAE) report which has just been released

by Universum. The report revealed that Millennials want to truly understand a company's purpose, align with it and work with others to propel the organisation's performance. They also want to be inspired, not overwhelmed, by employer messages.

Storytelling is critical: Millennials want to learn about employees who embody the organisation's values and communicate authentic stories about their working life.

According to the report, Millennials' greatest fear is to be stuck without the opportunity for professional growth and development. Professional services firms like PwC and EY continue to pull the highest rankings in this regard; other industries should benchmark how this sector nurtures employees through training and mentoring.

Which employers know Millennials best?

Commenting on The 2015 WMAE, Petter Nylander, CEO, Universum explained, "Millennials will go to work for companies whose stories they can tell, whose values they can espouse and whose businesses they can learn.

Students are seeking platforms for their own performance and growth. And they told us which companies are accomplishing this." Employers who seem to understand what the PlayStation generation really want as their EVP have come out on top as global employers of choice in the WMAE rankings.

Millennials are highly attracted to entrepreneurial energy in the workplace. They want to work in innovative settings, unencumbered by infrastructure, while still delivering strong financial results. Consequently, the tech industry generally attracts this kind of talent. Regarding employers in other industries, the energy sector took a hit with all employers losing ranks while the fast-moving consumer goods industry experienced a positive upswing.

Top 5 employers Voted by business students

1.

Google

2.

PwC

3.

EY

4.

Goldman Sachs

5.

KPMG

Voted by engineering students

1.

Google

2.

Microsoft

3.

Apple

4.

BMW Group

5.

General Electric Source WMAE rankings, Universum Talent Surveys 2015

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COVER STORY

COVER STORY

Singing from the same sheet Calvin Yeung, People Development Manager, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, has been working with fresh graduates for a long time. Over the last three years, almost half of new hires were new graduates, and this presents some challenges for an organisation.

According to Yeung, the traditional models simply are not working anymore.

Yeung commented, “We’re not teaching them how to be staff, or how to be talents. There’s a strong emphasis on informal learning.

This means that graduates are turning to TV series, movies and the Internet for information.” He emphasised that it is very important not to let new staff rely too much on informal learning, stating, “It is in every company’s best interest to develop training that teaches fresh graduates how to be good employees.”

Graduates are turning to TV series, movies and the Internet for information.

One of the best ways to make staff feel at home is by recognising the value of people as the voice of the organisation, according to Cruzanne and Ellie-Kate Macalister, sisters and founders of The Quick Word Company.

They wrote, “Great brands are embodied in their people. Whether you’re a team of four or four hundred, you can assume that each employee got the job due to a combination of their talent, skills, experience and that extra something that made someone think they’re going to fit right in.”

While this holds true for old staff as well as new, it is increasingly important to create a culture in which people have a voice— not just a tagline that says the company is ‘people-focused’. As Maznevski pointed out,

Gen-Y is not interested in doing work for the sake of doing work—they want real input.

The Macalisters commented, “With talented people a valuable commodity and brand identity a fiercely competitive and complicated landscape—when your people are singing from the same song sheet or, even better, when they helped compose the song—your brand will be more sustainable and impactful in every way.”

be said that a key point would be to do so on their own terms—and in a location and means of their choosing. Online tools are helping to ease some of the other pains traditionally associated with remote working, especially through the proliferation of efficient and secure document sharing services. Regus found that Dropbox is the most commonly used online file-sharing service, used by 56% of respondents, followed by Google Drive and TeamViewer.

Transitioning to digital Many HR professionals all over the globe feel that Gen-Y is the most tech-savvy generation yet. Unsurprisingly, not being able to make the switch to—or even resisting— digitalisation is a very easy way to make you seem like a dinosaur in the eyes of a millennial. While this change might seem painful or uncomfortable, it is certainly necessary, according to David Rock, Director, the Neuroleadership Institute.

Another challenge remote workers face is that of getting overlooked when they are not in the office. However, Instant Messaging tools and VoIP are revolutionising the way workers communicate and are helping remote workers to show they are available, connected and immediately responsive. While this may not be as viable in some industries such as services and hospitality, it could revolutionise the way we work in the future.

Innovation is something that 75% of global executives identified as a top priority, according to the Boston Consulting Group Innovation Survey 2014. Similarly—albeit anecdotally—when a speaker at the last HR Magazine Conference asked the audience who wanted their company to be more innovative, almost all raised their hands. However, innovation cannot happen without substantial changes­— and those changes are exactly what will be necessary to engage millennials.

It is important to note that innovation can take many different forms.

For HR, examples of innovation include remote workplaces and the replacement of office meetings with virtual communication. With a growing number of professionals working outside the main office at least some of the time, the use of remote working tools has also radically increased. In fact, a staggering 86% of workers had used at least one tool enabling remote working, according to a global Regus survey of over 44,000 senior business professionals.

If we want to engage the new generation, it can

Michael Ormiston, Country Manager, Regus Hong Kong said, “With more businesses offering staff the opportunity to work remotely, at least occasionally, online tools are helping to overcome some of the hurdles traditionally associated with working from outside of the office. From feeling out of touch with colleagues, to being unable to access documents on the company server, technology is bridging the gap.”

If cost is an issue, there is a very good business argument that the maintenance of offices and providing comfort can quickly turn into waste.

With recent pushes for organisations to respond to employees’ needs and adapt to make the workday more flexible, more parent friendly and less formal, many companies have chosen to enforce modern approaches to desk allocation and other stagnant working practices.

metre per year, while global property prices have increased 7% in the last year. This can easily drive prices through the roof, making remote working a viable option not only for engagement, but in terms of cash as well.

Tempering the steel Professionals in this day and age will almost certainly have more employers during their careers than earlier generations, and are also more likely to look globally for opportunities, with cultural exposure seen to boost performance.

Relocation to other countries, however, could potentially be handled internally, ensuring that the millennials stay engaged, happy and get the freedom they require to stay with the company.

But what does all of this mean for the millennials themselves? The Internet is full of resources telling young professionals how to be employees, how to build a career as well as a myriad of related issues. If we look at the influencers of today, however, when they started to join the workforce they were usually in a position where they were not happy with the status quo, and that is exactly how most millennials feel.

LinkedIn recently asked their ‘LinkedIn Influencers’ to reflect on where they were at the tender age of 22 and what young professionals need now. The most important traits for successful 22-year-olds were identified as 32% adaptability, 28% resilience, 17% people skills, 2% knowledge, and only 2% humility.

Further studies undertaken by the Economist Intelligence Unit invited experts in fields ranging from ergonomics to economics to identify the most important influences on the nature of work in the coming decade and a half. It then invited over 500 executives to vote for which trends they believed would have the biggest impact on their organisations—key findings were as follows:

3 biggest work trends •

As work is increasingly digitised, everywhere—from employees' homes to public spaces—the home is a potential working environment.

•

Automation will make many jobs obsolete, leaving those that rely on creativity and social intelligence.

•

Changing working patterns will require managers to become more effective at nurturing talent.

Considering that these trends are happening whether we like it or not, we should not be asking how we can beat the new generation of workers into shape according to outdated models, but instead learn how to temper a new kind of steel that will likely be stronger and more flexible than any of us could have imagined at twenty-something.

According to a recent report from Cushman & Wakefield, Hong Kong has been revealed to have the second-most expensive office locations in the world. Offices on Hong Kong Island now run to USD 1,806 per square

Most important traits for Millennials Source: LinkedIn

24 | HR MAGAZINE

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HR FEATURES

Why should I bother outsourcing project management?

Special projects can solve big problems and be very rewarding but often lead to unforeseen costs and headaches. The key to avoiding complications is to ensure that you’re starting off every project with the best possible chance of not only succeeding, but also moving forward smoothly and on time. If your team is too overburdened to tackle the planning phase, or really any phase, consider working with an outside vendor allocating sufficient time and resources to complete the project properly.

Project management Projects often start off with a vague goal and a fuzzy plan of action—a problem that can grow into a monster over the course of its deployment. Make sure to check the following tasks off your list before moving forward: • Identify a project manager • Define your statement of work and scope • Build a realistic schedule • Assign team members who have sufficient bandwidth • Identify where and when you’ll need external help and secure it • Develop an implementation plan for the project’s outcome It is also important to remember that even a project that has been thoroughly organised at its onset can quickly take on a life of its own.

Throughout the course of your project, make sure your team members have ample time for constant evaluation. If you do not, errors that arise in the strategy may not be noticed until it is too late, causing you to lose time and money. Provided that your team is empowered to evaluate the project’s progress and processes, they should be able to adjust as needed along the way.

At the project’s close—prior to the implementation phase—evaluate it. Were the correct processes in place to move it forward smoothly? Did it adhere to the initial timeline and budget and, most importantly, did it meet

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the goal or solve the problem for which it was created? Find any best practices or lessons learned to keep in mind for future projects.

Organisations should not only outsource for immediate cost saving reasons, but to make use of the solution as a way to improve business focus.

Outsourcing help Be realistic with yourself and your team. Ask yourself these questions: • Are all the skills you need currently on staff?

• Do the people with the right skills have enough bandwidth?

• Are you confident in your team’s project plan?

You may realise that you will need to bring on extra people or consultants to make up for bandwidth or skill deficiencies in your current team. Determine if you will need them permanently or just for the short-term. Either way, it is a good idea to get help finding and attracting the right people quickly.

Key advantages to outsourcing HR projects: • Skilled turnkey teams for short-or long-term projects • Ability to free up existing staff to concentrate on core competencies • Paying only for what you use (i.e. project duration) • International footprint and delivery system

Value of outsourcing Building project scopes or Statements of Work • Providing ongoing guidance and direction during the implementation and build phases • Recalibrating resources based on needs, goals and budgets • Providing accountable solutions backed by reliable and reputable solutions provider Audrey Low, Managing Director, Adecco Hong Kong & Macau explained, “The need for outsourcing is often associated with cost-savings.

Yet organisations should not only outsource for immediate cost saving reasons but to make use of the solution as a way to improve business focus and further streamline operations.”

HR practitioners should also bear in mind that a successful outsourcing operation requires a strong understanding of an organisation’s direction and capabilities and not just a process to eliminate distractions.

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global companies, which are setting off on the HR tech journey and starting an HR function for the first time, tend to have a very limited focus, if any, on automating broader HR functions like performance management and employee self service. Other teething problems also often arise related to integrating global HR platforms with local payroll providers due to the lack of global players in the payroll area. There can also be more specific problems around ensuring that the right information is reflected and reconciled between each system at the right time.”

Enhancing HR capability The development in HR’s scope of responsibilities provides an ideal opportunity for them to help minimise business risks and the impact of process errors. Companies that have seen their HR functions evolve from the back-office to strategic-board-input have been able to transform their HR processes to be more predictive and proactive than reactive.

These organisations are now looking to extend their management reach and to replicate best practices with oversight responsibilities across their smaller entities. This would help tighten process controls and allow them to regionally leverage their more experienced HR personnel.

HR

HR super tech HR is getting bigger, faster and savvier. Basic processes are now largely automated by HRIS, freeing HR staff up for strategic thinking, in-depth analysis and tactical moves—to allow for further simplification of daily processes. HR Magazine spoke with Ashley R. Clarke, Chief Operating Officer, FlexSystem to get his take on HR’s ascension into the mainstream tech world.

HR’s tech ascension HR is hot right now for all sizes of organisation, according to Clarke. HR technology has come of age both from a technical perspective and the way in which it can allow HR to add even more value to companies. Currently, organisations of all sizes are engaging in the replacement of, or new-roll-out cycles for HR Information Systems (HRIS).

The recent introduction of some corporations to the latest HRIS is showing to actually benefit them as current technologies,

compared to their predecessors, have a greater global reach, have much greater capabilities in reducing the time needed for HR to manage processes and is increasing the time they can spend proactively managing the business. Examples of such benefits are that systems can now provide organisations with contextual actionable alerts and predictive metrics­— as in consultancy firms where it can show the consultants who are fully utilised, have not taken holiday leave and/or are at risk of leaving. Another is the automation of commission calculations—a tricky task due to the complexity of the process.

Implementation difficulties Despite the advantages, HRIS implementation does not come without its challenges. For one, the HRIS market is fragmented in terms of HRIS deployment. As Clarke explained, “Some large companies have a mature but outdated HR system and a replacement cycle of seven years and are now looking for more proactive management capability across all areas including workforce diversity. These companies are looking for the technologies to become more useful and proactive—allowing processes to be more streamlined.” He added, “Other companies, which also include large

Clarke acknowledged that this is not an easy process for smaller local enterprises but pointed out that, “Large companies have seen the benefit in empowering HR, as HR already has a relatively stronger place at the boardroom table—but this transition is still developing.” Indeed it is here where the latest HRIS could play a crucial role.

In terms of tech needs, larger companies have a different focus than smaller companies as

they want to achieve more detailed and timely analysis of staff costs, background per role and attrition. This allows them a more proactive management of positions that may be open in the organisation and to enhance productivity.

Another focus for larger corporations is that often information is fragmented across country borders or localities and needs to be brought together. Not only must this be done in a timely manner but in a way that allows management to understand pay structures and performance for similar tasks using common terminology of role names and currencies. Clarke added, ”Being able to see the business globally, compare regional policies, pay scales and even diversity demographics gives them the ability to prepare for the future and to get a ‘big picture’ view of performance and productivity.”

Smaller companies, on the other hand, are often reactive due to the lack of access to data that could make a difference. With HR deployment in its early stages, it is understandable that actionable, insightful information cannot yet be achieved.

An effective way for these companies to build and strengthen their HR function is to turn to HRIS to alleviate labour-intensive HR functions. Clarke advised, “Initially, start by shifting time-intensive, repetitive administrative tasks to a computer-based system. Once everything is on the computer, then look to add more employee self-service capabilities—for example, leave requests. This leaves HR staff more time to get strategic recognising that technologies like mobile and cloud will allow you to move more quickly than companies starting even a year ago.”

SMEs riding big HR wave As an increasing number of smaller-sized enterprises start to ride the ‘HR wave’ created by larger companies, more are turning to cost-effective cloud systems. These are proving to be an excellent means to extend their global reach and makes it easier than ever before to complete the much-desired standardisation most firms crave. However, as larger companies have found when implementing company-wide systems, slight policy differences, jurisdiction rules and even differing titles can prove to be significant hurdles in tackling growth pains relating to standardisation. Clarke commented, “Some companies even find it tough to aggregate actual payroll information across various regions and offices for comparative purposes.”

To give the implementation of an HRIS the best chance for success, HR not only needs the support of the C-suite but also needs it to be a stakeholder too. Clarke advised, “Internal stakeholders need to have the authority to make decisions. They need to be at a senior enough level to enforce change, and directly sort issues if and when they arise.”

Future HRIS Looking to the future, Clarke anticipates that HRIS will increasingly be utilised for proactive employee profiling and putting together internal business teams with the right skills. He added, “The next level for HR technology is boosting ease of use and making it more end-user driven. In summary, technology can today solve most underlying HR data issues and is waiting for HR to take it to the next stage and cross that chasm to the boardroom table.”

An effective way for companies to build and strengthen their HR function is to start by shifting time-intensive, repetitive administrative tasks to a computer-based system.

Ashley R. Clarke, Chief Operating Officer, FlexSystem Limited

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Transitioning into the digital age—a psychological journey

Resisting digitalisation is likely to render you a good candidate for extinction from a Darwinian perspective. Transition is uncomfortable, even painful­— we speak with Joanna Chin, Director & Executive Coach, Turningpoint Asia to get her take on what HR can do to make this transition a bit easier.

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It wasn't until three years after the first iPhone was released that Chin actually bought one. She explained, “I thought it was too big and terribly complicated compared to my old mobile phone.

However, once I got over the initial period of discomfort adjusting to the new technology and feeling like a 'technology idiot', I was hooked.”

She said that her initial resistance—clinging onto the 'old', followed by a change of mindset, and an eventual adoption of the 'new' is a good example of the type of process that goes on when change occurs in an organisation.

Digitalisation is inevitable as companies fight to survive in today’s rapidly changing environment—arising from ever-evolving technology, which has been well documented

previously in HR Magazine. The findings of the Boston Consulting Group Innovation Survey 2014 now concur as to the importance of digitisation and innovation to HR, in that 75% of the 1,500 global executives surveyed reported innovation among their companies’ top three priorities. This is not surprising given that, for billions of consumers, the Internet experience is principally now through their mobile devices. By 2017, according to Gartner Inc. mobile-app downloads will have totalled 268 billion and the pace of uptake is likely to continue to accelerate.

Chin offered seven tips as to how HR can overcome resistance in this environment and make the most of what new technology brings.

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7

tips for HR on transitioning

Acknowledge that ‘digitalisation’ is not just another change, it’s a transition: change is situational—a switch in reporting lines, a change in strategy. Transition is a psychological reorientation process that people go through to come to terms with the change. It is a journey of letting go of the old, going through a re-adjustment phase and then adopting the new.

Understand why resistance is normal: change creates a conflict in our brains, between doing what is already hardwired in our brains—requiring little energy and doing something that is new or unfamiliar—requiring a lot more effort.

It is a conflict between our conscious and unconscious brain. The brain prefers to use what is hardwired and a change requires using conscious resources to create new ‘wiring’, which requires great cognitive energy. As a result, the brain pushes back and resists the change.

Inherent in change may be threats to our primary needs as a human being.

Therefore, change is very uncomfortable.* Examine yourself: why change and what are the risks of not changing? Why am I resisting the change, what am I afraid of— lack of knowledge, clarity, support? Are my fears 100% justified or are they just in my own head? What can I do to lower the fear barrier? Do I have self-limiting beliefs that limit my capacity to grow?

Get rid of self-limiting beliefs: with each limiting belief, write something that is opposite and positive. For example, from ‘I am a technology idiot’ to ‘I am a quick learner and this is a great chance to prove myself’.

5

6 7

Give yourself an inspiring goal: for example, “In 6 months time, I will have conquered the new technolog y and be training newcomers on the new technolog y”. Devise a plan to reach your goal with detailed actions and be accountable to a colleague or a friend. Give yourself rewards for small achievements towards your goal.

Don’t give up: relapsing into old ways, when you feel discouraged or out of control, is inevitable in the process of transition. It is important to have someone to cheer you on.

Celebrate: include celebration when your goal is reached as part of your action plan.

* Derived from the work of David Rock, Director, Neuroleadership Institute

With these tips in mind and by adopting the suggested strategies, both HR and their entire workforce should be able to make their digital transitions faster and more successful.

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3

5 key drivers to getting HR right

Top-performing organisations prioritise workforce issues at a far higher level than those that are lower-performing. 77% of executives at high-revenue-growth companies in APAC say workforce issues are already driving strategy at the board level, versus 64% among underperformers. Despite this, more than a third of executives at high-performing companies in the region said HR will have no significant voice in key decision-making processes in the next three years.

In high-performing APAC companies there is a clear link between workforce investment and company performance, but what can we glean from their HR strategies?

When HR puts more emphasis on workforce development this drives better financial results­—this, according to findings just out from the Workforce2020 study. The global research from SAP and Oxford Economics aims to discover best practices and actual progress toward the creation of talent strategies for the future in the global economy. Looking at high- and low-performing companies across APAC—including those in Australia, India, Japan and Malaysia. The study found several key characteristics of high-performing companies regarding their use of talent to drive bottom-line growth.

HiPo HR: the 5 key drivers of success

1

Prioritising workforce issues at C-level

4 Recruiting & retaining best talent

Surprisingly, 40% of low performers state they have ample budget and resources dedicated to developing talent, compared to only 23% of high performers. Although what these companies consider 'ample' in terms budget remains unclear, and the figures above may just indicate that they have much lower expectations in terms of what needs to be done on the L&D front. More low profit-margin companies in APAC also offer supplemental training, 73% versus 56%; formal mentoring, 69% versus 61%; and incentives for pursuing further education, 40% versus 22%.

Higher-growth companies are better at attracting quality talent.

64% of high-performing APAC firms are satisfied with the quality of job candidates, compared to 56% of firms with below-average profit margin. Moreover, one third of low-performing APAC companies say that difficulty recruiting employees with base-level skills is impacting their workforce strategies.

Jairo Fernandez, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, SAP APAC Japan commented, “Companies in APAC are undoubtedly growth-driven…Growth is tied to strong workforce development.

The key to managing HR well is finding, supporting and driving the right talent. Technology can help HR managers monitor and identify areas of opportunity to strengthen a company’s most valuable assets that ultimately lead to better business performance.”

In terms of skill continuity, 35% of low performers say that when a person with key skills leaves their organisation, they tend to fill the role from within the organisation, against only 23% of high performers, who more often recruit externally.

5 2

Planning contingent workforces

High performers in APAC are significantly more likely to state that 'increasing contingent and consultant employees' impacts workforce strategy, while low performers tend to state that 'changing demographics' impacts their strategies. Almost half of higher-revenue companies in the region are increasingly using contingent employees, compared to only a third of low performers.

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Key to managing human resources well is finding, supporting and driving the right talent.

Investing in training & mentoring

Being technology ready

Executives at high-revenue growth companies in APAC say these technology skills are well-represented at their organisation, outperforming low growth firms: analytics, 62% versus 55%; office productivity software, 58% versus 49%; and digital media, 36% versus 27%.

Note: The study defines ‘high growth’ as companies that reported either above-average revenue or profit margin growth over the past three years. Of the 2,700 executives surveyed, 15% reported above-average revenue growth and 32% reported below-average revenue growth.

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Deconstructing corporate myths—diversity McKinsey Is diversity ‘hackneyed’?

“Helping my 10-year-old prepare for a vocabulary quiz at school, I learnt the word ‘hackneyed’. It means ‘overused, unoriginal, trite’. I couldn’t help thinking about one of the most recurrent management and HR buzzwords in the last few years—diversity,” explained Lelia Konyn, a consultant at People Strategies for Business Performance.

We hear about diversity endlessly—on boards, in management and teams, at conferences, in annual reports, publications and marketing pitches. We also hear about it from consultants who tell us how important diversity is, how to train for and how to manage it.

There are diversity specialists and officers in many companies. Interestingly, some of the least diverse companies have the largest number of diversity officers. Diversity is used so liberally and ubiquitously that it has become a cliché.

Corporate beacons of diversity Some companies are seen as the gold standard for diversity culture. Goldman Sachs is one. Goldman invests millions of dollars in diversity initiatives, and it holds itself and is held by others in very high regard. Its website states, "Diversity is at the very core of our ability to serve clients well and to maximise return for our shareholders." Also that, "Diversity supports and strengthens the firm’s culture and reinforces our reputation as the employer of choice in our industry and beyond."

According to Konyn, gender diversity, however, has not quite permeated Goldman’s senior management—of 10 executive officers, nine are white American males and only one is a woman who, in a stark minority, is also African American. Goldman’s 35 strong Management Committee boasts only five women and on Goldman’s board 10 out of the 12 board directors are male.

What is diversity?

Diversity means ‘variety, heterogeneity, mix’. In the workplace, more than anything, diversity is about equal opportunity in recruitment, pay and promotion. Not just at entry level and mid-management but all the way to the executive positions and beyond that to Board.

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So, when reading another Goldman statement: ‘At the crux of our efforts is a focus on cultivating and sustaining a diverse workforce’ Konyn wanted to add, “Just not at the top.”

She stated, “As for equal opportunity—there probably is equal opportunity at Goldman, it is just more equal for men than for women.”

Another vocal proponent of diversity is McKinsey, who state on their website, "Diversity and inclusion is not a programme at McKinsey, it’s not an effort or department. It’s who we are and what we respect. We represent every race, gender identity, and religion you can imagine." After conducting research Konyn discovered, however, how diverse McKinsey’s very top actually is. All eight members of its Advisory Board are male. Beyond that the website is opaque but she found some insights in Businessweek—out of 10 McKinsey & Company key executives listed, only one is a woman. The six board directors listed are all men.

In its October 2010 report Moving women to the top: McKinsey’s Global Survey results, McKinsey shares this astute analysis, "Where diversity is a higher priority, executives also report a higher share of women in their senior ranks." The inevitable conclusion therefore, is that at McKinsey diversity may be ‘who they are’—just not at the top.

resounding success compared to most companies today but underwhelming in absolute terms.”

Outputs According to McKinsey, more than 90% of Europe’s leading companies have programmes in place to increase the number of women in top jobs. Yet, in only 8% of companies do women account for more than a quarter of senior management jobs.

In business it is outputs that are measured and rewarded, not inputs—and the focus is on results. Gender diversity talk is a nice input, as are diversity programmes and diversity officers. But the outputs, the results, are not there. In fact, the ROI is dismal.

Walk the walk “Start with ‘why?’” said Simon Sinek, a motivational speaker, in his 2010 TED talk about corporations—“100% know what they do, some know how they do it, but very few know why they do it.”

2. How are you going about achieving diversity?

By doing what? Starting an internal women’s network is great but who sponsors it? What are its objectives? How is it measured? If you were to scrap any one of your current initiatives, would it make a difference to outcomes?

3. What is on your diversity agenda? And does it include clear objectives? A clear objective would be achieving a certain number of women managers at a certain number of levels of the organisation by a specific year. Another option would be auditing gender equality processes—hiring, paying, promoting—on a yearly basis.

4. Who owns and drives your diversity

Konyn believes that in the gender diversity context these simple questions should be asked:

agenda? The CEO? The Board? HR? PR? Who is accountable for its success or failure?

This will tell you quite a bit about the chances of success. The CEO is pivotal, as they set the tone. If they walk the diversity talk and they are accountable for results and actions, diversity will increase. It will stick.

1. Why is your company espousing diversity?

Why do you have these initiatives? Clichés like ‘because it’s who we are, to maximise returns for our shareholders’, won’t do for answers. Dig deep. Why is your CEO, Executive or Board espousing it? Is it a real belief, a conviction or

Konyn summarised, “Talking about diversity is good but it is the results that count. There are far fewer results for diversity than talk on diversity.

The same handful of women are always in the news for breaking the glass ceiling. We know them all by name because they are so few.”

…& Co. According to Konyn, there are several other successful companies in aviation and retail, for example, where women are the majority of the workforce, yet who have no women at all as a top executive, or have one woman—head of HR most commonly—in splendid isolation. She added, “Even PepsiCo, a proclaimed leader in diversity whose Chairman and CEO is a woman, has only 25% women executive officers. A

a PR platitude? And is your diversity agenda integrated in your company’s business strategy?

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A rolling stone gathers more pay

With 40% of staff planning to leave for more money, and staff who switch jobs getting an average of 2% more play than if they stay, HR needs to have a hard think about its EVPs

The latest jobsDB Job Seeker Salary Report 2015 revealed that over 40% of employees surveyed plan to switch jobs in 2015, with 80% of them expect a pay rise after moving. The online salary survey collected information from close to 2,400 local employees regarding their intention to switch job and the adjustment of salary and benefits.

Justin Yiu, General Manager, jobsDB Hong Kong noted, “These figures indicate a slowdown in economic development, and that hirers have been more cautious in salary increments, who instead prefer to retain high-caliber employees with bigger bonuses. The data also suggests that fields which have been experiencing a prolonged lack of manpower are now offering a higher rate of salary increase. For instance, the field of Building & Construction recorded a 7.5% increase in average salaries, in which mid-level project managers enjoyed an average salary increase of 8.6%.”

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Key salary trends Average salaries up 4.7% Salaries are up, with 65% of respondents receiving an average pay rise of 4.7%, but this increment is 1.2% lower than the increment recorded in 2014.

A rolling stone gathers more pay The survey revealed that 24% of employees rolled out of their current positions and changed job within the past year—with 42% stating the primary reason being that they were “not satisfied with the current salary and benefits”. These ‘rolling stones’ individuals received an average pay rise of 6.2% this year after switching job, compared to just 4.3% increments for those who stayed put.

Amongst all the respondents, 43% of them expressed the intention to change jobs, in which 80% expected a pay rise after the change. In particular, the survey reveals a crucial link between the intention to change job and the rate of pay rise—employees not planning to change job received a 5.2% of pay rise, while those who have planned the change only received 4.2%. The report reveals a direct causation between the salary, rate of salary increase and the intention to change job. Candidates generally believe that those who make changes get more pay, and that they intend to strive for more satisfactory salary and benefits by changing jobs. The data shows that those who changed jobs did receive a higher rate of pay rise than those who did not. Since February this year, the labour market has been witnessing a peak season for job changing,

where the number of openings has been on the rise, and the employees still show a strong desire to seek a different hirer. Yiu advised those in HR, “Hirers should pay close attention to the trend of salary movement in the labour market so as to formulate appropriate pay rise schemes, improve staff benefits and enhance competitiveness so as to prevent a brain drain.”

Amongst all the respondents, 43% of them expressed the intention to change jobs, in which 80% expected a pay rise after the change. In particular, the survey reveals a crucial link between the intention to change job and the rate of pay rise—employees not planning to change job received a 5.2% of pay rise, while those who have planned.

7.0% 6.0%

Building & Design Sector salaries up 7.5% Among the 23 sectors covered in the Survey, the Building & Construction and Design sectors saw the biggest pay rises, 7.5%; while the Education and Hospitality sectors saw the lowest salary increments, 2.7% and 3.2%, respectively.

5.0%

Bonuses significantly up The average amount paid for bonuses recorded was 1.7 months of monthly salary, which is 0.4 months higher than recorded last year. In particular, Hospitality Sector bonus shot up to 2.4 months, the highest among all sectors.

1.0%

Overall adjustment among all job functions = 4.7%

4.0% 3.0% 2.0%

0.0%

6.2%

Changed job in previous year

4.3%

4.2%

5.2%

Did not change job in previous year

Intends to change job

Does not intend to change job

Salary adjustment in 2015 by intention to change jobs

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New Aptis English assessment tool for HR

How healthy is your workplace wellness programme? discounted gym memberships or arranging entry to a fun run is not enough—a lot of the time that only benefits those who are already engaged in fitness and health.

This begs several questions, how can HR deliver yet another workplace initiative with the limited resources it has? Where would the specialised skills come from? How do you track the success of the programmes over an extended period of time? There are plenty of vendors who can provide one-off activities but specialist organisations like Total Loyalty Company have recognised this gap and have developed solutions to help companies promote sustainable wellness strategies and to help with the implementation.

Key applications of Aptis •

• • •

English plays a leading role in almost all international trade and business globally and HR has long been aware of the importance of staff being able to communicate clearly both internally within the organisation and externally with clients and vendors. A key challenge to date, however, has been finding a reliable and scalable method of measuring English proficiency levels among staff throughout the organisation.

Assessment tool HR can now turn to the British Council’s new Aptis language test for help with both learning and development and recruitment functions.

Aptis is a business-to-business English assessment service available to anyone looking to provide a smarter way to evaluate the Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking, Grammar and Vocabulary skills of their staff.

Staff development needs L&D heads frequently need to benchmark staff in terms of language proficiency so they can group staff with similar abilities together in the same class at an appropriate level. Benchmarking can also be used before and after longer staff language development programmes to help monitor the return on investment in terms of quantifying English enhancement as a result of the training.

The test, developed by British Council testing experts, takes into account the variety of challenges that HR faces when it comes to staff recruitment and training. It also provides a standardised method to screen and assess candidates’ English language ability.

Recruitment needs Hiring heads and recruitment managers also frequently need an accurate and reliable English language assessment tool for screening and/or benchmarking applicants in terms of their existing English language ability to help assess how suitable they would be for particular job functions.

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Aptis can be used before introducing a corporate training programme to identify the language skills that staff need to focus on developing. The test can also be used for benchmarking purposes before and after training to measure improvement and training effectiveness. Moreover, it provides a means of objectively assessing and comparing different candidates’ current English language abilities when applying for jobs with the organisation.

Identifying training needs and measuring training effectiveness Filtering candidates in the interview process Benchmarking employees’ English levels Filtering current employees for promotion

The computer-based test is made up of any combination of five components and can be taken on computers or tablets. The British Council can work with companies to identify the most critical language skills that they need to assess.

The outcome Candidate performance in each skill is mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). An Aptis candidate will receive a score on a numerical scale (0 to 50) for the grammar and vocabulary section, and a score on a numerical scale (0 – 50) and CEFR level for each skill that they take. This will make up the candidate’s profile of language proficiency.

Individual and group reports are delivered to HR within 48 hours upon test completion and the Aptis team can work with companies to analyse results, benchmark staff and provide recommendations for further training needed to bridge any skills gaps that Aptis has identified.

To enjoy a free trial of the Aptis test, and receive an assessment of language skills gaps that may exist in your organisation simply email: aptis@britishcouncil.org.hk

Many companies are now embracing the need for wellness programmes for their employees in Hong Kong. Numerous surveys have highlighted the long working hours and high levels of stress that are prevalent in many Hong Kong workplaces, combined with junk food diets, are becoming the norm. Initiatives ranging from fruit in the office and free yoga classes, to relaxation rooms and discounted gym memberships are amongst some of the steps taken by companies to raise the level of health awareness and to generate positive outcomes. Some organisations also hold regular health weeks and ''health campaigns'' to encourage staff to participate in regular health initiatives.

The reality though is we are only just scratching the surface. One-off initiatives or once-a-year health weeks are, although useful, failing to actively help employees to make habit changing decisions to improve their health and performance. After all, an employee is no different to an athlete in some ways. Top athletes not only possess the skills to make them the best at their game, they also actively manage their health, energy and performance to ensure they peak at the right time.

Employees are the same but they not only need to be in the best of health but also have to have the environment to perform optimally and to replenish energy when needed. This, in order for them to be able to operate in the most productive manner for their employers.

Truly successful wellness programmes need to be a part of the culture of the company.

Sam Lau, Managing Director, Total Loyalty Company explained that it cannot be a one-off gimmick but there needs to be an ongoing commitment by the employer to support a healthy working environment.

Lau added, “Annual plans with engaging themes will show your employees it is not a fad or a tick-the-box initiative but a long-term investment to raise the healthy benchmark. Recognising that staff cannot just work 12-hour days and not recharge, as well as providing the tools and facilities to support the employees is key.”

The challenge is to come up with engaging and attractive programmes to motivate the 60% or so of the workforce who might be complacent about exercise and their well-being. Lau said, simply arranging

It is important to recognise the need to commit to a long-term wellness solution and empower vendors to help come up with innovative and unique activities to motivate and engage staff participation. Encouraging habit changes is not achievable overnight, but requires regular input and information to help encourage different employees to start. Using a specialist vendor to assist with this can help HR get results quicker.

Annual plans with engaging themes will show your employees it is not a fad or a tick-thebox initiative.

Lau has seen his clients achieve game changing results in around two years, which is typical of when outcomes are visible.

How healthy is your workplace wellness programme? Give it a quick check up and avoid falling into the trap of just doing a once-a-year initiative simply to tick the boxes, rather look to set a strategy of a sustainable year-round programme to really raise the bar and challenge your colleagues to take on healthy challenges empowering them to achieve increased productivity, better self-esteem and health enhancements.

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HR LIFE

THE 30TH SUSAN YUEN MEMORIAL LECTURE CUM UM TH

Coffee Culture for HR We’ve all been there…last minute deadlines, phone’s been ringing off the hook, piles of work on the desk, three candidates still to screen for the position which should have been filled a week ago. No one said HR was easy, but thankfully Nespresso are doing their bit to help rescue overworked HR teams with some exciting new Grand Cru flavours that are ideal to pick you up and keep you going until you can finally see your desk again.

Staff engagement

Take a break

All HR professionals were not created equal, everyone has developed their own style of dealing with the rigours of talent management.

In the same light all coffee machines were not created equal either and Nespresso have once more raised the bar in helping companies deliver consistently great cups of coffee to everyone in the workplace through the touch of a button.

Having a cup of coffee is often much more than simply 'a drink', it’s a chance for a break from your desk, and to clear your head. It becomes a ritual and can really help enhance productivity in the long run. With Zenius, as soon as you press the button its high-pressure pump, not only foams the coffee, but also releases the exquisite aroma and flavour of the Nespresso’s Grand Cru Coffees—which permeate through the office—and get everyone wanting a cup.

To meet the differing needs of various business-to-business customers, the latest revolution from the Nespresso team comes in the shape of the new Zenius machine. It is ideal for companies of any size looking for quality and simplicity in a coffee machine as it integrates brand new technology with all the usual benefits that come with Nespresso products and services.

35-second for a perfect cup of coffee For those so rushed off their feet in HR, that they can’t even spare one minute to grab a coffee… fear not. The exclusive system lets you prepare the perfect coffee at the touch of a button and the Zenius is fast and efficient—heating water to the optimum temperature for coffee in just 35 seconds. It looks great too—designed with high-quality materials chosen for their durability.

The machine features a coffee preparation system that is remarkable in its simplicity and has an energy-saving mode that cuts power consumption when the machine is not in use.

Diversity and inclusion D&I is essential to Successful HR, and it’s worth considering D&I too when it comes to coffee.

With 11 varieties of exceptional Grands Crus to choose from, ranging from mild and aromatic to full-bodied and intense as well as pure origins— there’s something to suit everyone’s taste. With the Aeroccino milk frother, you can quickly prepare a range of delicious milk-based coffees such as Cappuccino and Latte Macchiato.

Support from NESPRESSO Everyone in HR needs a bit of help sometimes, especially with all the different hats they now have to wear. With Nespresso, you get all the help you need on demand. A dedicated customer service team offers a complete range of support services including capsule delivery within 48 hours and technical checks of your coffee machine to keep it in perfect working order.

To determine the best coffee solution for your company or to arrange a tasting session visit: www.nespresso.com/pro

AWARD FOR

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 20155

ANNIVERSARY

PRESENTATION CEREMONY

THE 30TH SUSAN YUEN MEMORIAL LECTURE

New Grand Cru flavours

The annual Susan Yuen Memorial Lecture and Dinner has been organized by The Hong Kong Management Association since 1985 in recognition of the outstanding contribution of the late Mrs Susan Yuen, the first Chief Executive of the Association. Mr Jack So GBS OBE JP, Chairman of Airport Authority Hong Kong will be the Guest of Honour of the event this year.

Espresso Origin Brazil: a delicate blend that will delight mild espresso lovers with its round and satiny smooth character. This pure Arabica coffee will seduce coffee lovers with its velvety texture and elegantly mild flavour.

THE THEME YEAR WORKING PARTY

Since 1985, the Association has introduced a theme year concept to its work in order to bring greater focus to various management activities. For 2015, the Theme Year Working Party adopted “Advancing Hong Kong’s Competitive Edge " ｢彰顯優勢 再創高峰｣” as its theme. Mr Paul Poon, Managing Director of CLP Power Hong Kong Ltd is Chairman of the Working Party this year.

Enhanced by a note of sweet cereal, the Espresso Origin Brazil is an aromatic specialty blend of Brazilian Arabicas with an intensity of 4. The new Grand Cru offers the perfect balance for a gourmand moment when prepared as a Cappuccino or a Latte Macchiato.

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 2015 PRESENTATION CEREMONY

The presentation ceremony of the Award for Excellence in Training and Development 2015 will also be held during the occasion. Winners of Campaign and Individual Awards were presented with trophies and certificates. The Award aims to give public recognition to trainers and companies for the contribution that training and development can make to corporate results.

PROGRAMME ORGANIZER:

DATE Lungo Origin Guatemala: composed of a blend of Arabica and washed Robusta from Guatemala that will appeal to coffee connoisseurs looking for intensity and fullness in a cup. The bold and silky character of Lungo Origin Guatemala brings new heights to the coffee experience, underscored by its intense dry and malty cereal notes, and boasting an intensity of 6.

Lungo Origin Guatemala will also appeal to those looking for intensity in a long cup even with the addition of milk. A dash of milk preserves the bold and bitter character of this full-bodied, silky drink. While bringing out roasted and popcorn notes whilst as a Caffè Latte, the Lungo Origin Guatemala reveals intense cereal and toasted flavours with hints of caramel notes and boasts a smooth, milky texture.

EXCELLENCE IN

Tuesday, 29 September 2015 C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

TIME

7:00 pm – Cocktails 7:30 pm - Programme Commences 10:00 pm - End of Function

VENUE

JW Marriott Ballroom, Level 3 JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, HONG KONG

K

GUEST OF HONOUR

Mr Jack So GBS OBE JP Chairman Airport Authority Hong Kong

LANGUAGE MEDIUM English

Reservation Reply Slip (Please tick the appropriate box(es))

Dinner Sponsor (12 persons per table):

Table Reservation (12 persons per table):

(including acknowledgment on the HKMA website and souvenir programme, 5 complimentary seats at the Theme Year Seminar on 6 Nov 2015)

Individual Reservation:

Name:

Position:

□ HK$19,500 (HKMA Member) □ HK$22,500 (Non-member)

□ HK$18,500 (HKMA Member) □ HK$21,500 (Non-member) □ HK$1,800 (HKMA Member) □ HK$2,000 (Non-member)

Name of Company: Tel No.:

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Address: Date: 40 | HR MAGAZINE

Signature:

For enquiry, please contact: Ms Pinky Yam (Tel : 2774 8519/email: pinkyyam@hkma.org.hk /Fax: 2365 1000) Ms Sunnie Ma (Tel : 2774 8579/email: sunniema@hkma.org.hk /Fax: 2365 1000)

HR TRAINING

HR TRAINING

Strategy activation Who leaders need to be and what they need to do resourcefulness to figure it out. Agility can help leaders thrive during times of change.

Leadership development is a catalyst for personal as well as professional growth—something that is easy to talk about but very difficult to achieve. To develop and change, leaders need real-world experiences, plus time to reflect on them with their peers. This way they have an opportunity to brainstorm new ideas and plans of action. When leaders discover who they need to be and what they need to do, they are poised for meaningful development.

Self-awareness is being acutely aware of one’s strengths, opportunities, and values— and knowing how to leverage them.

Leadership development for the whole person Focusing on development that truly embodies the whole person is more than a quick fix.

Leaders have to commit to this approach.

Programmes that develop the whole leader focus on both learning through real-life experience and reflection.

Learning through experience Experience and critical reflection go hand in hand. Case studies, learning projects and

About this series In these four articles, we ask: what are the keys to developing agile leaders who can pivot with the needs of HR and the overall business strategy?

Part 1. Develop your leaders in context­—leadership development can be used to put the best minds in a company to work on real, current business problems.

Part 2. Who leaders need to be and what they need to do—each leader’s effectiveness depends on a number of factors, including personality traits, personal experience and workplace skills. Effective development addresses all of these.

Part 3. Realise that development is a journey—meaningful change happens over time but leaders can embrace new behaviours when they have been given time to understand them.

Part 4. The power of service and purpose—serving a greater good is a powerful motivator for a leader to be his or her best self. Competencies reveal what a person is capable of now.

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4

dimensions of leadership

Korn Ferry’s four dimensions of leadership and talent breaks down exactly who leaders need to be and what they need to do to succeed (Crandell, Hazucha and Orr 2014). Two of these dimensions—competencies and experiences— focus on what leaders need to do. The other two, traits and drivers, focus on who leaders need to be. By addressing the whole person in this way, leadership development moves beyond simple skill building and helps people realise their potential. They can then bring that energy and passion to the teams they lead.

What leaders need to do Leadership development programmes need to make sure that tasks challenge the ability of the involved leaders and provide sufficient complexity. Five competencies are specifically important to the executive level: nimble learning, courage, resourcefulness, an ability to cultivate innovation and a capacity for directing work (Crandell et al. 2014).

Experience is also a key factor in determining a leader’s success. However, the types of experience needed to be successful vary (Sevy, Swisher and Orr 2013). Experiences that help leaders learn how to overcome challenges happen at different times in our lives (Bartunek, Gordon and Weathersby 1983). Merely having

these experiences is not enough—in order to learn and develop leaders need to reflect on the experience, challenge previous ideas and adopt new, more effective approaches. Programmes can be designed to provide these developmental experiences as well as the space and time for reflection and application.

Who leaders need to be Leaders need to be motivated to learn. They also need qualities like authenticity, vitality, agility and self-awareness to be successful.

Authenticity is the degree to which a person acts as his or her true self. A leader also needs to be transparent, ethical and able to develop the abilities of a staff (W.L. Gardner et al.

2005). In order to thrive, leaders must tap into all of these elements. Then, they can create shared visions to inspire their teams.

perspective-changing exercises give leaders an important foundation for learning. They can then take risks, engage with others and find support (Bartunek et al. 1983). Korn Ferry’s Active Leader programme asks leaders to transform a fictitious organisation, receive peer coaching and reflect on what they have learned. This kind of experiential learning is key to developing leaders who can thrive when driving change (Hill 2013).

Reflection Reflection boosts self-awareness and clarity and transformational development programmes allow leaders to envision their best selves. Korn Ferry’s Executive to Leader programme asks leaders to discover how they can impact the world (Cashman 2012). The programme, which consists of three coaches working with a group for one

References Bar tunek, J.M., J.R. Gordon, and R.P. Weathersby. 1983. “Developing ‘complicated’ understanding in administrators.”

The Academy of Management Review 8 (2): 273-284.

Cashman, Kevin. 2012. The Pause Principle: Step Back to Lead Forward. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

Crandell, Stuar t, Joy Hazucha, and Evelyn Orr. 2014. Precision Talent Management: The definitive four dimensions of leadership and talent. Los Angeles: The Korn Ferry Institute.

Day, D., et al. 2014. “Advances in leader and leadership development: A review of 25 years of research and theory”. The Leadership Quar terly (25): 63-68.

year, offers opportunities for deep reflection and action planning.

How can practitioners design programmes like this? To be successful, each element can be supported by several approaches.

How do organisations know they are creating effective leadership development programmes? Evaluation of the results is important but often difficult. Recent research (Day et al. 2014) suggests companies should not link leadership development to financial performance. Instead, companies should define what they want to accomplish, then track those metrics. Retention, performance times, leadership bench strength, innovation and the readiness of global leaders are a few of the things that can be measured.

Regardless of the specific metrics, programmes should be constructed to focus on what leaders need to do and who they need to be. Building in real-world experience, self-awareness exercises, time for critical reflection and opportunities to take risks will increase leaders’ readiness to activate any strategy.

For more information on Korn Ferry visit: www.kornferry.com

Gardner, William L., Bruce J. Avolio, Fred Luthans, Douglas R. May, and Fred Walumbwa. 2005. “Can you see the real me? A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development.” The Leadership Quar terly 16 (3): 343–37.

Hill, C. 2013. Praxis–Establishing Action Learning’s Deeper Value in High-Potential Development.

Los Angeles: The Korn Ferry Institute.

Schwar tz, T. and C. McCar thy. 2007. “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time.” Harvard Business Review 85 (10): 63-6.

Sevy, Bruce, Vicki Swisher, and Evelyn Orr. 2014. Seven signposts: The unmistakable markers that identify highpotential leaders. Los Angeles: The Korn Ferry Institute.

Shamir, Boas, and Galit Eilam. 2005. “What’s your story? A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development.” The Leadership Quar terly 16 (3): 395-417.

Vitality is attending to physical, emotional and mental self-care. Tony Schwartz of the Energy Project urges leaders not to manage time, which is a fixed resource, but to instead focus on managing energy, which is boundless. He states that energy comes from four main places in every person, “The body, emotions, mind and spirit” (Schwartz and McCarthy 2007).

Agility is knowing what to do when you do not know what to do—or having the

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HR COMMUNITY

Southeast Asia HR Summit 2015 The Annual Southeast Asia HR Summit is an APAC forum that brings together two key parties to any project - the decision makers and solution providers.

Organised by Marcus Evans from 7 – 8 May in Malaysia, the Summit gathered over 100 Regional HR leaders, consultants and solution providers in an intimate environment for a focused discussion on key new drivers shaping corporate priorities and HR strategies.

As an invitation only event that takes place behind closed doors, the Summit offers a streamlined agenda comprising of compelling presentations, roundtable discussions, interactive forums and business meetings that provoke creativity, leaving attendees more knowledgeable after gaining practical insights during the two-day event.

The OMG Factor The impressive speaker line-up included 20 Regional HR thought leaders who shared their best practices and day-to-day experiences including efficient ways of maximising employee performance, methods to equip top talent with global competencies, successful ways of attracting and retaining top professionals, and developing versatile leaders. Each summit session was vibrant and informative.

Key highlights from the summit included presentations from John Nolan, SVP HR—Global Markets, Unilever; Grace Wong, VP & Regional Head of HR—SEA &

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Oceania, Samsung Asia; Gaurav Sharma, HR Director, Bottling Investment Group, Singapore, Malaysia, & Brunei, Coca-Cola Singapore Beverages; Mei-lynn Chan, Head, Group Organizational Development, and HC Group Technology, Group Human Capital, Maybank; and Tak Ming Lai, Director, Group HR & Admin, Gamuda Berhad.

Besides the compelling presentations, the summit also provided delegates with the opportunity of one-to-one business meetings with vendors. These meetings proved a hit among attendees, as HR leaders were provided with the perfect opportunity to discuss industry challenges with renowned solution providers.

The Summit highlighted the fact that there will be a big shift in talent acquisition strategies in Asia over the upcoming year, as organisations try to better target their offering, in order to cater to the needs of both active and passive candidates.

To help facilitate this change, numerous speakers gave advice to those in HR on strengthening their position as an employer of choice by utilising social media and leveraging its potential as an effective recruiting engagement tool.

Attendees were also advised to embrace talent analytics and big data to help better define the links between people practices and productivity, in order to further enhance their organisations' operational performance.

HR COMMUNITY

HR COMMUNITY

Hold on HR

The latest HR Magazine Conference was another fascinating and insightful day. Best practice sharing, tips and more were discussed by some of the best and brightest in HR. This event’s theme was Hold on HR: engaging & retaining talents, with speakers from all over the world sharing their ideas on how to keep your best staff not only in the job, but enjoying themselves while they do it. From automation to optimisation, and from fresh grads to seasoned professionals, the conference highlighted how HR continues to drive innovation in the corporate world.

...engaging & retaining key talents

Challenges of engaging & retaining future business —do we really need to retain them anyway?

Hire, develop, retain, outcome—this is the traditional shape of a talent pipeline, and all too often it’s not very realistic, according to Simon Davies, Head of talent, Asia Pacific, Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong). Davies explained how Zurich is responding to the demands of Generation Y, “Gone are the days when people wanted to stay with the same company for 20 years. A new attitude is now coming. It is already here, today. Talents are expecting something different now.”

Zurich are now looking at some innovative ways of engaging and retaining their key talent—even if they 'leave' the organisation.

Davies explained that even after staff leave the organisation, Zurich does all it can to help maintain the relationship with them—as it is always possible that they may wish to return at a later date. He quipped, “We see it as a temporary outsourcing of their development.”

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The ultimate aim being to build longer-term, more engaging, flexible relationships with all its talent.

SIMON DAVIES

Head of Talent, Asia Pacific, Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong) International Inc.

So how is Zurich ensuring it is a company that people want to return to even after they have left? Davies explained, the answer was quite simple, "We achieve this by developing the company culture, as this is where staff experience their most significant interaction with the company. A focus on people is the best way to prepare for the future, and managers need to be aware of what lives in the hearts of minds of its people."

Zurich is currently in the process of rolling out a new anonymous online feedback system for managers to help facilitate further upward feedback from staff. Managers will also receive immersion training to help them imbibe and inculcate the company’s new ‘people vision’.

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HR COMMUNITY

HR COMMUNITY The fine line—are we developing & retaining the right talent or just using talent development as a retention tool for employees?

MERCHE DEL VALLE

Regional Head of Talent & Leadership, HR Prudential Corporation Asia

Moving from talent management to people management ALLYSON SKENE

Senior Solutions Consultant, Workday “The challenges of organisations are changing,” Skene opened. She explained how HR in particular has been undergoing major changes throughout the last few years. Skene recalled how HR used to take the pen and paper approach to managing human capital, from manually writing up and calculating payroll, to planning and managing individuals.

When some of these ‘traditional’ aspects of HR were outsourced to software or otherwise automated, the focus shifted to talent management. Many in the HR profession will realise that managing talent is something that has kept HR busy for quite some time. Skene opined that it’s time for a change.

“We have gone from talent management to people management,” she said. One of the

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key questions in managing people, according to Skene, is how do we engage everyone?

How do we get key people involved from all sides of the business?

“We need to empower and engage everyone in the organisation. There has never been a holistic approach to HR,” Skene commented.

Not every employee craves or needs every type of development, shared del Valle, and recognising this is imperative.

Company strategists must realise that it is okay for some staff members to be content being the backbone of the organisation. If HR and line managers continue to blindly use development as a retention tool, not only can they run the risk of demotivating the employee, but also valuable development budget and resources can be wasted and, worse, not directed at the appropriate, enthusiastic candidate.

Del Valle commented, “Where are we putting that money? We need to be more selective.” In fact, in the course of her research, she found that throwing more and more money at talent development without a segmented strategy can be counter intuitive.

She said, “When we talk about HiPo pools, is it ‘the bigger, the better’ for retention?

According to the Global Leadership Forecast 2014/15 (DDI), in fact, those organisations with 10–35% HiPos have the highest engagement and retention, while scores are significantly lower when the HiPo pool is higher than 35%.”

Once HR has acknowledged that talent development may not be for all, and indeed should not be given to all, next is to sit down and decide what talent should look like in the eyes of the workforce. Del Valle shared research from the Economist stating that 57% of 533 C-suiters surveyed stated

that the entire workforce is talent, while 23% feel it is only those of professional, management or leadership grades, 19% only senior leadership and 0.9% the entire global team, so there is no consensus and it varies by industry.

Predicting the future talent needs in quantity and quality to deliver the business strateg y—and contrasting them with the current capability, behaviour, motivation and commitment of the employees, not just their performance—is key for those in charge of training and development decisions to drive segmentation, according to del Valle. To do otherwise is to run the risk of rewarding backbone employees with HiPo programmes, bringing lower motivation, exclusion of the HiPos and lower impact of L&D initiatives.

Line managers and HR must understand that not all employees have to want to be the next CEO and they should feel free to say so. We do not need to question their future aspirations, instead we should try to see how both the employee and the organisation can benefit from those goals.

Del Valle stated, “There’s a line manager culture of expected high ambition for all employees—not just high performance— that may result in organisations not having a segmented approach to talent. These attitudes are in fact disengaging our talent.

We must secure sustainable engagement.”

So, fundamental to effectiveness is communication and openness.

Her company—Workday—believes it has found a solution to engaging everyone.

They designed an app that has automated this entire HR process, made it accessible to staff of all levels and represents HR data in automated charts through its state-of-the-art technology, ensuring that even the least tech-savvy members of the company can access and interact with HR.

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HR COMMUNITY

Innovation—your answer to staff engagement ELSIE TSUI

Senior Consultant, atrain Limited

Reaching out for talent attraction—the CLP experience GRACE LAU

IRIS CHENG

Managing Executive Managing Consultant, atrain Limited

Senior HR Manager, Organisation and Talent Development, Internal Communication Cheng offered insight to those at the conference into how her company attracts and keeps hold of the talent required to offer a quality service to customers. She talked about several areas on which her company is focusing, including working with academic institutions and the media.

“Do you choose the members of staff who man the booth for your company at career fairs?” Cheng asked. According to her, it is vital that the right person is there, acting as an ambassador for your company. “It’s better to not bother being represented at a careers fair than have someone there who looks bored.”

Going further than competing for fresh graduates, CLP is also engaging with academic institutions at a secondary school level to

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provide courses that lead to potential jobs at the company. Cheng added that it can also be surprisingly cheap, and easier, to provide scholarships combined with internships compared with competing for talent straight out of university.

Those at the conference were also lucky enough to find out how CLP generates positive company branding by leveraging media coverage—for free! Cheng explained how a journalist who recently enquired about the company’s hiring strategy was warmly welcomed. CLP actively engaged with the journalist to fully understand the desired angle and also ensure the right message was conveyed. The result was a great deal of positive media coverage without having paid for the privilege.

Tsui told the inspiring story of pharmaceutical company Eisai. The Japanese firm had been struggling for quite some time, and were facing numerous organisational issues, such as low approval rates, employees who were not proactive and they provided limited development opportunities for younger employees.

When the new CEO took over from his father, Tsui explained, the company changed direction to encourage employees trying new things and get them thinking about the future of the company. He appointed change agents, who were trained and developed to drive change. Their entire job was to look at the company, and say ‘this could be done better’. “Innovation was key in getting his organisation to where it is today,” she said.

When Lau took the stage, she immediately emphasised the importance of innovation, by asking the audience, “Who here would like to see more change in their organisation?”

Almost everyone in the crowd raised their hands, proving that innovation was found to be lacking.

Lau concluded, “If you want to grow your business and attract millennials, innovation is absolutely necessary.”

This begs the question: why are companies not becoming more innovative? Crowd sourced answers included such things as the CEO not being supportive, they don’t know how, there was no time for it or budget constraints.

By using the ‘Innovate’ model developed by atrain, Tsui and Lau emphasised that innovation is achievable for anyone. The model was developed to serve as a checklist for organisations to see how open and nurturing they are in relation to innovation.

The ladies from atrain further reminded the audience that not choosing to focus on innovation has historically been a bad idea, by portraying a famous quote by the President of Michigan Savings Bank, advising against investing in the Ford Motor Company, "The horse is here today, but the automobile is only a novelty—a fad.“

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HR COMMUNITY

L&D strategies that help engage the best people at EY EMILY TANG

Associate Director, Greater China Partner L&D, Talent, Ernst & Young

with one set of job duties, instead showing her the potential of flexibility and the possibility to step into different roles.

Tang began by sharing how EY managed to shift her own established ‘movement mindset’ and keep her as an employee. During the early development of her career, Tang took a very modern approach, looking to each posting as a maximum two-year learning opportunity, rather than a career move with a future. Upon arriving at EY, she was given the chance to consider growth and movement with one single firm. The company managed to allay her fears of stagnating professionally and getting trapped

Tang then shared EY’s current three-tiered L&D strategy for managers, senior managers and partners. When preparing a course for EY, she shared that they must empower the participant, connect them and foster a spirit of partnership.

With 190,000 employees in total, it is important to have all engaged and working as one team.

Quoting Bill Gates’ statement, “Strategy without execution is a dream, execution without strategy is a nightmare,” Tang went on to share how the company got course participants on board. She said, “We took a core approach, through psychology, and employed core engagers.” Courses for managers are steered

Panel discussion explores ideas on engaging and retaining key talent

towards learning, focusing on recognition and reward, senior managers are engaged though coaching and stimulating work, while courses for partners are designed to encourage ‘teaming’ and giving a sense of belonging though experiences.

Getting Gen-C transitioned to the world of work CALVIN YEUNG

People Development Manager, WSP | Parsons Brickerhoff

Tang addressed one issue that can creep up where employees stick around in one company for their whole career—‘dinosaurs bosses’. To deal with a lack of flexibility for change, she shared that EY promotes one-on-one coaching to raise awareness of their behaviour. In the case of partners, she acknowledged that often time is constrained and so the company tries to give for partners to network with each other, share problems, share solutions and gain a better sense of how the whole company functions.

Yeung started his presentation by emphasising how the solutions that were going to be presented can be implemented in any company, not just one with management support and lots of money.

WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff has been involved in numerous high-profile construction projects over the years, which has given them a unique insight in how to deal with new hires and talent retention.

Over the last three years, almost half of new hires have been fresh graduates at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff. This presents a lot of challenges for an organisation, according to Yeung, and traditional models weren’t working. Yeung explained, “We’re not teaching them how to be staff, or how to be talents. There’s a strong emphasis on informal learning.”

So where do graduates go to learn how to be staff? New graduates turn to TV series,

Main sponsor

movies and the internet for information, according to Yeung. This begs the question, is this where we want them to learn how to be staff?

Yeung answers with a clear ‘no’. It is in every company’s best interest to develop training that teaches fresh graduates how to be good employees. For example, lectures, mini-exercises and team building workshops allow them to experience daily professional life in a relaxed setting. Doing well in the exercises allows grads access to the workshop.

Over the course, Yeung’s company teaches the grads how to make the transition from student to professional, allowing them to develop themselves into high-functioning employees. The presented results looked incredibly promising, with turnover rates dropping year on year after implementation, which is something we should all strive for.

Gold sponsors

TOTAL LOYALTY COMPANY

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Supporting sponsors

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HR COMMUNITY

HR COMMUNITY

Lam explained that CLP has a well-defined corporate brand and values that are supported via corporate advertisements to enable greater penetration of the CLP brand within the community and increased brand awareness among the pool of potential staff in the community. They customised their employer brand message so that it became more attractive to: •

jobsDB Superhero HR Day: mastering the many HR hats •

Championing the complex role of today's HR, a series of heavyweight speakers shared their insights at the jobsDB Superhero HR Day on 22 May 2015.

Peter Everingham, Chief Executive Officer, SEEK Asia took to the stage to start the day, giving his take on the event’s theme—‘Mastering the many HR hats’ confirming the increasingly challenging role that HR has to play in today's organisations.

Close to 500 HR professionals turned out on the day to hear from the various experts.

Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, GBS, JP, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, HKSAR Government and guest of honour at the conference gave delegates a powerful wakeup call in the morning session in that 1.1 million people have already retired in Hong Kong—that is, one person in every seven is a senior citizen. This figure will skyrocket to one in three in the coming years, while the labour force will dwindle due to Hong

Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, GBS, JP

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Kong’s relatively low fertility rate. This presents a huge challenge for HR in terms of recruitment and manpower replacement.

To ease labour bottlenecks, Cheung explained that Hong Kong should continue to open its doors to foreign talent. HR plays a pivotal, multifunctional and super-connected role, acting in fact as 'a jack of all trades, but master of one'—being the master of human capital within an organisation. He concluded with an analogy, “If you ask any real estate agent what underpins the value of a property, the answer is location, location and location. If you ask any businessperson what drives a thriving enterprise, the answer is people, people and people. People are the engine of Hong Kong's economic growth and the fuel of our mobility.”

Key advice: • Know your business—products, services, growth areas—and consider how you can help drive bottom-line growth.

• Collaborate—work closely with the CFO, CMO and Chief Counsel to better understand how you can help the business.

• Think laterally—‘How you behave is largely driven by how you think’.

Think how your actions affect your business and other areas.

Increasing demands on HR Christine Cheung, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, AECOM explained that there is no magic formula, but there are many lessons to learn from AECOM’s own personal experiences in challenging business environments.

Cheung stressed the importance, fully involving HR in the business, particularly when venturing into new markets—where a lot of HR groundwork needs are required prior to roll out.

This includes initial market mapping, salary benchmarking and research into compliance and regulatory issues. It is essential that this HR involvement is adopted right from the get go, so that they can carry out due diligence before the legal entity is set up. In so doing, this can help bring the organisation huge savings in terms of time, money and avoiding unnecessary litigation.

Cheung commented that today’s HR needs many more core competencies than in the past, such as risk management, legal, compliance and technology. This greater skill requirement has ultimately led to HR getting ‘a seat at the table’ where the Board has a Chief HR person.

She also suggested that HR be proactive in networking with senior business management to be a better ‘HR Superhero’ by better understanding the needs of the business.

Marketing hat Connie Lam, Human Resources Director, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited opened with the reality that, “The electric business is not that sexy when compared to other sectors.” In light of this, she then outlined efforts CLP had made to further enhance their employer brand both in terms of retaining current staff and attracting the younger generation. This has been particularly important with Hong Kong’s relatively small pool of engineers and engineering graduates.

She emphasised that not only can a strong employer brand attract higher quality candidates, but also it has been found to lead to higher employee engagement, lower turnover and a lower pay premium.

Students and graduates—with scholarships and internships encouraging quality students to apply, while also helping further build the brand among the student community.

Experienced hires—via recruitment partners to help highlight what CLP can offer to candidates, in particular overseas opportunities they might be unaware of.

Lam explained the key to successfully building a strong employer brand is to be honest with what you can offer to a candidate, ensure alignment of internal and external messages and be sensitive to the expectations of target audiences.

Leadership hat Several years ago Jebsen’s main business units were split into separate entities, explained Bianca Wong, Human Resources and Corporate Communications Director, Jebsen Group. Each unit has its own aims and there is a need to balance the different business unit needs versus the group needs. She added that diversity is inevitable in the workplace due to varying culture, education, work history and motivation.

Therefore, we must accept diversity is inevitable and understand people will think differently.

Wong posed the question of how do we get different people to collaborate, and explained, “People only work together when they want to.” She added that HR has to create that desire for people to work together. This is achieved by finding the common ground rather than focusing on the differences.

By making sure objectives are aligned and accepted in a project team, it is less likely to result in conflict. Finally, she advised that HR needs to, “Let go of control, embrace the differences,” to allow people to work together naturally. However, to facilitate this process often it needs to be explicitly explained to different individuals they are expected to work together to set the right frame of mind from the outset.

Christine Cheung, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, AECOM Becoming an HR Superhero The panel discussion, held in the afternoon session, had representatives from AirAsia, AXA, KPMG and Shangri-La International. On what advice could be given to HR staff who are having difficulty in getting a voice at the C-suite table, Wan Ezrin Sazli Wan Zahari, Group Head of Leadership and Talent Development, AirAsia pointed out that HR should stop feeling inferior to other departments. He explained that if the C-suite is not listening then it is time to find another employer who will listen. Vivien Hau, Head of Learning, Talent & Organization Development , AXA China Region Insurance Company Limited, AXA General Insurance Hong Kong Limited, emphasised the need to challenge the senior executives as part of a trust-building process.

Both Susie Quirk, People and Change Advisory Lead, Hong Kong and China, KPMG Advisory (China) Limited and Deborah Kelly, Global Director of Talent, Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited pointed out the need to be able to speak the language of the C-suite and show hard evidence that they can use to mould the HR strategy. However, Ezrin cautioned that the C-suite might end up drowning in data and a need to avoid ‘analysis paralysis’. To avoid this, he advised HR to use their brains, not just cut and paste numbers, thereby reducing excessive information.

Strategic hat: from ‘Bean’ to ‘Cup’ Lena Tsang, Chief Executive Officer, Sir Hudson International Ltd. began her presentation, “Coffee is my life.” She compared a quality cup of coffee to the recruitment and development of high quality staff, where the process requires consistently high standards from coffee plantation to the table and commented, “HR is like brewing a fine cup of coffee, our farmers handpick our coffee, which is like our recruitment process—handpicked individuals.”

Tsang elaborated on Sir Hudson International’s recruitment strategies, one of which is a referral bonus for staff recommending potential new employees. This is seen as a very cost-effective ‘word of mouth’ method of attracting staff and also tends to lead to higher retention rates, as new staff members are already familiar with the brand. She also highlighted the need for HR to realign its recruitment strategies towards the younger generation. She encouraged HR to use a wide variety of recruitment channels to help bolster its database of industry contacts and a pool of potential talent.

Tsang noted that at Sir Hudson International, while using a variety of innovative recruitment techniques, online recruitment portals such as jobsDB were by far the most important means of bringing in new talent­­— helping them obtain over half of all staff they sourced.

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HR BOOK REVIEW

You’re Hired

Now What Do You Do? The College Student’s Ultimate Playbook to Learning the Rules and Winning in Any Organization

By Stephen Krempl Employers, especially those in Hong Kong, know that finding the right talent can be a particular challenge. In his book, Stephen Krempl confirms this by comparing life up until university as the ‘tryouts’ for the world ahead saying that only, “A small handful can step up ‘right off the bat’ and compete.”

Digital HR—trials, tribulations & triumphs Building a robust digital HR strategy Stellar keynotes include: • • • • •

Laura Cole, Regional Business Adoption Lead (AMEA) Horizon HR Transformation, BT Janet Bibi Ferreira, Director—Human Resources, Baker Tilly Hong Kong Patsy Wong, Human Resources Director, ImagineX Group Debbie Mannas, Group Head of Human Resources, Wallem Group Tony Tenicela, Global Leader, Workforce Diversity and LGBT Markets, IBM Corporation

With over two decades of experience working with big names such as Motorola, PepsiCo Restaurants, YUM Brands and Starbucks, Krempl explains why graduates struggle to step up to the mark and his advice to remedy this. His ‘playbook’ is the perfect tool not only for students to understand how to get ahead but it makes for valuable reading for HR departments looking to understand the next generation of talent.

The easy-to-follow structure flows nicely through the different stages of a graduate’s relationship with new companies, from the moment they send out the CV to getting noticed once employed. It states in black and white what the world of work expects from graduating students and how to play the game in succeeding above their peers. It makes for fascinating reading for HR as it tries to bridge the gap between their desires for recruitment and the common challenges and misunderstandings faced by the newcomers to the working world.

The Career Engagement Game

By Anne Fulton & Jo Mills Anne Fulton and Jo Mills share their story in The Career Engagement Game: Shaping Careers for an Agile Workforce, but much more than that, they really dig down into what’s causing staff to leave and stay. By looking at motivations, incentives and case studies, the authors explore what keeps people engaged, happy and healthy.

As many of us will realise when reading this HR gem, the engagement of the employees is one of the most crucial aspects of business success. Fulton and Mills look at the foundation of organisational principles, as well as individual tactics, in a way that is informative without becoming too theoretical and practical without judgement. All in all, this book hits the nail on the head when it comes to modern retention and engagement issues, and should be required reading for anyone in HR.

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16 July 2015 8.30am – 4.40pm Cliftons, Central, HK Reserve your seat quickly: Call us on (852) 2736 6339 or register online: hrmagazine.com.hk

HR CLASSIFIEDS

HR CLASSIFIEDS

HR Classifieds Index Business Process Outsourcing Education / Corporate Training Employee Wellbeing / Insurance HR Consulting HR Technology Solutions Leadership Development Legal / Employment Law / Tax

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HKU SPACE is a leading local provider in the field of lifelong education.

The School has provided a wide range of executive programmes to meet the growing lifelong learning demands for managers and business executives.

The School also provides tailored in-house corporate training programmes in finance or business related disciplines for global corporations.

Tel: (852) 2867 8467 edseries@hkuspace.hku.hk www.hkuspace.hku.hk

Management Consulting | 61 MICE Venues / Event Organisers | 61 – 62 Pest Control / Environmental Services

| 62 Recruitment / Executive Search | 62 Relocation / Logistics | 63 Service Apartments / Hotels

| 63 - 64 Staff Benefits | 64 Talent Management | 64

The Vocational Language Programme Office aims at offering quality vocational English, Chinese and Putonghua training for working adults to meet their language needs at work. We have run various courses for public organisations and private corporations before, such as HKSAR Water Supplies Department, Hospital Authority and Pizza Hut Hong Kong Management Limited.

With the support from the Language Fund, the QF-recognised Vocational English Enhancement Programme is on offer for enhancing the practical English skills of the Hong Kong workforce. Individual corporations can enjoy great flexibility by having the VEEP courses operated at their training venues and preferred schedule. On completion of the course, learners can receive 60% of the course fee reimbursement and obtain certificates issued by the Vocational Training Council and LCCI.

BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING Established in 1968, Boardroom has been listed on the Main Board of The Singapore Exchange since 2000. We are one of the leading business solution providers in Asia, specialising in Accounting & Finance, Corporate Secretarial, Payroll Administration, Share Registry and Tax Services.

Boardroom Corporate Services (HK) Limited 31/F, 148 Electric Road, North Point, Hong Kong

We currently have direct office presence in 13 cities across Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Australia, serving a portfolio of over 5,500 publicly listed and privately owned companies across Asia Pacific and beyond. Our clients span a wide range of industries, including listed companies, Fortune 500 companies and major multinational corporations.

Tel: (852) 2598 5234 Fax: (852) 2598 7500 marketing.hk@boardroomlimited.com www.boardroomlimited.com

TMF Group helps global companies expand and invest seamlessly across international borders. Its expert accountants and legal, HR and payroll professionals are located around the world, helping clients to operate their corporate structures, finance vehicles and investment funds in different geographic locations. With operations in more than 80 countries providing outsourced compliance services, TMF Group is the global expert that understands local needs.

Tricor is a member of The Bank of East Asia Group. Tricor Business Services offers efficient, effective and professional advisory and outsourced support services to our clients. We deliver seamless solutions to address issues Business Advisory; Accounting & Financial Reporting; Treasury & Payment Administration; Human Resources & Payroll Administration; Tax Services; Trade Services; Trust Assets Administration; Fund Administration; and Information Technology Solutions to ensure the adoption of best practices in your business.

It provides an accurate and affordable way to benchmark language levels of employees for recruitment or career advancement purposes. With results available in as little as 24 hours, Aptis assesses ability in the areas that HR want to focus on – in individual skills or combinations of speaking, writing, listing or reading.

Tailor-made business training, testing and benchmarking solutions throughout Hong Kong, Macau and China. Corporate and individual programmes.

Excel’s renowned courses are tailored to the job nature, level and needs of the students. Our targeted, interactive approach in facilitation has allowed us to build an unrivalled reputation in the corporate training field. Clients include: the Airport Authority, American Express, Bausch and Lomb, Credit Agricole, KCRC, the Hong Kong Government, Swire Travel and United Airlines.

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Tel: (852) 2595 8119 vlpo-veep@vtc.edu.hk www.vtc.edu.hk/vlpo

Tel: (852) 3589 8899 Fax: (852) 3589 8555 info.apac@tmf-group.com www.tmf-group.com

Tricor Services Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2980 1888 Fax: (852) 2861 0285 info@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com

TOTAL LOYALTY COMPANY

Pacific Prime Insurance Brokers is a leading international health insurance brokerage specialising in providing comprehensive coverage options to individuals, families, and companies throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Working with over 120,000 clients in 150 countries, Pacific Prime can deliver advice in more than 15 major languages. With offices strategically located in Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong, Pacific Prime is able to provide immediate advice and assistance to policyholders located around the world. Pacific Prime works with over 60 of the world’s leading health insurance providers, giving customers unprecedented access to the best medical insurance products currently on the market.

Pacific Prime Insurance Brokers Ltd. Unit 1 - 11, 35/F, One Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong

With a mission of providing and promoting primary and preventive eyecare to the public, PolyVision offers a pioneering eye healthcare plan fitting different staff benefit schemes, and provides eye care seminars and packages to help monitor and maintain the eye health of staff through companies.

PolyVision Eyecare Centres Room 4406 - 4410, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queens Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Their eye examination is one of the most comprehensive in Hong Kong. It covers: Case History, Vision & Refractive Status, Binocular Vision, Color Vision Screening, Intra-ocular Pressure, Ocular Health, Fundus Photography, Diagnosis & Treatment.

Tel: (852) 3589 0531 Fax: (852) 2861 0123 info@polyvision.com.hk www.polyvision.com.hk

Total Loyalty Company is a leading provider of staff engagement and corporate wellbeing programmes. We help clients develop year round solutions for their staff based on our specially designed solutions including staff events, staff discounts, lifestyle services, onsite marketplace and online shopping; all delivered through a customised web portal and mobile app. We are a one-stop shop to help companies have highly useful staff engagement solutions without wasting valuable internal resources to run these programs, all for a simple low monthly management fee.

Total Loyalty Company Suite 2202, 22/F, The L.Plaza 367-375 Queens Road Central Hong Kong

We help make your staff happier, healthier and more content with their workplace, bringing improved productivity for your company.

As a trusted international organisation and a global leader in English training, the British Council has over 70 years’ experience in English assessment. We develop and deliver English language programmes for businesses in Hong Kong. Aptis, British Council’s English testing tool, is a robust four skills test used by corporate businesses, government organisations and educational institutions.

Vocational Language Programme Office, Vocational Training Council Room 437, 4/F, Academic Block, 30 Shing Tai Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong

EMPLOYEE WELLBEING / INSURANCE

TMF Hong Kong Limited 36/F, Tower Two Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

EDUCATION / CORPORATE TRAINING

HKU SPACE College of Business and Finance 34/F United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2586 0731 Fax: (852) 2915 7770 info@pacificprime.com marketing@pacificprime.com www.pacificprime.com

Contact person: Sam Lau Tel: (852) 5131 6338 Sam@totalloyalty.hk www.totalloyalty.hk

British Council 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2913 5100 aptis@britishcouncil.org.hk www.britishcouncil.hk/en/exam/aptis

Excel Education Limited Unit 101, Fourseas Building, 208 - 212 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2736 6339 Fax: (852) 2736 6369 info@excelhk.com www.excelhk.com

HR CONSULTING

Based in Hong Kong and with overseas partners, we operate internationally.

HRA provide human resource consultancy & recruitment support to construction, engineering, manufacturing and the oil & gas sectors.

Our human resource consultancy services encompass the full range of HR functions including training, HR audits and outsourced HR support.

HRA Associates (HK) Limited 701, 7/F, Tower 2, Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2735 9961 Fax: (852) 2735 9967 group@hrahk.com www.hrahk.com

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HR CLASSIFIEDS

HR CLASSIFIEDS

HR TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

LEGAL / EMPLOYMENT LAW / TAX

COL, COL, an IT services subsidiary of Wharf T&T, is a leading IT services company with over 40 years of experience and has been crowned Excellent HRIS Provider of HR Excellence Awards 2014 by HKIHRM. COL offers a full range of IT infrastructure, application development and implementation services including BPO.

COL Limited Unit 825 - 876, 8/F, KITEC, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong

With domain expertise in business applications, we deliver best-practice Human Capital Management solutions from award-winning HRMS, web-based employee self-service portal to outsourcing services for MNCs, enterprises and SMEs. “Doc:brary" Document Management System is another key application in our HCM product portfolio to manage HR-related documents including employees P-file, appraisal records, training materials, etc.

Tel: (852) 2118 3999 Fax: (852) 2112 0121 colmarketing@col.com.hk www.col.com.hk

COL is a Cisco Gold partner, an EMC Velocity Partner, a Juniper Networks Elite Partner, a Microsoft Certified Partner, an Oracle Gold and ISV Partner, a VMware Partner and CMMI Level 3 assessed.

FlexSystem is a recognised leader in enterprise management software industry in the Greater China region. Over the past 27 years, FlexSystem has been delivering high quality application software and services to maximise the client’s operational efficiency in the accounting, order processing, payroll and human resources, manufacturing, workflow and business management.

FlexSystem Limited Block A, 4/F., Eastern Sea Industrial Building, 29-39 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, NT, HK

With its strong global network of regional offices and partners, FlexSystem serves thousands of customers in more than 36 countries, half of them are listed on 30 global stock exchanges, and 1 in 10 with presence on the Forbes 2000 list. Now and future, FlexSystem continues to keen on technology development and create a complete platform of new generation enterprise resources management solutions.

Tel: (852) 3529 4123 Fax: (852) 3007 1424 infodl@flexsystem.com www.flex.hk

Excel Global Company Information Level 8, Two Exchange Square, 2 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong

WTS is a tax and business consulting firm providing assistance in the strategic planning and management process of intercompany assignments’ cost and compliance.

wts consulting (Hong Kong) Limited Unit 1004, 10/F, Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

Our Global Expatriate Service specialists advise on expatriate issues relating to corporate tax, personal tax, social security matters and process consulting across Asia. Our expertise therefore enables us to identify assignment related risks at an early stage and optimise tax and social security payments for companies and their employees while keeping the administrative burden to a minimum.

In conjuction with our international network, we can assist you in almost 100 locations worldwide.

The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that unlocks individual and organisational potential through its exclusive focus on leadership development and research. Ranked among the world’s top providers of executive education by BusinessWeek and No. 3 in the 2010 Financial Times executive education survey, CCL serves corporate, government and non-governmental clients through an array of programmes, products and other services. CCL-APAC’s headquarters are based in Singapore.

Other global locations include Brussels, Moscow and three campuses in the United States.

CCL® 89 Science Park Drive #03-07/08, The Rutherford Lobby B, Singapore 118261

90% of our consultants are business psychologists; we bring together the best of business strategies and the psychological approach to develop solutions tailor-made to your requirements. We explore and research on innovative concepts, and help you to cultivate the company culture you envisage.

Tel: (65) 6854 6000 Fax: (65) 6854 6001 cclasia@ccl.org www.ccl.org/apac

Our international presence and culturally diverse teams enable partnerships with multi-national corporate clients for their business growth and success.

IECL has been training professional coaches and inspiring leaders throughout Australasia since 1999. We have had a permanent presence in Hong Kong since 2009, Shanghai since 2011, and are setting our first footprint in Singapore in 2015.

Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL) Suite 901, Level 9,The Hong Kong Club Building, 3A Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

Our vision is to develop the next generation of exceptional leaders. Everything we do focuses on people, development and measurable business results.

IECL’s expert team are at the forefront of re-shaping leadership development for the 21st century. We know leadership is no longer an individual activity—a leader’s success depends on others succeeding. This knowledge underpins IECL’s service to you: • Training and accrediting coaches • Enabling leaders through focused programmes • Providing expert coaches and facilitators Calling all HR managers & directors: • Are you looking for structured programmes to develop your staff?

• Sponsor or part sponsor your staff to achieve MBA, Masters, Bachelor, Diploma or Certificate courses • The spend is value for money • The return is measurable & tangible • Choose from 31 courses from nine UK Universities (Bradford, Sunderland, Wales, Birmingham etc.)

• 16 years in HK *All courses are registered

alphaeight specialises in behavioural-science research and people development.

We utilise research to create individual and team development solutions— focused on business objectives—for leaders, managers and frontline workers.

It’s all about research and evidence: solutions, built upon scientifically proven research on how the human mind works, are practical and easy to adopt and utilise exclusive tools and techniques developed by our research institute. It’s all about you: solutions tailored to your people’s specific needs and your business objectives—give you the results you want. It’s all about impact: measure changes before, during and after development.

Tel: (852) 3125 7572 coach@iecl.com www.iecl.com

RDI Management Learning Ltd. 7th Floor, South China Building, 1 - 3 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2992 0133 Fax: (852) 2992 0918 info@rdihongkong.com www.rdihongkong.com the alphaeight institute 1906, 19/F, Miramar Tower, 132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Mrs Stephanie Herd Tel: (852) 2302 0283 Fax: (852) 2302 0006 stephanie.herd@alphaeight.com www.alphaeight.com

Tel: (852) 2846 1888 Fax: (852) 2297 2289 info@excelglobal.com www.excelglobal.com

Tel: (852) 2528 1229 Fax: (852) 2541 1411 claus.schuermann@wts.com.hk www.wts.com.hk

MANAGEMENT CONSULTING atrain is a premium consultancy in leadership assessment, talent management and organisation development. Headquartered in Germany, we have offices in Europe, United States, South America and Asia.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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Excel Global Consulting is a leading business consultancy specialising in the enhancement of business performance through a unique approach to people management. Our goal is to deliver you the knowledge and resources to improve business productivity by creating better employee engagement within your organisation using customised human capital management solutions. With our support you’ll gain a committed, more innovative and highly motivated workforce primed to lead your business towards greater efficiency and productivity. With Excel Global your employees will gain greater job satisfaction in a solution-oriented work environment where engagement is productive, innovative and geared to better business performance.

atrain Limited Unit 1201-3, 135 Bonham Strand Trade Centre, 135 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan Tel: (852) 2522 9018 info@atrain-apac.com www.atrain-apac.com

Put us to the challenge—you will not be disappointed.

The Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) was established in 1960. The HKMA is a non-profit making organisation which aims at advancing management excellence in Hong Kong and the Region, with a commitment to nurturing human capital through management education and training at all levels, the HKMA offers over 2,000 training and education programmes covering a wide range of management disciplines for more than 50,000 executives every year.

Hong Kong Management Association 14th Floor, Fairmont House, 8 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong

Tricor Consulting Ltd. is a member of Tricor Group & BEA Group. Our HR Consulting services cover HR policies and practices, compensation and benefits, PMS, job analysis and design, talent management and assessments, manpower planning, HR shared schemes, outsourcing and systems, employee survey, and training and development.

Tricor Consulting Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong

We are also specialised in Strategic Management (strategic analysis and strategy formulation and execution); Organisation Structuring (configuration in alignment with business directions); Change Management (shaping culture and building commitment for organisation change); and Operational Effectiveness (reengineering and managing business processes to achieve business results).

Tel: (852) 2526 6516 / 2774 8500 Fax: (852) 2365 1000 hkma@hkma.org.hk www.hkma.org.hk

Tel: (852) 2980 1308 Fax: (852) 2262 7896 john.kf.ng@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com

MICE VENUES / EVENT ORGANISERS

AsiaWorld-Expo is Hong Kong’s leading exhibitions, conventions, concerts and events venue, yet it is also an ideal venue for annual dinners, world-class conferences, cocktail receptions, media luncheons and sumptuous banquets.

With Hong Kong’s largest indoor convention and hospitality hall, AsiaWorldSummit which seats up to 5,000 persons, together with a full range of meeting and conference facilities, award-winning chefs and attentive hospitality staff, AsiaWorld-Expo is definitely your choice for an unforgettable event.

AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, Hong Kong, China Tel: (852) 3606 8888 Fax: (852) 3606 8889 fnb@asiaworld-expo.com www.asiaworld-expo.com

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HR CLASSIFIEDS

HR CLASSIFIEDS Cliftons provides premium, purpose-built, training and event facilities and solutions, ensuring our clients’ programmes are delivered seamlessly and successfully around the globe. Over the past 14 years, Cliftons has grown to provide clients with the largest network of dedicated computer and seminar training facilities across the Asia-Pacific region. Encompassing over 150 state-ofthe-art training and meeting rooms within 10 CBD locations in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, this footprint of proprietary venues is supplemented by a global affiliates network that allows clients to manage all of their training needs around the world with a single point of contact.

Cliftons Training Facility Level 5, Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, HK Tel: (852) 2159 9999 enquiries@cliftons.com www.cliftons.com

PEST AND CONTROL / ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BioCycle is the first pest management company in Hong Kong to have acquired both the ISO 14001 and the ISO 9001 System Certifications. BioCycle was set up in 1991 to provide safe and environmentally friendly Pest Control, Termite Consulting, Sentricon Colony Elimination System for termite colony and Sanitation Services, and operates under European management.

BioCycle (Hong Kong) Limited Unit A G/F & 11/F, Lok Kui Industrial Building, 6-8 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

We are the exclusive user of our group’s insecticide, BioKill, which has been approved by the AFCD of HK Government not to carry the poison label.

Tel: (852) 3575 2575 Fax: (852) 3575 2570 info@biocycle.com.hk www.biocycle.com.hk

Only the professional carpet cleaning and pest-control services of Truly Care, Hong Kong’s specialists in occupational, industrial, environmental and domestic hygiene can give you a clean, safe and bug-free office and home. Don’t put your staff’s health at risk! For a free, no-obligation, inspection and quotation, please call us now on 2458 8378

Truly Care (HK) Ltd. Room 1522, Nan Fung Centre, 264 - 298 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, N.T., Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2458 8378 Fax: (852) 2458 8487 info@trulycare.com.hk www.trulycare.com.hk

Adecco, in possession of a team of experts conversant with various industry sectors and well-equipped with the know-how on matching talents with general and skilled workforces in relevant industry sectors, has been one of the leading forces bringing about the necessary changes in Hong Kong for over 28 years. You may rest assured that you will be provided with flexible and tailor-made solutions in contract, temporary, permanent and outsourcing assignments in our efficient and responsive recruitment process. We have built trusting and lasting relationships with talents through successful and fruitful placements, e-learning and career development, who in turn can fully meet our clients’ expectation.

Adecco Personnel Limited 12/F, Fortis Tower, 77-79 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Argyll Scott delivers first-class recruitment results for our clients, our candidates and our people by being true specialists and building exclusive relationships. From offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and Dubai, we source the very best talent for management positions across key business functions and sectors including; Accountancy & Finance, Business Transformation, Construction & Property, Financial Services, Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Strategy and Information Technology.

Argyll Scott 8th Floor, HK Diamond Exchange Building, 8-10 Duddell Street, Central, Hong Kong

Established in 1996, Frazer Jones is a Human Resources Recruitment Consultancy. Contact us to find out how we can assist you in your next Human Resources hire or if you are looking for a change in your HR career in 2015.

As part of The SR Group, Frazer Jones has wholly owned offices in Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Dubai, London, Düsseldorf and Munich and have access to the best HR talent around the world.

Tricor Executive Resources, the former search and selection practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong, has over the last 25 years built an unrivalled reputation for integrity and professionalism. Through focused research and intense sourcing, we recruit management and top-level executives for positions in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the region.

We help our clients drive business performance through talent by offering customised HR consulting services. These include Soft Skills Training and Development; Customised Compensation and Benefits benchmarking; HR Policy and Employee Handbook Development; Organisation Design and Manpower Planning; Employee Engagement Survey; assessment centers; and Performance Management Systems.

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Asian Tigers, has provided international relocation and moving service to the Hong Kong market for more than 40 years. We move people internationally, regionally, and even within Hong Kong itself. Our experienced, multilingual staff enables Asian Tigers to deliver low-stress relocation services. Perhaps you are responsible for coordinating your office move and would like to know more about ‘low down-time’ office relocations. Whatever your needs, wherever you are headed, Asian Tigers can help facilitate and streamline your relocation. Give us a call and find out how we can assist you.

Asian Tigers Mobility 17/F, 3 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Crown Relocations, a worldwide leader of global mobility, domestic and international transportation of household goods, and departure and destination services, has over 180 offices in more than 50 countries. From preview trip and immigration assistance to home and school searches, orientation tours, intercultural training, partner career programme, and ongoing assignment support, Crown offers the best relocation solutions to corporate clients and transferees across the world.

Crown Relocations 9 - 11Yuen On Street, Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, New Territories

Thinking Relocation? Think Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a leading Relocation Services Company, providing a comprehensive range of the highest quality services to individual and corporate clients, including: immigration/visa, home/school search, language/cultural training, tenancy management/expense management and local, office, domestic and International moving services. Established in Hong Kong in 1980, Santa Fe has continuously expanded operations throughout the world. Today, Santa Fe Relocation Services is part of the Santa Fe Group and offers a single-source solution for organisations looking to transfer their employees globally. The Santa Fe Group currently operates in 52 countries with 122 offices worldwide.

Santa Fe Relocation Services 18/F, CC Wu Building, 302 - 08 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2528 1384 Fax: (852) 2529 7443 info@asiantigers-hongkong.com www.asiantigers-mobility.com

Tel: (852) 2636 8388 hongkong@crownrelo.com www.crownrelo.com

Tel: (852) 2574 6204 Fax: (852) 25751907 sales@santaferelo.com www.santaferelo.com.hk

SERVICED APARTMENTS / HOTELS

RECRUITMENT / EXECUTIVE SEARCH

More than 90% of our clients choose to work with us again. Why? Because they trust us. They know we will deliver the results they need, time after time.

RELOCATION / LOGISTICS

Tel: (852) 2895 2616 Fax: 2895 3571 hongkong@adecco.com http://adecco.com.hk/

Tel: (852) 3695 5180 hk@argyllscott.com www.argyllscott.hk

Frazer Jones 1918 Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2973 6737 shookliu@frazerjones.com www.frazerjones.com

Tricor Executive Resources Limited Level 54, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2980 1166 Fax: (852) 2869 4410 fiona.yung@hk.tricorglobal.com www.hk.tricorglobal.com

Four Seasons Place, the epitome of luxury and elegance, it creates a relaxed and homely living environment amidst the surrounding opulence. With 519 serviced suites designed by internationally renowned designers, guests can choose from a range of stylish accommodation from studios and 1/2/3-bedroom suites to penthouses that open up to spectacular views of Victoria Harbour. It also features a rooftop heated pool and Jacuzzi, sky lounge, gymnasium, sauna and multi-purpose function room to meet business and recreational needs.

Heralding a comfortable, hassle-free living experience, all guests are pampered with personalized hotel services from 24-hour multi-lingual concierge services up to 24-hour in-room dining services.

Four Seasons Place Atop Hong Kong Station , 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong

GARDENEast is prestigiously located at the heart of Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, boasting 216 luxurious units in 28 storeys.

GARDENEast Serviced Apartments 222, Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Each of our luxurious units is subtly unique. The four room types: studio, studio deluxe, deluxe 1-bedroom, and executive suite, with their sizes ranging from 395 to 672 square feet, are comfortably-appointed with an all-encompassing range of fittings and furnishings. The landscaped gardens offer a relaxing lifestyle, peace and tranquility of green living and a diverse choice of dining and entertainment is right on your doorstep.

Tel: (852) 3196 8228 Fax: (852) 3196 8628 enquiries@fsphk.com www.fsphk.com

Tel: (852) 3973 3388 Fax: (852) 2861 3020 enquiry@gardeneast.com.hk www.gardeneast.com.hk

Conveniently nestled in the East of Hong Kong, Kornhill Apartments is one of the biggest apartment blocks in town, featuring a total of 450 units with a variety of unit configurations designed to suit every need imaginable.

Kornhill Apartments 2 Kornhill Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

Notable for cozy and contemporary décor, as well as superior amenities and services, the complex is located next door to Kornhill Plaza where you can relish a wide array of shops and entertainment choices.

Tel: (852) 2137 8101 Fax: (852) 2568 6256 kornhillapts@hanglung.com www.kornhillapartments.com

The apartments are an excellent choice for corporate clients who cater for visits by expatriate colleagues. Units include studio, one to two-bedroom suites and deluxe three-bedroom suites.

The HarbourView Place is perfectly positioned at the ICC megalopolis with exceptional hotel services and impressive facilities for guests. It offers convenient access as it is perched atop the MTR and Airport Express Link at Kowloon Station and situated next to the offices of ICC as well as neighbouring W Hong Kong, The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong and the iconic Elements mall. The suites are carefully and immaculately designed for guests’ comfort, and include extensive in-room provisions and fully-equipped kitchenettes, complete with spectacular views of the city and Victoria Harbour. Short and long term staying packages are available.

The HarbourView Place Atop Kowloon Station, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3718 8000 Fax: (852) 3718 8008 enquiries@harbourviewplace.com www.harbourviewplace.com

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HR CLASSIFIEDS

Vega Suites, is the stylish suite hotel in Kowloon East. Located atop the MTR Tseung Kwan O Station, Island East and Kowloon East are only 3 MTR stops away. The integrated complex becomes a new landmark creating a comfortable, relaxing and home like living space for guests. The allencompassing landmark development comprises two international hotels & luxury residence The Wings. Situated directly above the trendy PopCorn mall, connected to one million square feet of shopping, dining, leisure and entertainment. There is a lustrous selection of units – ranging from Studio, 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom to 3-Bedroom with flexible staying terms.

Vega Suites Atop Tseung Kwan O Station 3 Tong Tak Street, Tseung Kwan O Hong Kong

Computershare Plan Managers is the globe’s leading provider in provision of Employee Share Incentive Plan management services. Our tailored approach ideally places us to meet the demands of administering your employee share plans. As a leader in equity compensation services for more than 35 years, we service over 3,000 plans with nearly 3.5 million employee participants worldwide. We have successfully built a leading position in the Employee Share Plan Management Industry in Hong Kong and China, with a solid local presence and unrivalled investment in technology. Our integrated Share Plan Management offering includes: Employee Communication/Education, Data Management, HK Trustee Services, Regulatory Reporting and a full suite of Brokerage Services.

Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited Hopewell Centre, 46/F, 183 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

As the most comprehensive and strategically focused employee benefits specialist, Mybenefits provides international companies with a one-stop solution to achieving employee benefit objectives and has quickly become the preferred partner of Human Resource professionals in Asia.

Mybenefits 14/F, Grand Millennium Plaza, 181 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

100% proven track record at helping companies: reduce employee benefit costs, reduce HR workload, increase employee satisfaction.

Contact person: Pauline Williams Tel: (852) 2891 8915 info@welcometoalliance.com www.welcometoalliance.com

Tel: (852) 3963 7888 Fax: (852) 39637889 enquiries@vegasuites.com www.vegasuites.com.hk

STAFF BENEFITS

Tel: (852) 3757 3542 planmanagers@computershare.com.hk www.computershare.com

Nespresso provides a range of machines dedicated to professional use that meet the different needs and expectations of our customers. Zenius is the one of the latest innovation in the professional machine range by Nespresso and comes at an affordable price. It is intuitive to use, reliable and integrates the latest technological advances by Nespresso. Zenius is the ideal machine for small and big companies looking for quality and simplicity. At Nespresso we want to make it possible for you to make the same full-bodied espresso offered by skilled baristas. Your business can benefit from years of Nespresso expertise in premium Grands Crus coffees, innovative machines and excellent customer support.

Nespresso, Division Of Nestlé Hong Kong Ltd. Unit 505, Manhanttan Place, 23 Wang Tai Road, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong

Lumesse provides Talent Solutions to more than 2,400 organisations in over 70 countries enabling them to engage and nurture the best talent in an everchanging and demanding global environment. With our unique and highly adaptable Talent Solutions our customers are well prepared to capitalise on the fast evolution of new technologies and disruptive business conditions, while meeting all business needs locally and globally.

Lumesse Suite 705, 625 King’s Road, North Point, Hong Kong

At Korn Ferry, we design, build, attract and ignite talent. Since our inception, clients have trusted us to help recruit world-class leadership. Today, we are a single source for leadership and talent consulting services to empower businesses and leaders to reach their goals.

Korn Ferry International (H.K.) Limited

Tel: 800 905 486 Fax: 800 968 822 CRC.HK@nespresso.com www.nespresso-pro.com

TALENT MANAGEMENT

Through our vision, research and tools across 80 offices and 3,400 employees, we convert potential into greatness. Our solutions range from executive recruitment and leadership development programs, to enterprise learning, succession planning, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO).

Organisations around the world trust Korn Ferry to manage their talent – a responsibility we meet every day with passion, expertise, integrity and results.

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Tel: (852) 2815 3456 Fax: (852) 2890 0399 apac@lumesse.com www.lumesse.com

15/F, St. George’s Building, 2 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2971 2700 Fax: (852) 2810 1632 General inquiry: kornferry.hongkong@kornferry.com Leadership and Talent Consulting: ltc.hongkong@kornferry.com www.kornferry.com

Opportunity is everywhere. So are we.

UniGroup Relocation is the largest commonly branded global mobility network with more than 1,000 locations serving 180 countries across 6 continents. Our broad range of preassignment, transportation and destination services will support your assignees along every step of the journey, from beginning to end. Built on the heritage of the U.S.’ largest and most experienced moving companies – Mayflower and United Van Lines – UniGroup Relocation provides the unique benefits of a common voice, a consistent standard of quality and unsurpassed local knowledge. Contact the regional office nearest you.

Americas: americas@unigrouprelocation.com EMEA: emea@unigrouprelocation.com Asia/Pacific: apac@unigrouprelocation.com UniGroupRelocation.com/hrmaghk