COVER STORY
2017 HOT LIST SARAH DUNN Head of people resources ADOBE ASIA-PACIFIC
Adobe Australia has just been included (for the fourth time in a row) in the annual Best Places to Work list compiled by Great Place to Work Australia, making Sarah Dunn a proud member of a winning company and HR team. The award reflects the company’s performance in five key areas: credibility, camaraderie, respect, fairness and pride. Adobe has taken strides in terms of offering flexible work conditions, particularly by providing generous parental leave for Australian and New Zealand workers. Going beyond the traditional maternity and paternity leave provisions, Dunn and her team have introduced leave for primary and non-primary caregivers, and have extended the paid leave period by a factor of four times the original offering.
PATRICK FIAT General manager and chief experience officer ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS
PAULINE CHUA General manager of human capital and CSR FUJI XEROX SINGAPORE
Given the common humanitarian aspect and spirit of two different departments, Fuji Xerox Singapore has managed to combine both HR and CSR into one role for Pauline Chua. This dual focus is also what drew her to join the company five years ago, as Chua recognised that CSR and sustainability inevitably translated back to more benefits for staff and the company as a whole. In particular, the CSR focus has been effective in attracting Generation Y workers, who want more than the usual development and pay benefits and are more concerned about gaining experience and making a difference. Chua has also found that the CSR work has led to increased engagement and kept the attrition rate low, as employees find the related activities therapeutic and meaningful. On top of these benefits, the company also promotes flexible work arrangements and offers facilities on-site for new parents to care for their children. With these in place, Chua and her team have effectively communicated to the staff their dedication to making the company a most empathic and desirable employer.
28
Patrick Fiat’s main challenge in 2016 was talent recruitment and retention, given the steady growth of the hotel/travel industry coupled with the tightening of the quota for foreign talent and the retirement of mature-age employees. To address this, Fiat and his team arranged regular engagement/feedback sessions with staff of different age groups and received suggestions and insights on what could be done to improve Royal Plaza on Scotts’ standing as a hotel and an employer of choice. The team has also made several improvements and added green initiatives to its regular operations to enhance efficiency and address environmental concerns. As a reward for its efforts, Royal Plaza on Scotts was named as the Sixth Best Company to Work For by Great Place to Work Singapore in 2016. And in 2017, Fiat will keep HR’s focus on high-impact initiatives, including L&D, empowerment and meaningful work, while constantly improving work processes to enhance overall productivity.
GLORIA CHIN HR director NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
2016 was another eventful year for the National Environment Agency (NEA) as it continued to work towards ensuring that Singaporeans enjoy clean air, water and public areas and minimal pollution despite being one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Much work was accomplished by Gloria Chin and her team in terms of strengthening the workforce and the individual capabilities of employees. With strong partnerships with line departments, the Strategic Workforce Plan for the building of engineering capability was completed last year. New initiatives were launched to support employees’ desire for growth and skills upgrading. Initiatives included tactical field training, the introduction of a service competency framework, mentoring services, as well as supervisory coaching and career development workshops. In recognition of its progressive employment practices, NEA was conferred the TAFEP Exemplary Employer Award 2016 and the Public Sector Employer of the Year award at the HR Excellence Awards 2016.
www.hrdmag.com.sg
18-27_HotList_SUBBED.indd 28
9/03/2017 8:41:32 AM