HRM 11.11

FLEXI-WORK STRATEGIES

EMPLOYER BRANDING

TALENT POOL FOR THE FUTURE

hrm HR

+ Developing great leaders at Standard Chartered + McDonald’s talent strategy + Training to serve at F J Benjamin

Greening

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ISSUE 11.11

Eco-friendly people strategies

CONTENTS

hrm11.11

COVER STORY 18 Greening HR

The benefits of eco-friendly workplace practices extend beyond environmental conservation. HRM finds out find out how greening a company can help HR improve recruitment and retention

IN THIS COVER STORY “The path to attracting the Millennial Generation employee is for a company to have a values-driven business culture aligned with their focus upon sustainability” Bill Roth, green business coach and author of The Secret Green Sauce

EDITOR

TRAFFIC MANAGER

JOURNALISTS

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Evelyn Lim

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Yogesh Chandiramani

Sumathi V Selvaretnam Shalini Shukla-Pandey Priya de Langen EDITORIAL RESEARCHER

Vivien Shiao Shufen

Leizel Cabaning Amos Lee

John Paul Lozano

REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

GENERAL MANAGER

Natasha Vincent Charlene Lim

Kaveri Ayahsamy

REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR

George Walmsley

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Richard Curzon

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Carsten Schael Photography David Teng Photography PRINTED BY

Times Printers Pte Ltd

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

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

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hrm11.11 CONTENTS

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32

42 FEATURES

12 Delivering value

42 Training to serve

24 Busting the myth of change management

48 Future-proofing your talent pool

Forbes named McDonald’s as one of the world’s most valuable brands in 2010. Judy Harman, managing director of McDonald’s Singapore, says that an organisation’s brand helps attract talent Philips Healthcare succeeded in implementing a challenging organisational change by taking account of human instincts, writes guest contributor Andrew O’Keeffe

32 Here for people

Standard Chartered believes in adopting a flexible approach towards the HR challenges posed by a diverse workforce. HRM looks at how the bank has been attracting and retaining the brightest minds in a competitive marketplace

36 Working with flexibility

The service industry is an area in constant upheaval. Thus, training is key if the industry is to attract and retain its talent, says F J Benjamin’s Divisional Manager – HR, Terence Lim One of the challenges facing HR in its role as a strategic business partner is talent management. HRM finds out how some organisations are planning ahead to develop and retain their best employees for the long-haul

52 Coaching for success

Research shows that more companies are engaging coaches to help their employees achieve business goals. HRM finds out how coaching has helped with the development of leaders and their teams while maximising ROI

An increasing number of companies are offering flexible working options to their employees. HRM looks into the benefits of these arrangements and how to manage employees who are always on the move

REGULARS 6 News

61 Restaurants

66 Resources

69 In Person

11 Leaders on Leadership

64 Twenty-four Seven

67 Talent Ladder

70 Talent Challenge

56 MICE

65 Viewpoint

68 Talent Feature

71 Executive Appointments

Contact us: Read something you like? Or something you don’t? Perhaps there’s some insight we haven’t considered?

Have your say on HRM’s news, features, and contributions by emailing: info@keymedia.com.sg

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Orchard Parksuites

Regency House

Central Square Village Residences

Far East Plaza

Riverside Village Residences

Cairnhill Towers

Hougang Village Residences

Leonie View

West Coast Village Residences

analysis

Cult leadership W

ith the late Steve Jobs being so synonymous with the Apple brand, consumers around the world will need reassurance that the brand will still deliver after his recent demise. For the first time, newly-appointed Apple CEO Tim Cook took to the stage at a product launch event – the launch of iPhone 4S. As with all of Apple’s new products, the debut of any iPhone-related software or product is highly anticipated by consumers, tech reviewers and analysts alike.

However, as Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn writes in last month’s Washington Post Leadership Roundtable, the bigger question is this: with Jobs gone, can Tim Cook carry the legacy?

Jobs’ legacy is undeniable. “He gave us gadgets we use every day – the Mac computer, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad – and forever changed the way we connect,” says Koehn, whose research focuses on how leaders, past and present, craft lives of purpose, worth and impact.

While Jobs’ loss is tragic, she reminds us that this isn’t the first time such an iconic leader has been replaced.

Even the greatest “Take Thomas J. Watson, Sr., at leaders come and go IBM. By the time his son, Thomas J. Watson, Jr., took over in the 1950s, many of his father’s contributions had been baked into the company culture,” says Koehn. “Not only did this keep the organisation from faltering during transition, it enabled the son to focus on the next stage of important changes as its market and customers evolved.”

McDonald’s is no different. Ray Kroc, who did more to create the fast-food company than anyone else, built a team from inside the company that could carry his leadership torch after he was no longer as active in the business.

Leadership brand “Even the greatest leaders come and go,” says Dave Ulrich, professor with the Ross School of Business, and a partner with The RBL Group. “Great leadership, by contrast, endures over time and builds confidence among customers and investors – and employees.”

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A leadership brand represents how leaders inside reflect customer expectations outside and is not tied to any one leader, says Ulrich. It is embedded throughout the organisation, and its ultimate test of success occurs only after the leader who framed it departs.

“Organisations with an effective leadership brand have leaders throughout the organisation that be, know, and do the leadership identity,” says Ulrich. “Leaders at any level who do not reflect the firm’s leadership brand dilute or pollute whole segments of the organisation, and they must be identified and upgraded or removed.”

Joydeep Bose, president & global head, Human Resources, Olam International, agrees. “Whilst charismatic leadership can be a quick way to strengthen an organisation’s brand image, it may not be a sustainable way of doing so. With a change in leadership often the organisation’s image also gets affected.”

Developing iconic leaders Bose believes that the sustainability of a brand in the absence of a larger-than-life CEO is a key issue. “A CEO is a very visible representation of an organisation,” he says. “A strong lever of internal and external communication is the CEO and the leadership team.”

Sunny Verghese, group managing director and CEO, Olam International, and his leadership team have been strong and visible communicators, effectively communicating the organisation’s message to its various stakeholders.

“He is obviously a very good role model for the rest of his team in his ability to communicate messages compellingly to the external world,” says Bose. This communication is coherent with the strengths of the organisation, which appeal to the expectations of the potential talent pool.

“Only in such circumstances will the organisation be able to create a strong brand pull in the talent market,” says Bose.

However, a CEO’s strong communication style alone may not be enough to create a strong brand for talent. Ultimately, HR professionals who can help architect a leadership brand will add enormous value to their organisation, says Ulrich.

Randstad World of Work Report 2011/12 — it’s time to lead, and it’s available now!

The Randstad World of Work Report 2011/12 gathers the perceptions of both employees and employers to truly understand the human capital challenges that exist in Singapore, and the region, today.

For employers, attracting new talent is this year’s biggest human capital challenge. Companies openly admit they face a shortage of skilled talent and are hindered by the challenge of finding talented leaders to drive much needed competitive advantage.

This year’s report provides valuable guidance for business and HR managers planning strategies for the year ahead. Whether in large organisations or small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), one message has become very clear — it’s time to lead.

Make sure you are in the ‘know’. Request a copy of the Randstad 2011/12 World of Work Report through our website www.randstad.com.sg

NEWS

ASIA

CHINA

SINGAPORE

Number of expats rising

Gulf between employee and employer pay rise expectations

China’s prosperous economy is attracting an increasing number of foreigners to the country. Figures released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security showed that 231,700 foreigners were employed in China at the end of 2010, compared with 223,000 in 2009.

Foreigners are finding jobs in China on the back of its strong economy, which is performing vastly better than that of the US or Europe, said Carter Yang, managing director of Robert Walters Talent Consulting Ltd China.

“This year, China’s average gross domestic product increased by about 8–10%. This has created more opportunities, especially within the financial services, pharmaceuticals, as well as the retail industry,” Yang told China Daily.

“We have witnessed both international investment companies and local Chinese companies focusing on expansion plans within the past decade. Besides the strong need for international talent to grow their businesses in China, they also require top-tier candidates for their businesses in international markets.”

Helen Fung, managing consultant of recruiting company SHL Group Ltd China, shares the same view, saying more Chinese national and private enterprises are expanding internationally and need to recruit top talents from different parts of the world.

Fung also noted that with the rising number of expatriates, it was imperative for Chinese companies to be fair and culturally-sensitive to both nationals and foreigners. For instance, HR must work out fair international compensation and benefits packages for foreign workers and also ensure bosses make the effort to learn the social cultures of their expatriate staff, as well as how best to communicate with them.

Fung added that in day-to-day management, in addition to providing a better job development platform and a clear career path, Chinese bosses should always keep two words in mind: equality and respect.

MALAYSIA

Retirement age goes up The retirement age for private sector employees will rise from 55 to 60, under a new law being drafted by the government.

The Private Sector Retirement Age Act will also give employees the option to work until they are 64.

The change, which will affect six million workers, will allow companies to retain experienced workers and improve productivity while workers can continue saving up for their retirement fund. The

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proposal has unanimous agreement from all employers’ representatives except for one.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary-general Abdul Halim Mansor told Today newspaper that people needed to keep working because the cost of living has gone up; and unlike the public sector, there is no healthcare plan for them.

In 2008, the government increased the retirement age for civil servants to 58, but the private sector did not follow suit.

More than 40% of Singaporeans expect their salary to rise by over 6% in their next review.

According to a survey by recruiting experts Hays, 28% said they expect their salary to increase by less than 3%. Thirty-one per cent expect an increase of between three and 6%, and 41% expect an increase of over 6%.

The most positive salary expectations were found to exist in Hong Kong, where 45% of people surveyed expect an increase of over 6%.

This is followed by Singapore (41%), Australia (35%) and New Zealand (26%).

But employer expectations are not in alignment. According to the 2011 Hays Salary Guide, only 20% of employers in Singapore will offer increases above 6%.

The majority, 62%, intend to increase salaries in their next review by between three and 6%, while 18% are looking at rises of less than 3%.

“In today’s market, many employees have higher expectations than their employers when it comes to their next pay rise,” said Chris Mead, general manager of Hays in Singapore. “But employers won’t be swayed by these expectations. Instead of offering widespread salary increases, many employers are choosing to review employee benefits to help them attract and retain staff.”

“They’re also quick to discuss potential career paths with their high achievers and offer training and development. Work-life balance improvements are also being used as alternatives to large salary increases,” he added.

NEWS

ASIA

INDIA

ASIA

Companies tread safely when hiring

Mental issues, stress, a major concern

Unemployed job seekers are finding it harder to get new jobs in the current market.

According to a survey by MyHiringClub. com, a hiring vendor consolidator, half of the people terminated or who resigned in 2010 found new jobs only in the second quarter of the current fiscal year.

This lack of hiring activity amongst companies can be attributed to the sluggish global economy. “The global economic slump led by the United States and parts of Europe is

likely to take a toll on the Indian industries insofar as hiring is concerned,” Rajesh Kumar, CEO of MyHiringClub.com said.

The survey found that people in the age group of 25-34 years have the best chances of getting new job opportunities at 57%, while only 12% of the people above 52 years of age found jobs.

Nearly 60% of people took jobs with equal or less pay, while 41% found a job with more pay than their previous position.

Mental issues and stress are amongst the top concerns of companies across Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.

According to the Multinational Workforce Health & Wellness Pulse Survey by Towers Watson, mental issues and stress emerged as one of the top concerns in Shanghai and Hong Kong ahead of infectious diseases for Hong Kong and lack of physical activity for Shanghai. In Singapore, it is ranked second after chronic conditions, KOREA e.g. diabetes, asthma, hypertension.

The survey also found that employers in these three markets ranked “demonstrate interest Four out of every 10 recent university graduates who are employed are already preparing in employee wellbeing, employee resiliency/ to change jobs. According to a straw poll by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and stress management” as their topmost concern – a Industry of 340 entry-level college graduates who have been reflection of the paternalistic approach in work for less than two years, 42% are preparing to or are of Asian employers towards the already in the process of changing jobs. offering of employee benefits. This By 2013 The top reason for the move, cited by 70% of the was followed by “retaining key talent respondents, was better conditions such as higher salary or and competitive reward packages”. people, or one-third better benefits. Some 35% said the work does not suit them, Singapore stood out as being the of the world’s total 28% said that their company has no growth potential, and country where as many as 83% of workforce, will be mobile 26.5% said they did not have enough free time. participants already have a Health workers, with 62% of Some 62% also reported conflict with their seniors and Strategy in place, with the remainder them based in Asia superiors occasionally, and 11% said this occurred often. planning an imminent roll-out. This (Source: IDC report) contrasted with Hong Kong, where only 30% of the participants have one in place and 50% have no plans to VIETNAM adopt one. In Shanghai, 72% of participants have a strategy and 21% indicated it was on their agenda for the near future.

Health screening, mental health/stress Since October 1, the minimum wage in major Vietnamese cities has risen by up to 50% to management, on-site fitness centres and keep pace with inflation, three months ahead of schedule. For the first time, it will apply to vaccinations are the most popular both Vietnamese and foreign-owned firms and will remain in force until the end of 2012. programmes with Asian employers.

The minimum wage for employees of private companies increased by VND300,000– Andrew Heard, managing director, 650,000 (US$14.36–31.12) per month to the new levels of VND1.4m–2.0m depending on Asia-Pacific Benefits at Towers Watson said, the region of the country in which the employee works. “our survey revealed that companies The VND2.0m applies to major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, whilst understand the importance of having a the VND1.4m applies to remote or comprehensive health and wellness strategy, disadvantaged areas. These wage levels but there are also significant challenges ahead. also determine the basis for the calculation To begin their wellness journey, companies of allowances and social benefits. should determine the key fundamentals of The new laws also stipulate that where they are, the support they need and then skilled employees should be paid seven go about designing and putting in place an times the minimum wage, meaning a integrated health and wellness strategy that skilled worker in Hanoi is now paid a works for their organisation.” minimum of VND14m.

Employees looking to jump ship

1.2 BILLION

Minimum wages keep up with inflation

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NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

US

Play at your workplace In a bid to liven up the workday, organisations are integrating elements of videogames into the office.

To make everyday business tasks more engaging for workers, companies like IBM and consulting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu are using reward and competitive tactics from the gaming world in their workplaces.

For example, employees receive points or badges for completing certain tasks. Companies also use leaderboards so that employees are able to check on each other’s progress, encouraging healthy competition and driving performance levels.

The ‘gamification’ of the workplace is an emerging trend as companies come up with innovative means to motivate their employees.

At Deloitte, gaming tactics are utilised at its Deloitte Leadership Academy, through an executive education programme it uses to train clients and its own consultants.

Users receive virtual badges after completing training courses and ‘unlock’ more complex training courses when basic levels are completed, said Frank Farrall, a partner with Deloitte in Melbourne, Australia, in a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Such initiatives have been shown to be effective. Research has found that employees trained on video games learned more factual information, attained a higher skill level and retained information longer than workers who learned in less interactive environments.

AUSTRALIA

US

Women to take up frontline jobs

Wall Street bankers still expect generous bonuses

Women are now able to fight in the frontline as the Australian Defence Force opens all combat roles to women.

This move allows women to apply for elite roles in the special forces including the Commandos and the navy diving units.

Females can also aspire to become the future Defence chief.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said that this initiative will be phased in over five years from early 2012 in a careful process to enable the force to adapt to the new changes.

He added that the new policy will help remove discrimination. “In the future, your role in the Defence Force will be determined by your ability, not on the basis of your sex,” Smith said.

According to him, these changes would bring Australia in line with countries such as Canada and New Zealand where women already have frontline combat roles.

However, they are making sure that these changes will not lead to more female casualties.

“The pursuit of absolute gender equality in the Defence Force must not come at the price of having more women killed or of disproportionate injuries and casualties,” Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said.

At the moment, 7% of Defence jobs are currently male-only roles.

WORLD

Employers struggle with social media Almost a third of firms have disciplined staff for inappropriate behaviour on social media sites, according to a survey by law firm DLA Piper.

A majority of organisations in a worldwide survey recognise the value of social networking sites Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and 65% of firms encourage members of staff to use it, the report revealed.

However, up to 21% of respondents admitted that they had taken action against employees for information posted on networking

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sites about co-workers, while more than a third of employers said that they felt exposed to risk because confidential information may be posted on social media sites.

Kate Hodgkiss, the report’s author, said the study showed that many businesses have not been able to keep up with social media.

“The study highlights that many are failing to protect themselves against the legal ramifications, as social networking practices outpace business policies.” she said.

The majority of Wall Street bankers believe they will retain or gain an increase in their generous bonuses, even though it is likely that they will actually fall for the second year in a row.

Wall Street has had a total of 32,000 layoffs since January 2008, meaning a contraction of about 17%. According to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, it is “likely that profits will fall sharply, job losses will continue, and bonuses will be smaller than last year” due to the economic turmoil that has beset the country.

However, a large majority of Wall Street employees (62%) still think that their 2011 bonuses will be same or better than last year, revealed a study by recruiting website eFinancialCareers.

“People on Wall Street in general don’t have small egos,” said Malcolm Polley, chief investment officer at Stewart Capital Advisors, in a report by Reuters.

He added that people on Wall Street are always surprised when they lose their jobs, or their bonuses decline.

However, figures are still smaller compared to one year ago, when 71% of bankers thought that their bonuses would stay the same or go up.

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leaders on leadership

Workplace safety and health What is your role in the implementation of workplace safety and health in your organisation?

Ang Koon San Country President, Schneider Electric Singapore

I believe in the importance of workplace safety and health as it is our responsibility to ensure a protected working environment for our staff.

Therefore, I give full empowerment to both the HR and Safety Officers to conduct regular risk assessments, ensure legal compliance and implement preventive programmes to protect the health and safety of all stakeholders.

Together, we strive for continuous performance improvement by implementing a dedicated Health & Safety management system adapted accordingly to local requirements, in order to reach annual health and safety targets.

We are Bizsafe Level 3 certified, and have appointed a full time Safety Officer since February 2011. He will be rolling out a Safety Awareness Programme for all employees to highlight the new Workplace Safety and Health legislation, housekeeping, and others. This awareness programme will subsequently be included in the orientation programme for all new hires.

At this point in time, we are focusing on job-site well-being. Ensuring workplace safety is an ongoing process and we need to continually maintain high standards in our practices instead of growing complacent.

Jackson Yap

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, United Engineers

Workplace accidents can be prevented through the adoption of safe work practices. In my leadership position, I will “walk the talk, and talk the walk�, especially when it comes to implementing safety and health in the company.

Firstly, I need to verbalise what needs to be done, such as the importance of worksite safety audits or proper work posture in the office. Then, at the next level, I need to demonstrate what I preach.

For that, I make it a point to regularly survey workplaces myself - be it worksites, process plants, or offices - to make sure that all safety measures are in place and also look out for unidentified hazards in an evolving work environment.

The journey in achieving workplace safety and health is an ongoing one; there is always room for improvement.

Therefore, we need to give ourselves a pat on the back when we have done something right, and at the same time, push ourselves further in areas where we could have done better. I advocate celebrations when milestones are attained, and continual training and reviews to discourage complacency.

We strive for zero accidents. But that can never be accidental.

Mehdi Adib

Chief Executive Officer, Jurong Aromatics Corporation

My role is to ensure that the significance of safety becomes ingrained in our corporate culture. Safety in JAC begins in our mission statement and continues in all of our work processes, policies, procedures, designs and operation. Our motto is zero incidents every day.

As a new organisation we began by developing our zero incident safety policy and assurance procedure. We are currently looking in the market to hire a qualified senior manager to oversee the implementation of our strategy during engineering and construction as well as future operations. We plan to use safety programmes and courses already developed by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to train our staff and workforce. We will have a continuous training programme that requires regular updates and refresher courses. Each employee will go through a tailor made programme. We intend to register our operations with OSHA and have their inspectors provide regular audit and evaluation of our programmes and update our processes.

To date we have been able to meet our objective of zero incidents both at the office as well as the project construction site. issue 11.11

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leaders talk hr

Forbes named McDonald’s as one of the world’s most valuable brands in 2010. From humble beginnings in the 1950s to becoming a multibillion-dollar fast-food empire, the company with the golden arches is known around the globe. Judy Harman, managing director of McDonald’s Singapore, says that an organisation’s brand helps attract talent

By Priya de Langen

value Delivering

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leaders talk hr

“We are a big brand and we should be making a difference” Judy Harman, managing director, McDonald’s Singapore

“W

e are looking to hire 5,000 people next year,” says Judy Harman, managing director for McDonald’s Singapore.

This statement might seem a tad confident but given the fact that the franchise currently has 115 restaurants around the island and is still planning to open more in the next few years, it seems an accurate count.

However, she admits that in the food & beverages industry, it is challenging to attract talent. “The services sector in Singapore is a very challenging one. There are many players and more are coming in. Being able to find talented, qualified people to staff our restaurants is our greatest challenge,” she says.

Attracting the ‘Mctalented’

Quick facts

McDonald’s Singapore boasts a diverse restaurant crew from the ages of 14 to 80 which comprises of McDonald’s: part-timers and full-timers. Harman, who is a + The first McDonald’s restaurant was McDonald’s veteran of 26 years, states that she has opened in 1955 found some fundamental qualities among + By 1958, McDonald’s had sold its 100 McDonald’s employees. “We call it ‘ketchup in your millionth burger blood’. Some of the characteristics are being + There are 33,000 McDonald’s restaurants people-oriented, like working with others, and being around the world in a team environment,” she explains. + McDonald’s revenue in 2010: $24bn It is not surprising that a majority of its 8,500 McDonald’s Singapore quick facts: workforce work in the restaurants. The organisation + The first branch of McDonald’s specifically looks for an employee who is peopleSingapore opened in 1979 at Liat Towers oriented, and recruiting techniques for this type of + The oldest McDonald’s Singapore crew person range from word-of-mouth hiring to career fairs. member is 80 years old The majority of the service employees are hired + Currently, the entire McDonald’s through the ‘Bring a Friend’ referral programme and Singapore staff consists of 8,500 people since it is word-of-mouth, applicants generally already have an idea about the job, states Harman.

The organisation offers cash rewards to the employee who has introduced the friend and more cash when the new hire stays for more than 90 days. For Trainee Manager positions, the organisation looks to hire graduates at career fairs at tertiary institutions such as NUS, NTU, and Temasek Polytechnic.

Globally, the McDonald’s brand has taken some criticism over recent years from several groups, chiefly health organisations. Moreover, Harman says that in some markets the reputation has not been good due to unattractive pay or insufficient career development opportunities. issue 11.11

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leaders talk hr

me-myself-i However, she assures the employer branding in Singapore is strong. In fact, McDonald’s Singapore has won several accolades including the Aon Hewitt Best Employer Award three times, which has helped attract talent into the organisation, even in the competitive labour market.

It helps that at the crew level, employees can choose between full-time and part-time flexible working hours that make it appealing to many.

Though the attrition rate is 50% for crew and under 20% for managers, Harman points out that “most of our crew are working part-time; they are students in their first job, earn some money, and then move on to the career for which they are studying.” She candidly says that it is fine that the organisation is used as a stepping-stone for many, but it does retain some who go on to have careers in McDonald’s Singapore.

Developing ‘ketchup in the blood’

Training plays a great part in developing and retaining employees in McDonald’s Singapore and it starts on the first day of work with the help of a colleague. Harman calls it “shoulder training”. Employees at the crew level get monthly feedback from their shift or restaurant managers, and every six months they get a detailed performance review, which HR tracks to ensure that it is carried out.

As in any company, McDonald’s employees need a few years of learning and training to reach managerial level.

They are offered the management development programme (MDP) that involves a total of 2,000 hours which takes four years to complete. The training is broken into four levels – trainee manager, second assistant manager, first assistant manager and restaurant manager. As an employee progresses through the training, he or she will learn various new skills such as how to put together a crew schedule and interview a crew person, explains Harman.

High-potential candidates go through the training at a quicker pace – just two years. Harman states that these individuals have a dedicated coach who gives regular feedback and a “support system to move the person through the pace, as so much is learned by doing, and it is difficult to go through it quickly.”

+ I love: cooking, travelling and taking part in triathlons with my husband Jonny. + I dislike: Prejudiced or narrow-minded people who do not respect or value other’s differences. + My inspiration is: People who do what they can to make the world a better place. + My biggest strength (personal): Being passionate about living life to its fullest through experiences and seeking challenges. + My biggest strength (work): Being passionate about people, coaching and supporting them to grow and achieve their potential. + My biggest weakness: Sometimes I work too many hours which impacts my work-life harmony + In five years’ time, I’d like to be: Still working at McDonald’s! + Favourite quote: “Life is what happens to you while you plan your life” – Charlie Bell

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leaders talk hr

Employees are given the chance to further their education as well as their careers with the University Accredited Programme (UAP), under which graduates attain a diploma or a degree in hospitality. To date, 400 people have taken the Diploma in Hospitality while another 10 are going through the degree course.

There are other learning and development programmes spanning different departments, and not all of them are technical courses. The organisation will be introducing a core course, ‘Winning with Diversity and Inclusion’, next year for all employees. With an incredibly diverse workforce, it will prove to be helpful. The hour-long course will teach employees and managers about various groups of people working together and understanding each other.

Communal giving and recognition

Harman is candid when she says: “Arguably, some of the jobs are not that fun, like standing in front of the fryer the whole day, but we try to bring fun into the restaurant. People talk about ‘McFamily’ and we try to encourage the idea that the co-worker is more than just a co-worker.”

The McFamily culture is about recognising and celebrating successes and it comes in many forms – from simple acknowledgement to monetary rewards. The organisation also follows a quirky tradition of giving new hires a bottle of ketchup to indicate they are now part of the McDonald’s Singapore family.

Bio brief Judy Harman was appointed as managing director of McDonald’s Singapore in May. Prior to this, Harman was the senior director of McDonald’s Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA), where she was in charge of Operations Deployment, Technology and Equipment.

Harman is a McDonald’s veteran, having been with the company for over 25 years. She began her career as a crew person in Australia in 1985. Twelve years later, she relocated to Europe where, from 1997 to 2006, Harman worked in McDonald’s in Czech Republic, Italy and Finland and amassed experience in leadership functions spanning across HR, Training and Operations, Field Service, and Purchasing and Quality Assessment.

Harman is especially passionate about people development and helping people grow in their careers. She is a steering committee member of the McDonald’s APMEA Women’s Leadership Network which promotes the career advancement of women, as well as inclusion and diversity in the system.

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leaders talk hr

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THE TOP ONE PER CENT

Business Growth

Employees who have spent some of employees from the entire time in the organisation might find their McDonald’s organisation across stories published in the McDonald’s the globe receive the President’s website, under i-stories. “The stories Awards as well as a cash prize have been a wonderful source of of US$20,000 inspiration for people and they demonstrate that we provide opportunities for people to do things they never dreamed of,” says Harman. She highlights that these stories are more common instead of being unique, and sharing them makes them real and shows that everyone can grow in the ranks.

Besides weekly and monthly updates to all employees, Harman regularly meets up with all restaurant managers and first assistants each quarter. The NABIT (Nuts and Bolts Integration Team) half-day get-together is a time to share updates and make plans for the next quarter, but also recognises those who gave done a good job. Harman recalls that in one NABIT session, “we recognised people who made a difference in the community”. A couple of restaurants donated food to an orphanage, while employees from a few restaurants went to children’s homes and painted the walls.

Monetary schemes are also offered to acknowledge as well as encourage McDonald’s Singapore employees. There is an incentive or bonus programme for the office staff, while the restaurant staff have a quarterly incentive programme. Also, for the winner of the Service Speed Challenge there are several prizes offered to crew members, including a night’s stay at a hotel or an iPad. Globally, McDonald’s gives out a significant amount in monetary awards. The top one per cent of employees from the entire McDonald’s organisation across the globe receive the President’s Awards as well as a cash prize of US$20,000. There is also the Ray Kroc (the founder of McDonald’s) award for the top five per cent of restaurant managers from around the globe that comes with a cash prize.

It is not always about receiving but also about giving in the McFamily culture, as the organisation is very much involved with community work. Currently, restaurant managers can choose to spend money on incentives for their crew as well as the community. Harman says that McDonald’s Singapore wants to do more and has introduced “McDonald’s Cares”. Under this programme, charity and community work can be done more regularly, and local schools and community centres can approach a McDonald’s restaurant for help. The organisation’s management has set aside funds from next year’s budget to support this. Harman concluded that with 115 restaurants in the country, they can give back to the community. “We are a big brand and we should be making a difference.” issue 11.11

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HR

Greening

The benefits of eco-friendly workplace practices extend beyond environmental conservation. HRM finds out find out how greening a company can help HR improve recruitment and retention

By Shalini Shukla-Pandey

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E

Going green pays

mployees at Integrated Archive Systems, Bill Roth, green business coach and author of The Secret Green Sauce, cited the case of an employee receive $10,000, if they choose to purchase who, with one idea, today saves his company US$1m a hybrid car. According to media reports, per year with zero incremental capital investment. He CEO Amy Rao also hands out free recyclable had an idea for cutting electricity costs to reduce the grocery bags and offers daily in-office lunches so company’s environmental footprint. The that employees do not have to drive to eat. implementation of the idea required only a change in The US-based data management company how the company operated a light fixture. represents a growing number of organisations Stopping the use of this particular light fixture, who are working to weave in green practices into company-wide, saves US$1m annually with a comparable their HR policies. According to The Greening of reduction in electricity-related emissions. The company the American Workplace 2010, a recent survey by did not have to invest in any new equipment.

Buck Consultants, 69% of US organisations have Benefits: Zero capital costs, US$1m in savings, reduced electricity-related emissions with zero negative green programmes in place in 2011, an increase impacts upon performance because the lighting of 53% from last year. provided by this fixture did not impact performance.

Companies are increasingly beginning to understand that green initiatives not only benefit the environment but help with the attraction and retention of talent- and this forms a strong business case for HR. The Millennial Generation (those born around 1986) is leading the adoption of sustainability and see it as their future, says Bill Roth, green business coach and author of The Secret Green Sauce. “The path to attracting the Millennial Generation employee is for a company to have values-driven business culture aligned with their focus on sustainability.�

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CASESTUDY

Panasonic Asia Pacific Panasonic has implemented a set of green indexes on top of business KPIs. Publicly announced in January 2010 by the company president, these global excellence indexes cover sales, profit and return on equity. All employees must contribute to the achievement of these green indexes, through measures such as reduced CO2 emissions and improving recycling ratios.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Panasonic has also announced its mid-term regional eco-plan, with the ‘eco-ideas’ declaration in June 2010. “We have set targets in the declaration that include promoting the sales of our eco-friendly products through eco-exhibitions and consumer outreach programmes, rolling out eco-education programmes for the youth, CO2 emission reduction from manufacturing activities and establishing ‘eco-ideas’ factories which are our model factories that spread our ‘eco-ideas’ to more people,” says Low Beng Huat, General Manager, Regional Planning and Affairs Group, Panasonic Asia Pacific.

Being green has allowed the company to reap many tangible and intangible benefits. For example, by making the environment central to business activities, Panasonic has been able to achieve higher sales for eco-friendly products and create new business in the area of energy and environment. “Also, by practising green activities in our factory, we are able to improve our productivity through energy reduction and enhanced recycling ratio,” Low adds.

Furthermore, by organising green activities for employees and the public, Panasonic has been able to contribute to building a sustainable society as a public entity and this helps build a positive corporate image and sustainable business for the company in the future.

Green perks

Cost savings are one of the more tangible benefits of going green.

Buck Consultants found that 60% of organisations are measuring their cost savings from green programmes this year, and the figures are up 39% from 2010.

BT, a leading provider of communications services, is one example of a company that has reaped millions in savings due to its green initiatives.

According to BT’s Sustainability Report, cost savings amounted up to £102m (US$165m) in 2010 alone.

This figure included fuel costs and energy costs avoided (associated with reduced fuel consumption, stripping out effects of price changes), waste handling costs avoided (associated with reduced volumes of waste, stripping out effects of price changes), waste recycling income and landfill tax avoided as well as transport savings, energy and property costs that were saved due to avoided meetings and workingfrom-home arrangements.

Bill Roth, green business coach and author of The Secret Green Sauce says that going green is a consumer-led revolution. “Consumers are seeking ‘in me, on me and around me’ solutions for their lives. The organisations that are going green are aligning with their customers’ goals.”

HR: Green champions

In many companies, the concept of going green is a ‘function’ or ‘department’. The Buck Consultants survey demonstrates that HR, Public Affairs and Communications departments are most often responsible for green programmes, making up 80% of the votes.

Roth agrees, saying that the HR function in particular has a tremendous opportunity to create increased value for their companies by “assisting in the design and development of ‘green teams’ that identify and implement smart, healthy and green actions”.

Panasonic Asia Pacific is one company where HR has implemented programmes to inculcate green habits and behaviours in its employees.

“Programmes include Green Transport Day, which encourages employees to take green transport to work, and the 10% Energy and Water Challenge, where we urge employees to save Reducing an employee’s carbon footprint can be done in the following electricity and water at home,” says Low Beng ways: Huat, General Manager, Regional Planning and + Going digital – electronic filing, teleconferencing, telecommuting, Affairs Group, Panasonic Asia Pacific. online training, virtual interviews Apart from internal programmes, Panasonic + Green transportation – public transport, ride sharing also partners with employees to support eco + Cutting down on energy usage – developing more energyactivities such as Earth Hour organised by the efficient office spaces, recycling WWF. Employees have also been empowered + Preserving knowledge capital – retaining talent including mature to play their part through the creation of zones workers, training and development, implementing wellness in the office using letters of the alphabet and programmes around proper nutrition, fitness, and healthy living coloured signs on the ceiling to increase energy

Tips to go green

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conservation. The zones are linked to clusters of power switches, allowing employees to easily switch them off by viewing the zoning floor plan displayed above the switches.

Growing roots

People play a big part in any company’s move towards a smarter, greener and more efficient office. “Employees are often closest to the customers seeking products that are smart, healthy and green and therefore are often in the best position to create ideas for increasing revenues,” says Roth.

BT’s Filia Lim, Head of HR, South East Asia, also believes the key to the success of green initiatives is the people who make it all happen.

“We can set the targets, but without the input and efforts of each employee, those targets will not be met.”

Employees often need encouragement in changing mind-sets and developing green behaviours. Fuji Xerox’s Senior Manager for Technology and Solutions, Willie Lim, says, “most employees do not think that they contribute to a ‘carbon footprint’ or that what they do daily has any impact on the environment. Others feel that it is the green team’s responsibility, and they fail to realise

CASESTUDY

Going Green at Fuji Xerox As part of its efforts to get employees and customers to ‘think and do green’, Fuji Xerox runs regular green awareness and education programmes such as the ‘Go Green Series’ in order to provide green teams with knowledge on how to green their office. The unique Go Green Series of seminars and workshops are conducted regularly at the Fuji Xerox Towers as well as on-site at various business establishments.

The Go Green Series features four main topics: + Go Green Workshops – ideal for green teams and those who want to learn the what, why, when, where, who and how of greening the office + 20Rs of Going Green – ideal for employees and a good start to create awareness, educate employees and to address and change ‘mind-sets’ + Green Best Practices – sharing of best practices and green tools + Green Tools Hands-On – a practical and hands-on workshop on how to use the green tools and green solutions Since its inception in late 2009, 150 establishments have participated in the Go Green Series.

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CASESTUDY

BT For eight consecutive years, BT has been recognised as the world’s top telecoms company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), bearing testament to the efforts that have been undertaken since the organisation set its first carbon reduction target back in 1992.

Filia Lim, Head of HR, South East Asia, BT, says, “we actively engage employees to see how they can help BT reach the target of having 20% of the workforce actively involved in carbon reduction initiatives at home and work by 2012.”

One of the initiatives that has been set up includes Carbon Clubs – the establishment of a carbon community where more than 7,000 employees are engaged in carbon reduction activities such as car-sharing schemes and the cycle-fit initiative.

In line with the BT cycle-fit initiative, their new office at Technopark @Chai Chee has been fitted with showers and lockers to encourage greener alternative modes of transport to work, and the company encourages employees to engage in a healthier lifestyle by taking advantage of the gym facilities in the business park.

BT also uses flexible work options and technology to allow employees to work remotely, giving them the opportunity to cut down on their need for commuting for meetings, as well as the opportunity to meet needs previously considered as conflicting – eg, family commitments. Employees also take up BT Conferencing and Telepresence solutions to minimise face-to-face meetings, thereby cutting down on employee travel.

“With the overall reduction in employee travel, BT saves an estimated S$330,000 per quarter,” says Lim.

that every single person living on this earth is responsible for the environment that we live in.”

For any organisation to embrace an eco-workplace, it is imperative that every employee be ‘educated’ and ‘informed’ of the state of the world environment and how they can do their part.

Leading growth

Leadership has also been found to be a critical factor for success of green workforce initiatives. The Buck Consultants survey found that companies which have appointed individuals to lead organisational green efforts have a much higher prevalence of employees actively involved in their green practices than companies which have not.

For companies with at least three-quarters of their employees actively involved in green programmes, nearly a quarter have appointed an individual to lead green efforts. Overall, 88% of companies with formal green programmes include the CEO in development and communications, while 91% have appointed a dedicated leader.

Roth also believes that the most critical requirement for engaging people in going green is top leadership. “CEOs (for instance) must assure associates that their willingness to think outside the box to implement smart, healthy and green innovations will be positively recognised. The result is typically an unleashing of increased productivity and positive innovation.”

At Panasonic Asia Pacific, its managing director is actively involved in championing organisational green efforts as the company believes that business growth will be achieved through contribution to the environment. “Our previous MD, Ikuo Miyamoto, was awarded the EcoFriend award from the National Environment Agency of Singapore for his green efforts,” says Low. “Under the new MD, Yorihisa Shiokawa, we believe that Panasonic Asia Pacific will be able to achieve even better green targets in the future.”

Green shoots Generation Z should not be ignored in the race to go green. Fuji Xerox believes that the right values and mind-sets should be inculcated early on in youths so that businesses can truly have a sustainability advantage. To develop the next generation green workforce, Fuji Xerox has teamed up with Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) in a green IT certification partnership to offer the Singapore Certified Green IT Professional (SCGP).

The certification aims to equip IT professionals with a basic understanding of Green IT so that they can deploy it in their organisations.

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guest contributor

Busting the

Myth of Change Management Hardwired Humans’ Andrew O’Keeffe shares how Philips Healthcare succeeded in implementing a challenging organisational change by taking account of human instincts

I

n late 2009 Harry van Dyk and Jo Hilyard faced a major challenge. As managing director and HR director of Philips Healthcare in Australia/New Zealand they had to lead the implementation of a global restructure moving from business units into geographical units. Like most executives, they were worried about change fatigue in their organisation. One more change might be too much for their managers and staff to cope with. What would be different this time?

In this worried state they discovered a different approach to managing change. The approach aligns change management to human instincts and changes the way leaders think about change. According to Jo Hilyard, “Once we applied human instincts we never looked back.”

The Problem with Conventional Thinking

Conventional thinking that “people resist change” can’t be true. If we were a species that was wired to resist change we’d be still living in caves. Yet this conventional thinking underpins most change models. It distorts the way organisations generally approach change, assumes change to be negative and dangerously becomes self-fulfilling.

By analysing human instincts leaders have an action model based on what really happens when humans face change.

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Human Instincts

Humans are not hardwired to resist change. We are however hardwired to avoid loss. When change is presented to people, we quickly decide at an individual, emotional level whether this change is gain or loss. If we detect gain, we support the change. If we detect loss, we resist. Significantly, if we are unsure of the impact, we assume loss in order to keep out of harm’s way. This means that for organisational change we often have people unnecessarily erring toward loss and resistance, merely because people were unable to make sense of the impact of the change at the moment they first learned of it.

In organisational life, change gets its bad name because the conventional management frameworks ignore or deny our true instincts.

Off to the Zoo

An ideal place to take a zoological view of humans is at the local zoo! So the Philips management team participated in a Human Instincts at Work programme at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. The purpose of the workshop was to first, share the body of knowledge and second, to apply the framework to the Philips change so that the leaders left with a concrete action plan.

The workshop starts with insight into the 9 instincts of humans (see figure). At their core, these

guest contributor

instincts reflect our character as a social species. And we add to the insight into humans through a comparison to other social animals, such as chimpanzees and gorillas. Through our relationship with the Jane Goodall Institute and the local zoo keepers the leaders hear about the behaviour that comes with being a social, hierarchical animal.

The comparisons between chimps and humans give leaders a whole new perspective on understanding and solving work challenges. For example, the alpha male of the chimps at Taronga, Lubutu, has held his position for ten years despite unending attempts by two rival adult males to displace him. The key to Lubutu’s continued reign is that he has the support of his followers – the adult females and sub-adult kids. He does so by demonstrating affiliative behaviour such as grooming and sharing food. A few months ago when we were at the zoo with another group of leaders, almost all the chimps were cut, bruised and limping. The keepers explained that a few days before there had been a nasty fight. Lubutu had been attacked by one of the rival males intent on taking the alpha position.

It was the females, the followers, who intervened, putting themselves in harm’s way to defend Lubutu and encourage him to stay as their leader.

The 9 human instincts

Out of the long journey of human history it’s only been during recent times that we have moved from being hunter-gatherers and villagers to work in offices and factories. This transition commenced with the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the mid 1700s and continues in many countries even today. We are wired for a different habitat. This transition is so recent that we have not altered the way our brain works, processes information or our basic social constructs.

There are nine instincts that we have carried out of the savannah into our workplaces. These nine instincts come from Professor Nigel Nicholson from the London Business School (see figure). In brief, as a brainy social animal: » We process information first and foremost on emotion or how we feel. » We make snap judgements about people and events in order to quickly classify into binary alternatives such as “good” and “bad”. issue 11.11

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guest contributor

We are much more motivated by the avoidance of

» We are much more motivated by the avoidance of loss than the opportunity to gain. » We engage in social chit chat as our form of grooming in order to share information and to form alliances. » We have an individual sense of identity and expect to be understood by others, and read others through the emotions written on their face. » We demonstrate confidence to get what we want to the point of denying reality. » We invest time, energy and money to “look good” in order to enhance or protect our social reputation. » We are a social species gaining our sense of identity in family units and communities, and » As is the natural pattern for social species, our communities are hierarchical in nature.

Knowing instincts helps leaders and HR professionals make sense of people’s behaviour.

And once we make sense of a subject we can make more informed choices—as Philips did in managing its restructure.

LOSS GAIN

response to a change is critical. Philips than the opportunity to was able to use the method of “the first seven words” to communicate effectively at the meetings where key staff announcements were made.

Humans naturally gossip, and this gives us an opportunity as change managers to use this form of social grooming positively and proactively. Once we know that one of the roles of gossip is to create improvised news, Philips set about making sure people had what they wanted to know so that they didn’t have to make it up for themselves. This helped Philips be direct, clear and consistent in their communication.

Hardwired Humans Instincts

Philips

The nine instincts provided a toolkit for the Philips leaders to be more confident in their management of the change.

In understanding that people will screen for loss before moving forward, the leaders identified the most important topics that their people would first want to know: » Whether I have a role in the new structure » Where my name is on the organisation chart » If I am part of the same team » If I have a new manager.

Knowing this, Philips did a number of things differently. At the meetings where the restructure was confirmed, people were immediately invited to go to the walls of the conference rooms where the new organisation charts were posted. There was a stampede! But once those first-order issues had been covered, they could then talk about the reasons for the change, the implications for the way they work and the outcomes sought for their customers.

Knowing that people’s radar first and foremost screens at an emotional level, influencing the first issue 11.11

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Given the critical role that our family- and community-sized groups play in forming a person’s identity, Philips structured the management of the change to enable people to immediately form bonds in their new “communities”. The role of leader was quickly established. Headquarter’s leaders were immediately supporters of “village” leaders rather than the other way around. Staff could clearly see that the geographical leaders were indeed building their teams and driving the business.

According the Managing Director Harry van Dyk, “We left the two-day workshop confident that we had the approach necessary to manage the change in a more constructive way than how we would have carried it out previously. Our managers had a framework for understanding why people behave as they do, so that we could make more intelligent leadership choices. Our managers were ready to lead.”

The outcome

Reflecting on the benefits of applying human instincts as the framework for managing the change, Human Resources Director Jo Hilyard says, “Not unlike leaders in many organisations, our leaders were uncomfortable in handling things that they hadn’t dealt with before. They were comfortable handling the technical challenges of their role, but less confident in dealing with the people dimension.

Human instincts gave them a framework. It gave them a methodology for the human aspects of their role. Through the human instincts framework they could understand what they would go through, and know what questions would arise and how to respond in a constructive way.”

Ninety days after the change had begun Philips reconvened the management team to review the changes. “We were overjoyed with how the leaders had managed the change,” recalls Harry van Dyk. “Most of all we were delighted that they felt competent and pleased with how they had led the change.”

The lessons

This restructure was a bigger change than any other that had been managed by Philips over the previous

“Humans four years. According to Harry and Jo, “human instincts gave us naturally an approach that made the gossip, and change so much easier – or perhaps we should say, much this gives us less difficult – than we thought an opportunity it would be.” They listed the key as change lessons from applying human instincts to manage the change: managers to » The framework makes sense of human use this form of behaviour. As leaders, we were no longer surprised with where we found ourselves. We social grooming had given our managers a predictive, practical positively and and proactive way to manage change. » We knew how to deal with issues. Without this proactively” knowledge we would have tended to have Andrew O’Keeffe, categorised people who raised tough questions author of Hardwired as just being difficult. But almost always the Humans — Successful behaviour was explained by the nine human Leadership Using instincts. That allowed our leaders to shift Human Instincts from defensive (thinking badly about someone) to constructive thinking (working towards a resolution). » We had a common language that enhanced collaboration among the management team and allowed them to support and guide each other. We would often Humans are find ourselves saying to each other, “What human instinct are we dealing with here?” hardwired to » We no longer needed to be resist change apologetic about implementing change. In the context of sustainable human communities, we realised that our leaders have to lead a response to the external environment so that our business is in a better place.

According to Harry van Dyk, “I’d hate to think where we’d be if we hadn’t used instincts.”

NOT

+ Andrew O’Keeffe is author of Hardwired Humans — Successful Leadership Using Human Instincts (www.hardwiredhumans.com) and will be a speaker at the HR Summit in Singapore in May 2012 issue 11.11

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DGE

10th Anniversary Special

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HR & ROI - Myth or Reality?

Dr David Cohen International Speaker, Author & Business Strategist

Leadership Matters Peter Baines International Speaker & Leadership Expert

Understanding Employee Emotions (E2) – The Key Challenge for HR Today!

David Too Vice President Achieve Group

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

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

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

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

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At a glance Total number of staff in Asia-Pacific: Approximately 60,000 Key HR focus areas: Talent retention, employee engagement and leadership bench strength

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hr insider

Here for

people With around 85,000 employees spread over 70 countries, Standard Chartered believes in adopting a flexible approach towards the HR challenges posed by a diverse workforce. HRM looks at how the bank has been attracting, developing and retaining the brightest minds in a competitive marketplace

By Sumathi V Selvaretnam

A

Great Place to Work. This simple tagline neatly sums up Standard Chartered’s philosophy towards its human capital. Engagement is a key driver of its performance culture and the bank has a variety of programmes and initiatives in place to ensure that employees develop the capabilities to reach their maximum potential.

Standard Chartered’s HR focus is on providing the right employee experience, says David Thomas, the bank’s Global Head of Country HR. “It is all about creating a motivated and highly engaged, diverse and inclusive work environment that attracts the right talent for the right roles.”

The Bank has also been expanding rapidly, increasing its headcount from 35,000 to 85,000 in the past seven years. The market is getting tougher and there is a need to develop and retain good leadership talent, especially Determined to be there for the people in markets where Standard Chartered operates, the bank is in emerging markets like India and committed towards raising awareness of HIV and AIDS in hope of reducing misunderstanding and China, Thomas adds.

Workplace health

Taking control

Employees who see a long-term future in their organisation are more likely to stay loyal and committed.

However, staff development is not the sole responsibility of HR. At Standard Chartered, employees are encouraged to take charge of their own personal development.

Those working in the Consumer Banking division for example, have

stigma connected to the disease. All new employees have to complete an online module on HIV and AIDS within three months of joining the organisation. Some employees serve as voluntary HIV Champions, providing face-to-face peer education sessions as part of the induction programmes.

Employees are also encouraged to attend voluntary counselling and testing for HIV under a non-disclosure policy. Where testing is not free, the Bank covers the costs. If an employee and their dependents are tested positive, the bank pays for subsequent treatment. The bank has also reached out to support community health and safety campaigns. Through these efforts, Standard Chartered achieved its pledge to the Clinton Global Initiative to educate 1 million people by 2010 and received the 2009 Award for “Winner of Global Business Coalition’s Community Investment”.

This example highlights Standard Chartered’s commitment to workplace health; extending beyond the working environment. Their HIV/AIDS work has been recognised as “world class” by UNAIDS.

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hr insider

CASE STUDY

Emerging market challenge:

China

China presents a wealth of opportunities for Standard Chartered, but managing talent in a competitive marketplace brings a number of unique HR challenges. A key priority for the majority of Chinese employees is career development and this is considered equally as important for their leaders.

The bank encourages managers to take the lead when it comes to employee engagement. Conversations with employees are frequent and not just limited to performance reviews. “Chinese employees expect a lot from their managers,” Thomas says. “They need to know what is expected of them throughout the year and managers use every opportunity to engage.”

Standard Chartered’s latest employee engagement results released this month have shown Hong Kong, Taiwan, and now China to reach world class engagement levels above the eightieth percentile. “This is an important improvement and positions us well to take on the growth opportunities that China represents for the bank” says Thomas.

China’s one-child policy has also spawned a generation of parents who are eager to know how their offspring are doing at work. Managers at Standard Chartered sometimes make personal phone calls to the parents (and spouses) of high-performers to inform them about their progress.

The bank must use alternative communication channels to connect with its employees as global social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are banned.

Instead, it uses internal social networking to communicate business-specific messages. To effectively integrate with the Generation Y population and connect via social networking, leaders also use Weibo to share their philosophies on topics such as leadership and work-life balance. This has proved to be a very valuable way of “reaching out” to our younger employee population in China, says Thomas.

access to an online career planning tool called Excelerate, which features more than 140 career paths over 100 roles and 10 business functions. “It encourages staff to have a long-term view of their career within the bank, plan their development in line with their aspirations and have quality conversations with their line managers and regional HR managers,” Thomas says. It helps employees prepare for the required capabilities to assume both their aspired roles and the intermediate roles leading to them, when the opportunity arises.

In addition, the tool also enables line managers to drive performance by helping employees build the relevant role capabilities through available learning opportunities and coaching, Thomas says. “We show employees that they can follow non-traditional paths, pursue their genuine interests and use individual strengths.”

Grooming great managers

Research has shown that a line manager’s behaviour is often directly related to employee engagement, job satisfaction and performance. We are very aware that people leave managers, not organisations, Thomas says. “Therefore, it is important for us to ensure employee engagement is at the forefront of our minds and our focus is on helping them become the best leaders in the market.”

Standard Chartered’s latest results on employee engagement have shown a consecutive increase for the past three years. “This is genuinely linked to the sponsorship and leadership of management teams across our markets, helping us to create a real competitive advantage,” Thomas says.

Standard Chartered introduced its Great Manager Programme in 2007 to improve the way people managers engage their teams for higher performance. Its main aim is to encourage managers to have conversations with their teams about their development, performance and strengths. The programme is applicable to all people managers regardless of their years of experience.

The programme is delivered through podcasts, workshops and online learning. Some of the topics covered include Developing People and Careers, Engaging for Performance and Making Performance Conversations Count.

Almost 10,000 managers at the bank have attended the programme to date.

The Development and Networking Alliance is another HR initiative at Standard Chartered that aims to help high potential employees increase their leadership capabilities, through group mentoring. Led by senior leaders, the programme encourages employees to learn from each other instead of merely through formal training or on-the-job training. “Both mentors and mentees benefit and develop their leadership capability through getting inspired and learning from other alliance members,” Thomas says.

Lasting between six to nine months, this group mentoring programme also serves as a useful platform for development and networking across different business functions. “It widens an individual’s exposure and stimulates their thinking about work and life experiences through a series of self-driven interactive meetings,” Thomas explains.

Bringing in new blood

Attracting new talent into the organisation is another critical component of HR strategy and Standard Chartered is constantly on the lookout for the

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best and brightest in the market. Driving this effort is its International Graduate Programme (IGP) which seeks out candidates from a variety of degree disciplines for Business Functions across the organisation.

During the course of the programme, graduates receive the opportunity to work on diverse team projects, testing their ability to work with people from different backgrounds. They are placed on a series of rotations that exposes them to different areas within their chosen function.

During induction, graduates are also given the opportunity to tap into the experience of guest speakers from different geographies, industries and specialist fields to gain a better understanding of how the business works.

“With any recruitment procedure, it’s not just about us finding the right fit for the bank. Future employees have the opportunity to ‘self-select’ and decide if our culture is the right fit for them,” says Thomas.

The IGP strongly encourages graduates to form international networks within the company. This can become useful, for example, when dealing with international clients at any level. Another example is the bank’s “Action Learning Project” (ALP), where Senior leaders invite and sponsor teams of graduates to conduct their own research and give ideas regarding any area of strategic importance for the bank. The winning team is given an opportunity to personally present to Peter Sands, Standard Chartered’s Group CEO and the bank’s Group Management Committee.

Standard Chartered’s Country HR team

David Thomas Nita Law

Peter Hatt

Madhavi Lall

Global Head of Country HR

Head of HR, Korea

Regional Head of HR, India and South Asia

Regional Head of HR, North East Asia

Health Management International

Nimmi Vethamony HR Relationship Manager, Global Country HR

Caroline Bagshaw

Ruth McGill

William Paul

Regional Head of HR, Head of HR, Global Shared Regional Head of HR, Europe, Middle East, Service Centres, India, Africa, Americas Malaysia and China Singapore and South East Asia issue 11.11

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Working with

flexibility W

ork has evolved from the usual nine-to-five regime and employees with their changing needs prefer to maintain a work-life balance. With the advent of technology, this is possible as organisations are realising that work is no longer about the location but about the execution and achievement of business goals.

Surveys are showing that there is a trend of increasing numbers of telecommuting workers around the globe. According to statistics from Forrester Research, the number of telecommuters in the US will reach a staggering 63 million by 2016. Furthermore, a survey

by Intuit Inc found 47% of Singapore respondents believed that having flexible working arrangements was important as it would allow them to care for and spend time with their families, although their organisations did not offer this option.

Employers who have taken this step cite a number of reasons for implementation that range from better productivity to reducing overheads such as rental and workspaces. However, managing mobile workers is no easy feat and experts advise that organisations should maintain clear policies regarding telecommuting so that employees can deliver business results.

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An increasing number of companies are offering flexible working options to their employees. HRM looks into the benefits of these arrangements and what organisations can do to manage their employees who are always on the move

By Priya de Langen

feature

Benefits of being flexible

Increasingly, organisations are realising the benefits of providing their employees with flexible work options. Employers’ main reason for offering flexible work practices is that it results in staff retention as well as higher productivity.

Charmaine Sim, HR Director, IBM Singapore, states that the organisation’s Mobility Programme has resulted in greater employee loyalty and higher morale and motivation, resulting in better productivity, lower absenteeism as well as a higher staff retention rate.

Likewise, Sonia Cargan, Vice President of HR, East Asia American Express International explains that by providing a work environment that allows for “the opportunity to grow professionally without compromising personal/family life” makes employees happier and more productive. She adds that the organisation’s annual employee survey results have revealed that American Express International employees are “very satisfied being in a company that provides flexible work arrangements.”

Employers also mention that offering flexible work arrangements helps cut costs for companies. A recent report by CNBC revealed that the global business solutions company, Cisco Systems has saved $1bn in the past two-and-a-half years through video conferencing.

Though she could not name a figure, Cargan says that providing employees with telecommuting options has helped the organisation achieve some cost savings in terms of real estate expense, as more workstations are shared among employees. Similarly, Sim explains that employees on the Mobility Programme often work from remote locations so “there are more savings in

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Managing telecommuting employees + Maintain clear policies: HR should have clear policies or a framework on what are the dos and don’ts of telecommuting, and this information should be made available to management and employees alike + Provide the right resources: From digital laptops to teleconferencing software, provide the necessary resources for employees to maintain contact with managers, especially if they are working from home + Give clear instructions and follow-up: Managers should give clear instructions on business goals and regularly follow-up with employees to ensure that these goals are being met

office rental and overhead costs which generates a higher profit margin.”

Moreover, with telecommuting options, employers say that it encourages managers as well as employees to be focused on work results. Sumeet Salwan, Vice President Human Resources, SEAA and Regional Functions AAC of Unilever, states that it “promotes an output-oriented culture.” Also, he states that the needs of people have become more diverse and businesses more dynamic so a “one-size-fits-all approach is a dated idea.”

Travelling initiatives

Companies who wish to provide their employees with flexible options have a range of choices, starting from staggered working hours to a full Mobility Programme. Experts state that it is essential for management to provide a framework so that it suits different employee needs. Sim states: “The implementation of any flexibility programme in the workplace requires a holistic approach. IBM HR set up clear, standardised policies to avoid any different interpretations.”

She notes that more than 60% of IBM’s global workforce is mobile most of the time, especially in the case of customer-facing employees.

A top-down approach is taken to promote telecommuting. “IBM leaders and HR personnel emphasise to their colleagues that the organisation does not place much importance on their physical presence in the workplace, but rather on their performance accountability,” highlights Sim. IBM uses a variety of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) to suit the needs of its employees. An employee in the Mobility Programme generally does not have a dedicated work station at the company and is [digitally] equipped to work from home or even at a client’s location. Mostly, customer-facing employees take up this programme.

They also have staggered work times so instead of the usual 9am to 5pm, they could choose hours such as 7.30am to 4pm, or 9.30am to 6.00pm, or whatever gives them the flexibility to handle both work and personal commitments.

Employees can also choose from the Part-time Programme or Work-Life Leave Programme, both of which allows for shorter working hours. Workers under the Part-Time Programme typically work 20-hr weeks whereas the Work-Life Leave Programme allows employees to

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work between 16 to 32 hours per week. They are also entitled to unpaid leave for 22 days over a six-month period, in blocks of five days or less.

Similarly, American Express International provides several initiatives to help its employees with flexible work arrangements. Cargan explains that work-style options for employees include shared workspaces at the office, to mobile & drop-in at the office and home office.

The organisation’s employees who generally work at home for three days a week or more are also given provision to set up their home office while those who work at different locations can “reserve their workspace at both offices for the day and time they need it,” she adds.

Maintaining mobility

Offering flexible work options is a definite plus for employers and employees alike but that does not mean it is easy. Managing a mobile workforce comes with a set of challenges, but the key to overcoming issues is communication, say experts.

With team members working in different locations, managers need to maintain communication in order to ensure that business goals are met.

“Communication from HR is important to equip managers and employees with necessary resources and awareness about working effectively while mobile, or on other flexible work options,” explains Sim. IBM has an intranet portal where HR has posted clear policies as well as materials regarding telecommuting for both managers’ and employees’ easy reference, she says. Moreover, the organisation trusts its employees to deliver on their commitments. “Employees are also responsible for ensuring that they can be contacted by their colleagues at all times, and that their business goals are met,” she adds.

Managers in American Express International have several ways of communicating with their employees and even those in remote locations can be contacted via teleconferencing. Also, employees have regular oneon-one sessions with direct leaders (and skip level leaders), to review and discuss work progress and share feedback.

Subsequently, the organisation keeps track of its employees’ performance through a comprehensive performance review. This helps the bank evaluate employees “in both what and how they deliver results against goals set in the beginning of year,” states Cargan.

Employers also say that working away from the office has other obstacles such as employees having less contact with their colleagues, professionally and socially. Cargan says that with teleconferencing capabilities, American Express employees can keep in constant contact with each other. Moreover, all its employees and even those at home can issue 11.11

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“The implementation of any flexibility programme in the workplace requires a holistic approach.

IBM HR set up clear, standardised policies to avoid any different interpretations” Charmaine Sim, HR Director, IBM Singapore

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interact with each other through events that several network groups organise regularly.

Similarly, Sim says that new employees “might require some more assistance to orient themselves to IBM’s culture of flexibility”, especially if they have come from an organisation with a different company culture. In order to help these new hires, IBM assigns a buddy to help them navigate the company and culture. Also, they can approach managers or HR for further advice.

Currently, there are many organisations that have not turned to flexible working options for their employees, but some employers say it is a matter of time before they recognise the benefits. “I believe more and more organisations will find it important to create flexible choices for employees to manage their lives, careers and personal aspirations,” concludes Cargan.

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Kelly has been at the forefront of the recruitment industry for over 60 years and has set the industry benchmark with our innovative recruitment and retention strategies. We pride ourselves in delivering a high level of customer service and providing the right talent in accordance with our clients’ requirements. All our candidates undergo a stringent screening process to ensure they are the best possible fit for the job.

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corporate learning case study

Training to

serve

The service industry is an area in constant upheaval, what with the recent addition of the two integrated resorts. Thus, training is key if the industry is to attract and retain its talent. F J Benjamin’s Divisional Manager – HR, Terence Lim, tells HRM more about training at the retail giant

By Shalini Shukla-Pandey

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of our people at every level of the organisation,” says Terence Lim, F J Benjamin’s Divisional Manager – HR. “We recognise the true value of our people, and investing in them is a top priority.”

For instance, when many smaller retailers hire new sales associates, only basic training in how to operate the cash register is provided. They start work immediately without knowing the finer points of service, or how to handle different situations that inevitably arise in-store. F J Benjamin believes that by the time new staff enter its boutiques, they should already possess the mind-set and skills needed to provide customers with an exceptional experience. “I think it’s evident that without training, service suffers,” says Lim.

Clocking the hours

Clocking over 22,000 hours in employee training since 2009 is no mean feat. The luxury and lifestyle retailer accomplished this through mandatory basic service training as well as advanced specialised programmes like foreign language courses and ‘Styling for Success’ – a course that equips retail staff with working knowledge of the fundamentals of fashion styling techniques.

Glen Tan, Training Executive, conducting The company adopts a styling training with Raoul staff practical approach when planning The number of training schedules for personnel. employee training As most of F J Benjamin’s shops hours F J Benjamin has he name behind fashion and are already running a tight ship, clocked since 2009 lifestyle brands like Banana the training department has its Republic, Gap, La Senza, and work cut out for it.

RAOUL, and timepiece brands such as Guess “Our training section works hand-in-hand Watches, Nautica and Victorinox, F J Benjamin with our retail operations to find suitable times Holdings Ltd has a significant foothold in the for training,” says Lim. “There is commitment service sector. While the industry has immense on both sides to make it work, because we talent management challenges such as understand the importance of customer service.” traditionally high attrition rates and other For instance, HR works around major sale recruitment issues, F J Benjamin still looks to periods, as well as manpower requirements, even develop its people through training. increasing the number of available training dates Being squarely in the service industry, the to accommodate lean store headcounts. group invests heavily in upgrading the service Operations managers also frequently adjust quality of its retail staff with regular and their rosters to ensure that everyone in their brand consistent training. “Our multiple industry has the opportunity to be trained. Furthermore, a sector-topping performance in the Retail Industry significant proportion of training is done on-theMystery Shopping (RIMS) is testament to the job, within the work environment, which allows effectiveness of our training, and the dedication flexibility in terms of venue and timing.

“We teach our staff to be tactfully genuine – if something doesn’t look good on you, our staff will find you something else – no patronising, no disingenuous advice” Terence Lim, Divisional Manager – HR, F J Benjamin Holdings

22,000

T

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This year, F J Benjamin hopes to develop new Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) modules to enhance its training capability, as well as increase the number of staff trained through the WSQ framework. “In previous years, SPUR funding has been a great aid to our budget, and needless to say, we will miss its demise,” says Lim. The Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) was a funding scheme developed to subsidise training programmes during the economic downturn and was made available until 30 November 2010.

Training leaders

However, that has not deterred F J Benjamin from partnering with Temasek Polytechnic to avail the WSQ Diploma in Retail Management certification to senior retail operations staff in late 2008, at the height of the recession. Its inaugural intake graduated in July last year. The second batch of promising staff is currently attending the diploma course.

The course includes modules that address such areas as merchandising, service excellence

Trained to style Beyond conventional training programmes concerned with customer relations and selling skills, F J Benjamin Holdings introduced a ‘Styling for Success’ programme that covers the fundamentals of fashion and essential styling techniques.

“Have you ever gone shopping, and come out of the fitting room with an ill-fitting outfit, only to be told by the sales staff that you looked ‘great’?,” asks Terence Lim, F J Benjamin’s Divisional Manager – HR. “At F J Benjamin, our priority is to make sure our customers truly look great in our apparel and accessories, and ‘Styling For Success’ helps our staff identify different customers’ shapes, and how to help them dress their best.”

Staff are taught basic colour theory to help customers match their apparel to their skin tone. When sales associates help customers mix and match, they know what they’re doing. “We teach our staff to be tactfully genuine – if something doesn’t look good on you, our staff will find you something else – no patronising, no disingenuous advice.”

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and retail operations to marketing strategies and finance. The holistic programme ensures that employees will acquire critical retail knowledge while applying a wide range of capabilities for decision making in a dynamic environment.

With course fees fully subsidised by the WDA and F J Benjamin, 10 promising senior level candidates are selected to undergo a rigorous 17-month course each year, graduating with a Diploma in Retail Management on completion.

Employees have to undergo a stringent selection process to qualify for enrolment. Besides positive performance appraisal ratings, they must display aptitude and potential to be groomed for management positions within their organisation.

“These are staff we have earmarked as potential future leaders,” says Lim. “Of course, there are many factors that determine their future with the company, however, sponsoring their diplomas shows our commitment to providing professional academic opportunities for our employees’ career progression.”

This highly successful endeavour has highlighted the value of WSQ to the industry, and to F J Benjamin. Staff have had the double benefit of graduating with a nationallyrecognised diploma, while at the same time applying what they have learnt on the sales floor. Many of those from the July graduation were promoted, and are now part of vibrant leadership teams in the company’s numerous brands.

“The feedback so far has been fantastic, with our diploma students saying that the programme has helped them gain a bird’s-eye view of how the

corporate learning case study

Talking the talk With statistics from the Singapore Tourism Board showing a rise in travellers from destinations such as the Middle East, Russia, Thailand and China, foreign language classes conducted now include those in Arabic, Russian, Thai and Mandarin languages, which aim to equip staff with the ability to provide top-notch service to this emerging group of customers.

organisation works, and how various departments and processes integrate with each other,” says Lim.

Learning principles

In any organisation, a vision is set from the top.

The group’s CEO has long held the belief that “employers have a responsibility to provide personnel with professional academic opportunities that will enable their career progression”. The company has stood behind his words steadfastly.

“Our approach to talent management is to identify potential leaders and groom them for higher positions,” says Lim.

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For example, most of the individuals who were earmarked to attend the diploma programme have just recently been promoted to supervisory roles where their experience, leadership potential, and learning can come together, enabling them to lead more effectively.

“When someone is promoted in F J Benjamin, we also want to equip them with new skills that they will need for their new roles and responsibilities; promoting someone without equipping them adequately is counterproductive and can hinder more than help them,” says Lim. To stay ahead in the fast-paced service industry, F J Benjamin is also embarking on a landmark analysis throughout the organisation to determine if the training needs of staff at every level – from senior management right down to front-line staff in stores – can be met more effectively.

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feature

Future-proofing your talent pool One of the challenges facing HR in its role as a strategic business partner is talent management. HRM finds out how some organisations are planning ahead to develop and retain their best employees for the long-haul

By Sumathi V Selvaretnam

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D

rawing in the best and brightest in the field is just one part of the battle for talent. Engaging and retaining these prized employees continues to be a perennial challenge for many organisations looking to expand their businesses into the future.

In fact, talent management is one of the top issues keeping leaders awake at night. A majority of global CEOs (66%) fear that talent shortages will stunt their company’s growth, according to the 14th Annual Global CEO Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers. This is prompting 75% of US CEOs to plan “some or major change” to their organisation’s talent management strategy over the next 12 months, the survey found.

Talent management and leadership development also continue to be the largest HR challenges in Europe. Yet 60% of executives who participated in a survey by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said that they have no systematic or strategic approach in place to win, develop or retain suitable talents for future requirements.

The BCG survey also found that growing talent does not happen overnight. Some 53% of the top-performing organisations (measured by revenue and growth over the past three years) have already established an integrated strategy to recruit, develop and retain suitable talents. In contrast, only 27% of the less successful companies have done so.

“Talent development takes time. Companies need to take a long-term perspective and plan the size and composition of their talent pool in accordance with their corporate strategy,” says Dr Rainer Strack, senior partner and global topic coleader for People Advantage and HR at BCG, and an author of the report.

Planning for the future

Helping employees map their career paths is not only critical for retention but also for an organisation’s continued growth.

“Succession planning is important because it ensures we will have the talent we need tomorrow to support the strategies that we are investing in today,” says Alvin Chan Kit Wan, HR Director, Asia issue 11.11

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“Talent management could be described as the process of acquiring new chess pieces and polishing existing chess pieces while succession planning would be the deployment of chess pieces on the board game” Alvin Chan Kit Wan, HR director, Asia Talent Management and Learning and Development, Celestica

Talent Management and Learning and Development, Celestica.

Talent management could be described as the process of acquiring new chess pieces and polishing existing chess pieces, while succession planning would be the deployment of chess pieces on the board game, Chan explains.

It is critical that talent management is aligned with an organisation’s strategic objectives.

“We want to make sure that we have talent ready to be deployed in key growth areas that are going to be the future of the company,” says Chan. “That’s only going to happen if we have talent management in place to support effective succession planning.”

At Celestica, management identifies the positions that are critical to the execution of its strategy across all locations and functions. HR then works with the incumbents of these critical positions to create effective succession plans, says Chan. These are reviewed on a regular basis at a regional level, and then finally at a global level.

Identifying capability gaps

How ready is your workforce to meet future business needs?

Assessing the capability gaps in your organisation will help you understand if an employee has the necessary skills and abilities for a future role.

It is necessary for HR to play a proactive role in identifying these gaps. Succession planning at Dow Chemical Pacific, for example, + What leadership competencies/attributes are required to drive our business includes an annual exercise to strategy and lead the evolution of the culture? How robust is our existing identify key talents and roles where leadership pipeline, and where are the risks? there are weaknesses or no obvious + What are the pivotal job families/roles most critical to executing our business successor. Once these are strategy? How will we differentiate talent strategies/investments accordingly? identified, the company creates + What are the implications for skill development, given our business strategy? + What are our existing/emerging talent requirements in the various markets we on-the-job experiences to fill the serve, and how will we attract/deploy the right talent to these markets? perceived gaps. + How can we optimise investments in talent and reward programmes to achieve “We have assessment tools to the right performance outcomes and evolve the culture? help us, and the leaders identify + Does the talent function have the right structure, capabilities and people to these gaps and come up with ideas deliver value to the organisation at the right cost? on how to close them,” says Butch Source: From the report, ‘Managing Talent in Tough Times: A Tipping Point for Talent Management?’

Clas, HR Director for Southeast

by Towers Perrin Asia, Australia-New Zealand and India at Dow Chemical Pacific.

Building a talent agenda for the future

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feature CONGRESS

SERIES

3rd Annual

TALENT MANAGEMENT CONGRESS 2011 Technologically-driven succession planning tools are becoming increasingly popular among organisations seeking a bird’s eye view of their workforce. Such tools can help determine the bench strength needed for future roles as well as highlight an employee’s potential, past performance, retention risk and training needs – all at the click of a mouse.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore 23 & 24 November 2011 The 3rd Annual Talent Management Congress 2011 is a two-day event featuring leading speakers from the world of HR. Each will be sharing their expertise along with winning talent management practices, strategies, internal case-studies and invaluable take-home action plans.

Training and development

Offering employees the right training and development opportunities is a critical component of talent management. According to the 2011 Employee Engagement Report by BlessingWhite, employees view opportunities to apply their talents, and for career development and training as top drivers of satisfaction.

When skills gaps are identified at Dow Chemical Pacific, it conducts training for key company-based competencies as well as functional and business requirements. The company also runs a week-long academy once or twice a year, where external contacts are brought in to talk about business and economics. Internal leaders talk about the challenges and opportunities in the Asia-Pacific. “It’s a very well-run curriculum which encourages key talents to open themselves up to new ideas and gives them face-to-face time with key leaders,” says Clas. The programme also allows leaders to look at the abilities of key talents and interact with them in a way that day-to-day business dealings may not allow.

It is never too early to start grooming employees for future roles.

Some people are quick learners and have natural leadership skills and the ability to take risks while others need more time to mature and grow, says Clas. “The key is to make sure that people have discussions with their leaders, and that their leaders commit to the development and growth of their organisation.”

A world-class program of international experts & business leaders:

Soldiering on in lean times

HR experts agree that talent management initiatives should continue, even in lean times. The company has to prioritise and make the most of limited resources, says Clas. “You have to find pragmatic ways to get the most out of these initiatives and sometimes there are very low cost ideas which can be suitable short-term solutions,” he explains.

At Dow Chemical Pacific, when a senior leader like the Asia Pacific President or Executive Committee member visits a key location, the company ensures that they meet up with top employees to discuss organisational strategies and their views on specific initiatives. “This is a very low cost way to reach out to key talents and make them feel appreciated,” Clas says.

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Jacki Nicholas Managing Partner THE AIR INSTITUTE

Ajay MK Director of HR & Change Management COLGATE PALMOLIVE

Devyani Vaishampayan Group Vice President, Human Resources AET TANKERS

Butch Clas HR Director for SE Asia/Australia-New Zealand/India DOW CHEMICAL PACIFIC

Don Yeo Yong Kiang Deputy Chief Executive Officer CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND BOARD

Soumitra Goupta Regional Director Human Resources Asia & CEMEAA TEMPLETON ASSET MANAGEMENT

Deepak Bharara Director – Corporate HR LANCO INFRATECH LIMITED

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Alvin Chan Kit Wan HR Director, Asia Talent Management and Learning & Development CELESTICA

Giauw Ling Lee Head of Talent, Leadership and Organisation Development APAC and India Region NOKIA SIEMENS NETWORKS

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feature

Coaching for success Research shows that more companies are engaging coaches to help their employees achieve business goals. HRM speaks to these companies to find out how coaching has helped with developing leaders and their teams while maximising their ROI

By Priya de Langen

A

global study, The Coaching Conundrum, revealed that in Asia, 49% of employees receive coaching from their current managers and 69% of that group indicated that their job performance has improved. Results also showed that 88% of managers (respondents) across the globe believed that the time spent coaching their team members has helped to achieve their goals.

This is just one of the numerous studies conducted on the topic and experts say that business and executive coaching helps organisations maximise the skills of employees and their leaders in order to achieve set business goals.

However, experts and employers alike state that in order for organisations to make coaching part of their workplace practice, management and HR should have clear goals and ensure that they communicate them to employees.

Coaching maximises potential

Chee Nian Tze, general manager, Group Human Resources at Robinsons Group of Companies, says that coaching is part of the organisation’s learning and development and it is also a “tool we use in developing high performance culture.”

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Robinsons Group of Companies offers coaching for its teams as well as its leaders. Chee states that the company started providing coaching for teams a few years ago in order to “help them set and achieve desired outcomes on team projects”.

This team coaching is generally goals-specific where the team is given a project and then is coached to deliver it.

Also, it introduced executive coaching for leadership development two years ago. Executive leadership coaching comprises of “coaching for both personal growth and achieving professional goals,” Chee adds.

Similarly, another organisation that has used coaching successfully for years is Sony. Virendra Shelar, Head of Recruitment & Talent Development (AMEA), Sony Electronics Asia Pacific, states that coaching has been part of Sony culture for a long time and the organisation has engaged coaches at various levels “depending on the professional and personal development needs.”

Besides utilising external business coaches, Sony is interested in developing coaches internally.

It is currently developing a leadership development programme in which coaching will be

feature

an integral part of the programme, Shelar explains.

Managers will be trained in coaching techniques and will learn how to use them in order to effectively lead their teams.

This programme will help train Sony managers and involve them in coaching their subordinates, Shelar adds. The senior managers will coach midlevel managers, who will in turn coach the junior managers. Junior managers may also be involved in coaching new hires. For executive coaching, managers will have a minimum of one hour of interaction per month for one year with their coaches.

Both organisations have seen positive results by engaging coaches as well as adopting a coaching culture. Chee says that the organisation has seen improvements, especially in the area of executive coaching for leadership development.

“The senior business leaders tend to be busy and time is a luxury. Coaching allows them to acquire leadership and personal development in a more time-efficient manner.” Moreover, she says that teams that have been coached are more committed in their deliverables.

Sony has received positive feedback from employees through performance appraisals as well as through discussions between the coach and coachee. Also, the organisation finds that coaching has been especially useful for employees who have transferred to another country. It helps them “to

understand the new culture and helps them perform better in a new work environment,” Shelar adds.

Promoting coaching in organisations

Experts and employers alike highlight that HR and management have a key role to play when it comes to encouraging a coaching culture in the workplace – from adopting a proper framework to specifying specific goals and communicating them to key stakeholders. Employers also state that HR and managers need to have a good understanding of how coaching can help their organisations. + Have set goals in mind before launching Shelar emphasises that a coaching programme “coaching needs to be part of the + Communicate to key stakeholders the system rather than a one-off objectives and the outcome of coaching + Choose the right coach who will be able activity. It will also need to deliver set business goals commitment from both the coach + Train managers to become coaches in and coachee to make the order to promote coaching top-down programme a success” and in order to do so, organisations need to create the right environment.

HR needs to put in place specific processes in the organisation and then help govern it.

Communicating to key stakeholders about coaching and involving senior managers as coaches will help to lead by example, he notes. Chee affirms

Develop a coaching culture

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23 February 2012, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

Coming Soon: Finalists Announced

Thank you for your nominations and for helping to support great HR. Nomination entries are now closed.

All the Finalists for the following categories will be announced in the next issue of HRM: Award Categories

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feature

this, saying that HR and managers should inform those who are being coached “on the desirable outcome of coaching and how different this will be compared with the usual way of doing things.”

However, experts and employers state that managers should understand the several dos and don’ts when it comes to coaching in order to make it successful.

The Coaching Conundrum research paper highlighted that coaching should not be confused by managers as a performance feedback and it is not “something you do to employees”. A majority of respondents in the survey revealed that they preferred that managers let them think through issues and solve them on their own.

Shelar notes: “Coaching is about helping employees improve their performance by defining their own plan of action.”

The road ahead

“Coaching needs to be part of the system rather than a one-off activity.

It will also need commitment from both the coach and coachee to make the programme a success” Virendra Shelar, Head of Recruitment & Talent Development (AMEA), Sony Electronics Asia Pacific

Employers say that adopting a coaching culture takes time and it comes with its own set of challenges, which might prevent organisations from adopting it in the first place. Chee explains that in the case of executive coaching, “it is more sensitive as the person who is being coached may feel uncomfortable sharing his or her inner thoughts with an unfamiliar person,” she says.

However, she says that the Robinsons Group did not have major problems in adopting coaching as HR spent time communicating to employees and managers about the benefits of coaching before the programmes were started.

Shelar says that Sony could anticipate some challenges such as “view towards coaching, competence of our managers and the governance process.” However, he concludes that a third party unbiased view would help employees, and that managers will help them see the big picture. issue 11.11

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mice feature

Walking the

office party tightrope

Office parties can be a tricky affair for HR professionals organising such events. How can you keep a balance between having fun and being prepared for potential problems? HRM looks at how to hold the ‘party to remember’– for the right reasons, of course

By Vivien Shiao Shufen

I

t’s the time of the year again for the annual office party. Love it or hate it, office parties are a significant event on the calendar for most companies. It provides the opportunity for everyone to let their hair down and mingle in an environment that differs from the ordinary. However, throwing a fabulous party is not without its problems.

Office parties have often been likened to walking on a tightrope for HR professionals planning and running them. On one hand, they should be exciting enough for employees to enjoy themselves and have a good time. On the other,

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there are a multitude of potential pitfalls that one could fall into, which could lead to disastrous consequences for both the employees and the company. It is crucial, then, for HR to create a balance between fun and caution, in order for a party to truly rock.

Purposeful partying

In order to have good, clean fun, HR must be clear from the very beginning as to what the purpose for the party is. Taking the time to sit down and plan what HR hopes to achieve will go a long way towards preparing for possible negative scenarios and preventing such incidents from occurring in the first place.

According to Gabriel Yang, media and events manager from e27 Singapore, a media organisation that focuses on Asian tech start-ups, parties serve the purpose of having “a casual catch-up for everyone in a friendly environment”. It’s a good gauge to see how everyone is doing.

For Smith Leong from Waddup! Events, parties are meant to show appreciation for employees and to motivate them. “It is more about giving them a sense of belonging,” says Leong. “We just want to create a fun environment for everyone and not focus so much on work during internal parties.”

Grace Yong, marketing and communications manager at Singapore Marriott Hotel, agrees with his philosophy.

“Office parties help to create a sense of bonding within the company and enhance the quality of life at work,” she says. “Memories is one of the most significant are shared over a good time of feasting and reasons for office parties merry-making.”

Team bonding is one of the most significant reasons for office parties and if HR keeps that objective in mind, it will impact the way the party is planned and executed. It may not be the panacea for the perfect office party, but it does help make office parties meaningful.

TEAM BONDING

Party planning

You do not always have to use a professional party planner to plan a fancy party. Many organisations actually prefer to do it on their own not just because of the lower costs involved, but also to get employees involved and excited about the event.

According to Aaron Boekestein, business director of PHD Singapore, typical parties by Omnicom Media Group (which they are a part of) are “hugely interactive” where everyone feels like they are contributing to the fun.

“Each year, Omnicom Media Group Singapore pulls together a new organisational committee to drive the party’s theme, coordination, activities, logistics and location,” says Boekestein.

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mice feature

Top tips for office celebrations + Be upfront with employees that they are expected to behave responsibly + Let employees know if it is alright to bring their spouses or partners + Reinvent the office party concept by trying out something new + Make it the office party of choice – have plenty of non-alcoholic drinks available + Remember to check the dietary needs of staff + Designate party managers to take care of different aspects + Arrange alternative transportation in advance + Stop serving alcohol before the party ends

Marriott employees getting into the festive spirit

“Our Christmas parties are always coordinated and managed by the staff,” he emphasises. “Each year we try to place someone new at the helm of the organising committee who can provide new perspective and direction, which keeps each party fresh.”

Although staff are expected to chip in, the HR department usually starts the ball rolling by initiating party plans, says Yong.

When employees have a say in the type of party they want, chances are that it won’t be a boring party where people are eager to leave.

Rockin’ parties

With the employees at the helm, it is not difficult to organise a rockin’ party. At Marriott, no matter what kind of office party it is, ranging from hotel-wide to departmental ones, food is always the employees’ main priority.

“Food is the main highlight of the party and the menu always follows a theme,” explains Yong. “Most recently, our Rooms department threw a party to celebrate Hari Raya Puasa. Associates of all races and nationalities participated by bringing home-cooked Malay food and dressed up in traditional clothing.”

Games and activities also help liven up such celebrations. During Christmas, Yong recounts that the Sales and Marketing department typically throws a Christmas party with activities like “Best Dressed Contest” and other festive games.

As for Omnicom Media Group, Boekestein says that the whole company is divided into groups and assigned a theme and a brief. “Each team then choreographs a performance based on their assigned team,” he describes.

“As we make our way through the teams throughout the night, the later performers tend to be the best – they’ve had more time to pluck up their ‘Dutch courage’!” he laughs.

According to him, nothing kills the buzz more than when half the crowd leaves before the night gets going. Leong agrees with this, saying that the biggest problem he faces when it comes to office parties at Waddup! Events is that some people just want to go home right after dinner instead of joining in the party events.

To tackle this issue, Omnicom Media Group came up with some interesting ways to keep people there.

“We like to hand out vouchers and lucky-door prizes throughout the night,” Boekestein says. “It always helps to have a grand prize at the end of the night.”

He adds that the performances throughout the night tend to keep everyone entertained and involved for the whole evening.

Party poopers

That being said, too much of a good thing might be a recipe for disaster. Balancing fun with precautionary measures is a tough tightrope to walk, and HR should be aware of the potential entanglements that companies can get snared in. This way, they can better prepare for possible eventualities.

Having a food crisis is the last thing anyone would want at a party. In a multi-cultural society like Singapore, it is vital to remember that there may be employees of various religious beliefs who may be vegetarian or unable to eat

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mice feature

WebsiteÊ:Êwww.chinoisspa.com.sgÊÊÊ|ÊÊÊEmailÊ:ÊÊcontact@chinoisspa.com.sg

mice feature

“Don’t hand over your full beverage budget at the beginning of the evening – instead, ration it throughout the night”

certain foods. Ignoring their dietary needs only shows insensitivity and a lack of concern about staff.

“Sometimes, we find catering companies don’t cater for halal or kosher cuisine,” says Boekestein.

“This is an oversight unique to the APAC region, and something to consider when party planning for 100-over employees.”

Next comes the perennial love-hate relationship that party planners have with alcohol. Although alcohol is generally seen as a necessity for employees to ‘loosen up’ and become more relaxed, it comes with a multitude of problems. For one, there will always be employees who get so bedazzled with the idea of free unlimited booze that they guzzle down far too much.

“Sometimes people take on new personas when they have hit the free-flow bar Aaron Boekestein, a little hard over the course of the evening,” says Boekestein.

Business Director, Such lapses from usual behaviour may be detrimental for one’s professional PHD Singapore reputation, for instance, consider the ramifications of the usually-reserved intern doing a striptease in front of the whole company. Likewise, seeing employees pass out drunk is not going to earn them brownie points with the boss. Although parties are usually considered a break from the ordinary work day, the behaviour of employees during such events is still being observed.

However, one’s reputation aside, there are greater acts of danger that could happen due to the overconsumption of alcohol.

“Once, an ex-colleague disappeared during the party,” shares Leong. “We searched all over for him and discovered that he had driven home in a drunken stupor.

He did not even remember driving home that night!”

These are very real problems when employees consume too much alcohol which could be rectified in several ways. Before the night begins, a gentle reminder never hurts by way of telling employees that moderation is Halloween horror at Omnicom Media Group the new sexy. Moreover, what happens during the office party does not always stay in the party – it is unlikely that you would wish to see embarrassing pictures or videos of yourself on YouTube or Facebook. So, it helps to keep a tab on the drinks.

“The best way to manage the situation is to monitor the bar tab,” advises Boekestein. “Don’t hand over your full beverage budget at the beginning of the evening – instead, ration it throughout the night.”

Although problems such as sexual harassment and drunken fights may not be particularly widespread occurrences in Asia, they must not be overlooked.

Remember – the office party is still considered an extension of the normal work environment even if it is at a separate venue and outside normal working hours.

Getting involved in litigation issues will only embroil your organisation in a messy legal battle and ruin the reputation of the company.

Office parties may be the equivalent of walking on a tightrope, but with adequate planning and preparation, there is no reason why HR cannot keep its balance. Let’s drink to that!

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restaurants

The Keystone to

Culinary Delight

E

ver wondered where to go for an intimate fine dining experience in the heart of the Central Business District? Well, the secret is out for newly opened Keystone Restaurant, which offers progressive interpretations of Modern European cuisine.

Tucked away at a quiet location along Stanley Street, the restaurant’s grey and black interiors, and wooden floors exude a Zen-like calmness- a perfect respite for the harried business executive.

KeyStone is open for both lunch and dinner.

Diners wanting to sample a breadth of the restaurant’s offerings could try the set lunch or the eight-course degustation menu.

Starters from the a la carte menu that cannot be missed include the Kagoshima Macchiato that consists of three elements- white corn, Alaskan king crab and foie gras jam. Another standout

would be the sarlat foie gras, which is also offered in the degustation menu.

Special mentions go out to the highly raved Rangers Valley Filet Mignon, 149 degrees Blackmore Wagyu Brisket and Wild Monkfish dishes. Paired with creamy polenta and tomato gum, the Wagyu Brisket come with a marble score of 9+, with the meat being sous-vide (“vacuum cooked”) until deliciously tender and melt-in-the mouth good. The wild monkfish was paired with a lobster bisque that was rich and simply heavenly.

Do make sure that there is still room for dessert. The Nutella Bar with toffee banana is a divine experience and the Brulee Valrhona Tart oozes chocolate beautifully when cut open.

Keystone seats 50 people, with private dining options available for up to 20 guests.

+ Keystone Restaurant 11 Stanley Street, Singapore 068730 + Tel: +65 62210046 + Email: info@keystonerestaurant.com.sg + Web: www.keystonerestaurant.com.sg

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profile Park Avenue

Going the “G

extra mile

ood morning Park Avenue,” says a peppy spontaneous voice through the receiver. If every voice could carry an expression, this is definitely a smiling one. Assistant Director with Park Avenue Hotels & Suites, Serenena Koo makes sure that her Marketing Team, made up of entirely ladies, always greets their potential clients with their best front.

The Customer is King

While every room in Park Avenue has been designed with the savvy business traveller to Asia in mind, the cherry on top of the Park Avenue experience is the personalised service and attention dedicated to guests. Park Avenue’s service philosophy goes by ‘everyone plays a PART’, with PART representing: Personable service spirit, Accommodating, Reliable and Team synergy.

With over a decade’s experience in the Hospitality field, Koo, will always tell her ladies that a typical day at Park Avenue is never typical in her seven years with the company. Having the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, is the part of

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Park Avenue Marketing Team

the job Koo and her team look forward to everyday. This crowd includes Japanese, American, European and Australian expatriates, who typically stay at Park Avenue for periods of between two to three months, and sometimes as long as three years.

However, not every day is a bed of roses. The ladies have to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances such as early check-outs as well as manage expectations and handle nasty feedback from their guests. While others might lose their cool trying to put things back in place, these professionals are trained to handle such issues with decorum. Most importantly, this is made possible only because of their genuine interest to serve and go that extra mile to get things solved.

Good Service is Good Business

Indeed, service is the cornerstone of Park Avenue’s brand, which Anita Kwan, the Director of Hospitality Services at United Engineers, understands well. Kwan shares, ‘A solid brand can command a premium in pricing…That’s why Park Avenue can maintain an average occupancy rate of 90%

year round throughout the years and becomes a household name among the corporates.’ Winning numerous accolades from both the business and hospitality arena, especially the Excellent Service Award for the past decade, is the best form of recognition to these ladies.

With its opening in January 2012, Park Avenue Rochester will be the only 4-star hotel in Singapore’s West, conveniently situated near the popular biotech R&D cluster at one-north, the Science Parks and National University Hospital (National University Singapore). Other than Rochester, Park Avenue’s serviced suites are located at Clemenceau and Robertson.

Another new development, Park Avenue Changi, is also due to open in 2012.

H

www.parkavenueintl.com

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

ome

njoy coming

E

Clemenceau | Robertson | Rochester | Changi

A Prestige residence to cAll home

twenty-four seven 2.00pm As South Asia Shared

Doreen Cheah HR Manager, Brady Corporation Asia

Services Leader, I am responsible for the improvements and maintenance of our global HRIS system. I check for any outstanding or unusual transactions that requires troubleshooting or assistance. I have a weekly teleconference with the South Asia Shared Services Team to discuss issues encountered the past week to resolve issues and answer queries.

8.30am Make my usual cup of Milo for

11.15am As I am pretty new to my

3.00pm I meet with the department

my daily sugar boost. I boot up my notebook and go through documents in my in-tray.

role, I take some time to look into current HR processes and implement new ways to streamline it.

heads to sort out their operation needs, such as manpower planning, talent management, L&D programmes, etc.

9.00am Read through the sea of emails

12.00pm Lunch time! We drive out to

4.30pm Talent acquisition time – meet

in my mailbox and plan my to-do list.

the nearby food centre. After eating and catching up with my lunch mates, we head back.

up with potential candidates, hoping to fill the vacancies with talents who will add value to the company.

1.00pm I go through my mailbox

5.40pm Time to head home to start my

again for matters that need my immediate response.

second job – tutoring my 2 kids and spending some family time together!

10.30am Review the Manpower and Staffing Plan together with my Recruitment Specialist to discuss challenges of current staffing activities and strategies to attract talent.

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viewpoint British Council

Divided by a Common Language?

Stephen Jenner, Director of the British Council Professional Development Centre in Singapore, shares some reflections on the place of English in today’s world

G

eorge Bernard Shaw famously said that England and America were two countries ‘divided by a common language’. Jump a century ahead to an exchange on Facebook I read recently: “Went to see Contagion and woke up this morning with a sore throat and sore head! Was it contagious?” “haha..hp not cz v saw contagion yesterday bt so far v r ok 2day!”

One of the speakers above is a native speaker, but which strain of English is the other speaker using? How did we get to this? Things have become a lot more complicated since Shaw’s time.

Global English has developed rapidly since the days of colonialism, when the Queen’s English ruled the world as the Queen’s navy ruled the seas. At decolonialism, the British left many of their institutions in ‘host’ countries, including their language. This language dividend meant more countries could now do business with each other directly, but it also meant a gradual transfer of ownership, as local dialects of the language developed.

So we entered the period of Englishes.

Not all former colonies took the same language path. Lee Kuan Yew’s promotion of English as the first, ‘Master’ language of Singapore, gave the new nation a huge competitive advantage it still enjoys today. In India, Nehru’s new government declared Hindi the National language with English an Associate National language, and regional languages in third place. The ‘tri- language’ policy had far-reaching consequences, as south Indian states chose the language of the

Stephen

jenner Director – British Council Professional Development Centre, Singapore former coloniser rather than the new rulers to the north. Travel in North and South India today and you will see widely differing levels of English fluency.

Mr Lee’s prediction at the launch of the English Language Institute of Singapore last month, that American English will be ‘most likely to prevail’, might have bothered George Bernard Shaw, but it does get to the heart of the question; which standard of English do we adopt in today’s globalised world? Here I would offer two criteria; communicability and audience. In the Facebook excerpt above I understand the response, although I do not recognise the language as my own. The response achieves its purpose (it communicates meaning) and is also appropriate for the context. It would certainly not be appropriate if the audience were a boardroom of executives.

So, standard is a moveable feast.

A recent Harvard Business Review article describes how the imposition of English as the first language in a German company actually disempowered employees from using English, because not enough thought went into the impact

this would have on the wide range of communicative situations in the company.

The article concludes: “We are all capable of code-switching, not only among languages but between playful and sober, casual and formal, hyperlocal and widely accessible. The more adept we are at that, the more accurately, authentically and productively we will be able to communicate - and to think - in a complex, interconnected world.”

We do not need to be divided by our common language. But we do not need to speak only one version of it either. + The author welcomes comments on this article, by email to stephen.jenner@britishcouncil.org.sg, or on Twitter @sdjenner. + At the British Council Professional Development Centre we offer a range of soft skills and English training for professionals.

We work with some of the biggest Singapore companies and public sector bodies and we train over 8,000 professionals a year. + British Council Professional Development Centre 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, 09-01 HDB Hub East Wing + Tel: 63972022 + Web: www.britishcouncil.org.sg/corporate-training issue 11.11

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resources

Enhancing inner work lives

A

s a manager, you need to know what motivates employees, say Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, authors of The Progress Principle, Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement and Creativity at Work. To do that, leaders have to focus on the inner work lives of their employees, characterised as the confluence of perceptions, emotions, and motivations that individuals experience as they react to and make sense of the events of their workday.

The book explains that workplace creativity and highly engaged employees are not the result of mere benefits and incentives. The secret is creating the conditions for great inner work life- the conditions that foster positive emotions, strong internal motivation, and favourable perceptions of colleagues and the work itself.

The authors show how leaders can foster progress and enhance the inner work lives of workers through an extensive analysis of almost 12,000 diary entries written by hundreds of employees in different organisations.

Providing liberal usage of anecdotes throughout the book, it offers an inside look at the thoughts and emotions of workers.

For example, one employee named Helen was very appreciative when her project manager gave her time off during the day to attend important personal, family functions.

As a result of her manager’s small deed, Helen had a good work day where she accomplished a lot and was praised by a customer.

The book shares the experiences of those who were employed by great managers who encouraged autonomy, set clear goals and provided the resources necessary to succeed.

Ultimately, the book reveals that The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins To in order for companies to motivate Ignite Joy, Engagement and Creativity at Work employees, they need to give people Authors: Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer something important to accomplish Published by: Harvard Business Review Press and furnish the resources required Retail Price: S$39.06 for workers to make real progress.

At a Glance

Employees First, Customers Second

E

veryone has heard the mantra that customers always come first, but Vineet Nayar is challenging this belief in his new book Employees First, Customers Second.

The book is a frank recount by Nayar on his experiences leading HCL Technologies and how it transformed from a $700 million dollar company that was losing market share to become a $2 billion dollar industry front-runner.

The main ingredient of success, as described by Nayar, was to put employees first – especially those described as the interface between the customer and HCL Technologies.

The book details how the company employed a number of relatively simple catalysts that produced surprisingly big results. An interesting thing to note about the book was that Nayar did not proceed in the traditional trajectory of other companies by instituting employee satisfaction programmes, undertaking any massive restructurings or pursuing any major technology initiatives to meet his goals. Instead, the company achieved its phenomenal turnaround through four

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phases – Mirror Mirror, Trust through Transparency and Inverting the Pyramid.

Mirror Mirror for example, was a process Nayar undertook by travelling around the world and speaking the truth about the company’s situation and turning employees’ eyes away from the past and towards a better future. Trust through Transparency involved creating a culture of trust and enable employees and managers to ask questions of each other.

Inverting the Pyramid made management accountable to employees.

The book is a fascinating case study that provides a frank and comprehensive look into how a company achieved success by focusing on their staff.

In Nayar’s own words, “when a company put its employees first, the customer actually does Employees First, Customers Second ultimately come first and gains the Author: Vineet Nayar greatest benefit, but in a far more Published by: Harvard Business Review Press Retail Price: S$42.75 transformative way”. This book shows you how.

At a Glance

talent ladder Tee Siew Lee HR Manager, Levi Strauss (Malaysia)

Shalina Gopalan

Senior Manager, Strategic HR Planning, Chemical Company of Malaysia

Tee Siew Lee has recently joined Levi Strauss Malaysia as their HR Manager. She was previously the Head of HR and Admin at ACE Synergy Insurance Berhad for six years.

With 14 years of experience as a HR generalist, Tee accepted her new position as it provides her with the opportunity to sharpen her skills in recruitment and manage a diverse workforce.

She is currently involved in the Wave 2 deployment of HR transformation which enables HR to run like a business and deliver greater value to the company.

In her new role, Tee hopes to actively engage and partner with her business leader in order to attract and retain top talent to support the growth of the organisation.

Shalina Gopalan has recently been appointed by the Chemical Company of Malaysia as the Senior Manager for Strategic HR Planning in Group HR. She is responsible for assisting the HR Director drive the talent management and leadership development agenda.

Prior to this, she was the Head of Learning for Celcom Axiata. Shalina is very passionate in coaching and has actively trained people to become coaches in previous companies. Her 14 years of experience in HR span organisational development, learning & development, talent management, developing competency frameworks, leadership development and performance development process.

Gopalan had previously worked in Auckland, New Zealand where she obtained her Lominger Leadership Architect and Team Architect certification from Korn & Ferry.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Mark Lim

Assistant HR Manager, Frigstad Offshore

Mark Lim has recently assumed the role of Assistant HR Manager for Frigstad Offshore. He was previously from Seadrill where he was a Senior HR Advisor for three years. This move was due to his aspiration to achieve the next level of hierarchy in the organisation and to have more opportunities in decision making.

Lim brings ten years of HR experience to the table, in addition to his previous employment history in engineering. He is keen to work in an organisation with strong leadership, sense of directive for people and one that compensates its human capital competitively.

In Lim’s new position, he would like to go forward in his career and assume management level leadership on an international scale to provide strategic insights for both the department and organisation as a whole. issue 11.11

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talent feature

Top five mistakes

candidates make in job interviews Avoiding some common interview errors can give a job-seeker a lead over the competition, writes Joanne Chua, Manager – HR & Supply Chain at Robert Walters respond to any potential questions on the details you’ve provided. Don’t forget to describe how your accomplishments relate to the role you are applying for.

Joanne

chua

Speaking negatively about previous employers or roles

Manager – HR & Supply Chain, Robert Walters

H

ow you perform in job interviews is arguably the most important factor in determining whether or not you secure the job you want. This is particularly true for junior professionals, whose limited job-specific experience can mean interview performance is the key differentiator between candidates competing for the same role.

In our experience at Robert Walters, there are five key mistakes commonly made by most professionals in job interviews that instantly disadvantages them. If you can avoid these mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to interview success.

Not adequately researching the organisation they are interviewing with While it seems like a basic step to undertake when looking for jobs, we still see a number of candidates who don’t properly do their due diligence on the company they’re applying to work for. It is vitally important for candidates to be able to talk confidently and intelligently about what their potential employer does. You should be able to recite specific facts about the organisation, including: their history, financial position, mission and products/

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services the market in which they operate and their main competitors.

Giving generic explanations on why they like the role/company they are applying for

When asked why they like the role/company they are applying for, many candidates we have met give very generic and unconvincing answers. This gives the impression that they are looking for any role in their industry as opposed to that particular job, which is a turn-off to employers. To avoid this, you need to be enthusiastic and talk specifically about what aspects of the role/organisation appeal to you.

Not knowing their CV in detail

Many candidates can be guilty of not knowing their CV in detail and being ill-equipped to answer questions on the information they have supplied. Don’t assume that just because the information is in your CV, interviewers won’t ask questions about your background, including your responsibilities in previous roles and educational results. Instead, you should review your CV before your interview and practice how you will

We’ve seen many candidates ruin their job prospects by making derogatory remarks about their current or previous employers and experiences. This is absolutely inexcusable. You should never talk negatively about a previous (or current) company, manager or role. Try to find the positive aspects of your employment history and focus on these instead.

Being too familiar with the interviewer

This is a behaviour commonly displayed by some candidates, especially the more inexperienced ones. We see that many fall into the trap of being too familiar with their interviewer/s, which is inappropriate in a job interview. While it’s important for you to be charismatic and demonstrate your interpersonal skills, you must always conduct yourself with professionalism, even if you feel you have a good rapport with the interviewer. + The Robert Walters Human Resources division in Singapore specialises in the provision of quality temporary and permanent staff to a variety of premium organisations across a wide range of industries. Our team comprises of high calibre consultants with strong recruitment and industry experience. + For more information, please contact Joanne Chua, Manager – HR & Supply Chain at (65) 6228 0200 or + Email: joanne.chua@robertwalters.com.sg + Web: www.robertwalters.com.sg

in person

Karen

Tay

HR Manager, Warnaco Singapore Years in HR? About 14 years.

Why HR? I’m passionate about people. Understanding what motivates people and how I can help them to achieve a fulfilling career, which leads to organisational success, gives me satisfaction.

Why Warnaco Singapore?

The iconic Calvin Klein brand attracted me the most. The job scope, great culture and close-knit team were other plus points.

Biggest achievement?

It would be the level of involvement I have in the organisation, as I understand that the needs of the business and the

employees are vital for my strategic plans to succeed. The employees see me as a trusted confidante and my peers see me as a business partner that they can approach for support.

Family?

I have two kids (age five and seven) and being there for them is just as important as having success in my career. I believe that a good balance leads to success in both areas.

I’ve been lucky as my husband is very supportive and is my pillar of strength.

What happens after hours?

Coaching my kids after work is part of my daily routine and having dinner together is a must as that’s when we all sit down and share.

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talent challenge

Future plans How can HR have multi-year development plans that emphasise future competencies needed, when most processes are annual?

At Vestas Technology R&D Singapore, every employee has a development plan in their annual appraisal. We vet every plan and if it is not up to expectations in terms of Natalie Lee clarity and quality, it has to be redefined till the outcome is reached. It is also tracked Director, People and and reviewed during our mid-year review. All the development plans are consolidated Culture, Vestas Technology R&D to become our company’s total training plan and a budget is also set to ensure we mean what we say in being serious about employees’ development for both the short and long term. It is mainly focused on internal/external training, knowledge transfer/ sharing, on the job training or short stints in various sites to close performance gaps.

The other longer term development plan between 3 - 5 years is top down, whereby head of departments identify the high performers, critical positions and people of the company and have another set of plans for them for career growth, succession planning and the building of technical competencies. This could involve overseas assignments, job rotations, stretch assignments, mentoring, etc.

Isabelle Claus Teixeira

In my opinion, it is a question of perspective and horizon. The key skill for any great leader is to be able to inspire a shared vision – a clear and articulated picture of what the strategy is and derive what the talent will be.

Director of Talent & Organisation Create as clear as possible a vision of that talent and develop multi-year plans Development, as the way to bridge the gaps you have identified. Use the annual process to check Applied Materials if you are on the right way or if something needs to be changed. It is like building SEA a house – you start by creating the full picture of your house and then lay the bricks one by one and regularly check if the walls are straight and the paint dry.

Therefore it is key to start by taking quality time to define and envision what your organisation will be in the strategy, painting a picture of the processes, the structure, the culture and the talent you will need as competitive differentiators. Then decide on your roadmap of actions and use the annual processes to enable this roadmap and check your progress.

Peggy Leong

Most organisations have an overall strategic plan and people strategy forms part of this plan. Development plans for people are based on the competency framework of the organisation.

The old school of thought for development plans is to develop an individual vertically with structured classroom training. Development plans should take into consideration an individual’s exposure to different meetings with different participants, job rotation where an employee is given the opportunity to work in different jobs either within the same department or outside the department/country, and job enrichment as ways of developing employees, including coaching and mentoring.

Development plans for people is a continuous process and can be short, mid or long term depending on the individual’s potential. The annual performance management and development dialogue between manager and employee provides a platform to review the development plan in order to align with the organisation’s business goals. When there is a change to the strategic plan and different competencies are required to achieve the business goals, the development plan may change to achieve those competencies.

VP, Group HR, ECS Holdings

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executive appointments

Searching for HR professionals?

Look no further than HRM Singapore

Number 1 Media for Reaching HR Audited at 14,531 copies per month - HRM Singapore’s HR job listings reach more HR professionals each month than any other media. And with our competitive pricing you can increase the number of quality responses - whilst saving money!

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executive appointments www.michaelpage.com.sg

Meet May. She’s tactful, understanding and a great judge of character.

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

How far can your talent take you?

HRIS Project Manager Newly created role

Team lead for Singapore office

APAC coverage

Wide scope of projects

Our client in the financial services is seeking a team lead to provide the overall technical direction and integration for the new HRIS. You will be responsible with providing the overall technical direction and integration for the new HRIS and to ensure that the new system is robust and able to meet users’ current and future requirements.

Please contact Cherry Wu quoting ref: H1019260

Our client from the petrochemical industry is looking for a seasoned rewards professional. You will support regional projects, as well as represent key countries in their compensation and benefits requirements. This newly created role will allow involvement in regional projects while still being in touch with operations within the countries. Please contact Lianna Tian quoting ref: H995160

Vice-President, Talent & Development

HRIS Specialist (Regional)

Asia Pacific Role

Globally Renowned Bank

Career Runway

Fortune 500 MNC

Our client is looking for an experienced regional talent and development professional. In this newly created role, your key responsibilities will be to act as a talent business partner to your assigned business units, strategising the most efficient and effective talent retention, performance management and leadership solutions.

Please contact Peiwen Teo quoting ref: H1024290

Our client, an established media conglomerate is recruiting a HRIS Specialist to support growth in the region and beyond.

Reporting to the Head of HR, your key responsibilities will be to drive implementation, act as an internal consultant to the HR and influence the business by supporting user adoption efforts.

Please contact Ling Quek quoting ref: H1016010

Plant HR Manager

Senior Learning & Development Executive

Established global MNC

Business Partnering role

Our client is in the electrical and electronic components industry.

You will have full HR responsibility for the site. You will design long term HR strategies and provide practical solutions to meet business goals. You will have 10 years of HR experience in a manufacturing MNC and possess highly developed interpersonal skills.

Please contact Shyan Hwei Phua quoting ref: H993300

#12178

APAC Rewards Specialist

Exciting career opportunity

Regional expansion role

Our client, globally respected for having strong market focus and innovative products, is expanding its L&D team across APAC. They are seeking to add a Senior Learning and Development Executive to partner their APAC offices in training needs.

Please contact Nicole Lee quoting ref: H1032980

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

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executive appointments

Returning the Human to Resourcing

HRD Singapore

Compensation Consulting Senior Leader

HR Business Partner

Newly Created Position

Global Consulting Firm Financial Services Sector China / Hong Kong-Based

Premier Bank

This premier global human capital consulting firm specializes in compensation consulting for financial services sector.

This premier bank has a strong global franchise and has recorded impressive business growth in the region.

Working closely with senior management, you will manage all HR issues relating to a startup operation. This will encompass setting up proper policies and procedures, implementing best practices, recruitment, and other functions of HR as the business requires. As this is a newly created role, you may also be expected to work on HR projects.

Reporting to the Asia Pacific Head of Financial Services Practice, you will build the compensation practice and execute consulting services for major international or regional financial services companies in the region. Consulting services cover market surveys, valuation services, compensation consulting (covering executive, equity, sales and employee compensation) and analytic services. You will deliver excellent services & solutions to existing clients and continuously originate new clients.

You are HR qualified and have worked a minimum of 10 years in a progressive and dynamic services environment. You are energetic and committed. Strategic, yet operationally hands-on, you also work well in dynamic and fluid/unstructured environments. Experience working within ambiguity will be advantageous.

Reporting to Senior HR Leader, you will provide HR advice and services to the Support Function Group (including Technology, Operations and Finance).

You will enhance functional performance through appropriate advice and facilitation of robust and integrated people management tools and processes. You will play a diverse role covering performance management, reward and talent management so as to align people objectives with business strategies.

Degree qualified, you will have at least 10 – 15 years of experience gained in a major human capital consulting firm with a strong focus on financial services sector or a major financial institution. With strong business development, execution and consulting skills, you are entrepreneurial, driven and commercial in your approach.

Degree qualified, you will have at least 10 years experience gained in a major MNC or bank, including few years covering the support functions. You are proactive, mature, credible and tenacious. You are able to influence priorities and build relationship at all levels.

To apply, please submit your resume to Adnan Atan at aa@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AA2992\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Adnan Atan at aa@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AA3005\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Fast Growth Salary circa S$150k - S$200k + bonus Our client is a startup in the healthcare services industry. Due to business expansion, there is now an excellent opportunity to be part of a highly dynamic and pioneering team.

To apply, please submit your resume to Cecelia Koh at ck@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number CK3421\HRM. Only successfully shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

banking | finance | human resources

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Highly Visible Role Senior Manager

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

HR Business Partner

Manager, Global Reward Programs

Learning & Talent Director

Industry Leader

Industry Leader

Globally Well Respected

Global Role

(Corporate Functions) Global Portfolio Business Partnering Role

Progressive Organization

Business Focused

Salary circa S$250k - S$280k + variable bonus

Globally respected as one of the World’s leading companies in its field, there is now an opportunity for a high caliber C&B Manager to join them.

Our client is a premier shipping & logistic services company with an established network globally.

Our client is a leading multinational with a significant global footprint. An opportunity now exists for a strategic business partner to join them in this generalist role.

Ideally, you should be Degree qualified and have a minimum of 6 years experience with solid C&B experiences. Good knowledge of compensation practices, legislations and trends is highly advantageous. You are proactive, possess a “can-do” attitude, and a proven leader with strong communication and influencing skills. You are confident and have no issues dealing with senior management.

To apply, please submit your resume to Susan Lim at su@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number SU3339\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8745 for more details.

Reporting to the Group Head of HR, you will be responsible for the Talent Management & Organisational Development functions globally. You will develop a comprehensive learning & development strategy, and conceptualise and design innovative and effective learning & development programs in support of the company’s strategic people agenda. You will coach, develop and engage learning & talent development team to deliver aligned professional services that meet business expectations and upholds the company’s values.

Reporting to the Head of HR and working closely with the rest of the senior management teams, you will ensure that HR policies, practices and resources are in alignment with overall business and corporate objectives.

This also includes leading and implementing key long-term and short-tem HR initiatives that impact overall compensation, succession planning and recruitment strategies.

You will have at least 10 - 15 years of learning and development experience gained in a MNC with a proven track record in conceptualization and design of learning and talent management programs that drive business performance. You will be driven and possess strong influencing skills.

Ideally, you are Degree qualified with a minimum of 10 years HR experience, of which half should be in a team management role.

You possess strong working knowledge of HR practices across the region as well as have a broad overview of certain specialist functions.

You are excellent in managing client relationships at senior levels and have the ability to articulate and implement these initiatives on the ground.

To apply, please submit your resume to Adnan Atan at aa@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AA3011\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Cecelia Koh at ck@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number CK3243\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Licence No: C690801Z

Reporting to the VP, Global Reward Programs, you will lead the review and development of the Global reward programs and processes for the organization in line with the global reward philosophy. You will assess the internal equite and external competitiveness of the reward programs. You will plan and manage the annual review process and communication to ensure the region HR are aligned and met.

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executive appointments

HUDSON IS CELEBRATING 15 YEARS of successful partnership with our clients and candidates in Singapore. 15 years of positive impact on the performance of top companies and talented individuals by finding the best fit for them.

GROWING TOGETHER WITH YOU OVER THE YEARS

With your support, we have evolved, grown and emerged as Singapore’s premier Recruitment Service Provider.

And through each year, we better understand your needs and continuously strive to serve you better.

Continue to grow and improve with us.

Contact our HR specialists at 6339 0355: IRENE CHAN MAUREEN HO SUGAR RAHIM

SENIOR HR BUSINESS PARTNER Diversified Industries Dynamic and Challenging Environment Excellent Career Development Opportunity Leading players in diversified industries, our clients have urgent requirements for a dynamic HR professional to join them in Singapore and regional capacities.

Partnering Business Heads, you are a strategic HR Business Partner in providing expert advice and acting as a consultant to influence organizational change, and coaching leaders at all levels to enhance organizational performance and retain human capital. You will work in a highly matrix environment to drive and implement organizational objectives.

You are degree qualified with minimum 10 years of solid hands-on HR generalist experience in MNC. You are strategically minded and have demonstrated hands-on HR management expertise. With exceptional communications and interpersonal skills, you are able to work independently in a fast-paced and demanding environment.

Contact Maureen Ho quoting HRMP/28051C/MH.

TALENT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT Market Leaders in Financial Services Exciting & Challenging Growth Path Dynamic and Rewarding Environment An established player within the Financial Industry throughout South East Asia, our client is now looking to move forward with the right individual who will be the driving force behind their Talent Management team.

You will develop, improve and drive processes to identify and manage high potential cases within the organization and be responsible in managing established high potential individuals. You will support the Learning & Development and Talent Management leaders in succession planning analysis, reporting and talent review processes.

Degree qualified, you have significant experience in talent management processes with a consultation and influencing background. You have strong coaching, facilitation, project management and presentation skills and love spending quality time communicating, building partnerships and helping high potentials learn and grow. Contact Sugar Rahim quoting HRMP/31750/SBR.

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

HRM_2p_09.indd 1-2

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executive appointments

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, ASIA PACIFIC Global Logistics Company Fast-paced and Dynamic Environment Asia Pacific Region A global company, our client seeks an experienced Learning & Development expert to play a key role within its Asia Pacific operation.

You will conceptualize and design effective and innovative Learning & Development programs including training, career and succession planning, leadership development, in support of company’s HR strategy. You are responsible for the overall training budget, and will lead a team to ensure training objectives are met and programs are executed accordingly. You will also design, implement and review organization development initiatives regionally.

Degree qualified with Graduate Diploma in HR Development and/or other professional training certifications and a minimum 6 years of Asia domain expertise. You must have experience in managing training budgets, designing and conducting training courses in Chinese language. You have demonstrated capability in people management and development, project management, and possess excellent interpersonal, communications and engagement skills. Contact Maureen Ho quoting HRMP/31696/MH.

REGIONAL BUSINESS REWARD PARTNER, AVP Premier Brand Asia Pacific Coverage Role with Excellent Exposure and Growth Our client is a lead player in the financial industry within Asia. They have a deep history with a strong branding and are looking for a dynamic and proactive professional to lead the way in compensations & rewards.

You will function as an internal consultant and strategic business partner on a wide spectrum of C&B issues across the region. You will be responsible in tailoring the full suite of C&B activities and implementing all aspects of HR rewards strategy and delivery. Along with keeping abreast with compensation trends, you are also expected to play an advisor role to HR country heads for their respective businesses.

This is an excellent role for an independent and matured candidate. You should have no less than six years of related experience, and possess excellent analytical and presentation skills. You have experience in leading organizational change programs and are capable of working in matrix and cross cultural environments. Contact Sugar Rahim quoting HRMP/31751/SBR.

10/10/2011 12:17:56 PM

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executive appointments

youR cAReeR in huMAn ResouRces vP, hR Business PARTneR

hR Business PARTneR

hR AssisTAnT MAnAGeR

hiGh PRofile exPosuRe invesTMenT BAnkinG

GloBAl invesTMenT BAnk TeMP To PeRM oPPoRTuniTy

luxuRy BRAnd seA coveRAGe

A high profile investment bank with a strong reputation across global markets, is looking to hire a result orientated HR professional with excellent problem solving, conflict resolution and project management experience to join its team as VP, HR Business Partner

A global wealth management and investment bank is looking for a HR professional to provide the full spectrum of HR Business Partner services to front office line managers. This will be on four to five months contract with a possibility of conversion to permanent position.

A high-profiled luxury goods brand is looking for a confident, mature and detail-oriented individual to join its HR team as an Assistant HR Manager to support its growth in the South East Asian market.

Key Responsibilities: • provide advice to business managers in the allocated business unit on HR issues • manage performance management, process promotions and annual compensation processes • actively manage the retention of top performers and high potential talent within the organisation • partner with subject matter experts as required to provide support to the business’ HR functions • assist in developing, interpreting, and implementing HR policies • participate in HR projects where required

Key Responsibilities: • advise line managers on general HR matters • work with the business to identify and resolve key staff/HR issues • network with employees and be an avenue for informal feedback and communication • manage, coordinate and act as intermediary for HR services from the Service Centres and process experts such as lateral & campus recruiting, talent development, compensation, employee relations and diversity • ensure delivery of HR processes in a consistent and fair manner and in accordance with global HR guidelines

Key Requirements: • university educated with a degree in HR or other business related degree • minimum eight years’ generalist experience with at least five years as a HR Business Partner within a financial institution • strong relationship building and influencing skills with the ability become a key trusted advisor • demonstrated strength in handling complex HR issues • excellent communication skills, both written and verbal • strong sense of business acumen with ability to multitask effectively

Key Requirements: • significant HR business partnering experience • excellent process, problem solving and project management skills; creativity, consulting skills • ability to establish and maintain positive work relationships • energetic with the ability to work effectively and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment Interested applicants should email their CV to Yolanda Yu at yolanda.yu@robertwalters.com.sg or call (65) 6228 0282 quoting Ref. No. 476780.

Interested applicants should email their CV to Vincent Romano at vincent.romano@robertwalters.com.sg or call (65) 6228 0218 quoting Ref. No. 482610.

AsiAMoney heAdhunTeRs Poll 2010 Best headhuntIng fIrm for BankIng mIddle / Back offIce recruItment In asIa

www.robertwalters.com.sg

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Key Responsibilities: • responsible for the whole spectrum of HR functions, including recruitment, training & development, compensation & benefits, and payroll • manage employee relations and ensure a constructive and collaborative corporate climate • devise and implement plans to retain quality staff • support the opening of new retail stores with proper hiring and staffing plans • ensure the implementation of HR policies and procedures, and ensure that the working environment is true to the Company’s values and vision • work on salary structuring and merit reviews Key Requirements: • university educated with a degree in HR or other business related degree • five years’s experience in the full spectrum of HR functions • strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to communicate effectively with staff • ability and willingness to take on professional challenges, and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment • ability to work with numbers and an experience in compensation & benefits is preferred • experience in the retail or service industry is preferred Interested applicants should email their CV to Simer Narulla at simer.narulla@robertwalters.com.sg or call (65) 6228 0279 quoting Ref. No. 485960.

The RecRuiTeR AwARds foR excellence 2010 Best InternatIonal recruItment consultancy award

Our Singapore office provides a complete, fully integrated recruitment service that focuses on the placement of HR professionals at all levels into both financial services and commercial sectors regionally.

Business Registration No: 199706961E. Licence No: B550103E.

executive appointments

ReGionAl hR MAnAGeR

ReGionAl hR GeneRAlisT

leARninG And develoPMenT consulTAnT, seA

ReGionAl hR coveRAGe inTeRnATionAl BRAnd

PReeMinenT invesTMenT BAnk ReGionAl coveRAGe

newly cReATed Role ReGionAl inTeRnAl consulTAnT Role

A market leader in the retail industry, this organisation is looking for a regional HR Manager to support its senior HR management in the provision of the full range of HR operational services with key responsibilities in relationship management and training and development.

This organisation is an international financial advisor to diverse organisations and it has a good performance track record and an unrivalled heritage. It is currently searching for a human resources generalist to join its regional team.

This conglomerate is an international producer and marketer of various products and services.

It is committed to sharing its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges.

Key Responsibilities: • Manage the full range of HR activities and operations for the retail team, business unit head and counterparts in the group’s subsidiaries • manage key HR processes in alignment with policies and practices • on ground support for the retail team, including the respective subsidiary teams to develop positive engagement and team spirit • provide guidelines, updates and monitor retail recruitment progress to ensure continuous talent acquisition • work closely with business unit heads, country HR and retail management teams to structure and develop respective teams • work closely with the retail HR leadership to focus on developing organisational capability Key Requirements: • degree in HR or other business related field • minimum three years in a relevant managerial role and at least seven years in learning & development • ability to work cross culturally; strong people management skills • willing and able to travel on a regular basis • experience in retail or apparel industry will be advantageous • ACTA certification required Interested applicants should email their CV to Gwen Lim at gwen.lim@robertwalters.com.sg or call (65) 6228 0294 quoting Ref. No. 481380.

Key Responsibilities: • manage day to day employee relations issues as they arise • consult the business with the international assignment services team on employee transfers • work with the rewards team to maintain current market information and propose on salaries and bonuses • follow up with local offices on behalf of regional management on annual performance reviews • facilitate the management of the employee life cycle, from on-boarding to exit management • ensure compliance with all relevant statutes and internal policies that apply to employees Key Requirements: • first tier academic record with a university degree from a recognised academic institution • four years’ relevant generalist human resources experience in a financial services environment • superb influencing and communication skills • thorough understanding of Singapore employment legislation • track record of excelling in a multicultural environment and working with international counterparts • comprehensive knowledge about day-to-day HR operations and how they fit with the rest of the organisation

Key Requirements: • bachelor’s degree with minimum five years’ experience in learning and performance consultation, design and delivery of learning interventions • experience with instructional strategy/design and being an “internal consultant” • good cultural awareness and experience in working with diverse teams • possesses a broad perspective and holistic approach to learning & development • strong ability to operate comfortably both at the strategic as well as the tactical level • solid leadership skills and presence to interact with senior level leaders; ability to cope with ambiguity and manage emergent change • ability to bring people together to accomplish common goals

Interested applicants should email their CV to Vincent Romano at vincent.romano@robertwalters.com.sg or call (65) 6228 0218 quoting Ref. No. 481380.

Interested applicants should email their CV to Daphne Tan at daphne.tan@robertwalters.com.sg or call (65) 6228 0268 quoting Ref. No. 478230.

The AsiAn BAnkeR suPPoRTinG indusTRy AwARds 2011 the asIan Banker achIevement award for strategIc executIve search to the commercIal BankIng Industry

For a confidential discussion, please contact:

Key Responsibilities: • assess individual and group development needs to support overall talent management strategy • apply knowledge of instructional design, adult learning and industry best practice to develop blended learning approaches • apply consulting process, performance improvement and adult learning principles for Business Unit needs • provide integrated and imaginative development solutions • design, develop and deliver priority programs and development initiatives • communicate program information to sponsors and participants • actively participate as a course facilitator, panel speaker when needed

Joanne Chua, Manager HR and Supply Chain divisions T: (65) 6228 0200 E: hrsg-hrm@robertwalters.com.sg

hR vendoRs of The yeAR AwARd 2010 wInner, Preferred recruItment fIrm (mId range / hIgh end roles)

Vincent Romano, Manager HR division T: (65) 6228 0200 E: vincent.romano@robertwalters.com.sg

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executive appointments

MAKE A QUANTUM LEAP Total Rewards Lead Market leader with global presence

Newly created role

Our client is the market leader in its field and has a global presence. They are looking to recruit a Total Rewards Lead to join the HR team.

In this role, you will report to the Director of C&B to support all C&B programs for the SEA region. You will work closely with key stakeholders to review, develop and implement all C&B programs; oversee comprehensive reviews and comparisons of base salary, annual budget review, incentive plans and bonus plans. You will also be required to analyze job evaluation, develop pay range and etc, to ensure internal equity and external competiveness.

To be successful in this role, you will be a graduate in statistics or HRM and has 6+ years strong C&B experience. Strong communication, analytical and numerical ability is highly desired. Ideally you should have strong C&B experience working in an MNC environment or in consultancy companies handling various clients’ projects. Only applicants currently based in Singapore should apply to this position.

To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to lili_kang@kellyselection.com or contact Li Li Kang at (65) 6645 3514 for a confidential discussion.

L&D Consultant Highly challenging and compelling role

Significant regional exposure

Our client, a global MNC is looking for a strong L&D expert to lead, guide and execute the delivery of L&D initiatives for the company.

In this challenging role, you will report to the APAC Regional L&D Shared Services Manager. As a trusted advisor and internal consultant, you will be accountable for successful design, development and delivery of L&D solutions. You will work closely with business leaders to understand the requirements and propose & influence successful design, development and delivery of programs. As a strategic partner to HR business partners, you will support the development of the programs and ensure their effectiveness through continuous evaluation of the returns of investment and impact on the business.

The successful candidate should be degree qualified and preferably have coaching certifications. You will be an experienced L&D specialist, ideally with 7+ years of regional experience with strong consultation skills to lead people through delivery of learning interventions. You should possess broad perspective and have strong ability to be hands on and strategic. Flexibility combined with strong drive and the desire to make a difference is also important. You will have an excellent track record in building and maintaining relationships at all levels within a business.

To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to lili_kang@kellyselection.com or contact Li Li Kang at (65) 6645 3514 for a confidential discussion.

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

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Towards unparalleled career advancement with

Kelly Services

Vice President (Human Resources) Hospitality Industry

Asia Pacific HR Leadership Role

This is an opportunity for a highly motivated senior HR professional to join one of the world’s leading hospitality brands in their continued expansion and growth in the Asia Pacific region.

Reporting to the Asia Pacific President and functionally to the Global Head of HR, you will lead a regional team to deliver HR services to support critical day-to-day business operations. Key areas of focus include talent development and succession planning to ensure organizational growth and sustainability.

Accomplished senior HR candidates with a track record of at least 15 years of comprehensive Asia Pacific regional experience are invited to apply. The ability to work closely and influence a multi cultural senior leadership team in a fast moving and highly performance driven environment is critical.

To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to sharon_wong@kellyselection.com or contact Sharon Wong at (65) 6645 3517 for a confidential discussion.

Director (Human Resources & Employee Engagement) Financial Services sector

Asia focus

Our client is a leading global player in the financial services sector. They are ranked as an employer of choice and also one of the most admired companies in the world. As part of their continuous business growth in the Asia region, they are seeking a dynamic and accomplished professional to join them in the newly created role of Director, Human Resources & Employee Engagement.

Reporting to the Head of International HR and Head of Employee Engagement, you will working closely with the Asia leadership team and oversee a team to support the HR needs of the Asia business, while also driving Employee Communications initiatives across the Asia Pacific region.

The ideal candidate should have a recognized Bachelor or Master degree with over 12 years of relevant working experience in multi-cultural matrix MNCs in the area of Human Resources and Employee Engagement. Excellent communication and relationship building skills are a must. You should be confident and well presented with strong capabilities in senior stakeholder management.

To submit your application, please email your resume in word format to sharon_wong@kellyselection.com or contact Sharon Wong at (65) 6645 3517 for a confidential discussion.

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Human resources professionals speak to tHe experts payroll manager Be part of a fast growth organisation in asia.

fmcG - sea Hr Business partner engage the region.

A large very well known bank based in the heart of the city, working in stunning offices with amazing CBD views, is seeking a highly experienced Payroll Manager. You must have lead payroll teams in the past as well as worked on improving all payroll processes and procedures and possess some knowledge of SAS70 and SOX and an ability to manage tax, payroll vendors and providers. An ability to create a fun, outgoing and professional team culture will serve you well here.

A well known global FMCG giant is seeking a SEA HR Business Partner.

Interfacing with the multi-country functional HR teams and the HR shared service team, you will have excellent interviewing, rewards management, business planning and implementation skills. You should also be very strong in talent management including performance improvement, change management and employee engagement. Reporting directly to the HRD, this role offers great perks.

training & Development manager – operational risk provide a world class training curriculum.

regional talent acquisition manager recruit future talent.

This global bank has a strong presence in Singapore and the region.

They require a Training & Development Manager to provide a world class training curriculum for operational risk and assurance aligned with the group wide policies and strategy. You will design, build, rollout, embed and continually develop the training programme and policy. Ideally you will be a L&D professional with some exposure to risk, operations or assurance with experience of program design and delivery across APAC. An instructional design background is highly desirable.

This leading US conglomerate is recruiting for a Regional Talent Acquisition Manager to lead and direct talent acquisition activities for Asia Pacific. You will develop and drive talent acquisition strategies and develop a range of sourcing strategies including market mapping, networking, headhunting and the web. Working closely with HR Business Partners and client groups, you will meet recruiting needs in a cost effective and timely manner, ensuring internal equity as well as providing overall leadership to recruiters and staffing specialists in other parts of the region.

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

hays.com.sg

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“ The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.”

Ralph W. Sockman

executive programmes Directory 2012 Email us at exec@sim.edu.sg to request for a copy.

SenIor ManaGeMenT Grace @ 6248 9414 The Leadership Challenge® Feb 16 & 17 The Back of The Napkin: Solving Problems with Pictures Mar 8 & 9 Positive Power & Influence® Mar 8 & 9 General ManaGeMenT Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Method® The Job of the Manager (JOMAN) I Corporate Transformation: Increasing Productively Innovatively Strategic Business Planning and Thinking

kelly @ 6248 9417 Feb 13 & 14 Feb 21 - 23 Feb 23 & 24 Mar 14 – 16

coMMunIcaTIon Grace @ 6248 9414 How to Speak with Greater Confidence, Purpose and Impact Feb 9 & 10 Powerful Presentations Feb 13 - 15 Communicating for Leaders and Managers Feb 22 - 24 Proficiency in Technical Writing Feb 27 - 29 Presentation Essentials Mar 1 & 2 Practical Communicative Business English Mar 5 & 6 Writing Dynamics™ Mar 6 & 7 Think On Your Feet® Mar 8 & 9 creaTIvITy & InnovaTIon Braindancing® Building Business Brainpower

kaThleen @ 6248 9407 Feb 13 & 14 Mar 5 - 7

FInance kaThleen @ 6248 9407 Financial Management for Non-finance Managers Feb 6 - 8 / Mar 12 - 14 Management Accounting Tools for Effective Feb 13 - 15 Decision-making (For Non-finance Managers) The Essentials of Financial and Business Analysis Feb 27 - 29 The Essentials of Internal Control and Fraud Awareness Mar 15 & 16 hr ManaGeMenT & DevelopMenT annIe @ 6248 9422 SIM Competent Trainer Programme (Basic) Feb 7 – 10 & 13 Facilitation Skills: How to Conduct Meetings, Trainings, Feb 27 & 28 Facilitations by Getting Your People to Share Their Ideas Training, Mentoring and Coaching: Upgrading Feb 29 & Mar 1 People for High Performance and Productivity Organisational Identity and Employer Image Mar 8 & 9 MarkeTInG & BuSIneSS DevelopMenT Developing Effective Marketing Strategies

kaThleen @ 6248 9407 Feb 16 & 17

neGoTIaTIon & leGal Dawn @ 6248 6137 Business Contract Law for Non-legal Professionals Jan 12 & 13 Advanced Negotiations: Deploying Proven Strategies in Mar 5 & 6 Mastering the Negotiation Dialogue for Successful Outcomes Practical Aspects of Company Law Mar 8 & 9 oFFIce & aDMInISTraTIve coral @ 6248 9424 Management Skills for Senior/Executive Secretaries Feb 20 - 22 and Administrative Professionals Customer Relations Skills for Administrative Professionals Feb 23 & 24 Staying Organised - A Guide for Administrative Professionals Feb 28 & 29 Telephone Image and Etiquette Mar 1 & 2 Practical Management Skills for the Executive and Senior Secretaries Mar 6 & 7 perSonal eFFecTIveneSS & proDucTIvITy Productive Time and Stress Management Organising Yourself for Maximum Effectiveness Understanding and Working Effectively with All Personality Types Reversing Forward Brain@Work Problem Solving and Decision Making

kelly @ 6248 9417

projecT ManaGeMenT Introduction to Project Management The Art of Project Management®

Dawn @ 6248 6137 Mar 2 Mar 12 - 14

Feb 21 & 22 Mar 1 & 2 Mar 5 & 6 Mar 7 & 8 Mar 8 & 9 Mar 15 & 16

SaleS & cuSToMer relaTIonShIp Dawn @ 6248 6137 Managing Upset Customers Constructively and Learning Jan 9 & 10 from Service Breakdowns Expand Your Asian Markets through Distributors Mar 8 & 9 The EQ Way to Customer Service Mar 15 & 16 SupervISory ManaGeMenT Skills for Supervisory Management

coral @ 6248 9424 Mar 7 - 9

TeaM leaDerShIp & InTerperSonal SkIllS annIe @ 6248 9422 Human Relations Skills and EQ Techniques Feb 16 & 17 NLP for Professionals Feb 21 & 22 How to Manage, Motivate and Lead a Winning Team Feb 23 & 24 Assertiveness Skills for Managers Mar 7 - 9 Influencing, Persuasion and Mar 12 & 13 Personal Empowerment Skills Assertiveness Skills for Front-line Staff Mar 15 & 16

Members of The SIM Group

Register online at www.sim.edu.sg/pd For more information, call 6246 6746 or email exec@sim.edu.sg