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Pursuit of Excellence … or Pursuit of Attention? HR Magazine spoke to veteran British adventurer and long-term Middle East resident Adrian Hayes, who is embarking on his second attempt to summit the world’s third-highest mountain, Mount Kanchenjunga (8,586m), in April and May 2025. Situated in the Himalayas on Nepal’s eastern…
The two-day China Development Forum was held on 23 March 2025 in Beijing aimed at ‘fully unleashing development momentum and jointly promoting stable growth of the global economy’. Chairs of MNCs, CEOs, business leaders, scholars and representatives of international organisations gathered to discuss the latest global development trends and potential…
Innovative approach launched in Macau to help better integrate learning and working experiences and nurture young talent to support the SAR’s tourism and leisure sector. In alignment with the Macao SAR Government’s policy of “Building Macau Through Talent,” SJM Resorts, S.A. (SJM) and Macao University of Tourism (UTM) have jointly…
Creating Positive Workplace Vibes… The hospitality industry is facing renewed scrutiny as alarming new research exposes the heightened risk of sexual harassment among its workforce. A recent study from Sheffield Hallam University has found that hospitality workers in insecure employment are 60% more likely to report experiencing sexual harassment than…
Success strategies for couples who work From meeting on Tinder in 2018 to running a £50 million business together, Abbott Lyon founders Jezz and Asha Skelton have built a successful jewellery brand and navigated the challenges of working together as a couple. Skelton, who has made the Forbes 30 under…
To help prevent illness and reduce absenteeism through effective prevention measures, quick treatment and continuous follow-up, Danica hopes to help HR and employees across Denmark. On 6 March 2025, MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) announced it is now working with Danica to augment its current offerings to include life,…
Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced on 12 March 20205 that they are pledging Php 10 million to the PAL Foundation through our Fly With Her Program to increase female representation in the airline’s pilot workforce. This program supports PAL’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and gender equity in aviation, as well as…
Hong Kong has emerged as the global success story of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025—now officially recognised as the world’s most improved location with a 63% improvement rate across ranked subjects. Nine universities collectively contribute 257 ranked entries, with standout performances in Dentistry, Education, Nursing, and Linguistics—all now positioned within the…
What is a Workation? The rise of hybrid and remote working has brought about the ‘workation’, which refers to working remotely from a holiday destination, allowing professionals to enjoy a change of scenery without using up all their annual leave. Employees taking a workation are then able to blend work…
Paul MP Chan, Financial Secretary, for the HKSAR Government delivered the 2025-26 Budget and stressed the need for Hong Kong to lead its future development through reform and innovation. Pivotal to this vision is the strategic use of artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces.…
More help for HR with global benefits is on the way, as MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) announced on 6 March 2025 that it is now working with Danica, a leading health insurance solutions company in Denmark. MAXIS GBN works with over 300 multinational organisations to deliver employee benefits risk…
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is fast approaching the application deadline for the Racial Diversity & Inclusion Employers Award Scheme on 31 March 2025. This is a great opportunity for your company to gain recognition for your strong dedication to advancing racial diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace. If…
On International Women’s Day, Danny Khursigara, Managing Director, FreedomOne International Consulting shares five tips for empowering women in leadership roles. Khursigara noted, “We believe that empowering women in leadership creates stronger, more inclusive organisations” and shared five actionable tips to help leaders support and empower women in the workplace. 5 Ways Organisations Can Empower Women in Leadership…
Game app addresses sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace Sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace are serious problems. But individuals and organisations often cannot recognise the problem and sexism goes unchallenged. This creates an increasingly hostile working environment. The Antisexism Game is a game-based app that helps employees and…
Netizens are becoming increasingly vocal about social issues that are important to them, especially those linked to the workplace according to a whitepaper released by Truescope Singapore on workplace discrimination in Singapore for 2022. As part of their analysis, a total of 7,442 comments from netizens were extracted and analysed for the…
British Airways has today unveiled a new uniform to take the airline into its next chapter. The collection of garments, created by British fashion designer and tailor Ozwald Boateng OBE, will be worn by more than 30,000 of the airline’s colleagues from spring 2023. Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and…
The top 17 Best Places to Work in Asia Pacific for 2022 has just been announced by The Best Places to Work organisation. Topping this year’s ranking was Amway, a multi-level marketing company that sells health, beauty, and home care products followed by Novo Nordisk, the leading global healthcare company.…
One Bangkok, the largest holistically integrated district in the heart of Bangkok being developed by Frasers Property and TCC Assets, announced a strategic partnership with CBRE and JLL introduce the market to the first two office towers at the heart of Bangkok CBD. Offering a combined 200,000 sq. m. of lettable premium…
Insufficient data and difficulties in tracking progress key challenges to DEI efforts There is a prevalent lack of a strategic approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. This, according to a global study by Workday. For markets such as Hong Kong and…
From sci-fi films to political campaigns, the fear that automation will take over human jobs en mass is nothing new. But with the growing power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), many media outlets suggest that technology is on the verge of a genuine takeover. New data analysed by Moneyzine.com suggests that these reports are…
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the launch of AWS Industry Quest, a new interactive, game-based learning experience to help individuals and organisations develop the skills they need to build solutions for common use cases in their industry. Professionals and teams can play AWS Industry Quest: Financial Services to learn and…
Emirates has relaunched its Accelerated Command programme, inviting Captains with Airbus fly-by-wire experience to rev up their careers and live in dynamic Dubai. The airline continues to also recruit First Officers across its fleet. Accelerated Command Programme (ACP) Ambitious Captains will join Emirates as A380 First Officers on an enhanced…
The effects of a post-pandemic talent shortage in Hong Kong are being compounded by accelerated demand for tech talent, global competition for skilled professionals, and an exodus of talent over the last few years. Key findings from the digital Salary Survey 2023 by Robert Walters, show that more than 80%…
The (ISC)² APAC Cybersecurity Hiring Managers Research reveals cybersecurity opportunities for fresh graduates and career switchers within organizations in Hong Kong. (ISC)² – the nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity professionals – recently published its APAC Cybersecurity Hiring Managers research report. Based on observations of 787 respondents across Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan…
Talent shortage has become the primary challenge businesses face in 2022. Getting ahead of unfolding developments in the market is essential for hirers who are looking to acquire the right talent and build a stable candidate pool. JobsDB by SEEK, the leading employment platform in Hong Kong, hosted the Forward Together – Soar towards…
By Erica So, Trainee Solicitor and Sapphire Wong, Summer Intern, Ravenscroft & Schmierer The ‘Gig Economy’ is a free-market system, where people engage in freelancing activities, temporary employment or less formal segments of the labour market, such as project-based services offered on digital platforms. Employers’ increasing demands to bring flexibility…
Salaries in Hong Kong SAR continue to rise in 2023 but companies are cautiously optimistic, according to the latest Mercer survey: Overall median salary increments still below pre-pandemic levels, but projected to hit 3.8% next year, up from 3.6% this year Talent attraction and retention biggest challenge for companies as…
When it comes to APAC workplaces, Singapore has some of the best, and this year Manhattan Associates has been ranked number nine by Singapore’s Best Workplaces™ in Technology list. In total 33 workplaces over four different categories, micro, small, media and large, have been ranked as Singapore’s Best Workplaces in Technology according to…
How managed service providers are changing talent landscapes for the better As organisations strive to keep pace with digital and technological advancements, many face a talent shortage, which could hinder the race. The surge in the number of individuals returning to work has arisen due to a combination of factors,…
The Work Trend Index Pulse report: Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong? just released by Microsoft shows a growing disconnect between employers and employees. The tech giant also announced new capabilities in Microsoft Viva, its employee experience platform, designed to help empower and energize employees in a…
Recent analysis by BanklessTimes.com revealed that employees working in the blockchain domain are 22% more likely to get a job than those looking for more traditional jobs. Speaking on the data, Jonathan Merry, CEO, BanklessTimes said, “The analysis shows that the blockchain industry is booming and offers a wealth of…
Baker McKenzie has just released a new survey report that looks at the emerging trends in whistleblowing reports across APAC, and how companies are handling these whistleblowing reports. Whistleblowing reports on the rise; regional variance in organizational preparedness running risk of compliance breaches 41% of business leaders reported an increase…
AXA (Asia and Africa) is pleased to announce it has become the founding principal partner of the landmark Mental Health at Work Index™, the first-ever standardised assessment of organisational programmes and practices supporting workforce mental health that will help set global standards for such efforts. The evidence-based and technology-enabled Index will be developed through…
Finastra today announced the appointment of Helen Cook as Chief People Officer. In her role she takes global responsibility for the people organization and advancing the company’s aspiration to be the most inclusive and diverse employer in the Fintech industry. She is particularly passionate about building a curious and well-tooled workforce,…
AlixPartners has, for the fifth consecutive year, been named a “Best Firm to Work For” by Consulting magazine. Firms on the list were judged on a range of employee satisfaction criteria including career development, client engagement, compensation and benefits, organizational culture, work/life balance, and leadership. In addition, this year the…
Research, undertaken by Lensa, reveals what employees are demanding from their workspace in 2022. The research looked at global and US search trends to investigate what employees are really looking for from their employers in 2022. Top 10 employee demands (in the last 5 years) Rank Benefit YoY Change in Searches…
“In the face of rising inflation and a potential recession, many startups are finding that they need to reduce their workforce to stay afloat. Startups are particularly vulnerable to the current economic conditions because they often have high overhead costs and thin profit margins.” The tech startup space in the…
In recognition of the outstanding anti-pandemic efforts of its property and facility management teams, Savills Services Group has established the Savills Anti-pandemic Awards offering cash prizes totalling HK$2 million. The Group also safeguards the health and safety of its workforce by investing over HK$10 million in an employee wellness programme and…
Joy Xu, Chief Human Resources Officer, Manulife Asia, says internship opportunities for younger talent need to be representative of the diversity of the current talent pool. Finding the right fit is important for everyone when starting out in their career. The challenge is even greater for those who are marginalised…
It comes as no surprise to HR that people who hold a Master’s degree generally get paid more than people who hold a bachelor’s degree. However, the earning potential varies a lot depending on what institution you studied at and the specialisation of your Master’s. Moneyzine.com recently looked at the…
Mayer Brown was awarded an ‘Excelling’ performance rating in the Thriving at Work Survey of the City Mental Health Alliance Hong Kong (CMHA HK) for the second consecutive year. The Survey, introduced in Hong Kong in 2019, assesses company members of CMHA HK on their implementation of mental health strategies in…
The Best Workplaces in Hong Kong 2022 Awards ceremony has recognised organisations that have created outstanding work environments for their employees, while concurrently promoting the building of high-trust and caring workplace cultures. In its seventh year, the 2022 awards ceremony was conducted virtually due to ongoing endemic circumstances. Secretary for…
Global compliance and HR solutions provider Deel’s State of the Global Hiring Report has found that today’s economic environment is making cross-border hiring more attractive than ever before. The trends driving global hiring growth according to the report are access to a large pool of high-quality talent and remote work…
The MetLife and AXA International joint venture, MAXIS Global Benefits Network, has formed a new partnership with Further Group to offer innovative Critical Advantage solution to MAXIS GBN’s clients. As a result, multinationsl will be able to offer their people treatment outside of their home country at medical centres of…
In the findings from Universum’s latest annual global talent survey, Hong Kong’s university graduates are expecting nearly a 20% higher annual salary for their first full-time job compared to 2021. The research sets out to track the career aspirations and preferences of the future talent pool as they look to…
Recent research from management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company has revealed that 40% of workers globally are considering to leave their jobs in the near future. Whilst there is ample evidence that workforce discontent is a global phenomenon, certain markets have seen their situation deteriorate. Singapore was one such region…
Officially launched in September 2021, OJ Ability is the Oliver James Group’s recruitment non-profit dedicated to supporting the career development of those living with a disability. By combining their recruitment experience with the expertise of their disability charity partners, they provide a tailored service to the requirements of their candidates…
The Hong Kong Government should raise the statutory minimum wage to HK$ 50 per hour—a 33% increase, according to the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong Diocesan Pastoral Centre for Workers (Kowloon). The suggested rate by the centre is to ensure that worker’s pay can cope with raising inflation levels. The…
Meta has appointed Patrick Pan to the position of Head of Taiwan and Hong Kong. With more than 18 years of technology sector experience, Pan brings a broad range of skills and perspectives on spearheading organizational effectiveness and growth for multinational corporations. As Head of Taiwan and Hong Kong at Meta,…
According to a survey carried out by business specialist company Oliver Wight, around 60% of businesses in Asia Pacifc have reported that they are able to recruit “good people” despite the challenges facing the current talent market. However, 40% of businesses revealed that they are still having difficulty when it…
Findings from the Annual Leave Allowances survey by Just Eat for Business has revealed that 20% of British workers are unable to take time off work due to staffing shortages and reduced business resources—meaning their requests for leave are denied. The news should come as little surprise considering recent reports…
According to the latest data from the Statistics Department, Hong Kong’s unemployment rate dropped for two months in a row to 4.7% meaning that around 178,000 of the city’s workforce are still struggling to find work. The number of unemployed citizens fell by around 12,800 while that of the underemployed…
A large-scale report involving more than 12 million employees across 125 countries by HR advisory services firm Kincentric has shown that while employee engagement levels have remained stable year-on-year, engagement has varied wildly from quarter to quarter because of the impact of significant, turbulent world events on employees. The Report…
A recent survey of 2,100 C-suite leaders by Deloitte in partnership with Workplace Intelligence has found that nearly 70% of the C-suite are seriously contemplating quitting their job for one that better supports their well-being. The report, The C-suite’s role in well-being: How health-savvy executives can go beyond workplace wellness…
This summer, New World Group will pilot a 4.5-day work week to provide more flexible work models including one work-from-home day to adapt to the new normal in the workplace. To help its employees maintain a healthy work-life balance and improve their physical and mental health, the Group announced its…
The demand for flexible and coworking spaces has never been higher. As companies continue to redefine their workplaces, one provider is going the extra mile to ensure that its members are well-positioned to leverage their workspace to their advantage. HR Magazine recently spoke with Nadia Zhu, Regional Managing Director –…
In a recent survey, CLP Group was named Hong Kong’s most diverse employer. HR Magazine spoke with Priscilla Chau, Human Resources Director, CLP Power to better understand how the Group’s Hong Kong subsidiary is championing diversity and empowering women in a traditionally male-dominated world. CLP Power’s overarching diversity agenda and…
In today’s ‘tight talent market’ – forgive the quotations as you will see why organisations have been focusing on strengthening their employee experience and corporate initiatives as ways to attract and retain talent. The problem is that there is no such thing as a tight talent market. Simply, what it…
In a survey of almost 12,000 people worldwide, global health service company, Cigna, has discovered that the vast majority of expats are burned out, stressed and re-evaluating life and work priorities for more flexibility or to be closer to family and friends. The report—Burned Out Overseas – The State of…
The United Kingdom is bracing for a summer of discontent as employees across the country threaten mass walkouts in a fight for greater pay and more favourable working conditions. This week saw the start of the country’s biggest transportation strike in three decades with 50,000 railway employees participating in a…
The past few years have seen an unforgiving pandemic and global situation take a hefty toll on businesses, leaders and employees across the globe. Now, more than ever, the workforce is burdened with additional responsibilities and is logging more hours despite working from home and having access to technologies that…
With employee mental health and well-being an increasing priority for organisations across Hong Kong, recent research from Qualtrics in May 2022 revealed 71% of workers in Hong Kong said their job is the main source of their mental health challenges. The Mental Health in the workplace: survey of Hong Kong…
The results of the 2022 Most Attractive Employer by HR solutions agency Randstad have been revealed with Swire Properties being crowned as the city’s Most Attractive Employer. This is the second time that Swire Properties has won the award with the first time being in 2020. The annual Randstad Employer…
Asia Pacific is showing signs of uneven progress toward gender equity according to a new report by Equileap. The research examined almost 1,200 companies on gender equity-specific issues across the region including equal pay, female representation, paid parental leave and anti-sexual harassment policies. The region’s advanced economies including Australia, Hong…
A study of global leadership with C-suite professionals by PA Consulting has confirmed observations that there are new concrete ways of leading that make a tangible difference to the health and happiness of an organisation and wider society. The survey of over 300 business leaders across the US, UK and…
According to Gallup’s latest report—State of the Global Workplace 2022, only 21% of all employees worldwide are engaged in their workplace with the levels of engagement swinging wildly across regions. In East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea and Taiwan), the number of engaged employees dwindles to just…
International hotel operator Accor has joined forces with mobile workplace solution provider ATIOM to empower its talents by enabling them to learn and grow. The app will provide effective training, communication and real-time engagement with frontline teams to the Group’s 30,000 employees across 400 hotels in 12 countries worldwide. Internal…
US multinational bank Wells Fargo has caused controversy after allegedly holding sham interviews to meet diversity targets despite the vacancies already being filled. The bank is facing a federal investigation after current and former employees spoke up about the unethical hiring practices. A number of the bank’s employees came forward…
According to Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work by Microsoft, 60% of managers in Singapore say leadership at their company is out of touch with employee expectations, while 78% say they do not have the influence or resources to drive change for their team. The second annual Work Trend Index…
Findings from a YouGov for Business in the Community poll has experts cautioning that an ‘always-on’ culture needs to be urgently addressed in order to give employees a healthy work-life balance. Its findings reveal that more than half of the 4,200 employees polled felt obligated to respond to work-related calls…
When one talks about gender diversity, it may often be interpreted as a push for equal representation between men and women however, the concept of gender has evolved in recent times beyond the traditional binary options. Nowadays, there has been an increase in the rich diversity of gender expression as…
A new study by Instant Offices has revealed that 72% of employees in Hong Kong feel unhappy at work. The study compared several APAC jurisdictions to determine which places have the strongest culture of overworking and compared countries by average working hours, annual leave and workplace happiness. The results are…
For the first time in 26 years, subsidies that cover outstanding wages from insolvent employers may see higher payment ceilings from next Friday (17 June) according to an announcement by Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Law Chi-kwong. A resolution proposing an increase to the ceiling for ex gratia payments to…
Peaks and troughs are part of the ride for any business, but a company based on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia is helping those troughs potentially become valuable money-earners. Technology provider BenchOn has re-imagined its “staff sharing portal” to help companies manage their workforces in new ways. Established by…
FinTech company Hyphen Group has announced its new policy that aims to give its employees greater flexibility and choice when it comes to their individual working arrangements. The move comes as a response to an increasing demand for flexible models of working from employees across the globe. Under the new…
According to NTUC Learning’s Hubs latest industry insights, more than four in five employers in Singapore said that there is an increasing need for employees across various job roles and departments to have basic coding skills and knowledge. Almost a third also said that a large proportion of job roles…
According to HR Magazine’s recent poll on LinkedIn, over half of HR professionals (55%) believe that employees should be required to be on-site once or twice a week. Almost 700 HR professionals across the globe participated in our LinkedIn poll where we pondered whether employees should have to return to…
By now, the great return is well underway with many employers mandating a return to the office. However, one company that is progressively breaking the mould is Klook. The travel and leisure platform recently launched a ‘Workcation’ initiative that aims to give Klookers a greater sense of freedom — the…
Data from HR and Payroll company SD Worx has revealed that almost a third (32%) of companies have no system in place that enables employees to report instances of discrimination. Though an encouraging 68% of businesses are committed to removing unconscious bias from the recruitment process, many are still facing…
American coffee company, Starbucks, becomes the latest Western corporation to announce its exit from the Russian market after 15 years. The coffee brand ceased trading in Russia in March but announced that it will now pull out entirely according to a statement issued by the company. The release said that…
For the first time in a decade of research, work-life balance has overtaken salary as the most important employee value proposition that workers look for in an employer. According to the poll by Randstad as part of their Employer Brand Research 2022, ‘attractive salary and benefits’ dipped two per cent…
Langham Hospitality Group has announced the appointment of Ms Sherona Shng as Managing Director of The Langham, Hong Kong and Regional Vice President, Operations – Asia, overseeing hotels from Hong Kong to Tokyo and Jakarta. In addition to her leadership role, Shng will have expanded operational oversight of all Langham…
Amazon Australia will move to allow employees at its Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra offices to bring their dogs to work. As part of their independent research, Amazon Australia found that 23% of Australians welcomed a four-legged friend into their family during the pandemic and now seven in ten dog…
Insights from a survey by insurance giant AIA have revealed that two in three Singapore Residents are concerned about losing their job due to illness and/or disability. More than half of the respondents (53%) also reported that they do not have any disability income protection according to findings from the…
Every company has rules—that’s a given; however, some rules are more of a choice or maybe a short-sighted attempt at establishing a hierarchy and creating order. Understandably companies want to maintain certain standards and codes of conduct but there are some rules that could be killing morale. Below are examples…
A survey by the Chartered Management Institute has uncovered a growing backlash from male managers towards gender equality. The poll discovered that a third of male managers feel as though too much effort is being placed into supporting gender equality in the workplace compared to 13% of women. On the…
According to a global skills analysis by Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD), there seems to be a huge disconnect between employers and employees when it comes to upskilling. According to the study—Thriving in the Global Skills Shortage: Your Path Through the Wilderness, employers strongly believe that they are on the right track…
Mercer’s 2022 global talent trends study—The Rise of the Relatable Organisation, businesses across Asia are still tuning into shifting employee needs to rethink ways of working, upskilling and well-being to drive their success. Talent attraction and retention are of top concern for executives across the region with seven in ten…
Anyone working or living in Hong Kong for an extended period of time will be familiar with the territory’s Black Rain and Typhoon weather warning system. These extreme weather alerts in the past, typically up-ended working and school arrangements resulting in class and work being suspended. Employees across the…
Data from well-being and performance specialists GoodShape has revealed that over the course of the pandemic, mental health-related absences cost British employers an estimated GBP £17 billion. The research found that employees took a collective 125 million days off work, 57% of which were taken by females. The UK Mental…
Buying a birthday card, chairing a committee, organising holiday parties, and writing up minutes are some ‘non-promotable work’ tasks that are important to organisational functioning, but unlikely to be rewarded or even recognised. Many, if not most working women are assigned or accept these tasks as part of their job…
Research by Management Education provider CEMS has revealed that a good work-life balance is rated on par with salary as a top criterion for jobseekers. Of the more than 4,000 respondents, work-life balance and salary ranked equally across the board. However, for professionals over the age of 35, work-life balance…
Under a new company-wide policy, Airbnb employees can ‘live and work anywhere’ according to an email circulated by company CEO Brian Chesky. Under the new policy, employees will be able to move anywhere within the United States without a change in compensation. The policy also gives Airbnb employees the flexibility…
Towergate Health & Protection, a business insurance provider, recently polled 500 HR decision makers on their benefits practices and found that 45% of employers were having difficulties ensuring that communication of health and wellbeing support is relevant since the pandemic began. The majority of employers (56%) stated that they have…
Statistics from Randstad’s annual Employer Brand Research survey have shown that 31% of Hongkongers plan to change employers in the first half of 2022, marking an eight per cent increase from 2021. Similarly, the percentage of respondents who are not afraid of losing their jobs and intending to change employers…
Independent insurance brokerage firm Lockton Asia has announced the appointment of Stella Sung as Senior Vice President, Head of Benefits and Health – North Asia. Sung will be based in Hong Kong, overseeing business for Greater China and North Asia. “As Lockton Asia broadens and deepens its benefits capabilities, Stella…
The Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions has released data from its study that has highlighted the city’s culture of long working hours. The study of 564 working-age employees conducted between mid-March to mid-April this year, found that on average, two-thirds of employees in the city are working…
The fifth annual Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) provides insight into the progress of women in business around the globe. The MIWE performance ranking draws on socioeconomic factors that nurture or hinder the ability of women to progress and thrive in the business world. 65 economies were examined with…
The CV, HR’s first interaction with potential talent. CVs contain a plethora of information that signal to those in talent acquisition if a candidate is a prospective match for the organisation yet in reality, that information is encouraging biases and holding HR back from hiring explains a report from candidate…
The Workplace Smart Cleanliness study conducted by SoftBank Robotics and Milieu Insight has shed light on how employees feel about their workplace cleanliness. Indoor air quality, cleaning frequency and virus transmission risks were reported as the key concerns amongst the workforce. The study found that 84% of workers cited cleanliness…
Data from KPMG’s Hong Kong Executive Salary Outlook 2022 report has revealed that executives across all sectors expect an increase in headcount whilst bonus payments are seen rebounding and salary expectations rising. The report also found that competition for talent remains high, compelling employers to search for creative ways to…
Unconscious biases (UB) are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside of their conscious awareness and can inadvertently lead to individuals being insulted, offended, hurt or judged as less competent. Recently, many organisations have turned to unconscious bias training to address the impact that UB have…
Global cloud-based financial close solutions provider Trintech has announced the appointment of Monna Nevils as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). With a focus on employees, Nevils will help Trintech continue to build an engaged, inclusive, and high-performing culture. She will lead all aspects of human resources, including talent acquisition, learning…
A US employer in the state of Kentucky has been ordered to shell out US$ 450,000 in compensation to an employee after throwing them an unwanted birthday party. The employee, Kevin Berling, requested that his employer, Gravity Diagnostics not to celebrate his birthday because it would trigger a panic attack.…
In a global data study of the best cities for business ideas by Money.co.uk, Taiwanese capital Taipei came out on top. The survey analysed data from Kickstarter campaigns between 2016 and 2021—considering the success and failure rate, number of backers and amount of capital, in cities around the world and…
In an unprecedented move amongst the professional services firms, Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Australia, has laid bare what it is paying— from associates to partners, for all to see. The report includes the pay data of workers across all divisions and levels of the organisation for the financial year…
Employee performance management start-up, Mesh, has announced a US$ 11 million series A funding round led by RTP Global. The HR tech company co-founded by Gaurav Chaubey, Saurabh Nangia and Rahul Singh in 2020 is in full-scale mode with revenues increasing 16-fold in just two years. Mesh is a performance…
How a Hong Kong start-up is helping HR harmonise and redefine the sales industry. At first glance, iSlash’s platform can be viewed as a disruptor of the traditional in-store sales process yet, digging a little deeper, its functionality can be leveraged by HR and business leaders alike to better understand…
In today’s “tight talent market” – forgive the quotations as you will see why, organisations have been focusing on strengthening their employee experience and corporate initiatives as ways to attract and retain talent. The problem is that there is no such thing as a tight talent market. Simply, what it…
Research from global health care company Otsuka Pharmaceutical and the Society for Human Resource Management has discovered that only 32 per cent of HR professionals report that offering mental health resources is a high priority for the organisation. Despite this, the survey, Mental Health in America: A 2022 Workplace Report,…
As the global post-pandemic recovery begins to ramp up, many workers have begun to return to the office. The Human Workplace Index recently conducted a survey—The Office – to return or not to return, to better understand employees’ sentiments about their impending return. More than half of the respondents indicated…
Mercer Marsh Benefit’s health trends report has unveiled the latest trends that are driving the future of employer-provided healthcare and how business leaders can manage the costs and risks amidst a changing world. The survey of 210 insurers across 59 countries discovered that the number of claims and the global…
Workers of all demographics have had their lives disrupted due to the pandemic. As pandemic-induced effects such as the great resignation continue to wrangle the professional sector, employee job attitudes have undergone a profound shift. As the majority of the world begins to live with COVID, research from Moneypenny in…
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) February 2022 statistics have showed a continued decline in the city state’s unemployment rate—dropping from 2.3% to 2.1% overall. The unemployment rate for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents also declined from 3.1% to 3.0%. As the unemployment rate continues to improve the MOM commented, “With…
Microsoft has released its second annual Work Trend Index report which has outlined five urgent trends that business leaders need to address. The report—Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work, makes clear that the past two and half years have created a long-lasting impact and have fundamentally changed how people define…
The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network 2022 World Happiness Report has refreshed the list of happiest places in the world with Taiwan leading the way in Asia at 26th place. Regionally, Taiwan ranked as the happiest place in East Asia beating out other rival locations. Hong Kong, however, saw…
The latest findings from Randstad’s Hong Kong work monitor report have revealed that Hongkongers are the least likely in Asia Pacific to take action to upskill themselves. The revelation seemingly puts Hong Kong’s workforce at a disadvantage as they fail to increase their attractiveness and impact their ability to negotiate…
The 2022 Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn Learning has discovered that there has been a 94% increase in demand for L&D professionals over the past year. Similarly, L&D professionals reported that they expected to see increases to their budgets in the coming year with 57% of those in Asia Pacific…
Recent research conducted in the UK by flexible office space provider IWG has discovered that over half of female office workers feel as though their career prospects have improved thanks to the shift to hybrid working. The findings seemingly rebuke the idea that women’s careers would be harmed by the…
We recently brought to light the need for businesses to do more in order to address feelings of loneliness amongst remote workers. With Mental Health Awareness Week just around the corner, HR and business leaders may wish to read the following list to better understand how they could provide support…
The Great Resignation shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. New survey results from anonymous professional networking site, Blind, have revealed that as much as four-fifths of professionals will be on the lookout for new career opportunities in the next three months. Employees at financial service and large…
The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham HK) has announced the appointment of Dr Eden Woon as President beginning 1 September 2022. Woon will succeed current President, Tara Joseph, after her five years of service. Woon is an experienced business and academic leader who has served in government…
A common mistake a business can make is thinking that a few initiatives, without understanding infrastructure and integration across their organisation, will improve their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) position. Often, these are created in silos and will not stand the test of time or tackle the real issues around…
Skills-based hiring shifts recruitment focus from traditional academic credentials, long used as a proxy for ability, to hiring based on competencies. Of course, niche skills and expert knowledge are required to fulfil certain role-specific requirements, but for those mid-skill positions, measurable competencies are the true value. By adopting a skill-based…
Attrition, attraction, retention—what does HR tackle first? Why not all at once? The Great Resignation continues its solemn march across organisations worldwide with many businesses examining ways to stem the flow of resignations, attract the best talent or provide learning pathways and improved employee experiences in order to retain existing…
With teams being geographically dispersed thanks to remote working, a poll of 1,000 workers—conducted by Silicon Reef, has discovered that a third of workers had experienced feelings of loneliness when working flexibly. Workers aged between 18 – 36 were almost twice as likely as those aged 55 or above to…
Ensuring organisational cybersecurity is an ongoing process that many organisations will need to adapt to when undertaking work from home policies. In Hong Kong alone, the total number of cybercrime cases rose sixfold from 1,506 cases in 2009 to 8,322 in 2019 whilst 12, 916 cases were reported in 2020…
An international study by LHH, a talent solutions provider that is part of The Adecco Group, has released its initial findings of the Readiness Index that sought to uncover factors that influence workers’ attitudes about their readiness for the future of work. Participants across age groups and demographics were tested…
Manpower Group recently released its Employment Outlook Survey for the second quarter of 2022 has found that Singapore has a robust hiring outlook for the coming quarter. The poll of over 500 Singaporean employers revealed that four in ten employers plan on hiring in the coming three months whilst two-fifths…
Generali Asia has announced the appointment of Davide Glavina as Chief Executive Officer of Generali Life (Hong Kong) Limited and General Manager of Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A., Hong Kong Branch. Glavina oversees Generali Hong Kong’s business and strives to accelerate its business growth. Glavina is a seasoned management executive with over…
The Philippines is the latest nation to consider implementing a four-day workweek amidst soaring cost of living and fuel prices. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief Karl Chua, explained that the scheme could help increase saving in terms of conserving energy and fuel consumption. Filipino President, Rodrigo Duterte…
A recent analysis by Absolute Digital Media has revealed the most appealing remote work locations in Europe. The company analysed European countries as well as major cities to discover the best destination for remote workers looking for a change of scene. Spanish capital, Madrid, came out on top with an…
British shipping giant P&O Ferries has made headlines and enraged labour unions by making 800 staff members redundant via a pre-recorded Zoom message. P&O, owned by multi-billion-pound Dubai-based DP World, made the decision to summon staff to onboard-ship meetings where they were informed that they were being laid off with…
The Statistics Department yesterday (17 March) released new data that shows that Hong Kong’s unemployment rate rose by 0.6% to 4.5%. The latest batch of data means the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.9 per cent between last November to January to 4.5 per cent between December and…
HR Magazine’s Managing Editor, James G. Linacre, recently gave a media interview on the magazine’s editorial focus, upcoming plans and the trends that are shaping HR. Read below for the full interview: Please tell us more about the HR Magazine and its editorial focus. HR Magazine is the largest HR-dedicated…
Research by Instant Offices has revealed a list of the ten most sought-after skills by UK employers. Seven out of the top ten most in-demand skills are technology-based, which is not surprising considering the accelerated pace of business digitalisation. Data science tops the list with a 295% increase in demand…
A recent report by Randstad; Hong Kong: Banking & Financial Services 2022 Recruitment and Bonus Overview, has discovered that many financial services firms in the SAR are developing new workforce planning strategies to allocate their resources where most needed. The city’s firms are deploying strategies such as remote hiring, offshoring…
The recently published Work-life Balance Cities Ranking 2021 by BPO has revealed that Hong Kong is the world’s most overworked city with 30% of workers putting in more than 48 hours per week. Rival Asia metropolises Singapore and Bangkok rank second and third respectively. Work-life balance is a relatively new…
New survey findings from anonymous reporting software company AllVoices have shed light on HR leaders’ sentiments as they continue to be faced with increased workloads and higher turnover. The survey of 400 human resources professionals discovered that 53% of respondents are feeling burnt out whilst 48% are looking for a…
Zeynep Ton, Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management recently held a talk on the challenges faced by low-income workers. Ton examined low-income workers, job design and business leaders’ attitudes towards increasing pay gap inequality. “There is an obsession amongst businesses to look at the market to determine the rate…
As part of our series of features of women in leadership in honour of International Women’s Day 2022, we spoke with Renata Mrazova, Chief People Officer, Home Credit about her journey in the male-dominated financial services and insurance industries. Mrazova embarked on her career by joining pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in…
A new report, Adaptive Leaders, Culture & Strategy, from the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) has discovered that half of the business leaders surveyed are not prepared to drive the change needed for post-pandemic success. The survey polled 1000 C-level executives globally to better understand business leaders’…
In celebration of International Women’s Day (8 March), HR Magazine recently talked with Rajni Sharma, Managing Director, SAP Hong Kong & Macau to discuss what it means to be a female leader in the male-dominated tech space and how cloud-based technologies are helping HR teams to eliminate gender biases. Rajni…
A survey conducted by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) between 10 January and 21 January has found that 40% of companies were feeling adversely affected by the spate of emigration from the city and were losing key skilled talent from all sides. Larger organisations were reported as…
Bullhorn, a global recruitment software firm, has released its Global Recruitment Insights and Data (GRID) report on recruitment firms practices in the Asia Pacific region. The data – gathered from more than 4,000 recruitment professionals, has highlighted an accelerated adoption of digital transformation strategies for a second year in a…
Employees under flexible or work from home arrangements are most productive in the morning than at other times throughout the day according to a survey conducted by Milieu Insight. Employees across the Asia region are productive for five to six hours per day with their most productive work happening between…
ECA International’s 2022 Location Ratings survey has ranked Singapore as the number one most liveable city for expats for a consecutive year. Meanwhile Hong Kong saw its rating slide to 77th place to be tied with Taipei in part due to its continued COVID-19 restrictions. The annual survey assesses 490…
Zinnov, a management consultancy and strategic advisory firm, has conducted a worldwide analysis that has identified global talent hotspots. The research was conducted across Asia Pacific, Europe and North & Latin America with the aim of identifying places that organisations can turn to build world-class Centres of Excellence (CoE). The…
According to the 2022 Workspace DEI Report by Culture Amp, only 27% of businesses with DEI initiatives know how to measure the effectiveness of such measures, whilst only 34% reported that they have sufficient resources to support their DEI initiatives. The report analysed data from over 2,100 companies and almost…
In the world of work, having a unique and differential organisational culture is advantageous to businesses and can help retain and attract staff. A new whitepaper, the Global Employee Survey 2021 by Robert Walters, has indicated that traditional ‘corporate-culture-type’ organisations may lose out on in the war on talent unless…
The most recent Workmonitor Survey by Randstad has discovered that 73% of respondents in Hong Kong rank compensation and benefits as the most important factor that influences their career choices. The bi-annual survey highlights the workforce’s latest sentiments and perceptions of the local job market and was conducted across 34…
Cultivating an organisation’s culture is a key element in every HR professional’s role. In the past, it was much easier to facilitate in-person activities that helped build a sense of community amongst employees. As many workers transitioned to hybrid or remote ways of work, it has become much more challenging…
The Hong Kong Labour Department has issued a warning to employers against dismissing their foreign domestic helpers (FDH) if they test positive for COVID-19. Employers who dismiss their FDH risk facing a HK$ 100,000 fine and being banned from hiring a new FDH. The Labour Department stance comes after…
Dropsuite has appointed Frederique van de Poll as its new Global Head of Human Resources to be stationed in Singapore. Van de Poll will oversee the company’s global HR operations as well as driving the company’s talent expansion. “I’m very excited about this new journey with a wonderful team,” shared…
Employee mental health matters now more than ever. The risk of ignoring employee disengagement and mental well-being is far too great for organisations. Many business leaders may choose to ignore negative emotions and feedback in their workplaces whether due to social stigma, culture or unwilling resolve. As a result, maintaining…
A recent Inclusive Index Report by Equality Group, supported by Equilibrium has released a list of Asia Pacific’s most inclusive employers. CLP Group was named as Hong Kong’s most inclusive employer and the fourth most inclusive employer in the region. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing came second and Hang Seng…
Communication bans or policies that restrict out-of-hours communication can help alleviate employees from the stress of being always available. Several jurisdictions across the globe including Portugal, Belgium and France have given employees the legal right to disconnect, giving workers better work-life balance and companies a competitive edge when it comes…
According to the latest labour force statistics from the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), Hong Kong’s employment rate as of the end of January 2022, remains unchanged from the previous quarter at 3.9%. Unemployment levels remain at their lowest levels since the onset of the pandemic though, the Labour Department…
New data released by the U.S. Federal Government has shown that women disproportionately fall behind men when it comes to re-entering the workforce post-pandemic. Between January 2020 to January 2022, 1.1 million left the workforce, accounting for 63% of all jobs lost during the period. Whilst male workers have recouped…
The Belgian government has announced that the European nation’s workers may soon be able to opt for a four-day week under a series of labour reforms. The proposed amendments will also give workers the right to disconnect after hours without fear of reprisal. Additionally, workers in the gig economy will…
As more enterprises embrace hybrid models of working, they are witnessing how it can empower businesses and employees to be more productive whilst making considerable benefits to the planet and profits. A new white paper by International Workplace Group (IWG) has forecasted an accelerated adoption of the hybrid working…
Travel service provider Trip.com Group has announced that it will implement a global hybrid work model, giving employees the option to work remotely from 1 March. With the launch of the new policy, Trip.com becomes one of the first internet companies in mainland China to implement a hybrid work model.…
Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey (LVMH) Group, the global luxury fashion conglomerate, has announced the appointment of Stephane Voyer as Senior Vice-President Human Resources of Parfum Christian Dior, effective February 16 2022. Voyer will report directly to the President and CEO of Parfum Christian Dior, Laurent Kleitman, and will be a…
The quarterly CIPD Labour Market Outlook report has indicated that UK based employers continue to face a shortage of workers with the net employment balance being driven to near all-time high levels lead by the private sector. The high demand for talent against the low supply has prompted many employers…
Moderna announced yesterday its expansion plans in the Asia Pacific region with four new subsidiaries to be established in Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. The development signifies Moderna’s commitment to Asia and will provide support to the region in the delivery of its vaccines and therapeutics. The Asia-Pacific region…
CWT, the travel management platform, has appointed Karen Farrell as Senior Vice President, Global Talent & Total Rewards. In this role, Karen and her team will develop and lead talent acquisition and talent management strategies, as well as spearhead the company’s learning and development, compensation, and benefits efforts. “Karen’s breadth…
The idea of a 4-day workweek has been a hot topic of discussion for businesses across the globe, with a few notable companies making this transition. In places such as the US, UK, New Zealand and even Japan, household names including Microsoft, Shake Shack, Morrisons and Unilever have trialled longer…
A study by Instant Offices has revealed that a third of workers across Asia including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore have felt burnt-out over the past two years as a growing number of workers struggled to find work-life balance whilst working from home. According to the World Health…
Nexford University, the Washington D.C.-based next-generation university platform, has announced the launch of its global mentorship program – the ‘Global Grid’ which aims to develop talent and promote the personal, professional, and social success of learners worldwide. The program launch coincides with Nexford’s third anniversary. Co-founded in 2019 by CEO…
Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MoH) announced in a press conference that employees will not be required to be certified COVID-19 by GPs to return to the workplace. The change notes that employees will be able to exit isolation and resume normal activities once they have tested negative on a self-administered…
The Top Employers Institute has honoured all Deutsche Post DHL Group divisions for outstanding employee conditions DHL Global Forwarding, Freight and DHL Express certified as Top Employer Global 2022 Business and HR strategy as well as leadership culture highly valued Board Member for HR Thomas Ogilvie: “Our dedicated team…
Musculoskeletal conditions were found to be the costliest disease for multinationals. Almost half (48%) of the total amount paid under the MSK category was for chronic issues. On average, MSK related procedures cost businesses US$ 629 compared to an average of US$ 615 for all other conditions. A major report…
A new survey by Milieu Insight—which asked hiring decision-makers across Southeast Asia on their perceptions of ‘job-hoppers,’ has found that, in general, attitudes are more neutral than they are negative. The survey—conducted across Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, The Philippines, and Indonesia included both employees and hiring decision-makers. The latest findings…
Key Changes A city-wide ‘vaccine pass’ will launch on 24 February covering a total of 23 workplaces including cinemas, restaurants, malls, wet markets, department stores and supermarkets. Unvaccinated employees can be terminated after the pass introduction if they are unable to carry out their duties at one of the covered…
Australia announced yesterday (7 February) that it will fully reopen its borders to fully vaccinated visa holders including business travellers, tourists and other visitors from 21 February. The reopening comes as welcome news for many sectors including international businesses. “If you’re double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back,”…
The Hong Kong Institute of Human Resources Management (HKIHRM) announced the appointment of Ms Kandy Lui as Executive Director effective 1 February. Ms Margaret Cheng, JP, President of HKIHRM commented on the appointment, “Kandy has been with the Institute for nearly ten years. In her previous position as Head of…
According to the New Climate Institute’s 2022 report— the Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor, only 3 of 25 global companies surveyed are committing to deep decarbonisation across 90% of their full value chain emissions, whilst others are failing to change quickly enough. The report analysed the firms’ publicly stated environmental strategies…
The Hong Kong Government has announced that the online application system for the subsidy scheme for beauty parlours, massage establishments and party rooms is open for applications from 9 am 7 February until 11.59 pm on 20 February. Funds are being made available under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic…
Sodexo, a leader in food service and facilities management, proudly announced that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation ’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Sodexo joins the ranks of…
CWT, the Business-to-Business-for-Employees (B2B4E) travel management platform, has appointed Rachael Sullivan as Vice President, Human Resources. Based in Minneapolis and reporting to Consuelo Corridori, CWT’s Senior Vice President of HR, Rachael will be the global HR business partner for CWT’s Finance and Commercial teams, helping them to further strengthen their…
Reuters/Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. is looking at moving its staff from Hong Kong to Singapore as the territory’s strict dynamic Zero COVID approach is forcing the business to review its operations according to the Financial Times. According to a source close to the bank, The U.S. based banking giant…
Enhancing ESG performance will help companies retain employees-Health and well-being become top priority during pandemic As the global trend of sustainable investing continues to grow, ESG has become a buzzword worldwide. Mojodomo Holdings Limited (“Mojodomo”), a global engagement marketing and e-commerce platform released a white paper titled “Asia’s Workforce Awakens…
HR Magazine is delighted to once again be a proud media partner of the 2022 Community Business Awards. Community Business, a leading not-for-profit organisation advancing responsible and inclusive business practices in Asia, is bringing all their award schemes together under the banner of the 2022 Community Business Awards. Building on their…
Manulife Hong Kong has announced the senior appointments of Wilton Kee as Chief Financial Officer and Danny Lee as Chief Product Officer to strengthen the company’s leadership capabilities and drive its strategic initiatives. With talent development a key focus in 2022, the announcement underscores Manulife Hong Kong’s ongoing mission to…
When Twitter recently named its new CEO, Parag Agrawal, it joined an elite club of prominent US organisations to have a South Asian in a prominent leadership position. Twitter now joins the ranks of Adobe, Alphabet, Citigroup and Microsoft who have placed South Asians into senior leadership positions. Tender Steps…
From Willis Tower Watson, Singapore, January 2022 Two in five employers are projecting higher salary budgets for 2022. Fueled by tight labour markets and the rise in inflation this year, employers in Asia Pacific (APAC) are boosting their salary increase projections for 2022 according to the latest Salary Budget Planning…
From Mastercard, Singapore, January, 2022 Mastercard announced that Safdar Khan has been named Division President for Southeast Asia. This appointment is an expansion of his former role as Division President, Southeast Asia Emerging Markets. A 15-year veteran of Mastercard, Khan’s previous role saw him building business momentum with an assertive…
Asia’s leading cities set a new precedent for digital upskilling The recent Emerging Job and Skills report from Singapore’s NTUC LearningHub has shed light on the profound effect that digitalisation is having on its workforce; forcing them to upskill. Both employers and employees were asked for their perspectives regarding the…
How a people-focused financial titan is powering through challenging times As a leading Hong Kong company, with over two thousand employees and intrinsically connected with corporate practice and conditions, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) is a handy barometer of the city’s business ecosystem. Since 2019, Paul Choi, the Group…
From Johnny Choi & Xu Zhou, DLA Piper Following the introduction of the three-child policy on 31 May 2021 and the release of the amended national family planning regulations in August, more than 20 provinces and cities in China amended local family planning rules. These rules extended maternity leave and…
Lewis has over 15 years’ experience working with multinational organisations and implementing global employee benefits programmes. He joined MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in 2016. The international employee benefits joint venture between MetLife and AXA, recently announced that Lewis will become its global Head of Business Development. Hel will…
Hiring managers need to get on the phone quickly, as a surge in talent demand sees sought-after candidates receiving at least two offers. 1.7% salary increment in 2022, 0.9% higher YoY 32% of companies express interest in more hires, up 18% from 2021 46% of companies are cautiously optimistic towards…
HR Magazine Awards 2021 # 11 brilliant HR/HR vendor categories # 100s of applications # Two overnighters by the Judges to shortlist the submissions # One beautiful HR Magazine Awards Special Supplement Thank you to everyone who entered the Awards, please see below to know who have been shortlisted HR…
Mattias Loxi, Co-founder, Cinode Consulting industry record-breaking growth, with one-third of listed consulting companies growing by over 20% and median company turnover increases of 13.4%, compared to 2020, according to Cinode’s latest report. “The skills gap in the consulting industry remains significant and is at risk of becoming greater. Although…
2022 looks set to be a highly competitive employment landscape in Hong Kong, according to the 2022 Market Outlook & Salary Snapshot just released by Randstad, that takes a detailed look at the city’s economic climate and recruitment trends. “The developments and business trends all point towards increasing demand for…
Over half of under-30s more likely to enter non-traditional work as a result of the pandemic A third of full-time workers more likely to participate in non-traditional work following the pandemic Half employees say better benefits would make them more likely to consider non-traditional work 79% in non-traditional and part-time…
Rental Reimbursements (RR) provide HR and employees with a tax-efficient means of remuneration. RR is where the employer reimburses the rent paid by an employee on their place of residence. Employers are able to leverage RR to help them provide market-competitive remuneration to attract, retain and incentivise staff. By allocating…
Why using a single partner for payroll, accounting and tax services enhances efficiency, compliance and minimises risks. The challenge Brocade, a US tech company specialising in storage networking products, is one of an increasing number of organisations today grappling with multi-vendor challenges. With a small in-house team of accountants based…
Hong Kong’s employment market continues to improve, and the latest unemployment rate from July to September has declined 0.2 percentage points from the previous period to just 4.5%. This is the lowest unemployment rate in the last one and a half years. Moreover, since the beginning of 2021, unemployment has…
Across Generations: Difficult Dialogue and Crucial Conversations In the end, the research showed it comes down to communication, or more specifically, a willingness to ‘listen with the intention of learning’. Are both parties, in good faith, looking for a solution or are they looking to ‘win’? Sam Bobertz, certified Workplace…
Talent looking for WFH flexibility in future Less than half employees receive support they expect from employers New tools required to navigate changed world of work Sentiment and practices around work have changed significantly over the past year, and the latest Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey: The State of Work report shows that…
Great Place to Work® and Fortune announced the Fortune World’s Best Workplaces™ 2021. The surveys cover 19.8 million employee opinions worldwide in which organisations are assessed on their efforts to create great workplaces and positively impact people and communities across multiple countries around the world. Winners have demonstrated their success in creating great workplaces…
New rider initiatives at Deliveroo include the launch of a personal safety app Busby, training courses on scooter road safety, Red Cross First-Aid Training and a Weekly Safety Content Calendar From October 2021, Deliveroo Hong Kong will recognise the month of October as ‘Rider Safety Month’, raising awareness towards on-road…
From car workshops to contemporary workspaces, Kwun Tong’s transformation We sipped our lattes in Pret and watched the eclectic mix of nationalities funnelling through the spacious lobby of The Quayside, which houses one of JP Morgan’s three main Hong Kong offices. Anyone could guess we were in the heart of…
One-third of employees say they felt more comfortable talking about mental health over the past 12 months than ever before, while 6 in 10 believe people will be more comfortable talking about their mental health in the future. Despite this, just 1 in 10 used counselling services during the pandemic,…
To better prepare for the rapidly changing pace and activity in the healthcare industry, Cleveland Clinic and Korn Ferry recently collaborated on a programme to educate and train tomorrow’s physician-leaders and healthcare executives. The two American organisations are working together to offer a new approach to healthcare leadership development programmes.…
Almost 200,000 jobs were recently added to the US labour market, with the labour participation rate currently sat at 61.6%, according to the latest US Jobs Report. As hiring and unemployment numbers reach fever pitch across the US, recent data from Genesis10, a prominent IT talent recruiter, showing significant growth…
The Manulife Asia marketing and experience design team received two honourable mentions at the 2021 Design Management Institute (DMI) Design Value Awards. The accolades commended the team’s efforts in using human-centred design principles to enhance the company’s customer websites across multiple markets and develop its own ‘back-end’ Connected Design System…
Rhino Safety, a health and safety training and consultancy based in celebrates the launch of their new charity based training initiative set to kick off in October 2021. The initiative will see the company offer in-person training courses including First Aid, Fire Safety and Mental Health Awareness training to both…
(From left) Mr Ricky CHU, Chairperson of the EOC; Ms Shalini MAHTANI, Founder and CEO of The Zubin Foundation; EOC Members Ms Anna THOMPSON and Mr Mohan DATWANI attended the recognition event of EMerging Talent Internship Programme 2021. The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is proud to have supported The Zubin…
FedEx strengthens gender diversity Kawal Preet, President, FedEx Express, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region, has signed a CEO statement of support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)—Equality Means Business. Established by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and the United Nations…
A UK care group has launched a fundraising campaign to acquire five pioneering age simulation suits to enable caregivers to experience the impairments of older people with dementia—giving them a greater understanding of those they care for. The innovative, full-body age simulation suits offer the latest technology in experiencing age-related…
Teresa Norton, Founder, StarMaker HK, speaks with her son, Sam Bobertz, Managing Director of the company on the topic of men’s mental well-being. Teresa: Sam, we’ve been asked to participate in a panel discussion about men’s mental well-being, and when discussing the topic, you raised the question: “What needs to happen…
Deliveroo has just rebranded its ‘Deliveroo for Business’ corporate arm as ‘Deliveroo for Work’ as it hits a milestone of 20,000 global clients. Deliveroo for Work now caters for four million employees worldwide and serves 20,000 clients globally, including some of the world’s biggest brands such as Facebook, TikTok, Snowflake,…
Beverley Yeomans new Chief Diversity Officer at deVere Group deVere Group, the financial advisory, asset management and fintech organisation, has just appointed Beverley Yeomans as its inaugural Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). Based in Malta, Yeomans, also Chief Operating Officer for the Group, takes up the additional role with immediate effect…
A former clerical assistant of the Immigration Department was recently sentenced to almost four years in prison for doxing. The neologism derived from a misspelling of the abbreviation for ‘documents’ and/or the MS Word file suffix ‘.docx’ as ‘dox’ refers to compiling and releasing a dossier of personal information on…
A growing issue for HR and hiring heads has been the challenge of recruiting enough qualified candidates to fill positions. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more job openings, yet fewer talent—particularly women and diverse populations—to fill them. A recent study by Perceptyx found that compared…
Alberto Nobis, CEO, Europe DHL Express, said, “We are delighted that we—together with all our employees—succeeded in creating the best possible workplace. This journey has certainly been a marathon and not a sprint—being recognised as the best place to work is the result of a sustained focus on jointly building…
Employee engagement is heavily influenced by lunchtime bonding, while nearly 90% of employees said that they would like daily meal allowances to boost their productivity over other incentives, such as transportation or well-being subsidies. This is according to the Deliveroo for Work Survey, which shows a detailed picture of how…
Creating an employer brand that eliminates weaker candidates The ability to attract and retain the most talented candidates can make or break a company. In GIVE & GET EMPLOYER BRANDING: Repel The Many And Compel The Few With Impact, Purpose and Belonging, employer brand experts Bryan Adams and Charlotte Marshall show how…
HR Magazine spoke with Brian Turner, CEO, Buildings IOT, to get his take on why healthy buildings are back on the HR agenda. Healthy buildings are complex and dynamic. With a gradual, albeit hybrid, return to the workplace and increasing focus on being an environmentally responsible employer, building health is…
Pay rises are making a comeback, and companies across APAC plan to give employees larger rises next year as they recover from the economic fallout of the pandemic and face mounting challenges attracting and retaining employees, according to the latest Salary Budget Planning Report by Willis Towers Watson. As a…
Manulife Prestige Centre set to open in Tsim Sha Tsui on 23 August 2021 (image courtesy of Manulife) Manulife launches well-being initiative with 5 extra personal days in 2022 Manulife just announced Fuel Up Fridays—its new initiative to support the well-being of its global team. Starting on 10 September, Manulife…
Teresa Norton, Founder, StarMaker HK, speaks with Sam Bobertz, Managing Director of the same company … and her son. Teresa Let’s talk about self-acceptance and the impact that can have on our ability to accept and include others. Sam The ‘acceptance’ piece is critical. It goes back to a conversation…
Coaching has the power to create and integrate sustainable change through people growth and development, and in doing so, make a huge difference to both individuals and organisations. HR Magazine spoke with Pamela Richarde, MA, MCC, Senior VP; Cynthia Calluori, PCC, Senior VP; and Michelle Leung, MBA, PCC of Coach…
Despite the potential health and safety implications, 71% of respondents in Hong Kong said that their employers wanted them to work from the office. This according to research from Randstad in their 2021 Workmonitor survey in Hong Kong, which highlights the latest sentiments and perceptions of the local job market.…
Before the internet, it was hard to grasp what a given company’s culture and working environment were like. Online portals have now opened that window to prospective jobseekers. MoneyTransfers utilised the online analytics tool, Ahrefs, to discover which companies’ employee reviews potential jobseekers are checking most frequently on Glassdoor. Company reviews that jobseekers…
Sam Bobertz, Managing Director, StarMaker HK, conducts the second in a series of dialogues with Teresa Norton, the company’s founder (and Sam’s mother). Sam: On the issue of psychological safety—the environments that are created to give individuals the permission to share their authentic selves, true voices, feelings and ideas—I’d like…
In the wake of recent reports on toxic workplaces from big brands, recent research shows nearly one-third of employees are willing to leave their jobs due to poor workplace culture. In addition, an increasing number of employees are now speaking out about toxic or hostile workplace environments, and the act…
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook (Image courtesy of Frederic Legrand, COMEO, Shutterstock) 28 millennials in the Tech sector are already billionaires, according to the latest data from the Forbes World’s Billionaires list. Becoming a billionaire is no easy feat, which is why only a limited number of people in the world…
According to recent figures from the UK Government, there is now just a shade over a million women in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workforce. This translates to a 24% increase of women entering these work areas—over a third of a million more year on year. However, while…
The positive economic outlook for APAC Financial Services professionals has significantly increased from 11% in 2020 to 52% in 2021. Despite a pessimistic calibre in their economic expectations, respondents in APAC displayed the highest job market confidence globally, which increased to 47%, a significant uptick from 28% last year. This…
As vaccine acceptance in Hong Kong continues to improve, there has been a steady increase in vaccine acceptance, 69% up from 63% in three months. Moreover, only 9% of unvaccinated respondents say nothing could persuade them to receive the vaccine. A sense of community spirit and duty to society are core…
Onboarding and keeping the best techies Keren Halperin, VP People, Swimm, shares her take on hiring hi-tech talent, building a solid onboarding process and enhancing the overall employee experience. She previously worked at the startup Namogoo in the Israeli tech space, doubling the team size to 150 employees and reducing…
Piotr Pawlowski, Head of Supply Chain & Logistics, Middle East & Asia Pacific, Siemens HR Magazine spoke to Piotr Pawlowski, Head of Supply Chain & Logistics, Middle East & Asia Pacific, Siemens, to get his take on why organisations that actively promote mentoring tend to perform so well. Why leaders…
In Hong Kong, almost a third (31%) feel that identifying themselves as LGBTQ+ could harm their development and career prospects. This according to a recent survey by Axa Asia covering employees in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan and Thailand. The Survey found that Hong Kong companies rated poorly in advancing…
The number of employee reference enquiries requested by employers during the recruitment process in Q1 2021 saw an 8.1% year-on-year increase, indicating potential signs of a recovery from the negative impact of COVID-19 on the job market. This according to research just released from TransUnion, which examined trends of Hong…
How the pandemic brought the best out of DHL Express For many years now, DHL has invested in defining and communicating our ‘purpose’ as a company. Some 10 years ago, they coined their mantra, ‘Connecting people, improving lives’. It is simple, upbeat and underscores their collective belief that logistics and…
Urgent workforce strategy reviews required Employees expect more from employers: mental health support & workplace flexibility Virtual mental health consultations increased 89% since beginning of pandemic Higher COVID-19 vaccination rates linked to better well-being outlook Mental health most important influence on whole-person health The impact COVID-19 has had on virtual…
Hong Kong talent places greater importance on financial health and job security amid pandemic More than three in five Hongkongers ranked ‘attractive salary & benefits’ as the most important employee value proposition (EVP) they seek in an ideal employer. ‘Work- life balance’ came a close second at 60%, this according…
Stephen Koss, EY Asia-Pacific Workforce Advisory Leader Over half of APAC employees are likely to quit their current role post-pandemic if they are not offered continued flexibility in where and when they work, according to the 2021 EY Work Reimagined Employee Survey. Although currently limited by the pandemic, the movement…
On 31 May, the Government announced the launch of the “Early Vaccination for All” campaign to further encourage Hong Kong citizens to receive COVID-19 vaccination. In Support of the Campaign, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (PCPD), is now providing “Vaccination Leave” for Staff following…
Companies can require employee vaccination … in the US The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled on 4 June 2021, that companies can require employees to get vaccinated and are also allowed to offer incentives. Millions of employees in the US have already been vaccinated safely, and while demand…
The overall rate of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance has increased from 63% to 66% in a single month, according to Cigna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Perception Study, which surveyed over 13,000 people across 11 markets. 25% now vaccinated with at least one shot—rollout progressing well 66% overall vaccine acceptance—up 3% in one month Only 5%…
85% of employees feel like frauds in their organisations Between May 2020 and May 2021, UK Google searches for ‘imposter syndrome’ increased by 150%. Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which people believe they are not as competent or skilled as their peers. Feeling like frauds, they spend their…
Mike Costell brings over 13 years of talent acquisition experience to SmartBear as the company’s new Vice President of Talent Acquisition. Mike comes from American Tower where he spent the last eight years in various recruitment roles, most recently as Director, Talent Acquisition. SmartBear experienced a record, double-digit year of…
Flexible office model offers all-purpose work environments for tomorrow’s agile workforce With the majority of the global workforce working remotely for most of 2020, many companies and their employees suffered a considerable sense of loss in terms of workplace culture and practices. Businesses were quick to bring employees back to the…
Blue, Hong Kong’s first digital life insurer, has just launched the #WeSupport campaign to provide employees with extra free protection for post-vaccination. To safeguard talent teams and their families’ health, and to ensure they can get vaccinated with assurance, eligible customers can enjoy HK$300 pharmacy expenses protection and HK$200,000 compassionate…
Chilly time for Hong Kong salaries… Average salary adjustment +0.4% increment (lowest since 2008) Half of workers pessimistic about employment outlook 3-5 years’ work experience is the golden period for switching job functions (69% reported a pay rise) 49% of employees open to working outside Hong Kong 23% considering migrating…
Manulife Asia has announced a three-year partnership with LIMRA to help recruit suitable insurance advisors to improve customer insurance experience. The union will see Manulife leveraging LIMRA’s Career Choice tool to assess candidates interested in providing financial and insurance advice. LIMRA’s bespoke tool helps evaluate a candidate’s aptitude, entrepreneurial spirit,…
The British Safety Council (BSC), which James Tye founded in 1957, recognises outstanding contributions to safety through its International Safety Awards. This year, the BSC praised Syed Rizvi of Sindh Engro Coal Mining, winner of the CEO award, for leadership and strategic vision. The Covid-19 Crisis Team of the Road…
HR is increasingly leveraging software such as StaffCop, Variato Cerebral and ActivTrak, which utilise surveillance cameras to help monitor employees’ behaviour both at work and on remote computers. The US-based restaurant group, Outback, recently trialled Presto Vision, whose cameras enable management to oversee employees and customers. The software allows managers…
by Hong Tran, Partner, Mayer Brown and Co-Firm Practice Leader of the global Employment and Benefits Group New COVID-19 social distancing rules commenced on 29 April 2021. For catering businesses (excluding bars and pubs, which have their own rules), there are now four modes of operation under which they can…
Part One: Fragmented & Dramatic Intelligences By Richard Claydon, Co-Founder & Chief Cognitive Officer, EQ Lab “The future of work is not the science of business administration. It lies in complexity science and a deep and broad understanding of what it means to be human.” Being Human: types of intelligence…
The Leadership Book: A Step-by-Step Blueprint to Leadership Excellence This innovative new guide draws on Neil Jurd’s service as an operational military leader in the British Army, through battle and humanitarian missions, to walk anyone through the principles and deployment of effective leadership. The Leadership book is a straightforward guide to…
GBA continues to be attractive for career prospects, travel convenience and broader work exposure, with 43% anticipating salary increases in 2021. An increasing number of respondents from Hong Kong and Mainland China (70%) now find job opportunities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) attractive. Key sectors in Hong Kong leading…
Facilitating, nurturing and celebrating female success “A CEO wanted to hire me in their gaming company. Then I met the Group President. He spent a full hour complimenting my personality, work background, achievements, and how I had captured his attention. He said I was the best candidate he ever met…
There are multiple factors at play regarding getting your HR management system (HRMS) up to speed. Florence Mok, Managing Director, North Asia, BIPO, gives tips on smoothly transitioning to digital cloud-based HR systems, the multiple benefits it brings HR and why HR does not need to worry about losing their…
Personality assessments applied to restructures save HR big money on miss-promotions The research team of Professor Alexey Gusev from the Faculty of Psychology at Moscow State University and Nemesysco—a voice analytics technologies company—have worked collaboratively on research into the applications of voice analytics since early 2017. This joint research is…
Noella Ferns was appointed as Head of Sales, Asia Pacific, covering Mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia, on 1 April 2021. Noella will be based in Hong Kong and responsible for all sales and commercial activity for the region. Over the last three years, as British…
115,000 insurance advisors across APAC benefit from newly launched academy to help propel their careers and equip them with digital skills to drive performance. Manulife Hong Kong has just launched a region-wide training academy for its growing 115,000 insurance advisors in Asia. The initiative, known as Manulife Business Academy (MBA),…
Growth Academy Asia recently launched an out-of-this-world virtual reality L&D platform that engages teams and provides instant HR feedback on individual and group performances A key issue for heads of L&D right now is not just adopting new tech to help enhance engagement and allow programmes to be run virtually,…
The 2020 Hong Kong Public Relations & Communications Industry Salary & Benefits Survey, just published by the Hong Kong Public Relations and Communications Professional Union (Union), indicates that COVID-19 severely impacted 43% of professionals in the industry. Among the respondents, over half work for local (24%) and multinational (29%) agencies,…
The shocking reality for many outdoor workers in the UK, and many countries around the world, is that they are breathing toxic air throughout their working day. Ambient air pollution has turned the simple, human act of breathing into a deadly occupational hazard. Air pollution is currently the UK’s largest…
Just under half a million 480,000 UK workers suffered from musculoskeletal issues, with an estimated 7.8 million working from home, according to the 2019/2020 Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Report. Covid-19 measures and mental health have been widely studied; however, there are zero reports on the physical impact of WFH. 2020 was, understandably, a…
Research shows silence during negotiations leads to better results Pausing silently helps negotiators shift from fixed pie thinking to a more deliberative mindset. This, according to new research led by Jared R. Curhan, Professor and Associate Professor of Work and Organization Studies, at the MIT Sloan School of Management. The…
The World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with PwC China has just released, A Leapfrog Moment for China in ESG Reporting. According to the white paper, corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting in China is at an inflection point, with a surge of activities from regulators, exchanges, investors and corporate leaders.…
As the benefits of flexible and hybrid working are increasingly embraced by companies and employees, Nestlé has just announced that they will provide their employees in China with access to 3,500 flexible workspaces from IWG. The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on how we are all working. Companies are…
Supporting employees & showing you care during lockdown Whilst initial lockdowns saw a positive response from managers looking to support their teams; it seems maintaining this level of empathy a full year later is, for some leaders, proving unsustainable. According to a recent survey by The Hub Events of over…
A new ‘Visa Sponsorship’ feature in JobSeer, launched by Hiretual has just been announced to help jobseekers determine companies that sponsor work visas to help narrow down their choices during job searches. The move comes a month after the first release of JobSeer—the AI-powered Chrome extension tool that provides job…
Ergasia Technologies, an Indonesian-based HR Tech deep jobs platform has just announced a partnership with Arcanum AI, a New Zealand based AI and ML solutions provider to produce an AI recruitment solution for HR. The partnership will enable both parties to engage in the development of AI & ML applications…
New Flexible Workforce Programmes have just been launched in the UK by Envisage Group. The programmes, offered through its specialist recruitment division, aim to help HR in addressing the new now of workspace restrictions and forthcoming changes in the UK to off-payroll working regulations. The programme will help optimise employment…
Hong Kong’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme: Employer Considerations By Matthew Durham, Registered Foreign Lawyer, Gall The Hong Kong Government has commenced implementation of its COVID-19 vaccination programme intended to cover all Hong Kong residents across the territory. Vaccinations are offered free of charge with the stated aim of safeguarding public health…
One in two local respondents said that they are struggling to acquire new skills to adapt to the pandemic in their current jobs. Globally, APAC workers struggle the most, as 52% share the same sentiment, 12 percentage points higher than the global average. This, according to the latest Randstad 2020…
Pedersen & Partners is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021. With 54 wholly-owned offices across 50 countries, the executive search firm was founded in Prague and Warsaw in January 2001. Over two decades, Pedersen & Partners has continued to grow as a highly collaborative, values-driven and dynamic firm. The firm…
As one of the ten founding signatories of the United Nations HeForShe movement, Accor is committed to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. This year, on International Women’s Day, Accor has signed the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence. Accor will host a conference highlighting the impacts of gender-based violence. The event features…
Sunnier skies ahead for Hong Kong, Paul Chan announces measures to help the SAR’s talent and unemployed, despite the largest ever fiscal deficit on record. 30,000 temporary jobs to be created. In the Hong Kong 2021-22 Budget, Paul MP Chan, Financial Secretary, forecast a deficit of more than $250 billion,…
Domestic air travel in China during New Year Golden Week (11 – 17 February 2021) was down 69.3% on the equivalent period in 2019—when travel was at normal, pre-pandemic levels. This according to research by ForwardKeys, a travel analytics firm. Domestic travel during the preceding fortnight, which is traditionally a…
Full-time job postings increased year-on-year in December 2020 (+13%) and January 2021 (+1%), while part-time postings also showed a year-on-year increase in Q4 2020 (+16.4%). These figures, according to JobsDB’s latest figures, indicate that the overall job market is expected to stabilise with hirers having adapted to the changes in…
A new Signature workspace location is being launched in Kowloon East, Hong Kong—Signature at the Quayside. Featuring over 50,000 square feet of flexible office space, the centre provides members with an inspiring and dynamic environment to empower their innovative minds. This is the third Signature brand to be opened by…
The 2021 Hong Kong budget contains measures touching on a broad range of sectors, including financial services, tourism, innovation and technology, and the digital economy. But while these are expected to support economic recovery, their implementation still needs to be worked out, according to PwC’s latest analysis. The Government expects…
Re-imagining a fragmented $300 billion market to bring tools for employee communications, well-being, learning and knowledge discovery into the flow of work New employee experience platform, Microsoft Viva, to bring tools for employee engagement, learning, well-being and knowledge discovery, directly into the flow of people’s work. It is designed to help…
China is the most complex jurisdiction for financial compliance in APAC, while Hong Kong is the simplest, according to research from TMF Group. ‘Accounting & tax: The global and local complexities holding multinationals to account’ report ranks 77 jurisdictions by the complexity of accounting and tax rules. It found China’s…
by Michael Gold, Managing Editor, The Economist Intelligence Unit As LGBT Pride festivals moved online last year, in a blow to visibility the world over, the one place that managed a boisterous in-person parade, Taiwan, also illustrates the tension that Asia is experiencing as it tentatively embraces LGBT rights, including…
The state of global well-being exposes the paradox of people saying they feel ‘fine’. Only 29% of global respondents indicate strong well-being, with Gen Z ranking lowest among the generations. Lululemon Athletica inc. released its first-ever Global Well-being Report, advancing the Company’s commitment to advocating for well-being enabling holistic well-being…
Culture is a slippery concept. It matters, but that’s where agreement on the matter ends. Culture is an informal institution within an organisation: it’s the values and norms that guide behaviour outside of what is covered by explicit rules or policies. It provides intrinsic motivation for actions beyond the prospects…
Employment Spotlight: Hong Kong’s Breastfeeding Discrimination Law—What Should Employers and Employees Know?
By Kritika Sethia Legal Analyst, Gall & Nick Dealy, Partner, Gall In a significant advancement towards inclusiveness, the amendment to the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (“SDO”) prohibiting breastfeeding discrimination (“Amendment”) will come into force on 19 June 2021. The protection against breastfeeding discrimination applies to a woman: Who is breastfeeding a…
Wendy Nice Barnes CPO Gitlab Wendy Nice Barnes was appointed Chief People Officer (CPO) the addition will bring extensive experience to the company and will help GitLab further its position as a leading DevOps platform. Sid Sijbrandij, co-founder and CEO, GitLab, said “Wendy has an impressive history of mentoring colleagues…
Bupa provides timely assistance to enhance employee well-being A workplace sandwich class is emerging in Hong Kong, with middle management facing increasing stress both at work and at home. This according to research as part of the ‘Feel Better’ Mental Health Campaign 2020, released by Bupa Hong Kong. The survey conducted…
All APAC region locations saw lower salary growth rates in 2020, with an average salary increase of 3.2%. Companies anticipate a recovery in 2021, though, with the average salary increase in the region forecast to jump to 4.3%. In terms of real salary increases, Asian countries once again dominate the…
Companies are putting stronger emphasis on environmental, social and governance priorities. Global events such as the pandemic, economic uncertainties, and social and racial injustice are sparking companies around the world to maintain or accelerate changes to their environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities, according to a new survey of boards of…
Women not receiving an equal opportunity to get their foot on the first rung of the corporate ladder. Diversity and inclusion is a topic within the business world that is continuously being addressed and worked upon. As many studies show, there is little equality within boardrooms, equal pay and opportunities…
The Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 (the “Amendment”) came into operation 11 December 2020. Statutory Maternity Leave The period of statutory maternity leave is increased to a continuous period of 14 weeks (from 10 weeks) for female employees whose date of confinement is on or after 11 December 2020 (the “Amendment…
Workers in Hong Kong experienced a reduction in salary growth in 2020 as an unfavourable economic situation adversely impacted businesses due to both the city’s socio-political tensions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The average rate of salary growth for workers in Hong Kong was 2.1% in 2020 pulled…
Report highlights the most in-demand skills and demonstrates learning’s pivotal role in building a future-fit workforce. As the workforce transitioned to operating remotely, consumption of learning content increased exponentially, and new topics emerged as not just popular but mission critical. Widespread training was needed to help workers pivot to the…
As companies pivot and transform their business models amid the pandemic, the skills gap has widened. In order to secure the right competencies required to drive transformation, two in three employers say they are willing to hire individuals with micro-credentials or industry certifications to close skills gaps. In addition, majority…
Hong Kong’s growing culture of innovation is critical to business resilience and economic recovery from COVID-19. Spurred by COVID-19, almost 70% of Hong Kong organisations have accelerated digitalisation in a variety of ways to adapt to the new reality—from launching digital products and introducing digital payments to embracing eCommerce and…
A web search of “pay transparency” results in millions of hits, pay transparency or the extent to which employees can discuss and have access to compensation information, has emerged as a popular but controversial topic in the last few years. Although more common in America and Europe, a key question…
Combating air pollution to save the lives of workers. Research shows that 40,000 lives a year across the country are lost which costs the economy £20 billion annually in healthcare and impacts businesses.The UK Supreme Court has reversed a decision to block plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.…
Asia is the new global battleground for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights. The recent study, Pride and Prejudice: The next chapter of progress, by EIU, captures the opinions of 359 full-time employees at companies across seven economies—China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan—via a survey. It…
With the ongoing pandemic, fresh graduates, like everyone else, have encountered obstacles amid the hiring freezes across the industries, but have encountered further ramifications. Graduates feel pessimistic towards their career future due to heightened competition and fewer job openings. Findings from the Employment Status of Hong Kong’s Tertiary Students 2020…
As many offices close, people have found themselves working from home. Whether it’s working from the kitchen table, or a home office, the environment plays an important role concerning mood and productivity. MyJobQuote surveyed over ~5,000 people to find out what colours are used most frequently to paint workspaces.…
Zero to 4% increase in salaries predicted for 2021 in Hong Kong and Singapore, while the Mainland of China is fairing a little better. The impact COVID-19 has had on business strategies and salaries across wide-ranging industries are covered in the 2021 Hong Kong Salary Guide, just released by Links…
With the pandemic continuing to impact Hong Kong, local charities including HandsOn Hong Kong have seen an outpouring of support from the larger community in response to local relief efforts at ‘Serve-a-thon’. During the event, a large number of businesses stepped forward to look at how they could empower…
Why proper cups of coffee, quality IT, and mask-to-mask meetings still matter when it comes to office life. As homeworking arrangements are becoming normalised and people are enjoying less commuting, with not having to dress to impress and getting to spend more time with their families; there are also irreplaceable…
Checking-in is crucial for supporting people’s well-being. According to the latest edition of Cigna’s COVID-19 Global Impact Study, which is tracking people’s health and well-being around the world throughout the pandemic, global stress levels remain high with 83% saying that they are stressed. “Always-on” working rates have also remained elevated…
Algorithms have been shown to outperform humans in a range of settings, from medical diagnosis to image recognition. Algorithm critics caution that automated approaches could codify existing human biases and disadvantage those from under-represented groups. In examining the use of automation in hiring, MIT Sloan Prof. Danielle Li found that algorithms…
A new three-year large-scale recruitment programme by China Resources Group aim by the end of this year to recruit 1,000 new employees from Hong Kong, and reach their target of 2,000 new Hong Kong employees by 2022. The recruitment programme will open for application from Wednesday, 28 October, onwards. China…
Almost four-fifths of organisations in Hong Kong agree that home-working during the pandemic has been challenging for employees according to the the Intelligent Workplace Report 2020 ‘Shaping Employee Experiences for a World Transformed’, by NTT Ltd. Connectivity and workspace issues such as bandwidth, a feeling of isolation and a lack of dedicated…
Of the 42 national best workplaces lists, with an additional 17 countries achieving certification status; DHL Express took the top spot on the list of Best Workplaces in Asia, for the second consecutive year. Every year, Great Place to Work, an analytics and consulting firm, assesses the work experience of…
Many in Hong Kong have experienced the roller coaster thrills and conservation work of Ocean Park, but few realise the complex technologies they use to remain a cohesive organisation where HR facilitates a connected and engaged workforce to help navigate the challenging business environment. For over a decade, the Park…
Embracing diversity & fostering collegiality via SAP’s new Flex-work culture SAP is certainly no stranger to helping HR and organisations leverage tech in the workplace, and internally they are indeed walking the talk. One of the Group’s key goals is to nurture further opportunities for innovation and growth among its…
For many people, the ongoing COVID19 situation has had an impact on their mental health and psychological well-being. According to a survey by Mind Hong Kong, over 40% reported that their mental health had worsened during the pandemic, and half of the respondents reported feeling lonely. This further raises HR…
Mental health interventions are yielding significant ROI, even with only limited investment. The Health and Wellness in Workplaces: What Works? – ROI analysis of Health and Wellness Interventions, just released by Cigna, reveals that the most successful wellness programs are those that have been carefully selected to tackle specific loss-drivers. For example,…
New features along with self-service deployment will fuel exponential gateway growth and continuity To increase support for today’s hybrid workforce, updates like the ones made for the BlueJeans Gateway are designed to help organisations plan back-to-office strategies with minimal IT investment and without disrupting the workflow patterns users have grown…
The changing market demands due to COVID-19 are driving organisations to evaluate re-skilling their workforce. Workforce agility is key say 84% of Companies in Singapore according to a survey by Aon. A leading professional services firm has released the results of a new global pulse survey focused on how companies are…
The current economic climate has placed a bigger spotlight on just how critical agility is within organisations today. Almost half of executives do not believe their organisations are agile. This, according to a global survey of 300 C-suite executives by the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). The…
Manish Verma Global Head Talent Cargill Manish Verma has been appointed as Cargill’s new head of HR APAC Global Human Resources team. With a background in organisational psychology, Verma brings extensive experience from leading HR teams in the UK and Singapore. Varma spoke of his goal to “provide overall guidance…
Louise Butler Golding Senior Vice President of People and Business Operations Transit Wireless Louise Butler Golding was promoted to Senior Vice President of People and Business Operations at Transit Wireless. In her new role, Golding will continue to oversee human resources and operational delivery for Transit Wireless, including talent management,…
LinkedIn cancels Career Advice help feature but is it on the right track? LinkedIn has just issued a notification that is cancelling its Career Advice feature. The message said that “We’re discontinuing our Career Advice feature as we explore new ways for members to offer help and support.” Any messages…
HR and workplace strategy will be shaped by employee well-being priorities 85% of organisations in Hong Kong respondents believe employee needs will be at the heart of the future workplace design. Moreover, 70% of local organisations agree employees would prefer to have the choice and flexibility to work in an office…
As the economy goes through significant restructuring, and industries are reshaped, job networks are adapting to the unique employment needs being created during the pandemic. The popular job network in Singapore and Malaysia, Dream Career Builder, has taken steps to expand prospective employers’ ability to attract and hire a wider…
In the wake of the volatility brought by COVID-19, various businesses have been repeatedly required to suspend operation for the sake of epidemic control, resulting in a severe blow to the related businesses and employees. According to the latest statistics release by the HKSAR Government, the unemployment rate stood at…
BPP Education Group new base in APAC sees launch of ‘Skills for the Future’ research
BPP Education Group continues to establish their presence across APAC by commissioning their own research with over 1,500 HR professionals from a range of global businesses to predict which skills they anticipate will require intensive and further training over the next 10 years. This builds upon BPP’s longstanding international presence;…
In Hong Kong, 87% of employees are suffering from work-induced stress amid COVID-19. This, according to a recent survey by the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong. The Survey also revealed that almost half of all employees show symptoms of anxiety disorder. Corporate environments can often equate to stressful…
While most recognise that work is undergoing dramatic upheaval—accelerated on two fronts by the pandemic and increasingly urgent calls for diversity in the workplace—how the workforce is managed and compensated has not kept pace. A new report, “Work Has Changed: How Boards Navigate Disruption and Drive Human Capital Transformation”, released today…
A recent study conducted by Lenstore analysed the world’s most common jobs based on a series of health metrics, including risk of hazards, infection and injury, as well as joints and muscular issues, posture, fitness, sensory and sun damage. Overall worst jobs for your health Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics…
On 1 September 2020, the HKSAR Government launches the Universal Community Testing Programme to help provide free voluntary COVID-19 testing for the general community in Hong Kong. With more than 5,000 personnel enrolled to participate in it so far, trained medical or healthcare personnel will collect specimens from the public.…
The COVID-19 pandemic is set to transform the geopolitical landscape in Asia. This, according to the 2020 Risk Maps report recently published by Aon in partnership with The Risk Advisory Group and Continuum Economics. Extraordinary public health measures and a precipitous drop in global trade will continue to exert significant…
Employee health and well-being is top of mind right now for HR. There is a strong focus on steps organisations can take, both immediately and in the long term, to ensure their workforce comes through 2020 happy, healthy and productive. Many companies have approached this challenge with enhanced workplace…
HR Magazine recently connected with Hilary Stevenson, Lead Development Consultant, Atrium HR, to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing HR in 2020. Before the start of this extraordinary year, the top five challenges facing HR in 2020 were predicted as longstanding goals relating to finding and landing top…
A dedicated Work from Home (WFH) Insurance was launched on 14 July 2020 by Chubb to help HR address dramatically changed office environments due to COVID-19. As businesses go through this period of rapid adaptation, WFH is expected to remain a normal feature of working life. Subsequently, a WFH insurance…
By Joseph Hong, Director & Head of Payroll and HR Outsourcing Services, and Vinci Tam, Manager of Payroll and HR Outsourcing, BDO in Hong Kong Continuous changes to the Hong Kong Employment Ordinance can make staff hires and compensation increasingly complicated. Employers would be hard-pressed to ensure their compliance with…
56% of companies in Singapore expect their digital transformation agendas to accelerate, and 89% are planning for different working models, such as an increase in permanently remote employees and more flexible working hours. This, according to the June 2020 Aon Pulse Survey on how the experience of responding to…
Rethinking employee benefits in the-future-of-work landscape with people at the heart by Pauline Mei Ling Williams, Director, Relationship Management (Asia), Atrium HR Consulting We are all immersed and evolving in a world which is becoming more and more diverse by the day, and our workplaces are no different. Workforces within…
Reina Cheng, Vice President—Hong Kong & ASEAN, First Advantage shares HR advice on re-screening to reduce the risk of financial loss and reputational damage from wrong hires. Who better to speak to on HR teething problems than a dentist? With a BDS in Dentistry, an MSc in Human Resource Management and…
At a time of skyrocketing unemployment where businesses are inundated by a tsunami of applications, how do HR teams sort the wheat from the chaff and find that ideal candidate? CV parsing software, driven by intelligent process automation (IPA), is a vital tool in the HR arsenal, providing employers with…
51% of professionals in Singapore are actively looking to change jobs in the next 12 months, according to a recent online COVID-19 Labour Pulse Survey conducted by Randstad Singapore. The Survey covered 638 Singapore-based working professionals on the employment market this year, as well as the challenges jobseekers are coming…
Charles Hamilton Ferguson, an experienced executive in human capital management, comes on board to drive Globalization Partners’ expansion in the APAC region, simplifying the process of hiring and onboarding talent. With a strong record in organisational diversity building, Ferguson set out his plans, “Asia Pacific is one of the most dynamic markets…
While many organisations continue to struggle through COVID-19, one of the runaway success stories of 2020 would seem to be providers of flexible workspace solutions. Ongoing market uncertainty, coupled with a much higher percentage of employees working from home, have been key factors that have driven companies to give up…
The Hong Kong arm of Canadian insurance giant Manulife has announced the appointment of former Asia Human Resources Business Partner, Donna Kirmani as their new Chief Human Resources Officer. In this new role, Kirmani aims to, “Spearhead talent and leadership development and drive Manulife’s ‘people agenda’ to support business goals,…
Capgemini, the international research institute, has appointed Anne Lebel as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Group Executive Board Member. She takes over from outgoing head Hubert Giraud, who moves to a new role at sister company Altran. Formerly Global Head of Human Resources at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty,…
Driven by soaring office rental costs, and accelerated by the COVID-19 outbreak, many companies are downsizing their physical footprint and offering permanent WFH options. With the ubiquity of high-speed internet, WFH no longer restricts staff to a particular geographical location. So, as we start to return to the office, how…
HKTDC Assistant Executive Director Stephen Liang said: “Start-ups have been bearing the brunt of the unprecedented challenges, such as the impact on capital flow, brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the new normal has given rise to business opportunities through the use of pioneering innovative technologies.” Liang added that this…
Tim Johns is a British author and communications expert who has advised leading UK firms on how to use a ‘Four Cs’ approach (Coaching, Communication, Change and Consultancy) to simplify tasks, humanise organisations and give staff the confidence to see things differently. His new book ‘Leading from Home’, is great…
A new initiative for autumn 2020 will introduce a series of digital workshops across the UK for ‘overlooked talent’, that is, students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This follows a successful pilot last year, involving member firms Brodies, DWF, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Pinsent Masons, along with support from Thorntons. Now 23…
Andrew How brings 20 years of experience helping businesses through Culture & Engagement, Leadership Assessment, and HR & Talent Advisory, spearheading growth, driving transformation and accelerating business value through talent in times of organizational uncertainty. He is particularly passionate about economic empowerment and poverty alleviation and is looking forward to…
Randstad has released the regional results from the Randstad Workmonitor 2020 1H survey that studied the local workforce’s appetite for upskilling and entrepreneurship. The survey was conducted from 13 to 30 March 2020, and the minimum sample size is 400 per market. The survey was conducted in three markets: Hong…
HR received a welcome boost in the form of a HK$10,000 per month subsidy for bringing on board new Fintech talent to their organisations. The Financial Services & Treasury Bureau launched the FinTech Anti-epidemic Scheme for Talent Development (FAST Scheme) on 2 July 2020. Hong Kong-registered companies and local not-for-profit…
Trends that were five years in the making have arrived ahead of time Many workplace discussions during 2020 have touched on familiar topics chiefly: How to manage pay concerns for remote employees? Planning for upskilling and technology How are workplace stress, health and wellness impacting our teams? The global pandemic…
New research released by Globalization Partners and CFO Research, indicates that most businesses are undeterred by the impact of COVID-19 and are still moving forward with plans for new or expanded international operations. More than half of respondents expressed interest in expanding or adding operations in APAC. The findings also…
Most companies want both the collaborative atmosphere a physical office provides and the flexibility to support remote work for their employees.Although demand for flexible workspace has increased amid uncertainty as companies look for cost-management solutions and work from home (WFH) has increased dramatically, it is not without its issues. WFH…
Moe Vela, Chief Transparency Officer, TransparentBusiness, believes that these numbers will continue to increase as more companies understand and experience the benefits of remote work. Since the onset of the pandemic we have seen a rapid transition with companies adjusting and thriving in remote work, now a permanent option at…
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses around the world to operate remotely and staff to work from home. They typically connect using unsecured digital networks and are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. It is vital to provide cyber protection to ensure IT infrastructure remains protected and operational. Beyond the heightened cybersecurity risk,…
Despite the current challenges, Selby Jennings’ latest global report found that job security confidence in finance professionals remains fairly stable, with over half (57%) of global respondents feeling confident or very confident of keeping their jobs over the next six months. In addition, they are also more likely than not to receive a…
The Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2018 was finally passed by the Legislative Council on 11 June 2020. Subsequently the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2020 was gazetted on 19 June 2020, and came into force on the same day. The Ordinance enhances the protection from discrimination and harassment in…
Image courtesy of HKUST HR cultures combine as London-style finance meets San Francisco start-ups On Friday 12 June, InvestHK, The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Shenzhen Fintech Association jointly hosted an online webinar. Experts…
In Hong Kong, as civil service and private sectors return to work, only 38% of Hong Kong employees view their employers as supportive. In contrast, more than 60% of employees in Singapore felt they were being supported by their employers. This, according to a recent survey jointly conducted by Consumer…
Only 51% of locally-based Hong Kong employees feel ‘satisfied’ in their current working roles. This according to research conducted by Randstad Hong Kong, who recently released the results of their Workmonitor Survey. The study also revealed that 38% of respondents are not actively looking for a job, but would be…
The CLAP-TECH Pathway provides non-conventional learning to develop work-ready skills for tech-related careers. An alternative learning pathway bridging school to work has been officially launched in Hong Kong. Built upon IBM’s P-TECH School Model and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust’s CLAP for Youth @ JC, the CLAP-TECH Pathway…
Here are three business continuity considerations when transitioning to a work-from-home model By Rhys Hughes, Regional VP for APAC at SumTotal Systems For some workers, the flexibility of working from home is a relief—a way to spend more time with the kids or avoiding the usual commute. 35% of Singaporean…
At a press conference on 12 May 2020, the Chief Executive and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare (the Secretary) announced that Hong Kong’s Employment Support Scheme (the Scheme) would be open for applications from 25 May. A set of FAQs has also been published. Several details have been clarified…
Two-thirds of finance professionals are confident about their job security despite foreseeing a worse economic situation. Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents are still confident about their job security over the next six months, new research by New Selby Jennings revealed. This is despite the fact that 6 in 10 employees…
Non-profit programme to create jobs for thousands impacted by COVID-19. A campaign in Vietnam is helping thousands of workers made unemployed by COVID-19. The ‘Campaign for 10,000 Jobs for the Community—Fighting Seasonal Unemployment’, launched by Canavi, connects unemployed candidates with employers looking to fill seasonal and home-based roles. The pandemic…
Businesses needing to ensure continuity look to voice tech to monitor staff wellbeing during COVID-19 outbreak. A voice analytics technology company is seeing a significant increase in demand from businesses looking to ensure staff wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Nemesysco, a provider of voice analytics technologies for genuine emotion detection,…
Updated 8.00 am 22 April 2020 by Helen Colquhoun, Partner, & David Smail, Senior Associate, Hong Kong, DLA Piper The Hong Kong Government’s Finance Committee recently met to discuss and approve further details surrounding the Employment Support Scheme (the Scheme). The Committee approved the terms of a government paper published last week…
In light of the novel coronavirus infection and to tie in with the enhanced preventive measures implemented by the Government, the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) recently announced the continued suspension of all face-to-face training. Meanwhile, the ERB will be introducing the online interactive learning arrangement starting from 6 April 2020…
Here we have consolidated resources into a dummies guide to help HR with employee well-being (including yourself), obtain relief measures from the HKSAR Government, leverage new ways of working amid COVID-19 and thrive again afterwards. For anyone who might have just landed from outer space and didn’t know—HR is dealing…
COVID-19 IMPACT ON HOTEL INDUSTRY & PLAN OF ACTION By G. Angelini Businesses have been severely affected, and all destinations are suffering, some more than others following the COVID-19 pandemic. The whole travel and tourism industry, including airlines, hotels, agents and many others, are experiencing severe financial difficulties. In some…
Ever since the launch of the Racial Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Charter for Employers in August 2018, an increasing number of organisations have signed the Charter, which points to not only growing awareness of D&I, but also the commitment of businesses to this cause in general. While reasons of social…
The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong has just issued guidelines for Employers and Employees amid COVID-19 The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 has created concerns for employers who are asking whether they are permitted to collect health data about their employees to help monitor and prevent the spread of…
Situated in the mountains of north-western Tanzania, the rural district of Karagwe is a far cry from most in HR, a once-powerful kingdom where wealth was measured in cattle. While agriculture remains one of Karagwe’s key sources of income, the area also faces a significant water shortage. Johan Kerstell, Executive…
Social distancing has been identified as a crucial method in order to help slow the spread and rate of infection during the current coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. As more of the global workforce continues to work from home in a bid to self-isolate and self-quarantine employees, many companies and employers have…
Hiring plans in Hong Kong are the weakest in 10 years, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. Hong Kong employers report subdued hiring intentions for the second quarter of 2020. According to new figures released this week, 7% of 440 employers forecast an increase in payrolls, 7% anticipate…
A Chinese company is using a new cloud-based live broadcast to help increase customer confidence during COVID-19 Resumption of work and production is a challenge amid the COVID-19 outbreak. To increase consumers’ confidence in the company, Infinitus (China) Company Ltd., a purveyor of health products and solutions, recently launched a…
Majority of companies are continuing to hire new talent, despite the impact of COVID-19 63% of respondents said that they are still proceeding with their plans to hire talent for replacement and critical roles, despite the impact of the COVID-19. This is according to a recent survey conducted by Randstad…
By Marco Cascella; Michael Rajnik; Arturo Cuomo; Scott C. Dulebohn & Raffaela Di Napoli Features, Evaluation and Treatment Coronavirus (COVID-19) Introduction to COVID-19 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), viral diseases continue to emerge and represent a serious issue to public health. In the last twenty years, several viral…
Women working across APAC feel left out of opportunities for career development and to be heard at work, scoring less than men on every measure of workplace engagement. According to an analysis of 30,000 employees across Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India and the Philippines conducted by Culture Amp, a…
Natellie Sun, Managing Director for Randstad Hong Kong, has been promoted to Head of Search and Selection, Greater China region. Sun said, “With more companies investing and expanding into mainland China, the demand for experienced professionals and specialist experts has increased significantly. China’s growth presents many opportunities for us to…
Nikki Gao, Managing Director for Randstad China, takes on the newly-created role of Managing Director, Greater China region. Gao shared, “As a result of major digital disruption and globalisation, the China economy has grown tremendously over the past decade. This has not just brought in more investments and companies to…
Jen Flowers, Global Head of Strategy & Business Management, Partnerships & Innovation, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC With International Women’s Day coming up, Jen Flowers, Global Head of Strategy & Business Management, Partnerships & Innovation, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC shares her insight on women in digital. Not…
Hongkongers found to be the most pessimistic about the economy compared to other APAC countries. 69% of Hongkongers expect the economic situation to further deteriorate in 2020, according to figures released by the Randstad’s Workmonitor Q4 2019 survey. These numbers show how the ongoing protests and government actions have created…
In Hong Kong, as civil service and private sectors return to work, only 38% of Hong Kong employees view their employers as supportive. In contrast, more than 60% of employees in Singapore felt they were being supported by their employers. This, according to a recent survey jointly conducted by Consumer…
by Sara Hellewell, DLA Piper As the number of novel coronavirus cases exceeds the 40,000 mark, and with the World Health Organisation (WHO) having declared the virus as a “public health emergency of international concern”, employers the world over are putting in place plans to prepare for the risk of…
As International Women’s Day approaches, Joy Jinghui Xu, Chief Human Resources Officer, Manulife Asia, shares her perspectives on win-win outcomes for women and businesses, starting with a mindset change Xu, who grew up in Nanjing, China, explained that she was not expecting a career at some of the world’s biggest…
New law allows fathers to spend more time with their newborn children. Finland’s newly formed government has announced that it will give all parents the same parental leave. This policy is designed to allow fathers to spend more time with their children. The statutory paid allowance will increase to a…
Research shows that the highest real salary increases are likely to be in Asia. 13 out of the top 20—and eight of the top 10—predicted salary increases are in Asian nations. Lee Quane, Regional Director, Asia, ECA International, said, “Once again, the vast majority of the highest real salary increases…
With employees in Asia working some of the longest average weekly hours overall, Instant Offices analysed the data and produced a work intensity score that found Tokyo is the hardest-working city in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the study, out of 40 international cities, Tokyo employees are working the hardest.…
One in three Hong Kong adults has shown symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the social unrest started in 2019. University of Hong Kong academics, who conducted the study, urged the government to step up its mental health provisions. Their research also suggested that up to 11 per cent…
Numerous civil servants arrested and face losing their jobs for taking part in unlawful public activities. During the recent period of social unrest in Hong Kong, 41 civil servants have been arrested, according to figures released by the Hong Kong Police Force. Of those 41, 31 have been suspended and…
By Shawn Farshchi, CEO, Topia In 2016, when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, many thought this was a once-in-a-generation happening. But the next decade will bring a laundry list of unpredictable events that each pose Brexit-level challenges for HR in talent management. If Brexit is the…
Hong Kong drops over 50 places and is now only the 93rd most liveable location for East Asian expats Hong Kong’s ranking has been severely affected by ongoing protests and coronavirus fears Singapore is once again named the most liveable location Australian cities all fall in the rankings, while Thai…
How have Hong Kong leaders responded to staff wellbeing and the coronavirus? In their responses, 60% of leaders say that they have a Crisis Management Team (CMT) in place, with an additional 27% saying that they have specifically selected staff members to monitor the situation. Less than a quarter of…
Hong Kong business leaders are devoting 14.4% of their time to coaching and/or supervising poorly performing employees Only 4% of Hong Kong business leaders say they do not have poorly performing employees Hong Kong employers are most likely to use coaching or mentoring strategies to manage poorly performing employees (56%)…
Tata Consultancy Services, a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, has been recognised as the Number One Top Employer in Asia Pacific for 2020 by the Top Employers Institute. TCS received the ranking for the second year in a row. Rajeev Das, Head, Human Resources, TCS Asia…
Anne Scanlon has been added to SmartBear’s executive leadership team as Chief People Officer. Anne is responsible for leading the company’s global human resources function, including employee and culture development, talent acquisition, and retention and change management. She has more than 20 years of experience leading Human Resources at various…
Recently, a number of statutory increases across various regions in Asia, as well as global companies raising benefits in all regions have been announced. Many of these countries have not seen changes to the leave entitlements of expectant parents for many years. For example, Hong Kong’s announced increase from 10…
With increasing media attention and international worry over the Coronavirus, there is a growing danger of discrimination against those of Chinese origin because of the current viral health scare. The Federation of International Employers (FedEE) is warning employers that they will face litigation and loss of reputation if they allow such…
N-Stinctive By Rosie Tomkins Management books are usually aimed at high-level members of organisations and are comprised of many hundreds of text-heavy pages. Thankfully, Tomkins’ book is aimed at all levels. If you are a thought leader, high-achiever, early-adopter or someone intent on creating change, then there is something here…
Most couples, around 65%, in the modern era are ‘dual-career’ couples, and that figure continues to grow. The world is an increasingly expensive place, making economics a key reason for this upward global trend. However, as Petriglieri explains, economics is only part of the picture; egalitarianism is playing a role,…
Around 100 HR professionals from nearly 40 companies met with over 400 undergraduate and postgraduate students at a recent large-scale job fair at the JW Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong. Alongside career coaches and other experienced professionals, the event created an ideal platform for students and corporate partners to exchange…
2020 is expected to bring a rise in AI, tighter budgets and slowing economies. The top 5 predictions for 2020, according to enterprise software experts, SAP Concur, are: Small businesses will tighten budgets to safeguard against economic and government downturns. Fears of a slowing economy in Asia-Pacific will bring more…
Ministers and high-level officials from 45 countries in the Asia-Pacific region have committed to prioritising women’s rights for an equal future. The ‘Asia-Pacific Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing+25 Review’ was adopted after intense negotiations at a three-day Ministerial Conference, organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission…
Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Law Chi Kwong, proposed a motion to send the bill— which would raise Hong Kong’s statutory maternity leave to 14 weeks—to the legislature’s Panel on Manpower, without first going through the House Committee. The House Committee typically decides the legislative agenda; however, the influential body…
Community Business, a leading not-for-profit organisation advancing responsible and inclusive business practices, has announced the appointment of Peter Sargant as Chief Executive Officer, effective from March 2020. Peter will succeed Fern Ngai, who is retiring after serving as CEO since 2012. Peter joins Community Business following a short career break,…
Manulife has announced the appointment of Damien Green as the new Chief Executive Officer of Manulife (International) Limited, overseeing Manulife’s business in Hong Kong and Macau. Currently Manulife’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer for Asia, Mr. Green will start as CEO for Hong Kong and Macau on January 1, 2020.…
OK, Boomer backlash from a new generation of talent ‘OK, Boomer’ has become the go-to passive-aggressive phrase of choice for GenZs (Zoomers) today. Blaming ‘old-timers’ for the global environmental crisis, rising house prices and not respecting the needs of today’s younger generations has led to the creation of this reactionary…
AI and automation have won the war for future workplace domination In 1962, Katherine Johnson, a mere mortal, famously checked the orbital flight calculations made by NASA’s computers manually. Today, we would look upon such a task as foolish, and the job would be entirely computerised. Human intelligence is increasingly…
In the current era of adapting to smart city technologies that are having a profound impact on the workplace and dynamics, Hong Kong is in the race. Business leaders in the city, however, are finding the training and hiring process of staff to implement new technologies considerably more difficult than…
Hosted by Rockbird Media and media partnered by HR Magazine Getting HR future-ready Low Peck Kem, CHRO & Senior Development Singapore, Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office kicked the event off with the opening keynote. She shared the changing HR trends across industries and on the importance of HR being…
Ashurst has announced the introduction of a new global parental leave policy providing a minimum entitlement for all working parents regardless of the jurisdiction in which they are based. Key aspects of the new policy include: Changing terminology to reflect the modern family – recognising and accommodating all diversity and…
We all naturally understand that employees who are happy and engaged are a company’s best assets. Happy talent tends to be more productive and create a better working atmosphere for their colleagues. Research over the past few decades continues to support the belief that talents who feel happier at work…
The survey of 103 enterprises was conducted last month by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Social Enterprises. It found 79 percent of respondents face varying degrees of operation loss. Over 42 percent saw medium-level deficits while 24 percent said their situation was serious. Social enterprises in the catering industry…
Only 51% of locally-based Hong Kong employees feel ‘satisfied’ in their current role. Research conducted by Randstad Hong Kong, who released the latest local results from the Q3 2019 Workmonitor survey recently. The survey revealed that 51% of locally-based respondents feel satisfied about their current job, whilst 38% of respondents…
The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong’s (AmCham) 16th Women of Influence Awards were held in Hong Kong on 12 November 2019 in recognition of female career accomplishments and others who support the empowerment of women. The conference theme was ‘Insights from the Edge, Pushing Boundaries and Unconventional Thinking’.…
25% of Hong Kong bosses say they are either not confident or unsure their organisations have the right leadership team to implement digital change. New research by Robert Half showed that Hong Kong bosses are among the least confident globally that they have the right leadership talent to navigate a digital…
A study by food box company, Gousto has revealed the ‘fictional foodie franchises’ that would be most likely to ‘make it’ in the real world. The Study highlighted 20 iconic eateries as seen-on-screen, revealing how they would stack up if they were real businesses. Points were awarded to the fictional…
Hines, the international real estate firm, has announced Stephanie Biernbaum as the Chief People Officer. In this pivotal new role, she will oversee a team of more than 60 professionals, and all HR activities and responsibilities worldwide, allowing the firm to work on evolving trends in career development, diversity and…
Veronica Chang recently joined InterContinental Hong Kong as Director of Human Resources. She brings over 15 years of work experience with international conglomerates, including Carrier Hong Kong Limited, where she most recently served as Human Resource Director for Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Guam, overseeing the full spectrum of HR…
Only 51% of locally-based Hong Kong employees feel ‘satisfied’ in their current role. This is according to Randstad Hong Kong, who released the latest local results from the Q3 2019 Randstad Workmonitor survey today. The mobility survey revealed that 51% of locally-based respondents feel satisfied about their current job, whilst…
Harbour Grand Kowloon is pleased to announce that Mr Victor Chan Kok-wai has been appointed as its new General Manager with immediate effect. He will be responsible for the overall operations and financial outlook of the Hotel. As a passionate hotelier, Victor began his career at The Regent Hong Kong…
Interview with Vlatka Hlupic (Professor of Leadership and Organizational Transformation at Hult Ashridge Executive Education and CEO of The Management Shift Consulting Ltd) Vlatka Hlupic, an award-winning thought leader and author, was a computer scientist who became a behavioural scientist. After studying many different…
Mundipharma has been awarded the title of ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia’ in Singapore by HR Asia for the third time running in the pharmaceuticals category. The win was achieved through completion of a confidential employee survey that measured the employee engagement level based on a Total Engagement Assessment Model (TEAM).…
Radisson Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Rebecca Lieberman as Chief Human Resources Officer. Lieberman previously served as Vice President, Human Resources for the Americas. In this new role, she will lead the Human Resources, Communications, Responsible Business and facilities functions for Radisson Hotel Group in the Americas and…
FCM Travel Solutions has appointed Clare Woo as its new Human Resources Director for Asia. Woo has 20 years of experience across diverse sectors including automotive, consumer goods, luxury brands and reinsurance. FCM’s Managing Director of Asia commented, “With the appointment of Clare, our Asia leadership team is complete. Asia…
MTR stations across Hong Kong were all closed recently due to massive amounts of damage caused by protesters in the region. Although some stations are reopening, many are providing a limited transport service. As of writing, thirteen stations are still completely closed with others having to close early for nighttime…
Worldwide, slightly less than four women hold leadership positions for every ten men in business and politics. Even though progress has been made globally to encourage more women into leadership positions, driven by a combination of market forces, technological change, government measures and female activism, women are still heavily under-represented…
Global higher education think-tank QS Quacquarelli Symonds have named the world’s top 500 universities for nurturing graduate employability. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is number-one. Stanford University is 2nd, and the University of California at Los Angeles has come in 3rd. The ranking is characterised by significant disparities between QS’s overall QS World University Rankings and this…
Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) organised the recently held Design Exchange Tour in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The September tour featured 12 of Hong Kong’s designers who were selected to promote the ways in which modern design is responding to technology shifts. As part of this tour, designers and…
According to the Workmonitor Survey released by Randstad Singapore earlier this year, employees value real-time feedback as it gives them a clearer understanding of what they need to achieve and how to do it. Some employees still feel that these sessions are used by their managers to give feedback on…
15 July marked the fifth International Youth Skills Day, first established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. The summer is also the time during which many young people are completing their final days of university education. The graduating class of 2017 – 2018 consisted of 21,498 individuals from…
Top-performing suppliers from the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland and DACH region were honoured during an awards ceremony at the AgileOne’s annual European Supplier Excellence Summit held September 19, 2019, at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall in London, England. Brain Clark, Senior Vice President, AgileOne shared, “Suppliers’ commitment to excellence…
The DEIBS Insights 2019 Europe Forum Roundtable in Brussels focused on The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges for Europe and China. Economic think tank Bruegel co-hosted the event, which discussed options for balancing policy and market forces between Europe and China and improve bilateral cooperation. Wang Hongjian, Charge d’Affaires…
Pink Season is almost here again. Get involved, get informed and get entertained. Pink Alliance, who are behind the annual season of themed events, is run solely by volunteers, and although it has been around since 2009 under previous names, it was finally granted charity status by the government in…
On 21 October 2019 Susanne Taulbæk will join DLG as HR Director and becomes part of DLG Group Management. Susanne Taulbæk has been named Human Resources Director for DLG Group, a Danish poultry and animal feed company, which is also one of the biggest companies in Denmark. Her appointment, which also…
Rockbird Media convening HR Leaders in Singapore to discuss HR’s biggest challenges
Singapore, September 9, 2019 – Many organisations are looking for ways to develop their HR capabilities in terms of knowledge, experience and personal characteristics. But the fact remains that such processes come with formidable complexity and ambiguity. How can both planning and execution be consistently effective? How can a company…
The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) welcomed the Chief Executive’s announcement to withdraw the extradition bill, and is pleased to see a government response striving to meet public expectations to end the ongoing crisis. Robert Grieves, AmCham Chairman, said, “Withdrawing the bill is an important first step…
100 begin brexit exodus According to the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) nearly 100 companies have already relocated from Britain to the Netherlands, or set up offices there, to remain within the EU due to the United Kingdom’s planned departure from the bloc. Another 325 companies worried about losing access…
Randstad—one of the world’s largest human resource solutions agencies—recently released the findings of its annual Employer Brand Research in Malaysia. The survey showed that Malaysia-based employees ranked the following EVP (employee value proposition) factors as their most important drivers: Attractive salary and benefits (64%) Healthy work-life balance (49%) Strong management…
As the UK looks set to leave the European Union on 31 October, quite possibly on a no-deal-hard BREXIT-basis, payroll teams need to consider what this means concerning Social Security and their internationally-mobile employees. Robert Salter, an employment & expatriate tax specialist with accounting and tax advisory firm Blick Rothenberg,…
More Hong Kong workers going deaf than ever before. Statistics released by the Hong Kong SAR Government in August 2019 show that there were 275 cases of occupational deafness (including monaural hearing loss) in 2018. Compared to 2017 this number represents an increase of around 55% and is the highest…
The second annual Dunhuang Youth Internship Program has come to an end. The Program was organised by the Home Affairs Bureau, in conjunction with Youth Square, and fully supported by the Dunhuang Academy. Sixteen internship positions were offered to tertiary education students in Hong Kong. The six-week program offers candidates…
Sandeep Mookharjea has been appointed as Asia Pacific head of human resources at AIG General Insurance effective immediately. Based in Singapore, he will report to AIG General Insurance Asia Pacific CEO Sachin Shah and AIG General Insurance international head of human resources Maggie Zhang. Before AIG, Mookharjea was managing…
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council of Thailand (NESDB) cooperated with the World Bank and UNICEF in organising the ASEAN High-Level Meeting on Human Capital Development in Bangkok on September 9, 2019. With the advent of AI and automation, the aim…
PepsiCo India HR Head Suchitra Rajendra is stepping down from the company after 13 years with them. Pepsi confirmed her resignation and said that her successor will be announced shortly. As CHRO & VP HR of PepsiCo India, she was responsible for talent strategy, organisation design and building the right culture…
Burnout is real. In May 2019, The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised burnout as a syndrome, specifically related to workplace stress. The new definition of burnout has been classified in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) eleventh edition (ICD-11). They listed three symptoms to help identify a worker suffering from…
Oxford University Press (OUP) has announced the appointment of a new Director of HR Business Partnering for OUP in APAC. Parul Pandey will join OUP in October, coming from roles at global organizations such as Microsoft, Deutsche Bank, and Diageo. Parul is a global expert on Diversity and Inclusion, and…
Maki Akaida, former group senior vice president at parent company Fast Retailing, has assumed the role of CEO for Uniqlo’s Japanese business, making her the first woman to hold the prestigious position. After joining Uniqlo in 2001, Akaida worked at stores in areas ranging from Tokyo’s Ginza district to Niigata Prefecture.…
The hospitality industry is one of the biggest elements of Hong Kong’s financial success. Social unrest in recent months has led to Hong Kong’s hotel workers paying the price, with many placed involuntarily on paid and unpaid leave as occupancy rates plummet. This growing trend emerged as the government warned…
The second annual Women Future Conference is a two-day event for professional women that will address the most pressing business issues of tomorrow. From robotics and cybersecurity, to the future of work and artificial intelligence, the conference will provide information on these topics from the perspectives of women in those fields on how…
How to avoid risk whilst being open Research by Gartner found that 22% of organisations around the world are using employee-movement data, 17% are monitoring data on how employees use their work computers, and 16% are using data on Outlook and digital calendar usage. New technologies are developing rapidly, changing…
According to the latest jobsDB 2019 Job Seeker Salary Survey, over 80% of Hong Kong employees expressed financial concerns about retirement. The top three concerns expressed by respondents were: Increased medical expenses while aging (64%) Insufficient government welfare for elderly people (53%) Inability to afford housing expenses (39%) The survey…
Emma Watson, the Harry Potter film franchise actress, is aiming to empower women in the workplace by setting up a free hotline that provides legal advice to women in England and Wales. Specifically, the telephone service is designed to help women who may be suffering from sexual harassment at work.…
As we move inexorably towards 31 October 2019 when Britain severs its links with the European Union, Robin Chater, in a speech to the Federation of International Employers (FedEE) retraced the steps of a disturbingly parallel move exactly 502 years ago. October 31st is celebrated by some as Reformation Day…
HelperChoice recently surveyed 982 domestic helpers currently deployed in Hong Kong, where they were asked how the current unrest is affecting their daily lives and work. On Tuesday, August 6, the Philippines Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello III, mentioned that, “the Department of Labour and Employment were considering a possible deployment…
Not content with being the world’s biggest website for people when they’re not at work, Facebook, predictably, entered the world of work with its own software. For the last few years, it’s been pushing a version of Facebook called Workplace, which helps employees chat, collaborate and generally get stuff done. It…
According to Nippon, the Cabinet Office’s Annual Report on the Japanese Economy and Public Finance 2019 produced data that showed a third of companies in the agency’s survey have already introduced hiring systems that are very likely to grant better employment opportunities to fresh graduates. Traditionally, Japanese companies hire new…
Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co., Ltd. (XCMG) has held the 10th operator training session of its Global Operator Excellence Program. The final was held at XCMG’s manufacturing base. A total of 25 trainees from various Chinese provinces along with 16 international trainees joined this summer’s Program led by experienced experts and…
The Mutual Legal Assistance against Law on Offenders and Criminal Matters (Amendment) Bill 2019 (hereafter: extradition bill) has been the catalyst for many demonstrations and public disturbances in Hong Kong over the past 2 months. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) released a statement calling on all workers…
Following an employment tribunal, Matthew Furlong, whose father is a serving detective inspector in Cheshire Constabulary, has won his claim of race, sex and sexual orientation discrimination. The claim was made under the Equality Act, 2010, which was ironically intended to end workplace discrimination through measures such as positive action.…
CLP Power Hong Kong Limited has been crowned the Most Attractive Employer in Hong Kong for the third time in the last five years; this according to a survey conducted by Randstad, a human resources solution agency. Natellie Sun, Managing Director, Randstad Hong Kong, said, “We would like to congratulate…
Maria Hui was previously the Human Resources (HR) Lead for IBM and, more recently, the Director of HR for Microsoft Hong Kong. Microsoft announced today her appointment as Director of Marketing and Operations (M&O), starting August 1, 2019. In this new role, Maria will be leading business operations, marketing strategy…
Banco Santander, one of the largest private banks in Europe, has just earned an award from the European Financial Management Association (EFMA) for using technology in streamlining HR and work processes. By making use of AI, they have become the only bank in the world to achieve a 100% digital small and medium-sized…
HR must target staff training and adopt broader technologies to maintain competitive edge in retail sector. A shortage of workers and a high staff turnover rate are among the major challenges Hong Kong retailers face in an industry in need of transforming to win over customers and prospective talent, KPMG…
Hong Kong is not exempt from the increase and advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the impact on innovation and development as a result. Questions of readiness for continued advances in AI, and drivers and challenges associated with societal and business changes have been analysed in the recent study by…
The opening of the wellness centre Fivelements Habitat in Causeway Bay this month draws attention to the often overlooked importance of wellness, both individual and corporate. Realigning this focus and cultivating urban wellness is a top priority, argues Lahra Tatriele, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Fivelements. According to Tatriele, only…
By Trevor Smith, Executive Coach, The Orchard Partnership Young leaders often report being on a ‘performance treadmill’ with little time to step back and reflect. They usually approach their careers from a technical perspective with less time spent on developing the soft skills needed to flourish at a higher level. …
Human Resources Changes the World: How and Why HR and HR Directors Should Step-Up as Leaders in the 21st Century by Glenn G Jones
Why do HR Directors often struggle to make the move to CEO? Have you ever questioned why Boards sometimes ignore HR, and whether the department really has any significant influence in the boardroom? Human Resources Changes the World examines why HR is not progressing to its full potential. Uncover why…
People with autism are being excluded from the workforce, with only 16 % in full-time employment. In his book, Autism Works, Adam Feinstein addresses the lack of understanding of the contributions people across the autism spectrum can make to the workplace. An autism researcher and historian, Feinstein draws attention to…
Founder Poul Pedersen will be assuming the role of Executive Chairman and Gary Williams, former Deputy Managing Partner, has been appointed CEO. As CEO, Gary Williams will have full responsibility and lead the firm. Williams joined Pedersen & Partners in 2014 as the Head of South East Asia. He was later promoted…
Chris Tew will head up the APAC team based in Singapore to support the increasing demand for Artificial Solutions conversational AI development platform, Teneo®. With a successful track record of establishing strong commercial operations throughout APAC, Chris will nurture and develop the growing interest in the region in companies that are looking…
Stephen Millikin was recently appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Sinclair. Tasked with leading the growth of the PR agency to transition into a regional player, he will take responsibility for the agency’s talent operations across APAC. With over 25 years of experience across Hong Kong, North America and EMEA,…
Hong Kong and Singapore are anticipating some changes over the coming year regarding employment law. Lawyers from member firms of Ius Laboris, the world’s largest global HR and employment law firm alliance summarise the recent key developments. Hong Kong Looking back Labour Tribunal empowered to order compulsory reinstatement and re-engagement…
Women encouraged to pursue careers in motor engineering Premium car manufacturer INFINITI and Renault F1® Team continue to encourage gender diversity in STEM subjects on International Women in Engineering Day 2019. Both companies are working together to inspire young female engineers to pursue careers in the automotive and motorsport industries…
Federal Minister of Germany’s Labour and Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil, will be opening the Zukunft Personal Europe exhibition in Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany on 17 September 2019. Zukunft Personal Europe is a three-day expo-event dedicated to the world of work. This European trade fair acts as a catalyst connecting professionals and…
A new level of collaboration will closely align Aspen Technology’s basic engineering solution with the detailed engineering suite from Hexagon PPM. This will enable a fully data-centric workflow across the asset lifecycle. “The result is direct integration between process simulation, 3D models and operations will allow a major step forward…
AI evolution took centre stage at Techsauce Global Summit in Bangkok. AI and how it will replace almost one billion jobs worldwide drew the crowds at the Summit. Speaking at the event was Raymond Yip, Partner, Zeroth.AI, “AI is the technology that helps you complete specific tasks. ‘Machine learning’ is…
According to the 2019 Employer Brand Research survey (Hong Kong) conducted by Randstad HK, 39% of respondents are willing to forfeit more than one-tenth of their salaries in exchange for job security. This is 10% more than the Asia Pacific’s average. Natellie Sun, Managing Director, Randstad HK said, “The last thing any employee wants is to…
This Father’s Day, the full impact of paternity leave has come to the fore across Hong Kong. A new survey from Talking Talent, the global coaching consultancy, has revealed that fathers are suffering from a ‘paternity paradox’, with four-in-ten (39%) of fathers believing that taking extended leave has had a…
While many employees hope it never happens to them, demotions in the workplace are apparently more common than some may think. A new survey of Hong Kong bosses, commissioned by Robert Half, has found more than half (52%) of hiring heads have demoted an employee in their company. Hong Kong business leaders…
Alisha Fernando has been appointed responsible for driving Bloomberg’s Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) strategy across the APAC region. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Alisha led the development and implantation of the D&I strategy, programs and initiatives at the University of Melbourne. Pamela Hutchinson, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Bloomberg stated,…
Pedersen & Partners has announced that Reza Ghazali will join the team and lead the Board Services practice in the ASEAN region. Reza Ghazali is an accomplished Executive Search professional with over thirty years of professional experience working in Hospitality, Human Capital, Business Consulting and Executive Search/Leadership & Talent Management. Ghazali’s…
New babysitting coverage programme for working mothers Holistic support system helping women re-enter the workforce Mothers will be given access to free babysitting when they are interviewing for jobs. This novel solution and support system for mothers, who are balancing childcare and job-hunting, is the initiative of a new partnership formed…
Uber drivers were on strike 24 hours before the minicab company’s stock market flotation in the United States. Uber drivers say they are creating extraordinary wealth for the minicab company, but they have been denied basic workers’ rights. Drivers in cities across the UK and US held protests, as well…
The first international innovation test and demonstration base, a joint project between PwC and the Sanya Municipal Government, will be established in Sanya forming the PwC University. This project will help improve Sanya’s innovation and talent development as well as empower the construction industry in Hainan Free Trade Zone. The…
The 2019 Randstad Employer Brand Research surveyed over 2,500 employees and job seekers in Singapore. The research gauges what job seekers look for in an ideal employer and measures their perception of the 75 largest commercial employers (based on the local workforce size). The study measures brand awareness and brand…
Ryuji Maruyama has recently been appointed as the new Managing Director of Toshiba Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. Maruyama and has also assumed the role of Corporate Representative—Asia of Toshiba Corporation. Maruyama will be overseeing the sales, marketing and operations talent teams in Southeast Asia, India & Oceania and help expand…
Huawei released a white paper entitled “Design Guide for Campus Wi-Fi Networks in the Wi-Fi 6 Era v1.0”. on 10 April 2019, at the Global Education Digital Transformation Summit in Shanghai, China. Huawei has a deep understanding of 5G technologies and proven success of more than 1,000 campus networks in the…
Arrow Electronics, Inc., a global technology solutions provider, has been awarded ‘Great Place to Work for 2018 in Korea’ by the Great Place to Work® Institute in an awards ceremony held recently in Seoul. The award is judged by Great Place to Work®Institute, an international trust management evaluation agency, based on…
PageUp, a cloud-based, talent management, software organisation, has been recognised in a Gartner annual report. Named as a Visionary in Talent Management Suites, the organisation was recognised based on its socially integrated, mobile talent management capabilities and a collaborative, easy-to-use interface. Gartner evaluated eight different software vendors across 15 criteria…
An independent study was conducted in January 2019 surveying 75 CFOs in Hong Kong. This survey is part of the international workplace survey, about job trends, talent management and trends in the workplace. According to release, China’s Belt and Road initiative is driving demand for skilled staff as headcounts increase…
The Goetheanum Leadership School, the first project ever supported by the World Goetheanum Association, has recently been launched in Dornach, Switzerland. The School aims to create a learning environment where participants explore and dialogue ideas and concepts, and practice tools and skills. The World Goetheanum Association is an association currently…
Double-digit growth over many of the last 10-12 years In America’s labour market, finding the perfect employee is harder than ever. Decision intelligence company, Gongos, has experienced double-digit growth over many of the last 10-12 years. President and CEO, Camille Nicita, attributes this to organic efforts and the development of…
6 September 2019 we are exploring the topic Young Leadership. We aim to dispel those millennial myths and look at how you can empower young leaders within the workplace–giving them confidence & leveraging their capabilities within your organisation. Topics we are also sharing on: Mentoring & reverse mentoring, nurturing, developing & leveraging…
HR in Singaporean SMEs got a much needed helping hand for processing employee benefits with the recent launch of an online insurance platform especially targeting small and medium businesses. The employee benefits digital portal, PolicyPal Business, aims to streamline insurance processing for SMEs. According to PolicyPal, the platform currently assists…
The number of Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMET) jobs for Software, Web and Media developer positions in Singapore jumped nearly 50% in 2018. Postings were up from 4,520 job openings in 2017 to 6,700 in 2018, according to JobTech which analysed over half a million jobs posted online in 2018.…
Asia expects to see highest real-wage growth globally Holistic approach advised when determining pay amidst rising trade tensions Real-wage salaries in Asia are forecasted to increase by 2.6% in 2019, according to recent findings from Korn Ferry. The increase will be the highest globally and exceeds the expected global…
New babysitting programme supports interviewing mothers Holistic support system helping women re-enter the workforce Mothers, in the US, will now have access to free babysitting when they are interviewing for a job. This novel solution and support system for mothers balancing childcare and job-hunting is the initiative of a new partnership formed between…
An unlimited paid leave policy, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, has been launched at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Limited—effectively removing the cap on their employees’ annual leave limit. The unlimited leave policy was launched following research on global employee engagement practices suitable for an innovative and…
The latest findings of the Mercer Mandatory Provident Fund Satisfaction Index (Mercer MPFSI) revealed a score of 53.2 in January 2019, up 2.4 points from 50.8 in December 2018. The score marked a 10-month high for the Mercer MPFSI. Overall, the MPF satisfaction levels stay around 50 out of 100. Billy Wong, Health…
Gen Z workforce no longer prioritise homeownership in HK inflated market Gen Z graduates looking for independent living and better work-life balance 72% willing to do only 6 hours or less of overtime The findings of the jobsDB ‘Employment Status of Hong Kong’s Tertiary Students 2018’ report revealed that the…
HR must provide more in-house training, cited as a top initiative to alleviate the skills shortage in the IT sector, according to the latest research from Robert Half. This emphasises the importance of staff development, with 95% of CIOs surveyed stating that IT professionals are more willing to resign if…
US-based advertising agency attempts to illegally abandon union contract Hollywood superstars come out in support of working actors Hollywood superstars are campaigning for fair wages and safe sets for actors who work on commercials. Throwing their support behind the Screen Actors Guild—American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union’s #StrikeBBH campaign, movie…
HR Magazine and BPP recently boarded flights to embark on an HR digital transformation roadshow—with events in both Hong Kong and Singapore to discuss how HR can best leverage digital technology in their service delivery. We share key advice from Florence Tsang, Global Head of Talent and Organisational Development CoE,…
Top talent attractors: remote working (49%), high salary (48%) and flexible working arrangements (44%) Top talent retainers: high salary (59%), flexible working arrangements (43%) and more benefits (43%) Hong Kong’s ICT sector is among the most advanced in the world. As technology continues to develop at exponential rates—the quality of…
Higher unemployment rates linked to fewer unintended pregnancies Economic conditions shape family decisions A recent study has found that economic conditions can shape the decisions adults make about their families, such as whether and when to have children. The Journal of Marriage & Family’s analysis of United States women aged 20 to…
The average salary increase across industries surveyed in Thailand is expected to rise slightly to 5.3% in 2019, according to the Total Compensation Measurement (TCM) Study and Benefits Survey 2018 conducted by Aon. The survey also revealed that the turnover rate in 2018 increased to 16.9% from 16.6% in 2017. This…
Protecting organisations in a changing digital world As technology progresses and organisations digitalise, effective background screening has become integral to successfully recruiting and onboarding talent to an organisation. A bad hire not only risks employees, but also the company brand. Global compliance issues also often hinder organisations from getting candidate…
54% of HK’s financial employers have had an employee resign during their probation period 35% of HK’s financial employers have lost an employee during their first month In Hong Kong’s competitive employment market, business leaders understand the importance of hiring the best talent. New independent research released last December reveals,…
Average salary increase in Hong Kong forecasted to be 1.9% above inflation in 2019 Singapore and China will both see higher salary increases than Hong Kong this year Average real salary increase in Asia-Pacific is forecast to be 2.7%, which is the highest globally Hong Kong private sector workers are…
HR Magazine sat down with Hironori Oka, Chairman, Daiwa Capital Markets Hong Kong Limited to discuss the organisation’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations and the role Daiwa plays in the wellbeing of every one of its employees. Daiwa shapes societies and their…
With an emphasis on financial rewards and accountabilities, annual reviews are increasingly regarded as a last century practice that does not allow collaboration or innovation. The fundamental purpose of performance management is to create a process which promotes and improves employee effectiveness. It has traditionally provided the framework for feedback,…
11 Hong Kong organisations pledged to establish a diverse and inclusive workplace at a charter signing yesterday. The Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers was launched by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to provide guidance for building diverse and inclusive workplace cultures. The charter comprised a list of nine…
Hong Kong has fallen six places to trail Singapore in the annual IMD World Talent Ranking released this month. One of the world’s foremost reports on the quality of international workforces, Hong Kong dropped from 12th internationally to 18th while Singapore remained steady in 13th position. The rankings highlight the…
Study finds no discernible difference between successful male and female leaders Leadership traits in male and female leaders perceived differently by workforce Dated leadership stereotypes around emotional intelligence and personality traits have been disproven in a recent study. Thomas International, an assessment specialist organisation, discovered female leaders have been shown…
51% of HR Professionals believe initial recruitment screening should be mostly or completely automated 73% say smart technologies are on the rise from last year While employers and HR professionals are increasingly using candidate sourcing technology to attract the best talent, many business leaders have indicated the human touch is…
Only 70% feel their career goals can be met by their employers At 75% Hong Kong employee engagement levels are amongst the lowest in the Asia Pacific region overall Employee engagement in Hong Kong has declined consistently over the last three years. A recent Employee Engagement Index, conducted by Mercer,…
Mental health in the workplace is surrounded by misconceptions and stigma. If an employee has a mental health problem, very often these employees will remain silent from the fear of being exposed and concern about what their colleagues will think of them. In the majority of cases, their colleagues will…
Harnessing gig economy power: How BDO matches the best hires with the best organisations In years gone by, employees sought stability and a secure career path more than anything else—evidenced by many in the baby-boomer generation who often committed to one employer for their entire careers. ‘Millennial’ employees, on the…
Locals or Expats? Impact of Latest Reforms on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Residents Working in Mainland China
By Johnny Chan, Partner, DLA Piper On 3 August 2018, the State Council made an announcement (Announcement) to cancel several administrative permits, including the work permits for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents (HMT Residents). This was closely followed by a series of developments that changes how HMT Residents obtain…
Despite growing recognition of LGBT+ identities, transgender people remain a poorly understood sector of the talent pool. Kaylee Morrison of HR Magazine sat down with Brenda Alegre, PhD, Lecturer—Gender Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Hong Kong, to learn how HR can ensure the well-being and success of these talents.…
Getting Hong Kong organisations thriving again Mercer’s vision for empowering HR to benchmark their success, engage employees and boost workplace wellness. Billy Wong recently assumed the role of CEO for Mercer in Hong Kong and is already making big waves in terms of maximising workplace wellness, talent engagement and business success.…
Company-wide equal medical protection has been implemented at HKBN 90% of HKBN workforce will benefit Top 10% management level talents will receive top-up options Believing that medical coverage is not just an executive perk but a basic safety net entitlement for all talents, Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) has implemented…
After 620 hours of learning and exploration over nine months, more than 320 students from 29 secondary schools have completed the Hang Lung Young Architects Program (HLYAP) and taken a step towards their dreams of becoming deeply immersed in the world of architecture. The HLYAP aims to inspire students to…
66% of employees disagree with their annual review feedback Two-thirds unmotivated by annual reviews 62% of managers believe continuous review helps to coach employees A new white paper, The Future of Performance Management in Hong Kong by Morgan McKinley, has found that employees in Hong Kong are not satisfied with…
Today’s job seekers maximize their networks on LinkedIn, contact their colleagues on social media, and send their resumes in hopes of landing a job. But they’re going about it all wrong. In this new book, Lose the Resume, Land the Job, job seekers are told to look inward first. Know thyself; then let your…
36% of Hong Kong CFOs say the Belt and Road initiative will increase business investment 35% believe it will create more job opportunities for financial professionals 32% predict it will enhance Hong Kong’s financial connectivity China’s Belt and Road Initiative is expected to have an immensely positive impact on businesses…
Give to Get by Vishal Argawal, is a handbook for senior business leaders trying to successfully negotiate the high-stakes complexities of corporate culture. The book shares essential strategies to help executives avoid the most common pitfalls encountered during a career—and replace them with a mastery of the skills that build success.…
Why HR must thrive to stay alive… ‘Going to work’ turned upside down In today’s dynamic business environment, technological advances are completely reshaping value chains, making people and information more accessible, and redefining work practices. At the same time, changing workforce demographics and employees’ shifting expectations of the work experience are…
During a youth communication session held recently at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Zhang Jindong, Chairman, Suning Holdings Group reassured students of Hong Kong graduates’ advantages in the global workplace. “There is a demand for a new generation of talent, especially those with an international outlook,” Zhang explained. “Hong Kong graduates…
HSBC predicts six banking jobs of the future Blending technology with people skills will be key A recent white paper by HSBC, Human Advantage: The Power of People, offers a glimpse into the future of banking, predicting some surprising new types of jobs. Andrew Connell, Global Head of Innovation and…
Humans as a service The Promise and Perils of Work in the Gig Economy by Jeremias Prassl
Toastmasters International has recently launched a new leadership learning experience. The launch marks the first complete redesign of Toastmasters’ education programme since the organisation was founded in 1924. Toastmasters’ Board of Directors called for the education programme, Pathways, to be revitalised with a renewed focus on leadership learning, competencies that have…
71% of HK employees received pay rises in 2018 70% of Hospitality practitioners work over 50 hours a week 20% of employees reluctant to receive promotions fearing increased workloads 71% of Hong Kong employees have received pay rises in 2018, with an average salary increase of 5.7%. This growth is relatively…
Smart companies are increasingly looking to technology to deliver an employee experience that empowers the workforce and improves the physical and financial well-being of employees and their families. Mercer recently published a white paper, Healthy, Wealthy and Work-Wise, highlighting how the technology-driven wellness revolution will build a better employee experience…
As agility becomes an increasingly important business imperative, a growing number of organisations are recognising that business agility needs to start with the employee. Companies are offering their workers ever more flexible working hours and environments, but how can HR apply that same flexibility to benefits? The key lies in…
Experienced professionals sometimes suffer from an overdose of experience… and age! They are known to wish for the drive and imagination they had when they first started out. In his book Mentoring Reversed: The Road to Creativity and Imagination, bestselling author Peter Gregoire gives us insight into what benefits a…
70% of companies believe offering expat assignments increases loyalty Support for families a top priority Continual support both before and during assignment also crucial HR teams looking for creative ways to retain staff should consider adding international assignments to their staff packages. A recent survey of corporate clients by…
Traffic congestion main cause of air pollution in Hong Kong Quality of living between Hong Kong and Singapore close, despite large gap in rankings Hong Kong’s relatively low ranking partly due to accelerating APAC rivals Air pollution is the main factor separating quality of life between Hong Kong and Singapore,…
Top five countries overall—USA, Switzerland, UK, Sweden and Denmark Hong Kong 17th behind rival Singapore at 9th Rankings determined based on resources, environment, connectivity with industry and output An annual ranking of national higher education systems has been revealed by Universitas 21. The report, which took analysed data on resources, academic environments, connectivity with industry and…
96% of companies place emphasis on innovation Strong correlation between purpose and fulfilment Increasing number of companies offering flexible working After years of talking about disruption, executives are determined to turn talk into action. According to Mercer’s 2018 Global Talent Trends Study – Unlocking Growth in the Human Age, 96% of UK…
40% of employees now worried about their future financial state Employees struggling with finances far less productive Differentiated approach that targets employees’ financial goals most effective at addressing concerns Employees in Asia Pacific are deeply concerned about their financial security, negatively impacting their personal and work lives, according to a…
Job.com takes on USD 638 billion recruitment industry with new blockchain-based job matching platform
Job matching site will utilise blockchain to eliminate use of recruiters and redistribute costly fees New process will better protect data of job seekers and employers Job.com, a job matching platform, has announced that it will be progressing to a blockchain-based platform with the mission of entirely eliminating recruiters’ roles…
Top three frustrations of Hong Kong jobseekers were multiple interview rounds (37%), slow feedback (34%) and lack of transparency on rewards and benefits (34%) 84% of Hong Kong jobseekers received multiple job offers when searching for work Businesses in Hong Kong are missing out on top talent because they are…
Brand consolidation in APAC recruitment market hints at industry domination by larger players
Plurality of respondents cite insufficient salary and lack of career development opportunities as main reasons for dissatisfaction Respondents pessimistic against backdrop of strong economic growth A quarter of university graduates are not satisfied with their first job, according to the latest jobsDB survey. Amongst those who feel dissatisfied, almost a third said this…
Majority of women receiving promotions in the past two years negotiated for the position 45% believe diversity status is a barrier to career progression A recent PWC report has revealed that women are confident, ambitious and ready for work, but many don’t trust what their employers are telling them about…
By Helen Colquhoun, Partner and Head of Employment, DLA Piper Hong Kong The speed and scale of expansion of the #MeToo campaign beyond Hollywood across the globe has been meteoric—a clear example of how social media in today’s world can escalate and spread a campaign within an incredibly short space…
Malaysian company offers RM10,000 for each new hire. Marking a new stage in the competition for scarce talent in Malaysia, Colony Co-Working Space is now offering RM 10,000 (approximately HKD 20,000) in referral fees for each successful hire the company makes. With ambitions to challenge the conventional concept of what an…
An independent survey commissioned by recruitment firm Robert Half has reported that Hong Kong CIOs believe educators must focus more on key functional IT areas to meet the demands of the future employment market. Hong Kong is increasingly confronted with a shortage of staff in many IT functional areas as…
Global HR services company Randstad has released its latest list of the most in-demand accounting jobs in Hong Kong. The report showcases sought-after skills and key salary trends from the accounting and finance discipline in Hong Kong’s increasingly complex business climate. Keith Wong, Associate Director for Accounting and Finance, Randstad Hong Kong…
A recent survey of hiring managers found that the legalisation of marijuana in several US states has not changed how employers screen job applicants and employees for the drug. The survey, which was conducted by Employment Background Investigations, Inc. in late 2017, asked human resource professionals if the new laws…
Participation in mentally and physically demanding adventure training increases resilience in office workers. That is the central conclusion of research by Nicola Bass of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology. Bass commented, “Building resilience in office-based staff is an aim for organisations, and we were keen to investigate…
A load has been taken off the minds of employers in Singapore. Insurance company Chubb recently unveiled enhancements to its employee compensation insurance package Chubb Work Guard. At the core of the enhanced policy is a broader suite of insurance coverages, which have been designed to meet evolving business needs in…
The AmCham 2017 Human Resources Conference kicked off a discussion about innovation in Hong Kong, with speakers from the HR, consulting and legal fields, among others. Keynote speaker Kate Bravery, Global Practices Leader, Career, Mercer began by speaking about HR’s future. Of particular note, she commented, “HR leaders need to…
According to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson, almost two-thirds of Hong Kong employees do not feel that their benefits packages meet their needs. Conversely, 65% of employers feel employees highly value their benefits package. Employers are often unaware of this gap. While 78% of employers think that employees…
It seems that man’s best friend has becomes man’s best co-worker, as international law firm Eversheds Sutherland welcomed dogs at work in its London office as part of ‘Bring Your Dog to Work Day’. Employees were invited to bring their four-legged friends to the special event, which was the brainchild…
Hong Kong’s strong 2017 job growth is expected to continue into 2018, driven by a boost in worldwide economic growth and by higher visitor numbers that will stimulate the hospitality, retail and service industries. So suggests the Annual Salary Survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters, which also projects Hong Kong job…
As part of a wider health and safety strategy, Telecoms company HKBN has expanded its work injury compensation policy. Employees who suffer injury whilst performing work-related duties and responsibilities are now entitled to the full payment of their monthly earnings for the first three months of their sick leave. This…
Increase driven by growing number of female executives in Shanghai A growing number of female executives and entrepreneurs in the city of Shanghai has led to an increase in the number of women attending MBA courses. The Antai College of Economics and Management (ACEM) at Jiaotong University has reported that interest in…
Nurturing professionals for smart cities: way forward for cutting edge technology in education
Nurturing professionals the way forward The Hong Kong Government has made it clear—the future of Hong Kong is as a ‘Smart City’. What makes it so smart is that it nurtures professionals bringing people and technology together in a way that provides a happier, more productive living environment with smart living,…
HR is undergoing a change. Not just a small one, but a fundamental seismic shift—a Techvolution. Traditional HR is being replaced by a new skilled and tech savvy one, with an appetite for change. This is a result of an increasingly Millennial workforce, which influences how social media, technology and…
Responding to changing employee learning patterns, especially those amongst Millennials, offers great opportunities for innovative HR professionals. Apps in particular tap into the way that Millennials use technology. A great example of this is the Smart Learning app by Chow Tai Fook, which provides a multifunction platform to engage and…
Creating a compelling employee value proposition A golden opportunity to increase employee engagement, attract and retain top talent and even improve financial performance—could there be such a thing? Formalising an organisation’s EVP can do all of the above, and lead to productivity breakthroughs. According to recent research by Willis Towers…
APAC countries continue to outperform the rest of the world when it comes to real wage growth—calculated by subtracting inflation from actual wage growth—occupying eight of the top ten spots in the global rankings of real wage increases. According to the latest Salary Trends survey by ECA International, India is expected…
Across APAC, drinks are on workers in the financial services as salaries are projected to increase by 5% in Hong Kong and 6.5% in Mainland China in 2018, comparing to 4.2% and 5% respectively in 2017. The report by consulting firm Pretium also suggests that Singapore is set to increase salaries by 3.9%, comparing…
New research from Randstad has suggested that job seekers respond more positively to the human side of recruitment. The findings show that 76% of candidates in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia respond positively to technology when it’s used to enhance the recruitment experience based on human connection. The results also…
Platforms that combine data management and HR expertise are invaluable to companies that want to use data to drive their HR functions. As such, Employee Content Management systems (ECM) are increasingly tailored towards HR professionals looking to centralise employee data. An example of an ECM can be seen in the…
New research from AXA reveals 98% of big businesses surveyed say a globally mobile workforce is important, with a third saying it is critical to their success. But staff working abroad want increased flexibility with three-quarters of employers saying people want to commute internationally and continue living at home. Those…
A clear picture of candidate backgrounds can avoid bad hiresA new report by Checkster revealed the biggest myth held by many senior people in talent acquisition: that interviewing is the best way to predict future employee’s performance. The report The biggest myth held by talent acquisition professionals and why it…
AI is expected to replace nearly 10% of jobs in 10 years. Allegis Group recently surveyed more than 300 HR professionals—senior-manager level and above—who reported mixed feelings about AI and its impact on the future of work. Survey participants saw AI as something to be excited about, 21%, and as…
Recent research by Randstad has suggested that 92% of job seekers in Hong Kong prefer hiring processes that takes fewer than six weeks. In addition, the majority of the survey respondents (67%) expected any recruitment process to take between two and four weeks. “How long should the ideal recruitment process…
The World Economic Forum has forecasted that it will take 217 years for gender parity between women and men. The findings come on the back of new research which suggests that women and men became less equal between 2016 and 2017. Marianna Fotaki, Professor of Business Ethics, Warwick Business School…
2018 salary budgets boosted among APAC technology companies to do strong demand for talent
In 2018, technology sector salaries in Hong Kong, Singapore and China are projected to increase 4.2%, 4.1% and 7.5% respectively. Approximately two-thirds of technology companies in all major APAC markets are pursuing normal or aggressive hiring plans. Newly released data from Aon has suggested that technology companies in the APAC…
A new study by HR Certification Institute and Dow Jones Customer Intelligence has found that Executives rank talent management among the top priorities that link to the bottom line. Similarly, Dow Jones Customer Intelligence, the research arm of the Wall Street Journal, found that finding and keeping the right talent…
New research from Randstad has suggested that job seekers respond more positively to the human side of recruitment. The findings show that 76% of candidates in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia respond positively to technology when it’s used to enhance the recruitment experience based on human connection. The results also…
With half of all jobs in the next 10 years estimated to disappear due to Artificial Intelligence (AI), corporate training company Anagram Group has announced a new focus to its leadership and soft skills workshops—equipping leaders for the future. New workshops include “Design Thinking & Innovation”, and its signature programme, “Leadership…
Deloitte Consulting LLP has found in its latest High Impact HR research that new workplace technologies and changing workforce expectations are creating unprecedented opportunities for HR to transform the way companies and their people interact. Josh Bersin, Principal and Founder, Bersin, Deloitte Consulting LLP commented, “As companies focus on digital…
The recent troubles of Irish budget airline Ryanair have demonstrated the importance of effective employee/employer relations and holiday management. Due to a holiday scheduling error, Ryanair has been left with a shortage of pilots, forcing the aviation giant to cancel up to 50 flights a day. Despite trying to incentivise…
324 students from 29 secondary schools embarked on a journey of learning that will see them become young architects over the course of the academic year ahead. Spearheaded by Hang Lung Properties, the Hang Lung Young Architects Program held its opening ceremony at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre today.…
56% of Hong Kong CFOs within financial services are hiring temporary/interim specialists to help their team adapt to new technologies, 56% are implementing training programs and 41% are hiring permanent professionals to manage change. 74% agree it is challenging for their finance team to keep pace with the rising digitisation…
Hotel ICON announced that it is offering medical insurance coverage to legally recognised same-sex partners of its associates. The policy—which took effect early October—means all spouses who are legally married (in countries that legalise same-sex marriages) to be eligible for the medical benefits. By offering medical benefits to the married…
In an analysis of 28 published studies, night shift work was associated with a 29% increased risk of becoming obese or overweight. The findings, which were published in Obesity Reviews, suggested that modifying working schedules to avoid prolonged exposure to long-term night shift work might help reduce the risk of…
Employees in Hong Kong see business travel as opportunities to achieve their professional growth ambitions: 37% seek inspiration for their work, and 35% look to learn a new skill Over half say adding leisure time to a business trip makes them more successful in their business meetings Business travel is…
Smart Hong Kong initiative expected to lead to more job opportunities and higher salary for IT workers
A 2017 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has given additional insight into the rising demand for skilled labour across the US. Among those surveyed by the Chamber of Commerce, roughly two-thirds of employers said that they will be hiring new employees over the next month, but approximately 95% noted…
Aon has unveiled its Best Employers across APAC, revealing trends relevant to HR. In line with the strategy of ‘Invented in China’, Chinese companies have moved beyond the trial period of overseas investment and shifted to become pace setters in the world. Wanhua Chemical Group aspired to become one of…
A new report by Checkster revealed the biggest myth held by many senior people in talent acquisition: that interviewing is the best way to predict future employee’s performance. The report The biggest myth held by talent acquisition professionals and why it holds them back used hard data to prove the…
The 2017 Q4 results of the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey indicated that for the next three months Hong Kong employers report upbeat hiring plans. With seasonal variations taken into account, Hong Kong’s Net Employment Outlook is up 17%. Hiring prospects are the strongest reported in six years, improving by 2…
A recent report suggested only few Singapore-listed organisations offer long-term incentive plans for their chief executives, while there is ‘significant misalignment’ between the firm’s profitability and the CEO pay. The annual report conducted by Korn Ferry Hay Group found that only 11% of 541 Singaporean firms provide long-term incentives for top…
Leading HR teams are redefining future HR with workplace technologies and employee-centric design
Bersin, Deloitte Consulting LLP has found in its latest High Impact HR research that new workplace technologies and changing workforce expectations are creating unprecedented future opportunities for HR to transform the way companies and their people interact. Josh Bersin, Principal and Founder, Bersin, Deloitte Consulting LLP commented, “As companies focus…
EY has announced that it will introduce a new programme that will enable its 250,000 people in over 150 countries invest in their own careers. This is achieved by earning digital credentials in skills that differentiate them in the market, such as data visualisation, AI, data transformation and information strategy.…
New research from AXA reveals 98% of big businesses surveyed say a globally mobile workforce is important, with a third saying it is critical to their success But staff working abroad want increasing flexibility with three-quarters of employers saying people want to commute internationally and continue living at home Those…
Hang Lung’s talent development successes as headcount doubles Janet Poon, General Manager – Human Resources, Hang Lung Properties has been with the Company since 2012 and helped transform their talent pool during a period of unprecedented expansion. She shares her innovative approach to talent attraction and retention to help fuel…
The hidden, hugely profitable crime of modern slavery will be tackled head-on with practical, regional solutions driven by business and government. On the eve of the inaugural Bali Process Government and Business Forum, business leaders gathered at The University of Western Australia (UWA) to discuss the complex challenges of modern slavery in…
The International SOS Foundation, supported by the Ministry of Manpower Singapore, has called for world leaders to add their e-signature to the Singapore declaration in support of the principles of prevention with regard to work-related travel safety, health and security. This follows the official signing ceremony, which took place on the opening…
WorldatWork has said that 80% of companies are paying salespeople inaccurate commission rates. The 2017 Sales Compensation Administration Best Practices survey by Xactly found that companies with complex compensation programmes had higher turnover rates among salespeople, lower rates for meeting sales quotas and more errors in commission payouts. The study also showed that…
Organisations looking to lower attrition rates and increase retention levels might look to look at five particular Hong Kong companies for inspiration. According to the most recent Best Employers survey by Aon, these companies have taken employee engagement to another level, with better business as a result. Their successes have earned them…
Government Bill gives employees right of reinstatement A new bill introduced into the Legislative Council this earlier year lays down new rights for employees who are illegally dismissed. The Employment (Amendment) Bill 2017 was introduced into the Legislative Council in May 2017. Notable among the Bill’s proposed changes is a…
72% of Hong Kong CFOs agree workplace automation will not cause a loss of jobs, but a shift in required skill sets is needed. The top skills finance professionals need to focus on as a result of automation are: problem-solving skills, strategic vision, flexibility/ability to adapt and communication. According to…
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Hong Kong Cyberport (Cyberport) was held recently to set up the HKU x Cyberport Digital Tech Entrepreneurship Platform. The Platform is the first-of-its-kind collaboration between HKU and Cyberport aiming to form a closer partnership to build a unique digital tech…
95% of Hong Kong CIOs are actively taking measures to reduce the length of their recruitment process of IT professionals. The average recruitment process length for IT professionals is three months for staff-level positions and four months for management-level positions. 48% cite too many interview rounds and 47% say a…
Most employees would recoil in disgust at the thought of receiving a demotion or salary decrease. This sentiment, however, changes drastically when it comes to protecting careers, with a much larger number of people willing to accept a pay decrease or demotion to stay employed. According to Randstad’s latest Workmonitor…
Straight career paths are under scrutiny by employees in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. According to Randstad’s latest Workmonitor Research for Q2 2017, 73% of employees globally felt that the ‘job-for-life’ was becoming extinct. This sentiment was much higher across the region with over eight in ten employees in Singapore,…
More employers are implementing both traditional and innovative approaches to manage rising healthcare benefit costs. According to a survey by Willis Towers Watson, requiring pre-approval for scheduled inpatient services, placing limits on certain medical services and using contracted networks of providers are cited as the most effective tools to help manage…
The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (“PCPD”) was awarded as one of the winners for the “Most Breastfeed-caring Corporate Award” in the “2017 My Favourite Lactation Room Contest” organised by the Hong Kong Breastfeeding Mothers’ Association. Mr Stephen Kai-Yi WONG, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong said,…
The Hong Kong Government is considering four key changes to the existing anti-discrimination ordinances. The proposed changes have been brought forward following a consultation carried out by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in 2014 and are presently being considered by the Legislative (LegCo) Council Panel on Constitutional Affairs. The…
More than one in five background checks conducted on job candidates in APAC in 2016 identified inaccuracies in the information supplied by candidates. While the discrepancy rate has decreased from the previous year, it still remains almost three times higher than the global discrepancy rate of 9.7%. This disparity between…
Menon is a highly articulate, focused and dedicated human resource leader with over 17 years of HR Generalist experience at country and regional level with a track record of achievement across various industry sectors. She has just embarked on a new journey as the Human Resources Director, REA Group Asia.…
On the whole, despite unsettling events and political uncertainty in key markets, 70% of APAC executives view the global economy as either modestly improving or stable. This confidence in part may be due to APAC’s continued annual year-over-year GDP growth (4.3% in 2015 and 4.2% in 2016 — Oxford Economics),…
66% of business leaders say they are profoundly rethinking their organisations’ purpose as a result of disruption Only 15% say that their company’s main purpose is to maximise shareholder value A majority, 73%, of business leader believe in the value of a strong corporate purpose, and only a minority (15%)…
WMAE 2017 results reveal that the majority of talent would prefer to work for medium-sized employers Universum Global announced their 9th annual World’s Most Attractive Employper (WMAE) results from over 290,000 business and engineering/IT students from the world’s 12 largest economies. The WMAE ranking recognises global organisations implementing preferable employer…
– Hong Kong is the world’s second-most expensive location for expats–its highest position since ECA’s rankings began – Macau climbs 17 places in APAC rankings this year—now more expensive than Guangzhou and Shenzhen for expats – Luanda, Angola now the world’s most expensive location for expats Hong Kong is APAC’s…
With today’s career models evolving over time, it is becoming common for women to take a career break for various reasons such as maternity leave, to care for their family or even further their studies. According to the latest thought leadership report Understanding Employers’ Attitudes Towards Women Returning To Work…
90% of directors believe leadership strategy oversight is a board responsibility, but just 11% feel boards do this well. In the wake of recent scandals in the automotive, financial services, and airline industries, a new report from WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCD) and Pearl Meyer provides insight on how boards can advance…
By Andrew Marder, Small Business Expert, Capterra The worst part of networking is every single part of networking. The free snacks are okay, unless you get stuck with crudité. Everything else feels challenging, painful, or unproductive. You step into a room of other small business owners and managers with a…
More than half of CHROs surveyed had a career outside of the HR function before becoming the CHRO Current Southeast Asia CHROs identify ‘Thinking Strategically’, ‘Driving Change’, and ‘Business Knowledge’ as their top three key improvement areas Over half of CHROs in Southeast Asia do not have an HR background,…
Research has revealed that employers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia continue to ignore the importance of work-life balance as employee preference for it rises to the highest level in years. The Randstad Employer Brand Research 2017 revealed that the importance of work-life balance has continued to rise to become…
The latest Randstad Employer Brand Research has revealed that employees in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia still have a high preference for salary and benefits when looking for an employer but work-life balance preference is now at an all-time high. Hong Kong employees aged between 25 and 44 have now…
UK-based internal communications agency, theblueballroom, has opened an office in Hong Kong to offer businesses in Asia access to its expertise in developing employee engagement. With over fifteen years’ experience working with global companies including The Deutsche Post DHL Group, The adidas Group, Roche Products and Rentokil Initial, the agency…
In the last two years there has been a significant increase in the number of ‘repats’, expatriates relocating out of Hong Kong and back to the UK. Ishali Patel, Senior Manager, Buzzacott—London based accounting firm commented, “In the last year, we’ve seen a 50% increase in the number of Hong-Kong-based…
HR is acutely aware of the radical changes that the employment model has undergone in the last few years. The gig economy has impacted all business sectors and the way HR interacts with talent has metamorphosed too: drivers have been ‘Uber-ised’, book sellers ‘Amazon-ised’ and travel teams AirBnB-ised’. As the…
Recently the Kering Group announced our new Global Parental Policy. The framework provides Group-wide standards in terms of maternity, paternity and adoption leave for more than 38,500 employees in nearly 60 countries around the world. The new policy holds a single and clear purpose: to build a supportive and inclusive…
Google has been named as the Most Attractive Employer in Singapore at the Randstad Employer Brand Award 2017. The annual award, held for the sixth consecutive year in Singapore and the 17th edition globally, was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre – Marina Bay Sands. Randstad Employer Brand…
Female employees in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia are the least satisfied with their current employer—and the least likely to do anything about it. In addition, Hong Kong employees were also found to be the least satisfied with their current employer. Only 54% of employees in Hong Kong were happy…
More than 60% of employers experience difficulty attracting and retaining top talent. As the world of work undergoes a digital transformation, employers in Asia Pacific are grappling with challenges in attracting and retaining top talent, according to two major surveys The 2016 Global Talent Management Survey and Rewards Survey by…
Hong Kong employers plan to provide modest salary increases of 3.8% on average across all industries in 2017, but their hiring intention remains positive as 30% of the companies have expansion plans of their workforce this year, according to a recent study released by Willis Towers Watson. The 2017 Hong…
JP Morgan is the preferred employer of finance professionals globally, taking first place in the eFinancialCareers Ideal Employer rankings for 2017. JP Morgan took the number one spot from last year’s winner Goldman Sachs, which dropped to second place. Google held its third place ranking this year and remained a…
Study finds global uncertainty driving employee skepticism Overall APAC Engagement score dropped by 3 Points. Singapore’s employee engagement score fell by 4 points to 59%, according to the 2017 Trends in Global Employee Engagement Report from Aon Hewitt. Perception scores among Singapore’s millennials fell by an alarming 7 points in the…
Although 2016 was a year of great socio-political flux, the latest Mastercard Well-Being Index revealed that people in APAC remain optimistic towards their overall well-being, with those in emerging markets—led by India, Philippines and Indonesia—showing higher resilience and satisfaction than others in developed markets. The Mastercard Well-Being Index surveyed 9,123…
Hong Kong employees ranked ‘Supervisor liking you’ as the most important factor in determining promotion. ‘Luck’ and ‘Good performance reviews’ came in second and third. Employees also rated ‘Working long hours’ and ‘Length of time since last promotion’ as the least important factor, according to the latest Job Promotions Report…
As organisations and individuals across the globe recognise International Women’s Day on March 8, the WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCD) marks the key strides women have made in boardrooms globally, driven by the work of WCD. Susan Stautberg, CEO and Chairman, WCD said, “‘Be bold for change’ is the theme for this…
With the 26th HKMA Awards in the pipeline, organisations are clamouring to show off their commitment to L&D and how they have built their bespoke training programmes. The awards are a commendation to those who have worked extensively to develop training that is not only effective, but conscious of the…
LUISS Business School has launched the project GROW—Generating Real Opportunities for Women—with the aim to promote, support and improve personal and professional development of LUISS Business School’s female students. Its focus is on the access to the working world and to enhance their career, so as to reach the highest levels within companies,…
The rapid expansion of Chinese-headquartered conglomerates and financial service firms in Hong Kong will fuel the competition for talent in 2017, according to survey findings from the 2017 Hong Kong Salary and Employment Outlook conducted by Michael Page. Surveying close to 600 employers across a range of industries in Hong…
Rising wage pressure, lack of skills to leverage technology, ineffective leadership and low engagement levels are making it difficult for firms to deliver productivity gains Singapore and South Korea showed the largest drops in productivity per person with 3.12% and 2.34% respectively, compared to India, which had the highest gain…
For girls, careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields are not only a satisfying but an opportunity which enables graduates to land their first job quickly. Among first jobseekers who graduated with a STEM degree, 84% indicated that they took less than six months to land their first job…
Hong Kong’s banks and financial services companies are facing increasing competition from foreign markets in their efforts to recruit professionals amidst the current skills shortage. According to an independent survey from Robert Half, three in four Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are experiencing increased competition from overseas markets when trying to…
Most of the business world is experiencing disruption and recruitment is no different. Businesses looking to attract and retain top talent in 2017 face a fragmented marketplace where job candidates are using different types of platforms to find opportunities and are looking for non-traditional types of employment. Julian Sallabank, CEO,…
Technology looks set to have a big impact on the future of workforce planning in APAC, with 63% of HR leaders in the region expecting Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to impact their organisations in the next five years whilst a quarter report these technologies are already having an impact.…
According to the Kroll Annual Global Fraud and Risk Report, 86% of respondents with operations in China experienced a fraud incident in 2016. One third of these respondents named senior or middle management as key perpetrators. Cyber incidents are now the “new normal” for companies across the world. The proportion…
Nearly all of Hong Kong’s most recent batch of university graduates, 89%, found a job within three months of leaving school; and the majority of them, 76%, are satisfied with their position—according to the latest jobsDB Survey on the Employment Status of Hong Kong’s Tertiary Students 2016. Fresh graduates now…
With effect from 1 January 2017, Kering’s parental policy will allow all the Group’s employees, whatever their personal circumstances or location, a minimum of 14 weeks on full pay for maternity and adoption leave and a minimum of five days on full pay for paternity or partner leave. Kering’s parental…
By Julia Gorham, Partner, Head of Employment—Asia, DLA Piper Changes in the modern workforce are now happening more radically and rapidly than ever. According to a report published by the International Labour Organisation in 2015, informal employment, very short term contracts, contingent freelance workers, homeworking and irregular working hours are…
The rapid expansion of Chinese-headquartered conglomerates and financial services firms are expected to fuel 2017 hiring growth in Hong Kong. These companies have been aggressively growing their footprint in the city and using their Hong Kong-based businesses as springboards for international growth, according to initial findings from the 2017 Asia…
In the globally connected world, most organisations have staff that travel overseas, making it more important than ever to have an effective emergency communications plan in place in order to contact geographically dispersed staff during a crisis. This is especially important given that the latest Emergency Communication Report, published by the Business…
People who energise their work colleagues are less likely to voluntarily leave an organisation— unless they are high performers. A research study has found that people’s energy towards other colleagues, and that from leadership is a major influence on how likely staff are to leave their job voluntarily. The in-depth…
The world is fast transforming into a digital one with consumers changing their purchasing habits, as well as organisations adopting new digital strategies to grow their business and maintain a competitive edge. This seems to have hit the confidence of employees in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia with many stating…
The persistent gender gap in access to ‘hot jobs’—high visibility, mission-critical roles and international experiences—prompts the question: what can women do to maximise their access to these leadership development opportunities? Role negotiation may represent the kind of intentional, bold action that is helpful to both women and men in their…
Millennials see the rapid rate of tech and digital advancement to be the biggest challenge facing them as future business leaders —ahead of political, economic and environmental concerns—a global study of International Management graduates has revealed. Respondents also clearly saw the innovative and positive mastery of technology as a key…
A slowing economy has kept accounting and finance professionals in Singapore on their toes over the recent months. Organisations are under increasing pressure to streamline operations, and disruptive technologies are changing the way the industry functions – including employers’ expectations of these candidates. Source: Randstad
A combination of fresh salary budget data for the coming year and industry sector feedback points to a shortage of tech talent in the financial sector, which is helping salary budgets for talent in digital roles hold steady amid broader weakness across other industries, particularly the banking sector, according to…
The National Examining Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) offers a range of vocationally-related qualifications to meet workplace health, safety, environmental and risk management need in both public and private sectors. The body has just announced revised syllabuses for its National and International Diplomas in Occupational Health and Safety…
Tribunal says notion that Uber London has no ‘workers’ & is a mosaic of small businesses is ridiculous Bosses at Uber found themselves making a quick U-turn on 28 October when a UK employment tribunal decided that Uber drivers, rather than being ‘independent contractors’, are in fact ‘workers’. The tribunal…
Break neck speed advances in technology are having an impact on those in IT. 62% of technology professionals in APAC believe a significant part of their job will be subjected to automation within the next 10 years, rendering their current skills redundant, according to the findings of the Harvey Nash…
Facebook might muscle-in on LinkedIn’s recruiting business with ways for business Pages to promote job listings. They also confirmed they were testing a feature that would let page administrators create job postings and receive applications from candidates, a move that could pressure LinkedIn Corp’s recruiting business. The new Jobs features could give companies…
Job market growth has stalled in Hong Kong as organisations continued to outsource support services, accounting and back office functions to locations such as the Philippines, India or Mainland China APAC Employment Monitor Q3 2016 highlights: Permanent financial services jobs remained relatively steady, quarter-on-quarter, and showed a slight increase of…
A quarter of U.S. businesses are experiencing a marked increase in talent raids at the C-suite level, yet most are unprepared to combat this ‘poaching’ of their most capable people. This is a key finding from a talent retention survey of nearly 400 human resources professionals conducted recently by Marlin Hawk.…
53% of young professionals believe that gaining technical experience and working beyond their job description are important factors for career growth. On the contrary, HR managers considered this to be of far less importance and lower down their list of priorities (36%). As revealed in recent research buy CEMS, a…
The UK Conservative Party Conference has provided Theresa May, and her Government, with an opportunity to publicise their plans for the timing of Brexit. In her speech to the Conference recently, the Prime Minster announced: Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty will be invoked by the end of March 2017, triggering…
Four-fifths of Americans would say no to joining a company with a bad reputation. That is an increase of 4% over 2015. The impact on an organisation of a bad reputation has never been higher. This is according to research published by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. Bad behaviours most harmful to…
Moving jobs If it seems like employees and colleagues are always on the move then you are probably not wrong. 66% of employees in Hong Kong stated they were considering moving jobs in the near future. Likewise, employee retention was another flash point for companies. 65% of organisations indicated that…
Asian University for Women announced the appointment of British political scientist Professor Nirmala Rao, OBE, FAcSS, as the incoming Vice Chancellor of the University effective from 1 February 2017. Professor Rao, an expert on governance of cities, has served as Pro Director of the School of Oriental & African Studies…
In the year of the British Safety Council’s 60th anniversary, the 2017 International Safety Awards will celebrate those organisations that go the extra mile to keep their workers and workplaces healthy and safe. The awards will recognise and reward organisations from around the globe who demonstrate a real commitment to…
61% of multinational corporations confirmed they still transmit confidential employee information via email. Additionally, nearly half of all respondents to the survey said they still use the inherently insecure medium of email for payroll-related communications. This figure rose to nearly two-thirds (61%) for those organisations operating in six or more…
Hong Kong’s 2016 Power Profiles for Human Resources has been released. Comprised of the 13 most-viewed LinkedIn profiles in the industry, it reveals which recruiters may have a slight edge when filling their organization’s talent needs. Power Profiles are experts in their domains, who have invested in building their professional…
37% of global professionals surveyed said the daily commute is a major productivity brain drain. This ‘limbo’ of time that is mainly seen as neither productive work time, nor enjoyable personal time is widely regarded as an obstacle to more useful or entertaining pursuits as according to research by Regus.…
Having a programme designed to support professional athletes preparing for retirement from sport makes all the difference when transitioning from a sports arena to a corporate one. HR Magazine spoke to Timothy Fok, President, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), Patrick Glennon, Adecco Senior Vice President,…
HR Magazine caught up with Belinda Ngan, Head of Human Resources and Administration Department, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co, Ltd. (SPD Bank) Hong Kong Branch to find out how she fosters innovation throughout the bank and further enhances the team’s productivity and wellbeing. Cultivating innovation Creating a working environment that…
Thought leadership series: hiring risks in Asia Our meeting of HR champions at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental saw Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific Airways (left) highlight key challenges faced by HR in the ever-changing hiring market and Erik Schmit, EVP & MD APAC, First Advantage (right) share his team’s…
The number of job advertisements in Hong Kong in the Q2 grew 13% over a year ago, indicating a stronger than expected demand for top talent despite market concerns, according to Asia Job Index Q2 2016 by Robert Walters. The Asia Job Index tracks job advertising volumes for professional positions across…
The 8th International Forum on Work and Safety, which will take place in Beijing, China, from 27 – 29 September 2016, will bring together health & safety professionals, business leaders and government officials to share their achievements, as well as the latest trends and developments in health and safety worldwide.…
Employers in Hong Kong are not doing enough to motivate and retain the next generation of professionals. Lack of feedback from hiring managers and complaints that the actual role did not match the job description were common themes cited by millennials. 25% of respondents felt that lack of feedback was…
The slow global economic environment has cast a somewhat gloomy outlook for mature workers as businesses strive to become more productive and adapt to the pace of technological change across all industries. Despite this, Randstad’s recent Workmonitor research points to a more positive sentiment amongst workers in Singapore, Hong Kong…
HR Magazine was invited to join the ‘Shackleton Challenge’—a highly unique training day to stimulate team-work and facilitate team-building in a challenging, rewarding and exhilarating fashion. The day was organised by AETG and conducted by Colin Tan, Managing Director & Chief Executive Coach, MetaNoia Intervention. After being fed and watered,…
A detailed survey of international HR managers around the challenges of recruiting globally and managing an international workforce, has found that nearly half of respondents (46%) struggle to find good global candidates with an international outlook. The research, carried out by CEMS alongside Universum, also found that 87% of respondents…
AIA setting the pace for developing leaders of tomorrow In March, HR Magazine attended the opening of the brand new AIA Leadership Centre in Bangkok. The insurance giant is once again leading the way through its commitment to enhancing the quality, effectiveness and professionalism of its people. We spoke with…
Carmen Lam, Managing Director, Principal Investment & Retirement Services Ltd. shares her views on Employee Choice Arrangement (ECA) and how MPF providers assist HR professionals in various MPF perspectives. Impact of ECA ECA gives greater control to employees over the employee-contribution portion of their MPF account, allowing them to…
Effects of ECA on employers Before the implementation of the Employee Choice Arrangement (ECA), employees were enrolled in MPF schemes chosen by their employers, who have been the primary target audience of MPF service providers. From an employee’s perspective, the scheme choices available to them are often limited. With the…
The relationship between the job satisfaction of a company’s workforce and its financial success is complex, but a new study in the journal Economic Research–Ekonomska Istraživanja has determined that satisfied workers can lead to greater success for an organisation. Danica Bakotić of the University of Split, Croatia, studied the performance of 40…
Entrepreneurs are more than twice as likely to be hiring new staff this year as large corporates, according to the EY Global Job Creation Survey 2016. The survey of nearly 2,700 entrepreneurs globally also found that disruptive entrepreneurs (who change some or all of the rules of their sector) and…
More than half of companies worldwide said their profits have increased, and an additional 83% of companies indicated that productivity had increased, after introducing flexible working, according to Vodafone’s Flexible: Friend or foe? survey. The survey of 8,000 business professionals across three continents also revealed that 75 percent of companies…
What 4000+ corporate directors think about the economy, risk, board strengths and weaknesses, and boardroom diversity. “Boards cannot afford to have directors around the table who aren’t delivering value,” says a new report based on the 2016 Global Board of Directors Survey. With greater institutional and activist shareholder activity and stronger concerns…
While millennials are expected to account for 75% of the global workforce by 2025, business executives are not thinking too much about recruiting millennials. This is one key insight stemming from a new research study from Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software, which underscores the need…
Article authored by Julie Parkinson, Director, IECL “For organizations in countries with a deficit in current leader quality, negative consequences await them as they struggle to succeed in the face of business demands with leaders who lack practiced and polished leadership skills.” DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2014/15 Are your leaders ready…
Cutting down time-consuming processes to help HR deliver accurate results quickly HR knows all too well that managing headcount is time-consuming and, at worst, convoluted and complex—especially in larger organisations. Pressure is on HR to become more strategic but balancing this with cumbersome operational roadblocks is a major challenge. HR…
Hong Kong’s first list of ethnic minorities that are qualified and committed to serve on Hong Kong’s government committees—Race for Opportunity: Diversity List 2016— was launched by the Zubin Foundation to level the playing field among a vastly dominant Chinese workforce. The list profiles 16 individuals across various professions who have…
More than half (59%) of organisations have uncovered discrepancies throughout their employee screening process that would otherwise have been missed, according to 2016 HireRight APAC Employment Screening Benchmark Report highlighting the extreme importance of employee screening. Commonly uncovered problems include inflating salaries and job titles, falsifying educational qualifications and making…
International mobility equality for men and women is at an all-time low, with 19% of women believing their firm doesn’t actually employ equality when selecting candidates for international transfers. In Hong Kong and China, optimism is higher with the gap being 10%, according to PwC’s 2016 report Modern mobility: Moving women with purpose…
Better oral hygiene and regular dental visits may well help slow down cognitive decline as workers age, according to findings just published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers have questioned whether an association actually exists between oral health and cognitive status for older adults, however Bei Wu,…
A springboard to brighter career prospects, with one candidate proceeding to become Adecco Group ‘CEO for One Month’ alongside Alain Dehaze Adecco Group, a HR solutions provider, is giving 50 entrepreneurial and ambitious youngsters the chance to become ‘CEO for One Month’ alongside the Adecco top management in their home…
Sitting slumped at your desk combined with high levels of physical inactivity causes many health-related problems ⎻ mainly obesity and having a higher risk of heart disease. Many office workers have opted for alternative approaches such as the sit-stand alternatives based on the belief that they are healthier. This may…
As the UK is in the middle of National Apprenticeship Week (March 14th – 18th 2016), cruise retailer Cruise118.com has insisted that more talented youngsters need to be given opportunities if the industry is to thrive in the future. The Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA’s) Industry Outlook Report for the…
Recruitment has long involved picking up the telephone, networking outside for candidates and screening the hundreds of CVs that pass recruiters’ desks every month. In recent years, tools such as LinkedIn have enhanced the ability of recruiters to accomplish such tasks—but the ground under their feet is fast-moving. Filtering out noise Simon Bradberry, Managing Director—Asia Pacific,…
Employees are the lifeblood of an organisation, technology helps facilitate ways in which they can work at their optimum. But is this always the case? According to 56% of nearly 2,000 information security experts worldwide in EY’s latest Global Information Security Survey 2015, employees are considered to be the most likely source of cyber attacks within organisations. What’s more,…
The Hong Kong Competition Ordinance (Cap. 619) (Ordinance) came into effect on 14 December 2015. Anti-trust laws have been long-established in the US, Europe and Australia—they make for good business practice. In Hong Kong, the Competition Commission has stated that it is ready to be ‘an effective enforcer of the competition law which will support Hong…
What if you woke up tomorrow and you could not make any money like you do today? What would happen? How would you stay in business? What would you do? 10 years ago, these questions would have been unthinkable. At that time, banks were ‘too big to fail’, established companies reigned supreme, and the Internet and technology as…
Representation of women on boards remains stagnant at 11.1%, according to the latest findings by Community Business, a non-for-profit organisation. Out of all the 638 directorships on the Hang Seng Index, only 71% are held by women—representing the fact there has been no change in female representation on boards, and…
University College of Estate Management celebrated the grand opening of its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, which took place on 25 February. Founded in 1919, the College of Estate Management was established to train qualified surveyors to handle estate management and related matters in the UK. The College began to…
Learning and Development is becoming more strategic than ever before—and thus the innovation, creativity and passion needed for training is crucial. Recognising excellence in this respect spreads good practice and this is what the HKMA 2016 Award for Excellence in Training and Development tries to achieve. Anthony Ward Rushton, Chairman…
Car rental company Enterprise Holdings Inc. earned four prestigious honours for excellence in recruiting by the Talent Board—a non-profit organisation focused on the elevation and promotion of a positive candidate experience. In addition to winning its third straight North American Candidate Experience Award and second straight EMEA Candidate Experience Award,…
Following the latest wave of legislative changes to Singapore’s employment landscape, Randstad has launched the Workpocket 2016 Legislative Update. The inaugural edition of the Workpocket was launched as a free resource in August 2015 as a HR guide aimed to help navigate the Singaporean employment landscape. This latest interim update…
Mental health is a difficult subject to discuss, not least in the workplace. The British Safety Council has expressed support for Time to Talk Day and encouraged others to do the same. Neal Stone, Policy and Standards Director, British Safety Council, explained why the British Safety Council is backing the…
Honouring companies and CEOs who are pioneering best practices in corporate governance and boardroom diversity, the WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCDF) has named Publix, The Santander Group, Ulta Beauty, Maggie Wilderotter— Executive Chairman, Frontier Communications—and Izumi Kobayashi—director, ANA Holdings, Suntory, and Mitsui and Co.—as its 2016 Visionary Award winners. WCDF is the…
By Deborah Williams, Head of Global Business Services, TMF Group Think a global banking relationship can be used for global payroll? Think again. Local payroll needs will not always align with corporate HQ’s wishes, says Deborah Williams, Head of Global Business Services, TMF Group. We recently had a client who…
How directors can best steer their companies through a volatile geopolitical landscape and cultural discord will be the theme of the upcoming WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation 2016 EMEA Institute in Paris. The Institute, which brings together nearly 100 top women board directors, CEOs, and other C-level officers from across Europe and the…
Chinese employer brands are becoming a more attractive proposition for Hong Kong professionals, according to findings in the 2016 Michael Page Greater China Employee Intentions Report. Results show that two-thirds of Hong Kong employees surveyed would consider joining a Chinese company, while 5% say they would strongly consider it. Only…
Recruitment firm Randstad has expanded its Business Support division this year in response to increasing demands for quality talent in the corporate and secretarial support functions, it announced. Under the proposals, the unit will now be organised into two specialist divisions: Corporate and Secretarial Support, and Human Resources—a sign of…
Rescue equipment and solutions provider, Skytech Group has signed an agreement with simulator supplier VSTEP to distribute a new Incident Command Simulator, called RescueSim, to the Chinese Market. Being as realistic as it gets, the simulator will allow Fire and Rescue services and first responders to experience and train in…
Mumbai in India will play host to the India Edition of ‘Break The Ceiling Touch The Sky’, the international success and leadership summit for women in February. The gathering will have an international speaker line-up for 40 of the world’s best organisations, including Kellogg, P&G, The Coca-Cola Company and Walmart…
61% of business professionals around the world report that the need to improve work-life balance is driving an increase in flexible working, states Regus with two-thirds of Hong Kong respondents reporting pursuing such work lifestyles. These figures are much higher than those in other Asian countries including mainland China, Japan,…
76% of fresh graduates in Hong Kong think that their first job was satisfactory, according to jobsDB’s latest student survey. While 52% of the respondents were able to achieve their ideal job type at the start of their career, 40% successfully stepped into the industry they most preferred—and quite refreshingly,…
Clothing giant Uniqlo has not improved abusive working conditions or done enough to stop environment damage caused by its factories in mainland China, according to four labour rights groups in China, including Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM). This comes despite Uniqlo having acknowledged the problems months ago. Speaking…
The Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have launched a global thought leadership platform to help frame and stimulate regional and global debate on vital development issues in the Middle East. The ‘Middle East Exchange’ will commission original articles from international experts…
KPMG has announced that it is going to scrap the annual engagement survey. According to Robert Bolton, Lead Partner—Global HR transformation centre of excellence, KPMG, the decision to get rid of the survey was part of a strategy to focus on more robust diagnosis that produce ‘something truly worth measuring’.…
The Hong Kong Immigration department arrested two British nationals and a Canadian student on suspicion of an illegal internship operation. The suspects are alleged to have conned foreigner by employing them as interns for CRCC Asia—a supposed ‘leading provider of China Internships.’ According to local reports, a 29 year old…
Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS) has been named as the number one Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) provider in HRO Today’s 2015 Baker’s Dozen Lists. These rankings are based on customers’ feedback, collected annually through an online survey. The results are then analysed along three subcategories which include service breadth, deal sizes…
The average annual gross compensation for top executives in the world’s largest companies increased in 2015 by 3.8% to EUR 1.45 million (HKD 12.22 million), according to executive search firm Pedersen and Partners. The survey covered 1,800 top executives in 340 large companies in 18 countries. Unsurprisingly the biggest rises…
Employers beware: 74% of APAC marketing professionals are said to have re-evaluated their career plans over the Christmas period—an increase from 42% the year before—and come early 2016, there will be looking to leave their current job—these according to findings by font talent who surveyed professionals across Hong Kong, Malaysia,…
The Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme Authority (MPFA) will table legislation on the Default Investment Strategy (DIS) following the release of public consultation on ‘Core Fund’ in March. DIS aims to regulate the existing default investment arrangements by mandating each trustee to provide highly standardised and low-fee default investment funds. The…
New research by the London School of Economics (LSE) has revealed that wealthier kids in the UK are 35% more likely to become high earners than bright poor kids. The research, led by LSE’s Abigail McKnight on behalf of the UK’s Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission—a public, non-governmental body—claimed…
Just over half, 52%, of international executives believe that in general business school graduates are not fully equipped to meet real world corporate expectations, according to recruitment firm Borderless. Its research found that while ‘strong knowledge of all functions’, ‘understanding of the bigger picture’ and ‘cross-functional thinking’ are skills valued…
By John Raymond, Head of Coaching, IECL What is Organisational Coaching? There is still much confusion between different fields of coaching including organisational, life and business coaching. If one looks at the definitions, we see, Coaching itself is a goal-oriented, solution-focused, question-based conversation to support the development of the trainee…
Why HR needs to tread more carefully in 2016. The long awaited Commencement Notice for the Competition Ordinance (Cap. 619) (CO) was finally gazetted on 17 July 2015 and will come into effect on 14 December 2015. Anti-trust laws have been long-established in the US, Europe and Australia—they make for good…
Great Place to Work Institute held its annual conference and awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Hong Kong. This year, 27 different organisations from the region were represented on the list. Denzel Xin, List Manager, Great Place to Work Institute in Greater China commented, “Every year, companies from…
The European Investment Bank (EIB) hosted the final day of the Young Leaders Summit which had been organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF). The summit came on the verge of the verge of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers’ meeting which saw young people from 51 ASEM countries join…
As talent shortages rise globally, Hong Kong climbs to the third most difficult place in the world to find staff. Almost three-quarters of Hong Kong employers reported difficulties in filling job vacancies due to talent shortages, according to ManpowerGroup’s annual Talent Shortage Survey. This marks a 9% increase year-on-year. Compared…
The world’s largest organisation of women board directors, the WCD Foundation, met in Atlanta recently to discuss issues relating to their business in Latin America. The non-for-profit organisation has more than 3,500 women directors worldwide with 70 chapters in more than 35 countries. Speaking about the event, Susan Stautberg, Chairman…
Moving towards a paperless world has unstoppable momentum—but according to Ipsos Connect’s 2015 Business Elite Asia Survey, old habits seemingly die hard. It reported that more than 96% of Asia’s business leaders read newspapers or magazines in print. According to the latest survey, three out of four of them claimed…
Singapore has supplanted Malaysia as the Southeast Asian economy best equipped to develop, attract and retain talent, according to the IMD Business School’s World Talent Report. The city-state took 10th place in the global ranking, up nine places from its performance in 2014. Malaysia on the other hand dropped 10…
Luanda in Angola and Hong Kong came out top in a recently published list of the most expensive and least expensive rental markets for expatriates in the world—Banjul in Gambia and Mbabane in Swaziland were the least expensive. The list was published by the Associates for International Research (AIRINC) to…
France’s President François Hollande led tributes at a memorial service in the French Capital, Paris yesterday. The memorial, which was to remember the 130 people killed in terrorist attacks in Paris two weeks ago, was attended by up to 1,000 relatives and some of the victims of the attacks themselves.…
Despite a global economic slowdown, especially due to slower growth in emerging markets, the technology industry continues its rapid pace of innovation, disruption and creating new ventures, according to Aon Hewitt. In the next 12 months, technology companies globally are expected to increase the size of their workforce by 40%—internet,…
Despite 150 years as a British colony and English continuing to play an important role in the territory as an official language and key subject within school curriculums, Hong Kong is seemingly lagging behind—coming 33th place in Education First’s (EF) latest English Proficiency Index. Aside from having lower fluency than…
Inadequate recognition for contributions is a leading cause of voluntary employee turnover, which means that effective employee recognition is key. Enter Terryberry’s new AwardYourTeam application—a new web-based programme designed to help busy managers recognise their employees’ contributions more consistently and effectively. The new module in Terryberry’s 360 Recognition Platform is…
Hong Kong saw a 4% year-on-year increase in job advertising despite continuing softening in the retail and tourism sectors, Robert Walters has reported. In their quarterly Asia Job Index, the recruitment firm found that firms in particular are looking to hire legal and compliance experts as this saw this largest…
Advanced Info Service (AIS) has, for a second year, been awarded the Best Employer in Thailand—an annual award presented as part of a collaboration between Aon Hewitt and the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University. Explaining the significance of the programme, Adisak Chandprapalert, Managing Director, Aon Hewitt…
Despite the news that work-life balance satisfaction has barely changed over the last 10 years in Hong Kong, 61.8% of employees in Hong Kong perceive the balance as getting worse, according to research carried out by Community Business. The finding formed a considerable proportion of workers with only 14.4% saying…
The cost of providing medical care to staff continues to vastly outpace inflation in 29 major economies, according to new research by Mercer Marsh Benefits. The report—Medical Trends Around the World—is based on a survey of insurers and showed that the average per person increase in healthcare costs was more…
LinkedIn recently released Hong Kong’s 2015 Power Profiles for human resources—the 10 most-viewed LinkedIn profiles in the industry. Hong Kong’s Power Profile list includes C-suite professionals, senior executives and entrepreneurs from industries such as technology, fashion and apparel, marketing and advertising, human resources and finance and banking. Sandeep Suvarna, Head…
It seems there a gulf between what parents in Hong Kong say they know about their children’s work—with 79% saying they are knowledgeable about their child’s role—and the amount of children who say their parents understand their day-to-day role, 50%. The findings by LinkedIn mark the launch of the networking…
Over 100 Societe Generale APAC employees took part in a charity bike across Mongolia and raised over EUR 115,000 for local charities in APAC. The sixth annual Asia Pacific Bike Ride Challenge took place over three days in September in the mountainous terrain of the Gorkhi-Terlj national park—parts of the…
HR is becoming more strategic for business as companies need to retain staff to be competitive—yet while 75% of human resources departments say talent retention falls within their remit, a surprising quarter of those—who said it ranked in their top three priorities—do not track staff turnover. More worrying still the…
Global consultancy firm, Mercer, has announced the acquisition of Human Resources Business Solutions (HRBS), a provider of career and talent consulting in Asia. The move will extend Mercer’s reach in Asia and in particular boost its expertise on compensation and benefits—an area that HRBS has dominated in since 2001. HRBS…
Senior CEOs in the US were prepared to take a 12% pay cut—equivalent to USD 1.3 million a year—in order to work for top brands, according to research conducted by the London Business School. The team behind the survey, which looked at more than 10,000 compensation-brand observations, argued that the…
At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting closing plenary, Tata Communications and MasterCard announced a CGI Commitment to Action to financially empower 25,000 women in the developing world—a pledge with the goal of touching the lives of 100 million women. Working with a network of partners including Brightstar Corp,…
The British Safety Council (BSC) will award 61 of its Sword of Honour and eight Globe of Honour awards to businesses around the world who showed exemplary management of health, safety and environmental risks. The winning organisations come from a wide range of industry sectors in the UK, mainland Europe, India…
The Central Bank of Bahrain, in partnership with Middle East Global Advisors, has announced the launch of a new leaderboard to critically appraise the performance of Islamic banks and institutions. The leaderboard, which will become a key performance indicator at the annual World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC), is part of…
While the working world is rapidly adopting cloud-based services, such as Google Drive, iCloud and Dropbox, some are arguing these developments have already become outdated. The inventors of Qube—a new start-up company—stated they can get rid of the endless searching we all do in an effort to find and share…
WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD), a global community of women corporate board directors has become a nonprofit organisation in the US following the purchasing of WCD assets by KPMG—which were subsequently contributed into the WCD Foundation. The investment by KPMG will allow the WCD Foundation to grow and expand its resources and influence…
Over 15,000 delegates and 650 exhibitors flocked to Europe’s annual HRM Expo in September, which came amongst the backdrop of new interactive features pioneered for this year’s show. The event, which took place in western German city of Cologne, focused on technology and the future encompassed within the theme of…
The Middle East is a developing market for businesses globally—but it comes with its own unique challenges. On 27 October, HR professionals will gather in Dubai for MSI Talent’s HR—Maximising Strategic Value to Business in the Middle East conference, which will focus on dealing with the unique circumstances facing HR…
WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) has announced a new collaboration with Diligent Corporation to work on a range of issues to improve corporate governance. Diligent, which is known for its Board Portal software, will use its technical expertise to conduct surveys amongst its 100,000 users to shed light on how directors think about…
