Victoria Evans, Managing Executive (Property & Construction), Argyll Scott.
Mani Rakhra, Managing Executive (HR & Accounting), Argyll Scott.
Topic: What’s important to top talent in Asia?
With 85% of employees ready to leave their company tomorrow for a better opportunity, Evans and Rakhra shared some ideas for how to attract the talent you want.
Findings from a survey of over 200,000 jobseekers worldwide have revealed that the top four factors influencing how individuals choose companies are all related to the culture of the business: appreciation for your work, relationships with colleagues, work-life balance and relationship with superior. Also, according to Glassdoor, the top ten ranked places to work in Hong Kong have all received positive feedback in terms of company culture.
Evans and Rakhra went on to explain what some of their successful clients are doing to attract top candidates in some key areas including culture, work-life balance and training & development.
Lane Crawford, a Hong Kong-based retailer, has recently moved its head office to Aberdeen, a fairly inconvenient location for work. Evans explained, “Despite offering the shuttle bus which many organizations in similar locations offer, they placed great importance on a range of flexible benefits which placed focus on the well-being of their staff. In addition to offering competitive salaries, they developed various social clubs and recreational activities that include massages and a yoga studio on site.” The Lane Crawford Academy proves the importance of staff development to the company—it offers classroom & e-learning opportunities and also supports emerging talent through sponsorship at leading fashion & design colleges.
Evans gave some idea as to why Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a top-ranked employer on Glassdoor. A HR manager from the institution explained to her, “HKUST wants every single one of its employees to be engaged and innovative and driving for the same purpose. They aren’t afraid of challenges and they are prepared to empower their staff to try new things. They allow every one of their employees to vote and participate in the UST culture.” Evens added, “As a university, the goal is to hire the very best global talent every time. They don’t want second best. They are under pressure to compete not just with Hong Kong organizations, not just with universities globally, but with all high achieving organisations across the world. With that purpose, and with everyone knowing their place in the big scheme of things, they are able to achieve these goals.”
Rakhra ended with some tips on how to become an employer of choice:
- Agility—can you be flexible enough, if necessary, to recruit top talent from other sectors for development in yours? With potentially five generations in the workplace, can you motivate all of these types of people in the appropriate way?
- Advertise—Make sure that your strengths are known about. Do your employees know that the company won an award for excellence in customer service? Do they know your company has the most robust management training in the sector? Do they tell their friends and associates?
- Adopt—Make sure you have your brand ambassadors, be they recruitment partners, managers, HR, employees, service providers or clients. Anyone who has a connection to your business should know what you do well.
To see Victoria Evans’ & Mani Rakhra’s Power Point presentation, and those of many others, go to our HR Download Zone here: https://plainsailinghr.com/hr-download-zone/
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
