e-HRM Inc

Skip-Level Meeting

2012-02-09T20:46:00.000+08:00

Another typical American HRM term ...

Skip-Level Meeting is a meeting between managers and team members who are one or more levels below them. The purpose of a skip-level meeting is for managers to get to know their team members, build trust with them, and understand their problems. Skip-level meetings can never take the place of direct communications within teams, but it can be a powerful adjunct to these efforts.

Skip Level Meeting Key Concepts:

Group round-table meetings are more efficient than one-on-one meetings for skip-level meetings.
Leading organizations plan a skip-level meeting with every team or workgroup at least once per year.
Don’t wait for your boss or the HR department to arrange skip-level meetings for your direct reports.
There are five key steps to conducting an effective skip-level meeting:

Plan the skip level meeting
Conduct the skip level meeting and record the feedback
Analyze the information collected at the skip level meeting
Create an action plan based on the feedback
Follow up and report progress

"Furlough"

2012-02-01T23:09:00.000+08:00

I have learn a new wording this week - "Furlough" ... so what does it mean in HR term?

"Furlough"... a temporary layoff, involuntary leave or other modification of normal working hours without pay for a specified duration. Furloughs are used in the military for soldiers whose new assignments have not yet been determined. For businesses, furloughs are used for a variety of reasons, like plant shut-downs, or in cases where a broad reorganization makes it unclear which employees will be retained.

PwC Website: Information about Immigration & Tax

2011-09-19T09:22:00.002+08:00

Just like to shared this PwC website with those who are seeking information on immigration and international assignment services.

Click the link: http://www.pwcias.com/home/eng/imm_newsletter_sep2011.html

Emerging Trend in Interview Approach

2011-09-16T11:05:00.001+08:00

There has been an emerging trend in management interviewing approach. I called it the "Marathon" approach.

The approach will start with the usual telephone interview by the hiring manager and within a week they will arrange you to attend 2 to 3 session of interview within a day. Listed below are some of the approaches: -

Example # 1: Foreign MNC

Day 1 - interviewed by Person A
Day 2 - Interviewed by company peer / stakeholder (minimum: 3 peers)
Day 2 - interviewed by local senior / top management (1 - 2 person)
Day 3 - interviewed by HQ functional head (1 - 2 person)

Example # 2: Local Conglomerate

1pm - interviewed by Person A
2pm - interviewed by Person B
3pm - interviewed by Person C

After the interview or the following next day, they will inform you of their decision whether you are shortlisted (or offered the job) or not successful.

I notice that each phases of interview - the focus is different e.g.,: the 1st interview will focus on assessing the candidate work competency; 2nd interview will focus on communication / interaction skills; 3rd interview - focus on the candidate overview understanding of the business.

It is my observation that all the interviewers were very well prepared and trained for such type of interview approach.

My Secondary Research on Whistle Bowling ... Articles, Reporting Websites, Legislations & etc.

2011-09-07T16:47:00.001+08:00

Lately I have been doing my own "secondary" research on whistle bowling as it is an area that some HR Manager in the growing SME (Small & Medium Enterprise) and SMI (Small & Medium Industry) need to maange. It is an emerging task for HR professional in this sector.

Listed below are some online reading material for those interested ... I hope theses identified website will save time for people who need a quick self-reading on "whistle bowling 101". Do take note that not all the articles are based on Singapore context.

I will add more link from time to time in this article.

1) From Asia One Business website:
http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/Office/Story/A1Story20080526-67054.html

2) Wikipedia website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower

3) Channel News Asia website:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1033296/1/.html

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1113457/1/.html

4) Santa Clara University website:
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/whistleblowing.html

5) CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development)
http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/whistleblowing.aspx

6) Direct Gov., UK
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ResolvingWorkplaceDisputes/Whistleblowingintheworkplace/DG_175821

7) Business Link, UK
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1082104950&type=RESOURCES

HR Business Partnering Concept

2011-08-24T20:25:00.001+08:00

Another article NOT written by me ... but felt it is my responsibility to shared with my followers ...

Human Resources is not just a support function, it has to build a regular HR Business Partnering concept as it seen by the managers as the valuable partner for the business. The HR Business Partnering is about the understanding the business of the partner and helping to decide issues in the people management area.

The HR Business Partnering is about changing the focus of Human Resources. The people in Human Resources cannot be focused on solving the issues of managers and employees of the organization and they have to focus on delivering the value added to the business leaders and they have to focus on building new quality relationships across the organization.

The real business partnership is based on the common trust and it is extremely difficult to build a position of the business partner for Human Resources. The HR Manager can speak about the business partnering HR Model, but he has to be accepted as a partner in a discussion.

The HR Business Partnering model is about setting the HR Strategy and customizing it to the needs of the individual business partners, but within set boundaries. The business partnering is about the proactive approach of both partners, it is not about the requests of the business leader and potential solutions finding from Human Resources. They both have to work on elaborating the best suitable solution and it has to be a result of the work of both partners.

The HR has to be proactive in setting the business-partnering model. It is easy to say “I will be your business partner.” and it is extremely hard to say, “I really know, I am your business partner.” HR has to fight for its position as the department valuable to listen to. It is not built from a day to day, it takes months and years to implement the concept.

The HR Department has to change itself to be seen as the partner. The HR Business Partners have to be hired and they are usually the people with no previous experience in Human Resources. They have to learn the basics of Human Resources and they have to learn the details about their partners. They have to demonstrate their skills of the area of expertise of the client as they are accepted as partners in discussions.

Each HR Director has to think about the benefits of the HR Business Partnering model for the organization. Many organizations do not need such a concept and the HR Director should recognize it.

[Source: http://www.simplehrguide.com/hr-business-partnering-concept.html]

Tips on HR Business Partnering

2011-08-24T20:15:00.000+08:00

This is not my article but felt it is a good reading for people who want to know what is HR Business Partnering ...

1. Know what the business drivers for change are. What do managers need to be able to do to deliver what the business requires? What will HR need to do to support them in this?

2. Decide how best to structure HR to support the line. Review how well HR is currently meeting these needs and make changes to deliver what is required.

3. Involve the business and HR in implementing partnering. It is important that people are involved in any changes that take place, as imposed models have little chance of success. We need to understand how the approach will work for everyone involved.

4. Ensure senior management are seen to be driving the changes. This is not just an HR initiative or fad, it is an organisational change and a whole new way to deliver support services to add value in a cost-effective manner.

5. Recognise the impact it will have on line managers. Are managers 'willing', 'able' and 'allowed' to change. You will find resistance if any of these conditions are not met.

6. Be very clear on the roles within HR. Ensure everyone is very clear as to their responsibilities. Wherever possible, ensure that it is the HR business partners that drive what is required within HR to meet the needs of the organisation, rather than the more central parts of HR or indeed line managers themselves.

7. Know how all the roles will work together. Choose some key situations, such as implementing a new organisational strategy, developing the people plan, disciplining a very senior manager, implementing a new job evaluation program or managing a large scale recruitment, and track through with the whole of the HR team, exactly who will do what and where the 'hand-off' points will be and how they will take place. Be clear on the entry points for managers as well as those for other employees.

8. Continually review effectiveness of the model you have introduced. It is unlikely that you will get the model that suits you straight away. Making the necessary tweaks and changes as required will increase chances of long-term success. Include line managers in your reviews.

9. Make sure you have the right people in the right roles. Not everyone is suited to the more strategic role of the HR business partner and it is often down to preference and attitude as much as it is to skill. Put in place a development program for all individuals and roles to help people to meet their career aspirations.

10. Where possible, use virtual teams and align to different parts of the business. By introducing a formal HR business partnering approach, you will have broken the service up into bits. It is important for the line that these areas then work together again in teams to deliver a seamless service for different parts of the business.

(Source: http://www.hcamag.com/resources/learning-and-development/steps-to-successful-hr-business-partnering/113976/)

Thinking of Outsource "Whistle Blowing" or "Compliance Reporting"

2011-08-18T14:30:00.000+08:00

Just drop in to share with you all that you can outsource your whistle blowing or compliance reporting mechanism to this company that is managing the website "My Safe Workplace".

You can visit the following website: http://www.mysafeworkplace.com/Home.aspx

What is Garden or Gardening Leave in HRM Context?

2011-08-12T16:14:00.000+08:00

Garden leave (or Gardening leave) is the term given to a situation whereby an employee is required to serve out a period of resignation notice at home.

During this period the employee continues to receive all salary and benefits but is prohibited from commencing employment with new employers until the gardening leave period has expired.

It is a practice which employers often adopt with employees who have access to confidential information or customers and where they are leaving to join a competitor.

During the gardening leave period the employee’s access to such information or customers is restricted.

(source: http://www.roydens.co.uk/content11.htm)

What is Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS)?

2011-08-12T14:50:00.000+08:00

Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) is a scheme where employees are allowed to resign voluntarily from an organization by receiving fair compensation. The purpose of organizations implementing VSS is to reduce the headcount of employees working in the organizations so that the overhead cost especially employment cost can be reduced. The employees will be given a reasonable compensation to resign from the company for each year of service.

Usually, most organizations choose not to retrench / lay-off their employees in order to reduce the headcount of employees. It is to avoid bad reputation to the organizations.

In some countries, organization may need to get approval from the government (e.g., Ministry of Human Resources; Labour Dept; etc.). One of the criteria the government considers in approving VSS is that the organization is losing money for a certain period of time or has implemented other alternative cost cutting measure before resulting to retrenchment / VSS.

What is the difference between Contract of Service and Contract for Service?

2011-07-28T17:11:00.000+08:00

A contract of service is an agreement whereby one person agrees to employ another as an employee and the other agrees to serve his employer an an employee. The employer would need to contribute statutory retirement pension / fund and provide relevant statutory benefits such as annual leave and sick leave.

A contract for service is an agreement whereby a person is engaged as an independent contractor, such as a self-employed person or vendor engaged for a fee to carry out an assignment or a project for the company. Under such an arrangement, there is no employer-employee relationship, and the person is not covered by a country Employment Act.

(source: Guide on Employment Laws for Employers, Singapore MOM April 2010)

What They Don't Teach You in College: "Dip vs Degree"

2011-07-15T18:01:00.000+08:00

This is just some of my research work from the Internet. No really my own piece of work. Enjoy reading it.

What They Don't Teach You in College: "Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials"

2011-07-14T14:37:00.001+08:00

In this article - I would like to share with you about company that can help HR professional conduct evaluation on the candidates' educational credentials. When designing your job advertisement targeted at foreign country, you can inform the applicants to use the following website to get their educational credentials validated to the USA standard.

World Education Services (www.wes.org tel: 212-966-6311)

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (www.ece.org, tel: 414-289-3400)

Common Mistake Done By In-house & External Recruiters (Headhunters)

2011-07-05T10:40:00.005+08:00

Common mistake are:

Never feedback / up-date the candidates about (a) the progress of job application and why their application was rejected.
Officially informing the candidates that their applications is rejected because their clients budgeted (company) remuneration package is below the candidate current package.
Asking the candidates to consider the job officer at same rate or lower.
Asking the question (a) "reason for leaving" and (b) "last salary" for past jobs. This questions should only be applicable on the candidate's last company / organization.
With the new generation "Y" coming to the workforce; the dynamic labour market and business environment - the term "job hopping" is not applicable anymore. A change in minds is required ... any one who has a track record with a company for 2 years is good enough nowdays!
Advertising the jobs as 'strategic' but during interview asking orperational questions that doesn't probe the candidate's competencies in strategic issues and planning.
In an international / overseas recruitment project - recruiters fail to understand the education system of the targeted country where the candidate is educated .... e.g., (i) associate diploma = general degree; (ii) associate degree = diploma; (iii) general degree = non-honor degree; (iv) Professional Diploma = Degree; (v) Professional Certificate = Diploma.
When interviewing an experience candidate with more that 10 years of working, interviewer should focus on identifying the relevant experiences; job competencies; and value-added knowledge and skills to the organization. Focus less on academic / educational qualifications.

Emerging HR Practice in Singapore: "No Medical Certificate" Required!!

2011-06-21T09:53:00.001+08:00

Since last year March or April 2010, my company started practicing "no medical certificate" if you need to take half day or one (1) sick leave. This is one of the positive action taken by the company management. I just hope the employees don't "miss-use". I guess it worked well for my organization is because it is a regional management office and most of the employees are of middle and senior management staff category who 'clocked' more eleven (11) hours a day.

In recent month, I received a few emails and calls asking if my company was into the "no medical certificate" practice for one (1) day sick leave. I happily mentioned to them "Yes" but some of them were 'skeptical' about the practice.

For the 'skeptic' ... I shared with them the following ...

in India and Indonesia - most companies only require the employees to produce "medical certificate" if they are taking medical / sick leave more that 2 days (meaning 3 days).
why no medical certificate required? The countries I mentioned above, medical facilities are not easily accessible and it can be expensive for low wages employees to seek medical treatment and ask for medical certificate.
practice self-healing or medication. Feedback from our employees: sometimes they are just dizzy or having a mild flu. They only need to rest at home and self medication e.g., taking 'Panadol' (Paracetamol).
company policy / precaution - since our management office is small, we always advise our employees that if they are having flu, please stay at home - don't come to office and spread it to other... maybe this is why in Singapore during the flu season it became an epidemic!
can be a 'cost saving' effort. If every time our employee need to take medical / sick leave and the management impose them to submit a medical certificate from the company doctors ... ask yourself ... who is paying for it ... end of the day ... it is still the company bearing all the cost and if it is a co-payment scheme ... at least 80% of the cost is bear by companies.

With these sharing, I would like to stress that for the 'no medical certification' policy to be successfully accepted by company management and the HR community ... the key word is 'trust'.

Website for Job Descriptions

2011-06-10T15:56:00.000+08:00

For the past few days, I have been drafting some job descriptions and it trigger me to write a short article on this topic.

Over the years, I have always find it useful to make references on the following website for some JD "juice" ... please click the hyperlink to visit the following website

O*Net Online: http://www.onetonline.org/

The Job Explorer: http://www.thejobexplorer.com/Job_Description/A-Z_Listings.html

Website: "SME Toolkit Singapore"

2011-06-08T13:49:00.000+08:00

Singapore, 07 June 2011 - Yesterday, I don't know what I click in the Internet and ended-up to this website page known as "SME Toolkit Singapapore". It was a blessing for me, another HR related website to my collection. The website has other non-HRM topics like:

Accounting & Finance
Business Planning
International Business
Legal & Insurance
Marketing & Sales
Operations
Technology
Workshop

Note: Do remember, you need to register (it is simple and free!) to enjoy the access to tons of templates and samples. Please click the hyperlink to visit the website: http://singapore.smetoolkit.org/singapore/en/category/1384/Compensation-Benefits

Emerging HR Practices in 2011

2011-05-31T09:58:00.001+08:00

Recently, I attended Singapore HR Summit 2011 - Productivity & Workplace ROI. One of the interesting topic that was presented by one of the international speaker was two (2) "emerging HR practice" ...

'Sleeping' .... in Europe, organization is allowing their employees to take a nap or have a 'sleep session' between 20 to 30 minutes. According to the presenter, research finding indicated that a 15 minutes nap / sleep can increase productivity as much as 15% to 30%.
'Removing the practice of conducting yearly performance appraisal session' ... according to research, there is no evidence that performance appraisal session improve employee's performance. Please don't take it that by removing the yearly performance appraisal session - the organization does not care about managing performance. What they are arguing is managers should be managing and providing positive feedback to their subordinate on 365 days a year.
'Free food' ... there is a trend that large organizations (Google, Microsoft Corp, etc.) are provide 'food' as part of their employment benefits. Some provide breakfast and other provide lunch! The presenter link the logic of providing 'food' benefit to "Maslow Hierarchy of Needs" ... sound logic!

Exhibit 1: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Employee Engagement Models

2011-05-18T14:45:00.003+08:00

In addition to my previous article on "Video Session: Employee Engagement" - listed below are some samples of the Employee Engagement models available from the Internet ....

[Resource: http://www.davidzinger.com/zinger-employee-engagement-model-4011/ ]

[Resource: http://www.bpanz.com/page/Services/Employee_Engagement_Model/]

[Resource: http://was2.hewitt.com/bestemployers/anz/pages/driving_engagement.htm]

[Resource: http://www.boston.com/jobs/nehra/062308.shtml]

[Resource: http://www.employesurveys.co.uk/employee_engagement_section/employee_engagement.php]

[Resource: http://www.themeetingmagazines.com/index/Default.aspx?tabid=1152]

[Resource: http://www.humanext.com/employee-engagement-for-change.html]

[Resource: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/05/09111348/5]

[Resource: http://www.ennovaconsulting.com/Employee%20surveys-951.aspx]

Video Session: Employee Engagement

2011-05-17T14:12:00.004+08:00

If you don't feel like reading, then this page will be good ... no no it is great for you ... all the video links talk about "Employee Engagement" ... check it out .... it is a great way to increase your knowledge ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNxoOWUCedo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JbWInqfKLk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu4HS70RJEI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7grVYxaobQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3itayJYK2ek&feature=related

HR Process: Conflict Management and Workforce Relations

2011-05-16T21:06:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Survey, Research & Feedback

2011-05-16T21:04:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Rewards & Recognition

2011-05-16T21:02:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Compensation

2011-05-16T21:01:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Performance Management

2011-05-16T20:59:00.000+08:00

HR Process: High Potential (HiPo) Development

2011-05-16T20:58:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Training & Development

2011-05-16T20:56:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Succession Plan

2011-05-16T20:55:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Career Management

2011-05-16T20:53:00.000+08:00

HR Process: Promotion

2011-05-16T20:50:00.000+08:00

A simplified employee's promotion process:

HR Process: Recruitment & Selection

2011-05-16T15:26:00.002+08:00

HR Process: Manpower Planning

2011-05-16T15:24:00.000+08:00

Listed below is a sample of a typical "Manpower Planning" process flow: -

International HR Manager Vs Regional HR Manager

2011-05-15T11:39:00.001+08:00

If you see a job advertisement for "International HR Manager" - please don't assume that it is similar to a "Regional HR Manager" job post. Read the job description carefully!

In most large MNC organization - "International HR Manager" job scope cover the following: -

Support expat (full expat / semi expat) or overseas trainees (aka international assignee) who are on international assignment (IA);
Co-ordinate with home country and host country HR team on HR matters related to an employee on IA;
Responsible for record-keeping of an international assignee employment contract (compensation, tax, benefits, insurance coverage, entitlement, etc.)
Organize orientation / assimilating training to prepare an employee who will be assigned to a foreign country;
Preparing and up-date country orientation material;
Actively participate in the company talent management procedure and processes e.g., succession plan, performance management records, etc.
Subject Matter Expert (SME) for a particular group of country culture, religions & people; local country statutory law requirements; economic data; culture management training; etc.

On the other hand, a "Regional HR Manager" job scope may cover the full spectrum of a Human Resource "Generalist" Manager but perform his / her job from a group or region (North American; Europe, Central Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Oceania, etc.) perspective.

Note: In some European (especially Germans) organization, "Regional HR Manager" is also called "Area HR Manager".

Part of HR Manager Job: Budgeting, Forecasting and Costing

2011-05-14T22:37:00.000+08:00

Many times when I am being interview by a hiring manager or recruiter - I notice that they will always miss-out one important competency for a HR Manager which is "budgeting and costing". Maybe because most HR Professionals are labelled as dumb in numbers or numerical.

If you are aspiring to be a HR Manager - make sure you are able to perform the following tasks:

budgeting employment cost (by cost center);
forecasting quarterly employment cost (by cost center);
budgeting an organization wide training & development (by cost center).

The above-mentioned tasks are the minimum you should be competent. When joining an organization, I always asked the finance / accounts dept how they prepared the company annual budget and what is their "methodology".

I hope with this ... company heads will not label HR Professional as dumb in numerical tasks.

Website: http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

2011-05-14T22:16:00.001+08:00

I want share this website known as "Glassdoor.com". One of my colleague shared it with me how his friends in the banking industry utilized the website to obtain information for employment, salary and view "company review" by existing employees of a particular company. It is raw information and I think HR Professional need to check out this website ... as you name name be mentioned in it (either for good or bad! hax2)

It is a great tools for HR Professional to find how well the company or the HR Dept is doing! It is a good place to get feedback from your employees. But it is not for the weak heart person ... pure honest and "raw" feedback!

Exhibit 1: http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

My e-Learning / Online Study Experience

2011-05-11T23:01:00.001+08:00

Last year August 2010, I decided to register with an UK online learning center (NCC Home Learning: http://www.ncchomelearning.co.uk/About-Us) for a Diploma course in Psychology. The decision to select an online course was because the "traditional" course I was interested only have classes during weekend (Saturday and Sunday) which I cannot commit the time.

I completed the diploma course in just 9 months [officially received the notification from my professor Dr. Matthew Smith (http://drmatthewsmith.blogspot.com/on) on May 10, 2011]. This learning experience changed my mindset about e-learning and now I can see the positive contributions (and effectiveness) to an employee's training and development program.

Exhibit 1: Progress of My Online Study

Exhibit 2: Progress of my course by modules

Exhibit 3: Copy of my Diploma in Psychology

There are Pros and Cons in enrolling for a online course: -

Pros:

Compared to traditional classroom training - online study is much more economically. The online diploma cost me around SGD$770 conversion. A traditional classroom for a Diploma in Psychology in Singapore will probably cost me SGD$4000.
In an online study environment, how fast you finish your course - is solely depend on you.
You can study when and where you like - there is no fix time or classroom.
One-to-one "tuition" from your supervisor - interaction is only between your supervisor and you.
Indirect cost saving on transportation as you don't have travel to a location to study.

Cons:

Isolation! You will not have any course-mate / classmate to discuss with you about your assignments or study material.
You are totally depend on the Internet facility provider as most of your learning material and resources is only available via the Internet. You will develop a new set of skills in using the internet search engineer to do your research online.

What They Don't Teach You in College: HR Report

2011-05-11T13:42:00.001+08:00

Sometimes I asked myself what do I do with all the various monthly / quarterly HR report generated. Do the company management really use it to make critical management decision? The answer is yes and no ... depending on the company performance but as HR Professional, it is always go to have these reports at your figure tip. Sometimes HR report is also known as (a.k.a.) statistic - if it is submitted to a government department or agency (e.g., Malaysian Labour Dept; Singapore Ministry of Manapower - MOM; Dept of Statictis; etc.).

Usually, for me I will focus on reports that are required by (i) government agencies; (ii) group / headoffice; and (iii) if it is related to measuring the HR Dept KPI or performance indexs. Listed below are some samples of HR reports: -

Exhbit 1: Headcount by Age Group

Exhibit 2: Employees Nationality Report

Exhibit 3: Employees Nationality

(Singapore MOM classification)

Exhibit 4: Average Age by Employment Category

(Usually used to compliment succession plan report)

Exhibit 5: Gender Report

(Required by certain countries for listed company and department of statistic)

Exhibit 6: Headcount Report by Dept, Employment Category, Gender & Citizen

(Singapore MOM Format)

Singapore Re-eployment of Older Employee Processes & Flowchart

2011-05-09T22:05:00.003+08:00

On 19 April 2011, I presented my assignment and working paper to my trainer (and assessor) from SNEF (Singapore National Employers Federation). I had to do it to pass my certification in order to obtain the WDA's (Workforce Development Agency) S.O.A. (Statement of Attainment) on implement strategies to re-employ older employee after their retirement ages.

Taking the opportunity, I would like to share with all of you on the flowchart drawn by me to complete my certification. It is a mix of Singapore re-employment guideline and European best practice in managing employee's retirement.

Exhibit 1: Re-Employment Process Flowchart by Eleutherius Liew (March 2011)

What They Don't Teach You in College: "How to set-up a HR Dept?"

2011-05-09T16:15:00.062+08:00

Between 1994 and 2001, if any headhunters or hiring managers were to ask me what was my HR expertise - I would mentioned that I am strong in (i) setting up a HR Dept and re-structure the HR Dept; and (ii) industrial relations (e.g., discipline handling, domestic inquiry, etc.).

During these period, I set-up and / or re-structure four (4) HR Dept belong to 3 organization. I have to admitted that during the time HR Dept were managed in a more decentralized manner. Over the years, I started to develop my own HR tools to help me stay focus in setting-up a HR Dept from "ground zero". Please refer to Exhibit 1 for the "Checklist"

Exhibit 1: Check List for HR Dept Start-Up, by Eleutherius Liew (May 2011)

Cultural Management

2011-05-05T16:15:00.006+08:00

For the past one (1) month, I have been meeting training providers to help us customize our in-house training program on Project Management. In one of the modules, we indicated that we need to impart the participants four (4) competency which were (i) Negotiation; (ii) Leadership; (iii) Organizational Effectiveness (at Personal Level); and (iv) Culture.

Most training providers were very comfortable with three (3) of the competencies but not "Culture". Most training provider find it hard to conduct training on Culture. This was an eye opening for me - suddenly I felt that I was very lucky to be exposed to culture management during my HR professional career.

1997 - my first encounter about culture management was at my MBA class where I was introduced to "Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions";
Between 1996 and 2000, while working at a manufacturing plant, I had the opportunity to be exposed to Bangladeshis culture as the company hired a lot of Bangladeshis as there production workers;
From 2000 to 2005, I spend a lot of time on organizational culture change management when the Japanese company I worked with wanted to change the business model. We found out that in order to be successful in our change model - the management need to introduce "western" management and working culture mindset.
April 2005 to December 2007 - after been transferred to the APAC regional head-office as the regional HR manager - I was introduced to a reading material from University of Toyota entitled "Work Effectively Across Culture". This time I was responsible for Japanese expat orientation program and a lot of effort was develop to educate the Japanese expat on the differences between Asian and Japanese culture and practices.
2008 to 2009, I focus most of my time on post M&A initiative and had the opportunity to observe two (2) large organizational culture that was very different in nature. One was very structure and process driven while the other one was very informal driven and has not respect for SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) ... clash of the titans!
2010 until now ... I had the opportunity to work with global consulting firm like Lee Hecht Harrison and Jitsker Kramer, founder of Human Dimension.

Listed below are some of the resources available: -

1) Geert Hofstede Culturer Dimension
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/geert_hofstede_contrarian_position.shtml

2) Terri Morrison & Wayne A Conaway (2006) - "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands"

http://www.kissboworshakehands.com/2008demo/XEdata/XEcountry.php

3) Jitske Kramer (2009) - "Managing Culture Dynamics"

http://www.jitskekramer.com/publications_jitske_kramer/managing_cultural_dynamics
4) Lee Hecht Harrison Singapore Website
http://www.lhh.com.sg/

Discipline & Misconduct

2011-05-03T18:42:00.001+08:00

Part 1: Discipline

Discipline could be defined as follows: -

"behaviour in accordance with rules (as of an organization)";
"a rule or system of rules governing conduct or action";
"a body of laws relating to conduct";
"an orderly or regular pattern of behaviours".

Discipline in Industry refers to the observation of rules in an industrial establishment for maintenance of control and order to organizational standards and objetives. It also refers to a mental condition or attitude prevailing in the different heirachical structure in an industrail organization in accordance with the rules and regulations in force.

The fucntions of discipline is to mantain order by setting limits to an individual's behaviour which may jeopardise the interests of an organization.

Part 2: Misconduct

In the field of employment, an employee has certain express or implied obligations towards his employer. In common law, an employee has the following inherent obligations towards his employer: -

to give faithful and honest service;
to utilize reasonable skill and care in his work;
to obey reasonable and lawful orders;
not to commit misconduct.

In Industrial Law "misconduct" is a mode of behaviour and conduct of an employee which is inconsistent with the express or implied obligations of his employer. It is an act or omission thereof which is contrary to the expected performance of his duties or in variance with the faithful discharge of his obligations undertaken by him either expressly or impliedly in accepting employment.

[Resource: Hong Leong Mgt School Training Material, 1997]

Talent Management Models

2011-05-03T13:58:00.002+08:00

For the last one week - I have been busy with my company "Performance & Potential Evaluation Dialogue" (we call it PPED for short). It is one of tool created for my company Talent Management System. It strike me then .... "What is talent management (TM)? Ooopss ... I don't have the definition! Focusing too much practical, make you loose sight of the the concepts and theories.

Hmmm .... according to Taleo Research, they define Talent Management as is a complex collection of connected HR processes that delivers a simple fundamental benefit for any organization ... and "Talent Drives Performance".

Most people tend to get confuse between succession plan and talent management. In short, succession plan is part of talent management system. Talent management is a bigger picture in the subject of HRM.

I would like to introduce a few TM models - some from consulting firm like Taleo, others are just samples from the Internet and organizations that has invested in TM.

[Resource: Taleo Research - http://www.taleo.com/researcharticle/what-talent-management]

[Resource: TalentAlign.com - http://www.talentalign.com/talent_management_processes_in_organization.htm]

[Resource: http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/v2/hrCentre/amHRProfessional/talentManagement]

[Resource: http://sergaygroup.com/Smart-Talk/Talent-Management.html]

[Resource: http://joshbersin.com/2007/07/12/the-need-for-a-chief-learning-officer/]

Resource: http://joshbersin.com/2007/05/11/talent-management-too-important-to-be-delegated-to-hr/

Resource:Grovewell LLC

The Multiple-Role Model of HRM

2011-04-25T22:43:00.005+08:00

In the late 1997, a good friend and HR buddy of mine (Mr. Chong W.M) from my packaging division head-office recommended me to buy a HRM book. It was written by Prof. Dave Ulrich (1997) "Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value & Delivering Results" - published by Harvard Business School Press. During that time - it was a highly recommended HR management book and reluctantly I paid RM$135 for it. After reading the book, the way I view HRM would change forever. It became one of the many books I used as reference for most of my MBA assignment.

In summary, the author (and the his book) gave options to me on what HR roles I wanted to venture into: -

Strategic Partner
Change Agent
Administrative Expert
Employees Champion

Since then, I made-up my mind I wanted to focus on the role of (i) Strategic Partner and (ii) Change Agent but as years goes-by I felt that it is important to have a balance of all the four (4) qualities mentioned. Please refer to Exhibit # 1 for details of the "multiple roles" of HR.

Exhibit 1: Multiple Role Model of HR

[Modified & adopted from (i) Hewlett-Packard HR activities and (ii) Dave Ulrich (1997) "Multiple Role Model of HR"]

What they don't teach you in College: Why must an Individual stay 2 years in an Organisation?

2011-04-22T00:45:00.003+08:00

When I first enter the field of personnel management in 1994, I met a very professional (& competent) headhunter. My company has engaged her services as her company was one of the handful that provide executive search in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. If I am not wrong, her name was Rosalyn and the company she worked for was known as TAO. Recently, I found out that TAO was later acquired by Heidrick & Struggles at the beginning of the year 1998.

She commented that their firm / consultancy will only consider people who has serve a minimum of 2 years employment track records with an organization before recommending the candidates to a potential organization. I asked her why two (2) years? She explain to me the following scenario: -

Scenario # 1

End of 1st year, during your performance appraisal you achieved your targeted results but your boss don't agreed to it and make remarks it was not your effort. You voice your disappointment but fall on deaf ears.
At 2nd year, you achieved your targeted objective with outstanding results and again your boss be little your achievement.
Action: Time to pack your beg and leave the company.

Scenario # 2

1st year - your recommended to your boss that some corrective action should be taken to improve a particular business process
2nd year - you asked your boss to review his decision but he is not interested to take any measure.
Action: Don't waste your time ... look around for new potential employer who will appreciate your initiative!

I guess - she was trying to tell me that 2 years is the minimum and best time to leave a company as you have exhausted your effort and if the Company or your boss continue to ignore and don't value your work - she argued that the person has every right to seek new career opportunity and should not be labelled as "job hopper".

Strategic Human Resource Planning Skills

2011-04-21T23:01:00.001+08:00

Today - I was flipping tru my old HR training material and came across a model / framework (dated October 1996) entitled "Strategic HR Planning Skills" ... compare today (21 April 2011) - you will find that the current popular "jargon" adopted by HR Strategist are missing: -

Rewards management
Talent management / High Potential (HiPo)
International assignment / Expat program
Retention scheme / bonus
Long term incentive program (LTIP)
Employee engagement
Performance Matrix / Balanced Score Card (BSC) / Goal Agreement

But please don't think that the above strategies were not implemented by HR professional during the 1990's - we only call / labeled under different names. But I do have to admit that the level of focus and intensity were different.

After review the model - I personally think the model is still applicable but modification is required and you may need to insert current HR practices / strategies into the correct boxes shown below.

Exhibit 1: Strategic HR Planning Skills

[source: O D Management Consultants Sdn Bhd - 1996]

Introduction To Total Rewards & Compensation

2011-04-21T00:09:00.001+08:00

Total rewards in an organization context include (i) monetary and (ii) non-monetary rewards provided to attract, motivate and retain the employees.

In this short article, I will only introduce the basic knowledge a typical C&B officer / executive should know: -

Base pay - It is the basic compensation that an employee receives usually as wage or a salary.
Wages - It is payment directly calculated on the amount of time worked.
Salary - It is a consistent payment made each period regardless of the number of hours worked.
Variable Pay - It is compensation linked directly to an individual, team or organizational performance.
Benefits - Indirect reward given to an employee or a group of employees for organizational membership.
Entitlement Philosophy - For example, an employee who have worked another year are entitled to pay increase with little regard for performance differences.
Pay for Performance Philosophy - Requires that compensation changes reflect performance differences.

Exhibit 1: Total Rewards

[source: Ghee, Mathis, Jackson (2010) - Human Resource Management, an Asia Edition]

Exhibit 2: Continuum of Compensation Philosophies

[Modified from source: Ghee, Mathis, Jackson (2010) - Human Resource Management, an Asia Edition]

Aligning HR Strategy with Business Strategy

2011-04-16T22:59:00.001+08:00

As a young HR Executive working for a French MNC that specialized in power generation, very offend the CM (Country Manager) would be telling my superior that the HR Dept annual action plan need to be aligned towards the business strategies. During that time (early part of 1990's) - I did not understand what the CM was talking about (his expectation). You can say that I was still the era of 'Personnel Management' and my HRM knowledge during that time were limited to HR Admin and payroll administration.

I would like to share this 'HR-Business Strategy Aligning' model with young HR professionals and potentials HR Managers (and Business Leaders). It is a self-explaining model on some HR strategies can be considered assuming that the business strategy is focusing on either (i) divestment, (ii) M&A or (iii) business expansion.

Exhibit 1: Aligning HR Strategy to Business Strategy

(Source: Elizabeth Martin-Chua, 2009 - Maximizing Human Capital in Asia)

Organizational Alignment

2011-04-16T13:45:00.002+08:00

Every Human Resource Manager or Director need to understand the concept and application of 'organizational alignment'. When I mentioned organizational alignment - I am not referring to the streamline of HR policies and procedures but focusing on the overall HR Dept alignment capability at a higher level and organizational-wide.

One of the organizational alignment tool which I was introduced to in 1996 (while working with Hong Leong Group Malaysia) was ODI (Organizational Dynamics Inc) 'Alignment Diagnostic Tool'. It opened my eyes as a young manager on how business strategy, human resource, processes, and customer (internal /external) can be aligned and drive the organization to achieve the targeted business results (Please see Exhibit 1 and 2 for an overview of the model / framework)

To have a better understanding of the application - I recommend you look up at the local library on "The Power Of Alignment" by Dr. George Labovitz.

Exhibit 1: ODI (1996) Alignment Model

Exhibit 2: ODI (1996) - The PDR Cycle

Exhibit 3: The Book "The Power of Alignment"

Definition of Human Resource Management

2011-04-16T13:07:00.001+08:00

What is Human Resource Management?

Designing management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organizational goals. [Ghee-Mathis-Jackson, 2010 - Human Resource Management, An Asia Edition]

********

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization.

[ Susan M. Heathfield, About.com Guide]

********

The first definition of HRM is that it is the process of managing people in organizations in a structured and thorough manner.

The second definition of HRM encompasses the management of people in organizations from a macro perspective i.e. managing people in the form of a collective relationship between management and employees.

[http://www.managementstudyguide.com/human-resource-management.htm]

********

The Evolution of Human Resource Management

2011-04-16T11:36:00.001+08:00

After doing a research on the history of HRM - I felt that the best way to explain the evolution of HRM was to used Exhibit # 1, which I call it "The Evolution of HRM".

Exhibit 1

Introduction to Human Resource Management

2011-04-16T11:29:00.001+08:00

From an academic perspective, the subject of Human Resource Management is commonly divided into 5 Sections: -

Context of Human Resource Management
Performance
Relations
Development
Employment

Some Human Resource Management Text Book also has sections that cover: -

International HR Management
Emerging HR Issues
e-HR Technology
Change Management (Human Side)

From a corporate HRM practices, a typical Human Resource Dept organization structure will be divided into following functions: -

HR Admin / Compliance / Record Mgt - leaves, HRIS, etc)
Recruitment (Talent Acquisition, College Recruitment Program, etc)
Training & Development (Company Training Program, Training Grant Claims, Talent Management / Succession Plan, etc.)
Industrial Relations (Negotiation with Union on CA, Domestic Inquiry, etc)
Employee’s Relations / Employee’s Engagement
Compensation & Benefits; and Rewards (usually Performance fall under this function)
HR Projects (HR Systems, M&A, Formulating Policies & Procedures, Competency Mapping, etc)

Exhibit 1: The HR Activities

[Source: Ghee-Mathis-Jackson, 2010 - Human Resource Management, An Asia Edition]