Showing posts with label HR Info Toolkit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HR Info Toolkit. Show all posts

Monday, November 30, 2020

COVID-19 Series: Changes in Singapore Government Workforce Grants, and Regulations.

30 Nov 2020, Singapore: I am using this article to capture the keys government website that house the latest changes to Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) grants and regulations. I will up-date the hyperlink if there is any further up-date or changes by the various government agencies ... click the hyperlink!

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Saturday, May 23, 2020

COVID-19 Series: Sample 2 - Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Policy

23 May 2020, Singapore: Another sample for those interest to develop a FWA policy. No shame to copy and customize it to for your organization.

Sample 2 - Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Policy

A. PURPOSE 
The Flexible Work Arrangement policy (FWA) purpose is to provide department managers guideline on managing their department personnel and create more flexible working conditions that will help the Company to achieve its business results more effectively and assist employees to achieve better work-life balance with increased productivity. The FWA is neither a benefit nor entitlement to the employee.

This document outlines the terms and conditions as well as procedures when an employee goes under the FWA.

B. OBJECTIVE 
Making <company> working environment more flexible in meeting Customer demands, developing an agile work solution.

Increasing <company> attractiveness as employer and tap-on the workforce “diversity” to strengthen our best-in-class practice.

C. POLICY 
The department manager will have full discretion to apply the FWA methodology based on their evaluation of business needs and the nature of the employee’s job. The HR Team will be available for consultation, if help is needed.

The terms and conditions of employment between the Company and the employee that apply at work, will also apply at the agreed Telecommuting Policy or alternative workplace site, including accessibility by the Company during agreed hours of duty, ownership of intellectual property, and security of information.

C.1 ELIGIBILITY 
This policy applies to all employees who are under the “No Clocking” program and subject to the approval from the employee’s departmental manager / divisional director.

C.2 RULES AND REGULATIONS 
C.2.1 <Company> Flexible Work Arrangement policy includes several types of schedule flexibility:

Part Time
Part-time jobs are the most traditional of flexible scheduling options. This option is typically used when a job requires fewer than 44 hours of work per week. Under MOM definition, Part-time is 35 hours (maximum) of work per week.

Flexi-time
This flexibility is a type of alternative schedule that gives a worker greater latitude in choosing his or her particular hours of work, or freedom to change work schedules from one week to the next depending on the employee's personal needs.

Under a flexi-time arrangement, an employee might be required to work a standard number of core hours within a specified period, allowing the employee greater flexibility in starting and ending times

Compressed Workweek
It is an alternative scheduling method that allows employees to work a standard workweek of 44 hours over a period of fewer than five days in one week.

For example, some employers implement a four-day workweek of 11 hour days. Employers get the same number of working hours, but employees have a three-day weekend every week.

Shift Work
It has traditionally been used in manufacturing environments to maximize productivity from fixed resources and costs. More recently, shift work has become a feature of the 24/7 service economy and a by-product of globalization.

Job Sharing
It is the practice of having two different employees performing the tasks of one full-time position. Each of the job-sharing partners works a part-time schedule, but together they are accountable for the duties of one full-time position.
Typically, they divide the responsibilities in a manner that meets both of their needs as well as those of the employer.

Telecommuting
It is also known as tele-work, involves the use of computers and telecommunications technology to overcome the constraints of location or time on work. In a global economy, physical location has become less important than efficiency of operations. Telecommuting may occur from home, a tele-work center, or on an airplane or bus.

C.2.2 In general, when granting a FWA, the Department Managers must ensure the following: -
a. Clearly define to the employee the performance goals and expectations / standards.

b. Safety and Security consideration must be given if the work / task is performed outside of normal working hours e.g., Flexi-time, Compress workweek, Shift work - inform Security and Facilities Management (FM) Dept. in advance. Conduct a simple safety and security risk assessment (e.g., check with FM if there is any power shut-down).

c. Employees during compress workweek must be briefed on the safety / security procedure in case of emergency. For health reason, they should not exceeded the 12 hours working limit especially working at high.

d. Remind employee to be cautions as they are responsible for their own safekeeping and company property when working outside the normal working hours.

C.2.3 Before an employee is considered for FWA, the following criteria must be made: -
a. Employee must be on the “No Clocking” program
b. Employee must be aware and agreed that he or she will not be compensated overtime payment or additional compensation for FWA flexibility arrangement.

C.2.4 Employees opting to the FWA flexibility schedule, should agree to the following: 
a. Be personally responsible to ensure a safe and healthy working environment.

b. It is expected that the employee will devote all his/her effort to the business during FWA work arrangement.

c. Attend mandatory and other requested office meetings including training sessions, workshops, etc. as required by the Company.

d. Notify their supervisor or Department Manager proactively when they take any vacation, medical or any other personal leave during times scheduled for FWA.

e. Alert the supervisor or Department Manager/ Director, if the FWA arrangement is not working out and affect their performance. The employee should return back to normal working hours.

C.2.5 The Company reserves the right to discontinue the FWA arrangement (across the board or with any specific individual / position) when deemed appropriate by business exigencies at any time by giving the employee one week written advance notice.

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COVID-19 Series: Sample # 1 - Work From Home Policy / Guideline

23 May 2020, Singapore: Received request to share sample of a "work from home" policy / guideline.


Sample #1:
Work From Home Policy / Guideline

I. PURPOSE
The Work-From-Home (WFH) program is an arrangement by which an employee performs ordinary hours of duty at his/her home for a specified portion of the work week. WFH is neither a benefit nor entitlement to the employee.

The purpose of this policy is to create flexible working conditions that will help the Company to achieve its business results more effectively by retaining and attracting a diverse workforce, reducing absenteeism and maximizing office space utilization. This policy can also assist employees to achieve better work-life balance with increased productivity and savings on commuting between home and office.

This policy outlines the terms and conditions as well as application procedures when an employee goes on WFH arrangement.

II. SCOPE
This policy applies to all employees based in <company / region>, subject to the approval from the employee’s <Dept Mgr>.

<Dept Mgr> will have full discretion to approve or reject the WFH applications based on their evaluation of business needs and the nature of the employee’s job.

<Dept Mgr> should allocate the WFH days in the week so that there is an even distribution of employees working from home on any given day. These days will be fixed, and should not be changed as far as possible. With the planned reduction in office space, the objective is to spread out the days when the employees come to work to maintain a comfortable working environment. Exceptions to this would be for team meetings, town halls or other office based meetings.

Changes (whether temporary or permanent) should be done in consultation and agreement with the <Dept Mgr> based on the job requirement and each individual situation. For permanent changes, it is important that an even distribution of employees at work and at home is maintained. Proper communication should be done by the <Dept Mgr> on the WFH schedule and changes, so that team members are in the know of the arrangement. The HR Team will be available for consultation, if help is needed.

III. POLICY
The terms and conditions of employment between the Company and the employee that apply at work will also apply at the agreed WFH site, including accessibility by the Company during agreed hours of duty, ownership of intellectual property and security of information.

Company policies, which apply at the employee’s usual place of work shall, as far as practicable, apply in WFH site.

Employees opting to WFH agree to the following:

(1) Be personally responsible for the home workspace at his/her own cost to ensure a safe and healthy system and environment of work.


(2) Ensure dependent care or other family obligations do not interfere with work. It is expected that the employee will devote all his/her effort to the business during normal working hours.

(3) Be contactable at all times during office hours through phone or email, and ensure the following actions are taken while working from home for the day:
  • Post a message of WFH with contact details at a prominent place in his/her office area, e.g. under the cubicle name label
  • Divert your office phone line to your WFH phone. Please see the footnote details on instructions to divert calls or de-activate diverted calls.

(4) Attend mandatory and other requested office meetings including training sessions, workshops, etc. as required by the Company.

(5) Notify your supervisor or <Dept Mgr> proactively when you take any vacation, medical or any other personal leave during times scheduled for WFH.

(6) Alert the supervisor or <Dept Mgr> if external circumstances are likely to interfere with performance under the WFH arrangement. The employee should return back to office work whenever practical or needed.

(7) Ensure that the Company’s material and property is kept confidential at all times and securely used at the WFH site.

(8) To ensure the success of a WFH arrangement, the <Dept Mgr> will: -
  • Clearly define to the employee the performance goals and standards and regularly review with the employee and make necessary adjustment to the schedule in order to ensure effectiveness.
  • Ensure that employees continue to have access to development opportunities and workplace information.
The Company reserves the right to discontinue the WFH arrangement (across the board or with any specific individual / position) when deemed appropriate by business exigencies at any time by giving the employee one week written advance notice.

IV. EQUIPMENT/OFFICE SUPPLIES
The Company will provide the employee on WFH arrangement with a Company’s laptop (if the employee does not have one).

<IT Dept> will continue to provide remote support. When maintenance or repairs are needed, the employee will bring the laptop back to office. <IT Dept> will not provide any on-site support in the employee’s home.

The company will not provide courier services to or from the employee’s home.
Employees can also continue to use the Conference Call facility provided by <soft phone / conferencing application> for pre- planned meetings.

The Company will not reimburse the employee for travel expenses to and from office on days when they are required to come into the office. Home-related expenses such as construction, renovation, utilities, upgrading broadband system, or any other expenses incurred as a direct or indirect result of the WFH arrangement will be the responsibility of the employee.

V. APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Employees should apply for WFH arrangement by using <online application / email, etc.> which should be approved and documented in writing before WFH commences.

Approval is granted on a case-by-case basis by the <Dept. Mgr> based on the business situations.

VI. EFFECTIVE
This policy is with retrospective effective from DD / MMM / YYYY.


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Sunday, May 10, 2020

COVID-19 Series: Flexible-Work-Arrangement (FWA) or Agile Working Model

10 May 2020, Singapore: When COVID-19 came knocking on Singapore's door, we heard a lot about "Work From Home" (aka WFH) - for those who are not in the HR professional, you may not realize that the Singapore Government via MOM (Ministry of Manpower) and TAFEP (Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practice) has been promoting and encouraging Singapore based companies to adopt and embrace "Flexible Work Arrangement" (aka FWA) as part of Singapore strategies to attract and retain talents. It has evolved into a component of Business Continuity Plan (BCP).

WFH is one of the component of FWA. This short article will focus on sharing what is FWA in Singapore context and help reader to find-out where to obtain resources on FWA.

If you are interested to find our more about the current COVID-19 "Work-Life Grant" - click the hyperlink: https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/good-work-practices/work-life-grant . 

If you want to obtain MOM Guideline on the implementing WFA - click the hyperlink: https://www.mom.gov.sg/-/media/mom/documents/employment-practices/successful-flexible-work-arrangements.pdf 

TAFEP website also have a page dedicated to FWA - click the hyperlink: https://www.tal.sg/tafep/Employment-Practices/Work-Life-Harmony/FWAs

When you talk about FWA - I will recommend HR professional to read up about "Agile Working Model". In some countries, 'Agile Working model' is more common - especially in UK or European countries. https://www.agile.org.uk/what-is-agile-working/

I will recommend you to google "Unilever Agile Working Model" ...




As promise - this is a very short and "resource" article for HR professional and employer to read more about "Flexible Work Arrangement" or "Agile Working Model".

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Monday, April 29, 2019

Basic KPI / Statistic for Recruitment / Workforce Planning

29 Apr 2019: When managing your recruitment / workforce planning function, upper management will always request for a key performance indicator (KPI) to measure the effectiveness of your recruitment / workforce planning.

The most common KPIs / Statistic are: -

  • Speed of Recruitment (number of days / lead time to close a position) - this method can be the easier if you have an Application Tracking System aka "ATS" to support the tracking e.g., (i) Operators recruitment is targeted at 60 days and computation start when the manpower requisition (MR) is approved until the candidate report for work; (ii) Manager is 120 days from MR is approved until the letter offer / appointment is signed.

  • Cost Per Hiring. The formula ... adding together all the cost (listed below) and divided by the number of position recruited to get the average cost.
    • Job advertisement cost 
    • Recruitment technology e.g., ATS, online recruitment tool like "LinkedIn" and "Jobstreets"
    • Employee referral rewards
    • Travelling (e.g., taxi / flight ticket reimbursement to potential candidates; recruiter travelling & accommodation cost)
    • Background / reference checks
    • Relocation cost
    • Recruiter "employment cost"

Note: The cost-per-hiring is also affected by the hiring methods adopted by the organization. Cost-per-hiring can also determine the organization decision to outsource the recruitment function, and assessing employee turnover impact on the recruitment cost.

(Source: Modified from HR360, 2018) 
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Monday, November 14, 2016

Singapore MOM 2017 Regulations: Paternity Leave and Maternity Leave for Unwed Mother

14 November 2016, Singapore: HR Professional, whose job portfolio cover Singapore - Please take note of Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) changes with effect from January 2017: -

  • Paternity leave for father whose child is Singaporean citizen - with effect from January 2017, it will be mandatory for 2 weeks. Currently, 2016 regulations is 1 week mandatory while another 1 week is voluntary by the employer. For details, click the hyperlink: http://www.heybaby.sg/
  • Maternity leave for single or unmarried Mother: With effect from 2017, they will be entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave compared to current which is only 12 weeks.
Click the hyperlink: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parliament-unwed-mums-to-get-16-week-maternity-leave 
Listed below are some of the current 2016 MOM regulations governing the paternity leave and maternity for single or unmarried mother. Click the hyperlink: -

I know some of the reader from outside Singapore will mention that there is some form of discrimination between married and unmarried mother. I will not comment on it as it is not the objective this article but I do hope in the future, Singapore being a develop country will be able to close such gap.


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Saturday, November 12, 2016

Fake Diplomas and Degrees: Tough to be a HR Professional

12 Nov 2016, Singapore: I wrote this short article on 21 March 2015, but did not publish it. Saw the status "Draft" and since I have not been active since Aug 2015 ... here it goes! Now days, there is too many fake degrees - as a HR professional, I think it is getting difficult to verify a fake diploma or degree with a real one. Some of the fake diplomas / degrees makers has their own university website and 'professional' call-center to verify the validity and authenticity of their fake degree when you call-in. They will pretend to be the university when you call in to conduct reference check.

Click the hyperlinks for website that can help to educate you on fake degrees: 







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Saturday, August 22, 2015

What should be the ideal size of my HR team?

22 August 2015, Singapore: Got this article via my email. Very information and will help me justify my department headcount.

Click the hyperlink: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-should-ideal-size-my-hr-team-tushar-bhatia


(source: From Mr. 


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Thursday, March 19, 2015

Singapore: Why Expats Call This Utopia?

19 Mar 2015, Singapore: I guess this article tell you all you need to know about Singapore in a summery! But why expats still keep coming to Singapore ... is it business, profit or just location?

Click the hyperlink BBC: Why Expat Call This Utopia?



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Saturday, February 14, 2015

Singapore HR Forum: HRmatters21

14 February 2015, Singapore: If you are a HR professional based in Singapore or have regional responsibility covering Singapore - you might want to visit this website 'HRmatter21'.

I got to know this website after purchase a book "A Guide to Singapore Employment Act and Its Practical Application" by Martin Gabriel.

It is an addition resources for HR professional. 

Click the hyperlink: http://hrmatters21.net/



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Book Review: "A Guide to Employment Act and Its Practical Application"

14 February 2015, Singapore: Out of boredom, I bought this book "A Guide to Employment Act and Its Practical Application". It has been ten years since 2005, I purchase reading material on Singapore Employment Act (EA).

To my surprise, the author Martin Gabriel did a great job on the book. I would recommend this book to someone who has basic knowledge of the EA and who need to advance their knowledge in the application of EA clauses and understand why specific clauses were written.

My take away from reading this book: It helped me to explain better to my German Managing Director and senior management team on the application of EA clauses from a HR Consultant perspective. I was able to impress them with my EA knowledge.

Conclusion, your job require you to have advance understanding of Singapore EA - buy and READ this book ...





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Monday, January 12, 2015

Website That Support HR Professional Who Need to Write JD and Conduct Job Analysis

12 January 2015, Singapore: If your job require you to draft job descriptions or conduct job analysis, you may want to visit the following website www.onetonline.org

O*NET OnLine is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration, and developed by the National Center for O*NET Development.

I was introduced to this website back in 2005 by a Mercer HR consultant.




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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Lazy HR Professional Series: Local Plus: Gaining Popular Among European Organization

26 August 2014, Singapore: Based on my observation in the last 5 years, the concept of local plus is gaining popular among European MNC. I like to keep it short & direct - click the hyperlink. 

What is 'local plus'?
Click the hyperlink http://www.eca-international.com - articles about local plus

Figures & Facts about 'Local Plus' from Mercer
Click the hyperlink http://mthink.mercer.com - graphic info about local plus
(Source from Mercer)

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Saturday, August 9, 2014

Lazy HR Professional Series: Performance Management System / Appraisal / Processes

09 August 2014, Singapore: Another research on the various articles on 'Performance Management', not limiting to system but other topics like checklist, processes, concept, etc. 

Just click the hyperlink:









(source: http://www.cdc.gov/stltpublichealth/performance/Definitions.html)

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Friday, August 8, 2014

Lazy HR Professional Series: Succession Planning Process

08 August 2014, Singapore: If you are looking for some reference material to draft your organization succession planning and just for your Master's course assignment - just click the hyperlink: -







I hope the above resources will be helpful to your work ... or just for the fun of reading ... KNOWLEDGE IS POWER


(source: https://www.opm.gov)


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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Is Handwriting Analysis a Dying Skills?

13 April 2014 - Singapore: Today, I went to the local community library and saw a handwriting analysis book by Marc Seifer, PhD. I flip a few pages and straight away I took it to the 'load machine' to record it under my name.

Recalling back, each time I share my knowledge about 'handwriting analysis' or 'graphology' - the first usual respond I got is .... "Mr. Liew ... now days people type more, do you think handwriting analysis is still relevant?"

I was introduced to handwriting analysis back in the mid 1990s - a headhunter from TOA shared her knowledge with and gave me a quick interpretation of my handwriting ... it was accurate about my personality. Later, another headhunter from HRnet One, shared with me that he use handwriting analysis to analyse the personality profile of his candidates. This really got me hooked to handwriting analysis but during the 90s, there wasn't any reading material on handwriting analysis. 

My break came when my French boss asked me to select a training that will help me in my daily HR tasks ... the rest was history ... the 2 days course on handwriting analysis cost my company RM1750 and this is in the mid 1990s. It was very expensive to invest on a young HR Officer like me. During the course ... my course-mates were from the Singapore & Malaysia police force, and the petroleum companies e.g., Petronas, LNG, SHELL, etc.

To keep it short - I just wanted to share some of the reading material available and hope the HR professional from the "Gen Y" age group  will consider picking up the skills.





Click the hyperlink:



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Saturday, April 5, 2014

BBC. com: Resume or CV? A Global Guide

05 April 2014, Singapore: Came across this article via LinkedIn. It is an interesting reading ... Great if you are a HR professional ... at least you will be able to explain "Resume" and "CV".

Click the hyperlink: 
BBC.com : Resume or CV! A Global Guide

Note: Do remember to click the pictures as it is linked the other section of the article. Happy reading ... knowledge is power!

Summary: In USA ... they call it resume ... keep it short by elaborate!! In Europe and Latin America ... they call it CV


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Sunday, January 19, 2014

Peoplefluent Report: HR Forecast 2014 - Talent Management Experts Weigh In

19 January 2014, Singapore: It is always good to receive additional HR Business related reports. It may help you get some insight on potential trends and new best practices. Click the hyperlink for details of the report.





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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Assessment Tool for Recruitment Solutions and Talent Development: Harrison Assessment

14 January 2014, Singapore: Today I attended a briefing on Harrison Assessments Talent System (HATS). I was introduced to HATS in 2005 when the product was known as Harrison Inner View. Performance Consulting is the sole distributor for HATS in Singapore

It was great to hear the founder himself Dr. Harrison Dan sharing the latest development of Harrison Assessments Talent System.

Special thanks to Performance Consulting for inviting my colleagues and myself to the briefing.




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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Finding from Asia Leader Global Leadership Pulse Survey: Driving Business Results By Creating Trust

11 Dec 2013, Singapore: I feel the urgency to post this article - the subject is Driving Business Results By Creating Trust.

To access the report - kindly click the link: PDF Format: Forum Report - Asia - Nov 08, 2013



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