In China’s ever-diversifying workplace, it is likely that you will be dealing with expatriate workers and the specific needs that accompany them on an increasingly regular basis. This will certainly be a challenge for you. However, it will also be a challenge for the expats involved. How can HR help to make the whole expat experience a smooth process for everyone involved, particularly when it comes to the tricky subject of the expat returning home?
It is safe to say that the chaos caused by the extreme weather conditions in February took much of the lustre off 2008’s first Golden Week for thousands of people – many of you included I would imagine. Spending hours waiting for trains that never came or being stranded in freezing conditions hundreds of kilometers from home, will have caused many people to return to work in greater need of a holiday than before they left. However, as extreme as the weather conditions were, the events of Spring Festival 2008 showed that the Golden Week system is far from perfect and that we may need other options in terms of time off for our employees.
On both a
global scale and right here in China 80% of workers are misemployed! The
majority of these may well be talented motivated individuals, but they are
simply in the wrong role. 80% is a frightening number, especially when we
consider that there is already a severe shortage of qualified employees in the
Chinese job-market. However, misemployment and China’s crippling talent
shortage are interlinked problems. By solving one, we can have a massive impact
on the other. The key to developing badly needed professional and managerial
talent as well as in reining-in the wild turnover rates that are plaguing many
enterprises could actually lie in unlocking the potential of employees who are
currently misemployed. The key to unlocking this potential is a factor that is
often overlooked by many organisations – keeping your employees happy.
Most mornings, while hurriedly making my way to the office, I stop for breakfast at a small food cart in an alley near my house. The middle-aged woman running the operation always recognises me. She knows that I like my pancakes stuffed with bok choy and never fails to marvel at my supposedly “excellent” Mandarin. Just a few meters further on, outside her family’s restaurant, sits another neighbourhood entrepreneur - my local seamstress. She too is always friendly, greeting me with nod and a warm smile.
If you are an HR leader in China now, or you hope to be one soon, the way in which you answer this question could change your life. If you are struggling to answer, do not worry. This is the first in a series of articles in which I will examine and explain the ins and outs of Strategic Talent Management (STM). As this is the first article, it may be a little heavy on theory. However, stick with me. The next few pages will be very informative and, over the next few issues of Network HR, we will look at some of the action steps you can take to become an STM leader.
In the last issue of Network HR, Allan Nee of Baode Law in Tianjin wrote a detailed and insightful article about the ways in which your organisation needs to adapt to China's new Labour Laws. Allan offered a myriad of fantastic advice. However, there was one factor he mentioned that really captured my attention - transparency.Read More
Benefits
The Power of Acknowledgement
he seeds of this article were sewn as I put together the last edition of Network HR. First, as I edited the Training & Development section, I read the following prophetic words from Jennifer Peterson, "If you want your customers to feel cared for, you must care for the employees that serve them." This started me musing about the way organisations across China treat employees.Read More
Training
Synchronicity for Success
A single droplet of sweat trickled down my neck as the glowing amber sun beat down on us. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw our competitors lined up alongside us. It was the moment we had been preparing for over the last 5 years. Our goal was crystal clear and I had visualised this very occasion countless times.Read More
Recuitment
War, what is it good for?
I believe I can bring the War for Talent to a peaceful end. I came to this realisation two
months ago after I was invited to present at the ‘Corporate Travel and Technology
World' conference in Shanghai. The topic, "Selecting Potential Leaders and Turning a Company from Good to Great", was
provided some months earlier, giving me time to source opinions from
around China. Read More
In the last issue of Network HR, Allan Nee of Baode Law in Tianjin wrote a detailed and insightful article about the ways in which your organisation needs to adapt to China's new Labour Laws. Allan offered a myriad of fantastic advice. However, there was one factor he mentioned that really captured my attention - transparency.Read More
he seeds of this article were sewn as I put together the last edition of Network HR. First, as I edited the Training & Development section, I read the following prophetic words from Jennifer Peterson, "If you want your customers to feel cared for, you must care for the employees that serve them." This started me musing about the way organisations across China treat employees.Read More
A single droplet of sweat trickled down my neck as the glowing amber sun beat down on us. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw our competitors lined up alongside us. It was the moment we had been preparing for over the last 5 years. Our goal was crystal clear and I had visualised this very occasion countless times.Read More
I believe I can bring the War for Talent to a peaceful end. I came to this realisation two
months ago after I was invited to present at the ‘Corporate Travel and Technology
World' conference in Shanghai. The topic, "Selecting Potential Leaders and Turning a Company from Good to Great", was
provided some months earlier, giving me time to source opinions from
around China. Read More
