28th HR Sharing – 29th Jul 2011
What is fair employment? A subjective matter that should be left to the experts. Who are the experts? At the 28th HR Sharing, The Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices was on hand to share with Members, survey findings that reflected the behavior of different age groups and how certain element of biasness can be misinterpreted or misunderstood
One of the most controversial topics discussed was the re-employment of older workers. With legislation to be enforced at the beginning of 2012, many companies were still adjusting and fine tuning their HR policies to accommodate new practices that would make it easier for the re-hiring of those reaching 62 years of age. Hui San from TAFEP, debunked myths that older workers were generally slower and need more time to adjust. Instead the survey conducted by TAFEP showed different results.
We thank Hui San from TAFEP, for spending over an hour with Members, in explaining the direction and objectives of TAFEP.
Numerous companies share the same common problem, and that is, the abuse of medical leave. Senior HR Consultant from Hrmatters21, Martin Gabriel shared some tips on improving attendance. He said Medical Leave is a right and not a benefit, and that staff who consumes medical leave should not be penalised. Instead, he encouraged companies to incentivise good attendance. He broke-down the cost of medical leave and said that these monies can be channeled back to the staff. He added, a staff on ML will not just cost the company money, but lost of output as well and eventually productivity.
We also thank guest speaker Yogesh Tadwalkar for sharing tips on compliance pertaining to work safety and health. Members found his sharing timely as the numbers of accidents at workplaces are certainly a concern.
Thanks to all Members who attended the 28th HR Sharing and made it a success. We look forward to the 29th HR Sharing. Cheers!!
By Michelle Yeo
27th HR Sharing – 25th Feb 2011
Evaluation! That’s a nightmare for every HR Manager who needs to set a standard, whenever a supervisor evaluates his employees. Sometimes employees cry foul and accuse their superior or the system of being biased.
Isn’t the element of biasness in all of us? Sometimes we won’t admit it, or we look for reasons to support how we think of our employers or employees. Balance scorecards and KPIs’ are the buzz words in today’s corporate world. It’s all about quantifying performances, and that’s the business of CF Wong and Ng Shin Leong, two of HRmatters21 Consultants with vast experiences in studying and implementing new ways of staff evaluation. At the 27th HR Sharing, CF explained the 4 levels of planning, which are self goal settings, team goal settings, department goal settings and organization goal settings which shall determine what are the 3 most Key Performance Indicators.
Participants had an insightful walk through, as to how KPI’s should be implemented and the objectives of KPI’s.
Control it before it controls you! That’s the message from Dr Amy Daniel, an Associate Trainer with Hrmatters21. Dr Daniel, who is an expert in EQ and a professional counselor, explored the myths and re-enforced the truth about our own anger. “Are you afraid of your own anger” asked Dr Daniel. Participants were surprised at the question. Dr Daniel stressed the importance of knowing one’s own anger, so that we can change, rather than expecting others to change as the latter is very unlikely to happen. Anger is energy says Dr Daniel, and how we channel this energy is very important. It was indeed beneficial to all, to be in touch with their own anger, emotions, and how we can improve ourselves by being aware, of our very own ‘fuse’. Thank you! Dr Daniel for that very insightful presentation.
Thanks to all Members who attended the 27th HR Sharing and made it a success. We look forward to the 28th HR Sharing. Cheers!!
By Michelle Yeo
26th HR Sharing
Adventure! That’s what everyone has on their mind as the year end approaches. Adventure planet was invited to grace the 26th HR sharing and they did not disappoint participants with their many activities. Even simple games from the inappropriate setting of a classroom could instantly change the mood as participants forgot that they were in a serious setting of desk and chairs. Such were their skills in handling a serious environment and transforming it into a ‘fun’ activity.
Success, Trust, Belief, Communication and Leadership, these are the keywords that mean quality for Adventure planet. They have been in the business for many years and if you have a need for teambuilding activities, these are the guys you would want to talk to. Cheers! To the Adventure planet and we hope to see them again at the next HR Sharing, so that we could look forward to more fun activities.
Handling Sexual Harassment at the workplace
Sexual harassment at the workplace has been a bane for most organizations and most HR professionals aren’t sure how to handle it, or does it even exist? HR Professionals, Managers and CEOs’ were all ‘ears’ as Veronica and Corinna, representatives from the Advocacy group AWARE (Association of Women for Action & Research), shared insightful information and the definitions of sexual harassment. Methods on how to handle such sensitive and complex issues were also discussed, with past case studies used as examples. Participants’ were also invited to attend workshops conducted by AWARE. The workshop would equip Managers on the skills and knowledge in handling sexual harassment. Participants were indeed impressed, as AWARE had handled numerous cases of sexual harassment and offered counseling and legal advised to those in distress.
By Michelle Yeo
25th HR Sharing
For the very first time, our regular HR sharing session produced 3 presenters. A wide variety of discussions to serve members better. Most notably was the presentation by Sean Rudge, a representative for Orange T. Many regard Orange T as a property agency, but to the surprise of many HR professionals, Orange T has set up a department specifically to assist HR professionals in dealing with the expatriate employees. From receiving them at the airport, to sourcing their accommodation and even quality schooling for their children. All these ‘chores’ would be handled by Orange T, assisted by an online system that would allow the HR administrator to log in to view at which stage of care has Orange T rendered to the expatriate employee. Orange T’s help would be right from the start of receiving the employee at the airport right up to the time the employee leaves Singapore. With Orange T, outsourcing has taken on a new meaning.
Chris Choong, a HRmatters21 associate discussed some of the secrets when conducting an interview. How to tell if the candidate is a visual or a sound person? That’s a trade secret Chris shares at his regular Interview and Selection workshop.
New laws with new challenges, third presenter Martin Gabriel of HRmatters21 presented what’s in the pipeline to proposed changes to the employment regulations. As Martin attended a presentation by the Ministry of Manpower at the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices, he was of the view that it would be useful to share such up to date information with employers, as he was briefed at the TAFEP seminar. This ensures that they get a head start in preparing, what is to come. The proposals discussed were older workers working beyond their retirement age of 62 and a wider scope of coverage to protect Executives in cases of salary disputes and/or dismissal.
By Michelle Yeo
