People managers, business leaders and talent strategists will meet today to discuss industry trends and best practices at the Classified Post HR Conference June 2016.
Held at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong in Admiralty, the event will follow the theme of “HR Transformation” and examine the influence of digital and the swiftly shifting demographic of a globalised workforce.
Aiming to take the industry’s pulse and offer insight on the future, the conference will host a line-up of speakers presenting authoritative perspectives on the HR industry and sharing talent management strategies.
Keynote speaker Susie Quirk, partner and head of people and change advisory at KPMG China, will kick things off with a presentation on how data and HR transformation can help the HR function meet business needs using technology.
“The key to analysing data is to compare the HR metrics such as turnover, learning and development ROI, remuneration, performance and compliance, to key business metrics such as revenue, profit, productivity and costs,” Quirk says.
Her presentation will also look at the kind of companies that are transforming their strategies, and offer predictions as to what the HR function of the future may look like.
“Globally and locally in Asia and Hong Kong, companies are contemplating changing their HR models,” Quirk says. “This is being driven by a number of factors – including achieving efficiency and streamlining operating costs – but more importantly also by a burning desire from the CEO for the HR function to be more relevant as a strategic business partner that enables improved organisational performance.”
In the conference’s first case study segment, Kitty Zhao, human resources director, Greater China, at Baxter Healthcare, will share her thoughts on employee engagement in the contemporary world of work.
“The traditional working environment and practices may not fit the modern working environment or improve efficiency,” Zhao says.
In her presentation on new ways of working, Zhao will comment on Baxter’s approach to work-life balance, which the company sees as a strategy for recruitment and retention. She says that while the company’s work-life balance offerings attract new talent, they also boost employee engagement.
“Given the competitiveness in the talent market, employee engagement is increasingly important because it helps form a positive connection between employees and the company,” Zhao says. “This causes them to care more about the work they do and therefore put more effort into excelling over the long term.”
Following a short wellness therapy session with Dr Rhoda Yuen from Aging & Better Care, Rebecca Lucas, general manager, international HR, at Telstra, will talk about how her company is driving engagement and retention through its “anytime, anywhere” approach to work.
“Flexibility can be applied more broadly than you think,” Lucas says. “At Telstra, flexibility is now considered the starting point for all roles. Flexible working is about enabling our people to successfully balance work and personal commitments, and means different things to different people.”
Following the individual presentations, a panel discussion on attracting young talents will see Quirk, Zhao and Lucas join moderator and Classified Post editor Tom Eves in a debate on the key attractors for young people entering the working world and what companies can do to effectively connect with this talent.
“We’re all familiar with the fact that people coming out of university today have very different mindsets and expectations than previous generations,” Eves says. “But that does not mean they all think the same. We’ll look at how key attractors vary for people from different locations targeting different industries, and what companies are doing to match the wants and needs of this upcoming section of the workforce.”
During the luncheon conference, Stanley Ngan, CEO of Sun Life Asset Management (HK), will talk about his company’s MPF scheme and the benefits of switching from a feeder-fund structure to a multi-manager structure. Continuing the retirement theme, the final item of the day will see Edwin Yan, director of retirement and benefits at Aon Hewitt Hong Kong, describe some of the innovative market practices he has seen from organisations responding to the retirement needs of their employees.
Data and HR transformation: Helping the HR function meet business needs using technology
Susie Quirk
Partner and head of people and change advisory, KPMG China
New era: New way of working
Kitty Zhao
Human resources director, Greater China, Baxter Healthcare
Braindance
DR Rhoda Yuen
Principal programme advisor, Aging & Better Care
Driving employee engagement and retention through an ‘anytime, anywhere’ approach to work
Rebecca Lucas
General manager, international HR, Telstra
Panel Discussion
Making your next move to attract young talents
Susie Quirk, Kitty Zhao and Rebecca Lucas
Moderator: Tom Eves, editor, Classified Post
Luncheon Conference
Right fund and the right time
Stanley Ngan
CEO, Sun Life Asset Management (HK)
How organisations respond to employees’ retirement needs: The innovative practices in the market
Edwin Yan
Director, retirement and benefits, Aon Hewitt Hong Kong
