The 26th HKIHRM Annual Conference
Building a Happy, Productive & Talented Workforce
22 Nov 2006
Human capital is widely
recognised as one of the most crucial assets for
successful business operations, particularly in Hong
Kong where
there is no back up reserve of natural resources.
To stay competitive in such a fast moving economy in
this
age of globalisation while building a healthy, capable
and motivated work force is of utmost importance.
With this scenario in mind, the Hong Kong Institute
of Human
Resources Management (HKIHRM) launched its annual
signature event - the 26th Annual Conference and Exhibition on
22nd - 23rd November, 2006 at the Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre, under the banner of "Building
a Happy, Productive and Talented Workforce".
Building on this theme line, the 2-day Conference
included four plenary sessions, including the CEO plenary
meeting and some 24 concurrent sessions covering a
wide range of local and regional topics. First held
in 1980, the HKIHRM Annual Conference & Exhibition
is now the most influential human resources management
forum in Hong Kong, attracting over 1,000 delegates
and visitors every year.
The role of the CEO in building a happy team
Stimulating and motivating a workforce is indeed a
very high priority on the top of management agenda.
Senior managers should lead by example to create
a team of highly engaged, energised and productive
employees whose involvement is crucial in driving
corporate success. Centred on the theme of Building
a Happy, Productive and Talented Workforce - The
Role of CEO, a panel of three top leaders at
renowned organisations from the completely disparate
industries
of banking, amusement parks and social services gave
speeches. They included Mr. Sunny Cheung, managing
director and head of consumer banking, DBS Bank
(Hong Kong); Mr. Tom Mehrmann, chief executive, Ocean
Park;
and Mr. C. Y. Tik JP, executive director, The
Hong Kong Society for the Aged, who shared their thoughts,
experience and insights on how to sustain business
success by building a committed, productive and talented
workforce.
Keys to high retention and low turnover
Mr. Gregory Smith, author of "Here Today,
Here Tomorrow: Transforming Your Workforce from High-Turnover
to High-Retention", spoke at the second plenary
session on how to create a high retention culture within
an organisation by applying strategies like the '5-step
process' to create a work environment that motivates
a workforce, plus the design of a peer recognition
programme, effective employee rewards and recognition
system, and career ladders for keeping the top performers
from leaving the corporations.
No More Monday Blues
While many employees always pray for "TGIF!" day to
get out of their boring workplace, talented workers
say "Thank God it's Monday!". These committed
staff members want jobs that are purposeful and personally
meaningful, and they expect more from their work and
treat it as a major part of their lives. During the
third plenary session, three senior HR professionals
- Mr. Syed Ali Abbas, HR director, Asia Pacific, AT&T;
Ms. Margaret Cheng, Head - Corporate HR, The Hong Kong
and China Gas Co Ltd.; and Ms. Jing Wang, General Manager
– HR, Shell Hong Kong Ltd. shared their diverse approaches
on how to make employees feel excited about Mondays.
According to these speakers, work, in fact, can still
be full of fun. Moreover, employees have come to expect
other returns on top of fair pay, such as challenging
and meaningful work, a chance to learn and grow, recognition
and respect for their efforts, good co-workers and
a good boss. One of the biggest challenges for HR professionals
today is creating highly engaged, energised and committed
employees who are prepared to stay and go that extra
mile. All this leads to higher productivity and greater
retention with lower turnover, which, in return, contributes
greatly to an organisation's overall success.
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