With Hong Kong’s business community poised to benefit from “golden opportunities” generated by China’s flagship “One Belt, One Road” initiative, which aims to stimulate trade and economic activity across more than 65 countries, a crucial question for employers is how to position and plan their talent management activities to reap the potential rewards.
At the One Belt, One Road Talent Management Conference, organised by Classified Post and which takes place today at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, leading human resources and employment experts will provide insights and tips on Belt and Road staffing needs, as well as other current headline talent management topics.
The Belt and Road initiative refers to the land-based “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the seagoing “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, which aims to spur economic and social development by fostering closer economic, trade and cultural co-operation. To date, according to figures published in Beijing, Chinese companies have built 56 economic and trade cooperation zones in 20 countries along the trading route, directly and indirectly creating about 180,000 new jobs.
Calling today’s HR conference “timely”, keynote speaker Alex Wong, chief executive officer of the Maritime Silk Road Society, says that while there has been a lot of piecemeal discussion about Belt and Road opportunities for Hong Kong, there has been little general overview. “We need to understand where our strengths lie, particularly with Hong Kong’s unique position nationally under the Belt and Road initiative and the special advantages accorded to it under ‘One Country, Two Systems’,” explains Wong.
He adds that HR professionals and those associated with Belt and Road talent management needs, and the Hong Kong workforce in general, should be aware that a new age has dawned. “Just over three years after the Belt and Road initiative was first announced, it has entered into the developmental and implementation phase, as exemplified by the recent Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held in Beijing,” Wong says. As well as Hong Kong’s strengths in professional services – which the business community is well aware of – it has “soft powers” in terms of cultural diversity, experience and know-how and familiarity with international business practice. These ensure Hong Kong’s workforce is uniquely placed to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Belt and Road initiative. “We just have to be aware of them,” stresses Wong.
Adding another dimension to the Belt and Road theme, a panel discussion will focus on “leveraging the Belt and Road initiative in workforce planning to the growth of the business”. The Conference will also feature an “embracing diversity and inclusion” keynote presentation by Doreen Lee, head of human resources at Thales (Hong Kong). Redefining employee benefits will be the topic of another keynote presentation delivered by Elaine Chan, chief health officer for Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong).
Meanwhile, taking note of the competitive talent acquisition environment, Kabir Julka, vice president, market human resources, Asia at American Express, says it has become imperative to find, grow and keep the right talent. “The war for talent has heated up, but at the same time, many companies are facing cost pressures and reviewing their structures to drive greater efficiency,” says Julka, who in his presentation will provide insights about the various ways American Express approaches its talent strategy and employee value proposition.
From a personal perspective, Julka says he is looking forward to the conference as it will give him an opportunity to discuss key trends in the industry and allow him to gain insights into what is working well for other companies and how American Express can leverage best practices.
As the concept of merit pay grows in popularity all over the world, including Hong Kong, keynote speaker, David DeGeest, assistant professor, department of management and marketing at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), will speak about PolyU projects that are investigating key unknowns about merit pay. “Merit pay is broadly defined as any kind of pay raise that is based on an employee’s performance,” says DeGeest. He explains that merit programmes typically include pay-for-performance, bonus programmes, gain-sharing or profit sharing. “My hope is that HR professionals will come out of this conference with unique insights about merit pay because the scientific literature about its benefits and drawbacks is rapidly changing and evolving,” says DeGeest.
Cecilia Kwok, business director of recruitment and education business at the South China Morning Post, notes that along with the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in held in May, Classified Post believes now is the perfect time to organise the Belt and Road-themed HR Conference. “The conference is designed to provide insights to HR professionals to prepare review and develop their talent management strategies to fit in the new initiative and to grow their businesses,” Kwok says.
Because an organisation’s growth and advancement depends largely on its talent pool, the conference is the ideal platform to explain how the suite of cost-effective screening and ability assessment tools offered by Classified Post can help employers conduct their talent recruitment and management more effectively. Classified Post also offers a full suite of training, addressing various levels of seniority. “Top picks of our training include customer service training, career development, coaching and mentoring skills for managers, media communication skills, business presentation and digital awareness,” explains Kwok.
As the first recruitment digital platform in Hong Kong to make use of predictive analytics to proactively connect jobseekers with suitable employers, Guy Cheung, South China Morning Post trade marketing manager, digital recruitment business, says the cpjobs.com website enables users to accurately access information in just a few clicks. “Essentially, this means we proactively match-make, in real time, every time a jobseeker goes onto any cpjobs.com platform: desktop, mobile app, mobile site and tablets,” Cheung says. Employers also benefit from increased exposure as their job ads are proactively but selectively shown to the best matched candidates.
During a presentation at the HR Conference, Cheung says participants will be able to discover how predictive analytics allows cpjobs.com to individually tailor job recommendations to members – with the added advantage of channelling job opportunities to reach passive jobseekers. This makes it a vital tool for employers and jobseekers alike, ensuring that businesses can connect with a reliable stream of talent.
Conference Rundown
Talent Management and “One Belt, One Road”: New Science about Merit Pay
Dr DAVID DeGEEST
Assistant Professor,
Management and Marketing,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Embracing Diversity + Inclusion
DOREEN LEE
Head of Human Resources
Thales (Hong Kong)
Redefining Employee Benefits
ELAINE CHAN
Chief Health Officer
Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong)
Building a World Class Talent Management Organisation
KABIR JULKA
Vice-president, Market Human Resources Asia
American Express
Panel Discussion
Leveraging the Belt and Road initiative in Workforce Planning to growth of the Business
DAVID DeGEEST, KABIR JULKA, ALEX WONG
Moderator: GINN FUNG, editor, Classified Post
Crème of the Crop: Assessment Tools to Serve
CECILIA KWOK
Business Director, Recruitment Business
South China Morning Post
Belt & Road – Challenges and Opportunities for the Hong Kong Workforce
ALEX WONG
Chief Executive Officer
Maritime Silk Road Society
This article appeared in the Classified Post print edition as Grasping Opportunities.
