China Staff articles from December 2005

China Staff archives from December 2005

Maximising rotational assignments in Asia-Pacific: Maura Fallon explores one of the most pressing issues for organisations of all sizes operating in China and Asia-Pacific: how to quickly develop the new generation of leaders required in a fast-growing region.(Development Strategies)
December 1, 2005... Does your organisation need world-class professionals to fill key roles, only to find a shortage of people available with the right skills and experience? Do your managers need greater breadth of experience or more cross-border exposure? Does...

Value me or lose me: employees don't leave their jobs because they've been poached away. They leave because their old job exhausted them. Tess Lyons talks with DBM's Amanda Oldridge and learns that positive communication goes a long way in improving job satisfaction and making employees believe, "I doubt I would get treated better anywhere else.".(surveys of employee resignations)(Survey)
December 1, 2005... Five years ago, global human capital management services firm DMB commissioned a study on why employees leave their jobs. The survey was from a DBM report called "Holding onto your best assets--a report on retention". There were 123 respondents...

Flex on the rise as traditional fixed packages decline: flexible benefit plans, in which employees choose the type and level of benefits that best meet their needs, continue to grow in popularity in Hong Kong, according to new research from Black Mountain, a regional human resources services firm.(Compensation & Benefits)(Survey)
December 1, 2005... In in-depth interviews of approximately 50 HR managers of multinational and other organisations, Black Mountain found that approximately 24% of companies currently offer some type of flexibility in choosing benefits. This marks an increase of...

Salaries up for HR professionals as good times roll: the continued growth of the Hong Kong economy is creating excellent career opportunities for HR professionals, as Richard Letcher tells China Staff. With demand for high calibre candidates increasing and supply tightening, salaries have been increasing as a result, as evidenced in a recent salary survey produced by Profile Search & Selection.(Compensation & Benefits)(human resource)
December 1, 2005... Demand for HR professionals in Hong Kong started to pick up in March last year, as companies moved from survival mode into growth gear, and it has been gaining momentum ever since. Although the trend over recession-hit years was to replace...

Best practices in talent management: the second Hong Kong HR Council Pulse Survey completed in early December 2005 focused on collecting information around talent management practices--these included topics such as general recruitment practices, high potential treatment, and salary increase distribution, amongst others. China Staff brings you the report highlights and general trends in talent management within member organisations.(HR Trends)
December 1, 2005... Talent management having is having the right people, with the right skills, at the right place, at the right time. As part of this, one can clearly see the importance of recruitment. In ensuring that talent is appropriately developed and...

Culture club: every company has their own unique organisational culture. Positive or negative, organisational cultures reflect how things are done within the company. Tess Lyons talks about organisational culture with Strategic Thinking Group's Hong Kong Chairman James Haybyrne, and learns why company leaders need to be paying attention to theirs.(Organisational Culture)(James Haybyrne)(Strategic Thinking Group )(Interview)
December 1, 2005... When a new employee sits through their first day orientation session, they often hear about their new employer s corporate vision, mission, strategy and corporate values. Described another way, they learn about the company's ideal operating...

Are you managing the mental health needs of your employees? Across the globe, 450 million people are affected by mental health problems and the rising incidence of suicide is reaching a crisis point. Carole Goldsmith examines mental health and suicide across the Asia Pacific region, in particular, China and Japan, and reports on what some companies are doing to assist the mental health needs of their employees.(Occupational Safety & Health)
December 1, 2005... The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioural problems. Annually, around 873,000 people die by suicide. Most middle- and low-income countries allocate less than...

Employment contracts in an M&A situation.(Labour Law Forum)(mergers and acquisitions)
December 1, 2005... Q: We are located in the same area as many other foreign companies in Hebei Province. Management has just informed us (HR) that our company will be acquired by another foreign company. Many of our staff are concerned as they have not...

50% of migrant workforce not expected back after Lunar New Year.(methods of human resource management)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Hong Kong companies in the Pan-River Delta expect 50% of their migrant workforce will not return to Guangdong after spending the Lunar New Year in their home country, according to the Hong Kong Economic Times. To prevent the impact on the...

Anti-racism bill could hurt expat perks.(Hong Kong News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Top-dollar pay-and-perks packages handed to some Hong Kong expatriates could soon be a thing of the past when an antiracism, now being prepared by officials, will force companies to prove overseas hires have the expertise not available in Hong...

Better cover for HK workers in Macau considered.(Hong Kong News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Local building contractors will consider providing extra insurance cover for Hong Kong workers hired to work on Macau projects, reported the South China Morning Post. The group made the pledge following an incident involving the deaths of two...

Ageism leaves HK flight crew hapless.(Hong Kong News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Airlines are taking advantage of Hong Kong's lack of age discrimination laws to force flight attendants hired locally to retire up to 30 years earlier than their overseas colleagues, reported the South China Morning Post. Japan Airlines...

Macau's booming hotel industry seeks talents.(Hong Kong News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... With investments flooding into Macau, particularly the slew of hotel development projects, Macau is facing a dearth of hotel staff to fill its ranks. Currently there are only about 8,000 hotel workers in Macau and it is predicted the...

Textile retraining, talent scheme to start in May.(Hong Kong News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... The government will launch a retraining scheme for local garment workers and allow skilled staff to be brought in to help get the local textile and clothing industry back on its feet, according to a report in The Standard. The program,...

Unemployment among well-educated rising.(China News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... The urban unemployment rate among people who have received higher education has been rising, reported the Xin Hua News Agency, In Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, the total registered unemployment rate has risen to...

Hangzhou civil service a hotly contested profession.(China News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... The civil service has become the most popular profession in Hangzhou, reported China Daily, as the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province attracted some 365,000 for the national qualification exam in 2005. The civil service which came...

High-tech management in Dongguan receive 30% pay rise.(China News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... According to a recent survey, the salary level in Dongguan in 2005 has increased by 7% on average. Hong Kong Economic Times reported that the salary of middle-management in the high-tech sector has even risen by 30%. It is predicted that...

Beijing tracks urban unemployment at 2.21%.(China News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... The urban unemployment rate in Beijing City is estimated to be 2.21% in 2005, People's Daily Online quoted an official with the city's labour and social security authorities. At the end of 2005, employed people in Beijing reached 8.54 million...

Shanghai wants 10,000 more overseas talents.(China News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Shanghai plans to employ another 10,000 "overseas talented professionals" in the coming two years to boost its development, a local official was quoted as saying in the China Daily. The candidates are students from abroad with a bachelor's...

Urbanites expect pay rises in 2006.(China News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Employers, consider yourselves warned. Nearly half of urban Chinese employees expect promotion and pay rises or to change jobs in the new year, according to a recent survey. Of respondents between the ages of 18 and 60 in eight major...

Has your company already created policies/guidelines on Avian Influenza?(Data Page)(Survey)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Has your company already created policies/guidelines on Avian Influenza? Already created policies 25.40% Haven't but will soon 29.30% No...

The China Staff Labour Law Forum.(Data Page)
December 1, 2005... Unsure of how to apply the PRC labour law to practice for your company? Gain insight and clarity through the Labour Law Forum. If you have a question on PRC Employment Law that you wish to have answered by our legal experts, simply send them by...