China Staff articles from June 2003

China Staff archives from June 2003

Life after SARS: the legal issues for Hong Kong's employers and the case for reform.(disease)
June 1, 2003... The outbreak of SARS has highlighted some of the deficiencies in Hong Kong's employment laws. The lessons learned from the experiences within Hong Kong workplaces underscores the need to consider legislative reform. We have spent many...

The SARS scorecard: how did companies in the region deal with a crisis?(Asia, survey)
June 1, 2003... As SARS comes under control across Asia, a clearer picture is emerging of how companies in the region have been dealing with the crisis in their workplace. A recent survey has shed further light on how SARS was managed at the micro level. China...

Do your managers need to be practical psychologist? Traditional forms of recruiting tend to focus on hard skills. With a heavier emphasis now being placed on recruiting for behavioural traits, every manager, not just the HR department, needs to understand the psychology of their employees.
June 1, 2003... "Our Human Capital is our most valuable asset!" proclaims the Annual Report, devoting considerable space to explaining how a company's employees are motivated and creative people, and including large photographs of some of their staff....

Training China's skilled workforce for future success: while cheap labour may be China's competitive advantage at the moment, it is knowledge workers who will determine China's future success. Pasi Raatikainen examines some of the training and development issues facing China's skilled workforce.
June 1, 2003... China is attracting more and more direct foreign investment. This economic activity is affecting the way local and global companies operate in the PRC. With capitalism and market-based reforms flourishing, the role played by training and...

The ethics and reality of genetic testing in Hong Kong's workplaces: the days of using genetic tests to screen current or potential employees are not as far away as some people may think. China STAFF looks at the complex issues associated with genetic testing in the workplace and the current gaps in the law.
June 1, 2003... With genetic testing becoming more affordable, more reliable, and easier to conduct, interest in its use is likely to increase. In the employment context, its use in Hong Kong has so far been very limited. In theory, it is possible for...

Unilateral change of employment terms. (Legal Briefing).(Hong Kong, employers)
June 1, 2003... As the economy remains sluggish, many employers in Hong Kong are exploring various cost-cutting measures which may include changes to the terms and conditions under which employees provide their service. A recent High Court decision (Lee Lai...

Challenging an unfair termination decision--how far can it go? (Legal Briefing).
June 1, 2003... An increasingly common occurrence in Hong Kong is employees trying to "extort" monetary compensation from their employer by claiming the employer had "ulterior ill motives" in terminating their employment General Remedies Available On...

Best employers: satisfaction and dissatisfaction in Hong Kong. (Data Page).(study)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... In early 2003, Hewitt Associates went searching for the Best Employers in Asia. In Hong Kong, 27 companies got involved in the study and 10 of these were chosen as Best Employers in Hong Kong. A closer look at these 10 companies revealed a...

Hong Kong salary index.(statistics; management, executives)
June 1, 2003... Hong Kong Salary Index INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY yr(s) = experience in IT MANAGEMENT/EXECUTIVE specific position Title (Field experience to 0-1 yr ...

Free trade accord set to bring relief to unemployment doom. (Hong Kong News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Business chiefs say the free-trade deal between Hong Kong and the mainland will create thousands of jobs for Hong Kong workers, with manufacturers moving production from the mainland back to Hong Kong, according to a recent report in the South...

Impact of SARS still being felt, as more companies introduce unpaid leave schemes. (Hong Kong News).(disease, Mass Transit Railway Corporation; Hong Kong)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) has become the latest Hong Kong employer to introduce an unpaid leave scheme to cope with the loss of business due to SARS. This follows the example of several other high profile companies, such as...

New award to recognise outstanding HR research. (Hong Kong News).(human resource management tools and practices, research competition)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... As part of its effort to develop new human resource management tools and practices for Asia, Mercer Human Resource Consulting has launched a competition for the best research on HR from the Asia region. US$10,000 in prize money will be given to...

Unemployment amongst graduates expected to be high. (China News).(SARS outbreak)
June 1, 2003... The outbreak of SARS will have a dramatic impact on the unemployment rate in China, according to experts. The China Daily has reported that predictions are being made that nearly half of China's university students will not find jobs after...

Rising labour costs in Shanghai. (China News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Results given by a survey conducted by the Shanghai Labour and Social Security Bureau show that the average labour costs in Shanghai increased by 15% last year. The average annual cost of a local employee was found to be Rmb44,512 (US$5,363) in...

Even with new law, workplace accident toll still high. (China News).(safety law)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Employers have been urged to abide by the new safety law in the wake of the latest workplace accident death toll, according to a China Daily report. A total of 48,504 employees perished in workplace accidents nationwide in the last five months,...

Leadership in times of a life-threatening crisis: the SARS crisis has made companies in Asia re-evaluate what they look for in their leaders. Compassion and courage are more crucial than ever in decision-making processes.(disease outbreak)
June 1, 2003... Unlike the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, the impact of SARS has been swift, immediate and life threatening. It attacks an organisation at its very core--its people. At a time when individual health, morale and welfare are weighing heavily...

HR professionals feel the pressure to compromise ethics: Despite reporting that they witness fewer incidents of workplace misconduct than five years ago, HR professionals are feeling more pressure to compromise their organisations' ethics standards, according to a survey by the US-based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (Global HR Briefing).(human resources, Business Ethics Survey )
June 1, 2003... SHRM and the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) jointly conducted the 2003 Business Ethics Survey as a follow-up to a similar study conducted in 1997. Among the issues the 462 respondents addressed were the roles of HR professionals in maintaining an...

When times are tough, the tough say "People First!" (Leaders Of The Month).(companies, welfare of employees; China and Hong Kong)
June 1, 2003... Because its headquarters is in Guangzhou, the origin of SARS, it was extremely important that Procter & Gamble (P&G) acted with speed and resolve in protecting the welfare of its employees. What made the situation even more challenging was the...

True test of leadership is by example. (Leaders Of The Month).(companies, SARS disease outbreak)
June 1, 2003... Leadership by example is never more important as when a crisis makes a turn for the worst, such as what happened to Honeywell when one if its employees, who had developed SARS, eventually died from the disease. Given this scenario, one...

"Most admired company" to work for. (Leaders Of The Month).(corporate responsibility, Hong Kong)
June 1, 2003... Being a good corporate citizen Social responsibility is a relatively unpopular--if not boring--topic when discussing leadership principles espoused by companies. Many approach it with a neutral attitude, associating it with token...

Was SARS managed well by Asia's HR leaders? A US perspective: the recent SARS crisis in Asia and around the world has really highlighted the true essence of leadership. It has certainly cast a bright light on good leaders--as well as bad. (Room with a view).(human resources)
June 1, 2003... Similar to the aftermath of September 11, good leadership has led the way for thoughtful, measured responses to the SARS crisis. In organisations which are so blessed, their senior teams, whether in Asia or at a distant headquarters, have set a...

Career management data.(survey of company performance management practices; Asia)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Global HR Consulting Firm, Development Dimensions International (DDI) recently conducted a survey of the performance management practices of companies in China, Singapore and Malaysia. Below are two graphs that show comparisons of the current...