China Staff articles from May 2003

China Staff archives from May 2003

The mounting cost of SARS in the workplace: the outbreak of SARS has created some of the biggest challenges the region's HR professionals have ever faced. While organisations in China and Hong Kong may have overcome the shock at how fierce the SARS epidemic has been, coping with the fallout is still a massive concern. China STAFF examines some of the issues.
May 1, 2003... Not so long ago, corporate life in Greater China was looking good for 2003. China was continuing its rapid growth and driving the economy across the whole of Asia. Hong Kong was looking optimistically at coming out of a recession and...

How risky will your next hire be? How much do you really know about the person you're about to hire? Effective screening is one way to minimise the risk. Bina Jang of Hill & Associates discusses the key elements of effective pre-employment screening programmes.
May 1, 2003... * For nine years, the senior vice-president's engineering degree had stood him in good stead with the company. Until a background check was run on him, and his resume was found to be pure fabrication. The executive was handed a termination...

Cost of living differences: reality or perception? For HR professionals dealing with the remuneration of international assignees, an understanding of the cost of living issues is critical. Mario Ferraro from PricewaterhouseCoopers explains the factors that influence cost of living differences and the issues HR professionals will need to consider.
May 1, 2003... Anybody who has ever been on holiday abroad would have pulled out a calculator at some point, to compare prices between the holiday destination and home. Not many people know, however, that this apparently simple comparative process is at the...

The pieces of the performance management puzzle in China start to fit together: corporate investment in performance management in China is becoming more apparent. But how effective has this investment been so far? China STAFF looks at the results of a recent survey of performance management practices in the PRC.
May 1, 2003... In the US, Europe and other parts of Asia, performance management has long been recognised as a critical tool for driving strong business results. The implementation of performance management systems in China, however, is still lagging behind...

Legal briefing: legal briefing this month summarizes many of the legal issues that could affect businesses in connection with the outbreak of communicable diseases in China.
May 1, 2003... Ramifications for Businesses Under the Communicable Diseases Law Pursuant to an 8 April 2003 notice of the PRC Ministry of Health (MOH Notice), SARS has been classified as a "communicable disease" under the PR C Law on the Prevention and...

SARS practices and outlook--Hewitt Associates and AmCham Shanghai Joint Survey Findings in Shanghai. (Data Page).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... SARS Practices and Outlook-- Hewitt Associates and AmCham Shanghai Joint Survey Findings in Shanghai Office Prevention Measures as surveyed 18 April 2003 Temporary office closure 8 for a short time Voluntary mask wearing ...

SARS takes its toll as unemployment climbs higher. (Hong Kong News).
May 1, 2003... In news that should come as no surprise, the impact of SARS has seen a noticeable increase in the latest unemployment rate in Hong Kong. According to the latest labour force statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department, the...

Take-up rate on civil service retirement scheme lower than expected. (Hong Kong News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The recently announced civil service retirement scheme, which was designed to encourage government workers to take voluntary retirement as a way of cutting costs, has attracted less than the intended number of takers, according to a report in...

Changes to compensation legislation approved by LegCo. (Hong Kong News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Legislative Council recently passed resolutions under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance (ECO) and Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance (PCO) respectively to revise the levels of medical expenses under the two ordinances. Under...

Lack of depth in manufacturing skills a cause for concern. (China News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... An insufficient number of skilled workers in China will make it more difficult for the nation's manufacturers to produce high-quality products, according to a report in China Business Weekly. The report gave details of an investigation...

Highly skilled workers from HK and Taiwan given easier access to Beijing. (China News).(Hong Kong workers, China)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... New regulations in China have made it easier for highly skilled technical and managerial staff from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to take up posts in Beijing. The move signals an even greater integration between employees and businesses in the...

Authorities legislate to improve workplace safety. (China News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Health and safety in the workplace has been given a boost following a set of new rules issued by the State Council recently. Under the Regulation on Workplace Injuries, which will come into effect at the beginning of next year, employers...