Q: What are the New HR Roles as a strategic partner?

A: The New HR roles as a strategic partner are:
1.  Translate the strategies to objectives and action items at different levels
2. Align & Drive the organization around its strategies as a change agent
3. Motivate by making organizational success as everyone’s business
4. Mobilize the executive team as a coach
5. Govern the strategy by making it a continuous process and corporate culture.

To remain competitive in nowadays fast-moving business environment requires not only right strategies but also good execution.  An effective performance management tool can help organizations communicate corporate policies, clarify responsibilities of departments and transform strategic directives into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in different perspectives, which enables systematic assessment on corporate and departmental performance and initiation of improvement actions required to close the performance gaps.

Workshop Outline:
• Defining the Vision, Mission and Values, Long-term Goals and Business Strategies
• Cascading and Implementing the Business Strategies
• Striving for Performance Excellence
• Different Tools for Performance Management
• The 4 Perspectives of Performance Measurement and Their Causal Relationship
• Establishing the Annual Objectives, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Quantifiable Targets
• KPIs Examples for Different Departments in Manufacturing Industry
• Translating Objectives to Tangible Action Plan
• Cascading the Corporate Objectives down to Departmental and Individual Levels
• Clarifying Departmental Roles and Responsibilities
• Conducting Systematic Performance Assessment at Corporate and Departmental Levels
• Implementation Strategies for Performance Management
• Success Case of Performance Management
• Simulation Activities on KPI Development

Workshop Details:
Date: December 3, 2009 (Thursday)

To learn more on how HMI Consulting can help your company's management team to enhance corporate and departmental performance, please call (852) 3627 3673 or email to info@hmi.hk.

Economic Overview

In Hong Kong, the unemployment rate has declined for the first time since the global financial crisis hit Hong Kong last autumn, but economists do not expect the trend to continue. It fell to 5.3% for the months of July, August and September, 0.1 of a percentage point less than the rate in June, July and August, the Census and Statistics Department said. This is expected to ease the pressure on the unemployment rate in the near term. The number of unemployed fell by about 7,700 to 209,100, although 1,700 more people became underemployed, pushing that number to 89,900.year. [Source: SCMP (A2)/ The Standard (P1)/ HKEJ (P1)/ HKET (A4), 20 Oct 09]

Meanwhile, according to a pay survey conducted by the Hong Kong People Management Association and Hong Kong Baptist University's Centre for Human Resources Strategy and Development, employees found they offered an average pay rise of 0.4 - 0.7% this year, the lowest since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003.  But the 48 companies who provided data about pay adjustments for next year said that they would increase staff salaries by 1.2-1.3%. People working in non-governmental organizations expected the biggest pay rises next year, between 1.8% and 3.5%. The engineering industry had the lowest expectations for a rise, 0.5% to 0.8%, followed by the sales and marketing industry, 0.8%. The study found that the average starting salary for university graduates in Hong Kong this year was HK$10,380 a month, down from HK$10,839 last year. [Source: SCMP (A2)/ The Standard (P1)/ HKEJ (P10)/ HKET (A4), 20 Oct 09]

In China, manufacturing expanded in September as both output and employment gained strong impetus, a government index showed. The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said that the purchasing managers’ index rose to 54.3 from 54 in August. The reading was the best in 17 months and was the seventh straight month that it stayed above 50. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. The new export orders index reached a 16-month high at 53.5 while the employment index at 53.4, the best in 19 months. Of the 20 industries surveyed, manufacturers of tobacco products, beverages and processed foodstuffs were among the top performers. Raw material and energy providers fared relatively badly as they secured fewer new orders. [Source: The Standard (P11)/ Xinhuanet.com, 1 Oct 09)]

Under the uncertain economic conditions, companies remain conservative in their hiring plan. According to a survey conducted by Manpower Hong Kong, 11% of Hong Kong employers plan to increase headcount, 7% predict a decrease and 80% expect no change. The net employment outlook stands at +4%. This figure is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating total employment to increase, and subtracting from this the percentage expecting to see a decrease in employment at their location in the next quarter. Quarter-over-quarter, employers report slightly stronger hiring intentions, with an improvement of 4 percentage points. In terms of business sector, services and finance, insurance & real estate sectors are most eager to hire recruits. [Source: HKET (A6)/ manpower.com.hk, 9 Sep 09] 

Moreover, Chinese factories are racing to hire migrant workers laid off during the global crisis as they struggle to meet Christmas orders for Barbie dolls, iPods and designer jeans, analysts and observers said. The surge in demand has caused a labor shortage in some parts of the country as factories ramp up production, but does not necessarily mean that China’s key export sector is on the mend. The shortage is primarily due to a short-term misalignment of demand and supply due to a sudden upswing in demand probably fueled by the arrival of Christmas orders. In southern Guangdong Province, China’s manufacturing hub, factories are facing a serious labor shortage amid the flood of Christmas orders. The workforce shortage has forced factories in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, to offer free meals, air-conditioned dormitories and extra holidays to entice migrant staff, state media reported. Nearly 20 million migrant workers lost their jobs at the start of the year as factories closed or slashed production in response to plummeting export orders from key markets in Europe and the US.

The following summarized the recent actions taken by different organizations:

• British Airways to cut 1,700 jobs [Source: Channlenewsasia.com]
• Dell closing US plant, cutting 900 jobs [Source: Channelnewsasia.com]
• IT to create 21,000 new jobs in Hong Kong [Source: China Daily (H3), 16 Oct 09]
• ThyssenKrupp to slash up to 20,000 more jobs [Source: Channelnewsasia.com, 18 Oct 09]
• Caterpillar cuts 2,500 jobs, ends some layoffs [Source: Channelnewsasia.com, 27 Oct 09]
• New York Times to cut 100 newsroom jobs [Source: Channelnewsasia.com, 20 Oct 09]

Disclaimer: Should there be any different views in the interpretation, please always refer to the original media source as reference. HMI Consulting accepts no liability in respect of the accuracy and truthfulness of the materials included in this newsletter.