busInesses - sbf.org.sg Handbook on Inclu… · The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) Businesses and Unions Cluster seeks to build harmonious, inclusive and resilient workplaces

InclusIve PractIces For sustaInable busInesses

The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) Businesses

and Unions Cluster seeks to build harmonious, inclusive

and resilient workplaces. This is done through promoting

understanding, respect, and bonding to strengthen ties

between people of different races and religions.

communIty engagement Programme

InclusIve PractIces

for sustaInable

busInesses

forewordWorkplace diversity is vital as globalisation broadens Singapore’s demographic profile across nationalities, cultures and religions. Our progress depends very much on how we embrace multi-racialism. The MOM Community Engagement Programme (CEP) unit was set up in 2006 to promote harmony and cohesiveness at workplaces. Its strategic thrusts include working with its seven CEP partners representing the businesses and unions cluster to raise awareness and enhance capabilities and competencies of CEP at workplaces. Under this programme, numerous initiatives tailored to the needs of businesses in Singapore have been rolled out, including a one-day CEP Workshop for Employers and the incorporation of CEP content in the Basic Certificate in Industrial Relations (BCIR) programme organised by the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (OTCi).

To continually empower companies to achieve inclusiveness at workplaces, the CEP unit together with our partners has developed this book entitled ‘Inclusive Practices for Sustainable Businesses‘. We believe that this book will equip organisations with the skills to build socially resilient workplaces. This book contains tips on how to kick-start the process of inculcating CEP values in companies, case studies highlighting organisations which adopt cohesive practices and a HR self-diagnostic tool that helps businesses ascertain the degree of inclusiveness within the company. Through this book, we hope to influence business leaders and HR professionals to incorporate CEP values such as understanding, respect and inclusiveness in their HR programmes and policies.

I would like to thank everyone who had provided their time and thoughts for this book and also to our partners and business organisations who are willing to work closely with us on our journey toward sustaining longstanding communal harmony at all workplaces in Singapore.

“Embracing racial harmony is integral to Singapore’s progress. It is imperative that businesses instil the right values to promote inclusiveness and communal harmony at workplaces.”

Dr Amy KhorSenior Minister of State for Manpower and Health; Chairperson of the Tripartite Panel on Community Engagement at Workplaces

CEP FRAMEWORK

WO

RKFO

RCE

PLAN

NING •

INDUCTION

HIR

E

RECOGNITION • EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

RETAIN

TRAINING • CAREER MANAGEM

ENT

DEVELOP

CEPVALUES

LEADERSHIP

INDIVIDUAL

COM

MU

NIC

ATIO

NC

OM

MU

NIC

AT

ION

COMMUNICATION

abstract

Employers and HR professionals in Singapore today manage an increasingly diverse workforce, brought about by globalisation and greater mobility in the talent marketplace. In this competitive landscape, inclusive practices have become crucial to integrating the diverse talents who must come together despite differences in a broad category of attributes such as race, religion, culture and age. Critical elements such as a deeper appreciation of, and sensitivity to employees’ culture, combined with values such as respect and trust embedded within an organisation, help to create an environment that leverages on the company’s inherent diversity to propel the organisation forward.

This resource seeks to provide both business leaders and Hr professionals with tips, key considerations and helpful tools during implementation of inclusive practices. To initiate this process, a Community Engagement Programme (CEP) Values framework for the workplace has been developed (as shown on the left).

This framework identifies the key elements to laying a strong foundation for inclusive practices: ceP values, leadership, Individuals and communication. This resource contains dedicated write-ups on each element with case examples elaborating progressive practices.

Building on this foundation, the framework also mimics the employee lifecycle:

Hire, Develop, retain, and provides insight and examples of good inclusive practices within each chapter.

This resource also aims to complement the first CEP guidebook published in 20111 by focusing on the practical considerations when implementing HR programmes and policies with CEP values. In addition, the following tools are included:

• Case studies and examples featuring how companies have adopted such practices are included to provide deeper understanding.

• A section on ‘Tips to Start You Off’ has been provided at the end of the chapters ‘Hire’, ‘Develop’ and ‘Retain’. This list consists of a selection of possible activities that HR and business leaders may implement immediately to kick-start the process and achieve ‘quick-wins’.

• A HR self-diagnostic tool that provides insight to the level of inclusiveness within the organisation so as to identify priority areas for attention. This may be found in Chapter 6, ‘Resources’.

For more information on CEP values and the necessary points of contact when managing crises, please refer to the CEP Implementation Guide for Employers. The guide is available for download at www.mom.gov.sg/cep within the ‘Resources’ section.

1 Community Engagement Programme: Implementation Guide for Employers, available at http://www.mom.gov.sg/Documents/employment-practices/Community%20Engagement%20@%20Workplaces/CEP%20Implementation%20Guide%20for%20Employers.pdf

abstract

Overview

1.1. Aim of This Resource 9

1.2. The Global Landscape 9

1.3. Singapore’s Multi-Faceted Context 12

1.4. Business Case for an Inclusive 14 Workplace

CEP Framework for Inclusive Workplaces

2.1. Introduction 17

2.2. Laying the Foundation 18

2.3. CEP Values 18

2.4. Leadership Endorsement 19

2.4.1. Case Study – Sakae Sushi 20

2.5. Individual Responsibility 22

2.5.1. Individual Stories 22

2.6. Communication 24

2.7. Tips to Start You Off! 26

contents 1

2

Hire


3.2. Implementation Considerations 32

3.2.1. Workforce Planning 32

3.2.2. Induction 36

3.3. Case Study – Han’s 38


3.5. Quick Links to Resources 41

Develop



4.2.1. Training 44

4.2.2. Social Media Case Study 47

4.2.3. Career Management 51

4.3. Case Study – ComfortDelGro 54



3

4

Retain



5.2.1. Recognition 60

5.2.2. Employee Engagement 62

5.3. Case Study – Shell 66



Resources

6.1. HR Self-Diagnostic Tool 71

6.2. Other Relevant Toolkits 78

6.3. Additional Resources / Contacts 80

Acknowledgements

6

7

5

RespectUnderstandingInclusivenessCooperationHarmonyTrust

Resilience

CEP VALUES

1. overview

1.1.Aim of This Resource

With a business landscape that is heavily influenced by global trends, and a talent market characterised by various forms of diversity, organisations need to place greater emphasis on preserving the harmony that currently exists within the workplace through inclusive practices. Past events have shed light on the need for a delicate balance in our social fabric and the importance of reinforcing multi-racialism as a fundamental pillar of the nation. As a result, both business leaders and HR practitioners have critical roles in ensuring that Community Engagement Programme2 (CEP) values can be successfully embedded within an organisation. This resource thus aims to provide business leaders and HR practitioners with tools and techniques on how CEP values may be promoted at the workplace.

This resource includes case studies and examples on how companies have adopted inclusive practices so as to aid readers in gaining a deeper understanding of the subject matter. In addition, a HR self-diagnostic tool has been included to assist HR and business leaders in assessing the current level of inclusiveness within the organisation. Through the self-diagnostic exercise, readers may identify specific areas for further development, and refer to the relevant sections within this resource for implementation considerations and tips on kick-starting the process.

The HR self-diagnostic tool may be found in Chapter 6, ‘Resources’. The lists of activities within ‘Tips to Start You Off’ may be found at the end of Chapters 3 to 5 (Hire, Develop and Retain).

1.2.The Global Landscape

The concept of ‘Workplace Diversity’ has become increasingly prevalent in organisations all around the world. Workplace diversity refers to the variety of experiences and perspectives arising from differences in a broad category of attributes such as race, religion, age and gender. It is essential to be aware of the other characteristics which contribute to workplace diversity that may not be directly apparent to individuals, such as the attributes illustrated ‘below-the-water’ in the ‘Diversity Iceberg Model3’ on the next page.

Inclusive practices refer to the policies, processes and programmes in place that help to nurture acceptance, respect and understanding amongst employees so that a harmonious workplace environment can be cultivated.

2 The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) seeks to strengthen the understanding and ties between people of different races and religions, for socially harmonious and resilient workplaces. For more information on CEP, visit www.mom.gov.sg/cep.

3 Developed by KPMG

9

overvIeW

AGE

Nationality

Sexual Orientation

Professional Experience

Background

Working Patterns

Skills

CultureSocial Class

Lang

uage

Per

sona

lity

Trai

ts

Spec

ialis

atio

n

Beliefs

Values

GENDER

RELIGION

RACE

PHYSIQUE

VISIBLE

INVISIBLE

• Beyond the visible attributes, attributes that may not be immediately apparent to us also contribute to workplace diversity.

• Individuals need to invest time and effort to get to know one another, to genuinely appreciate diversity at the workplace and to form harmonious workplace relationships.

“At Facebook, we value diversity on an individual level. We’re dedicated to creating an environment where people can be their authentic selves and share their own diverse backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and ideas4.”

FACEBOOK

Diversity Iceberg

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME

In recent years, diversity within organisations has become an agenda in most boardroom discussions. Multi-national organisations have been the front-runner as the global nature of their businesses has necessitated greater emphasis on inclusive practices due to the presence of diversity in employee demographics. Examples include VMware5, Facebook and Google, which have been known to proactively recruit talents from diverse backgrounds to help create and innovate their products and services.

With the broadening search for talent in today’s borderless marketplace, multi-national and multi-generational workforces are becoming increasingly common. Consequently, this has led to the transformation of companies into a melting-pot of expertise and experiences, which can be optimised to multiply the knowledge within the organisation.

Embracing Inclusive Practices

To maximise the collective knowledge and experiences of the workforce, organisations have begun investing efforts in inclusive practices. For instance, in embracing different religious needs, many organisations have dedicated areas where employees may conduct their religious practices within the workplace7.

Thomson Reuters and CenturyLink8 are examples of such companies, where employees may request for changes in the workplace on grounds of ethnic considerations.

“We want all Googlers to love coming to work every day, not just for their projects and the great perks, but for the inclusive culture that offers them the opportunity to excel professionally and bring their whole selves to work. In all of our 60 offices around the world, we are committed to cultivating a work environment where Googlers can feel free to be themselves and thrive.6”

GooGle

At Thomson Reuters, the goal to ‘foster an inclusive workplace’9 is not only achieved through a series of strategic means, but also by articulating this in the company’s code of conduct and ethics: ‘Thomson Reuters is also committed to reasonably accommodating employees’ sincerely held religious practices. For purposes of this policy, a ‘reasonable accommodation’ is a modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things usually are done that does not pose an undue hardship to Thomson Reuters. If you believe you […] need a religious accommodation, you should contact your Human Resources department or manager to request an accommodation. Thomson Reuters will work with you to identify any reasonable accommodations.10‘

4 https://www.facebook.com/careers/ 5 http://www.vmware.com/ap/company/careers/people-at-vmware.html6 http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//diversity/pdf/Google-Diversity-and-Inclusion-2011-Annual-

Report.pdf 7 Webley, S. (2011) Religious Practices in the Workplace, Institute of Business Ethics Occasional Paper 38 CenturyLink is an American multinational communications company providing communications and data services to residential,

business, governmental and wholesale customers. For more information, please refer to www.centurylink.com 9 http://thomsonreuters.com/corporate/about-us/diversity-inclusion/power-of-us.pdf10 Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Thomson Reuters, 2008

11

overvIeW

1.3.Singapore’s Multi-Faceted Context

Singapore has long been recognised around the world as a multi-racial and multi-religious society, as demonstrated by its ethnic11 and religious composition12 shown above.

Today, the challenge of managing a diverse workforce is also amplified for businesses operating locally due to Singapore’s multi-generational workforce brought about by its ageing population13, as shown in the graph on the facing page. As a result, the impetus to create an inclusive work environment has become increasingly crucial.

Sustained efforts at preserving harmony between the different races and religions have created a nation that is keenly considerate and appreciative of the cultural

11 Population Trends 2013: A study by Department of Statistics Singapore12 Managing social cultural and religious pluralism and diversity – the Singapore experience, 201013 MOM Labour Force Report 201214 This study was conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies and OnePeople.Sg. The study gathered 3,128 response from a sample

size of 5,000 randomly selected households, with a representation mirroring that of national demographics. More information can be obtained at: http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/08/Forum-Indicators-of-Racial-and-Religious_110913_slides.pdf

differences in today’s society, as evidenced in a national study14 where: • Nearly 70% of respondents indicated

that a person’s race does not affect the approach in which they would interact with the person.

• Less than 10% of respondents from a minority group felt that they were treated worse than other races in the use of public services.

The success of Singapore in embracing its multi-racial and multi-religious demographic make-up has not only contributed to a strong social fabric and harmonious society, but also the attraction of overseas investors. For

Ethnic Composition

Chinese Malays Indians Others

Religious Composition

Buddhist/Taoist Muslim Hindu

Christian Free-thinker

46%

14%7%

17%

16%

74%

14%

9%

3%


12

15–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65–69 70 & Over

2002 1.5 8.0 12.6 14.3 15.4 15.1 13.2 10.2 5.3 2.7 1.1 0.7

2012 1.6 8.1 9.6 11.6 12.6 12.5 12.7 11.8 9.3 6.0 2.5 1.6

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

% Median Age in 201242 Years

Median Age in 200239 Years

2012

2012

instance, multi-national organisations, such as Lucasfilm, are beginning to recognise Singapore for its diverse workforce and have since set up operations locally. In January 2014, the American digital animation studio officially launched its regional headquarters in Singapore, and began collaborating with local schools to groom budding artists15.

While past efforts have succeeded in creating social harmony, these successes cannot be taken for granted. In fact, findings from various studies have indicated the need to further strengthen social bonds. A recent study16 highlighted that:

• Singaporeans were found to be more comfortable with people from other races and religions in public, rather than in private settings.

15 George Lucas unleashes ‘Sandcrawler’ in Singapore: http://www.cnbc.com/id/10134004016 Presentation by Mathew Mathews at IPS-OnePeople.sg Forum on Indicators of Racial and Religious Harmony, Singapore, 11 Sep 2013.

Refer to footnote 14 for more details.17 This report by Suara Musyawarah released in 2013 involved meeting over 500 individuals as well as representatives of groups and

organisations from the Malay/Muslim community over 35 focus group discussions. Feedback was also gathered through media outreach and online discussions. More information can be obtained from: http://suaramusyawarah.com/musyawarah-report/

• About 50% of respondents were interested in understanding other people’s customs and 55% of respondents were interested in meeting people of other races and religions.

Another report17 released in July 2013 also indicated that:

• Perceived discrimination at the workplace is still present amongst minority racial groups. While 70% of respondents agreed that race and religious affiliations should be disregarded when assessing a person for work, the perceived level of discrimination amongst minorities were found to be highest when looking for work and seeking promotion.

Age of Singapore’s Workforce

13

overvIeW

• Concerns that the Malay/Muslim community is not fully accepted as an equal and integral part of the society as stereotypes from the community continue to exist.

• With the Malay/Muslim community making up the second largest ethnic group and third largest religious group within Singapore, it is critical that such sentiments are not manifested within the organisational workforce. Beyond affecting the level of inclusiveness and quality of collaboration, the presence of such concerns and discrimination can also result in a less favourable corporate brand perception by talents in the marketplace.

1.4.Business Case for an Inclusive Workplace

Inclusive practices ought to be viewed as a business imperative and strategic response to diversity. Failure to effectively manage racial and religious diversity at the workplace may increase workplace conflicts and result in a disengaged workforce and reduced productivity. Academic research and studies have indicated that an inclusive workplace leads to the following benefits:

• Increased Profitability: Organisations with an inclusive and harmonious workplace have been found to perform better. Studies on the FTSE 10018 organisations have also found a positive relationship between the appointments of directors from minority ethnic backgrounds and the total value of the organisational stock price19. At IBM, employee resource groups are created where IBM employees voluntarily come together with the ultimate goal of enhancing the success of IBM’s business and people, by helping fellow IBMers succeed. Another study has also correlated ethnic diversity with an increase in return on equity for banks with a focus on innovation20.

• Increased employer branding and access to talents: Developing a strong corporate brand across ethnic groups as a fair and representative employer will enable organisations to attract the best applicant from a wider pool of talent.

• Increased creativity: Creating an inclusive workplace enables inherent differences in perspectives and experiences present in a diverse workforce to be harnessed. This will decrease emphasis on ‘old ways of working’ and can hence result in increased creativity. For example, Hewlett-Packard was found to have intentionally assembled a team of engineers from four different countries to leverage on the different backgrounds to enhance creativity and innovation, when developing the latex printing technology – an environment friendly solution that provides durable sharp, clear image quality21.

18 FTSE 100 refers to the 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange with the highest market capitalisation 19 Singh, V. (2007), “Ethnic diversity on top corporate boards: a resource dependency perspective”, International Journal of

Human Resource Management, Vol. 18, No. 12; pp. 2128–2146.20 Richard, O., McMillan, A., Chadwick, K. and Dwyer, S. (2003), “Employing an innovation strategy in racially diverse workforces”,

Group and Organization Management, Vol. 28, No. 1; pp 107–126.21 Continuing the Diversity Journey. Business Practices, Perspectives and Benefits. European Commission (2008)

Mr. tham Poh cheongsecretary-Generalsingapore chinese chamber of commerce and Industry (scccI)

“The challenge is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. We need to consider what makes the Singapore context different.”


14

22 ANZ (2014) retrieved from: http://www.anz.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/framework/diversity-inclusion/23 CISCO, Diversity Best Practices / Global Diversity Primer,

http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac49/ac55/docs/Global_Diversity_Primer_Cisco_Chapter.pdf24 Thomson Reuters, ‘The Power of Us’: http://thomsonreuters.com/corporate/about-us/diversity-inclusion/power-of-us-2014.pdf

• Increased customer alignment and loyalty: An inclusive workplace with employees from cultural backgrounds reflective of the consumer profile and business markets of the organisation, will allow products and services offered to be tailored according to customer needs and demands. For example, the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) Bank emphasises building a culturally diverse and inclusive workforce to enhance the understanding of new markets, needs and expectations of customers within the Asia Pacific region22.

A study has indicated that companies that are seen to embrace diversity and inclusiveness have higher customer loyalty23.

To garner organisational support for diversity and inclusiveness practices, some companies have also articulated these benefits on their websites and diversity publications. One such example is Thomson Reuters, which has done this by creating a diversity brochure available for all on its website24. Those benefits are shown below.

“IBM thinks about diversity the way we think about innovation – both are essential to the success of our business. When we innovate, technology becomes smarter for clients and creates new opportunities for growth. When we incorporate diversity into our business, we create better innovations and outcomes. IBM has embraced diversity and it gives opportunities for IBMers and our clients to achieve their full potential.”

Virginia M. RomettyChairman, President and Chief Executive OffIcerIBM

Information extracted from Thomson Reuters’ ‘The Power of Us’24.

Companies with the highest rate of racial diversity brought in nearly 15 times more sales

revenue on average than those with the lowest levels.

Inclusion is a key driver of engagement and companies with

the most engaged employees outperform others by 19% in annual

operating income and 28% in Earnings per share.

Diversity can increase economic performance by as much as

2.2 times for pro�tability and2 times stock valuation.

Companies ranking in the top quartile of executive-board

diversity outperform the bottom quartile by more than 53% in

return on equity.

Companies that are seen to embrace diversity and inclusion have higher customer loyalty.

Gender diversity accounted for an increase of $599.1 million in

sales revenue on average.

15

overvIeW

CEP FRAMEWORK

2. ceP framework for Inclusive Workplaces

2.1. Introduction

In preparing this resource, the CEP team embarked on a series of engagements with leaders from various Multi-National Corporations (MNCs), Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and representatives from the CEP Businesses and Unions Cluster, to understand the challenges faced when building an inclusive workplace and identify progressive practices that others can learn from. Emerging from these engagements is a CEP Values framework that serves to guide readers in identifying the key business and HR elements that are critical to embedding inclusive practices within an organisation:

•ceP values: CEP values are central to the framework as adoption of these values within an organisation’s policies, processes and programmes contribute to a harmonious and inclusive workplace.

• leadership: This refers to the individual, or group of individuals making up the senior management team. Key decision-makers such as the CEO play a critical role in communicating and spearheading HR initiatives in an organisation.

• Individual: Every employee has a personal responsibility and part to play in accepting and propagating these values across the organisation.

• communication: Regular and two-way communication enables decision-makers to have their finger on the organisational pulse at all times, which will allow greater

preparedness of the organisation in dealing with potential challenges.

With these key enablers, HR, the management team and managers can work together to augment relevant processes and design new programmes for the purpose of fostering an inclusive and harmonious workplace. By adopting a structure similar to that of the employee lifecycle, the CEP framework ensures that both current and future employees can benefit. This begins with:

• Hire, which covers key considerations during strategic workforce planning and induction.

• Develop, which elaborates how career management and training can be augmented to encourage CEP values within the organisation.

• retain, which highlights the different approaches to employee engagement and the design of recognition schemes and/or programmes for a diverse workforce.

WO

RKFO

RCE

PLAN

NING •

INDUCTION

HIR

ERECOGNITION • EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

RETAIN


ENT

DEVELOP

CEPVALUES

LEADERSHIP

INDIVIDUAL

COM

MU

NIC

ATIO

N

CO

MM

UN

ICAT

ION

COMMUNICATION

17

ceP fraMeWork for InclusIve WorkPlaces

25 http://www.singaporeunited.sg/cep/index.php/News-Room/Strong-social-ties-in-Singapore-new-book-shows

2.2.Laying the Foundation

Before delving into the HR elements of the framework, it is necessary to ensure that the core elements – ceP values, leadership endorsement, Individual responsibility and communication are present to create a strong foundation for inclusiveness within the organisation. These elements need to be in place for effective HR initiatives to take root within the organisation.

The CEP values help to align employees with a common set of principles, while participation from individuals and support from the leadership will help to ensure that inclusive practices are adopted. Lastly, regular communication will enable continual customisation of future inclusive practices and to ensure sustainability of the inclusive practices implemented.

2.3. CEP Values

“The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) is about building social resilience and strengthening communal harmony… Nurturing social resilience and communal harmony is an ongoing process, whose work

can never be completed.” – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Mr. Teo Chee Hean, 29 October 201125.

The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) articulates a list of values that organisations can adopt to work in tandem with the culture of the organisation and its processes and programmes. These values include the following:

•Trust • Respect • Inclusiveness • Harmony • Understanding • Resilience • Cooperation

As exemplified in the table on the right, it is no surprise that many of these values are similar to those found in most organisations. Therefore, dedicating resources to reinforce such values amongst employees will benefit organisations by providing them with the opportunity to strengthen their employer branding and corporate identity while creating a harmonious, resilient and peaceful workplace.

Mr. Victor TayChief Operating OFFICERSingapore Business Federation (SBF)

“Singapore is a country of multi-ethnicity. Given the economic backdrop of a tight labour market and greater influx of workforce from diversified countries, CEP has increasingly become an important engagement approach for companies to ensure business continuity and resilience.”


18

The following sections will provide HR and business leaders with greater insight on how efforts can be increased within the areas of: Leadership & Culture, Communication, Hire, Develop and Retain so that appropriate programmes and key considerations when implementing programmes and/or policies can be designed and developed.

2.4. Leadership Endorsement

Embedding CEP values within an organisation begins with obtaining the support from leaders. At IBM, diversity and inclusion is not only made the responsibility of the HR department, but that of its leaders as well. For this reason, the CEO of IBM often communicates the company’s support for diversity and commitment to creating an inclusive workplace to her employees. Endorsement by senior management ensures that the processes augmented and programmes designed will be met with greater acceptance and continuity.

Leaders may choose to support the embedding of CEP values by formalising some of them as part of organisational values. For instance, CEP values such as trust and understanding differences have both been reflected as key principles essential to IBM. Coca-Cola’s ‘Global Mutual Respect Policy’, given to all employees and published on its website, clearly demonstrates its commitment to the value of respect:

Mr. kumaran barathanPast chief executive officer singapore Indian chamber of commerce and Industry (sIccI)

“The point we need to note is that organisations are part of the community, and hence must be responsible to the society. This is where CEP values become relevant and important.”

SHELL

Compassion

UnderstandingCOMFORTDELGRO

HAN’S

Respect For People

Respect

Respect

Openness

InclusivenessCare For Our Staff

Teamwork

Cooperation

Teamwork

Integrity

Trust

Integrity; Ethnics

Teamwork

Integrity; Honesty Professionalism

Value Creation

Resilience

Transparent

Harmony

Care For Our Staff

CEP VALUES

19


2.4.1. Case Study – Leadership Endorsement

‘In our Company and across our system, we are committed to ensuring that all people are treated with dignity and respect. … As an employee of The Coca-Cola Company, your cooperation and participation are essential in maintaining an environment that is conducive to productivity, growth and development. It is every employee’s responsibility to maintain a work environment that reflects mutual respect and is free from all discrimination and harassment26.’

Apart from institutionalising CEP values as part of the organisational values, leadership support can also be displayed in several ways, such as:

•Acting as ambassadors to promote inclusive practices by participating in workplace activities that are designed for such purposes. Members of the senior leadership team must ‘walk-the-talk’ by demonstrating their commitment in day-to-day behaviours and by taking on personal initiatives to create an open and inclusive workplace.

• Displaying commitment and accountability in building inclusiveness at the workplace by dedicating resources to take on such initiatives, and ensuring that processes and policies within the company reflect the organisational support for such values.

26 http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/global-mutual-respect-policy-english-pdf

sakAe sushi Background InformationFrom its humble beginnings as a single store at OUB centre in 1997, Sakae Sushi has grown to become a globally recognised brand today with more than 200 outlets around the world. Since its inception, Sakae Holdings Ltd has developed an outstanding portfolio of popular brands synonymous with quality dining – Sakae Sushi, Sakae Teppanyaki, Sakae Delivery and more. With a workforce mirroring that of Singapore’s demographics, the success of Sakae Sushi can be attributed to, amongst other factors, the active sponsorship of its founder Mr. Douglas Foo to build a nurturing and inclusive environment. These values and his passion for his employees echo through the organisation and is underpinned by the third pillar of Sakae Sushi’s organisational philosophy.

Organisational Philosophy27 Commitment to People: At Sakae, we recognise that People are our most critical assets. We value the contributions of our employees, and work tirelessly to ensure that our company grows hand in hand with the professional development and personal lives of our employees.

For Sakae Sushi’s complete organisational

philosophy, please refer to the link provided in

footnote 27.

Harmonious and Inclusive Practices – LeadershipOver the years, Mr. Foo has overcome an array of challenges, by investing heavily in employee training programmes, to successfully build up his business.


20

27 http://www.sakaeholdings.com/Pages/philosophy.html

He believes in ‘life-long learning’ and creating a work environment that supports its workers. The values of Respect, Magnanimity, Loyalty, Trust and Diligence, inculcated from his formative years, drive his work ethic.

Mr. Foo’s leadership has been integral in the building of an inclusive environment at Sakae Sushi. In supporting organisation-wide initiatives to achieve an inclusive environment, he expects managers to be accommodating and respectful of the different racial and religious needs and practices of its diverse workforce. Instead of instituting race-specific initiatives, the company has established general frameworks to guide the organisation in promoting respect and appreciation of culture. Mr Foo’s visible endorsement of organisational values

has, over time, resulted in a loyal employee following and a warm corporate culture.

The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was introduced several years ago to allow all employees to share their concerns and personal challenges anonymously. Through the EAP, employee concerns such as work stress, workplace harassment or bullying or perceived unfairness can be accurately identified and resolved.

These initiatives have led to outcomes synonymous with the significance of the singular colour (green) in its corporate logo – a homogenous and inclusive ‘family’. It is evident that, for Sakae Sushi, sponsorship from leaders in the programmes put forth plays a critical role in creating an inclusive and harmonious workplace.

CEO Mr Douglas Foo keeps his staff engaged through regular discussion sessions.

21


2.5. Individual Responsibility

Building an inclusive workplace environment does not begin and end with leaders. These values can only truly take root in an organisation when employees begin to accept and appreciate that no individual is inferior or superior as a result of their race or religion. Hence, action, borne out of a personal belief and desire to make a change, must also be initiated by the individual in order to create an inclusive and harmonious workplace. This stems from their personal experiences, upbringing as well as the social settings to which they have been exposed. Examples of ways in which an individual can initiate inclusive behaviours may include:

•Demonstrating understanding for one another. This can range from expressing interest in another’s culture, festivals and religious practices, to learning how to speak phrases of their dialect and/or language.

•Displaying care and concern for colleagues. With a workforce characterised by talents of different backgrounds, some individuals may find themselves struggling to seek comfort in their new ‘home’. Hence, a simple demonstration of concern may engender values such as trust and resilience amongst colleagues.

• Accommodating one another. Respect is a key lever in building a peaceful and harmonious workplace. Therefore, it is important that individuals are able to draw from their understanding of the different cultural practices to accommodate others where possible (e.g. festive seasons, religious prayers, fasting practices and periods for Catholics and Muslims etc.)

• Demonstrating sensitivity towards others. While each individual is entitled to his/her personal opinion, one should always be mindful of unintended undertones and nuances when communicating with others. By placing the community’s interests ahead of personal interests, tensions can be minimised. In addition, consideration towards one’s actions needs to be given to minimise the creation of inappropriateness or friction. For instance, the playing of religious songs or chants at one’s desk area where employees of other religious backgrounds are present should be avoided to demonstrate sensitivity to one another’s religious beliefs.

2.5.1. Individual Stories

Two personal stories on how individuals at the workplace have forged inter-racial workplace relationships are showcased. The first story highlights how two colleagues, Constance and Qamar, a Chinese and a Malay employee respectively, have grown closer to one another at their workplace, OnePeople.Sg. The second example describes a prominent national athlete of a mixed race (Chinese-Indian), and her experience of growing up and working in a diverse workforce.


22

Story 1. FORGING CLOSER TIES AT THE WORKPLACE

Our relationship as colleagues and as good friends developed very naturally. In fact I don’t recall making any special attempts because he is of a different race. The initial interactions were brought about by our common interests and work environment.

Our cultural differences were never a barrier to us forging a close friendship. Incidentally, Qamar and I are both dating someone of a different race. As I look back on my friendship with Qamar, I believe it became a lot stronger only after spending more time together and learning more about his culture and religious practices.

As Qamar is a Muslim, he performs the congregational prayer every Friday – as well as the obligatory prayers five times a day. As an Atheist, I was unable to understand why this was necessary. Qamar was patient in his explanation when I asked, and over time his sincerity toward his religion won me over.

This made it easier for me to accommodate his routine when we were involved in projects.

Looking back, I realised that I took diversity for granted when growing up in Singapore and I never really understood the differences amongst us. I became more keenly aware only through my interactions with my colleagues at work.

I now consider Qamar a close confidante; we have expanded our exchanges to topics outside of work. From this experience, I firmly believe that the first step to establishing a good workplace relationship is to demonstrate an interest in one’s colleagues as an individual.

This is far more enduring than any race or religion that is attached to a person. Only when we can see a person in this way can we forge a lasting friendship.

23


Story 2. FORmING INTER-RACIAL FRIENDSHIPS ORGANICALLY

Growing up in a city that is multi-cultural and multi-racial has allowed me to embrace and appreciate the diversity that is inherent in our society. At home, being exposed to different religious practices (my father is a Hindu while my mother is a Catholic) has also enabled me to respect the different religious practices and beliefs.

In addition, the celebration of different festivals and emphasis on the importance of racial harmony at school prepared me to adapt to the diverse workplace environment. Whenever I meet someone from a different country or background, I often explain why different festive holidays are celebrated in Singapore (e.g. Chinese New Year and Deepavali). Forging close relationships with my colleagues, both local and foreign, has taken place organically.

Getting to know one another should not be motivated by the fact that one is different in terms of race or culture, but simply because there is a genuine interest to get to know a person for who he or she is.

2.6. Communication

Apart from garnering support of the management team and employees, it is equally important to ensure that at each touch-point, these key stakeholders are kept engaged. This is achieved through regular, two-way communication.

•Key Touch-Points: The process of initiating, maintaining and improving communication is essential to creating an inclusive and harmonious workplace. To do so, key touch-points need to be identified. These can include:o Regular meetings with business leaders;o Orientation and induction of

new employees;o Career consultation sessions during

performance management;o Resolution of employee grievances;o Feedback gathering as part of

employee engagement.

• Senior management Communication: As mentioned in Section 2.3, leadership endorsement and communication of CEP values is key to embedding inclusive practices within an organisation. In addition, the senior management also act as cultural ambassadors of the organisation when spearheading new initiatives.

An example of leadership communication in encouraging employees to embrace the organisational values communicated and initiating personal interest towards his/her colleagues is highlighted in an excerpt (facing page) of ex-CEO of CapitaLand Mr. Liew Mun Leong’s Sunday email to his employees:


24

• middle management Communication: Middle management support is pivotal in propagating CEP values, as these individuals have direct contact with employees on the ground. They play a critical role in cascading these values by acting as role models for employees to emulate. Furthermore, the way in which teams and operational issues are managed will also influence the success of building an inclusive and harmonious workplace.

• Employee Communication: Lastly, obtaining feedback and opinions from all employees is important in understanding employee sentiments. This will help the HR department and leaders implement the necessary actions that will help to foster mutual appreciation of the different cultures that exist within the organisation.

In summary, leaders should be convinced of the need for embedding CEP values in the organisation’s culture, and set an example by visibly championing inclusive practices and communicating to employees the importance of values in the workplace and for the business. Each employee should also play his or her part by getting to know and appreciate colleagues and their cultures. Through regular and consistent two-way communication, all employees can be kept engaged, workplace culture is also sustained. Together, these elements form the foundation upon which inclusive practices can be built into the organisation.

“…Secondly, we must be passionate about the people we work with, how we see them as our talent, as our human capital and how we can grow with them. Many managers and leaders talk about people being their valuable assets. Frankly, I am disappointed that much of this is just lip service and empty slogans. We have to be concerned and caring towards the people in our organisation. Ultimately they are key to helping us achieve our goals. I strongly feel that if we have no passion for people, we can’t build the right team spirit to succeed.

Thirdly, we must have passion for the core value system which we believe in. Again there is no point in putting up beautiful statements all over the office about our core value system if we do not believe in, persevere and remain passionate about it. Unless we are true to our values, we will not have a strong moral compass to guide us to long-term success…”

Man is truly Great When He acts from Passion, 10 July 2011.

Mr. liew Mun leongEx-Chief Executive Officer CapitaLand

25


2.7. Tips to Start You Off!

Leadership & Culture

1) Encourage leaders/senior management to participate in corporate events/employee engagement activities. To display leadership support for employees and foster organisational unity, leaders and senior management should ensure that such events are organised regularly and actively participate in them. Active sponsorship of such events can be displayed by having leaders give speeches during such events, teaming leaders with employees during recreational activities and involving these individuals during employee training/briefings etc.

2) Actively involve leaders/senior management in making the workplace environment an inclusive one. Leaders/senior management should be actively involved in discussions on policy making, process reviews or programme implementations so that their full support can be garnered.

3) Encourage leaders/senior management to walk-the-talk and display active sponsorship for inclusive practices. To set an example for employees in embracing these values, leaders/senior management are encouraged to display these attributes in their daily interactions. For instance, retail chains and hotel groups often involve senior leaders in daily operational activities. A local retail chain involves its leaders on a monthly basis; leaders work alongside ground staff on stock taking tasks to render support.

Communication

1) Involve leaders/senior management regularly when communicating organisational values and support for diversity and inclusion. Organisational values should be conveyed to employees by the leaders/senior management to indicate the importance of these values. This could be done during employee events or business conferences on diversity to communicate the company’s support and commitment to diversity and inclusion.


26

2) Feature organisational values and diversity messages on the company’s internal and external communication channels. External channels refer to platforms for public access such as the organisational website, social media platforms, online publications etc. Internal channels may include organisational newsletters, company intranet and can extend to team briefings or lunches. Messages communicating the company’s values may also be included in the workplace surroundings, for example by featuring posters in meeting rooms or office corridors etc.

3) Actively gather and monitor feedback. managers are involved in this process, and should work with HR to determine the current sentiments within teams/departments. This may be done at regular intervals (e.g. monthly, bi-monthly etc.). Consider monitoring the online space, especially if the company is active on social media platforms. Discontent voiced by both employees and customers on such platforms ought to be investigated so that necessary actions can be taken. Interesting and engaging platforms can be considered so that employees may speak freely. For instance, ‘Breakfast/Kopi with the CEO’ or department level morning talks or ‘Chat with the CEO’ sessions can be arranged on a regular basis. Alternatively, online channels such as an ‘Ask-your-CEO-blog’ or an email account such as ‘[email protected]’ may be created.

Hire, Develop & Retain

The previous chapter explained how the foundation for creating an inclusive environment can be established through the support of leaders and individuals, and regular and consistent communication.

Once this foundation is in place, companies can invest their efforts in implementing HR programmes or augmenting current processes that help to increase inclusiveness and embed CEP values within the organisational culture. These can be done within the three key areas of the employee’s lifecycle which are shown in the CEP framework: 1) Hire; 2) Develop; and 3) Retain. Key considerations and tips for implementation within each area will be elaborated on in the following chapters.

27


3. Hire

3.1. Introduction

Creating a harmonious and inclusive workplace begins from the moment a new employee is hired and inducted into the organisation. This section seeks to cover the relevant HR practices that will help to create an inclusive workplace and encourage new employees to adopt both organisational and CEP values at the onset of their careers in the company. By doing so, not only are employees able to integrate easily into the organisation’s workforce and culture, the company can also reap the following benefits:

• Increased access to talent pools: With a recruitment and selection process that focuses on merit, companies can access additional pools of prospective candidates possessing the skills, experience and qualifications required for the role. Overemphasis on limiting factors such as ethnicity and religious beliefs or affiliations inadvertently narrows the talent pool available to organisations.

• Increased talent retention and employer branding: With the high demand for talent in today’s global and borderless employment market, companies are often faced with problems of talent retention. Hence, it is essential for organisations to build their reputation as fair and inclusive employers. The cultivation and display of fair employment practices will serve as an indicator to potential applicants and hence, such practices play a part in positioning organisations as employers of choice.

WO

RKFO

RCE

PLAN

NING •

INDUCTION

HIR

ECEP

VALUES

LEADERSHIP

INDIVIDUAL

CO

MM

UN

ICAT

ION

“With globalisation on the rise, Singaporeans need to learn how to embrace talent from around the world and to be more sensitive to cross-culture and cross-ethnicity issues.”

Mr. Ang YuitVice President, Membership & Training, Business Feedback GroupAssociation of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME)

In this section, key considerations when conducting strategic workforce planning and implementing induction programmes will be elaborated.

29

HIre

Merck a pharmaceutical and chemical company,

capitalises on its corporate culture and values by highlighting how they have contributed to the success of their company in their corporate video and brochure, ‘The Merck Way’. This gives potential candidates the opportunity to buy-in to the company’s culture even before joining the company:

“The way we do things at Merck… is supported by the willingness of our employees to achieve ambitious goals based on a clear strategy and an unmistakable set of corporate values. … These principles have created a culture in which every individual can make a difference. A culture that is based on both mutual respect and a strong sense of identification. This culture is both the foundation for our sustained economic success and the driver of necessary changes.

Cultural diversity: At home all over the world. Although our cultural roots are in Darmstadt, we are experienced in dealing with different cultures and know how to respect differences. In order for global cooperation to succeed, we have committed ourselves to a shared set of values that are binding on all employees. Without exception. They are the compass we use to steer our business and social actions in our dealings, both with customers and business partners, and in the way we work with each other:

•Courage opens the door to the future.

•Achievement makes our entrepreneurial success possible.

•Responsibility determines our entrepreneurial actions.

•Respect is the foundation of any partnership.

•Integrity ensures our credibility.

•Transparency makes mutual trust possible.

These values enable us to create an environment in which entrepreneurship can thrive. After all, the more solidly a company’s culture is based on shared values, the less central control it requires and the fewer bureaucratic processes get in the way. As much trust as possible, as much control as necessary. At the same time, we respect cultural diversity. We don’t see regional, culturally specific competencies as a deterrent to consistent structures, but rather as opportunities for entrepreneurial success.”

Excerpt taken from ‘The Merck Way’, available at: http://www.merckgroup.com/company.merck.de/en/images/2010_The_Merck_Way_tcm1612_72794.pdf


30

31

HIre

Two key areas for consideration areworkforce planning and how induction programmes are conducted.

3.2. Implementation Considerations

3.2.1. workforce planning This segment covers how a harmonious workplace can be fostered through strategic workforce planning practices. These practices ensure that organisations are able to understand their current workforce and plan and recruit for the future workforce taking into consideration the full range of talent available in the market and actively cultivating an ideal mix of profiles within the workforce.

By executing these practices in tandem, organisations will be able to effectively minimise workforce risks such as disrupting harmony within the workplace, and maximise the organisational ability to leverage on the diversity inherent within the workforce as well as the diverse talent pools available externally.

Understanding of Workforce Demographics

In order to understand workforce needs, organisations need to gain insight into their current workforce profile. This can be

achieved through a simple study and analysis of employee data. With employee data, organisations are able to effectively segment their workforce and identify the inherent sensitivities and capabilities within their workforce. Such data may include gender, age, race, nationality, tenure, religion, seniority, qualifications and others.

•To develop business insights, it is critical to link relevant employee data with tangible business impact and performance. Management teams can use such insights to drive key decisions and workforce policy changes when required. For example, a regional financial institution analyses the gender breakdown of candidates at every stage of the recruitment process to identify if any unintended discriminatory issues are present.

•Apart from gaining insights on the capabilities of the organisational workforce, a good understanding of the workforce profile enables HR to better manage existing diversity-related programmes and initiatives. This allows the management team to take a pro-active approach to building an inclusive workforce and fostering workplace harmony. For example, through quarterly talent councils, Shell is able to manage specific diversity (e.g. local talent, gender, ethnicity, disability etc.) targets and facilitate discussions amongst the senior management to monitor diversity, inclusion and workplace harmony issues.


32

scheduling and resource allocation• Understand the mix of

employee groups• Minimise risk of

cliques forming

Understanding of workforce demographics• Use of analytics with

employee data• Develop business insights• Active Monitoring

Recruiting with Fair Employment Practices • Ensure a diverse candidate

pool• Track and monitor HR data

across employee lifecycle• Exclude non-performance

related information

“We focus on creating an environment where respecting different cultures, values and opinions is viewed as critical in building an inclusive work environment, and in fostering a more effective workforce which is able to represent Shell with external stakeholders and customers.”

Ms. Lyn LeeVice President, HR, Business Services CentresShell Eastern Petroleum

33

HIre

Scheduling and Resource Allocation

Organisations need to sustain internal innovation capabilities to remain competitive. The strategic allocation of workforce encourages the formation of diverse work teams, which in turn fuels innovation at work and a better understanding of customer needs.

•By understanding the mix of employee groups, organisations can also decide where and how employees should be allocated across an organisation to foster an inclusive and harmonious workplace. For instance, ComfortDelGro emphasises on ensuring a good mix of ethnic representation across all organisational activities and operations to foster an inclusive culture.

•This will minimise the risk of employees with a similar background and/or native dialect language inadvertently forming cliques at the exclusion of other groups, which may not be conducive for business operations as it impedes inclusiveness and cooperation between employees. The formation of cliques also encourages groupthink which focuses on consensus building at the expense of creative problem-solving. For example, Han’s consciously seeks to allocate nationalities across its outlets to avoid dominance of a specific nationality on any one site, for the reason cited above. At a practical level, structuring teams across various demographic groups also ensures that operations do not suffer from large resource gaps during cultural festivals and other ethnic/religious celebrations. A local bank in Singapore learnt a tough lesson when they off-shored their

back of the house operations. They had had a preoccupation with language proficiency at the expense of having a balanced racial mix which almost crippled operations when a large number of employees requested to go on extended leave during their annual religious celebrations.

Recruiting with Fair Employment Practices

Recruiting the right candidate involves careful planning and thought. This helps to ensure that potential candidates are evaluated objectively and assessed on merit-based criteria. Factors which may not have direct implications to a candidate’s potential performance in the organisation should not be used as evaluation criteria. Some organisational practices which enhance merit-based selection include:

• Exclusion of Non-Performance Related Information: These may include age, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status and physical disabilities. Organisations are encouraged to obtain only the information pertinent to the job scope during recruitment. For instance, the hotel Fairmont Singapore practices fair recruitment by ensuring job advertisements are non-discriminatory (age, gender and race are not specified). In addition, the job application form and an online selection tool used to profile the talent dimension of the individual ask only for information on qualifications and experience. It is only after this online


34

process, a face-to-face interview, and upon confirmation of appointment, that personal details are required of the candidate for administrative purposes.

•Ensuring a Diverse Candidate Pool: Apart from gathering relevant data and establishing objective performance assessment criteria, HR is also advised to ensure that representation of different employee groups is maintained throughout the selection process, where possible. For example, in order to minimise the impact of unconscious biases, Shell seeks to ensure that at least one representative of a minority ethnic group is present in the final selection of candidates to help the selection panel focus on job related attributes when making recruitment related decisions.

•monitoring Key HR Processes: As part of efforts to maintain fairness and eliminate discrimination in relation to employment practices, HR should also actively monitor relevant HR processes to ensure that all employee decisions made are based on objective information. For example, the Group HR of Shangri-La28 conducts regular audits of the hotels to ensure that the Equal Employment Opportunity policy has been implemented and administered in the areas of compensation, benefits, transfer layoffs, return from layoffs, training and social recreation programme.

28 Shangri-La Sustainability Report 2012

35

HIre

3.2.2. Induction

This segment covers the role of employee induction activities in fostering a harmonious and inclusive workplace. These practices raise the awareness of the workplace’s and Singapore’s unique culture, and ensure a smooth integration of new employees into the organisation. Such activities help to minimise the time required to integrate new employees into the organisation, which in turn leads to an increase in organisational productivity.

Induction Activities

Ensuring that new employees undergo a range of induction activities is key to integrating these individuals into the organisational environment. Such activities may include communicating the organisational vision and values, to casting realistic expectations for foreign employees on how work is undertaken in Singapore. Organisations should strive to enhance the degree of cultural fit by ensuring that employees are aware of Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-religious landscape. Knowledge of Singapore’s history, values, and practices can be further strengthened by conducting relevant training as part of a broader induction programme, shortly after joining the organisation. For instance, ComfortDelGro has the practice of sending representatives to provide cultural exchange sessions on Singapore’s culture, laws and practices to potential candidates prior to their arrival.

•In addition, specific training on language skills such as vocabulary, and nuances of language and intonation, could also be provided especially for front-line employees to enhance customer service. Fairmont Singapore, for example, provides English classes to non-native English speakers. City tours are also scheduled to help orient new colleagues to their new environment, and discounts are given for tourist attractions (e.g. Singapore Flyer, Singapore Zoo).

•Introducing the organisational values and culture to newly hired employees is important. At Sakae Sushi, the values ‘Respect’, ‘Loyalty’, ‘Diligence’ and ‘Magnanimity’ are echoed through the organisation. It is important for employees to understand and appreciate the meaning behind the values as part of the broader

buddy system• Introducing workplace

culture and norms• Displaying care and concern

“Everyone deserves respect no matter their background, race or beliefs. It’s the human touch that makes a difference.”

Mr. Gan Yee Chin General ManagerHan’s (F&B)

activities• General background

on Singapore• Specific Language

Training• Organisational

Values and Culture


36

induction process. Organisations with leaders who ‘walk-the-talk’ have also been found to successfully galvanise their employees into action as the authenticity of their actions is obvious to employees. For instance, senior leaders of Shell are often the ‘voice’ and are challenged to demonstrate how new ideas such as toolkits can be applied. At Great Eastern Life Assurance, the CEO is regularly involved in giving speeches during the orientation of new hires to provide them with an overview of the corporate culture, the organisational values, the success of the company29 etc.

Buddy System

Providing new employees with a buddy will enable new hires to find their feet within the new environment more quickly. It is important to ensure that buddies are workplace peers who have gone through similar experiences and are able to relate and share their personal journeys. For example, Jason Electronics does this by pairing senior and experienced staff with newly inducted employees so as to ensure proper orientation of newly hired employees. These buddies can provide support in areas including but not limited to:

•Introducing Workplace Culture and Norms: Understanding the unique workplace culture and expectations as quickly as possible will assist the new employee to perform his/her tasks in a manner aligned to workplace expectations, as well as to display the level of sensitivity expected of them.

•Displaying Care and Concern: Buddies can also demonstrate care and concern for new employees. This is especially helpful for new employees from overseas or fresh graduates. Such personal display of care and concern fosters trust within the organisation and encourages employees to contribute to discussions and provide seemingly ‘riskier’ ideas in a safe environment.

“The Head of Departments also play a HR role towards their team members. It is necessary for them to ‘walk-the-talk’ and actively foster an inclusive workplace culture with their actions.”

Ms. Serene TanHR ManagerJason Electronics

“It is important to at least know how they (new employees) are settling in or if they are facing any challenges. The demonstration of care and concern goes a long way in garnering trust.”

Mr. elliot leeHead of learning & Developmentlocal logistics company

29 HRM Magazine Issue 14.1 “Creating Happier Workplaces, New Strategies for 2014”

37

HIre

30 http://www.Han’s.com.sg/Han’s.html 31 http://www.Han’s.com.sg/Han’s.html

Han’sBackground InformationA household name in Singapore’s food industry, Han’s has successfully grown from its humble beginnings in 1977 as a cake shop in Upper Thomson Road to a well-established F&B chain with more than 23 outlets around Singapore. In addition to this, a sister-company, Hanis, was founded in 2006 with the intention of catering quality food to the Muslim community. Guided by a clear organisational vision and strong values and philosophy, the F&B chain has been recognised on two fronts: first for its continued growth over the years and second for its numerous progressive organisational practices.

Han’s Vision, Values and Commitment to Workplace HarmonyVision30: To be a leading and sustainable food & beverage company

Values: Excellence, Compassion, Integrity, Teamwork and Value Creation

Philosophy31: “Caring has been our core value since Han’s was founded many years ago. We wish to stress that caring and striving to integrate the less fortunate and less privileged individuals into the workforce so as to create an inclusive and harmonious working environment are more critical for achieving good results. Han’s is able to do well largely due to its caring culture.”

Diversity has been a central theme in Han’s as the organisation actively recruits mature and older workers, people with disabilities, past offenders through the Yellow Ribbon

project as well as workers from more than ten countries. In order to maintain a harmonious workplace, Han’s has put forth several organisational initiatives built upon its core values.

Harmonious and Inclusive Practices – HireThe progressive practices across multiple HR functions carried out at Han’s have enabled its diverse workforce to integrate seamlessly. Firstly, when undertaking workforce planning, Han’s ensures that it allocates its workers from different nationalities and race/ethnicity to various outlets across the island. With workers from countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Taiwan, Thailand and Nepal, the HR team has remained cognisant of the fact that workers of the same nationalities and/or native language may have the tendency to cluster together. Hence, during resource allocation, attention is given to ensure diversity within each outlet, and to encourage employees to get to know one another. Through this, employees can gain a deeper understanding of different cultures, and in doing so, contribute to the building of a harmonious environment.

Secondly, Han’s also seeks to ensure that newly hired employees are able to settle in their new workplace surroundings comfortably. After a two week period of induction where information such as company policies and organisational values are introduced to new workers, HR assigns mentors, known as ‘Champions’, to oversee their acculturation process and to provide

3.3. Case Study – Hire


38

assistance when required. These nominated ‘Champions’ are often experienced workers who are well acquainted with the policies and processes of the company. To motivate these experienced workers, the company provides a $100 incentive for coaching each ‘mentee’ for a period of 3 months. In addition, HR is also encouraged to familiarise themselves with at least 90% of employees to better understand its workforce.

Apart from these initiatives, Han’s firmly believes in maintaining regular employee communication through the use of surveys and monthly engagement sessions to seek feedback. This enables follow-up actions to be taken so that employee concerns and needs may be addressed.

Being conscious of the potential for workplace conflicts, Han’s also invests in and regularly administers training courses to equip managers with the necessary knowledge and skills on conflict resolution and grievance handling.

These efforts demonstrate Han’s commitment to establishing a transparent and harmonious relationship between the organisation and employees, as well as an inclusive workplace environment for all.

”We treat all our employees fairly and work together with mutual respect... All people, regardless of race or nationality are working as one family. The inclusive and harmonious working environment has enabled us to perform well in the recent years.”

Mr. Han Choon Fook Managing Director Han’s Group of Companies

‘Champions’ mentor new hires as part of Han’s induction programme.

39

HIre


Workforce Planning

1) Comply with fair recruitment practices during recruitment and selection. To establish good practices, organisations can consider communicating their support for inclusion within recruitment advertisements, ensuring that job application forms do not require unnecessary information (e.g. age, gender, race etc.), and that there is fair representation of employee groups during the selection process.

2) Collect a repository of workforce demographics data. Employee information such as age, gender, race, religion, and educational background is helpful in providing HR with insight on the organisational diversity. This will help in future when designing and implementing inclusive practices.

3) Involve managers during workforce and resource allocation. Seek advice from managers so that resource allocation is carried out in a balanced manner, taking into consideration business requirements while providing enough diversity for a wider range

of views within teams, and to discourage groupthink due to a predominance of a particular race/employee group within the office. For instance, a company may decide to rotate its workers on a monthly or quarterly basis to ensure that workers are exposed to the different plant locations and are given opportunities to work with different employees.

Induction

1) Introduce new employees to the organisational vision, mission and values. This also includes a brief introduction on the organisational support and rationale for diversity and inclusion; for example, through employee handbooks and displaying posters articulating the organisational values around the office or work site. New employees ought to be cognisant of the organisational values at the onset of their careers within the company so that greater adoption can be facilitated.

2) Plan a series of induction activities to ensure seamless integration of new employees within the organisation. These activities can include: Team introduction via a lunch/dinner social gathering; Buddy system, where the new employee is paired with an employee in the team he/she is assigned to, for example.


40

TOPIC TOOLKIT CHAPTER & EXAmPLES OF TOOLS

manpower planningHR Capability Toolkit

Chapter 1 – manpower PlanningManpower Requirements, Manpower Cost Analysis (Sample)

Recruitment and selectionHR Capability Toolkit

Chapter 2 – Recruitment and SelectionJob Description (Sample), Job Application Form, Job Advertisement, New Employee Induction Form, Checklist for New Hire etc.

Well-being programmes (as a form of engagement)

Age management Toolkit

Chapter 1 – Fair EmploymentOutlines key steps that need to be considered when complying with Fair Employment practices in Singapore’s multi-generational workforce context

3.5. Quick Links to Resources

For more information, guidelines and case studies please refer to:

For more information on the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, please refer to the TAFEP website for guidelines, tools and templates, toolkits and case studies.

For URLs to the respective resources mentioned above, please refer to Chapter 6, ‘Resources’.

3) Involve managers, and heads of departments during the induction period. Managers can be involved in the induction period in several ways such as sharing their experience and interesting work in the organisation, and setting expectations of the new employee and communicating the team’s working culture. They can also raise to HR the actions required to minimise any discomfort in the employee’s acculturation process within his/her new working environment etc.

41

HIre

Show commitment

Stay informed

Demonstrate sensitivity

Work well in teams

Behave professionally

Deliver on promises

4.1. Introduction

Management and HR have the opportunity to make a difference throughout an employee’s tenure in an organisation. These touch-points do not end at recruitment and induction. Continued attention must be given to newly inducted employees, as well as current employees, so that capabilities related to diversity and inclusion may be further developed.

HR and the management team ought to view employees as more than revenue-generators. Beyond that, they are individuals with career aspirations and a keen desire to learn from leaders and grow within the company. By investing in training programmes and reviewing employees’ career progression tracks, organisations not only benefit from greater employee satisfaction and enhanced employer branding, but also from increased competitiveness and resilience. Specifically these benefits include:

• Increased market Resilience: By enhancing the capabilities of the organisation through regular training of its workers, the organisation is able to respond quickly and effectively to evolving consumer needs, emerging trends or fluctuating economic performances.

•Improved Productivity and Employee Performance: Developing employees enables organisations to better harness an employee’s strength. Appropriate training interventions can enable higher performance levels, which can result in increased productivity and effectiveness. This not only benefits the organisation, but the employees as well. The win-win outcomes are evidenced by greater employee satisfaction through career growth and expansion of the business.

4. Develop


ENT

DEVELOP

CEPVALUES

LEADERSHIP

INDIVIDUAL

COM

MU

NIC

ATIO

N

This section elaborates how career management and training can be augmented to encourage CEP values within the organisation, and in so doing, develop capabilities of employees, and the organisation, to manage a diverse workplace setting.

43

DeveloP

The next section seeks to provide implementation considerations on how organisations may design and implement policies and programmes to instil organisational values, increase capabilities of employees and enable acculturation of foreign talents or multi-racial workers into the organisation. To develop employees effectively, organisations should place greater focus on training and career management.


4.2.1. Training

Training programmes should be offered systematically and continuously so as to ensure that organisational values are manifested. Many organisations often underestimate the disruptions to workplace harmony and negative impact to overall employee sentiments that can arise as a result of conflicts and tensions at the workplace. When such incidents take place, it is imperative that managers are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to resolve them. By proactively administering training programmes that serve to increase the capabilities of employees, the organisation becomes more resilient and

prepared in handling such situations. As such, this segment discusses:

Cultural Appreciation

To work effectively in a highly diverse setting, employees are also encouraged to be cognisant of the differences between religious and racial groups and have an appreciation of the nuances across the groups. Awareness of the differences such as communication patterns and working styles is important so as to avoid misunderstanding or conflicts from taking place. For example, the term ‘计算器’ (ji suan qi) would refer to calculators when used by local Chinese workers, while foreign Chinese nationals use the term to mean computers.

Creating awareness on less commonly known festivals such as Pongal32 and practices such as fasting by Catholics on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, fasting by Christians during Lent33, or the continuation of fasting for 3 – 7 days after Hari Raya by Muslims, ought to be shared with employees to facilitate greater sensitivity and understanding34. At home-grown supply chain company YCH Group, participating in one another’s traditional festivities generates excitement and at the same time, promotes a greater sense of appreciation of the various cultures amongst YCHees (YCH

“Ensuring sustainability in our CEP should be a key focus area and this can be supported through structured training to equip people with the relevant knowledge, skills and awareness.”

Mr. Zainal Sapari Assistant Secretary-General National Trade Unions Congress (NTUC)

32 Pongal, or Thai Pongal, is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamil people at the end of the harvest season. It is a four day festival which usually takes place from January 13th to 16th. It is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Tamil people. The word ‘Pongal’ means ‘overflowing’ which signifies abundance and prosperity.

33 A period of approximately 6 weeks before Easter Sunday.34 For more information on religious festivals and the associated practices, please visit: http://www.singaporeunited.sg/cep/index.php/

web/Our-News/Religions-and-cultures-in-Singapore.


44

employees). From sharing of Deepavali and Hari Raya goodies to decorating the office with Christmas ornaments or exchanging of mandarin oranges, YCHees have strengthened relationships as an extended family enterprise that celebrates diversity. Training can be held throughout an employee’s tenure in the organisation so that cultural awareness is continually reinforced. For instance, as part of the range of initiatives under IBM’s diversity pillar ‘Cultural Adaptability’, managers and employees are often asked to attend cross-cultural training sessions entitled ‘Shades of Blue’ to enhance their level of appreciation on different ethnic/cultural practices.

Training sessions in cultural appreciation need not be done overtly; they can also take on a more subtle form. For example, during their regular supervisor briefing sessions, employees at Jason Electronics are educated on the cultural differences and the importance of appreciating and

respecting the differences inherent in the organisation. CornerStone Wines does this through the celebration of festive holidays with its employees. Employees bring food traditional to the festive season/holiday and the costs incurred are often subsidised by the company. Encouraging cultural appreciation between employees allows them to hone their business acumen and cultural sensitivity, better enabling them to deal with clients from diverse backgrounds. In one of his regular Sunday emails to his employees, CapitaLand’s ex-CEO Mr. Liew Mun Leong discussed the importance of cultural sensitivity:

“It is important to educate employees on cultural nuances so that they can acknowledge the differences and exercise understanding.”

Mr. Joseph fooexecutive chairmanJason electronics

“…It is certainly not about just wining and dining, although you have to be socially confident to do that with some sophistication. More importantly, you have to understand and appreciate the culture of the guests you are entertaining. Hosting or being hosted for a business meal with Westerners is quite different from with, say, Japanese business associates. I have frequently

DeveloP

managing Social media

In recognition of the perks brought about by social media, organisations such as IBM have developed internal social networks to boost internal collaboration by enabling employees to work with experts across the world via their personal corporate blogs and websites.

However, companies also need to understand that social media can act as a double-edged sword. Not only does it have the capability to put both the employee and the company in a negative light, it could also lead to a loss in customers and reduce attractiveness to potential candidates.

With the increasing prevalence of such communication tools, and the technological savviness of employees today, companies need to go beyond setting policies to manage this. Training programmes highlighting the potential risks of social media ought to be carried out for all employees on a regular basis so that complacency does not take place. Implementing such programmes helps to inculcate mutual respect, understanding and trust amongst employees beyond the workplace environment.

been horrified to witness how clumsy and ignorant of Japanese decorum our colleagues have been, when dining with senior Japanese guests or hosts. Such a lack of understanding can sometimes be offensive and could do more harm than good.

Different business cultures require us to be f lexible in our thinking and behaviour. I find myself having to behave very differently when I travel to meet our business associates in different countries, for instance, from Japan to China and then to Australia. They all require changes in mindset and behaviour, even body language. Cultural affinity is important. Our BD colleagues have to be as multi-cultural as possible...”

bright eyes and bushy tails are not Good enough, 21 august 2011


46

4.2.2 Social media Case Study

Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is a fast food pizza delivery chain operating in a network of company-owned and franchise-owned stores around the world. In April 2009, Domino’s Pizza was embroiled in a social media crisis when two of its employees decided to post videos of adulterated food, prepared in a vulgar and unsanitary manner on YouTube. What was initially intended as a prank quickly escalated into a crisis situation that eventually led to the dismissal of both employees, a civil lawsuit taken up by the organisation against the dismissed employees, and severe damage to Domino’s brand quality and customer loyalty.

Downward Spiral: In a matter of a few days, the video was viewed more than a million times on YouTube and spread like a virus on Twitter, triggering outrage from its customers and social media followers. The situation was further aggravated by Domino’s delayed response in handling the matter. It took about 48 hours for the video post

to be removed from YouTube. The lag in response time resulted in prolonged damage as online discussions continued to fuel angry sentiments, which in turn led to a continued propagation of the video and its contents throughout social media channels35.

Damages: As a result of this fiasco, the perception of Domino’s brand quality among consumers plunged drastically. According to research firm YouGov, which conducts online surveys of about 1,000 consumers every day regarding hundreds of brands, the plunge from a positive to negative perception of Dominos’ brand quality happened in a mere 48 hours. In addition, a national study conducted by HCD Research, found that 65% of respondents who would previously visit or order Domino’s Pizza were less likely to do so after viewing the offensive video37. As a result of these repercussions, the company prepared a civil lawsuit against the dismissed employees responsible for the online debacle.

Recovery: Despite the online furore, Domino’s succeeded in overcoming this episode through the use of social media as a form of crisis management. Instead of issuing a formal press release, Domino’s responded by opening a Twitter account to answer questions and posting a YouTube apology from its president to diffuse the public outrage and demonstrate concern for its customers. By taking crisis management online, and addressing the issue by engaging with the public through an online conversation, Domino’s displayed

“We got blindsided by two idiots with a video camera and an awful idea… Even people who’ve been with us as loyal customers for 10, 15, 20 years, people are second-guessing their relationship with Domino’s and that’s not fair36.”

Tim McIntyreVice President, corporate Communications Domino’s Pizza

DOMINO’S PIZZA’s TURN AROUND WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

47

DeveloP

‘an understanding in the critical importance of reaching out to its target audience on its own terms and in its own preferred space38.’ Since then, Domino’s has rebound from the incident by embracing social media and transforming the company from a victim of social media to a shining example of how social media can be leveraged for marketing, with proper monitoring and training in place.

ConclusionThe Domino’s experience has demonstrated that companies need to put in place proper measures and safeguards to monitor employee interactions on such platforms, to prevent a future crisis situation from escalating into a social media wildfire. Active

tracking on the pulse of public opinions online can help companies minimise any loss in brand quality and customer loyalty.

Thus, efforts need to be invested to: 1) Ensure policies, processes and

programmes are in place to communicate to employees the organisational stance on social media, and the implications of social media crises on both the organisation and the individual; and

2) Train its middle managers and relevant departments in using and managing social media as tools to engage stakeholders and to manage crises.

35 http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/24/dominos-youtube-twitter-leadership-cmo-network-marketing.html 36 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/media/16dominos.html?_r=0 37 http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/24/dominos-youtube-twitter-leadership-cmo-network-marketing.html38 http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2009-04-21/dominos-discovers-social-mediabusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-

and-financial-advice

Effective use of social media helped Domino’s Pizza re-engage with the public following the

YouTube incident.


48

Conflict Resolution

The lack of empathy and sensitivity by one employee group towards another can result in tensions and conflicts. Being discriminatory or not being sufficiently accommodating can escalate such conflicts. Therefore, it is important to exercise discretion and not adopt a confrontational stance. Training in conflict resolution, grievance handling, and crisis management across all levels should also be introduced and/or encouraged by the organisation. In doing so, the company is able to further embed values such as resilience and communicate the importance of harmony and mutual respect.

•At Sembcorp, both HR and supervisory managers are sent for training to enhance their crisis response skills as well as emotional intelligence. In addition, the organisation also plans to introduce other courses such as trauma counselling to strengthen Sembcorp’s ability to manage crises.

•Similarly, Han’s enhances the capability of its managers by administering grievance handling training regularly. This is done as Han’s believes that preventive measures should be implemented to avoid unanticipated disruptions.

•Dairy Farm provides employees with trauma counselling training to employees working at 7-11 convenience stores, so as to equip workers with the necessary skills when managing difficult situations (e.g. thefts, dealing with inebriated customers etc.).

•Shell equips their managers with resources on how to build trust and resilience. Specific e-learning programmes and a list of practical resources are provided to leaders to enhance their awareness on the values and behaviours required to strengthen trust and resilience in their day to day working relationships.

Training on other areas can also be implemented, where necessary and relevant, as identified by HR and/or business leaders. At Benjamin Barker, in-house training is conducted every two months. During these sessions, feedback from customers is shared and employees are encouraged to share the feedback received from customers and to contribute ideas as part of the continuous moulding of its staff to hone stronger business acumen. News of the company’s current performance is also shared openly with all its employees. At the same time, these regular sessions create a sense of belonging to the organisation.

“It is about being nice. Be nice regardless of who you are. It’s about being able to break bread with the workers and not carry arguments home.”

Mr. Mohamed Ismail HussainPast Executive DirectorSingapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI)

49

DeveloP

At CapitaLand, the importance of conflict resolution and displaying care and concern for one another as part of forging a tighter and more resilient community is exemplified and communicated through its ex-CEO Mr. Liew Mun Leong’s Sunday emails. In an excerpt, he writes:

“… Conflict on the job? Sometimes our staff and his bosses or colleagues may, for one reason or another, not get along well with one another. If it stays unresolved, this is a personal push factor that can cause staff to consider quitting a job if the friction becomes intolerable. We should analyse this professionally. Is it purely bad personal

‘chemistry’, differences in personality or a misunderstanding somewhere, somehow? Is it reconcilable if both sides talk through these differences? Some bosses are harsh and rough with their staff although they have good intentions for them. But some staff may not have the patience and perseverance to sustain themselves.

Bosses/supervisors and their staff have the responsibility to resolve such personal differences with an objective, professional and unbiased approach. Let’s talk and find out what the issues are and how to understand one another better. Bosses must treat their staff well and make an effort to understand and care for them. When they have difficulties or get into trouble, can we extend our hands to guide and help them out? I often say that motivating our staff is not only about giving them fast promotions, big pay rises or bonuses. It is about caring for them and their welfare. We talk about being engaged with our staff. Many managers are engaged with their staff only for work, work and work. It is better to be understanding and sympathetic towards their personal and family situations and mentor and help them when they are in trouble (the legitimate way of course). Treat them as friends, or better, as family…”

the War for talent – Pull or Push factors, 17 october 2010



50

4.2.3. Career Management This section refers to the actions taken to develop an employee’s potential and provide support in relevant areas to achieve the individual’s career and aspirational goals. Career management plays an important role in building an inclusive workplace environment as it determines and grooms the next generation of leaders and senior managers within the organisation. Selected candidates need to be equipped with the right skills and knowledge to ensure continuity of the business. However, more importantly, these candidates need to embody the values of the founder/organisation to ensure continued longevity of the organisational culture. To increase the success of identifying and grooming the right talents, the following approaches are worth considering:

MENTORINGSYSTEM

MERIT-BASED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM

CREATING OPTIONS

FOR CAREER GROWTH

PROVIDING INFORMAL

PLATFORMS TO IDENTIFY

TALENTS

CAREER MANAGEMENT

Implementing a mentoring System

A mentoring system can be helpful as it forms a personal touch-point for an employee during his tenure in the organisation. Apart from enabling newly inducted employees to comfortably settle in his/her new work environment, mentors can also be instrumental when guiding employees in future career progression opportunities, and creating opportunities for employee engagement. Recognising the tangible benefits of an effective mentoring programme, Jason Electronics often engages external consultants to coach their Heads of Departments on how to mentor effectively. At Duty-Free Singapore (DFS), its mentoring system where leaders in the organisations engage and interact with its employees is also used for employee engagement purposes39.

39 HRM Magazine Issue 14.1 “Creating Happier Workplaces, New Strategies for 2014”

51

DeveloP

In today’s workplace context, different cultural backgrounds of the mentor and mentee can be a bonus as it provides insightful perspectives and encourages innovation. For a meaningful mentoring partnership to take place during the learning and development process, mutual appreciation of the differences and openness to share different ideas is essential. At Proctor and Gamble (P&G), a reverse mentoring programme aimed at increasing understanding of multi-cultural leadership style preferences and strengths was developed. In particular, ‘multi-cultural ambassadors’ from various functions and levels throughout the organisations were chosen to serve as mentors to P&G executives and senior leaders40.

Adopting a merit-based Performance management System

Apart from establishing a mentorship programme, a robust performance management process will also help to accurately assess an employee’s performance and ensure a fair distribution of rewards. To do so, both HR and the management team need to be conscious of two key factors:

• Reduce Unconscious Biases: Stereotyping and mirroring are unconscious biases that may take place during performance appraisals and at the workplace. As such, supervisors need to be aware of their perceptions and biases, and learn to evaluate and appreciate the differences that others bring to the workplace. For example, a local logistics company takes active steps to minimise the perception of biases when employees are selected for training courses to equip them with role expansion capabilities. Hence, key competency standards and performance measures are determining factors when selecting employees for training.

•Conduct Appraisals with merit-based Evaluation Criteria: It is critical that performance appraisals are based on an individual’s contribution to the organisation and not based on age, gender, race or nationality. At Sembcorp, a ‘2-up’ performance appraisal system is employed, where the employee’s appraisal involves input or approval of both the employee’s immediate reporting officer, as well as that reporting officer’s superior (i.e. the officer two levels up from the appraisee). With this ‘2-up system’, the ultimate decision making authority for promotions, performance

40 Proctor & Gamble Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report 2011/12


52

rankings and career development does not rest solely with the employee’s immediate reporting officer. This helps to minimise the risk of non-merit based evaluations, ensure greater fairness for the employee, better accountability and greater consistency across the board in rankings. To ensure that values stay at the heart of an individual’s progress in the organisation, an individual can and should be assessed on how well he demonstrates and embraces the articulated values of the organisation. For example, Shell assesses its employees by linking its guiding principles – Respect, Understanding Different Cultures – to business outcomes and the expected behaviours of each employee group at the different grades and seniority levels.

Providing Informal Platforms to Develop Talents

At Sembcorp, employees across a broad spectrum of the organisation are involved in the Sembcorp Recreation Club, which organises a plethora of activities for Sembcorp staff ranging from sports and team bonding activities to staff outings and community engagement activities. The club serves as a good platform for non-work related learning and training and for employees to build up their leadership and people management abilities in an informal setting. It also enables employees to build camaraderie and bond outside of the workplace. In addition, the recreation club helps to expose employees to community service and grassroots engagement, in line with the company’s belief in contributing actively to communities where it operates.

Through this platform and its organised activities, Sembcorp identifies internal talents with a broad and varied set of capabilities (e.g. leadership, communication, planning etc.) so that further career development opportunities may be provided to them in the future.

Creating Options for Career Growth

Apart from implementing career management systems, HR and the management team need to be increasingly creative and flexible in the career options offered to employees, so as to cater to the diversity of its workforce.

• For instance, Han’s places great emphasis in ensuring that workers are given the opportunity to rise up the ranks, despite the need to manage business imperatives. At Hanis, the Halal sister restaurant of Han’s, a Chinese employee working at Hanis was promoted to a leadership position at its main chain Han’s as the company wanted to achieve the dual objective of preserving its corporate brand at Hanis without losing a capable employee.

• At CornerStone Wines, ample promotion opportunities are available as the business is dynamic. Promotions can be in the form of expanded responsibilities and progress in line with career aspirations. Such opportunities are offered equally, regardless of age, educational background, race and religion.

53

DeveloP

4.3. Case Study – Develop

ComfortDelGroBackground InformationOperating in seven countries and having a global fleet of more than 46,000 vehicles, ComfortDelGro has grown to become one of the largest land transport companies in the world. Apart from being the market leader in Singapore, ComfortDelGro has significant overseas presence in Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Vietnam, Malaysia and 12 cities in China including Beijing and Shanghai. With a staff strength of more than 20,200 around the world, the company has adopted progressive HR practices to meet the needs of its diverse workforce.

Company Vision and ValuesVision: To be the world’s land transport operator of choice

Values: Results Orientation, Commitment, Integrity and Ethics

1. Results Orientation: Demonstrated by setting challenging and realistic goals, focusing on results, and identifying and solving problems.

2. Commitment: In line with CEP values, commitment is demonstrated by fostering an environment of trust by engaging the communities it serves, caring for staff by providing a challenging environment with ample opportunities for growth and development, building on staff capabilities through effective recruitment, training and career planning so as to develop their full potential. It is also shown through promoting teamwork, initiative and creativity.

3. Integrity and Ethics: Showing respect for each other is also a CEP value which can

be demonstrated by communicating in a factual, honest and prompt manner, and being open and transparent in dealings.

Harmonious and Inclusive Practices – Develop With a global workforce consisting of various nationalities, the need to manage diversity is critical to ComfortDelGro’s business operations. To this end, ComfortDelGro has sought to implement programmes in all areas of people management. Career Management and Training has been one of its key pillars for employee retention over the years.

Foreign workers make up a fairly large percentage of its workforce. In an effort to ensure continuity of services, which is contingent on the success of workers’ application for workpass renewal, ComfortDelGro has developed a career track that takes into consideration the duration of their workpass as well as years of service with the company. Specifically, employees who are able to renew their workpass will be able to build a career and be considered for alternative or more senior roles in ComfortDelGro. Additionally, high-performing foreign employees are encouraged to take up citizenship in Singapore. Such a practice enables ComfortDelGro to continue retaining and developing their top talents.

ComfortDelGro develops its employees by assigning high-performing and high-potential individuals with expanded roles, whether they are local or foreign workers. For instance, selected individuals could be assigned the role of workplace champions or service mentors to selected employee groups. As company advocates, they are challenged to provide solutions to help fellow colleagues and resolve work issues


54

on the ground quickly. Over time, they hone their judgement and decision-making skills, all necessary for a role in leadership. Assuming these positions of leadership also act as a form of recognition, as fellow employees look up to them.

Other approaches to giving recognition to those who perform well and show potential to assume greater responsibilities include presenting them with awards or assigning areas of work outside their usual scope of duties. These concerted efforts demonstrate ComfortDelGro’s dedication to grooming all employees within its diverse talent pool regardless of nationality, race or gender.

Other initiatives such as pre-induction at overseas recruitment sites, training and orientation programmes are also introduced to facilitate assimilation of foreign workers into the local culture. For example, company representatives would travel to China to organise knowledge sharing forums for Chinese nationals so that they would have realistic expectations of living and working in Singapore. Upon arrival in Singapore,

these new employees are also put through language and communication training programmes to allow them to better understand the local culture, lingo (Singlish) and accents.

To further engage its employees, ComfortDelGro organises corporate activities on Sundays, when fewer employees are scheduled for work, so that the majority of employees can participate. These events provide workers with the opportunity to bond and form trusting relationships with one another. While planning such activities, ComfortDelGro also ensures that the different employee groups are represented during the planning phase so that sensitivities and needs are taken into consideration.

These programmes have contributed to ComfortDelGro’s success through the establishment of a harmonious and inclusive workplace aligned to its vision of providing ‘a challenging environment with ample opportunities for growth and development’.

Carolling in aid of charity brings joy to others, and harmony to the carollers from across business units.

55

DeveloP


Training Programmes

1) Provide conflict resolution/grievance handling training courses to managers and ground staff. E.g. Administering classes to employees across management levels or business groups/departments in areas such as ‘Managing Emotions’, ‘Handling Conflicts’, ‘Negotiation Skills’, ‘Conflict Resolution in a Multi-Cultural Context’ etc.

2) Conduct social media training for all employees. This will help to facilitate a better understanding of the perils of insensitive and irresponsible social media usage. At the same time, crisis management through social media can also be covered to equip employees with the necessary capabilities should such situations arise.

3) Administer cultural awareness and sensitivity classes, with the input of managers. Through informal settings and cultural exchange sessions, the nuances and subtle differences between cultures can be better appreciated. This will help to facilitate accommodation and minimise the probability of workplace conflicts arising from cultural differences. Managers play the important role of determining the relevant training due to his/her knowledge of the team/departmental diversity. Such cultural exchange sessions can include visits to clan associations and heritage centres etc.

Career management

1) Organisational values are embedded in the performance management system. By embedding values, such as respect and understanding, within the evaluation system, employees are further encouraged to embrace these values in their daily workplace interactions. This ensures that, apart from the skills and technical knowledge evaluated, the employee is also evaluated based on how much his behaviour is aligned to company values.


56

2) Strike a balance between maintaining business needs and offering fair promotion options. This refers to looking into offering alternative career tracks (lateral or vertical progression in other areas of the business) should business requirements jeopardise a deserving employee’s chance for promotion, such as in the case of Han’s and Hanis (see page 53). Other arrangements can include flexi-work hours, working from home etc.




Performance management

HR Capability Toolkit

Chapter 4 – Performance managementPerformance Appraisal Forms, Performance Improvement Plan,

Performance Ranking Template etc.

Learning and development/ training programmes


Chapter 5 – Learning and DevelopmentCompany Learning Plan Training Roadmap, Learning Objectives

Form, Individual Learning Needs Analysis Form etc.

manpower planningHR Capability Toolkit

Chapter 6 – Career management

Well-being programmes as a form of engagement


Chapter 5 – Performance managementOutlines key steps and considerations in performance evaluation for

mature workers in Singapore’s multi-generational workforce context

For URLs to the toolkits mentioned above, please refer to Chapter 6, ‘Resources’.

3) Introduce a mentoring system by pairing more experienced staff with new employees. An incentive scheme can be provided to mentors to ensure that mentoring is properly carried out. Such incentive schemes can include monetary rewards and non-monetary recognition mechanisms such as ‘Best Mentor Award’ etc. To enrich the mentoring system, organisations may also consider reverse-mentoring where senior employees learn from more junior employees on subject matters like cultural practices and sensitivities.

57

DeveloP

5.1. Introduction

A competitive business landscape for talent and resources in today’s economy not only translates to a need for organisations to design targeted recruitment practices, but also the need to secure internal talent. Hence, it is imperative that management across all levels view retention strategies as investments rather than costs.

Doing so not only serves the interests of employees, but also that of the organisation. Retention strategies and programmes enable organisations to better harness its strengths and secure its competitive edge by protecting its repository of knowledge and skills. In addition, there are other benefits to be gained, including:

•Increase in Productivity: By creating a workforce that encourages appreciation of the different cultures, perspectives and experiences that each individual brings, innovation and multiplication of knowledge are more likely to occur, especially if the group’s strengths are harnessed appropriately. Academic research has suggested that ethnic diversity is a key component for increased productivity in organisations pursuing a growth strategy, within the financial sector41.

•Increase in Talent Attraction and Retention: As the workforce is increasingly diverse, creating an inclusive work environment by orchestrating good practices in managing the diversity within the organisation can result in better employer branding. The investment can also result in goodwill and employees will be more likely to be engaged and remain with the organisation.

Two key areas have been identified as relevant to fostering greater organisational loyalty – recognition programmes and employee engagement programmes. Considerations in implementing these key areas are provided on the next page:

5. retain


RETAIN

CEPVALUES

LEADERSHIP

INDIVIDUAL

COMMUNICATION

This section elaborates the different approaches to employee engagement and the design of recognition schemes and/or programmes for a diverse workforce.

41 Richard, O. (2000), “Racial diversity, business strategy and firm performance: A resource-based view”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 43, No. 2; pp 164-177

59

retaIn


5.2.1. Recognition

Recognition refers to the methods in which an organisation rewards individuals. This is not limited to compensation and monetary incentives, but also extends to non-tangible rewards such as offering awards and nominating selected individuals as ‘committee leaders’ or ‘workplace champions’.

Workplace Champions

The role of workplace champions can be created to empower high-performing individuals who have influence through informal networks within the organisation. Workplace champions can act as ‘grassroot’ representatives and be the conduit between management and employees.

At ComfortDelGro, selected employees are rewarded with leadership positions within the different employee groups so that they can act as leaders and representatives for these

groups. While this may not always come with monetary incentives, the nomination as a champion for an employee group recognises the individual’s leadership qualities and capabilities.

Some of the activities in which a workplace champion can engage are:

•Assessing Workplace and Employee Needs: In addition to the regular management meet-ups, workplace champions can provide the management team with additional feedback on employee needs which may require additional assistance from the management.

•maintaining and Highlighting Risks to Workplace Harmony: Workplace champions can also play a critical role in maintaining workplace harmony by being the ‘first line of defence’ and mediate any situations which could escalate into bigger issues.


60

“Monetary benefits are important to all sales personnel, but we place greater emphasis on ensuring that they are recognised through their career management and progression tracks. Having them work with and speak directly to management, shows that the organisation is concerned with their personal growth and values their contributions.”

Mr. Nelson YapManaging DirectorBenjamin Barker Singapore

•Being the Spokesperson at Corporate Events: Being awarded opportunities to speak at corporate events strengthens the credibility of workplace champions. This will enable them to be seen as leaders amongst their peers and be much more effective at influencing mindsets and actions.

•Provide Coaching Support to Employees: As leaders in the workplace, champions can also offer mentoring or coaching support, and provide advice to employees who may be facing challenges with other members of the organisation.

Employee Benefit Programmes

Articulating a policy on inclusiveness is one of the key tenets of an organisation’s acknowledgement and acceptance of the diversity within its workforce. Progressive corporations have done this by articulating

it in their employee handbooks and codes of conduct. Other companies have also provided facilities within the organisation for employees to conduct religious practices, when required.

In order to build an inclusive workforce, it is also necessary to take into consideration the preferences of different employee groups. Analysing employee data is one way of understanding the different workforce segments. Making allowances for these preferences through greater flexibility incorporated into organisational policies will engender a deeper sense of loyalty to the organisation, and increase employee satisfaction. For example, organisations with a diverse workforce may require a wide range of leave types (e.g. annual, sabbatical, study, flexi-hours, maternity, paternal, elder-care leave etc.) to ensure that all employee needs are met.

61

retaIn

5.2.2. Employee Engagement

This refers to efforts implemented to create and maintain a two-way conversation between the different management tiers and employees. Effective employee engagement seeks to provide a platform for feedback gathering and regular assessment of employee sentiments toward the organisation. Through these engagement platforms, information can be gathered to create the business case for adjustments to be made to the company’s internal policies and programmes, as well as the introduction of new programmes, thereby demonstrating the organisation’s dedication to building a transparent, open and inclusive environment where opinions are valued. At Sembcorp, employee feedback is taken very seriously and is monitored by top management. Employees can submit feedback and staff suggestions on a confidential basis via various channels, including online channels and a dedicated staff feedback email address. Staff feedback is directly routed to both the HR department as well as the CEO’s office for prompt follow-up. In addition, the company has separate whistle-blowing channels for staff to report potential misdemeanours.

The key activities to consider at the organisational level to ensure successful employee engagement efforts are:

Analysing Organisation Size and Demographics

Assessing the demographic profile of the company entails conducting a deep dive into the composition of the company’s employees in terms of age, qualifications, ethnicity, gender and nationalities. Building an inclusive workplace environment requires engagement activities to meet the needs and preferences of its employees. To this

Analysing OrganisationSize and Demographics

Understanding the Cultureof the Organisation

Identifying AppropriateCommunication Channels

Designing EngagementActivities

DiversityNetworks

Employee Engagement

“It is important that cultural nuances, sensitivities and employee behaviours are taken into consideration. HR professionals and business leaders should not take this for granted when aiming to build an inclusive workplace.”

Mr. Stephen YeeAssistant Executive DirectorSingapore National Employers Federation (SNEF)


62

end, analysis of demographic details will enable HR to gather insights on the needs and preferences of the organisation so that relevant activities can be organised.

Depending on the size of the organisation, a variety of employee engagements tools may be tapped on to gather information on the demographic make-up of its workforce. For example, large companies may choose to deploy tools such as company-wide surveys, organisation polls, newsletters and town-hall sessions to gather feedback. Smaller organisations, on the other hand, may choose to do this through focus group discussions or team meetings where all employees are gathered.

Understanding the Culture of the Organisation

Conducting a company-wide survey or group discussions (depending on the size of the organisation) will help to ascertain current employee sentiments and consequently identify areas for improvement. Questions posed in the areas of employee job satisfaction, communication with management, performance management, quality of working relationships, working environment, employee communications, and rewards and recognition can provide the organisation with the necessary inputs for enhancing the organisation’s inclusive practices.

Identifying Appropriate Communication Channels

With the myriad of communication tools available, selecting the appropriate

communicate channels is important, as it will impact the effectiveness and level of employee engagement. As mentioned, the type of channels used may vary depending on the size of the organisation, preference of employees as well as the purpose of the message. Companies with multiple offices and operating in several countries may rely heavily on communication channels with a greater reach, such as emails and newsletters. For example, multinational companies such as Merck, Coca-Cola and Wells Fargo communicate their diversity and inclusion strategies on their websites, company newsletters and annual reports. Smaller organisations may choose to conduct regular ‘lunch talks’ or capitalise on ‘morning briefings’ to communicate with and engage its employees. An excellent example of such engagement is portrayed by former CEO of CapitaLand, Mr. Liew Mun Leong, who made it a point to send a series of Sunday emails every week to all 12,000 CapitaLand staff. This habit began in 1998, and has since become ingrained as part of CapitaLand’s corporate culture, with staff opening their mailboxes on Monday morning to find the CEO’s latest thoughts and insights42.

•Social media as an Engagement Platform: With the rising prominence of social media and the increasing technological savviness of Singapore’s workforce, many organisations have begun relying on social media tools to network with business clients, engage with employees and interact with consumers. However, employers need to be cognisant of the downsides when negative or insensitive comments are shared in the public sphere. Recent incidents in Singapore where insensitive racial comments were voiced through social

42 http://thinkbusiness.nus.edu/articles/item/21-the-capitaland-approach-to-management

63

retaIn

“It is the little things that show workers that they are valued!”

media platforms, such as Facebook, have highlighted the fragility of an organisation when facing such situations. This can result in a tainted employer and consumer brand, which may potentially lead to decreased sales from the loss of a consumer group, as well as the loss of talent(s) in whom the company has invested. Hence, it is important that companies put in place a social media policy, and conduct regular training sessions. Progressive companies such as Sembcorp recognise the importance of social media policies and also educate its employees on what constitutes appropriate or inappropriate use of social media. Other companies have even created online community positions where dedicated resources are allocated to ensure that negative sentiments voiced by employees are curbed and interactions between employees and members of the public are actively monitored.

Designing Engagement Activities

Engagement activities do not need to be overly complicated. While corporate events such as ‘Family Day’ and ‘Cultural Appreciation Day’ are excellent examples of how companies may reach out to all its employees, simpler activities on a smaller scale such as team lunches and team celebrations during festive holidays are also examples in which HR may work with middle managers to achieve employee engagement.

Factoring in key considerations such as communication channels and workforce demographics will enable HR to plan engagement activities that meet the needs and preferences of different employee groups. While this is important to increase employee satisfaction, HR managers should be keenly aware of the need to provide activities that will foster organisational harmony, resilience and greater teamwork between employees.

These activities can vary depending on the diversity, maturity and size of the organisation. Therefore, a deep understanding of organisational demographics is imperative as there is no one-size-fits-all solution to creating an inclusive workplace. However, some key activities that have been known to facilitate a harmonious and inclusive workplace, across MNCs and SMEs, include the following:

Team Bonding and Team Building Activities

A company may consider organising volunteering or team building activities which are inclusive and allows participation from all employees. These corporate events can

Ms. Cham Hui Fong Assistant Secretary-GeneralNational Trade Unions Congress (NTUC)


64

“Inclusion is the employee experience… Shell can advocate an inclusive organisation, but if the employees do not feel it as part of their work experience, we have not succeeded.”

serve the purpose of highlighting the need to build genuine relationships by displaying care and concern for one another. Through such activities, employees can realise that each individual is an important contributor to the organisation. For example:

• CornerStone Wines organises monthly company-sponsored activities. These activities include bowling and meals for all employees. In addition, employees often gather every Friday afternoon for drinks and to wind down. Furthermore, once every six months, a trip or stay-over is also organised for employees.

• ComfortDelGro often ensures that such events are held on a Sunday; where fewer workers are on shift work so that a majority of the employees can participate.

• As part of a ‘Feel Free To Speak My Mind’ initiative43, Shell provides a range of tools and templates to assist managers in improving inclusiveness by defining shared goals, roles and responsibilities of the team through use of a team charter.

Diversity Networks

At Motorola Solutions, a variety of business councils are set up to create business links to diversity. Councils are structured to have a senior-level executive sponsor and top management co-leaders to ensure senior management’s support for the councils’ initiatives. These business councils cater to the needs of the different interest groups and also oversee the following business imperatives: Marketing and Brand Awareness, Recruitment and Retention, Community Involvement, and Professional and Personal Development. On top of this, each council drives its own agenda, as diversity and inclusion issues may vary across different geographies44.

Recreational Committee In-Charge of Running Social Events

It is important to have a committee panel with representation from the different employee groups to ensure that all needs are met, and more importantly, that sensitivities during the planning process are taken into consideration. Realising the importance of having a planning council that is representative of the workforce, ComfortDelGro has progressed from having a committee made up of only one ethnic group organising their respective festival gatherings and ‘makan’ sessions to a committee with representatives from different races and religions. Han’s accommodation of its Muslim employees by providing Halal food options during the celebration of Chinese festivals despite only having 5% Muslim staff is an example of its consideration for other employee groups in planning corporate events.

Ms. lyn leevice President, Hr, business service centres shell eastern Petroleum

43 For a detailed listing of “Feel Free To Speak My Mind” tools, please refer to Chapter 6, ‘Resources’.44 HRM Magazine Issue 14.1 “Creating Happier Workplaces, New Strategies for 2014”

65

retaIn

5.3. Case Study – Shell

SHELLRoyal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 70 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects.

With around 92,000 employees in more than 70 countries and territories, Shell has gone beyond managing diversity as part of its Talent Management, to leveraging on the differences to drive business strategy.

Organisational Vision and ValuesPurpose: The objectives of the Shell Group are to engage efficiently, responsibly and profitably in oil, oil products, gas, chemicals and other selected businesses and to participate in the search for and development of other sources of energy to meet evolving customer needs and the world’s growing demand for energy.

Values: Honesty, Integrity, Respect for People

The Shell General Business Principles articulated to all employees also state the company’s aim to create an inclusive work environment, characterised by equal opportunities. By linking its core values and guiding principles such as ‘Respect’ and ‘Integrity’ with business outcomes, Shell has been able to promote a workplace free from

harassment and discrimination, while also valuing the different views and opinions.

To this end, the company has established People Standards which articulate the need to “value different views and opinions, to respect each employee’s personal needs and to promote a workplace free from harassment and discrimination.”

Harmonious and Inclusive Practices – RetainWith a diverse workforce, Shell recognised the importance of providing platforms where employees are able to voice their opinions on areas affecting their work in their day to day interactions with leaders, stakeholders and one another. For instance, an initiative called ‘Feel Free to Speak My Mind’ was first initiated at the Business Operations Centres globally to provide employees with opportunities to speak up in the workplace – so as to enable a higher level of staff engagement and inclusion of views at every level of the organisation. For a campaign such as this to succeed globally, cultural diversity had to be taken into consideration. Key to the success was the understanding of the cultural nuances when implementing the campaign across cities where the Business Operations Centres were located i.e. Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Chennai, Glasgow and Krakow, and Cape Town, and appreciating that in some cultures, public expression of views were not the norm. This conscious adaptation of engagement programmes and platforms has been a key success factor for its continued efforts to create a harmonious workplace environment.


66

Apart from this, other employee engagement activities aimed at enhancing cross-cultural awareness and knowledge are also part of how Shell works. For example, it is common across the globe for Shell to share information on major festivals and how it is celebrated in the culture. This helps employees to better understand their colleagues from all over the world. And for many, this goes beyond appreciation as their understanding of different cultures extends to the way they treat and understand the customers and stakeholders they deal with in their day-to-day jobs, either virtually or in their business travels. For example, at the Business Operations Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, a ‘Cultural Awareness Week’ to showcase and celebrate the various traditions of the ethnic groups was organised. Whilst these are not mandated by the government or even

by Shell, as a policy, they have become a common practice at Shell.

As part of organisational attempts to foster inclusiveness, Shell also extends its engagement activities such as ‘Family Day’ and ‘Bring Your Child to Work Day’ to involve and engage family members in areas such as Safety – another guiding principle important to Shell. In the Business Operations Centre in Chennai, as part of safety education, safety officers visited the homes of employees to inspect and provide the level of safety within their homes. Collectively, the aforementioned activities have helped employees and their extended families gain an understanding of the values at Shell enabling it to reap the benefits brought about by having inclusive practices that extend beyond the workplace.

Shell adapted ‘Feel Free to Speak My Mind’ to many cultures for a successful global initiative. Pictured is the Business Service Centres Leadership Team, who helped popularise the initiative across locations.

67

retaIn


Recognition mechanisms and Benefit Programmes

1) Task high performing individuals to undertake responsibilities/leadership roles. E.g. assigning employees the task of acting as a workplace champion or the ‘go-to’ person for organising team/corporate events.

2) Give employees recognition through celebrations or time-off. A team celebratory meal/coffee break with cakes or time-off (half-day or a day) can be offered to employees to express appreciation of his/her hard work.

3) Empower the employee with greater autonomy. Recognition can come in the form of greater autonomy, and hence greater flexibility in the way in which tasks are managed and completed.

Employee Engagement Activities

1) Consider allocating spaces/facilities to accommodate different employee needs. E.g. a room for religious practices, social gatherings, breast-feeding rooms, recreation rooms etc.

2) Accommodate dietary restrictions of employees. Provide Halal/vegetarian food options for Muslims/employees with dietary restrictions due to racial or religious reasons. Alternatively, companies may consider providing an additional stipend in the employee’s food allowance.

3) Organise team-bonding activities. Such activities can be determined on a rotational or voting basis to ensure fairness; organising committees can comprise people from various cultural backgrounds. Some examples can include:

•Volunteeringateventstothelessfortunate(e.g. serving food) on weekends;

•Creatingsportsinterestgroups(e.g.badminton, bowling etc.) or a fitness day where all employees can participate;

•Providingaspaceforgroupactivities(e.g.yoga, pool etc.);


68

•Planningculturalappreciationsessionsbycelebrating racial and religious holidays of each employee group by conducting team lunch gatherings with customary food specific to the traditional practices dictated by the festive period (e.g. pineapple tarts during Chinese New Year, muruku during Deepavali etc.). Alternatively, teams can consider attending culinary classes together to learn how to make these traditional dishes;

•Organisingteam/departmentgatheringsover lunch/dinner. The frequency (e.g. weekly, fortnightly, monthly etc.) can vary depending on the team/department size;

•Holdingregularknowledgeexchange/sharing sessions on subject matters of the organisation’s/employee’s choice (e.g. an organisation in marketing may choose to hold a fun and informal exchange session on how Google Glass may transform the social media landscape).


managing employee platforms and engagement


Chapter 8 – Employee RelationsEngagement Channels – Uses, Pros and Cons, Engagement Plan Template, Sample on Conduct of Use of Social Media

Well-being programmes as a form of engagement


Chapter 6 – Well-being ProgrammesOutlines key steps and considerations when implementing workplace well-being programmes in Singapore’s multi-generational workforce context

Diversity management initiatives

managing Workplace Diversity: A toolkit for organisations

Chapter 4, Section: Workplace Activities Highlights the key areas that help to facilitate inclusiveness

For URLs to the toolkits mentioned above, please refer to Chapter 6, ‘Resources’.



69

retaIn

6.1. HR Self-Diagnostic Tool

As part of this resource, a self-diagnostic tool has been created for the purpose of assisting HR in assessing its current processes and practices, so that further efforts can be invested to create an inclusive and harmonious workplace. HR may also choose to modify the tool to serve as an employee perception survey, where the effectiveness of implemented programmes may be assessed, and any gaps between employees’ and HR/management team’s perceptions addressed.

The tool has been structured according to the CEP Values Framework, so that companies may assess and identify gaps in the following areas: Leadership & Culture, Communication, Hire, Develop, and Retain.

The evaluation items provided in this checklist are not exhaustive and ought to be customised to the organisational context such as the size of the organisation and availability of resources.

6. resources

The items in the checklist below suggest good practices and will allow HR to evaluate the extent to which the practices are developed within the organisation.

Score each item in the tool with

0 none

1 to a little extent

2 to a moderate extent

3 to a great extent

4 fully developed

Examples of each practice may be filled in for easier referencing when analysing gaps and devising strategies for improvement. Should the survey be modified for use as an employee perception survey, HR may wish to instruct employees to provide examples where possible so that analyses can be carried out more specifically.

WO

RKFO

RCE

PLAN

NING •

INDUCTION

HIR

E


RETAIN


ENT

DEVELOP

CEPVALUES

LEADERSHIP

INDIVIDUAL

COM

MU

NIC

ATIO

N

CO

MM

UN

ICAT

ION

COMMUNICATION

71

resources

InDIcatorto WHat eXtent(rate from 0 to 4) eXaMPle / JustIfY

LEADERSHIP & CULTURE

1Leaders / Senior management act as role models and ambassadors of organisational values

2Leaders / Senior management include diversity as part of the organisational strategy and ensure that current processes and policies support this

3Leaders / Senior management are consulted and take executive sponsorship when addressing diversity and inclusiveness issues

4

Leaders / Senior management routinely discuss the importance of a harmonious and inclusive workplace as a core organisational strategy and provide consistent, visible leadership

5The organisational culture fosters a nurturing, harmonious and inclusive workplace environment

6Leaders / Senior management are actively involved in leading the diversity and inclusiveness initiatives

total score – leadership & culture

COmmUNICATION

1Leaders / Senior management communicate organisational values to employees

2The importance of a harmonious and inclusive workplace is incorporated in communications with employees, customers and other stakeholders

3Communication channels / platforms are in place to communicate the organisational commitment to diversity, to employees and the public

4Two-way communication between managers and employees take place on a regular basis to ensure that team members have a good working relationship


72


5Feedback is actively monitored and acted on so that conflicts arising from diversity matters can be addressed

6Managers communicate core workplace harmony issues to employees via day-to-day interactions

total score – communication

HIRE

1Recruitment and selection efforts comply with Fair Employment guidelines

2The organisational support for diversity is communicated during the recruitment process

3Data on the organisational workforce demographics is collected and analysed regularly

4

Managers are involved during manpower and resource allocation exercises to facilitate fair and transparent distribution of resources (e.g. scheduling, work locations etc.)

5Induction sessions provide in depth information on the organisational vision and values, as well as share the diversity present within the organisation

6

The induction process ensures that new employees integrate into the organisation seamlessly (e.g. through a buddy system, ice-breaking activities, involvement of managers etc.)

total score – Hire

DEVELOP

1Training sessions are offered to ensure employees are exposed to a variety of cultures and practices, and to reinforce organisational values

2Training sessions are offered systematically (e.g. across employee groups, across management tiers etc.)

73

resources


3

Training sessions offered seek to equip employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to manage conflicts arising from different work practices brought about by different cultural backgrounds

4Managers are involved in identifying the type of training programmes required in a diverse workplace setting

5Career management processes are reviewed and adjusted according to the needs of the organisation’s diverse workforce

6Organisational values are embedded in during the performance evaluation process

total score – Develop

RETAIN

1Practical accommodations are made, where appropriate, to cater to the various needs and preferences of its diverse workforce (e.g. a room for religious practices etc.)

2HR works with managers to identify alternative ways of recognising high-performing employees (e.g. workplace champions, head of recreation committee etc.)

3Workforce demographics are taken into consideration when designing and implementing different types of engagement activities

4

There is a fair representation of different employee groups when planning engagement activities, for the purpose of building an inclusive and harmonious workplace environment

5Organised events and implemented programmes are aligned to the organisational culture and core values

6Effectiveness of the engagement programmes is evaluated regularly so that improvements may be carried out

total score – retain

GranD total


74

Multiple Areas for Improvement

Clear Areas for Improvement

Some Opportunities to Improve

Holistic and Sustainable Approach

The scoring mechanism comprises two key components. The first component is a ‘thermometer’ which gives an indication on the degree to which a holistic and sustainable approach is undertaken. The second component is a ‘spider map’, which indicates the relative strength and development areas.

In order to obtain an overall score, sum all the ratings and indicate the result on the thermometer icon.

Add up the scores and use the ‘Grand Total’ in reading the following table to understand the current state of your organisation’s overall approach to building an inclusive and dynamic workforce.

Scoring mechanism and Understanding the Scores

How ‘warm’ is your organisation?

score range What does my score mean?

More than 90 Your Organisation takes a holistic and sustainable approach to developing an inclusive workplace. Good inclusive practices are found in all core HR areas.

60 – 89 Your Organisation has a fairly holistic and sustainable approach to developing an inclusive workplace. Good inclusive practices are found in various aspects of core HR areas. There are also some specific opportunities for improvement.

30 – 59 Your Organisation has started to foster an inclusive workplace with some success. Some good practices are found in some aspects of core HR areas. However, there are clear areas which can be prioritised for action planning.

0 – 29 Your Organisation is fairly new to fostering an inclusive workplace. Some good practices may be found in some aspects of HR. There are ample opportunities for further development in multiple areas within the core HR areas.

75

resources

In order to understand your organisation’s relative strengths and development areas, sum the ratings for each specific area and plot the score on the pentagon shown on the left.

Develop a ‘spider map’ by connecting the five plots in the pentagon. The areas with higher overall scores are areas of strength, while areas with lower scores are development areas. Once the scores for each section have been added, read the following table to understand the current state of your organisation’s practices in each specific area.Develop Hire

Communication

Leadership& Culture

Retain

How is my organisation faring in each area?

score range What does my score mean?

More than 18 Sustaining – Nearly all the practices in the specific focus area are highly developed and part of the organisational culture. Leaders and HR actively advocate the appropriate actions on a day-to-day basis.

13 – 18 maturing – Majority of the practices in the specific focus area are well developed and integrated in relevant processes and systems of the organisation. Leaders and HR are executing practices in an efficient and effective manner.

7 – 12 Developing – Some of the practices in the specific focus are budding and there are clear opportunities for further development of a select number of practices. When required, leaders and HR have demonstrated the practices.

0 – 6 Emerging – A few practices in the specific focus have been established and there are ample opportunities for further development of multiple practices. Leaders and HR may not be aware of and/or have implemented some of the practices before.


76

Action Plan

Identify the lower scoring areas and highlight them as priority areas and develop some corresponding actions to enhance the current practice areas within your organisation.

For some starting ideas on how to develop action points, please use the following table to identify the relevant sections of the resource and location of the respective hot tips.

Priority areas action Points (Plan)

aspects of the ceP framework relevant sections & Hot tips

leadership & culture Please refer to pages 19 to 24 for a detailed write up on leadership & culture. For some hot tips to enhance your organisation’s ‘Leadership & Culture’ in embedding the CEP values please refer to page 26.

communication Please refer to pages 24 to 25 for a detailed write up on communication. For some hot tips on how your organisation can better embed the CEP values through effective ‘Communication’ practices, please refer to page 26.

Hire Please refer to pages 28 to 39 for a detailed write up on ‘Hire’. For some hot tips on how your organisation can better embed the CEP values through effective ‘Hire’ practices, please refer to pages 40 & 41.

Develop Please refer to pages 42 to 55 for a detailed write up on ‘Develop’. For some hot tips on how your organisation can better embed the CEP values through effective ‘Develop’ practices, please refer to pages 56 & 57.

retain Please refer to pages 58 to 67 for a detailed write up on ‘Retain’. For some hot tips on how your organisation can better embed the CEP values through effective ‘Retain’ practices, please refer to pages 68 & 69.

77

resources

6.2. Other Relevant Toolkits


The Age Management Toolkit aims to provide employers with the necessary knowledge and tools to facilitate the adoption of Age Management practices at the workplace. This toolkit covers a range of chapters from recruitment, performance management to well-being programmes with the intent to offer guidance for a holistic approach to Age Management. The seven chapters covered in this toolkit have been categorised into three broad sections:

• Hiring: This section covers the range of activities involved during the recruitment and selection process, and provides employers with insights into the different approaches to attract mature workers.

• Managing: This section delves into the practices that employers can adopt to meet the ongoing needs of mature workers in the organisation.

• Engaging: This section provides guidelines into how pro-active steps can be taken to assimilate mature workers through the creation of an enriching and inclusive work environment.

Useful tools and links have been provided to help business leaders adopt the practices advocated in this toolkit. For more information on this toolkit, please visit the Age Management Portal: http://www.re-employment.sg/web/contents/contents.aspx?Id=4


The Human Resource (HR) Capability Toolkit was developed with the aim of improving and strengthening SME Human Resource (HR) management capabilities by addressing HR gaps and promoting good HR practices. The toolkit consists of:

• Frameworks and key guidelines aimed at providing HR and SME leaders with guidance on how HR activities may be implemented.

• Tips and points on managing specific HR matters on the following topics: Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection, Compensation and Benefits, Performance and Management, Learning and Development, Career Management, Talent Management & Succession Planning and Employee Relations.

• Tools and templates which companies may use immediately (or with some degree of customisation).

Interested SMEs may visit the HR Portal (www.hrcapability.sg) to download the enhanced HR Toolkit. For more information, contact EnterpriseOne hotline at 6898 1800 or email [email protected]. For training workshops on using the package, please contact SNEF or HCS. The details are provided below:

Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF)Hotline: 6827 8934 Email: [email protected] Website: www.sgemployers.com/public/industry/mft.jsp


78

Human Capital Singapore (HCS)Hotline: 6423 0388 Email: [email protected] Website: http://hcs.com.sg/v2/index.php/info/page/hr_advisory

mOm Diversity management Toolkit

The Workplace Diversity Management Toolkit seeks to assist organisations in understanding the benefits of workplace diversity, assessing their current state of diversity management, and implementing diversity management practices and policies. The key components of the toolkit are available. This initiative is brought to you by the National Integration Working Group for Workplaces (NIWG-W), comprising members from government, industry and the unions, to foster inclusive and harmonious workplaces in Singapore. It augments ongoing efforts by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) and the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) to help employers in Singapore to respond effectively to the increasing diversity of our workforce.

The toolkit and its resources may be downloaded at: http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/Pages/WDM.aspx

TAFEP Workforce Diversity Tools

Two useful tools provided by TAFEP include the following:

•Workforce Diversity E-Calculator, which is designed to evaluate the organisational workforce diversity representations and provide recommendations to ensure an inclusive workplace, is present to manage the diversity.

•An online introductory tool to help organisations, especially SMEs, kick-start their Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) journey. This interactive start-up kit introduces the key steps in managing Diversity and Inclusion.

For more information, please visit: http://www.tafep.sg/ecalculator/workforcediversityecal.html

79

resources

6.3. Additional Resources / Contacts

1. ministry of manpower (mOm)

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) seeks to develop a great workforce through the improvement of skills and productivity of the Singaporean workforce, so as to achieve better jobs, higher incomes and a secure retirement. MOM aims to build progressive workplaces, strengthen tripartite relationships and encourage harmonious work cultures so as to create fair and forward-looking employment practices that provide safe and healthy work environments and enable balanced work-life.

For details pertaining to the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) at the workplace, please refer to http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/community-engagement-at-workplaces/Pages/communityengagementatWorkplaces.aspx. For more information on employment legislation and guidelines, please refer to: http://www.mom.gov.sg/. Alternatively, employers may contact MOM at 6438 5122.

2. National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national federation of trade unions in the industrial, service and public sectors in Singapore. NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of workers; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement.

NTUC’s vision is to be an inclusive labour movement for all collars, ages and nationalities. NTUC is at the heart of the Labour Movement, which comprises 60 affiliated unions, one affiliated taxi

association, 14 social enterprises, four related organisations and over 700,000 members.

Some example resources that may be found on the NTUC website are:

•Workplace Advisory Interactive Tool

•Articles on key workplace issues

such as ageism, re-employment, employment laws, sexual harassment etc.

For more information on worker assistance programmes in job re-creation, skills training and funding schemes please refer to http://www.ntuc.org.sg. Alternatively, employers may contact NTUC at 6213 8008 or at [email protected].

3. OnePeople.Sg

OnePeople.sg (OPSG) works with community stakeholders to spearhead racial harmony initiatives in Singapore and facilitate deeper understanding of race relations. Its programmes are tailored towards gearing stakeholders to better understand issues, trends and developments concerning community integration. OPSG provides capacity building programmes in areas such as religious diversity, conflict resolution, ground sensing and new media engagement to enhance ground efforts.

OPSG aims to be the one-stop resource centre to deepen discussion and engagement in all sectors of society, and its OnePeople portal provides resources such as books, toolkits, research articles, photos and exhibition panels. Each year, the Orange Ribbon Celebrations are held in July to provide an opportunity for our people


80

to express shared values and make a stand against racism.

Some example resources that may be found on the OnePeople website are:

•Cultural & Religious Heritage Centres

•Slides on understanding the various races in Singapore

•Links to representative ethnic and religious associations

For more information on OPSG, please refer to www.onepeople.sg or call 6259 4116.

4. Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF)

Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) aims to act as the employers’ vanguard in enhancing harmonious industrial relations and responsible employment practices, thereby enabling companies to stay competitive. The organisation seeks to help employers achieve excellence in employment practices in order to enhance their productivity and competitiveness as well as the quality of their employees’ work-life, and strengthen the employers’ role in the tripartite partnership (government, employer and union) to enhance industrial harmony in Singapore.

Some example training offerings that may be found on the SNEF website are:

•Basics of Age Management

•Discipline & Grievance Handling

•Effective Orientation – First Step in Retention of Talent

•Leadership with Mentoring

•Facebook for Business 101

For more information on industry news, training opportunities, benefits and schemes available for employers, please refer to http://www.sgemployers.com/. Alternatively, employers may contact SNEF at 6827 6827.

5. Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA)

The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) aims to help workers advance in their careers and lives by developing and strengthening skills-based training for adults. The agency works with various partners – including employers, industry associations, the Union and training organisations, to develop relevant skills-based training that is accessible to all in the Workforce, whether young or old, from rank-and-file to professionals and executives.

Some example resources that may be found on the WDA website are:

•WSQ Competency Frameworks (for 33 industries)

•Job Profiler

•Job Description Examples

For more information on the WorkPro Scheme or skills-upgrading and training courses for employees, please refer to http://www.wda.gov.sg/. Alternatively, employers may choose to contact WDA at 6883 5885 or at [email protected].

81

resources

6. SPRING Singapore (SPRING)

SPRING Singapore is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow and building trust in Singapore products and services. As the enterprise development agency, SPRING works with partners to help enterprises in financing, capability and management development, technology and innovation, and access to markets. As the national standards and accreditation body, SPRING develops and promotes internationally-recognised standards and quality assurance infrastructure. SPRING also oversees the safety of general consumer goods in Singapore.

Enterprises can approach SPRING to upgrade their capabilities, such as in Human Resources, through five areas of support – toolkits, vouchers, grants, loans and tax incentives.

For more information, please visit the website: http://www.spring.gov.sg/aboutus/Pages/sPrInG-singapore.aspx

7. Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP)

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) promotes the adoption of fair, responsible and progressive employment practices among employers, employees and the general public. Leveraging its unique tripartite identity, TAFEP works in partnership with employer organisations, unions and the government to create awareness and facilitate the adoption of fair, responsible and progressive employment practices. TAFEP provides tools and resources, including training workshops, advisory services, and educational materials, to help organisations implement these employment practices. Some examples are:

• Fair Employment Online Self-assessment Tool

• Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices

• Fair Recruitment and Selection Process

For more information on fair, responsible and progressive employment practices, please refer to www.tafep.sg. Alternatively, employers may contact TAFEP at 6838 0969.


82

mS. CHAm HUI FONGAssistant Secretary-General National Trade Unions Congress (NTUC)

mR. ZAINAL SAPARIAssistant Secretary-General National Trade Unions Congress (NTUC)

mR. STEPHEN YEEAssistant Executive Director Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF)

mR. VICTOR TAY KAH SOONChief Operating Officer Singapore Business Federation (SBF)

mS. CHERYL KONGAssistant Executive Director Member RelationsSingapore Business Federation (SBF)

mR. ANG YUITVice PresidentMembership & TrainingBusiness Feedback Group, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME)

mR. THAm POH CHEONG Secretary-GeneralSingapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI)

mR. KUmARAN BARATHANPast Chief Executive Officer Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI)

mR. mOHAmED ISmAIL HUSSAIN Past Executive Director Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SMCCI)

This resource was commissioned by MOM and developed by KPMG Singapore. We would like to thank the following individuals and representatives of the CEP Partners for their insights that developed the strategic aims for this resource.

In addition, we would like to thank the following organisations, their representatives, and the individuals who were very generous with their time and contributions which led to the successful completion of this resource.

7. acknowledgements

mR. CLINTON ANGManaging Director CornerStone Wines Pte Ltd

mS. CHARmAINE SIm Global Diversity & Inclusion Leader, Human Resources IBM Singapore Pte Ltd

mS. DAISY CHAN Group Human Resource Officer ComfortDelGro Pte Ltd

mR. DOUGLAS FOO Chief Executive Officer Sakae Holdings Pte Ltd

mR. FRANCIS TAN Vice President Talent Management & Organisational DevelopmentStarwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts

mR. GAN YEE CHIN General Manager Han’s Pte Ltd

mR. JOSEPH FOO Founder and Executive ChairmanJason Electronics Pte Ltd

mR. LIEW mUN LEONG Ex-Chief Executive Officer CapitaLand Pte Ltd

mS. LILLIAN LEE Senior Vice President Group Human Resources Sembcorp Industries Ltd

mS. LIm YING CHIA Country Human Resource Manager IBM Singapore Pte Ltd

mS. LYN LEE Vice President Human Resource Shell Business Service Centres Shell Eastern Petroleum Pte Ltd

mR. NELSON YAP Managing Director Benjamin Barker Aust Pte Ltd

mS. SERENE TAN HR Manager Jason Electronics Pte Ltd

mS. TIEN YUSHANSenior Manager Corporate CommunicationsYCH Group Pte Ltd

mS. JASmINE YEONG-NATHAN

mS. CONSTANCE LEE SU HUI

83

acknoWleDGeMents

For Entrepreneurs By Entrepreneurs

PRODUCED BY

In partnership with

All contents (including images and graphics) in this publication may not be used or reproduced, in part or whole, without the written consent of the Ministry of Manpower.

The Businesses and Unions Cluster is one of the five community clusters* that contribute to CEP.

For more information about the Businesses and Unions Cluster, contact us at:

Tel: 6692 5464 Fax: 6535 4811 Email: [email protected] Website: www.mom.gov.sg/cep

CLUSTER SUPPORTING AGENCY

Religious and Community-Based Organisations, and Cultural Groups

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

Educational Institutions Ministry of Education

Media and AcademicsMinistry of Communications and Information

Grassroots Organisations People’s Association

Businesses and Unions Ministry of Manpower

* The Ministry of Home Affairs is the overall coordinating agency for the Community Engagement Programme (CEP). The five clusters involved in CEP are:

communIty engagement Programme busInesses and unIons cluster

MInstrY of ManPoWer sInGaPore