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Recognition from Happy Hongkonger

We are often approached about different recruitment or HR related awards but, came to realise that (in the majority of cases), the only real criteria to win is agreeing to pay for it. There is an industry built around creating events to deliver these awards that ultimately have nothing to do with any performance metrics. They can be good PR opportunities, and a chance for industry professionals to network but, at ConnectedGroup, we made a decision that these 'pay to win' awards do not align with our values . External review is absolutely of value and so, when we identified the Great Place to Work® Greater China framework, we realised this was a well aligned opportunity to more deeply understand our culture. There are 2 phases to the assessment: Complete the employee survey. This is a comprehensive cultural questionnaire that requires a 70% pass rate on its 'Trust Index' to gain certification. CG scored 94% and hence are able to celebrate our certification. This also provides us with meaningful feedback on where we can improve and a baseline to monitor this metric in the future. Undertake a 'Culture Audit'. This involves much deeper answers and the provision of evidence and examples to support the strategies we have undertaken. If we score over 80% on this and the survey combined, we will qualify as one of 'Hong Kong's 2023 Best Workplaces'. For us, this ability to independently verify our efforts to make CG a great work environment is more gratifying than other awards. We deeply believe that having a motivated team who have a strong sense of belonging is how we can best serve our clients and candidates and consistently deliver on our ConnectedPledge . For more information, feel free to reach out to our MD, Mathew Gollop at mat@connectedgroup.com

This article was written by CG Head of Commerce Finance, Vivian Wong , and published on November 24th, 2022, in LinkedIn: Between 2022 and 2025, it is estimated that the global investment in digital transformation will rise from $1.8 trillion to $2.8 trillion. Though this statistic addresses digital transformation across industries and job sectors, the largest initiatives often exist within the finance function. Finance professionals are no longer considered just number crunchers and forecast monitors; instead, they are expected to become strategic business partners that help make decisions and lead their organizations. With global organizations of all sizes strategically planning to change how their finance department’s function, there is a demand for different skill sets from key finance professionals, from analysts to finance directors. Now, individuals who are poised to succeed should have expertise in finance transformation, change management, and strategic projects on top of traditional financial acumen. This shift in the field challenges recruiters, hiring managers, and finance leaders to think differently about who they hire and promote, as well as how they train their employees. With talent in short supply, I will explore over 3 articles how organizations can think creatively to bridge the gap in key skill areas. In this article I am looking at Outsourcing & Automation . Outsourcing and automation are at the forefront of finance transformation. Repetitive tasks like AP, AR, GL, and payroll carry a heavy headcount cost plus, have a decreasing appeal to talent in developed markets. This makes these areas a focal point for change. Many of these types of tasks are ideal for automation, and outsourcing can allow for a more cost-effective solution while the automation work takes place. Recruiting efforts therefore need to focus on managers that can effectively lead shared service centers, optimize processes, and use enterprise-wide technology to streamline tasks. Meeting the Talent Demand Hiring from outside your organization is a good route to acquire skills and experience you don’t currently have. Individuals who have seen mistakes made, understand the journey and can envision the end goal, can accelerate your progress significantly. However, be mindful of the diminishing return of asking someone to do the same job again. Hiring high-potential talent with a built-in stretch will always deliver the best long-term results. External recruitment also needs to be balanced with internal development. Below outlines the skills that should be incorporated into learning programs and other routes to identify talent in this area. Skills Development To be effective at generating ideas for optimizing and streamlining processes, an employee must thoroughly understand the operations of their company. Thus, more cross-functional meetings and collaboration should be encouraged to enrich the knowledge of Finance staff in different functions, and at the same time, promote communication between departments. For example, more interaction with the front-line sales team, would help to drive more meaningful efficiencies by building an understanding of what clients need the most. Also, to ensure all staff have up-to-date information about new internal procedures and any system implementations, cross-functional training and in-house seminars that are run by key finance staff are a great development opportunity. Functional Transfer As finance shifts its role from purely technical to become more fully integrated in business processes, opportunities can exist to shift talent internally. For example, an employee in the internal control or audit function is very familiar with the processes and they are used to reviewing them along with other policies, procedures and SOPs. If they express an interest in operations, they can be well positioned to advise on the best ways to revamp processes. They would also be a strong fit to support the setup of Shared Services Centers from scratch since they are familiar with the procedures and aware of the risk areas. This is just one example but in this middle ground between business and technical execution, organizations can be creative in where they source their talent from. I hope these insights prove useful and I would love to hear your opinions in the comments. In my next article I will tackle data analytics and related skills. Feel free to reach out to me to discuss Finance, Strategy & Transformation recruitment and search in Asia at Vivian.Wong@connectedgroup.com . Or visit us at www.connectedgroup.com to view our latest opportunities.

This article was written by CG Managing Director, Mathew Gollop , and published on October 12th 2022 in LinkedIn: This year has seen me hit 25 years in the recruitment industry and, ConnectedGroup also celebrates a quarter of a century of operations. With these milestones in mind, I have been reflecting on what I have learned both in business and in my personal life (and the blurred line in between). I'm sharing it here and, hopefully, some of it will resonate. I would love to hear your own insights as I continue to learn new things. Family first . 'Family' means many things. Not just our relatives, children and spouse, but our close friends and even our pets fall into this category. It's easy to prioritise other things - justifying it on the basis that you are building a better life - but ultimately, each day, each experience, IS your life. That feeling that 'things will be better/easier when...', doesn't go away. You just have to stop and appreciate what you have to truly gain perspective. Stay curious . Henry Ford said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Today, the opportunities to learn new things are almost overwhelming but, it starts with an open mind. I'm still excited to learn new things and these experiences can sometimes change the direction of your life, even in your later years. Keep your self image flexible . When you learn new things, it can challenge your view of who you are. If you remain open to changing your view of yourself, then you can more easily evolve and adapt as the world changes around you. Surrounding yourself with people who are unafraid to give you candid feedback will make this easier. It's never too late to be the you that you want to be but, you will have to embrace the uncomfortable truths along the way. Speak to yourself with kindness . A career coach once asked me to describe how I talked to myself when I felt I was falling short. She listened and then asked how I would feel if I had a manager who talked to me the same way (not good!). It was a stunning moment and, whilst the change wasn't instant, the more I have learned to cut myself some slack, the better my life has been. I am now attuned to hear this in others and try to pass on the same advice. The obstacle is the way . The book of the same title by Ryan Holiday helped me to consolidate this way of thinking. His guide to the teachings of stoicism bring to life the concept of seeing opportunity in adversity. The faster you can move from seeing the problem to accepting it, the faster and more effectively you can move through it. This is different to just 'never giving up' because, repeatedly running at an issue without acceptance doesn't always lead to a solution. As an extension of this, it is also about knowing that persistence as a trait needs to be sustainable. Understanding when to rest and return refreshed is therefore critical. Have a clear purpose . In Victor Frankl's 'A Man's Search for Meaning' he says “in some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning". In other words, 'embracing the suck' only works when you have a well defined purpose. Just as organisations need a purpose statement, you also need guiding principles that will help you make decisions and navigate life. Keep true to your purpose and values, and tough decisions become easier to make. There is a good reason Frankl is often quoted in business and leadership writing. Kindness is not weakness. Just as finding a kind voice for yourself is important, do not let others tell you that leading with kindness is a negative. I listened to people tell me 'you are too nice' for years as a leader and, whilst I learned to find a balance between the commercial and the personal, it has become a core value that has built a robust business. Reading Adam Grant 's book 'Give and Take' was a pivotal moment for me - allowing me to accept this as truly a strength. More recently I read Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman and it was hugely inspirational to read about a company applying this approach at scale and with significant commercial results. Be open but have limits. Stay optimistic about people and give them the benefit of the doubt. I have many friendships that I value that began with uncertainty. At the same time, you must have limits. Those people that only take from you and give nothing positive in return or, do not have your best interests at heart, need to go. The same is true in business. Sometimes with time, trust and coaching, a difficult team member can become an asset. Good leadership is knowing when that you have nothing left to give and it is time to move on. 'Culture eats strategy for breakfast.' Following from the last point, it has become increasingly clear to me that focusing on keeping your employees feeling happy, safe and with a strong sense of belonging is the only sustainable business strategy. Whilst many leadership trends come and go, are disproven, or become culturally irrelevant, this Peter Drucker quote from 2006 is simple yet powerful. It doesn't mean that you don't need strategy, but a poor culture is either mirrored in a poor strategy or, a great strategy is unable to be executed without a meaningful culture. It is also true that tactically, a bad culture will develop processes and procedures that further perpetuate the negative elements. So, fix culture first, the rest follows. Make decisions that sustain. You can also flip the previous point. If you always focus on creating an environment that is more likely to generate long term value, then you will naturally gravitate towards one that has a positive and meaningful impact on people's well-being. Short-term wins often drive the opposite and commercial/financial value cannot be achieved if it cannot be replicated with relative and increasing ease. Define and repeat. Particularly when it comes to company vision, mission, values and purpose, you cannot talk about it enough. Whilst parts of Jack Welch's book ' Winning ' haven't dated well, the first few chapters that talk about defining a simple set of values and then repeating it as a mantra is still valid. These elements that are the cornerstones to company culture have to be lived. To be lived, they need to be understood. To be understood, they have to be ingrained. This is true of anything that needs to be adopted as company lore and Adam Grant says it wel l ; "Repeat after me: good communication requires repetition. Data: leaders are 9x more likely to be criticized for undercommunicating than overcommunicating. Those who say too little come across as unclear and uncaring. When you're tired of your message, it's just starting to land." Recruit for stretch. I guess some recruitment related advice would also be appropriate! If I am only going to give one insight from my years in the industry, it is to identify candidates who bring 50-75% of the skills and experience to the equation and 100% of the values fit and then let them thrive as they learn the rest. People who have done the same job before bring a diminishing return as they become less motivated to do the same things over again. High achievers in particular will fly when given some scope and freedom. I hope there is something in here that you find interesting and I look forward to you sharing your own lessons and insights. I can always be reached at mat@connectedgroup.com and try my best to give time to people who want to discuss talent and career strategies, not for profit initiatives and board effectiveness in particular.

​This article was written by CG Managing Director, Mathew Gollop , and published on August 26th 2022 in LinkedIn: ​ I try to write articles based on the questions I am most commonly asked. In the last week alone I've had multiple organisations, both NGO and commercial, asking for insights on this topic. ​ Hong Kong has undergone a net talent outflow from both local and expatriate communities in the last 2 years. This is layered on an already tight talent market with the additional context of the influence of pandemic-driven lifestyle changes. In short, this situation is very real and it's going to get worse before it gets better. ​ When asked 'what can we do about it?' my response is that you need to do everything, and, as quickly as possible. What I mean by this is that there is no single solution or quick fix. Once Covid restrictions are dropped, we'll see the burgeoning Greater Bay initiative create additional demands and more active hiring strategies from incumbent companies. NOW is the time to get ahead of this and it is done by placing talent retention and attraction at the centre of strategic decision making. Here is my checklist: Remove the push factors. These are easy to identify. You know them already: ​ High attrition under specific leaders? Move towards performance management against staff retention metrics or, make the tough decision and move these individuals into sole contributor roles or out of the organisation. Whilst these people may feel like they add value through their personal performance, the perception of their impact is often over-inflated and the consequences of staff-turnover understated. Create room for internal development or bring in fresh ideas and save the ongoing detrimental impact on your employment brand. Misaligned benefits? Struggling to justify your 12 days' annual leave allowance, lack of WFH strategy, 'no medical cover during probation' policy or similar when you recruit? Make it a priority to resolve, and quickly. The cost of talent attraction and attrition is already high enough without adding these type of barriers to the equation. You might feel you can't afford to change it but, you actually cannot afford not to. Lack of clearly defined learning, development and progression potential? The journey to creating meaningful programs that support personal and professional development that align with business goals and values is a long one. It takes sustained effort from multiple stakeholders to achieve and so, if you don't have it in place already, get started. If you don't have this capability internally, recruit it or, bring in external experts to support. In itself it creates a development opportunity for your current team. Challenge past hiring assumptions and embrace diversity and equity. The talent short market is a lever to push diversity in hiring. Opening the target pool of talent will give you more options and, therefore, a greater chance of success. Hong Kong has a high degree of ethnic homogeneity but, diversity comes in many forms. You can challenge the following assumptions: The successful candidate must speak Chinese. There are many instances where this is the case but, from previously being an 'ideal' criteria, it has become a standard addition to many job descriptions as a fixed requirement. This immediately excludes applications from candidates with the appropriate technical skills or market knowledge but who don't speak the language. Don't close the door on these applications - widen the net. The role requires a degree in X or Y. Google found that specific degrees were not a key to success when soft skills rated higher as important traits. By stating specific disciplines on a job description, you may exclude strong candidates and, in particular, female applicants who may be less likely to apply when they don't meet the criteria. The well quoted HP study is examined further in this interesting HBR article. PWC recently dropped their 2:1 degree requirement in the UK as another sign that organisations are widening their talent funnels. You can equally look at whether the role requires a degree at all. As application volumes drop, you can spend more time searching for the hidden gems. We need to hire someone with experience in Hong Kong/the region. Of course, candidates with existing experience in the relevant location or region will have a shorter learning curve but, employers will have no choice but to start hiring from outside of HK's geographic borders in the future. Companies that move early to build these channels and processes to attract top talent from overseas, will have first mover advantage. Experience is required in a similar role and/or from the same industry. Research shows that, hiring candidates who have done the same job before does not guarantee success and often means a diminishing return. People are less motivated to deliver the same projects and achievements over and over. No one tells this story better than Lou Adler . The best hire is someone who has demonstrated high performance and who is reaching for the next challenge and would see your role as a stretch. Look at opportunities where you can hire from other industries or cross-train from other functions. Making that decision today looks very different in 6 months with a candidate who has made the transition, compared to a still open vacancy searching for the exact fit. Partner with NGOs to open diverse channels. There are many NGOs supporting minority groups to access employment opportunities. Refugees, ethnic minorities, local under-privileged communities, the homeless, neuro-diverse and otherwise disabled individuals to name some. Partnering with these organisations can also align with your social purpose and can be an opportunity to open the door on internal discussions, raising awareness and creating fundraising initiatives. ​ Work on building a culture of belonging . Ultimately, when people feel like they belong, business is better. Deloitte's recent Human Capital Trend Report states "belonging can lead to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% reduction in turnover risk, a 167% increase in employer net promoter score, 2X more employee raises, 18X more employee promotions, and a 75% decrease in sick days." This research continues what we already know about the positive influence of diversity and inclusion and working environments that foster a sense of psychological safety. As with building a learning culture, tackling this issue is a long journey and so, the sooner you begin, the better. ​ Finally, ensure your recruitment process is efficient and sensible. With candidates in high demand and counter-offers common, you need to be able to be agile in the market. Move to conclusion quickly so that, if your first choice candidate doesn't work out, you can shift gear and consider alternatives. ​ Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, it should provide some ideas to begin a conversation. I am always happy to discuss talent issues and other ways that ConnectedGroup can help which include: Executive recruitment & search services to support you in filling critical vacancies. Our new TalentInsights product - a data driven solution to providing you with transparency on your target talent community in order to drive sensible conversations around succession, diversity and hiring strategy. Contract and interim employment solutions - deployment both in Hong Kong and overseas (charged back to a Hong Kong entity). Our new ConnectedConsult offering - helping you build or outsource your TA function to create an efficient and effective recruitment process. Connect you with our not-for-profit network to tap into diverse talent channels. Feel free to connect with Mathew at mat@connectedgroup.com for more information.

Read about eFinancial Careers Global Insight Report : The big mid-year challenges facing recruiters in Singapore and Hong Kong from ConnectedGroup

This article is written by Bonnie Chan , Head of Technology and Contracting & Payroll Services. It was originally published in LinkedIn on 4th July 2022. ​ Hong Kong is moving through an increasingly challenging talent market. The combination of a net talent outflow (both local and expatriate) for a variety of reasons, layered onto an already thin pool in many functions means gaps are clearly showing. A broadly risk averse employee base is adding to the problem and those that are open have high salary expectations and employers are deploying aggressive counter-offer strategies. The final barrier is that bringing talent in during pandemic restrictions and poor international PR is also not easy. ​ Companies are increasingly looking to the borders to open up and, whilst this will bring easier access to external talent, Hong Kong will then be competing with global demand for the same skills. ​ As such, employers are asking what benefits will make them competitive, particularly realising that some of the demands for more flexible employment terms require systemic change. For the first time, we are seeing candidates place flexible work arrangements ahead of paid annual leave when prioritising benefits. This is of course in the context of limited travel potential but, is likely a trend that will sustain. ​ Work from Home Options Hong Kong is inherently conservative when it comes to changing work practices and, pre-pandemic, employers saw WFH as a novelty at best and even employees had mixed views. With smaller average living spaces and co-habiting families, the initial perception was that this wasn't a benefit. However, after the 5th wave lock down, people have begun to understand the upsides and a complete return to 'normal' is no longer seen as a positive. ​ One of the interesting elements is how the adoption of flexible practices translates to a statement on company culture. Employees see the flexibility to balance time between home and work as a signal of trust and of an open-minded employer mentality. ​ Not all industries can obviously adopt flexible practices but, companies that can, that are pushing for a full return to office are (at least anecdotally), suffering from a decline in employee confidence. ​ The key for organisations looking to establish a WFH policy is to maintain a balance of in-office engagement and flexibility. Companies are finding that core times when all staff will meet is key to sustaining culture. ​ Work from ANYWHERE An additional trend we have seen is the flexibility for candidates to work from locations outside of Hong Kong. ​ This has partially been driven by expatriate staff returning to home countries or, being based out of other offices to avoid travel restrictions and lockdown issues. However, we are increasingly seeing this being utilised to mitigate the challenges associated with the more permanent departure of local talent. ​ Circumstances where this seems to provide benefit is: Offering an extended contract for 6-12 months to provide a more effective transition of knowledge and handover period When the employee is a key project resource and can still add value remotely Where there is uncertainty around the long-term structure of the role which needs time to be assessed ​ ​ For the employee, it also offers a period with guaranteed earnings as they transition to a new location and market. ​ Some organisations have faced challenges to employ staff in overseas locations. Even multinationals may not have the internal cross-charging capability to make this work. As a result, we have established partnerships in key international locations to enable our clients to re-hire their own staff remotely whilst being billed from a local Hong Kong entity. This also enables the employee to meet all local statutory requirements and establish an official employment history on the ground. ​ As a result, we have established partnerships in key international locations to enable our clients to re-hire their own staff remotely whilst being billed from a local Hong Kong entity. ​ To learn more about this, please contact me at bonnie.chan@connectedgroup.com