This week's 'Worth-a-Read'

My favorite part yet of Alan Hupert's brilliant series of articles 'Survival is Not Enough'.  Some brilliant ideas on how to survive and adapt one's behavior in the economic downturn.

Call center training in China continues to boom

China's call centre industry has become one of the largest in the world.  Although the industry is valued at just over US$37 billion and still maintaining an annual growth rate of over 10%, it is one 'starving of talent'.  From our observations, call centers are continuing to invest huge amounts in training to develop talented call centre workers to serve a rapidly growing industry.

A major Shanghai newspaper recently released a report entitled 'Shanghai's call centers are staving for talent'.  It seems that despite worsening economic conditions, call centers continue to have difficulty recruiting qualified talents and still have difficulties with staff retention.

In Beijing, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of call centers requiring both English and soft-skills training.  It is clear that call centers in China have long underinvested in training and perhaps, as some centers slow down, centers are finally allocating some time and resources to properly train their staff.  

What do you think?

This Week in the News

World Bank warns China can't make up for collapse in Western demand (The Telegraph)
"China’s deep coffers and its determination to invest in longer term stimulus projects such skills training, healthcare and product innovation care would help to rebalance China’s domestic economy in the medium to long term."

China/Australia engineering training partnership (Manufacturers' Monthly)

World Bank outlook further dims China's sun (Forbes)

"The World Bank welcomed China’s "visible hand" to stimulate consumption and improve people’s livelihoods by expanding the government’s role and spending on health, education and social protection measures."

Overseas education sector remains strong (Julia Gillard, Australian Education Minister)

"The campaign ‘Study in Australia 2010’ will see $3.5 million will be redirected to specific measures in existing major source countries such as China, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand over the next nine months."

A downturn in China? Here's the good news.

There is no doubt that nearly everyone is taking a hit from the global financial crisis. Companies are reducing costs and headcounts at varying degrees and job hunters are becoming increasingly desperate for work. But every cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and this downturn is no exception. As China’s premier Wen Jiabao mentioned earlier this month, a wealth of opportunities will be created for those who stress innovation and adapt to the drastic changes in world economic conditions.

For employers, difficult times are an ideal opportunity to create greater loyalty between your company and your staff. For employees, on the other hand, an economic downturn can give you an opportunity to shine in your current role, develop your existing skills and prove your value to your company.  

Managing this change, however, can be a challenge for even the most seasoned of managers particularly in a time when many people, especially younger employees, have no concept of how to manage change as more difficult economic times set in.

Top Tips for Managing a Downturn

1. Communicate with your staff
One of the most common mistakes many managers make with their staff during difficult times is slowing or stopping the flow of communication. It’s true that no one wants to be told the ‘bad news’, but from your employees’ perspective bad news may be better than uncertainty or office gossip. Ensuring your employees are aware of changes that may affect them will foster trust between you and your staff.

2. Look after your ‘good eggs’
Even in a tough economy, high-potential employees will always have other opportunities. It is easy to lose sight of the needs of your valuable employees as you focus your time and energy on staff who are losing their jobs. Remember that your people are everything and good people are even more essential in difficult times as the market becomes more competitive. Use these times as an opportunity to allow the high-potential employees in your company to contribute new ideas and improve their skills.

3. Make your workplace fun
Let’s face it, there’s a lot of negativity out there right now. Unfortunately, this negativity breeds more negativity. It is essential that in difficult times you continue to make your workplace an engaging place to work. Organise some staff events, invest in a team-building activity, or talk to your staff to find out cost-effective ways to keep your office dynamic and interesting. Creating a positive atmosphere in the office is essential in maintaining productivity and staff retention.

4. Encourage ideas and input
Your employees will have an insight into how your company operates. Encourage them to contribute ideas in order to cut costs, improve productivity or increase market competitiveness. Their ideas may surprise you.

5. Reward your performers
Don’t stop rewarding the employees who continue to perform well in difficult times- they need this reinforcement to stay motivated. Recognition does not necessarily mean cash bonuses or formal programmes. Managers can use simple recognition techniques to reinforce good behaviour.

6. Help your staff improve their skills
It is expected that many people will see difficult economic conditions as a good opportunity to undertake further study and improve their skills. Talk to your employees and give them the opportunity to undertake part-time study if conditions permit.

James Hudson is a corporate trainer at Yaxley Education. Based in Beijing, Yaxley Education specialises in soft-skills and English language training. For more information visit http://www.yaxley.cn

Want committed employees? Learn to trust them

I have an American friend who recently joined a Chinese PR firm. When I asked him how it was going he mentioned that the experience was ‘totally different’ to working for a PR company in the west. Although this is expected, he went on to talk about swipe cards that recorded his times of entry into the office and how the company would fine him half a day’s salary if his swipe card indicated he was just one minute late. This, along with being allocated new tasks as late as 8pm to finish ‘as soon as possible’, ultimately led him to feel dissatisfied with the company and resulted in a complete lack of interest in how the company operated.

Managers of Chinese companies frequently ask me why many of their employees show such a lack of commitment to their companies’ operations. Employees change jobs like they’re going out of season and show little, if any, interest to the company’s wellbeing. The truth is, poor management breeds generations of poor employees who feel disillusioned by the lack of independence they receive from their managers.

No employee feels empowered if they are treated like a junior school student and very few employees will feel more committed to a company if they are fined because they have a morning dental appointment or their trusty alarm failed to wake them up on time.

Towards Trust
Trust is the foundation of any human relationship yet for some reason many people seem to assume that, because employees are paid, trust is not essential in the employee/employer relationship.

The swipe cards are an ideal example of how many Chinese employers fail to trust their employees and give them the independence and space to feel valued by their company.

The horrible truth is, and I hate to be blunt, if you don’t trust your employees in China, they really shouldn’t be working for you. If you genuinely worry that your employees will not be more committed if you unblock social networking sites or scrap swipe card systems, do you really think that these are the best people suited to work for your company? Most people in the world are good, decent and trustworthy. Managers need to trust their instincts: identify the employees they can trust and make other plans for the ones they can’t.

In general, untrusting management results in untrusting employees, trusting management results in trusting employees.

Creating a Results-Oriented Workplace
Many companies in China measure their employees’ performance by how many hours they spend in the office. This may, from the outside, seem like a good way to keep people working but it doesn’t work. Some of my friends who have forced working hours in office jobs seem to spend the vast majority of their time on MSN or finding the latest fad to buy on Taobao. There is nothing enrolling about being cooped-up in an office and forced to sit in front of a computer against one’s will.

If you are one of those companies that order lunch packs in for their employees instead of giving them a much needed break, they, unlike employees who are given flexibility, end the day exhausted with little energy.

Companies in China need to shift their perspectives and focus on the output achieved by employees instead of measuring performance by looking at the number of hours spent in an office. This requires good management and the implementation of strong systems that measure the quantity and the quality of output from employees.

It’s simple. Trust your employees, give them freedom and measure them by what they achieve and not by how long they stare at their computers. The result will surprise you.

James Hudson is a corporate trainer at Yaxley Education.  Based in Beijing, Yaxley Education specialises in soft-skills and English language training.  For more information visit http://www.yaxley.cn

The 'N' Word

One of the greatest frustrations for many foreigners when they begin working in China is the inability for many people to say one simple word: no. Saying the ‘n’ word sounds easy, but it is actually, for the vast majority of us, incredibly difficult. Whether one does not have the ability to do something or does not have the time, learning how to politely refuse a task is an essential tool that can both improve productivity and maximise time.  

Teaching your staff and the people around you to say ‘no’ can be hard - especially when we are, after all, in China and saying ‘no’ can sometimes be regarded as impolite in Chinese culture. How can one balance these cultural sensitivities with the need for direct and honest answers?

Why is Saying ‘No’ so Difficult?
The inability to politely refuse a task is by no means exclusively a Chinese problem. How many times in the last month, for example, have you taken on a task or a project that you were either unable to do well or did not have the time to do? Perhaps you felt obliged when a colleague asked you for a favour? Or maybe you felt pressured when someone senior needed something done?

On the flip-side – do you, as a manager, make requests or delegate tasks without being fully aware of the employees work-load, schedule and resources?

Many employees see all the work that is delegated to them as essential – and in many cases feel that they have no choice but to accept it and get on with it. However, a key priority for any manager is to know that their employees are working to maximise their time – a key to any company’s productivity. If an employee takes on a task that then prevents them from working on something of a much higher value to the company, this may not be the most effective use of their time – particularly when the task in hand could be completed by someone else who is possibly even more willing.

In Chinese culture, saying ‘no’ is often regarded as impolite. Even when some Chinese people say no, they will often respond with indecisive answers like ‘you keneng’ (maybe), a slight nod of the head or ‘bufang biande’ (it’s inconvenient). The purpose of this cultural conditioning is to maintain harmony and avoid any response that may be considered upsetting. Unfortunately, in the west, ‘it’s inconvenient’ or ‘maybe’ can often mean ‘yes’.

In addition to this, in China a common way of saying ‘no’ is to raise objections. This can lead to confusion. A western colleague who proposes a project and hears objections might respond with, they think, reasonable solutions. At the end of a conversation the Westerner might think that the Chinese person is agreeing to take something on, as they have raised no further objections. Likewise, the Chinese may feel that they have made their objections clear and consider the matter closed. This type of miscommunication can quite clearly lead to problems. A clear approach to communication is therefore essential.

Getting to ‘No’
We all want to get to ‘yes’, but the truth is, getting to a clear and decisive ‘no’ can be equally valuable. Here are some useful tips for managers and employees when dealing with the issue of ‘no’:

As a manager:

1. Be aware of your employees’ workload. It is all very well to ask them to do something but if they really have got a lot going on then you could be putting them in an impossible position. Take the time to be aware – your employees will thank you for it.
2. Encourage your employees to look at how they use their time. Is their time being used in an effective way that maximises your company’s resources? Do they plan their workload? Are they clear about their goals and objectives or do you just expect them to get on with everything and tell you when it is done? Good managers should take the time to get regular updates on big and small projects alike, so they are clearly aware of who’s doing what.
3. Why are some employees staying later than others? Are they managing their time effectively? Are they taking on their colleagues’ tasks out of politeness? Identify the scapegoats and the bandits.
4. Identify your employees’ key strengths and weaknesses through means such as aptitude testing. This will ensure all tasks are delegated to the person best suited for the job so employees will not have to say ‘no’ in the first place.
5. Create an environment where saying ‘no’ is not seen as failure of any kind – and doesn’t mean people are not capable of doing their jobs. Many people feel inadequate if they refuse to do something.

As an employee:

1. Know your own goals and priorities – it’s easier to legitimately say ‘no’ to something when you know what’s going on. A clear plan of your goals, objectives and priorities will give you the ammunition to stand up and politely decline to do something.
2. ‘If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well’. Be honest and direct – this will benefit both you and the person delegating the task to you. If you commit to doing something that is outside your ability or which you simply don’t have time for and then deliver something which you both think is sub-standard, both parties will be disappointed. Be upfront and direct and admit that you don’t feel you can fulfill the request to the best of your abilities. A good manager should accept this and respect you for it.
3. If it is something you are really interested in doing, but still feel that your other projects are taking all your time, suggest dropping another project to make room for it, or that your current project is passed on to someone else in the team. This will also help clarify the urgency of the new project.
4. Remember – you are saying no to the proposition and not the person. Saying ‘no’ should not be personal and should not be seen as such.

Training Services in China: A Long Way to Go

Training is undoubtedly an invaluable and necessary tool for staff development, but just how satisfied are buyers of training services in China?

Training in China is a relatively new industry.  Over the past 20 years, major city centres like Beijing and Shanghai have seen massive developments in the training industry.  The industry has become increasingly regulated and competitive but at the same time demand for training has increased dramatically over the past few years.

The UI China Training Report reveals that despite increasing competition and regulation in the training industry, a mere 3% of buyers feel that current training providers suit the needs of their company.   Although only 2% of buyers stated they felt dissatisfied with current training providers, a massive 94% felt only moderately satisfied with training they have undertaken.

These figures reflect the massive gap between buyer perceptions and the actual results of the training delivered.  Training providers need to concentrate on marketing what they can actually deliver instead of simply marketing what sells.  The lack of customer satisfaction reflects the need for constant improvement in the training industry.