This Week in the News

Time has come for close communication (South China Morning Post)
"Despite all the talk about companies being transparent, many employees still feel that their organisations fall short of the mark when it comes to effective communication. There may be e-mails flying between departments and meetings to fill up the week, but one of the most common complaints from employees is that the management team doesn't provide enough timely information about fundamental issues."

The global management challenge: China versus the world (Institute of Leadership & Management)

"The global balance of economic power is shifting. Chinese managers are setting the management agenda for China and are poised to do so for the rest of the world, and managers in Europe and North America would do well to pay attention, according to a report commissioned by The Institute of Leadership and Management."

10 ways to develop staff on a budget (Personnel Today)
"Number crunching training budgets: Training budgets under increasing pressure, but staff development should not be allowed to grind to a halt as a result. There is a wealth of low-cost and even free sources of learning on offer, as Alex Blyth reports."

2009 Training Forecast

Excelliance, a Shenzhen based corporate training consultancy, has released this THIS forecast for the training industry in 2009.

One of the key highlights from the report are the trends for the year.  Most of which I agree with: 

• Training projects will be much more results oriented and focused on specific work‐related demands
• Demand for tailor‐made training services will continue to increase
• Training buyers and providers will need to work closer together and improve communication and training/course management
• Poor quality training providers will get squeezed hardest, some even going out of business
• New ‘quick solution’ training programs may be offered in the market (ie: hardware intensive training such as self‐study programs, internet study, etc..)
• Training professionals, both buyers and providers, will need to invest more time into upgrading their knowledge and skills

What do you think?

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