This document summarizes a panel discussion on corporate branding, attracting talent, and challenges in modern workplaces. The panel consisted of HR experts from Octopus Holdings, Rosewood Hotel Group, and Wynn Macau. Some key points discussed include: the importance of aligning corporate and employer brands; using core values and employee experiences to attract talent; adjusting employer value propositions for more transient employees; and focusing on communication, relationships, and business acumen as important HR competencies. Cheaper initiatives for attracting and retaining talent include sharing employee stories, one-on-one meetings, and training leaders on different appreciation styles. HR can also help manage operating expenses by understanding other departments' KPIs and costs.

1. CORPORATE BRANDING,
attracting talent and challenges of modern-day workplaces
A panel of prominent HR experts got together
recently at Hotel Icon’s Human Resource Forum
to discuss the latest trends and challenges for
the HR industry. The panel was chaired by Paul
Arkwright, Editor-in-Chief, HR Magazine and
the panel participants included an impressive
line-up—Niale McLoughlin, Executive Director
Learning and Advancement, Wynn Macau;
Ooi Lay Peng, Group Vice President of Human
Resources Development, Rosewood Hotel Group;
and Ivy Leung, Head of Human Resources and
Administration, Octopus Holdings.
Employer and corporate brands
An important area for HR is looking at the
relationship between corporate and employer
brands. Leung elaborated that at Octopus this
was under ‘one umbrella’, and that by making
a cashless society the vision, the mission and
the core values were very simple.
She said, “During the interview or after the
orientation, people remember the core values
because they are so easy to apply. There’s a
need to make core values easy to apply and to
put ourselves in others’ shoes. When we deal
with people the same logic applies. Having a
good Human Resources team means that you
attract people with similar thoughts and this
is really powerful.”
Peng explained that for Rosewood, the brand
is really about a sense of place and having
a friendly perspective. She elaborated, “We
have in our employer branding ‘imagine,
discover and explore’. It is the same journey
that a guest would go through—so they would
experience an everyday living canvas. We
allow individuals to imagine and discover just
as a guest would.”
By making the employee experience quite
similar to the guest experience, McLoughlin
said that the Wynn’s first value is to care
about everyone and everything. She
explained, “When people show up on day one
for our two-day orientation programme, my
job is to get them to relax.”
EVP in the modern workplace
The more transient nature of employees
attracted to the hospitality sector is a challenge
to the hotel industry. To deal with this,
organisations are finding that they need to
adjust their EVP. According to Peng, when
the EVP is more aligned to the business
proposition, your employees become aligned
too. She explained, “What you offer as the
front of the house also reflects the heart of the
house. In the hotel industry now, there are
expectations that the experience at the heart of
the house is equally important.”
Peng also stressed that with the globalisation
of the workplace, there are also more
expectations, especially among the younger
generation. She went on to explain, “There
is a global mindset but local execution.
Employees want more global exposure, so by
incorporating that into the EVP, you would
definitely have an attractive proposition.”
McLoughlin disclosed that it is actually
getting easier and that Wynn has not
changed their value proposition. She noted,
“Two years ago, employee turnover was 11%,
and in 2015, it was 8%—so we keep refining
what we’re doing. The core of who we are
doesn’t change, but it’s increasingly easy
for us to attract people because people work
with us and they spread the word.”
Leung said that for Octopus, it is about addressing
the hierarchy of needs—starting from safety and
going up to assertiveness. She added, “The world
has changed and we have to address the hierarchy
of needs from the top. What we have done for all
applicants—whether they are successful or not—
is give them Octopus cards as a gift. This is not
only a gesture of appreciation but a journey from
knowing the product, reading the advertisement
and taking the phone call to seeing the applicant
—this is where the journey starts.”
What you offer as the
front of the house also
reflects the heart of
the house. In the hotel
industry now, there are
expectations that the
experience at the heart
of the house is equally as
important.
— Ooi Lay Peng, GroupVice
President of Human Resources
Development Rosewood Hotel Group
“
”
We have a way of getting
people to tell stories about
each other—telling stories
about their colleagues living
the values for real inside and
outside the organisation,and
we share these stories.These
stories leak into the world and
they attract people to us.
— Niale McLoughlin, Executive Director
Learning and Advancement,Wynn Macau
“
”Attracting talent
Having a successful policy to attract talent
is high on HR’s agenda and the panel was
able to offer their insight and experience
in this area. McLoughlin said that it was
easy and shared her experience with Wynn
stories. She described, “We have a way of
having people tell stories about each other—
telling stories about their colleagues living
the values for real inside and outside the
organisation, and we share these stories.
These stories leak into the world and they
attract people to us. It’s a channel for people
to recognise each other, appreciate each
other and honour each other.”
At Rosewood, a different approach is taken
because they are a growing company. Peng
elaborated, “What attracts employees is the
possibility of growing with the company. You
have the probability of going out and being
somebody in a new property—so that is very
good for retention and attracting talent.”
Cheaper initiatives
Not every company has a big budget to attract
and retain talent. The panel offered some
alternatives for those organisations which may
have a tighter budget. McLoughlin said that
HR realised that Wynn stories are a big thing
but not everybody has got a story —so they
prepared for this by getting creative.
She explained, “We created a gratitude zone
and we have cards that come through my
team. Let’s say someone has been appreciated
by somebody, we can send them an SMS.
It’s very cheap and simple but it’s effective.
Gratitude is not all about being nice to
people, it has a practical purpose. I get to see
where the conversation is coming from and I
measure it whether it is from gaming, hotel,
food and beverage or other. I get to see what’s
happening, so it’s a beautiful finger on the
pulse on what’s going on in the organisation.”
Peng highlighted that different people want
appreciation differently, and knowing that
and training the leadership on that is easy
to do. Peng said that another way that really
helps is the ‘one-on-one’—basically involving
having that meeting where the person tells
you what he or she is up to. She added, “It’s
an opportunity for you to clearly spend the
quality time to know more about what’s going
on, what that person’s thinking and also what
that person needs. So you can use that time to
listen and pay attention to that person alone.
That person grows from your questions and
your feedback, and also the person gets your
time too. I think that doesn’t cost money.”
For Leung at Octopus, being truthful is what is
more important. She explained, “To be honest is
very important. For example during the interview,
we explain to the applicants that we are a very
small company and we don’t inflate titles. We
must be prompt in getting back to people and not
let them wait—keep them in the loop.”
New products means we
have to invest more and
we must make a promise
to our stakeholders about
managing the growth of
the cost according to the
expansion.HR needs to
know the KPIs of other
departments and how
it’s calculated.Without
knowing this,how can you
manage the cost?
— Ivy Leung, Head of Human
Resources and Administration at
Octopus Holdings
“
”| 2524 | HR MAGAZINE
HR FEATURES HR FEATURES

2. Operating expenses vs. revenue
Operating expenses are growing faster than
revenue—and this is an area where HR can
help focus their talents. Leung explained that
it depended on the product lifecycle, “New
products means we have to invest more and
we must make a promise to our stakeholders
about managing the growth of the cost
according to the expansion. HR needs to
know the KPIs of other departments and how
it’s calculated. Without knowing this, how
can you manage the cost?”
At the Wynn, McLoughlin stressed that they
do not mess with the brand and continue to do
everything they were doing in terms of giving
attention to team members. She elaborated,
“We don’t cut training and development and
we don’t buy any training—it’s all homemade.”
Peng said that the HR role is to provide a
system where people can have a discussion
before a meeting to manage the business
according to revenue. She commented, “We
would provide them with a system and then
they would take a look at the forecast for the
business. Labour costs are the most expensive
and these costs are escalating, as well as
related costs. HR learns to help management
to manage the costs—you learn to schedule
people off if they have outstanding annual
leave for example. So you are actually creating
a system and training for people to consciously
take a look at scheduling and get into the
mindset of managing costs.”
HR competencies in future hires
For these three organisations, there are various
HR competencies that they look for in their
future hires. In Peng’s words, it’s simple, “The
number one element is communication as you
have to be communicating at all levels—that’s
one competency. The other competency is
how they relate to other people in terms of
relationships. Also business acumen is the other
aspect of that—how aware are they in terms of
the industry and also in terms of what’s going
on around them, and the application to HR?”
For Wynn, it is all about branding.
McLoughlin highlighted that the question
HR asks is whether they—future hires—
are aligned with the Wynn brand. She
explained, “Do they genuinely care about
everyone and everything? Are they striving
to be better? Are they taking personal
responsibility? We ask them tell us a story
about a time when they cared for someone
and if they can’t tell us any stories—we
aren’t interested.”
Leung said that Octopus is looking for
people who are able to learn well. She noted,
“Sometimes people are very articulate
but their critical reasoning is sometimes a
little bit weak. So I think the person who is
responsible for recruitment in the company
must be very clear about hiring people who
are agile learners.”
| 2726 | HR MAGAZINE
HR FEATURES HR FEATURES
INTRODUCTION
The Award for Excellence in Training and Development has been organized by the Human Resources Development Management Commi ee of The Hong Kong Management
Associa on since 1990. It is the only award of its kind in Hong Kong that gives public recogni on of achievements in training and development to individuals as well as
organiza ons, whether large or small and whatever the nature of their businesses or services.
WHAT IS THE SEMINAR ABOUT?
Finalists of Skills Training Category and Development Category of the Award for Excellence in Training and Development 2016 will present at the Final Judging which will be
held at the Seminar on “Benchmark Your Training and Development Prac ces with Some of the Excellent Organiza ons”. They will share with you the secret of success of their
training and development programmes. Par cipants of the seminar will vote for the Best Presenta on Award.
MEDIA SPONSORS
SPONSORS
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FINALISTS
DATE
Tuesday, 14 June 2016
VENUE
Room N101 (Keynote Speech and Seminar)
Bauhinia Room (Lunch)
Hong Kong Conven on and Exhibi on Centre
1 Expo Drive (New Wing) Wanchai HONG KONG
ENQUIRY
Ms Ellis Yeung Tel: 2826 0532
Ms Elsie Chan Tel: 2826 0535
WEBSITE
www.hkma.org.hk/trainingaward
FEE
Whole-day Seminar
with lunch
HKMA Members: HK$2,900 / person
Non-members: HK$3,200 / person
without lunch
HKMA Members: HK$2,500 / person
Non-members: HK$2,800 / person
Half-day Seminar (AM or PM Session Only)
with lunch
HKMA Members: HK$1,900 / person
Non-members: HK$2,200 / person
without lunch
HKMA Members: HK$1,500 / person
Non-members: HK$1,800 / person
Skills Training Category
“Building a New Business with the Line”
Cordis, Hong Kong
“i-PRO Development Programme”
Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited
“V Care Programme 2015”
The Great Eagle Proper es Management Company Limited - Langham Place
“Y-Power Talent Development Scheme”
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited
“From Medals to Business - Life Skills Training Programme for Re red Athletes”
MTR Corpora on Limited & Sports Federa on & Olympic Commi ee of Hong Kong, China
“Func onal Skilled Knowledge Training Programme”
TAL Apparel
Development Category
“Opera onal Excellence Academy”
Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited
“You Can Code”
Esquel Group
“Leadership as a Profession”
Manulife (Interna onal) Limited
“Run to MDRT 2015”
Pruden al Hong Kong Limited
“Wallem Academy - Management Founda on Programme”
Wallem Group
“Zurich Oxygen”
Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong)
TIME
8:30 am (Registra on)
Morning Session 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (Keynote Speech and
Skills Training Category Final Judging)
Lunch 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (Lunch)
A ernoon Session 2:00 pm - 5:45 pm (Development Category Final Judging)
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Mr Paul Poon
Managing Director
CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
2016
EXCELLENCE IN
TRAINING AND
AWARD FOR
DEVELOPMENT
The Most Pres gious & Authorita ve Training and Development Award
SEMINAR ON “BENCHMARK YOUR TRAINING
AND DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES WITH
SOME OF THE EXCELLENT ORGANIZATIONS”
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