Be Creative in Keeping Workers Happy

Article from Straits Times Forum, 9 August 2013

BE CREATIVE IN KEEPING WORKERS HAPPY

THE Straits Times jobs survey is timely and relevant amid the challenges in the business world ("6 in 10 here feel they have good jobs: Survey"; last Saturday).

Chief executive officers and human resource professionals would be wise to apply the findings and consider how they can fine-tune their existing menu of HR practices and working conditions to retain key talent and keep employees "feeling good" about their jobs.

The war for talent continues unabated in (human) resource-scarce Singapore.

What worked in the past for baby-boomer and Generation X employees may not work for Gen Y. HR professionals continue to be challenged by a well-educated and highly mobile workforce that is focused on family and personal needs.

In the past decade or so, HR professionals have tried hard to migrate from operational and administrative HR offerings to strategic, business-focused solutions.

The competence level can, and should, continue to rise. This is one profession where chief executives should not have to rely on foreign talent - there are global, business-minded HR professionals among the pool of local HR talent.

But it is not enough. HR professionals should continue to up their ante and focus on embracing the challenges of our ageing talent pool, and apply creative, hitherto untried initiatives to better utilise and retain talent and keep their workforce happy with good jobs - independent of age and other factors.

Paul Heng