We came across an article recently published by HBR, titled 'Uber Is Finally Realizing HR Isn’t Just for Recruiting'. This is a good read, and a timely reminder that the experience, insights and knowledge of capable HR leaders do make a difference to the performance and 'health' of an organisation.

Too busy to catch up with the full 2017 Budget Statement? Here are 9 key excerpts of the 2017 Budget that may be relevant to you as an SME

Organisational culture is one of the latest buzzwords in the human resource industry. Unlike the usual fads that come and go, this is backed by research which shows that  culture does indeed play a significant role in any organisation, and that it would be wise to take culture into consideration in  strategic business planning and decisions. Let’s look into some ways a strong corporate culture can drive business goals and achieve success for your organisation.

Savvy executives know that engaging and guiding the right talent at the right point in the life of your organisation is the path to success. That path, however, is strewn with diversions. Success, however, requires that you keep your eye on talent management strategies throughout the life of your organisation.   

Change has become an ironic constant for enterprises throughout the world—including for SMEs. Innovation, especially technological breakthroughs, most often drive change, but economic and political factors influence the business environment as well.

Career development is typically thought of as an intentional, well-planned, and mapped progression of upward or lateral movement as a result of experience, education, and competency development. But, as we all know, life rarely allows us the luxury of neatly checking off boxes in order to ‘level-up.’ When I think of the business climate today I’m very often reminded of this phrase, a favorite used by a college English professor of mine; ‘the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.’

In the course of our strategic HR consulting work with our clients, the inadvertent question of ‘What is the vision of your company and what is your strategic plan?” will emerge as we begin to think deeper about the client's needs. Far too often, the ovearching HR strategy is not developed to drive the overall organisational strategy. Consequently, this creates inherent challenges in the HR programs, policies and underlying infrastructure of the organisation. It’s almost akin to buying and preparing all the ingredients before deciding what dish or even type of cuisine to cook.

Some time ago, HumanResources did a special edition magazine titled 'The Futurist', featuring 32 HR leaders and their take on the future landscape of HR. Here's what some of them had to say.

As we approach the festive season...

It’s really interesting, of late, that I find my path crossing moore often than usual with that of the young people in our society. These are the millennials, and I hesitate to label them as such because I see many similiarities between them and the person that I was in my twenties; a generation of young workforce entrants who are gung-ho, passionate about what they do and excited about the opportunities and prospects available to them. I also got to know a number of young entrepreneurs who have founded really exciting start-ups.

Having been with decodeHR as a summer intern together with Jiamin for past 10 weeks, I have learnt so much under Evelyn and team’s guidance that I would never have otherwise been exposed to back in school. Working in the corporate world has forced me out of my comfort zone, with more dynamicity and adaptiveness required and having to take your self-management skills up one notch. I have had the privilege of learning on the job by assisting Evelyn in her work, and observing her day-to-day life as a consultant and business owner has also deepened my insight of the working world. It has truly been a refreshing and fruitful experience.

The Singapore Budget 2016 retains its focus on economic restructuring to prepare the city state for the future. While targeted short term measures are calibrated to cushion the impact of the current economic slowdown, the thrust of the budget remains on growth through transformation and innovation. In particular, financing and tax incentives to support scale-ups have been rolled out by expanding the SME Mezzanine Growth Fund and M&A Allowance. Significant amount of funds have also been set aside for mechanisation and research and development. 

The most effective handbooks accurately reflect a company’s corporate values and culture. By describing your company’s mission and values, it can be used as a platform to help establish authentic corporate culture and encourage loyalty to the employer brand.

On 29 May, the National Wages Council issued its 2015/2016 Guidelines, covering the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016. The NWC’s call for “a minimum S$60 built-in wage increase for low-wage workers” has overshadowed its call “on companies to drive up productivity” in order “to sustain wage increases” over the long haul.

I hadn't expect to have two interns join the firm as the busyness of running a relatively young consulting firm can be overwhelming at times. Oddly enough, I didn't think to look for help from this source (hmmm). But thankfully, life has a way of presenting us lovely surprises and recently mine arrived in the form of two bright and lively young ladies. They had sought us out, which made the surprise even sweeter.

Before you plunge into creating that amazing Employee Handbook (and while you are at it, why not make it an e-Handbook?), remember that the Employee Handbook is created first for the Employee, as much as it is for the organization. So, make it something they want to read okay? And because it can be such an important branding tool, it certainly wouldn't hurt for it to look AWESOME.

Alright, here we go - keep these 8 points at the back of your mind as those gears start turning...

Today, companies face unrelenting pressure to engage and retain their employees. With a globally competitive landscape for talent, and increased mobility of the workforce, the conditions are proving to be more challenging by the day. Some organizations have started to segment their workforce to be more targeted in how they reward and incentivize them. They have begun exploring new ways of retaining their best people and developing creative C&B programs is one of the ways.