Media: Press Releases

Two memorable experiences stood out for me � one with my CEO and the other was with my Chief HR Officer. The experience with my CEO occurred during his closing address at one of my company�s leadership development programs. His simple question was �What�s next?� This simple question if reflected and acted upon earnestly, will prevent us from being complacent and drive us to conscientiously think ahead always.

The second experience was a conversation with our CHRO during this year�s HR leadership meeting. When asked what words of wisdom she could offer to guide us into 2011, she said �Always stay close and relevant to the business�, which we all knew was meant to inspire us to continue to add value and be strategic partners to the business.

If I may add, I would say, �Stay close to doing what you love, stay relevant and ahead by developing future capabilities needed to be successful in the near future�.

Mr Christopher Goh
Associate Lecturer, SHRI Academy
44th Joint Graduation Ceremony

Manulife Singapore to provide financial solutions for Singapore Human Resources Institute members

1. Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) today signed a MOU with Manulife (Singapore) Pte Ltd. This partnership aims to provide HR professionals, who are members of the SHRI, with financial solutions to enhance staff benefits, attract and retain staff in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

2. Together, the SHRI and Manulife (Singapore) will explore and develop new ideas to enhance staff incentives such as portable medical benefits, long-term incentive schemes and the new Supplementary Retirement Scheme for mature workers.

3. The initiative aims to help companies to ensure overall business performance remains successful in the face of changing demographics and increased workforce globalization. Companies in Singapore have to adjust to the changing employment landscape to retain staff and attract new ones. Many companies are finding that the traditional HR benefits are no longer enough to attract the best staff. Set against a competitive backdrop, a good talent management rewards programme is needed to help employers retain their talents and entice global talents.

4. Managing talent and the dynamics of a diversified workforce is no easy task. Employers have to meet the various needs of employees comprising global talents, mobile employees, mature workers, women with children and generation Y just to name a few. The recent announcement of an immediate implementation of the pro-creation policy by the Government, has also underscored the importance of talent retention for women.

5. Mr David Ang, Executive Director of SHRI adds, �This collaborative project signifies a committed joint effort to help employers to better manage talents and retain them. Talent management strategy is important and should be a part of company�s business plan. More often than not, the success of a talent management strategy is closely connected to how companies provide their staff with a good employee rewards scheme. A differentiated model should be adopted, the traditional model is obsolete. We need to constantly find new ways to meet the needs of the current workforce comprising of various profiles, backgrounds and age group.�

6. �Manulife Singapore is excited to be involved in this collaboration with the SHRI. Manulife has not only extensive life insurance experience but is also a major local employer of staff from around the world. So, we can fully understand the challenges and opportunities that HR professionals in Singapore face. This is reflected in our own internal aim to be an Employer of Choice, having already been recognized and certified as a �People Developer�, we firmly believe that we understand the needs of employees, as well as those of employers in retaining and nurturing talent within a company. With our combined financial expertise and passion in helping companies develop and support their staff, we believe that we can add real value to this relationship with SHRI whilst providing a significant differentiator to the companies within the institute.� said Mr. Darren Thomson, President and CEO of Manulife Singapore. Highlife Branch, which is a business unit of Manulife, has been appointed to work and manage this initiative exclusively with SHRI.

6. The MOU signing will include two talks by two professionals - Ms Doreen Chia-Foo, a seasoned HR professional of 25 years experience and Mr Premraj Thuraisingam, Senior Vice President & Chief Distribution Officer. They will provide a holistic view on how companies can leverage on Performance Management and share new approach to designing Compensation and Benefit Plans for talent attraction and retention.

Below are the event details.

Event:   The MOU Signing
Date:    19 September 2008
Venue: Singapore Human Resources Institute
               The Verge (formely Tekka Mall)
               Level 6, TR9

We cordially invite you and your media colleagues to attend the event. For more information, please contact Zuraida (zuraida@shri.org.sg / 9610 3408) or YingYing (yingying@shri.org.sg / 9437 5527) or both at 6438 0012 (office). We look forward to your presence. Thank you.