Yi Zhen Chan

Top HR tech concerns CHROs in Singapore are addressing Having ambassadors, champions or cross-departmental taskforces will ensure all employees feel like they have a say in any change process – this is one of the best practices to enable a smoother transition into HR tech, as we learnt at a recent roundtable by HRO x Grab For Business. Report by Sarah Gideon.  The ways teams work, the tools employees use, and the expectations that top talent have are all constantly evolving. And no greater factor impacts these changes more than the utilisation of technology, which helps to equip employees to perform better, both quickly and efficiently.  At a breakfast roundtable held on 15 April 2024 (Monday), organised by Human Resources Online (HRO) in partnership with Grab For Business, 15 HR leaders sat together to discuss how technology comes into play in their talent management strategies, and how these have, ultimately, helped improve employee engagement. Setting the context for the conversation in her opening address, Chin Yin Ong, Chief People Officer, Grab, talked about understanding what a holistic and great employee experience entails.  At Grab, the leader and her team are looking to weave together what they call “the P-H-D of employee experience”:  👉 Physical, in terms of the office space: Infusing, for instance, wellbeing into the office space, acknowledging the impact a workspace can have on the employee; 👉 Human: Looking at the company’s policies, and how the leadership team engages its people, and 👉 Digital: Leveraging technology advancements to bring the employee experience forward. In addressing these, Ong noted, the aspiration is to be able to design work that allows employees to be more and more productive without having to work more and more hours. Wouldn’t that be an ideal scenario?  Well, keeping this wish in mind, the conversation moved to the key challenges leaders are facing in elevating the employee experience in their organisation through tech-powered human capital strategies, as well as their approach to ensuring these concerns are met. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g4Fhuh4F Special thanks to the attendees at the roundtable: Raymond Soh, IHRP-SP, SHRM-SCP Siu Ming HONG (GRP, CCP, IHRP-SP) Tina Sharma -IHRP SP Jasmine Chen Sanjoy Shaw Jessie Cheing Helen Snowball Anupam Trehan Stepfanie Kee Swee Lin Andral Lim (林依穎） Clement Chew Jonathan Filmer Vasumathi Parthasarathy And thank you to Chin Yin Ong and Lorraine Ng for sharing your insights from Grab For Business Special thanks to Aditi Sharma Kalra for moderating the roundtable discussion! It was truly and honour sitting and writing this piece, and learning so much from so many leaders 💫

24

A new report delivers insights from 30 communications and PR leaders across Asia-Pacific, providing a compelling picture of the issues defining reputation management in the region. Produced by PRCA APAC, ‘Reputation: The APAC Perspectives Report 2024’ features viewpoints from in-house communications and PR agency leaders based in 14 Asia-Pacific cities, ensuring a welcome breadth of geographic diversity. In no particular order, here are five takeaways from the research: 🧩 Media fragmentation and trust issues are flagged by a number of the study's authors. The situation is worsened by social media algorithms that create echo chambers, spreading misinformation and intensifying societal polarisation. 💼 Several of the the report's contributors highlight how effective crisis and issues management starts by prioritising internal stakeholders. Employee engagement, accordingly, emerges as a critical means of navigating the VUCA era. 🤖 The rapid evolution of technology, particularly AI, alongside the intentional implementation of DEI practices, are identified as significant opportunities in terms of reputation management. While AI is seen as being to able to enhance productivity and creativity, DEI initiatives can drive positive societal change in Asia-Pacific. 🔍 All of the issues above also require a level of transparency and authenticity that has not always been prioritised in Asia-Pacific markets. This may sound obvious, but PRovoke Media's Crisis Review regularly reveals how authentic communication is too often overlooked, leading to ineffective reputation management and significant financial losses. ✅ While the scale of the 'ESG backlash' is not quite as significant as in Western markets, the report nevertheless advises a measure of caution amid the twin trends of greenwashing and green-hushing. Specifically, that means rising above superficial ESG efforts and genuinely committing to ethical behaviour. Organizations must align their actions with their stated values to build and maintain stakeholder trust — that this point is so clearly advocated suggests that it remains a challenge for many in the Asia-Pacific region. With thanks to the many contributors including: Kiri Sinclair, John Bailey, Darren Burns, Tara M., Carolyn Devanayagam, Ong Hock Chuan, Farah Jaafar, Margaret Key, Nitin Mantri, Lee Nugent, Joyce Peh, Angela Scaffidi Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors

86

12 Comments

The #dentsu Story of Adaptation and Growth. Read now!

15

Cyber threats are the top risk for individuals and organisations. With Generative AI, there are so many opportunities for scammers to scarce, threaten and steal from anyone. This ST story highlights how such scammers operate. Preparation and public education for such risks are therefore important steps. #cyberthreats #crisismanagement #crisiscommunications #iprt https://lnkd.in/gG54RMMt

5

Yesterday I moderated a lively Roundtable in Singapore in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors and Ruder Finn Asia, where we focused specifically on how senior marketers and communicators are gearing up for the AI era, amid widespread caution and concern. Unlike previous discussions I've participated in on this topic, this was a group of executives who are already relatively immersed in the technology. So their insights in terms of experimentation, usage and evaluation were very timely and topical, even if they also raised issues in terms of of public trust, misinformation and ethics. The feature will be out next week. For now, here is the advice each of them offered when it comes to adopting and deploying generative AI across communications and marketing departments: 🧪 "It's important to continue experimenting, but it's also important to maintain that human oversight because I don't think the capabilities of AI are quite there yet" - Ramya Chandrasekaran 🧐 "Stay curious. I think as comms professionals, we need to be on top of what's around us, what we can use to our advantage — drive not be driven" - Pia Tyagi ❤️ "Revisit your values that underpin your organisation and have that be the center of how you pivot on this. Because you might lose people, emotionally. And I think that's a risk" - Lauren Myers-Cavanagh ⚖️ "Be fearless and fearful at the same time. Fearless in terms of experimentation, be open to the potential for transforming the way that we work, live, learn and play. Fearful in being very deliberate in thinking about the dark side and the dangers" - David Ko 🎨 "You can positively use AI to do almost everything (well), but stay creatively flawed to make it even better" - Shruti Gupta 🧰 "Use these tools shamelessly because unless you use them, you'll not know the limits of where their value ends and your value begins. I would also hope for all of us is to bring others along, so that collectively we can benefit" - Sanjay Nair A huge thank you to the participants for a great discussion. Elan Shou Pamela Phua Phoebe SHEN Brian Witte

128

6 Comments

Amidst the flurry of greetings around PR Day, today, I thought it might be a good time to reflect a little bit on my recent effort to share lessons in PR and Policy Communications with senior media professionals from Vietnam. The buzz at the sprawling State Administrative Staff College, tasked with the responsibility to train, by the Indian Government, communications techniques and advanced strategic thinking to top professionals, was palpable. Given the fact that more than 90% of media in Vietnam is state owned, the problems that the media officials (because that’s what we figured they were) were keen to understand and learn about was how to ensure that today’s young generation would continue to be engaged and interested in the stuff that they wanted to "PR" to them. Fortunately, given the fact that Vietnam is totally open to the world of global media and more significantly social media, it was quite clear that in the way they expressed their problem statements, the issues they faced were similar to those that official government channels anywhere in the world are encountering today with greater and greater regularity. They included familiar problems like how to make announcements more interesting, how to convince their audiences that the news that they were putting out deserved to be consumed, and that the details that their bosses were keen to include, as news, could find the way into the mind and hearts of those they were targeting. Vietnam clearly has a very dynamic and extremely enthusiastic team of communicators working to make sure that the news gets out frequently, it gets accessed regularly and most crucially, is believed. The multiple versions of social media accessed by the young is something that they now recognize is a burgeoning concern. Their local version of WhatsApp University was also a huge hurdle. It comes in the way. Being able to sanitize communications even about routine crime reporting was hard. Statistics were boring for economic reporting and scoops were rare even in business reports. So what’s an able-bodied smart-minded PR person to do in Vietnam then? My exhortation to them was to spend a a lot more time, understanding their audiences and measuring responses to the messages that they were trying to put out. The science of communications that today necessitates the ability to make multiple versions of the same truth, is something that they have probably taken back with them. Being able to work with AI and advanced graphic tools that are available today to ensure that what could be boring hand-out type material was exciting enough to merit a second glance, by their audiences, was perhaps the biggest learning that they happily packed into their bags before leaving. #PR #Training #Communications #Policy

108

15 Comments

Congratulations Astro AWANI on winning the Digital Media Awards 2024 for the Best Use of AI In The Newsroom and Silver for AI-Powered Fact Checking Lab. I remember when we were given the mandate to explore the uncharted territory of AI, our small team of four Multimedia News Innovation (MNI) was all hands on deck. The excitement was through the roof, but so were the challenges. We identified two main challenges; 1 - How the newsroom (our colleagues) - would react to this new tech wave. Would they see AI as an ally or a distruptor? 2 - Figuring out what exactly we wanted to do since none of us has background in coding etc We embraced the Theory of Diffusion to spot our early adopters and ditched the formal meetings for 'pocket talks' across all units. These casual chats were our secret sauce to bringing everyone on board, one conversation at a time. While we were at it, we dove headfirst into the potential of Generative AI, exploring AI tools, forming ally, strategic partnerships with think tank and etc since we also need to keep an eye for the budget as well. And I found that It's not just about the tech; it's about the people and the collective effort. We're still on this exciting path, learning and growing every day to amplify human capacity and take our journalistic products to the next level with AI. The journey is long, but the future looks bright. Here's to teamwork, innovation and endless possibilities ahead! #GenerativeAI #Innovation #FutureOfJournalism

7

Reflecting on a conversation with Mirza Mohammad at our local mamak spot, I realized how much our mundane 9-5 routines can be transformed by a spark of enthusiasm. Over a cup of teh tarik, we delved into the hustle, not just as a means of income generation but as a catalyst for reigniting our passion for our careers. Our chat, flavoured with the age-old saying "duit bukan segalanya" (money isn’t everything), touched on the essential truth that while money does settle many issues, it's the journey and the drive that truly enrich us. With the rising cost of living and stagnant wages in the private sector, the conversation couldn't have been more timely. The heart of our discussion lay in the potential side hustles suitable for salaried workers. It's a reality check that many of us need to embrace. Are we ready to learn new ways to earn, or are we content to complain about economic challenges without seeking solutions? This dialogue left us with lingering questions: Are Malaysians willing to embrace the hustle? Do we merely lament the negative news impacting our economy, or do we break free from stereotypes and seize opportunities to learn, improve, and innovate? It's time for us to reflect and act. Let's turn our struggles into stories of growth and resilience. #CareerGrowth #SideHustle #EconomicReality #PersonalDevelopment #MalaysianWorkforce

9

Singaporeans aged 40 and above have received a $4000 top-up in SkillsFuture Credit. But here's a piece of advice. Never take a course thinking that simply completing it will lead to a job, regardless of your age. Many people think simply having the qualification or course is enough to get the job. When the reality is, it's just one of the many signals that you MIGHT be able to do the job. For mid-career switchers, it's especially important to overcome concerns of the hiring manager. Some of these concerns could be on whether you might be difficult to manage. You'll likely be judged on things like your willingness to be managed by someone who might be much younger. Or your ability to adjust from a more senior role to one with less authority. Your learning agility. Your commitment to the role could be a concern as it could come across like you're just trying to cruise along until something better comes along. Or HR could have concerns that your salary expectations will too high for the seniority of the role and the experience that you possess. And let's be honest, it's mostly the same complaints people make about younger employees and fresh grads. No manager wants some inexperienced person with only paper qualifications coming in acting like they know better. Or to train someone who will leave shortly after receiving training. After taking a course, try building a portfolio and addressing these concerns in your resume so that you at least get called up for an interview. #careeradvice #skillsfuture #skillsfuturecredit #singapore #ccpn

24

5 Comments

Thank you very much, Weston Stacey and AmCham CZ for the opportunity to participate in this timely and important debate! We are grateful to the Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bartoš for sharing his views and lending us his ear on all that is mentioned below but also on how strengthening the (Digital) Single Market should be a priority for the next #EUCommission and how cooperation between trusted partners from private and public sector should be utilised more - for the benefit of consumers, businesses and public offices alike (and how to tackle some of the barriers). Recently, I have been hearing a term #StrategicSynergy as a concept that should replace the troublesome “strategic autonomy”. I like it. It means we do not need to do everything together and agree on everything. But where the interests are mutual (here #competitiveness of the EU, safety and free choice of customers, removal of administrative barriers for small businesses, to name few), creating synergies in strategic themes is key to moving forward. Looking forward to more work to be done!

20

1 Comment

[A non-work related post] Imagine paying for an insurance premium for three years. Then one day you get the dreaded cancer diagnosis. You submit your insurance claim, only to have the insurance company void the policy and offer a refund. Unimaginable? Well it happened to my wife. Insurance companies have made it easy for people to purchase policies. Answer a few yes/no questions online and the policy is approved very, very quickly. No secondary or medical checks. Manulife does this on the DBS mobile banking app. And when you submit a claim against the policy, they say the questions were not answered correctly, hence allowing them to void the policy. The net result: you have a false sense of insurance protection. It is a win-win for the insurance company – they get to make returns on the premiums, and yet not make any insurance payout. And the policy holder is left with nothing. These easy-to-sign-up insurance policies need to be reviewed. I applaud Minister Ong Ye Kung’s speech and for calling out the health insurance sector. Things need to change. Read his full speech: https://lnkd.in/gwGHTK8D https://lnkd.in/gqH8_HDP #healthinsurance #insurance #singapore Ministry of Health (Singapore)

36

5 Comments

Singapore is in so many ways, a wonderful place to live. We have gotten most of the elements in what makes a society right. There is, however, one crucial flaw, which makes us a “failed” society despite all our successes. That is our inability to treat people as humans and our ability to dispose of those who have done the most for us. This is clear when you look at how two groups are treated. Firstly, look at our elderly. How does a society that trumpets “Asian Values” and respect for elders feel comfortable with elderly people sleeping rough and having to lift heavy loads just to earn a few pennies whilst the young, strong and fit avoid the heavy lifting and sit in a corner, doing planning and strategic work – aka mental masturbation. The second is our number of dark skinned South Asian labourers. Yes, they are earning more than they’d make back home. However, let’s be very clear, we didn’t invite them in out of the goodness of our hearts. We invited them in to do all the things we won’t do but yet play a crucial part in maintaining the standard of living we expect. Nobody is asking for special treatment. What we should be doing is keeping up our end of the bargain. Let’s make sure that when people are willing to work rough and for wages lower than what we spend on dog food, we give them a certain amount of equity. Things like ensuring they don’t sleep in biohazards for example are not luxuries but our end of the bargain. If we want to sustain what we have – we will need to keep our end of the deal. - https://lnkd.in/gYHEmqxH

6

1 Comment

📹 Part II of our colleagues surprising our promotees! No matter which career level you are at, I think that staff recognition is really important. It keeps you going in good times and bad times. 🙆🏻‍♀️ Check out the genuine reactions of our people when their mentors and close colleagues expressed words of appreciation to them on the big screen when they thought it was just just a typical interview or meeting with HR🌟 (of course, not!) 🌻🌈 My favourite part is when the supervisor asked our fellow Swifties where's his friendship band haha! Great works from our EB Team, improving our content one step at a time, together❗ #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #TeamCPF #CPFBoard #EmployeeAppreciation #StaffRecognition #EmployerBrand #EmployerBranding

17

2 Comments

As part of its brand and strategic refresh last July, OCBC laid down a target to capture fund flows from Greater China towards Asean and log $3 billion in cumulative incremental revenue between 2023 and 2025. OCBC achieved the first part of its three-year additional revenue target by logging $500 million in FY2023. But has the bank’s other wish on capturing fund flows out of Greater China materialised? China is a very dynamic market, says Ang Eng Siong, CEO of OCBC China. “When one door closes, another door opens. That's our experience so far.” Speaking at a May 29 briefing in Hong Kong, where OCBC unveiled a $1.5 billion investment into modernising its Greater China operations, Ang acknowledged a slowdown in China’s domestic consumption. “But on the other hand, we are also seeing the emergence of new industries; we’re also seeing a pick-up in exports.” According to Ang, many Chinese corporates are considering the suitability of expanding into Malaysia and Indonesia — where OCBC has a “much bigger presence” — and not just Vietnam and Thailand, their immediate neighbours to the south. A May 29 report by OCBC's economists says foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into the Asean-6 economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam have been gaining traction and rose to US$236 billion ($318.58 billion) in 2023 compared to annual average of US$190 billion between 2020 and 2022. Ang claims that his team will soon collaborate with local authorities “to promote Chinese investments into these countries”, without specifying any of the four Asean countries in particular. Read the full story on The Edge Singapore.

13

AI is here to stay, whether we like it or not. And the only way to deal with it is to embrace it, experiment with it, push it to its limits, and harness it to make it your ally!

20

I don't remember exactly when I first encountered "Buy Now, Pay Later," but I remember what I was doing: buying lunch on Grab. Having a company offer to front me for my burger and fries seemed a little odd, but I understood the business rational. The Covid-19 pandemic was still ongoing, so a little extra credit could go a long way to boost sales. But in the years since, the market for BNPL services has contracted and funding has tanked. While some firms have exited the market, others are still going strong, especially those in the e-commerce sector. You can read about it here in our latest report.

18

1 Comment

SUMMARY: Banks in Singapore plan to phase out one-time passwords (OTPs) within three months to enhance security measures. MAIN POINTS: - Singapore banks will eliminate OTPs for financial transactions. - The decision aims to strengthen security against evolving cyber threats. - Other authentication methods will replace OTPs to safeguard against fraud. TAKEAWAYS: - Enhanced security will be implemented due to growing cyber threats. - Clients should prepare for new authentication methods. - Singapore banks set a three-month timeline for this crucial change. #SingaporeBanks #OTPPhaseOut #cybersecuritynews

3

*We’re Not Just Storytellers, We’re Problem Solvers* “What exactly do we do?” At my recent strategic communications workshop for Ngee Ann Polytechnic, I posed this simple yet thought-provoking question to a dozen comms pros. The exchange of varied perspectives was inspiring. Here’s my take: We’re not just storytellers; we’re problem solvers. Through communications, we tackle organisational challenges head-on, driving results and creating tangible impact. This thought-starter led to an afternoon of engaging discussions and deep reflections on our evolving role as comms practitioners. Key Takeaways from Our Session: 1️⃣ Start Every Campaign with the End Goal in Mind What is the challenge we want to solve, and how will we define success? Understanding the purpose behind our efforts and the objectives they aim to meet is crucial. 2️⃣ From PR to Integrated Communicators The days of traditional PR are behind us. Our role has evolved into integrated communications, blending integrated, omnichannel strategies to create targeted, cohesive and impactful initiatives. Black and white is out; grey is the new norm. 3️⃣ Harness AI Wisely In today’s fast-paced world, embracing AI and staying ahead of trends is essential. The future demands agility and innovation, where we seamlessly integrate technology with the irreplaceable human touch. 4️⃣ Combine Emotional and Data-Driven Storytelling Effective storytelling marries the heart and mind. Authentic, data-driven content builds trust and credibility, while maintaining genuine connections remains a cornerstone of what we do. 5️⃣ Measure Impact It’s not enough to measure outputs and engagement. It’s essential to link our communications efforts to overall organisational impact and outcomes. Continuous measurement ensure our strategies are refined to drive sustained progress and tangible results. Change is the only constant in our dynamic world. As we navigate this ever-evolving landscape, let’s remember that comms pros are not just responsible for crafting compelling narratives. We’re solving problems, driving results, and creating measurable organisational impact. Leading this workshop at NP, one of my favourite former long-time clients, was such a surreal and delightful experience. Thank you Sheryl Sim, Sangeetha Naidu for the opportunity to reconnect with cherished connections including yourselves, Mei Fong-Looi and May Goh, and to engage with the rest of your lovely team. Brewer #StrategicCommunications #IntegratedCommunications #FutureOfComms

39