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Advice for Human Resources in Special Times

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have implemented remote working. This new work style has created ambiguity in the field of labor regulations.

On April 7, AmCham Taipei’s Human Resources Committee hosted a webinar with two speakers with expertise in this area: Christine Chen, who heads Winkler Partners’ employment practice, and Heather Hsiao, a partner at Eiger Law and an experienced attorney and speaker on employment issues. This webinar was AmCham Taipei’s first online event. The two labor experts offered a list of guidelines regarding work-from-home:

  • Working hours – use electronic communication applications, such as email, LINE app, etc. to record working time.
  • Equipment – employers have an obligation to provide necessary equipment for employees to properly work remotely.
  • Quarantined workers – companies are required to prevent quarantined employees from being at work. The quarantine period cannot be counted as any type of leave. Neither can it be the reason for lay-off.
  • Wages – employees working remotely shall receive the same wages as working in the office, provided other working conditions remain the same. For quarantined workers, employers are encouraged but not obliged* to maintain regular salaries during a quarantine period. Companies that maintain normal salary payments will be eligible for tax reductions.

*If employers are not the reason for the quarantine.

 

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Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Discovering Opportunities: Understanding Talent Trends

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Technology has changed the dynamic for the recruitment process and workplace environment. As technology empowers employees to access and share information, more is expected from employers. Platforms such as LinkedIn, the world’s largest online website for professional and career networking, is leveraging the unique set of profile information on talent and companies to discover insights to better inform hiring decision makers.

At a recent seminar hosted by AmCham Taipei’s Human Resources Committee and entitled, “Connect to Opportunity,” Jeff Wong, Head of Sales in North Asia at LinkedIn, discussed the latest hiring trends to help HR professionals and business leaders understand recruiting strategies and ways to expand their businesses in the coming years.

In his opening, Wong shared LinkedIn’s current status of 610 million members, 30 companies, and 20 million open jobs in its network. He discussed three macrotrends: 1) AI/Automation, 2) skills gap, and 3) independent work. And he posed the question:”Since the relationship between employers and employees is fundamentally changing, how is the government or your company preparing for the future?”

Wong noted a few trends LinkedIn sees emerging in Taiwan and around the globe:

  • ABC Skills are in demand: Many global tech companies have recently invested in Taiwan and are looking for talent with ABC skills. “ABC skills”: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Cloud Computing).
  • Soft skills are the biggest skills gap: Companies increasingly value soft skill sets, as they are important to the success of companies and cannot be replaced by AI and automation. The top in-demand soft skills in Taiwan are: 1) management, 2) project management, and 3) sales.
  • Rise in independent workers: 12% of Taiwan’s workforce are independent workers, including those working remotely or in shifts. Work flexibility is an important factor and people are taking this into consideration when looking for jobs.
  • Increasing competition: Taiwan is losing more talent than it is gaining, at a ratio of 1:2. The main five countries Taiwan is losing talent to are the U.S., China, Japan, Canada, and Germany. The top five countries Taiwan is gaining talent from are India, Hong Kong, South Africa, Brazil, and United Arab Emirates.

Besides the government’s efforts to attract foreign talent from abroad, Taiwan also needs to consider how to retain its local talent – especially those with R&D and engineering skills. Wong encourages companies in Taiwan to invest in talent development through continuous learning and to make learning accessible for employees.

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Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Digitalization in the Global Economy

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Digitalization and automation are already impacting how the world works with even bigger changes to come. Market analytics firm Bain & Company forecasts that 25% of current jobs will disappear altogether by 2030, and many more jobs will undergo dramatic shifts and require new and different skill sets. To get more insight into how digitalization is reverberating through the employment sphere in Greater China, AmCham Taipei invited Christine Raynaud, CEO of Human Resources firm Morgan Philips Greater China, to speak at a luncheon entitled “Digitalization in Greater China” on May 9 at the Sherwood Taipei Hotel. Last December, Morgan Philips completed a wide-ranging survey of professionals working in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong, querying them on their experiences of digitilization today and going forward, and the results were suprising.

While more than 60% of survey respondents are already experiencing the impact of digitilization on their jobs, and an even higher number –- over 70% — feel that digitilization will affect their careers, most consider themselves unprepared for these changes. Yet this isn’t a cause for worry for most, as two-thirds of respondents in all age groups consider digitilization an opportunity for career development, higher earnings, and better work-life balance. Interestingly, the same number of respondents –- only 6% — across all age groups see digitilization as a threat.

The crucial point that Raynaud made to guests was that while skilled workers in Greater China consider themselves unprepared, over 60% of Taiwanese and Chinese professionals and 49% of Hong Kong professionals expect to learn how to navigate the digital era through on-the-job training. Opportunities for learning and career advancement play a critical role in employees’ job decision-making, but less than 20% of respondents across all age groups consider that their jobs are actually preparing them adequately. 37% of respondents in Taiwan said that they are not being prepared at all, while 45% said that at least their companies are trying to prepare them.

According to Raynaud, opportunities for digital skills acquisition will likely lead to winners and losers in the hunt for talent in Greater China. Already nearly 20% are planning on changing jobs in 2018 in Taiwan, and 55% are open to new opportunities, and that older workers were as open to new opportunities as younger ones.

In this new digital landscape, good leadership will retain its importance, but will likely be deemphasized as agility, fast decision-making processes, and a more customer-centric approach to business rise in significance.

Raynaud concluded that digital skills are a mindset, and that embracing change and opportunity is the only way to stay ahead of the curve.

From left to right: AmCham Supervisor & Public Health Committee Co-Chair, Joyce Lee, General Manager, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd.; AmCham Taipei President, William Foreman; Speaker Christine Raynaud, CEO, Morgan Philips Greater China; and AmCham Advisor of Advanced Learning Lab, William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions

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Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Labor Inspection Enforcement Seminar

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The latest amendments to the Labor Standards Act went into effect on March 1, 2018. This regulation has sparked a great deal of controversy and uncertainty. In order to protect the interests of both companies and employees, corporate HR departments need to be equipped with a full knowledge of the new labor rules and how they will be implemented.

To help provide that information, on February 26 AmCham Taipei’s Human Resources Committee invited Chiang Ming-chih, director of the Taipei City Labor Inspection Office, and Hu Hua-tai, director of the New Taipei City Labor Standards Inspection Office, to explain how the labor inspection system will be carried out and to take questions from the audience. Over one hundred Chamber members and guests gathered at The Sherwood Taipei for this event.

The two directors specified that organizations with the following conditions will be placed at the top of the list for inspection:

  • Having been previously reported for violation of labor laws
  • Using a shift system
  • Having non-standard working hours
  • Hiring hourly-rate or part-time workers

During the panel discussion, the majority of the questions focused on practical issues that arose from past experiences, ranging from the calculation of working hours to wage payment deadlines.

Chiang and Hu strongly urged HR managers to establish an effective internal communication channel and to reinforce employee management as the key to resolution of workplace disputes.

From left to right: AmCham HR Committee Co-chair Seraphim Ma, Senior Partner, Baker & McKenzie; Hu Hua-Tai, director of the New Taipei City Labor Standards Inspection Office; Chiang Ming-chih, director of the Taipei City Labor Inspection Office; AmCham HR Committee Co-chair Vicky Chen, Head of Human Resources, Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) Ltd.; and AmCham Taipei President William Foreman.

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

How to Be a Creative Leader and Empower Your Staff to Innovate

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Truly great leaders create truly innovative organizations. A prerequisite to becoming a great leader is self-knowledge and a practical understanding of the science of innovation.

AmCham Taipei’s Human Resources Committee invited Stewart Desson, Founder and CEO of Lumina Learning, to hold a half-day seminar on “How to Be a Creative Leader and Empower Your Staff to Innovate.” The interactive workshop was held at the Chamber’s Lincoln Room on September 26.

Through group and brainstorming exercises, attendees learned about their own personalities and how to use that knowledge to their advantage in the innovation process. Desson also presented a four-stage creativity model and gave attendees a chance to explore ways on quickly understanding personalities. Learning about personalities will enable leaders to be able to maximize the innovative potential of others to generate ideas and improve productivity and personal effectiveness.

Stewart Desson, Founder and CEO of Lumina Learning with Lumina Learning staff and AmCham Taipei staff

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Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Panel Discussion on Enforcement of Labor Inspection

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AmCham Taipei’s Human Resources Committee conducted a Chinese-language panel discussion on “The Enforcement of Labor Inspection” at The Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei on August 3. Aimed at enhancing understanding of amendments to the Labor Standards Act and the enforcement of labor inspections, the program featured inspection office chiefs from the Taipei City, New Taipei City, and Taoyuan City government who addressed their offices’ practices in four key areas: 1) the responsibility of labor inspectors, 2) the inspection process, 3) overtime reporting policy, and 4) attendance recordkeeping.

Moderators:

  • Seraphim Ma, AmCham Governor & HR Committee Co-Chair; Senior Partner, Baker & McKenzie
  • Vickie Chen, AmCham HR Committee Co-Chair; Head of Human Resources, Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) Ltd.

Guest Panelists:

  • Chiang Ming-chih, Director, Labor Inspection Office, Taipei City / 臺北市勞動檢查處 江處長明志
  • Hu Hua-tai, Director, Labor Standards Inspection Office, New Taipei City / 新北市政府勞動檢查處 胡處長華泰
  • Chou Hsien-Ping, Director, Office of Labor Inspection, Taoyuan City /桃園市政府勞動檢查處 周處長賢平

From left to right: Moderator Vickie Chen, AmCham’s HR Committee Co-Chair, Head of Human Resources, Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) Ltd.; Director Chou, Office of Labor Inspection, Taoyuan City; Director Hu, New Taipei City Labor Standards Inspection Office; Director Chiang, Taipei City Labor Inspection Office; Moderator Seraphim Ma, AmCham Governor & HR Committee Co-Chair, Senior Partner, Baker & McKenzie.

AmCham Taipei’s Human Resources Committee has raised a number of issues to the Ministry of Labor (the labor authority) that have emerged as a result of amendments to the Labor Standards Law (LSL) passed in December 2016. The Committee presented five issues in the 2017 Taiwan White Paper as key areas of concern for its members, who hope to see greater flexibility and predictability in employment laws in Taiwan.

To read the full Human Resources position paper, click here.

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Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

AmCham HR Committee Seminar: 最新創新平台管理趨勢分享，拉動企業轉型動能

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AmCham Taipei HR Committee held a seminar on July 6 at AmCham Taipei Lincoln Room, featuring May Wei 魏美蓉, Leader, Talent & Rewards, NA Practice Leader, Talent Management & Organization Alignment at Willis Towers Watson, as the speaker.

最新創新平台管理趨勢分享，拉動企業轉型動能 – this event was conducted in Mandarin.

*This event will be conducted in Mandarin. 本次活動將以中文進行。

全面互聯網+的時代下，平台經濟迅速擴張，以用戶為核心的商業模式正席捲全球，一個成熟的平台可能在短時間內就可以顛覆一個產業的遊戲規則，阿里巴巴、海爾、亞馬遜、Google等已經從增加顧客價值擴大到平台生態系統的價值。

面對用戶主導的時代經濟，企業內也必須重新思考新的組織設計與人力架構以因應行動化時代的消費者，兩創精神(創業與創新)是組織轉型的關鍵，而創新平台管理為萃取自主管理團隊的精神與組織人才大數據為基礎因應而生，不僅可趨動組織創新的能量，更能為組織創造新的人才、產品與品牌優勢，拉動新的成長模式，協助企業成功轉型，進而翻轉企業的獲利能量。

我們這次特別邀請韋萊韜悅台灣分公司人才暨獎酬總經理魏美蓉女士與我們分享最新創新平台趨勢如何顛覆傳統金字塔的組織管理架構，魏美蓉女士曾協助台灣與亞太多家知名企業建立組織內部創業文化與長期激勵制度，引領現代組織變革的潮流，進而開創新的獲利模式。

When: July 6, 2017 (3 PM – 5 PM)

Where: AmCham Taipei, Lincoln Room

Speaker: 魏美蓉小姐 (May Wei) – 人才與獎酬諮詢 總經理/北亞地區人才管理與組織變革諮詢 領導人

From left to right: Speaker May Wei (May Wei), Leader, Talent & Rewards, NA Practice Leader, Talent Management & Organization Alignment at Willis Towers Watson with Wendy Shieh, Director of Events & Marketing

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

HR Committee Luncheon: The Importance of Identifying Change Agents

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The world’s economy is undergoing significant challenges that are deeply unsettling for most businesses. This has created an urgent imperative to adjust to the new realities of changing business models. According to employers in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the most needed skills for top talent are 1) change management skills 2) a competitive/entrepreneurial mindset.

On May 11, AmCham Taipei’s HR Committee invited Christine Raynaud from Morgan Philips to give a presentation on “Why companies seek change agents and how HR can identify them.” She stressed that to help employers identify change agents, HR practitioners need to know how to uncover such characteristics in new hires and existing workforces.

From left to right: HR Committee Co-Chair, Monica Han, Country HR Leader, 3M Taiwan Ltd., speaker Christine Raynaud from Morgan Philips, HR Committee Co-Chair, Seraphim Ma, Senior Partner, Baker & McKenzie

The importance of identifying change agents within a company include:

  • Implement and adapt to new business models in order to stay competitive in the market
  • Managing resistance or those that oppose change
  • Develop and manage key leaders to support organizational changes
  • Ensure that individualistic goals align with the company’s strategy

Competencies to look for when identifying change agents:

  • Personal Balance
  • Leadership Influence
  • Consideration of Others
  • Creativity and Adaptability
  • Attention to Detail

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

HR Committee Seminar: Discussion on Labor Standards Act Amendment

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AmCham HR Committee held a seminar on April 19, at the Westin Taipei to enhance understanding of the amended law that was enacted by the Legislative Yuan in December 2016. Liau Huei-Fang, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labor, was invited to the event to discuss details and answer questions.

勞動基準法修法說明會 – Discussion on Labor Standards Act Amendment – this event was conducted in Mandarin.

勞動基準法修法業於105年12月21日經總統公布施行，勞動部為落實推動勞工週休二日之目的，及增進工商團體對於修法內容之瞭解，期透過與工商團體雙向溝通及座談，以減少對此政策之誤解，並進而蒐集工商團體之意見，特辦理此說明會。

Speaker Liau Huei-Fang, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labor with HR committee co-chairs and attendees

When: April 19, 2017 (9 AM – 12 PM)

Where: The Westin Taipei, B3 Yong Chun  / 六福皇宮 B3 永春殿

Speaker: Liau Huei-Fang, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labor / 勞動部政務次長  廖蕙芳

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Joint Luncheon: Workplace Design – Health & Wellness Strategies for the Office

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Modern workplace design is all about designing for people.

More employers are recognizing that taking care of their employees’ wants and needs means a healthier, happier workplace and, in turn, increased productivity, higher retention and an improved bottom line.

The aim of wellness-based workplace design is to create an office evironment where employees are enabled to work more productively and collaborate with ease. Experts say it’s time to move in these design directions to keep workers engaged, productive, and to get the most out of your office space.

On November 11, the AmCham Human Resources, Sustainable Development, and Infrastructure Committees jointly hosted a workshop on the topic of Workplace Design.

Special Guest speakers Tony Armstrong and Victoria Gilbert from International WELL Building Institute introduced members and guests to the core concepts of wellness-based workplace design, bringing them up to speed on the latest trends, standards, and strategies that can be utilized to achive optimal results.

Special Thanks to SL+A for covering expenses in bringing the speakers to Taiwan.

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