25/01/2010 Which China market are you in love with — the wide-eyed young economy with the untouched markets, unbridled enthusiasm for new brands and eagerness to explore kinky new business models? Or is it the other China – the controlling, jealous gerontocracy with trust issues and a nasty temper? Well, it turns out you can’t have one without the other. As Google has taught us, China won’t change just because you want it to or think it should.
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January 25, 2010
Google & China: I Love You, You Are Perfect, Now Change.
September 25, 2009
10 Day China Anniversary Sale – 60% discount off all our services
25/09/2009 To help celebrate China’s 60th Anniversary as the People’s Republic of China, we have discounted all our services by 60% from October 1 to 10 for any purchase using either AliPay, Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, or YeePay. All purchases...
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September 24, 2009
Surviving the initial downturn is not enough
24/09/2009 Article from: Meijob Spring Bundle A common refrain among young entrepreneurs in Shanghai is: “If we can just get through this, we’ll come back even stronger”. I have one simple question: Why? Sure, there are specific situations were a recession...
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September 11, 2009
Archive for the 'HR' Category
11/09/2009 Part of the new recession-mythology is the notion that certain companies will emerge from this crisis stronger than they were when the global downturn started. Like many myths there is a grain of truth hidden deep within the cocoon of thrice-repeated tall tales. When the dust settles, there will indeed be a few new winners and a handful of impressive transformations. Many tough-guy bosses are in for a shock, however, when their best people suddenly take advantage of the recovering job market to jump ship.
HR issues will make or break your company’s recovery. Recessions don’t end with an official announcement or the change of a headline. Recoveries are murky and uneven – and there is an excellent chance that your firm or industry will lag others on the way up. If your shop is staffed with resentful, frightened or hungry people then your recession story may not have the happy ending you were hoping for.
Does your team feel lucky to be working for you – or are they getting sick of hearing you tell them how lucky they should feel?
Tips for managing your HR policy in a crisis:
1. Manpower planning is more important in a recession — not less.
Companies that grew quickly during the boom times started looking bloated and wasteful when the recession started. Headcount reduction is a quick & sure way to reduce expenses – but it must be done correctly. If you must lay-off a significant number of people, have a plan and execute professionally. This is no time for personality-driven purges or reactions to sudden market changes. You need to determine your ideal Staff/Worker – Manager ratio to avoid ending up with a distorted company structure. Make sure you are obeying the first rule of lay-offs: One deep cut makes you a surgeon – lots of little ones make you a butcher.
2. Avoid having working poor in your own shop
Furloughs, reduced hours and enforced holidays require a delicate touch and consistent approach. Any reduction in real pay should be handled with compassion, professionalism and fairness. Bosses should be seen to be sharing in the pain – even if it’s just symbolic. Recognition and non-cash compensation is more important now than ever. Weigh cost-cuts carefully against the price in terms of morale and productivity. Don’t work your smaller staff to death just because you think it’s more productive – and don’t allow your middle managers to burnish their own performance at the expense of your staff’s health & sanity. Over-working people in bad times is a mediocre survival strategy but a dreadful recovery plan. Pay on time and in full. Clever accounting tricks should never harm your loyal staff.
3. Leadership counts more now than ever.
This is a bad time to try to start a democracy in the workplace. I remember one autocratic owner facing the end of the hi-tech bubble in 2000 who called the entire staff together in an impromptu brain-storming session about what the company could do to turn around their dismal sales. It confirmed everyone’s worst fears and drove morale into the ground. You need to look like you are in charge, clued-in and on top of things. Rhetoric matters. Don’t say that everything is fine if it isn’t, but don’t try to jawbone done expectations. Be the first to make sacrifices and the last to complain. Be compassionate, measured and consistent. No swaggering, no blaming, no blustering.
4. Rumor control – but don’t talk your own shop to death.
If there is bad news, get it out and over with. Have a house view on the economy, industry and global outlook. Don’t be ‘chicken little’ but don’t be a clueless hard-ass. You need to be compassionate but honest. Staffers who come to you with concerns aren’t necessarily whining or complaining – they may have valid concerns. Most of all, establish some kind of dialogue that includes your front line & younger staffers. Talking to your team is great – listening is even better.
5. No, they are not lucky to have jobs.
Even if they are, you should not be the one saying it.
When the recovery starts, the bull-market HR mantra is still valid – the people you want to hold on to the most will find it easiest to leave, while the people you don’t really need will hold on for dear life.
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August 31, 2009
Interview with a Chinese Grad Student
31/08/2009 ‘Has China changed? Companies bet millions on the answer, but it’s the wrong question. You should ask if Chinese have changed. China has changed; the Chinese haven’t.”
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April 30, 2009
The New Normal in China
30/04/2009 International managers in China have to acknowledge some unpleasant facts. The global economy has ratcheted down. We're not likely to see overseas demand return to 2007 levels for a very long time – if ever. The hottest markets in China are no longer in the glittering showrooms of super-luxury international brands. The real action will be in the boring suburbs and 3rd tier cities – and the buyers will be the REAL Chinese middle class who probably don't care much if Tiger Woods and Pierce Bronson are sporting the same watch or driving the same car. They will be spending their limited disposable income on their kids' education, their parents' health care and their family vacations.
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Superstructing
30/04/2009 You are facing an existential threat to your company, and as Human Resources Manager you have taken what you believe are the necessary steps to confront that threat.
But you are not sure if it is enough.
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March 27, 2009
Only pay for the CV's you need from as little as 26 cents (RMB1.75) per CV
27/03/2009 Spring Greetings!
This spring, you can download CV's from as little as 26 cents (RMB1.75) per CV, that's a discount of 65%.
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Will HR read your CV
27/03/2009 Despite what's happening in the rest of the world, March and April in China is the peak period for hiring and people changing jobs. However, most jobseekers let themselves down with poorly constructed resumes that fail to highlight their achievements in the most positive way to potential employers. They fail to get noticed and are passed over by someone who knew how to brand themselves more appropriately.
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Good News on Job Losses
27/03/2009 Things are still in a downward spiral in China in terms of job losses, exports, housing prices, stock prices and so on, but there are small, but hopeful signs of a pickup in the US, where most of those exports end up.
The good news is that the final customer may be opening his wallet in the not too distant future.
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