The "2011 HR Night - Award Ceremony for China's Most Talented Human Resources Enterprises" held by 51job (NASDAQ: JOBS), China's largest human resources service provider, was recently grandly held in Shanghai. More than 300 HR executives attended the event. The award ceremony not only praised 100 exemplary enterprises in China's HR management, presenting awards for strategy, training, recruitment and campus recruitment as well as an annual outstanding contribution award. At the same time, industry professionals discussed three major issues around the theme of "falling in love with the workplace and enjoying work," namely, "the professional attitude and orientation of post-80s and post-90s," "the current status of employee leadership development," and "talent management strategies when labor costs continue to rise."
In his speech, 51job CEO Mr. Richard J. Burnad said that in 2011, most Chinese enterprises faced a shortage of talent and salary increases exceeding GDP growth. In 2012, companies will face three challenges: rising labor costs, further market consolidation, and changes in young people's employment views. Richard J. Burnad predicted that due to the uncertain global economic outlook, the labor shortages in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta may be alleviated due to reduced orders, but labor costs will continue to increase; with further market consolidation, the strong get stronger, and irrational competitors face the risk of "starvation"; with the appearance of phenomena such as "naked resignation" and "career treasure hunters," the unique employment views of the new generation of young people are worth HR attention.
Hay (Hewitt) Group Vice President for Greater China, Mr. Liang Xinghui, proposed five major challenges for China's human capital management: the speed of talent growth cannot keep up with salary growth; employees are "physically present, but mentally distant"; the speed of talent transformation cannot meet the needs of strategic/organizational transformation; lack of leadership development; functional culture hinders innovation and speed enhancement, etc. Liang Xinghui hopes that companies improve employee engagement and effectiveness through multiple measures, "soft and hard approaches," and use more innovative methods to quickly cultivate leaders and team leadership, making change management routine.
Mr. Gao Jianhua, Chief Consultant of Hui Zhi Consulting, delivered a keynote report saying that the post-80s generation is the driving force behind the evolution of the Chinese market. He stated that the characteristics of the post-80s generation, such as "equality awareness," "desire for fame," "demand for a voice," "pursuit of quality," "attachment to the internet," and "assertion of individuality," pose challenges to HR. He proposed treating post-80s employees as consumers and giving them opportunities to do things, make money, receive training, and advance. Mr. Wang Tuoxuan, Partner of Deloitte Management Consulting Leadership Business, said that the characteristics of China's management talents have changed. Post-80s and post-90s generations hope to become managers faster. As the post-late-80s generation moves into working and managerial positions, their unique traits and views on work render traditional talent retention methods ineffective. Companies should comprehensively review existing operations and promptly adjust policies suitable for this group's characteristics.
HR executives from GE, IBM, Tencent, APP (China), Tenneco, Inspur, Whirlpool, Sandvik, and Bosun Electric actively participated in discussions and expressed that truly socially responsible companies not only engage in charity but also carefully manage employees like customers. "Cultivating employees and nurturing talents" is also the company's social responsibility.
Regarding 51job, "51job" (Nasdaq: JOBS) is the first professional human resources service agency in China to integrate various media resource advantages. It combines traditional media, online media, and advanced information technology, along with a team of experienced professional consultants, providing comprehensive professional human resources services including recruitment, headhunting, training assessment, and personnel outsourcing. Now, it has service institutions in 25 cities across the country.
In September 2004, 51job became the first and currently the only Chinese human resources service enterprise listed on the NASDAQ in the United States, making it one of the most influential human resources service providers in China.