Participants

For a list of participants, please click here

Agenda

1. I. Presentation on Training and Career Development by Mr Qin, HR Manager at BASF-YPC.

i. Development at BASF-YPC
ii. Training at BASF-YPC
iii. Q and A

2. II. Presentation on Training and Career Development by Ms Rachel Zhan, HR Manager at Nanjing Hongguang Autoliv Vehicle Safety Systems Co., Ltd.

i. Presentation
ii. Q and A

3. Coffee Break

4. III. Roundtable discussion led by Mr Jerel Bonner of Clark Morgan.

i. Dealing with Brain Drain
ii. Managers as coaches, not trainers

Discussion points

I Presentation by Mr Qin

i. Development at BASF-YPC

BASF-YPC utilises a Performance Management System to aid employee development. A performance appraisal of each employee is conducted and, after personal development requirements have been agreed upon by both the employee and superior, a development plan is defined for the employee. Employee dialogue is an essential part of this process. 

Development can be achieved through promotion and job transfer (both of which can occur within the company as well as in BASF-YPC’s parent companies) and through internal recruitment. Over the last few months, a system of job posting of internal positions has been initiated; jobs are advertised on the HR webpage and in every building so that all employees can access the information. Employees are very happy with the fairness of this system.

The top talent in the company is defined in two lists depending on whether he/she is an internal candidate (who will never move to the parent companies) or an external candidate (with the possibility of moving to the parent companies). Employees’ development plans are then structured accordingly.

BASF-YPC also offers extensive development opportunities for middle management, considered the catalyst of the company. Various leadership programmes are offered, in addition to a management forum which serves as a platform for communication between managers and departments and for discussing hot topics.

ii. Training at BASF-YPC

Training programmes begin with a needs analysis leading to the creation of a training plan. This plan is then implemented, after which there is evaluation and follow-up to assess the utility of training for staff.

A range of training courses are offered including management training for engineers, professional training in areas such as purchasing, and technical training. A test is administered after training and, if the candidate is successful, his training fees are reimbursed to him by the company. Details of available courses are displayed on the company’s website so that employees can themselves research their training options. This accessibility of information is very well-received amongst employees.

iii. Q and A

The problem of fulfilling all employees’ training requirements was raised and it was acknowledged that it is very difficult to satisfy everyone. AT BASF-YPC this problem is dealt with by ensuring training is based on the employee’s personal requirement and that of his position.

A working group member asked whether the trainers come from within BASF-YPC or are outsourced. Mr Qin explained that they have a pool of suppliers (therefore outsourced) based on the previous year’s of the parent company’s experience. In this way, they can get rid of unsatisfactory providers whilst still having other options.

II Presentation by Ms. Rachel Zhan

Founded in 1990, Hongguang Autoliv is a Chinese-Swedish Joint Venture. It is fast-growing, currently with 650 employees (compared to only 230 two years ago).

To view Ms Zhan’s PowerPoint. presentation, please  click here

i. Presentation

Enterprise Learning - When a new employee joins Hongguang Autoliv, the company measures his current training needs situation in addition to what the company expects from him (according to his level). This helps set up the training system.

Training Ladders – An interesting feature of Hongguang Autoliv’s vision of staff is that, as soon as an employee joins the company, he is considered to be ‘leading’. At entry level he leads himself, then he leads a team and finally he leads leaders. These categories of staff define the different training courses employees follow.   

Qualification Training System for Operator – There are four levels of training, each requiring a different amount of time for completion. After the final level, training must be re-confirmed every three months. Employees also have a training card to show their level, which they must keep on their person at all times.

ii. Q and A

A working group member enquired how Hongguang Autoliv managed its internal trainers. Ms Zhan explained that every year training courses are released and employees may nominate themselves as course trainers. They must complete an assessment to see if they are competent.

The issue of conflict between internal managers and employees was also raised. Hongguang Autoliv’s policy is that no employee is forced to do training: it must be the joint decision of the manager and the employee.

III. Roundtable discussion

i. Dealing with Brain Drain

The serious problem of retaining staff after they have received training was discussed at length. Companies are concerned that their investment in training will be wasted if personnel leave, taking their newly-acquired skills to another company. Mr Leo Zhang commented that staff in head offices often fail to understand the situation in China where personnel leave after a year because of better salaries elsewhere. There are currently numerous opportunities for staff in China, so retention is particularly challenging and means that training has become inevitably short term. A member expressed the opinion that we cannot change this situation, so companies should pick a training method and apply it, rather than worrying too much about staff retention. If companies fail to provide adequate training, they will lose staff anyway.

ii. Managers as coaches, not trainers

In regard to Ms Zhan’s presentation, Mr. Bonner argued that companies need to teach managers how to be training coaches rather than trainers because the latter is too time-consuming. The manager must provide the employee with training resources and meet with him regularly to discuss progress, but the employee is responsible for his own training. This method also helps alleviate the problem of staff retention because a manager cannot afford to spend too much time on training if there is a big risk of staff leaving.

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