Agenda
DAY 1 | 24 JULY 2024
DAY 2 | 25 JULY 2024
Registration
Welcome Remarks
Aditi Sharma Kalra
Editor-in-Chief
Human Resources Online
REWARDS OUTLOOK & STRATEGIES
[Opening keynote]
Responsive rewards: Wielding total rewards programmes that are aligned to business objectives
In order to attract and retain high-quality staff, it is important to have a broad total rewards package that is cost effective, yet which does not come across as impersonal or transactional.
In this keynote session, we analyse:
- The challenges of tailoring employee benefit programmes to meet the diverse needs of a modern workforce, considering demographics such as age, job role, and cultural differences.
- Approaches to incorporate an individual and tailored approach to benefits, with the aim of supporting talent retention.
- Strategies for organisations to measure the return on investment (ROI) of their employee benefit programmes, as well as fitment to business goals.
9.55am
Aligning pay transparency with benchmarking: Maintaining equity in a hybrid work environment
No talent or organisation wants to be part of a wage war which leaves both parties with less room to negotiate or have a conversation. What today’s society does need is leaders who are sensitive to individual needs and circumstances. This is more so in Asia, where the concept of ‘pay transparency’ is layered with gender advocacy, cultural norms, and mindsets.
This conversation will aim to provide insights into:
- Aligning the necessity for establishing company-wide awareness and knowledge standards on pay transparency in a way that matches the organisational culture & cultural norms of the place of operations.
- How to put a dollar value against the skills & experiences of each employee to assess human capital better.
- Analysing the approaches to make data-driven compensation benchmarking decisions rather than relying on unfair and outdated practices.
- Setting up accessible yet centralised communication channels that provide clear opportunities for recognition to all employees, regardless of hybrid/in-person setups.
10.35am
Morning coffee break
11.05am
Global vision, local precision: Mastering cultural readiness for glocalisation of rewards strategies
Effective “glocalisation” of rewards requires more than just surface-level adjustments; it demands a deep understanding and readiness to navigate the intricate tapestry of local cultures, norms, societal expectations, and employee expectations.
In this session, two leaders take the stage to converse about:
- Cultural factors, such as local business practices and ways of rewarding, that need to be accounted for when setting up an international office in Malaysia or a new region.
- Strategies to design rewards systems that acknowledge and respect cultural differences while promoting organisational objectives.
- How to make a business case for glocalised rewards strategies to senior stakeholders, to come up with a framework that incorporates flexibility, responsiveness, and local sensitivity.
11.45am
Employee benefit cost management: High-impact measures that don’t compromise on the value of benefits
The only thing more important to most business leaders than attracting & retaining talent in 2024 is cost management, be it through enhanced business efficiency, improved cash flow, or increased customer satisfaction. So how can rewards leaders contribute to this strategic focus?
Discussions on this topic will include:
- Managing the rewards budget similarly to bank statements: Monitoring and tracking your spend vs returns.
- How the approach of defrayed employee gratification can potentially drive retention while also matching business requirements around spreads cost over a longer term.
- Differentiated strategies to reward and communicate with high performing and high potential staff.
- The importance of building resilience into the budgeting process scenario analysis, stress testing, and contingency planning, to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
12.25pm
Networking Lunch
1.25pm
Reward yourself
1.45pm
Reward yourself
REWARDING WORKFORCE SUCCESS
2.25pm
Rewards as a leverage of talent attraction and retention: The new rules of employee loyalty
Gone are the days where retention bonuses or matching the competitor’s salary package were the #1 ways to attract and retain talent. With a more purpose-driven workforce in place, many have stopped linking their job with money, but rather with ‘value’ – the value they generate for themselves, their families, and the society.
As such, rewards & recognition have been elevated for their contribution in engaging talent. In this session, facilitated by an experienced HR leader, let’s come around and identify:
How the composition of the rewards & recognition package has evolved to include career development, regular performance alignment, talent exchange programmes, and upskilling.
Best practices for aligning employer branding efforts with the cultural and business values of each organisation.
Creating a strong communication loop that ensures open & timely feedback, avenues for appreciation, and project-based developmental opportunities.
3.05pm
Afternoon Tea Break
3.35pm
Reviewing performance management evaluations: Creating a simplified narrative for employees’ career development
From once-a-year performance evaluations to quarterly conversations, and now weekly check-ins, managing performance has gotten snappier and more current. Has performance-based compensation kept up with these developments?
This case study will appeal to attendees seeking insights into:
- As organisations transition from traditional models to ongoing feedback mechanisms, how can we better align performance assessments with real-time goals and employee growth trajectories?
- Ways to empower employees with actionable insights and clarity by simplifying the process of performance management evaluations and the linkage with rewards.
- Integrating the values of timely feedback and coaching into compensation discussions, such that people managers can foster a greater sense of direction and purpose among employees.
4.15pm
Upskilling as the most in-demand benefit: The percolation of skills-powered rewards programmes
As we emerge from a wintery economic climate that entailed restructuring across various sectors, what the workforce wants is to future-proof themselves so as to escape any further jolts. This, in addition to intrinsic motivation, is creating a demand for professional development opportunities among workers.
Stay tuned as two speakers take the stage in quick succession to discussion their philosophies around:
- The means to implement skills-based talent approaches, such as building a skills inventory, redesigning job descriptions, aligning KPIs, and defining success metrics.
- How leaders can overcome challenges around skills-based rewards, including data silos, mismatch around skills classifications, and differing managerial expectations.
- Strategies to create a talent pool with specialised and niche skills by cultivating high-impact digital and human skills in the existing workforce.
- Determining the frequency of conducting skills-based assessments and using this data to relook at job modelling and job evaluation models.
- How organisations can leverage technology to provide flexible, accessible, and personalised learning experiences for employees of all ages and backgrounds.
4.55pm
Closing Remarks
Aditi Sharma Kalra
Editor-in-Chief
Human Resources Online
5.10pm
End of day one
DAY 2 | 25 JULY 2024
8.15am
Registration
Welcome Remarks
Aditi Sharma Kalra
Editor-in-Chief
Human Resources Online
SPECIALISED SUPPORT SYSTEMS
The psychology of rewards: Peeling back the layers on employee motivation and incentivisation
There is a complex interplay between workforce motivation and the psychological perspective of rewarding employees. While we agree on the importance of nailing one’s values & drivers to reward them in a way they find truly ‘meaningful’, other workplace challenges remain.
In this special session, attendees can deepen their understanding of the psychological nuances of motivation, such as:
- The evolution in human behaviour across generations, and how this has impacted organisational dynamics.
- The psychological implications of recognising and rewarding high-performing talent, and how this affects perceptions of equity and increased performance expectations among employees.
- How leaders & people managers can navigate the delicate balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in fostering employee engagement.
- Strategies for incentivising psychological resilience, agility, and a high level of adaptability to change.
9.55am
Legal clinic: Anticipating legislative emphasis on salary transparency and skills-based pay schemes
As Malaysia’s landscape evolves to address emerging trends, organisations must be able to predict and adapt to regulatory changes that affect their rewards practices.
The insights shared in this legal-themed session will include:
- How organisations should shift their pay practices to an increasingly skills-based policy as a means of promoting fair compensation and skill development.
- Taking stock of national employment legislations as well as ILO regulations relevant to rewards practitioners, to ensure organisational readiness for upcoming changes, and the gradual cultural shifts that can be adopted.
- Preparing organisations for an increased demand for equity in rewards with the heightened focus on transparency.
- Potential strategies to ensure companies’ compliance with new data protection regulations alongside maintaining transparency and accountability in wage statistics.
10.35am
Morning coffee break
10.05am
Restructuring the EVP: Incorporating rewards valued by Gen Z and Millennial employees
Fuelled by a ‘passion-driven’ workforce, where job security is no longer the primary focus, but doing meaningful work is, understanding the aspirations of generational demographics remains paramount. In this panel discussion, you can look forward to the panellists & moderator analysing:
- EVP refresh: How employers are rethinking job scopes, total rewards, and redefining the concept of ‘careers’ to win the talent war.
- Ways to ‘slay’ talent practices for the youngest working generations in light of their technology dependence and savviness.
- ‘Squad goals’: Multi-generation workforce management approaches that create a workplace driven by respect, inclusivity, and harmony.
- Is there an opportunity for HR leaders to incorporate a ‘green budget’ in helping employees living sustainable lifestyles?
FORWARD-THINKING REWARDS
11.45am
Tech-infused rewards management: Harnessing AI platforms to create a more relevant rewards strategy
With the advent of cutting-edge AI platforms, businesses in Malaysia are presented with previously unseen opportunities to customise their rewards strategies in line with the diverse needs of employees.
Some points to consider when learning how to better leverage AI technology for rewards include discussions on:
- The different AI technologies that enable businesses to gain actionable insights into what truly motivates and inspires their workforce.
- The kinds of data points AI technology can analyse so businesses can accurately tailor rewards offerings to individual preferences and performance metrics.
- Leaders’ approach to proving effectiveness and ROI on AI-integrated rewards approaches.
12.25pm
Networking Lunch
1.25pm
Trivia Time!
1.45pm
Cash over culture: Strengthening organisational culture through meaningful employee recognition
In the dynamic landscape of modern workplaces, the interplay between financial incentives and cultural cohesion has become a focal point for organisational success. Organisations need to nurture a robust organisational culture through the adoption of people practices for managing change, showing empathy, and building skills.
Stay tuned as two speakers take the stage in quick succession to discussion their philosophies around:
- How organisations that truly see, hear, and value employees to turn empathy from a buzzword into an impactful, teachable practice for decision makers.
- An approach to combine proactivity with perseverance, such that change management sees a greater focus on people rather than processes.
- Ways to encourage the management team to move past traditional methods of leadership, top-down tactics, and “business as usual” mentality.
2.25pm
Rewriting the prescription for rewards: Shifting the focus of healthcare benefits from reactive to preventative measures
Ensuring employees are aware of the range of wellness programmes available in their rewards packages, and have easy access to these measures, is key to creating an environment where employees feel incentivised to take charge of their health. To explore this topic further, we dive into this session to understand:
- How a framework for holistic healthcare can take into account five pillars of wellbeing: physical, financial, workplace, social, and family wellness.
- Going beyond medical & insurance coverage to offer incentives or a gamification approach to help employees change their mindsets towards preventative healthcare.
- Understand deeply and describe simply: Strategies to instil knowledge of available healthcare solutions, as well as equipping line managers for such conversations.
- Partner selection criteria: Unlocking value-driven conversations with the vendor ecosystem to brainstorm workforce insights beyond just healthcare data.
3.05pm
The currency of choice: Optimising the utilisation of personalised and flexible employee benefits programmes
Having gotten used to flexibility in their work routines, employees are keen to use the power of choice in determining their individual benefits portfolio as well. However, choice comes with challenges – wherein employee opinions must be aligned with managerial priorities and company budgets. In this facilitator-led interactive session, let’s bring out the following takeaways:
- Highlighting the role of employee participation in aligning rewards strategies with goals and driving business outcomes by building flexibility into total rewards.
- Exploring the closer linkage between effective, cost-friendly technology platforms, and the human-centric approach required to elevate flexible rewards policies.
- HR’s responsibility to facilitate the whole process, including stakeholder management, unravelling complexity, and creating culture readiness.
3.45pm
Afternoon Tea Break
4.15pm
Elevating the role of a rewards practitioner for 2024 and beyond
The Open mic is a safe space where all are welcome to share their thoughts and experiences, as the mic is passed around the room. In this high-impact Open mic, we probe how the role of rewards leaders can go beyond shaping and leading the reward strategy to work with the rest of the C-suite. Delegates are welcome to share meaningful ideas on how total rewards practitioners can develop:
- Better working relationships with CFO for in-depth employee analysis especially in times of restructuring.
- Stronger working relationships with the CMO for enhancing the branding & communication for rewards to the employee base.
- Progressive working relationships with the CIO for identifying potential low hanging fruit to benefit from a deeper technology intervention, and to upskill the HR team with working IT knowledge.
4.45pm
Closing Remarks
Aditi Sharma Kalra
Editor-in-Chief
Human Resources Online
5.00pm