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SAM*INK® Human Resource Processes

SAM*INK®'s 9 Human-Resource Practices:

These HR practices are an accumulation of Sam's experience in starting-up and growing a small business.  Sam hopes that these practices will guide the Company's future leaders in growing their department's human-resource assets.

SAM*INK® commits to excel in promoting and fostering equal opportunity in compensation, promotion, and career advancement for all employees in all levels and areas of the business, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, or disability, and to promote and foster an environment of inclusion, respect and freedom from retaliation.  The Company recognizes that diversity is a fundamental and indispensable value and that the Company, its shareholders and all of its employees will benefit by striving to be a premier "gold standard" company on diversity.  The Company sets measurable and lawful business goals to achieve these objectives annually.

SAM*INK®'s 9 human-resource practices are

  1. Performance Management,
  2. Staffing,
  3. Compensation,
  4. Diversity Education,
  5. Equal Employment Opportunity,
  6. Problem Resolution,
  7. Career Development,
  8. Succession Planning, and
  9. Mentoring

Performance Management

Performance Management includes the annual appraisal of employee job performance, as well as the procedures used to communicate job expectations and provide feedback on performance throughout the year and at the year-end performance rating.  The performance rating is used for compensation, promotion, and other employment decisions.

Program Design: The Company has developed a single performance management system for all employees in order to ensure a fair, documented performance evaluation based on specific, job-related measurements.  The process also provides for improved internal oversight of the performance management system by Human Resources staff.  As designed, each employee meets with his or her manager at the beginning of the review cycle to define specific measurable performance objectives for the year, and to identify a series of competencies that will be required to execute those performance objectives.  This mutually agreed-upon performance plan forms the basis for ongoing performance feedback throughout the course of the year, as well as for year-end annual performance ratings.  At the end of the review cycle, employees provide self-assessment information to their managers, and managers evaluate and rate employee performance.  The employee receives a copy of the performance appraisal form, which includes an opportunity for employee comment and signature.  Consistent with best practice, the performance management system includes a midyear review; mandatory two-day training of both managers and employees in how the system works; active employee involvement in planning, tracking and reviewing their own performance; second level review; rater calibration, and an appeals process.  In addition, the Company emphasizes the linkage between performance objectives and business unit goals, and requires rating calibration meetings.

Implementation: Consistent with best practice, a one-day training for both managers and employees in how the system works, “Maximizing Performance”, is mandatory.  Virtually the entire work force is receiving training.  Training in coaching and feedback is also mandatory for managers.  In addition, managers receive training in how to rate employees accurately (i.e., Rater Accuracy training), followed by separate "rater calibration" sessions at the end of each review cycle to ensure consistent use of the rating scales.

Staffing

Staffing involves the identification of both internal and external candidates for employment positions (through job posting and recruitment, respectively).  The assessment of their qualifications, primarily through structured interviews, and the process for making a selection decision among candidates.  The Company has implemented a new job posting process, expanded its diversity recruitment efforts, implemented a new applicant tracking system and increased monitoring on all phases of the staffing process.

Program Design: The Company chose to design and implement new staffing processes for both internal and external candidates.  The principal selection device used is a structured interview.  The Company utilizes an automated, job posting process.  All vacant positions at salary grade 'executive' and below must be posted on the system for a minimum of 30 calendar days prior to an offer being made.  The job posting process specifies that a candidate pool must consist of three or more candidates, at least one of whom must be a woman or a minority.  Employees may nominate themselves for posted positions and may appeal any decision not to refer them to a candidate slate.

The Company’s leadership has made a significant commitment of time and resources to increase diversity in 'senior and matured' hires; to build a pipeline of diverse talent; to implement a program of executive mentors; to require senior leaders to identify high potential diverse talent to be developed through focused development plans.

Compensation

"For the same job-scope and responsibilities, we pay salaries above the Singapore-Government's Public and Private sectors"

Compensation includes the process for classifying jobs into pay grades; making base pay, bonus and stock option decisions; and evaluating the fairness of resulting compensation decisions.

System Design: The Company's compensation system references the Singapore Government's Annual Wages Survey in the Computer, Electronics, and Chemical manufacturing industry. It is the actual practicing market-based salary structure with actual data from the Singapore Government's Central-Provident-Fund Board.  All business-units have a common review date for merit increases, providing additional training and resources for managers to make appropriate compensation decisions and instituting regular pay equity and adverse impact analyses of compensation decisions. Additional tools and resources have been provided to managers to assist them in making salary administration decisions. The Company provided a comprehensive "Singapore Ministry of Manpower Survey of Wages" training program for all human resource professionals, managers, and employees.

Implementation: The Company conducts pay equity analyses prior to awarding annual merit increases. In addition to examining equity in total salary, the Company annually conducts adverse impact analyses on the annual merit increases.  As it had in previous years, the Company also conducts adverse impact analyses on bonus decisions.

Diversity Education

Includes diversity awareness education programs, and related strategies to promote diversity and reinforcement of diversity concepts over time through company policies, programs and practices.

System Design: Diversity in the Company means we respect individuals, value differences, and our workforce reflects our consumers and markets where we do business.  This is achieved through inclusive and fair behavior that enables our people and their ideas to win in the marketplace.

Implementation:  The plans to achieve these goals included: cascading diversity plans across the organization, rewarding and recognizing success, expanding progress with supplier diversity, supporting the development of initiatives with global key customers, global employee branding campaigns and supporting linkages to all HR strategies. Especially notable is the Company’s multicultural marketing plan which provides critical marketplace position on the importance of “Diversity as Business." As a result of the above initiatives, the Company has developed a new training curriculum. “Managing Diversity", “Cross Cultural Sales and Marketing”.

Three programs for employees:
1) Generations in the Workplace;
2) Gender Communications;
3) Engaging Chinese, Malay, Indian Males in Diversity; and
4) The Anatomy of Prejudice.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Employment Opportunity includes compliance with federal and state laws and regulations related to equal opportunity and affirmative action, as well as monitoring the fairness of ongoing human resource systems through adverse impact analyses, exit interviews and diversity goal setting.

System Design: Company has continued to build organizational capability to track, monitor and execute EEO-related activities and increased managerial accountability for outcomes.

Problem Resolution

Problem resolution includes methods for internally surfacing, investigating and resolving employee complaints through a variety of mechanisms, including the Director's Office of Ethics and Compliance.

  1. Open Door Process - The Open Door is the place to start in dealing with workplace issues. This allows for conversations between the employee and his/her manager with assistance from Human-Resources.
  2. Facilitation Process - If the employee is not satisfied with the results of the Open Door process, the next step is facilitation which involves working with a Manager from another department, separate and independent from the employee's department to attempt a resolution to the issue.
  3. Written Appeal - If the issue is not resolved through the facilitation process, the employee can appeal to the Director for an internal decision. The Director considers input from both parties and issues a written decision.
  4. Mediation – If the Director's decision is unacceptable to the employee, Mediation is the next option available to the employee. This involves a neutral third party outside the Company and is available only for resolution of legal disputes, such as discrimination or harassment. In Mediation, a trained external mediator will meet with the employee and a representative of the Company management to help find a solution to the legal dispute.
  5. Arbitration - If mediation fails to resolve the legal dispute to the employee’s satisfaction, arbitration is available. This requires both parties to explain their sides to a trained arbitrator, usually an attorney or a retired judge. The arbitrator will then make a decision. Arbitration is binding on both the Company and the employee.

Career Development

Career development includes programs designed to assist employees at all levels of the organization to define their career objectives, assess their skills and develop the skills needed for their desired career path.

Program Design: The Company has designed a career development model for employees, incorporating career information, assessment tools and educational resources to help employees compare their skills and competencies with those needed by the Company. The Company developed mentoring programs as a part of the career development process for employees at higher grade levels who were identified as having potential through the succession planning process. This approach continued the philosophy of employee ownership of career development, but also provided additional resources to assist employees to design and execute an effective career development plan. The Company treats career development as an integrated component that drives business value. As such, they promoted the use of career development planning as a part of the mentoring program, people development forums, and the performance management process. They also developed a communication plan to promote ongoing career development.

In implementing the Career Development program, the Company is following best practices and utilizing work analysis data to provide the competency and skill information both for the career development process and for job profiles and job posting. The Company piloted workshops on career planning and development for HR, managers and employees. In addition, consistent with best practices, the roles of managers, employees and the Company has been clarified and communicated. Monitoring of career development reinforces the performance management process.

Succession Planning

Succession Planning relates to the identification, assessment and development of internal candidates for senior management positions. Succession Planning also includes defining candidate slates for senior level jobs and planning for organizational continuity in the event of turnover and/or retirements.

Program Design: The Strategic Resource Review (SRR) is the Company’s process for talent review and succession management. In the “talent review” process an employee’s potential for movement within the organization is assessed. Managers compare the talent needs identified in the business planning process with the capabilities of current senior level employees. Through the talent review process, regular discussions occur among the highest-level managers regarding talent and talent gaps. The Company anticipates this process will result in the development of existing internal talent and, when appropriate, the recruitment of external talent.

The SRR process begins when an employee is asked to complete a profile summarizing his or her performance, strengths, developmental areas, career aspirations, educational background and career history. This information is then discussed with the employee’s manager who completes a talent assessment. The managers’ assessments are then reviewed by successive levels of management and combined at the business-unit level where they are summarized and eventually presented to the Executive Committee. These presentations include the strategy and vision of the business-unit, its organizational structure, a summary of potential ratings for the business-unit, a diversity review, a succession plan and an action plan for the upcoming year to develop talent.

The company has continued to build managers’ skills in assessing the capability of employees and providing regular, candid feedback. Calibration discussions among senior managers and individual coaching have increased the consistency and impact of the SRR process. SRR assessment information is used to identify potential candidates for openings at Salary Grade 'Executives' and above in a process known as slating. Jobs at this level of the organization are not subject to posting. By drawing on the comprehensive SRR information, the Company believes that a broader range of candidates can be identified for open positions.

A number of significant steps have been taken over the past few years to implement senior management’s commitment to improve the identification and development of a diverse talent pool for senior level jobs. The Company has recognized the need to actively recruit highly qualified, diverse talent for its senior-level positions. Senior leadership of the Company, led by the Director Mr. Sam Leong actively and frequently communicates leadership’s responsibility both for developing the diverse talent currently in pipeline jobs in the Company and to enhancing that pool with externally-sourced diverse talent. This effort goes beyond ensuring the diversity of slates, to ensuring that hiring and placement decisions result in a noticeable increase in diversity, implementing an executive mentoring program, and instituting a formal training curriculum for executives and those considered to be in the immediate pipeline.

Mentoring

Mentoring includes both one-on-one as well as self-study programs in which a coach other than the employee’s supervisor assists the employee to identify and develop the experiences and expertise necessary for his or her desired professional development. In addition, the Company has developed some informal mentoring experiences such as networking classes.

Program Design: The Company has designed a mentoring program that includes a formal company-wide one-on-one mentoring process, a group mentoring process and a self-study guide for those who are not able to participate in the formal programs. The one-on-one mentoring program is based on a pilot of 4 pairs of mentors and mentees. The program is characterized by significant senior management sponsorship and communication; active recruitment of both mentors and mentees; a formal application and matching process, and training for both mentors and mentees in their mutual roles and responsibilities. Also, as suggested in best practices, substantial support is provided to mentors and mentees in the form of ongoing training, access to a mentoring coordinator who follows up with the pairs and serves as an ongoing resource, and ongoing evaluation of the program’s effectiveness. As noted below, the program has been expanded to include a one-on-one mentoring program of executive mentors from jobs at grade 'executives' and above working with mentees at job grade 'assistant' and above. In addition, the program included a one-on-one mentoring program for persons identified through the succession planning process. These programs are very significant because they focus on the pipeline for leadership in the Company.

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