HR Corner Insurance policy for a well-trained workforce by Christina Tai Development programmes involve senior executives in coaching roles Leading companies realise that effective training creates a win-win situation for employers and staff. Investment in tailor-made programmes is the best way of maximising each person's potential, which leads to higher productivity, improved profitability, greater job satisfaction and closer alignment between individual career aspirations and the needs of the organisation. "The ultimate goal is building up a coaching culture," says Lily Chan, head of human resources for Aviva General Insurance Limited. "Nowadays, training should go beyond providing specific knowledge and skill sets; it should extend to developing a system of support which involves supervisors and managers acting as coaches in the workplace and passing on their experience." Ms Chan says that there should be special courses, for example, in coaching for successful selling, which train managers how to coach. Such programmes should be interactive and designed to help both frontline and back-office staff achieve consistently higher standards in customer service and other key areas of the business. Under this system, someone who completes the prescribed courses and shows the ability to train others to apply the best staff development practices can be designated as a head coach. In some cases, a licence can also be issued. Nowadays, training should go beyond providing specific knowledge and skill sets Aviva firmly believes that a well-regarded training programme helps to attract and retain good staff and prepares them for success in a challenging environment. For this reason, the company has set up a "young managers" programme for candidates from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, who are considered to have high potential. The programme is run in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and participants complete projects related to regional strategic objectives under the guidance of experienced senior managers. Each project requires extensive communication between team members in different countries and must be completed within four months. Typically, it will involve operational issues and, once the conclusions have been evaluated, they will be implemented under the direction of the team members. To qualify for the programme, young managers must have at least a year's experience in a junior management role and clearly be able to contribute to the project. They should also have the enthusiasm and ability to pursue a long-term career in the field of general insurance. To date, the programme has been a notable success. It has given participants a broader range of hands-on experience and a new sense of achievement. It also provides greater exposure in dealing with senior management at both local and regional level, and in preparing budgets and implementation plans. The format encourages fast-paced learning and makes it possible to tackle and resolve real-life business problems. The feedback from four young managers in Hong Kong, who recently completed the programme, was that they had learned far more than expected and had really benefited from the support offered by many different parts of the company. Overall, the experience had given them a new sense of loyalty and motivation. "The company also regards senior management as a corporate resource," says Ms Chan. Experienced senior executives therefore volunteer as mentors to share their experience and advise younger colleagues on matters of professional or personal development. There is also a regional mentoring programme coordinated through Aviva's intranet system. Using this, volunteer mentors from different countries across the region post their profiles, allowing junior managers to team up with someone who can assist their specific learning objectives. "There is absolute confidentiality in communication with a regional mentor," says Ms Chan. "This means it is possible to discuss queries or problems which may be too sensitive to raise with a direct superior or a senior manager working in the same branch. Of course, the mentors also receive training in the skills needed to provide guidance and advice." She adds that the company makes a major investment in training, regarding it as something of prime importance. Every effort is made to ensure it is interesting, effective, and able to encourage the sort of creative thinking which leads to practical ideas. "Top management give the programmes their full support and that has a positive impact on all the participants," Ms Chan says. Taken from Career Times 3 November 2006, p. A24 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]