APAC-Spring-2020

COVID-19: HR Responds

How companies in the region are handling the pandemic.

By Michael Switow

Faced with the human and economic costs of a public health crisis, companies throughout Asia-Pacific have been quick to implement new measures and contingency plans for how to operate during a pandemic.

Empowering Working Women

Japanese women face many obstacles returning to the workplace after having children.

By Michael Switow

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would like to see women comprise a larger percentage of his country’s workforce. Faced with a shrinking labour pool as baby boomers and 1950s danso-generation men retire, Abe placed women at the centre of his growth strategy in 2013, declaring that he would create “a Japan in which women shine.”

Female Suppliers In Demand

Organisations can experience many benefits when they diversify their supply chain.

By Michael Switow

Why should HR practitioners and leaders care about supply chain diversity? Globally, less than 1 per cent of corporate spending goes to female-owned businesses, yet nearly 40 per cent of the world’s companies are run by women, according to statistics from WEConnect International, a non-profit organisation that is working to improve supply chain diversity.

Editor’s Note: Leading in a Time of Uncertainty

By Michael Switow

As the world panics around us, it’s the responsibility of corporate and HR leaders to remain calm, allay the concerns of colleagues, and smoothly roll out business contingency plans.