HR Tech Update: Lessons from Lunar New Year workplace practices
Lunar New Year continues to shape how work is organised across Southeast Asia, influencing leave patterns, productivity cycles, and employee expectations. For HR and learning teams, the period highlights how cultural practices intersect with technology use at work. While digital systems operate year round, employee engagement with learning, performance, and communication tools often shifts significantly […]
The First Word: Why fulfilment is now a leadership advantage
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative force reshaping industries worldwide, with extensive applications especially within human resources (HR). From recruitment, administration and finance, dispute resolution and workforce planning, it’s well known that AI has the ability to change how HR teams operate and the quality of decisions they make. The big question is: even with […]
Five workforce planning mistakes that cost companies growth
Workforce planning is often treated as a technical exercise, focused on headcount numbers and budget alignment. However, in Southeast Asia’s fast-changing labour markets, ineffective workforce planning can directly constrain business growth. Rapid expansion, skills shortages, and evolving employee expectations make planning errors both costly and difficult to reverse. Many organisations in the region continue to […]
HR Tech Update: Simplifying HR tech stacks in complex organisations
Across Southeast Asia, HR teams have accumulated a growing number of systems over the past decade. Learning platforms, performance tools, engagement surveys, payroll solutions, and workforce analytics often sit side by side with limited integration. Each system may have been introduced to solve a specific problem, but together they create complexity that slows decision-making and […]
The First Word: Solving the “platform squeeze” in the ride-hailing industry
Singapore has seen a strong economic rebound for drivers in ride-hailing, fueled by both a full-scale return to the office restoring daily commuter demand and nearly 16 million tourist arrivals this year. The strength of this demand is evident, with reports of Chinese tourists being undeterred by high costs, such as S$18 for a 10-minute […]
Five “people risks” organisations often overlook
The start of the year often brings renewed energy, fresh plans, and ambitious targets for organisations across Southeast Asia. Budgets are approved, strategies are launched, and HR teams shift quickly into execution mode. Yet this period also carries hidden risks that are frequently underestimated or missed entirely. In many organisations, early-year optimism can mask underlying […]
The First Word: Bridging the AI skills gap in HR through training
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative force reshaping industries worldwide, with extensive applications especially within human resources (HR). From recruitment, administration and finance, dispute resolution and workforce planning, it’s well known that AI has the ability to change how HR teams operate and the quality of decisions they make. The big question is: even with […]
Five early-year workforce signals HR should monitor closely
The early months of the year offer HR teams a valuable window into how the workforce is likely to perform, engage, and evolve over the coming months. While formal reviews and surveys may be scheduled later in the year, subtle signals often emerge much earlier. These indicators can reveal underlying risks or opportunities that are […]
HR Tech Update: Addressing digital fatigue through better HR systems
Digital fatigue has become a growing concern across Southeast Asia as workplaces adopt more platforms, dashboards, and always-on communication tools. HR systems that were introduced to improve efficiency have, in some cases, added to cognitive overload rather than reduced it. Learning platforms, performance tools, and collaboration software now compete for attention, leaving employees struggling to […]
The First Word: The truth behind ATS rejections
The claim is everywhere: “75% of resumes are rejected by Applicant Tracking Systems before a human ever looks at them.” It appears in LinkedIn posts, career-coach webinars, and countless template-selling sites. Job seekers spend hours tweaking fonts, removing tables, and stuffing keywords, convinced they’re outsmarting a ruthless robot. A new study from resume platform Enhancv […]
