Snapshot: Irene Goh, senior manager - regional strategic HR, Konica Minolta BSA

Irene Goh, senior manager - regional strategic HR, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia, on the mentality HR professionals should avoid, what they should replace it with, and more.

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Q How did you venture into HR? What drew you to it?

After graduating with a business degree majoring in management, I has two plans. One was to start my own business. The other was to specialise in human resources to understand human behavior. Humans are so complex and that was what caught my interest above any challenging job/project assigned.

I started my first job as a management trainee in a retail firm where a customer oriented focus is the top priority. From there I got a glimpse of how much hard work frontline service staff had to put in and the various experiences they go through. This enabled me to put myself in their shoes when I formulate HR strategy and policy in my HR career.

I was very lucky to have an opportunity to start the first step of my HR journey in handling overall HR functions with a manufacturing industry subsidiary where I picked up my experiences in various HR function.

Over 24 years of working in the HR function, I took on various roles. These ranged from pioneering HR in new companies, regional/HR operations, corporate HR planning and strategising, and the HR transformation and change management role I'm currently in.

I don't get bored in my role as I work with a diverse group of people from different cultures and backgrounds. I still enjoy seeing how the behaviour change in people can be the catalyst/ change agent in our HR transformation activities at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia.

Q What was the most innovative HR campaigns that you've worked on, and what was your biggest learning from that?

The campaign I found the most innovative was consolidating the HR policies and practices in the various provinces in China to align them to the regional HQ.

It was a very precious experience for me in understanding China's employment law, HR policies and practices which differ form province to province, and how the formulation of policies depended on the interpretation of the policy holder on the same employment law change.

Even though I am bilingual, I found the vocabulary used too technical for me. Hence, I had to brush up on my conversational Mandarin for that assignment.

My biggest learning from that was how challenging it was to correct inappropriate practices which have been used for years and put them on the right track.

Q Have you had a mentor through your career, and what advice have they shared with you

I had to learn the hard way - on the job.

I started to head an HR department at the age of 27 and had to learn from various bosses and colleagues that I worked with.

Thereafter, I had to build up my own management style, tapping on my beliefs and with a mind to put the company's interest before my own.

Q Is there a phrase/mentality that you believe HR professionals should do away with? And what should they replace it with?

I believe a "one size fits all" policy is not feasible. There is a need to have a certain degree of flexibility on a case by case basis since different generations of employees have different needs based on their stage of life.

I believe HR professionals should not assume and manage employees using a standard way as each of them come with their own unique personality and needs.

Q Do you believe there is a thing such as a work life balance?

I manage results by setting proper KPIs, measurable targets, and timelines, rather than through face time in the office.

As such, I always encourage my staff to prioritise their work and finish up urgent tasks first, and try not to stay back after office hours. I tell them that they should go home, have a good rest, spend time with their family, and come back with a fresh mind to start the next day.

I feel that it is only when the family is well taken care of, that we can concentrate well in on our daily work.

However, I understand that as we move up in the management role, many planning activities with creative ideas/strategies are done outside of office environment and hours.

Q When coming up with innovative HR practices, what are the three things HR directors should take note of, in order for the practices to be truly beneficial?

The three things I think HR directors should take note of are practicability and with some flexibility; a PDCA process in place for continuous improvement; and perseverance on change management activities for the good of the company.

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