You need the right people to attract the right people, and KPMG China is now doing more to show the human, personal side of the company.
'People branding is where it all begins and what it is all about. We not only look for technical skills and ability, we also place a tremendous amount of focus on making sure job candidates share a spirit similar to ours,' said Melissa Wu, a partner in the audit division and the head of people management leaders for KPMG China. 'The 'KPMG Way' is the culture we foster and it is this soul that we want to promote, because in reality, our soul is our people.'
KPMG features employees and their stories in its marketing and advertising materials to promote its brand image and attract talent. It is this personal touch that the company feels most accurately expresses its personality and true spirit.
Lily Siu, senior manager in human resources recruitment marketing, said: 'Each person amplifies the culture of who we are in their own unique way and, conversely, understanding them is the key to knowing what we stand for and is embodied in the KPMG Way.'
As an example of this ideal, last year, KPMG China completed a graduate recruitment drive in which employees mingled with potential recruits at various functions to show them the more personal side of the organisation. The result was the successful recruitment of nearly 2,000 staff who will begin working in the various offices around the region throughout this summer.
With 7,000 people already working for KPMG China, which includes Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, the firm has a rich pool of talent to nurture and develop. This requires progressive, engaging programmes and several homegrown initiatives focused on people empowerment and care have been established. There is a People Management Leader programme that shifts the focus from organisational structure to giving business people a people responsibility. Each employee has a dedicated leader with whom they can share a thoughtful, symbiotic relationship for exchanging feedback and developing careers through personal attention.
Embracing the people initiative is the key factor in going from good to great and the programme was developed to bridge the broad gap which can often occur in larger corporations between driving business and nurturing people. People take the lead in driving HR initiatives to support the company's growth and, just as importantly, people growth becomes a key performance indicator for the leaders. Passion in caring for the needs of the people is crucial for a leader, as a vital goal of the programme is to establish and build the understanding that they are not just parts of an organisation, but that they are the organisation.
