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Throughout this decade, Keep in Touch has featured interviews with several Directors of General Grades (DGG). With their concerted efforts, the Executive Officer (EO) Grade has grown to incorporate an even stronger and more diverse team of professionals.
In this issue, Keep in Touch talks to the General Grades’ new leader, Mr Hermes Chan, who assumed the post of DGG in October 2018. Hermes shares his initial insights and blueprint for the future development of the EO Grade.
The General Grades’ new leader sat in his office overlooking Tamar Park. As he handed us chocolate candies, Hermes said, “These are not in exchange for easier questions, but a token of my appreciation for taking the time to interview me. As an editorial board member of Keep in Touch myself — a position I held for many years — I interviewed two DGGs when they took up their posts. So I have mixed feelings that the tables have turned and now it’s me being interviewed as DGG.” |
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Hermes explained, “One must have a fiery passion to apply for the post of DGG. It really is a great challenge to lead a 30 000-strong team of executive, clerical and secretarial grade members.” Hermes continued, “I had been at EO Grade for more than 30 years, so when I saw an opening for the DGG post, I decided to do something more for the Grade. Representing more than 15% of the Civil Service workforce, members of the General Grades serve in a broad range of positions throughout the various Bureaux and Departments (B/Ds), providing indispensable support to all government offices. Implementing human resource policies and practices which are conducive to improving the performance of grade members, no matter how small the improvements may be, will enhance significantly the overall delivery of service to the public.”
Hermes was initially a little hesitant about applying for the DGG position. As a Christian, he goes to church regularly, and a sermon during a service helped convince him to make up his mind. Hermes said, “It seemed to be a clear message that I should try out for the post. It was an enlightening feeling!” While making the decision to apply for the position can be spontaneous, getting through the application process, including the interview, would require careful thought and planning. Hermes shared, “Whatever the outcome, I was happy to have the interview because it would provide me with a platform to convey my opinions on the management of the Grades and other human resources issues to the Civil Service policymakers. I was glad that I did and appreciated very much the frank exchange that took place. Following the interview, the rest, as they say, is history.”
Since its establishment, Hermes is the fifth EO taking up the DGG post. On whether he views himself as a pioneer in making the leap from Principal Executive Officer to DGG, Hermes modestly pointed out that he was not the first one to do so. |
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Hermes picked up on the issue of the growing number of young EOs in the Civil Service — sharing a multitude of headcount demographics from late 2006 to October 2018. He noted, “We have
added over 1 300 posts in the past 12 years. EOs under the age of 40 account for nearly 60% of the Grade and with the establishment of EOsI and II, these now occupy 65% of the Grade.”
 On meeting the latest cohort of new recruits for the first time as DGG, Hermes was impressed by their talent and enthusiasm. He pointed out, “They are very energetic, trendy and good at using modern technology.” He added, “These new recruits fought hard to be appointed among tens of thousands of competitors. We have to ensure they settle within the Grade and make longterm contributions. Meanwhile, we have to better engage with them to explore new dimensions based on their perspectives and make use of their talent andknowledge, particularly in innovative ways of thinking and information technology applications.”
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| Hermes sharing with newly joined EOs |
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Hermes explained, “Therefore, I plan on further enhancing the mentor scheme, which is an effective and useful way for these young EOs to seek advice at almost any time on matters related to personal development in the Grade.” He added, “I also plan to increase the training exposure of our young EOs. The current EO Grade already has a well-structured training programme with specific courses for each rank. In the private sector, the concept of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is widely adopted across professions — with organisations making significant investments to ensure participants receive sufficient updated training on a regular basis. In the spirit of CPD, offering learning opportunities — especially for colleagues at junior and mid-levels — would help them grow and excel. These learning opportunities are also an effective tool to help them move up the career ladder.” |
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| Gathering for Mentors and Mentees |
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| Hermes joining the members and friends of GEGA at a leisure walk in the Peak |
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Hermes noted, “In daily operations, I would encourage our EO colleagues to allow more opportunities, as far as they can, for younger EOs to sit in on meetings or to have direct discussions with senior officers and to participate in major events as voluntary helpers. This kind of exposure, albeit infrequent, fosters a greater sense of involvement for the younger EOs that helps to stimulate their initiative and their sense of ownership.”
Hermes continued, “I am also expecting more posts outside Hong Kong for our grade members. These posts — if permanent, plentiful and offered at different levels — provide stable posting and training opportunities for EOs. Such postings enrich their work exposure, life experience and more importantly national and international perspectives — adding a new dimension to the development of our Grade.” |
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At this juncture, Hermes suggested we continue the discussion while strolling in Tamar Park. Bathed in the refreshing breeze, we talked about postings and promotions — at the core of grade matters.
We put the question to Hermes, “Why the relatively slow postings?” He replied, “There are many contributing factors, with one being the time gap in the arrival of new recruits at the basic rank and the filling of posts at the promotion ranks. The other factor is the increase in workload and its complexity. Many departments tend to lean on experienced EOs to tackle the increasing workload. While two-thirds of new EOII recruits have already reported for duty since May 2018, consequential career postings at EOII and acting appointments in promotion ranks did not proceed as smoothly and efficiently as expected. Some vacancies remain, particularly in promotion ranks, that are yet to be filled through postings and acting appointments.” |
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Hermes emphasised, “Career postings are very important for the healthy development of the Grade. These postings mean exposure to new knowledge, processes, environment and relationships — I cannot adequately stress just how important each of these elements is. An EO with limited postings tends to be exposed to fewer new subjects and less encounters with different types of work contexts. When a relatively younger EO is rotated around more diversified postings, they tend to be more prepared for new challenges. Versatility and adaptability have to be built up by wider exposure and experience.”
Hermes opined, “To speed up posting arrangements, we have just appealed to all departmental secretaries to impress upon supervisors, for the benefit of better career development for our colleagues, that the General Grades Office (GGO) will not place any preferences on qualifications and experience in the posting arrangements particularly for the EOsII. Further, they will not allow an unreasonable delay for the transfer out of officers concerned and would not take into account any specific requirements for replacements, save in very exceptional circumstances.”
He added, “Grade management has the prerogative to effect a posting for an EO colleague as deemed appropriate and, at the same time, the line management has the responsibility to see that the colleague can develop and contribute in a meaningful way in the B/D by facilitating a posting. To facilitate the timely release of EOs, we plan to, in early 2019, provide departmental secretaries with a list of non-directorate EOs who are due for posting. This information would enable B/Ds and respective supervisors to have a comprehensive picture of EO postings in the pipeline and prepare for movements of staff under their purview.”
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Hermes commented, “I understand that the insufficient workforce numbers and creation of many time-limited posts in recent years are also factors for the relatively slow posting. To address these issues, GGO will adopt a more aggressive approach in recruiting new talent. The GGO has recruited a record number of EOsII in the past few years. We shall continue to intake a sizeable number of EOsII in the 2019 exercise. From the last quarter of 2019, B/Ds should be able to feel much better supported.” |
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Hermes shared, “At present, promotions to SEO and EOI are dealt with by one board. With the sheer number of candidates to be assessed in the two ranks, it would be helpful to relieve the burden of board members by splitting the board into two — with one for each respective rank. With two separate boards, one for SEO and one for EOI, more grade members can be involved in promotion board matters. The number of promotion board members would also be enhanced as appropriate. I believe these arrangements will significantly enhance grade members’ participation and facilitate effective deliberation in promotion boards.” |
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At the time of the interview, Hermes had been in his post for only a short period. He said more time would be needed to listen to and communicate with members before concluding on the future development of the General Grades. So far, he has focused on issues requiring immediate attention and action. He said, “Instead of waiting for a package of actions after long planning, I will first do what needs to be done. All these actions, no matter big or small, would have a combined effect of helping the Grade move forward.” |
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We moved on to ask the new DGG about his personal interests. Hermes noted, “I like driving. I drove a lot in the past — I drove wherever I could for my travels. It is a very relaxing way of sightseeing and travelling. Driving allows me to enjoy not only the beautiful scenery along the way but also the sense of achievement in moving forward together with my passengers towards the same destination. Joy can be found not just in finishing an activity but also along the journey of doing it. Work is likewise.”
He further shared, “I used to enjoy photography and hiking a lot, but recently I haven’t had much time for such activities. I sometimes, however, cook to amuse my family.”
Hermes concluded with a soundbite of advice for Grade members, “Believe in the rewards of your job!”
And with Hermes at the wheel, we are in no doubt as to the positive destination of where the Grade will end up, and we look forward to the journey getting there. |
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Josephine Cheung
Lam Fai
KIT Editorial Board members |
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