1.1 We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors; this policy sets out how we will treat your personal information.
1.2 By using our website and agreeing to this policy, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of this policy.
Collecting personal information
2.1 We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal information:
(a) information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website (including your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views and website navigation paths);
(b) information that you provide to us when registering with our website (including your email address)
(c) information that you provide when completing your profile on our website (including your name, user name, country/region, employment details, password);
(d) information that you provide to us for the purpose of subscribing to our email notifications and/or newsletters (including your name and email address);
(e) information that you provide to us when using the services on our website, or that is generated in the course of the use of those services (including the timing, frequency and pattern of service use;
(f) information relating to any purchases you make of our goods / services / goods and/or services or any other transactions that you enter into through our website (including your name, address, telephone number, email address and card details;
(g) information that you post to our website for publication on the internet (including your user name, your profile pictures and the content of your posts);
(h) information contained in or relating to any communications that you send to us or send through our website (including the communication content and meta data associated with the communication);
(i) any other personal information that you choose to send to us; and
2.2 Before you disclose to us the personal information of another person, you must obtain that person's consent to both the disclosure and the processing of that personal information in accordance with the terms of this policy.
Using your personal information
3.1 Personal information submitted to us through our website will be used for the purposes specified in this policy or on the relevant pages of the website.
3.2 We may use your personal information to:
(a) administer our website and business;
(b) personalise our website for you;
(c) enable your use of the services available on our website;
(d) send you goods purchased through our website;
(e) supply to you services purchased through our website;
(f) send statements, invoices and payment reminders to you, and collect payments from you;
(g) send you non-marketing commercial communications;
(h) send you email notifications that you have specifically requested;
(i) send you our email newsletter, if you have requested it (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require the newsletter);
(j) send you marketing communications relating to our business or the businesses of carefully-selected third parties which we think may be of interest to you, by post or, where you have specifically agreed to this, by email or similar technology (you can inform us at any time if you no longer require marketing communications);
(k) provide third parties with statistical information about our users (but those third parties will not be able to identify any individual user from that information);
(l) deal with enquiries and complaints made by or about you relating to our website;
(m) keep our website secure and prevent fraud;
(n) verify compliance with the terms and conditions governing the use of our website (including monitoring private messages sent through our website private messaging service);
3.3 If you submit personal information for publication on our website, we will publish and otherwise use that information in accordance with the licence you grant to us.
3.4 Your privacy settings can be used to limit the publication of your information on our website, and can be adjusted using privacy controls on the website.
3.5 We will not, without your express consent, supply your personal information to any third party for the purpose of their or any other third party's direct marketing.
3.6 All our website financial transactions are handled through our payment services provider, Paypal. You can review the provider's privacy policy at https://www.paypal.com/gr/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full. We will share information with our payment services provider only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing payments you make via our website, refunding such payments and dealing with complaints and queries relating to such payments and refunds.
Disclosing personal information
4.1 We may disclose your personal information to any of our employees, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.
4.2 We may disclose your personal information to any member of our group of companies (this means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and all its subsidiaries) insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.
4.3 We may disclose your personal information:
(a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;
(b) in connection with any ongoing or prospective legal proceedings;
(c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk);
(d) to the purchaser (or prospective purchaser) of any business or asset that we are (or are contemplating) selling; and
(e) to any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that personal information where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that personal information.
4.4 Except as provided in this policy, we will not provide your personal information to third parties.
International data transfers
5.1 Information that we collect may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which we operate in order to enable us to use the information in accordance with this policy.
5.2 Information that we collect may be transferred to the following countries which do not have data protection laws equivalent to those in force in the European Economic Area: the United States of America, Russia, Japan, China and India.
5.3 Personal information that you publish on our website or submit for publication on our website may be available, via the internet, around the world. We cannot prevent the use or misuse of such information by others.
5.4 You expressly agree to the transfers of personal information described in this Section 5.
Retaining personal information
6.1 This Section 6 sets out our data retention policies and procedure, which are designed to help ensure that we comply with our legal obligations in relation to the retention and deletion of personal information.
6.2 Personal information that we process for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
6.3 Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6, we will retain documents (including electronic documents) containing personal data:
(a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;
(b) if we believe that the documents may be relevant to any ongoing or prospective legal proceedings; and
(c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk).
Security of your personal information
7.1 We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.
7.2 We will store all the personal information you provide on our secure (password- and firewall-protected) servers.
7.3 All electronic financial transactions entered into through our website will be protected by encryption technology.
7.4 You acknowledge that the transmission of information over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.
7.5 You are responsible for keeping the password you use for accessing our website confidential; we will not ask you for your password (except when you log in to our website).
Amendments
8.1 We may update this policy from time to time by publishing a new version on our website.
8.2 You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes to this policy.
8.3 We may notify you of changes to this policy [by email or through the private messaging system on our website.
Your rights
9.1 You may instruct us to provide you with any personal information we hold about you; provision of such information will be subject to:
(a) the payment of a fee (currently fixed at GBP 10); and
(b) the supply of appropriate evidence of your identity (for this purpose, we will usually accept a photocopy of your passport certified by a solicitor or bank plus an original copy of a utility bill showing your current address).
9.2 We may withhold personal information that you request to the extent permitted by law.
9.3 You may instruct us at any time not to process your personal information for marketing purposes.
9.4 In practice, you will usually either expressly agree in advance to our use of your personal information for marketing purposes, or we will provide you with an opportunity to opt out of the use of your personal information for marketing purposes.
Third party websites
10.1 Our website includes hyperlinks to, and details of, third party websites.
10.2 We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the privacy policies and practices of third parties.
Updating information
11.1 Please let us know if the personal information that we hold about you needs to be corrected or updated.
Part 2: Cookies
About cookies
1.1 A cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that is sent by a web server to a web browser and is stored by the browser. The identifier is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.
1.2 Cookies may be either "persistent" cookies or "session" cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.
1.3 Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies.
1.4 Cookies can be used by web servers to identity and track users as they navigate different pages on a website and identify users returning to a website.
Our cookies
2.1 We use only both session and persistent cookies on our website.
2.2 The names of the cookies that we use on our website, and the purposes for which they are used, are set out below:
(a) we use session cookie on our website to recognise a computer when a user visits the website and track users as they navigate the website;
(b) we use secure cookie on our website to prevent fraud and improve the security of the website;
(c) Persistent cookies will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date;
Analytics cookies
3.1 We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of our website.
3.2 Our analytics service provider generates statistical and other information about website use by means of cookies.
3.3 The analytics cookies used by our website have the following names: _utma, _utmt, _utmb, _utmc, _utmv and _utmz
3.4 The information generated relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of our website.
3.5 Our analytics service provider's privacy policy is available at: http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.
Third party cookies
4.1 Our website also uses third party cookies.
Blocking cookies
5.1 Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies; for example:
(a) in Internet Explorer (version 10) you can block cookies using the cookie handling override settings available by clicking "Tools", "Internet Options", "Privacy" and then "Advanced";
(b) in Firefox (version 24) you can block all cookies by clicking "Tools", "Options", "Privacy", selecting "Use custom settings for history" from the drop-down menu, and unticking "Accept cookies from sites"; and
(c) in Chrome (version 29), you can block all cookies by accessing the "Customise and control" menu, and clicking "Settings", "Show advanced settings" and "Content settings", and then selecting "Block sites from setting any data" under the "Cookies" heading.
5.2 Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites.
5.3 If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.
Deleting cookies
6.1 You can delete cookies already stored on your computer; for example:
(a) in Internet Explorer (version 10), you must manually delete cookie files (you can find instructions for doing so at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278835);
(b) in Firefox (version 24), you can delete cookies by clicking "Tools", "Options" and "Privacy", then selecting "Use custom settings for history", clicking "Show Cookies", and then clicking "Remove All Cookies"; and
(c) in Chrome (version 29), you can delete all cookies by accessing the "Customise and control" menu, and clicking "Settings", "Show advanced settings" and "Clear browsing data", and then selecting "Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data" before clicking "Clear browsing data".
6.2 Deleting cookies will have a negative impact on the usability of many websites.
Cookie preferences
7.1 You can manage your preferences relating to the use of cookies on our website by visiting: controls below
Part 3: Our details
Data protection registration
1.1 We are registered as a data controller with the UK Information Commissioner's Office.
Our details
2.1 This website is owned and operated by Focus Reports Ltd.
2.2 We are registered in England and Wales under registration number 7676770, and our registered office is at Lynton House, 7-12 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9LT, United Kingdom.
2.3 You can contact us by writing to the business address given above, by using our website contact form or by telephone on +441707828754.
Charles Pfauwadel of Swift Worldwide Resources Singapore speaks about his company’s presence in the city-state, the human resource context in the economic super-centre and how his business helps oil and gas companies connect with the right candidates. In particular, Swift’s own internal training policies for its own staff, and its energetic efforts to seek out subsea skills are featured in this interview.
In December 2012, you became country manager here in Singapore for Swift Worldwide Resources. What attracted you to the company, and what have been the key steps forward you have taken since arriving?
I was brought to Swift for a number of reasons, the first being to grow the expatriate business. I joined in the middle of a downturn for the industry, at which point Swift had been reliant mostly on local business and small contracts, and we wanted to re-emphasis our global reach.
Another objective was to strengthen the client base- not only increasing the number of clients we have, but also spreading our business across further disciplines- diversifying and reducing risk by moving from solely supplying staff to oil and gas major companies to including EPC companies and service companies.
Personally, I was happy to join Swift because it is a global company, growing at 20 percent annually for the past five years and it would allow me to connect and engage with many people globally. Coming from a smallerentity, this was rather exciting as was the opportunity to be responsible for this business’ growth, opening new offices and facilitating partnerships across the region.
How are you differentiating Swift from your competitors?
Swift defines itself as the ‘biggest oil and gas family’ out there. Our company culture expounds this; Swift employees are known as ‘Swifties’ and our business regularly engages with events and activities to bring our staff together and to make the company more cohesive. When we have personnel joining a new project – we recently had four gentlemen start working at the same time on an FPSO in a Singaporean shipyard- we bring them to the office to sign the contract over breakfast. They meet the entire Swift team and this intimate nature to their start and shows how much we care about our people.
There are three factors where Swift seeks to lead; in staff retention- keeping our contractors and staff happy. Often in this business, people jump ships. The second is rentability- or profitability. High margins are important and we do not hesitate to turn away local, low margin opportunities to focus on our main clients. Lastly, we seek a leading reputation. A high level of service is essential for this.
To expand on the first ‘R’- retention, Swift also has internal training. Every new employee is sent to Houston for a onemonth training. This is part of the process of bringing staff into the Swift family and encouraging retention of skills and abilities. Since this process was started, attrition rates have fallen from 50 percent to 17 percent.
How do you develop your client relationships?
Swift retains a personal relationship with its clients, and organises numerous social events where contractors and clients can mix. Ensuring we are supplying the best quality candidates, even in this competitive environment, means that our clients trust our advice and offering. There are 4,000 human resources companies in Singapore– so staying close to our client is important. We do not supply only candidate C.Vs to our clients, but references and justification as to why the candidate would be suitable. We seek to address exactly our client’s needs.
How tight is the labour situation in Singapore; to what extent is any shortage exacerbated by labour laws around the region?
In Singapore, we are fortunate to work in a mature industry. The likes of Keppel have had their shipyards around for the last 50 years. The local workforce is replete with skills applicable to such industries, and Singaporean universities are adding to the available skills here. The labour here is motivated and able.
Whilst it is easy to recruit these workers, there is always a danger of losing these workers to competitors. Frequently, there are examples of workers changing project overnight just for small gains in their salary or conditions. This is something we continually strive to avoid.
Are any skills in particular scarce at the moment?
There is one discipline at the moment which is particularly valuable—subsea skills. This is a wide area of activity, but with the many fields being developed and more complex and challenging projects moving forwards to secure more marginal resources, individuals able to secure success in these projects are ever more valuable.
The shortage of staff in this area is something that Swift is seeking to address for its clients. Each of our recruiters has a target to build a pool of subsea candidates. Once a month we meetto re-evaluate our progress on this front and to review the status of progress in these industries.
What are the trends most profoundly affecting movement of staff globally in this industry at the moment?
In one word, globalisation. In the case of the oil and gas industry—Some developments can cost up to20 billion with hundreds of suppliers involved across a mulplicity of countries.
We recently completed a project with Swift contractors working in seven different countries and collaborating towards the success of one field development.
Swift assists the client by taking up all the back office work that would have been required to move these staff around- securing workers, transportation, logistics work permits and visas for example. We allow the staff to move seamlessly between the differing locations where the project is being pushed forward. This is a principle strength of Swift.
How is Singapore as a hub for Southeast Asia allowing skills to flow into this region?
The ease of doing business here in Singapore is exceptional, and this facilitates staff moving here. Many other countries do not have this same open market, or flexibility. Singapore is extremely competitive, but should one receive some business, there are fewer obstacles to executing a project here than anywhere.
From here, it is easy to travel and manage local networks.
How is your own management style secure Swift’s future growth?
There are a few things. I would like to highlight the ‘family feeling’ that I seek to continue to promote. I want staff to be part of creating the future of the company. This does not mean that we give a safe job to everyone- Swift is a very KPI-orientated company-. With this emphasis on success, however, we also prioritise nurturing our staff, and encourage them to grow in their role.
In five years, Swift aims to triple the size of the business in Singapore– seeking to continue over 20 percent growth annually. This will require more staff, and development
Innovation is also a part of our company’s efforts to push forwards. Utilisation of IT tolls is a route to improving the company’s performance further in my opinon. This includes automated timesheets and programs which will streamline our operations across different timezones.
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