What makes Filipino employees worth investing in?

Filipinos continue to value relationships and camaraderie in the workplace, leading to a high trust index score of 86%

According to Charles Plumley, general manager of Great Place to Work Philippines, Filipinos continue to practice long-cherished values in building relationships with people. Employees continue to utilize their skills and talents in meeting the necessary workload and the corresponding circumstances. To him, camaraderie is a crucial factor in why he sees the country as a nation where, despite growing changes in workplace culture, trust has been built.

“What we do see is that it’s driven primarily by camaraderie. Despite everything you’re hearing and what’s going on in the world, it’s fantastic to see that trust has actually improved,” Plumley said, adding that the Philippines can boast a trust index score of 86% compared to other countries within the ASEAN region.

On March 19, industry leaders and company visionaries gathered at the Conrad Hotel to celebrate this year’s Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work Philippines. We honored executives from various firms, spanning commerce, technology, and hospitality, for their efforts in fostering today’s workplace culture. Putting the experiences of employees front and center was the highlight in shaping businesses away from traditional practices.

“More companies are actually becoming more interested in getting certified with us because they see the value. What gives us a lot of pride is we actually now have more Filipino companies on the list,” Plumley later noted, adding that the government sector has also taken part in the firm’s workplace survey.

One of the night’s highlights was the inclusion of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the country’s authority in financial matters. BSP was ranked among the Top 20 workplaces, sharing the spotlight with Globe Telecom and Bank of the Philippine Islands.

Industry leaders celebrated the Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work Philippines, honoring executives for prioritizing employee experiences 

For Jayzle Ravelo, the central bank’s managing director for Human Resources, this award was a testament to the practices it has implemented within its offices, including its printing plants.

The central bank’s managing director for Human Resources, Jayzle Ravelo, points out the agency’s shift towards a culture of excellence and integrity 

Ravelo acknowledged the longstanding bureaucratic norms of government work, such as palakasan and acting too slowly on complaints. Yet, in setting the agency’s professional agenda, she discussed the shifts in how the central bank veered away from stereotypes of ineptitude. Moving toward a pace of excellence and integrity is the priority in turning the Bangko Sentral into an active player in the new workplace culture.

“Our workplace culture is an outcome of intentional, sustained effort to embed our integrity and excellence into how we hire, how we develop, how we reward and recognize, and how we hold our people accountable for their actions,” she shared in her speech.

Amid the shift, Ravelo noted how more young graduates and private sector professionals have chosen to work and hone their resumes at the Bangko Sentral. The agency, in turn, equips them with new learning skills and lessons that may surpass what other government offices can offer.

In the end, this year’s Best Workplaces in the Large, Medium, and Small categories were topped by the Philippine branches of Synchrony Financial and Hilton, along with Pangasinan-based BPO company Interconnected Business Process Inc. — Rolando Ng III