The Aboitiz Group bagged several awards recognizing the company as a great employer by exemplifying exceptional employee engagement programs. The prestigious honours were conferred by global award-giving body Stevie® Awards.
The Group took home the Gold Stevie® for Employer of the Year in the Conglomerates category and a Silver Stevie® for Achievement in Employee Engagement for its entry ‘Aboitiz Group: Leaders as Primary Drivers of A Positive Culture of Engagement’ at the 2021 Stevie® Awards for Great Employers.
“At the core of our business are our people and it will always be about our people. Their dedication and innovation enable us to stay focused on ensuring that our vital services remain available for all our stakeholders, especially through challenging times,” said Aboitiz Group President and CEO, Sabin M. Aboitiz. “These awards affirm the unwavering commitment of our A-People as we create for ourselves the kind of environment that allows individuals to thrive both in their careers and in their personal lives.”
Susan V. Valdez, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Corporate Services Officer for Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV), also highlighted the company’s early pivot to the digitalization of different employee activities, which kept them engaged and productive even in a virtual set-up.
“With the ongoing pandemic, we had to quickly shift all our learning and development to the virtual space and the results showed that uptake on our e-learning surpassed even the physical classes from pre-COVID. Early digital transformation had a lot to do with it but, more than that, it’s because we have an agile and engaged workforce that can adapt quickly to unexpected challenges and opportunities,” Valdez said.
She also believes that caring for team members’ mental and psychosocial health is critical to continued success in business outcomes. “We believe the key is assuring team members that their well-being is top priority for the Aboitiz Group, no matter what. All of these are strong drivers to achieving our overall environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) goals.”
Meanwhile, the Aboitiz Group’s banking and financial subsidiary, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), was awarded a Silver Stevie® for Employer of the Year in the Banking category and a Bronze Stevie® for UnionBank’s Michelle Rubio as Chief Human Resource Officer of the Year.
Conceived as a means to enhance public confidence and investor trust, the Stevie® Awards for Great Employers is an international business awards competition that is open to all organizations worldwide. The awards recognize the world’s best companies to work for, and the HR teams, professionals, achievements, new products, and suppliers that help create and drive great places to work.
Stevie judges were composed of over a hundred esteemed professionals from around the world. The judges assigned to evaluate said categories expressed admiration for the century-old conglomerate’s tenacity, resilience, and ability to rollout new initiatives, as well as the leadership’s proactive approach to employee engagement. “The engagement of your CEO is admirable and impactful,” said one of the judges.
Another judge commended the company saying, “Great initiatives with the CEO like the SuperDuperCon town hall meetings, Welcome A-board, up close sessions to give opportunities to increase awareness, comfort, and psychological safety across the company. Very well done!”
“SuperDuperCon” sessions are regular Group-wide virtual discussions hosted by the Group CEO himself. During the sessions, he shares updates on Group directions and topics relevant to employees. Apart from updates, the core of every SuperDuperCon is a live Q&A session where all team members can participate by asking questions or providing feedback in real time.
Also, to cultivate a culture of open communication and courageous authenticity early into an Aboitiz employee’s journey, newly-hired team members are invited to “Welcome A-board,” a personal meet-and-discuss session with the Group CEO. Through this session, they are introduced to the Aboitiz Way, a summation of the Group’s culture and values.
“UpClose with SMA” are small group sessions that provide opportunities for other team members and executives across different business units to get up close and personal with Group CEO Sabin Aboitiz. In these sessions, everyone has the opportunity to learn with and from each other by giving feedback and sharing ideas.
Among the Aboitiz Group’s many initiatives to support its A-people personally and professionally include the vaccination rollout for all its team members, an expansion of healthcare coverage to include LGBTQ+ and common law partners of employees, and a multitude of learning and development opportunities offered through LinkedIn Learning and other similar programs.
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