PHRG Launches Quarterly Learning Sessions by Ely Joy Abenio

Philippines Human Resource Group held its first-ever learning session entitled “Strategies on Prominent Labor and Employee Related Issues for 2017” last March 25, 2017 at Ortigas library, Pasig city. The event gathered different HR gurus and experts that included Atty. Marisa Garcia, Atty. Jericho del Puerto, Mr. Allan Canete and Mr. Jaime Estrada to share their insights and knowledge about the current HR issues.

At the beginning, Mr. Darwin Rivers, founder of PHRG, welcomed the delegates with a quote, “Being successful is having the right mindset”. He then shared milestones in the history of PHRG; where it started off as a Yahoo group but now has 43,076 strong members in Facebook.

“Harmonious labor relationship and motivated workforce is equal to productivity, profitability and better terms and conditions,” Atty. Marisa Garcia said. Our first speaker, Atty. Marisa Garcia discussed the importance of HR personnel as a bridge between employees and management, furthermore, she added that, “a real HR knows the laws and has a heart”. Later on, “Penalty must commensurate to the offense”, Atty. Jericho del Puerto said during his talk. Atty. Puerto’s lecture supported Atty. Marisa Garcia where he talked about the avoidance of illegal dismissal and that penalty of dismissal has to be justified before doing so.

Before second part of the event, excitement heated up as the speakers entertained questions from the delegates, Ms. Penny Bongato, Success mentor and trainer also sharedsome HR insights based on her experiences.“What if there is ‘no return to work’ filed and employee doesn’t return?” one of the delegates asked. Atty. Garcia and Atty. del Puerto answered that you cannot file any dismissal against the employee because there is no documentation.

As the seminar continued, Mr. Allan Canete, the third speaker, said that, “union is a symptom of a deep organizational dysfunction”. He gave pieces of advice not on how to avoid union but to promote an employee-centric environment. He added that “before you can be customer-centric, you have to be employee-centric”.
“There’s no forever but for me, HR is forever”, Mr. Jaime Estrada said. He imparted his experiences as seasoned HR mentor and how he was able to maintain the harmony in their organization by giving an importance to culture, and that culture is the one that binds us.

Mr Danny Pancho entertained questions after the last two speakers. One of the delegates asked about engagement activities. “The team building should be relevant to the problem. It’s not just for fun. It should be aligned to business directions, focused on the mechanics” Mr. Allan Canete replied. Another question was raised from the delegates was, “what advice can you give for a young HR professional?” where Mr. Jaime Estrada replied, “Don’t stop learning, it’s not a matter of fad or fashion – show to people that HR is a noble profession”

The 1st leg of the Philippines HR Group Quarter Learning Sessions 2017 ended successfully – from the choice of venue to invited speakers, everything was arranged accordingly. Speakers were more than ready to attend to the queries of the delegates and their field of expertise perfectly matched to the current HR issues. The PHRG learning session was an interactive session where delegates can openly ask questions and speakers will gave answers based on the updated labor laws. “Cliché as it may seem but this is the turning point of your career” Ms. Rhonadale Florentino, secretary of the PHRG said as she closes the event. This is only the beginning of PHRG’s mission to share HR knowledge and build networks through its learning sessions. If you have not taken part on this event last March, never miss the opportunity to grab your seats on PHRG’s 2nd learning session this coming April 8 2017. One HR, one voice!

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If you would like to see snapshots of what happened in this event, please watch the video below.

Encouraging Great Customer Service Excellence in the Philippines

Customer Service is something that is not given as much importance here in the Philippines as other countries do. The Philippine consumer appears to be less empowered and is not given as much importance and consideration as they should. If you visit your average local tea shop or sari-sari store, you will notice that some store owners or managers would provide you service and sell you goods without even looking you in the eye. While less often, the same practice can sometimes be seen in other middle class restaurants and fast food. A big percent of micro, small, and medium enterprise businesses in the Philippines close down within three years from its opening. The more advanced and more-success driven companies however know the difference that a good customer service can make for their company.

Your frontline staff who deals with customers, their direct supervisors, and your store managers all play a crucial role in providing a good experience to your customers. In a quick survey we have done among a small number of respondents, we have asked working class individuals age 23 to 40 about their favorite shops and why they go back to these stores. We have noted a very interesting response saying that she prefers to go to this certain mall because the sales ladies know where other stores are located and you can easily ask for directions. She compared this to another mall where she felt that even the security guards have totally no clue where to find stores in their establishment. Another respondent explained that she goes to this certain beauty and wellness store because their staff is really friendly. She said that they remember her name and always greeted her whenever she visits. In these examples, we can clearly that customer service can play a huge role in the decisions customers make when purchasing.

Good customer service builds customer loyalty. If customers are buying from your store only because they need a certain product, it is easy to lose them once a new store selling a similar or comparable product comes around. To add to this, having a staff that can build a friendly relationship with customers can help build trust. Customers look forward to getting recommendations about products that may be helpful to them and they usually want to get these from someone they trust. By having good customer service, you can increase your customer’s likelihood of buying more products. If you have excellent customer service, customers talk about you and refer you to their closest friends. While they do this, it helps you acquire new customers. Consumers tend to buy products that have worked for people within their community. They purchase products that are popular among their friends and those they have the closest affinities with. By having good customer service, you will be able to create an experience that your customers will likely tell their friends about.

If you would like to build your frontline staffs’ customer service skills to take advantage of these great benefits for your business, we encourage you to check our Effective Customer Service Workshop this coming 7 April 2017. For inquiries, you may also call us at (02) 433 3342.

Revisiting Our Understanding of Training Needs Analysis

In the experience of contacting HR professionals in the business of training in the Philippines, we often get multiple responses when we ask the question, “What did your TNA tell you in regard to your needs in… (topic)? It appears that some practitioners may not be aware what a TNA is a crucial factor in coming up with an effective program suited for their company. TNA stands for Training Needs Analysis, which is a very important aspect of developing a company’s workforce.

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is a series of activities designed to identify what kind of training and development program may help remedy or solve a particular issue in an organization. These issues are usually identified by a gap between the expected performance outputs and the current performance and skills of the human resource. TNA is critically, the first step in initiating changes in the company.

Training needs analysis allows you to build a bridge between the training procedures you will utilize and how they can be translated to the operations environment. Without a good training needs analysis, your program will have a hit-and-miss chance at success. However, when you start with a good TNA, you can ensure that there will be maximum value for the investments in the training you will implement.

While most HR personnel may understand the value of TNA, some still overlook the process because of the challenge of what kind of TNA must be used. There are no fixed templates or guidelines you can use in preparing a TNA for your company. The kind of TNA you will use should be configured on the basis of factors such as the industry you belong to, the kind of skills required to address the performance gaps, the goals and requirements of your program, the nature of possible causes of performance gaps, and many others.

Easily however, TNA begins with identifying the performance and skill gap you need to address. Once you have identified what you are after, it is easier to take the next steps in chasing it. Once you know your problem, you can start gathering information about the factors affecting it and its impacts to your organization. Many methods can be applied in this step. You may use surveys, questionnaires, interviews, small group discussions, psychometric tests, observations, performance statistics, and others. Your procedure can be formal or informal depending on the scope and potential value of the activity.

When doing a TNA, it may be tempting to always conclude that certain training be implemented. However, if you have been able to complete a thorough TNA, there will be a few times that you will realize that a simple manual or visual job aid may do. This is all right. The most important thing about your TNA is that you identify the root cause of your issue. For most cases, your TNA has to uncover whether you need to address knowledge, skill, or motivation because this is where a good training program can start with.

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If you are looking for a training and development partner who can tailor programs to your specific needs based on your TNA and a reasonable investment, visit us at www.competad.com or you may also call us at (02) 433 3342 or thru (0998) 5624984 to 85.