MANILA, PHILIPPINES — TELUS International Philippines (TIP) recently garnered three Anvil Awards for its 2020 #StrongerTogether PR and engagement campaign, which focuses on the company’s exemplary team member engagement efforts as the Philippines faces the ongoing global pandemic. The campaign won a Gold Anvil under PR Program Directed at Specific Stakeholders – Employees, a Gold Anvil for Digital Public Relations Program – Other: Internal Communications, and a Gold Anvil for Specialized Public Relations Program – Corporate/Organizational Identity Program. The same PR and employee engagement campaign was also nominated for the prestigious Grand Anvil Award.
Undeterred by the unprecedented challenges brought by COVID-19, TELUS International Philippines quickly adapted a hybrid work setup and a digital-centric approach on team member engagement initiatives. The digital solutions and customer experience company rolled out intersite competitions, health and safety programs, virtual contests and activities, as well as corporate social responsibility projects, which brought to life TELUS International Philippines’ #StrongerTogether campaign that reflected its focus on making its unique, caring culture felt among its team members, regardless of distance and circumstance amidst the pandemic.
“The pandemic has really brought a lot of uncertainties to our community. But despite it all, at TELUS International Philippines, we always put our team members’ safety, wellbeing, and growth as priorities. At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, our team quickly adapted and made arrangements for a hybrid work setup to enable our members to continue work at the comforts of their own homes, as well as implement strict sanitary measures at our sites to ensure the safety of our small skeletal workforce who were working onsite,” shared Rajiv M.Dhand, Regional Vice President, TELUS International APAC.
Swiftly adapting to the situation brought by the pandemic was crucial for the IT and BPO industry, a key industry in the Philippines employing hundreds of thousands of Filipinos all over the country, and whose services are needed more than ever during this pandemic. When Metro Manila was placed under strict community quarantine in March last year, TELUS International Philippines worked on finding quick solutions to enable its 18,000-strong workforce to continue working.
With the goal of continuously making their caring culture felt, TELUS International Philippines launched its #StrongerTogether campaign to ensure that its members are fully engaged, connected, and cared for despite a rather challenging year. The campaign consisted of various engagement activities and programs for its digital-savvy team members, as well as a complement of health, financial, learning, and even CSR initiatives. All of these engagement activities were held virtually, which also included the launch of Cosmos back in April 2020, an internal social media platform that has since played a vital role in keeping team members informed, engaged, and connected to each other.
“The #StrongerTogether campaign was created to ensure we were true to our culture value chain in spite of the pandemic and the challenges. More than ever, we needed to engage the hearts and minds of team members, deliver on our customer-first promise, and give back to the communities where we live, serve and raise our families,” added Dhand.
Beyond the activities that brought team members a continued sense of belonging and fun, at the heart of the 2020 #StrongerTogether initiatives was a genuine desire to take care of their team members, and even the communities where the company operates. TELUS International Philippines made a commitment to aid their team members with the challenges brought about by the pandemic, including a five-month dynamic compensation plan for all team members, whether they were able to work or not during the height of the lockdown. Other similar support for the team members included the TIP Care program, designed to provide assistance to team members who need to self-quarantine or those few who contracted the virus, and a toll-free Care hotline that team members can call to talk to nurses and doctors for information about COVID-19 or mental health support.
“It was important for us to keep everyone engaged and to show how much we value them because we really are all in this together. We created avenues for our team members and communities to feel that they are connected to the organization and their colleagues despite the distance, and created a sense of assurance that we would always be there to support them as they cope, adjust, and surpass the challenges brought about by the pandemic,” Dhand said.
TELUS International Philippines puts value on its team members above anything else. To measure the effectiveness of its programs, TIP and TELUS International, commission an annual employee sentiment survey (called Pulsecheck internally) conducted by Kincentric, a global leader in HR solutions. Pulsecheck aims to provide team members the opportunity to share their honest feedback on how the organization can further support them and improve their day-to-day work experiences. In 2020, additional questions were added to Pulsecheck to delve deeper into pandemic-specific concerns that the team members may have encountered. For the second consecutive year, TIP achieved an unprecedented 92% Pulsecheck score, demonstrating success in keeping team members engaged and connected, while apart. Aside from this survey, TIP also recognized over 1,500 team members who celebrated their 5th, 10th, and 15th year with the company in 2020. This loyalty and dedication to the organization is reflected in TIP’s all-time-low annualized attrition rates for 2020.
To ensure that the #StrongerTogether campaign is effective, TELUS International Philippines continuously measures the engagement of team members through quarterly Lead to Win and Mid-Year Pulsecheck surveys, regular coaching sessions with their leaders, focus group discussions, as well as the main Pulsecheck survey conducted every year. TELUS International Philippines, indeed, strives to ensure that all its team members are engaged, productive, and still hopeful, despite any situation. They commit to continuing their efforts in 2021 to continue strengthening their unique and caring culture amongst their team members.
