MANILA, PHILIPPINES — PLDT’s wireless unit Smart Communications lands on LinkedIn’s Top Companies of 2021, making it one of the best workplaces to grow one’s career.
Ranking 2nd on the professional networking site’s list, Smart is the only telco to make it to the Top 15 list.
LinkedIn used data analyzed through seven key pillars, each revealing an important element of career progression: ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity and educational background.
LinkedIn lauded the top 15 companies for “helping employees build a professional foundation that sets them up for success.”
“Being recognized by LinkedIn as one of the Top Workplaces in the Philippines reaffirms our position as an equal opportunity employer, committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive culture and developing transformational leaders,” Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio said.
LinkedIn cited Smart for its effort to reach customers and retailers in areas affected by COVID-19 restrictions, having deployed more than 600 community stores in Metro Manila during the pandemic.
As the company behind campaigns on “Passion and Purpose” and “Living Smarter for a Better World”, the study also commended Smart’s recently launched a “Paint-it-Forward” initiative in Cebu and Davao. The mural-painting activity involving local artists aimed to use art as therapy for a fatigued community, recognizing the strain on mental health after a year of lockdowns.
The study also highlighted Smart’s push to serve mobile-savvy Filipinos, with over 2,600 5G sites built, and plans to keep expanding. The company currently serves over 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities with mobile communications services, high-speed internet connectivity, and access to digital services and content. These are through its Postpaid and Prepaid groups, as well as value brands TNT, serving approximately 73 million subscribers. The company also offers satellite communication services under the brand Smart World.
“I am truly grateful for my Smart family. Our current circumstances make this recognition extra special and meaningful. We offer it to our own fallen heroes who upheld our values to the end,” Panlilio expressed.
“It is my privilege and honor to be among people who live with purpose and put their heart and soul in everything that they do. And because we consistently give our best in the worst of times, I am confident that our successes will continue for years to come,” he added.
Smart’s recognition by LinkedIn underscores its commitment to build resiliency through human capital and strong communities. This is one of the focus areas that make up the company’s Sustainability Framework, and is aligned with the PLDT group’s aim to help the Philippines attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which include UN SDG #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
