MANILA, Philippines – The main driver of a company is its people. Over the years, companies are gearing towards having a work culture that is people-oriented. Especially with majority of the workforce being millennials, jobs are no longer just about bringing bread to the table but a chance for growth and self-discovery.
Speaking to adobo magazine, Workbank Country Manager, Reggie Fernandes said that his firsthand experience working with Filipinos in the Middle East made him realize the opportunity that Workbank has in the country.
“We saw the opportunity to set up here in the Philippines because the most valued asset we see is people. With people being the most valued asset and with the scope and opportunity that’s available in the Philippines, we thought it’d be best to set up the talent solutions platform which helped both the recruiter and the candidate.”
Established in 2017, Workbank is a talent solutions platform that brings together job seekers and recruiters in a single place that also facilitates hiring. “We are driven predominantly by the virtue of malasakit which is the force that literally drives the Philippines, and it is something that has been introduced to us over the years,” added Fernandes.
Setting Workbank apart from existing job portals is easy for Fernandes, whereas other platforms focus on quotas, Workbank focuses on the potential employees and how they can present themselves better. “We invest in the people which is the biggest, which is our tagline, ‘Let’s invest in you.’ So it’s not just about investing in candidates and about investing in recruiters, but our philosophy is investing in our own people.
So we come from a principle of invest in good people and you’d get back returns in multiple fold.” Their investment comes in the form of exclusive perks and discounts with partnerships they have established. That way, it is not just about finding a job but improving the caliber of candidates altogether.
“As a very young institution, we have a lot ahead to position ourselves differently. We are dynamic, we are agile, we do have a very strong technology backing, and we have investors who are overseas that have, from what you will see here in offices that have put a lot behind what they believe is the story of malasakit here in the Philippines.”
The statements of Fernandes translate well even into Workbank’s internal structure. “You would see that from the team, we’re a small team but it’s very efficient and very good team and I’m very honored to be actually working with all of my colleagues here who are all from the Philippines and not from overseas so in terms of the people-centric, that’s where it comes in.”
“It originates from the organization itself and that’s how we can then transfer it onwards to the product we have. We have a work-from-home concept that we promote, we have flexible workers, while being a small organization, we provide all the benefits and perks that any large organization does provide as well,” he added.
