MANILA, Philippines—The country’s premier native B2B SaaS startup and HR software pioneer, Sprout Solutions, continues to fight for growth in the local human resources sector. The organization recently attended a number of events as a chance to share their experience in the sector and impart insights and information to the guests.
Image courtesy of Sprout Solutions
“As a tech company big on data, we are exposed to a wealth of information on trends and insights in the local human resources. From student-career transitions to payroll discussions and workplace developments, we at Sprout want to be able to share fresh and strategic ideas to empower future leaders and current business front runners in spearheading their successful growth,” shares Sprout Chief People and Customer Officer Atty. Arlene De Castro.
Empowering Future Leaders through PATHWAY
With the intention to provide assistance to the country’s future leaders, the PATHWAY National Event and World of Work Café Activity, led by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) was held last October, in Dusit Thani, Manila. The event was designed to help strengthen cooperation between universities and enterprises by promoting Filipino entrepreneurship and employability culture to help students, fresh graduates, and master candidates to meet labor market demands and support government reforms.
Through the event, attendees were granted a networking opportunity with stakeholders from the public and private sectors (including universities, industries, and government) to discuss challenges and opportunities in graduate employment in light of the pandemic. Participants in the morning plenary session and afternoon World of Work Café activity contributed to discussions about stakeholder collaboration, and policy and regulatory reforms. The event was also attended by the company’s representative Atty. Jay-Ryan M. Trinidad, Head of Legal at Sprout Solutions, and was joined by stakeholders in Europe and the Philippines from the government, academe, and HR industry.
The PATHWAY project launched in January 2021 with the goal to bridge the gap between businesses and Higher Education institutions. The project aspires to turn universities into engines of innovation to improve the state of Filipino entrepreneurship and employment. The ECCP is an active project partner of the PATHWAY Project funded by Erasmus+ where the project is implemented in partnership with 9 other organizations and institutions, including the University of Alicante, the Commission on Higher Education, and Ateneo de Manila University.
Highlighting Best Practices in Payroll & Taxation
In the hopes to improve the theoretical understanding and practical implementation of payroll managers, the First Payroll Summit was held at the Sheraton Manila Bay and hosted by IAM Consultancy on October 24 and 25 to showcase excellent practices in payroll and taxation that are executed by various companies.
The two-day summit featured eight plenary sessions meant to help payroll professionals understand how their work fits into the HR ecosystem and how to carry out the aforementioned practices properly. The first day’s courses examined the present legal climate and provided practical insights into payroll implementation and administration, as well as how to integrate payroll with finance. The summit’s second day focused on payroll regulations, best practices, and taxation.
Developments in the Workplace Setup and Preference
The strong wave of employee preference for hybrid work setups is shifting the tide and challenging companies to either go with the flow or go against the grain. These trends were touched on during a panel discussion on The Power of the Employees: Rethinking Traditional Work Models at the Contact Islands 2022.
The event was attended by Atty. Arlene De Castro, Chief People and Customer Officer of Sprout, wherein she discussed the importance for companies to reassess their current strategies and reiterated how although going hybrid is the future, people’s experience is the way to that future. Atty. De Castro also talked about the results of Sprout’s State of HR 2022 Report and discussed what employees look for in a new employer as HR leaders navigate The Great Resignation. Various stakeholders from the healthcare, banking, consulting, and BPO sectors were also present and participated in the discussion.
Furthermore, the 59th PMAP Annual Conference, held October last year, brought together its members with the goal of discovering new methods of thinking about and implementing human resources, under the topic Co-Regeneration. The three-day hybrid conference emphasized the need of rebuilding organizations. Atty., the company’s representative, was present. Lester Ople, Sprout’s HR Evangelist/Consultant, discussed how to implement and manage remote working in his own session titled Leading Remote Teams: Strategies to Foster Virtual Collaboration.
“We have to be creative and strategic in executing these new normal set-ups not just to keep our businesses functioning, but most especially to give our employees the best experience in order to promote better work culture,” says Atty. De Castro. As the new normal intensifies, Sprout aims to ensure that companies are able to adapt well and be prepared for these new developments in the workplace.