Through good times and bad, employees are the core foundation of a company.

Amidst the current COVID-19 threat, manufacturers make great efforts to meet the heightened demand for food and other commodities. And during these challenging times, the value and contributions of employees become even more apparent and appreciated.

Because of this, the Human Resources department is right at the heart of a company’s navigation through turbulent situations.

For the HR group of Universal Robina Corporation (URC), ensuring employees’ preparedness, as well as physical and mental well-being, and boosting morale, are some of the priorities that they immediately set out to do.

 Who we are

Viola de Jesus, HR Director for Branded Consumer Food Group (BCFG) Philippines, understood that the situation is most difficult and overwhelming for employees because they fear for their personal health and safety. HR was able to address this by educating them about proper hygiene and sanitation and implementing programs that will help alleviate the impact of the crisis in the workplace.

 “It was a great opportunity for us to partner with our unions in implementing solutions that will enable employees to cope better with the situation,” Viola related. “Well-being counselling and helpline are made available to our employees to help them in this unprecedented situation.”

 For URC Agro Industrial Group’s HR manager Jhing Cacho, it is important that the employees fully understand the situation they are in. She shared, “we have been conducting information and awareness campaigns on COVID-19. We want to help educate our colleagues and make them understand the immense importance of safety and sanitation. To make them feel secured, we also ensure that their working environment, our plants and farms, are regularly sanitized.”  

At the onset of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, allaying people’s doubts and concerns were primary in the minds of URC’s HR department. Together with the leadership team, the HR had immediately stepped up to remind employees of the purpose of their work and the value of their contributions to the operations.

 “We always go back to who we are,” shared Viola. “URC is a company that provides food and beverage for the consumption of Filipinos. With seven out of 10 Filipino households consuming URC products every day, it is our duty at this time of social crisis to ensure continuity of supply,” she added.

 The HR’s initiative seemed to have helped significantly in translating the workforce’s malasakit toward the work that they do. Even with the overhanging risks, a big chunk of on-site employees, willingly showed up for work.

Malasakit in action 

The line managers and plant-based HR leaders of URC have gone over and beyond their designations. Aside from advocating business continuity, they also became even more visible in warehouses and manufacturing plants, ready to address employees’ concerns. This includes Arleen Molinar, HR manager for San Pedro and Biñan plants.

 “When you see people personally going to the plant out of their own initiative, it drives you to work even harder and be there with them,” Arleen said. She added that the URC front-line workers—now warmly dubbed as “heroes”—have shown great diligence just to ensure availability of products in the market.

 When asked what inspires everyone to respond to their duties, Arleen said that the love and care that URC has extended to all their workers has played a great role in creating a success formula for the company.

 “The family who started URC taught us to put our people at the heart of what we do. They have shown us a strong sense of malasakit, and I think now is the best time to pay it forward, so more people can be given comfort in these trying times.”

 Agro-Industrial Group employees likewise get inspiration from their leaders. Jhing shared, “Our bosses have consistently been reporting at the office since the onset of ECQ. For me, malaking bagay ‘yon. This is a good showcase of our group’s ‘Kabalikat’ values and our colleagues truly appreciate, and get inspired by, this.”

 Jhing also cited the importance of having a good relationship with her co-workers, “It’s not something you build overnight, and I am proud that we have each other’s back and our employees embody our “Kabalikat” values through good and bad times.”

What fuels the people

For Atty. Lisa Abalajon, URC Vice President for Human Resource, forging relationships built on trust and genuine concern for employees’ security within the workplace, are key towards effectively managing any difficult situation. “We make decisions that balance our business needs with our people’s personal welfare specially during this national state of emergency.”

Atty Lisa related, “earlier in the crisis, the leadership team agreed that URC serves three purposes: our People Purpose, our Business Purpose and our Higher Social Purpose. These purposes are what fuel and energize the employees and their teams.  You could see these in the videos they post, the language they use, their behavior and desire to work even at the risk of their health.” 

According to Atty Lisa, taking care of employees’ well-being specially at work is a core responsibility of the company.  “Our role, as HR, is to build relationships of trust starting with our ability to make our employees feel safe within the workplace.  Not just in the physical sense, but even psychologically.” 

Now, more than ever, the HR department tirelessly implements efforts to keep the employees safe and secure. It is through these initiatives that the URC workforce has become even more motivated to contribute to the business and serve the needs of Filipino households.