A seemingly short phrase that nonetheless captures the entirety of Home Credit‘s corporate DNA and culture – and no one can attest to that better than their 13,000 people across the country.
Behind the nation’s leading consumer finance technology company and one of the fastest growing digital financial services providers is its strong and diverse workforce. As a multinational company, its employees come from different ages, backgrounds and nationalities – mostly working in back-office support units. On the other side of the spectrum, making up the majority of their numbers, are the customer-facing employees spread across metropolitan and provincial areas across the country as part of their sales and collections team.
Interestingly, the population of Home Credit Philippines is made up of approximately 64% millennials. This generation of driven go-getters is very eager to choose a workplace that will allow them to better synchronize work and life so that the two can co-exist and thrive together.
For Home Credit, its millennial workforce and the rest of its employees, it’s certainly a perfect match – thanks to the company’s culture of fairness, transparency and empowerment that allows them to thrive and grow in their chosen career and personal life. .
Led by Managing Director David Minol, Home Credit Philippines has succeeded in establishing a solid foundation of trust and openness within the business. “By creating a healthy work environment focused on promoting and prioritizing work-life balance, we have been able to maintain a healthier and more productive relationship with our employees.
The Human Resources Department, led by its Director of Human Resources, Alpha Omega Aquino, is at the forefront of overseeing the effective implementation of this business. “Obviously, we recognize that work-life balance can mean differently to everyone. Our new and improved programs and initiatives address this concern“Alpha said.
GOING HOME PROGRAM
According to Alpha, even before working from home became a thing of the pandemic, their employees already had the option of working remotely once a week while they report to the office for the rest of the week. So when the pandemic and lockdown hit, Home Credit Philippines was quick to adapt to flexible working arrangements. Everyone has been provided with remote work tools so they can easily work from the safety of their homes.
“During the pandemic, there was obviously a challenge in accessing learning tools and programs. With this, we built Launchpad, an e-learning system to enhance learning development and HR Gateway, a microsite serving as a one-stop-shop for all HR employee needs. Both platforms were well received by employees and achieved around 85% and 56% respectively of our total employee base.,” she says.
When quarantine protocols began to ease, Home Credit also launched efforts to encourage people to start coming back to the office. “The COME Home program, which stands for Connect Onsite and Meet Everyone, is a campaign to promote a hybrid way of working. The goal is for employees to connect, collaborate, cooperate, conceptualize and celebrate with their workplace teams to improve their overall mental health“, explained Alpha.
The flexible working week is offered to employees where they will report at least once a week to the office and work from home the rest of the week.
To make it easy for employees to finally decide, they started rolling out awareness content about the benefits of working from home or in the office via TikTok videos and the like. A hybrid arrangement or configuration in discussion with the respective team leaders has also been proposed. In an effort to create a safer workplace for everyone upon their return, free COVID-19 vaccines and boosters have been made available to interested employees. They also provide regular cleaning and disinfection of all offices.
EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING
Maintaining mental health and well-being at work is also essential for Home Credit, as they believe it contributes to a more productive workforce. “We cultivate a supportive work environment that makes our employees more motivated and engaged“David revealed.
Having a massive workforce is both a challenge and an opportunity for Home Credit to ensure that all of its employees will enjoy and benefit from employee initiatives and programs.
With the current working conditions, maintaining the general well-being of their employees is also a challenge for them. Keeping this in mind, they have launched new and improved perks as part of wellness programs and initiatives. It includes, among other things, mental health support through virtual activities and online discussions. Home Credit has also instituted welfare leaves of up to 30 days plus an extra day for birthday leave.
“Our approach to this is holistic. We look at all aspects – physical, mental, spiritual and financial well-being. Corn it is above all a question of giving individuals the means to take charge of their well-being, for their own good“, Alpha added.
PERSONAL DIRECTION
Personal leadership epitomizes Home Credit’s strong culture of empowerment. According to David, “At Home Credit, we believe everyone is a leader. Regardless of your position, each person is at least an autonomous leader.” Part of that culture is holding people accountable through performance reviews.
“We set goals, review them, and update them to keep them relevant. Regular feedback and conversations about performance are essential to keep us and our team focused and motivated throughout the year. Then, we stop periodically to take stock of our results and our progress..” Alpha revealed.
To nurture their sense of philanthropy and camaraderie, employees are also encouraged to volunteer in corporate social responsibility efforts, such as participating in Home Credit’s financial literacy campaign by teaching basic financial concepts to communities and barangays across the country. Newly onboarded employees are encouraged to be social media ambassadors to develop a sense of pride in being part of Home Credit.
“An effective leadership style amplifies a person’s strengths and potential, making their weaknesses insignificant. At Home Credit, we create nurturing space for our people to thrive and grow, and at the same time, propagate an environment that allows others to grow too.” David affirmed.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
By recognizing the potential of each individual regardless of their age, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or (disability), Home Credit becomes a place safe workplace that embraces diversity and inclusion.
“Leading a diverse people means there is no one size fits all. We’re all different. However, there is one thing that is common to all of them and that is that everyone wants to be appreciated..” said David.
In the Philippines, Home Credit is one of the few financial companies to have an environmental, social and governance (ESG) report. One of the main components of their ESG policy focuses on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI).
With a rich and diverse mix of individuals, HCPH is home to talent from different parts of the country, generation and social status. At all levels of the company, the gender ratio is 50/50, which is also reflected at the people management level, where women occupy key positions in the company. For Home Credit, diversity goes beyond just gender and nationality as it also looks closely at representation in terms of leadership and background.
The Executive Committee of Home Credit Philippines has more or less a 50:50 gender ratio.
Alpha has summarized some of the most important initiatives they have taken on DEI. “Some of our most concrete efforts on DEI include offering HMOs to same-sex partners to get coverage for LGBTQ+ partners. We also started revamping our company profile and jobs with various ways to communicate it in different local languages. Our ethnicity and disability-focused webinars and discussions to raise equity and inclusion awareness also resonated with many employees.”
Essentially, work-life balance can easily be anything for any company or individual – it can focus on prioritizing personal well-being, empowering employees, advocating for and recognizing individual identity, and many other aspects – all of which Home Credit has actively promoted in the course of their life as an organisation. “For us, work-life balance and employee happiness have always been built into our organizational structure and philosophy. It’s not just a line item or a task to complete – caring for the well-being of our employees is an integral part of how we run our business.” As David eloquently put it, “At Home Credit, we value our people. No small roles. Everyone is important.”
