Coming in at No.4 on the list of Philippines Best Workplaces™ 2021 is S&P Global, one of the leading providers of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide.
Their broad range of initiatives to care for their people during 2020 were supported by hands-on leaders who made the challenges faced by their employees, as well as the wider community, their paramount concern.
Fiscal apprehensions were handled thoughtfully in numerous ways. The company made sure that new hires did not suffer financially despite delays to their start dates due to the pandemic, while Performance Improvement Plans and Coaching Plans were extended to give more room for employees and managers to improve and adapt.
In addition to adjusting the Performance Appraisal system to accommodate the uniqueness of the pandemic situation, S&P also paid out bonuses during the first half of 2020 as extra support to all employees. They further provided generous allowances for the purchase of home office equipment to enable employees to better adapt to working from home.
This overarching care for their employee’s personal wellbeing was further seen through special Covid-19 related benefits, such as medical support, the implementation of company-wide flexible working arrangements and delivering care packages and year-end giveaways during People Appreciation Week.
Guided by the principle of ‘Leadership with Empathy’, managers and leaders in the company were given the support and emphasis to overcome any challenges through the Manager Support Network, a platform for virtual open-dialogue and coaching circle for managers, as well as ‘Accelerating Who We Are’ sessions that empowered their personal growth.
Leadership was thus actively involved in supporting company initiatives, such as conducting informal conversations directly with employees as well as personally taking the time to provide updates about the pandemic.
During the wrath of Typhoon Ulysses, S&P acted quickly and thoughtfully to suspend work sitewide in order to give their people the time to safeguard their families and prepare for the storm. Leaves were not deducted and they utilized their emergency communication system to reach out and make sure everyone was safe.
With kindness and empathy clear to be seen in all of their actions, it is no wonder that S&P exceeded the expectations of their people, with 97% saying they are empowered with all the resources they need and 96% expressing pride in S&P’s excellent service.
Being on the Best Workplaces™ list, particularly in the midst of the very unique environment we were in last 2020 is a testament to our commitment to our values – Excellence, Relevance, and Integrity complemented by our continued People First approach which is now embedded in our culture. Every single one of our employees show up for work everyday with the best versions of themselves – they care for the company, because the company cares for them. When there is mutual respect and compassion between an organization and its employees, the employees themselves become ambassadors and it manifests to the service we provide our customers.
Jen Lozano, People Partner, S&P Global Philippines
