Business process outsourcing pioneer and top call center company Sykes Asia Inc. was recognized as one of the top workplaces in Asia by the 2019 Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards for maintaining quality levels of corporate sustainability especially focused on promoting a healthy work-life balance.
The award was received by Sykes Asia Inc. senior vice president of area operations and shared services John Sneed who was also recognized as one of Asia’s outstanding leaders.
Starting its operations in the Philippines in 1997, Sykes is the first multinational call center to operate in the country. It is also the first BPO company in the Philippines to venture out of Manila, opening the first call center in Cebu in 2003.
The ACES Awards recognizes successful companies and individuals in Asia across two main domains: leadership and corporate social responsibility. It values the services and achievements of businesses, both large and small and national and international, for their contributions to their communities and the world.
Sykes was commended for various programs focusing on developing employees to help them achieve the perfect work life balance while also allowing personal growth, making them one of the best BPO companies in the Philippines to work for.
ACES was impressed with the high employee involvement in various engagement activities at Sykes. The awards organization believes that these not only bring together employees of similar interests but also serve a greater purpose of providing meaningful contributions to society and communities.
“Sykes takes great pride in being recognized as one of the top workplaces in Asia, as this just proves that our employee-focused initiatives promoting a healthy and lively working environment are succeeding. Helping people is what we are all about, not only in servicing our clients, but also in the way we take care of our employees. We allow them to do meaningful work and learn in a fun and supportive office environment that helps them grow their careers,” said Sneed.
Under Sneed’s guidance, Sykes has also developed various initiatives focusing on employee empowerment and the 2019 ACES Awards deemed him as one of the outstanding leaders in Asia. Currently based in Cebu, Sneed says that his win would not have been possible without his belief in the importance of creating the perfect business environment.
“My experience at Sykes helped me find and focus on the ‘power of its people’ – how supporting the employees and creating a strong culture can deliver amazing results,” Sneed said. “I have always been a believer that creating the right environment for the employees, setting them as your number one priority, and introducing various programs for their growth and innovation ultimately support the work that we do.”
Sykes dominates the Philippine BPO workplace with almost 18,000 employees, about 4,000 of which are stationed in Cebu.
Despite this large population, Sykes maintains a healthy work-life balance by conducting year-round engagement programs to ensure that everyone in the organization grows as employees and as individuals with their mental and physical well-being of utmost importance.
Every year, employees look forward to activities such as the year-end celebration, sports fest, family day and customer service week.
They can also join funded interest groups (Sykes Choices for Manila and Sykes Involve for Cebu) that provide them opportunities to enjoy their hobbies and interests with their fellow employees outside work.
Employees are also encouraged to further hone their skills under different talent development programs that provide classes on developing business leadership and management abilities necessary in career advancement.
Being among the top BPOs in the Philippines in 2019, Sykes provides employees with opportunities to give back to the community through Sykes Cares. It has launched programs geared towards increasing access to education by providing educational facilities and equipment to underprivileged communities. Through the years, Sykes Cares has developed English training programs for BPO aspirants, rebuilt communities and educational establishments and facilitated tree-planting activities and energy conservation programs.
At the heart of everything that Sykes does is its purpose—to help, one caring interaction at a time–be it for the clients, the customers, the employees or the community.
Because of these efforts, employee reception at Sykes as a workplace is always positive. Employees or brand advocates share how it is a great privilege and opportunity to be working at a pioneer in the Philippine call center industry.
A recent Sykes global satisfaction survey revealed that 82 percent of employees are feeling proud of working at Sykes and 73 percent said that they are likely to recommend a friend to work in the company.
With over 22 years of experience in the BPO industry, Sykes is a recognized industry leader in providing customer care and widely considered to be the top BPO in the Philippines due to its innovative services and supportive work environment that merit the ACES Awards, among other local and international accolades.