Making a 24/7 area feel and look like home

PROGRESSIVE workstations provide a relaxing, working and stress-free environment for associates.

It is no secret that an adept, well-educated workforce is crucial.

How a company will emerge to become one of the most competitive, most successful in its industry will largely depend on, among other factors, the effectivity and productivity of its workforce.

And Nasdaq-listed Automatic Data Processing Inc. could only agree—proof of which is the recently inaugurated Makati headquarters of its local unit, ADP Philippines, wherein the multinational BPO firm showcased a highly conducive working environment that is expected to maximize the talents of its some 1,200 labor force it called “associates.”

ADP Philippines general manager John Hickey explains that the company’s new office, more than being located at a premium location at the Glorietta 2 Corporate Center, boasts of a workspace that promotes learning and wellness for its employees.

In a nutshell, Hickey describes the new ADP office, which occupies a total of six floors, as having a setup that fosters a more open environment as it did away with the “old cubicle workstation” setup common in most offices. Their office also provides collaboration spaces and creative and dynamic design aesthetic; addresses online and offline recreational needs; and offers healthy, quality food that is cooked at the office’s in-house kitchen—said to be a first among BPO firms, Hickey adds.

More specifically, the ADP office features open workstations that give the company the flexibility to change the floor plan as the business and customer demands change, as well as collaboration spaces, a library and huddle spaces for its workforce.

ADP associates are also given various avenues to relax with the availability of a quiet room, sleeping quarters, recreational area, a break room, clinic and full service cafeteria.

Hickey stresses that for ADP, “each person counts,” and hence these office features, which required the company to invest a fairly huge amount. This, he adds, only proves how the company values the labor force in the country, which he says was one of the reasons why the company will be further increasing its manpower in the Philippines.

The plan, according to Hickey, is to beef up the ADP workforce to more than 2,000 associates by the middle of next year, or roughly double its existing manpower of 1,200 associates. This was on the back of the local workforce’s strong communication skills and the country’s solid business environment.

“The Philippines is one of Asia’s fastest growing economies and it has a robust outsourced services landscape that is continuously exceeding goals and expectations,” Hickey says.

“We have seen our talented workforce grow from just five associates in November 2010 to more than 1,200 associates by June this year. With the positive performance and results that we have experienced here in the Philippines, we anticipate strong continued growth in the country,” he explains.

Hickey further notes that the Philippines has a “dynamic workforce and Filipinos are known the world over for their impressive work performance and stellar services.”

According to Hickey, their investment commitment in the Philippines is “very strong,” proof of which is the recent inauguration of the company’s headquarters in Makati City. The area, according to Hickey, can accommodate as many as 3,000 associates on a shifting basis.

“We’ve gained ground since starting local operations in 2010 and with our new site, we are poised for bigger things ahead. The Philippine BPO/KPO (knowledge process outsourcing)  market is widespread with opportunities for growth and employment,” he adds.

ADP Philippines is one of the world’s leading providers of business processing and cloud based solutions and has been in the country since 2010. Its services include payroll, tax, technical, time and labor management, implementation, information technology (IT) support and benefits administration for international clients.