Motolite’s ‘Pangmatagalan’ tales talk of constancy

When an employee stays at a company, it’s not just about Loyalty. It’s also when they find purpose and meaning. It’s when their work is recognized and appreciated. It’s when they feel valued, and this is reflected as much in their pay checks as it is in their benefits, privileges and enticing career opportunities. 

 A study by the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2019 concluded that if an employee and an organization share similar values, defined as “deeply held and enduring beliefs about what is desirable and appropriate,” this leads to greater attachment, heightened motivation, stronger commitment, and higher productivity.

Ms Posadas began her career in 1980 as division secretary.

These shared values proved to be the determining factors in the four-decade stay of Ms. Perla C. Posadas at Philippine Batteries Inc. (PBI), the manufacturer of market leader Motolite, the enduring world-class brand synonymous with the word “Pangmatagalan.”

She is now a Plant Administration officer.

Ms. Posadas, who began her career as a division secretary on June 1, 1980, and rose through the ranks to become a Plant Administration officer, deeply feels that her values align with those of Motolite. 

Shared core values

 “I managed to stay long in the company because I was guided by its core values. One of these is excellence. It was instilled in me that we must always show greatness or quality in doing our work whatever our position will be,” says Ms. Posadas, whose background is public health but whose ambition was to have a secretarial career, “because my perception of being a secretary is being a ‘little boss.’” 

Another Motolite value is integrity, which means that you do your job guided by moral principles. “I am also a team player. Everything is a team effort so we need to take care and help each other,” Ms. Posadas adds. “We also have ‘malasakit,’ a strong sense of ownership of company goals reflected in our daily work routine. Actions that convey ‘this is mine.’ The management cares not just for our welfare but also the welfare of our family.”  

Ms. Posadas also credits the company’s culture in her long service at Motolite. She felt that she was sincerely welcomed by the staff/management right from her Day 1 of employment. ”I felt that it was a perfect start,” she says. “I enjoy my job because I continuously feel the respect and trust given to me by the company. I have formed friendships wherein we share personal stories and knowledge that contributed to our common growth.”  

The highlight of Ms. Posadas’ career came in her milestone 40th year in the company. “What struck me the most was when I thought that I will retire soon after, but I was asked to stay longer and take care of the plant and our people. It was music to my ears that after all these years, Motolite still trusts and values me, and that they believe I can still contribute to the company’s improvement.” 

One of her proudest achievements is sending not just her children to school but also seven of her nieces and nephews to college. “Working in the company was a big factor that I was also able to secure their future,” a grateful Ms. Posadas relates. “Somehow, my vision of being a ‘little boss’ became a reality.” 

Employee engagement

 The findings of a 2015 Gallup US Daily survey stated that “engaged employees are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work. Employee engagement is strongly connected to business outcomes essential to an organization’s financial success, such as productivity, profitability, and customer engagement. Engaged employees support the innovation, growth, and revenue that their companies need.” 

 Employee engagement, which is the “desired outcome that occurs when workers feel a heightened mental and emotional connection to their jobs, their manager, their co-workers, and/or their organization and its mission,” served as the top motivating factor for Ms. Merceditas F. Venida in her 41 years at the Ramcar Group of Companies (RGC).

“I was eager to practice my profession as an accountant, thereby learning more and improving my skills while sharing my best with the company. Concurrent with my accountancy job, I was assigned as one of the facilitators for Total Quality Control, conducting lectures to all rank and file employees of RGC. This enabled me to meet different kinds of people, particularly the production workers, and eased the boredom of doing the same job over and over again in accounting,” Ms. Venida shared.            

“I am proud to be part of a progressive company, which Ramcar is, and to work under intelligent managers. Over 41 years, I was promoted to a supervisory position then to assistant manager and to payroll manager at present,” she added. 

Her current responsibility as Payroll Manager in charge of executives’ salaries, where she reports directly to the owners of the company, gives Ms. Venida immense satisfaction. Add to this the rare opportunity to travel abroad for career growth. “I was assigned to Supercharge Batteries in Australia for 10 months and Ramcar Batteries in the US for three months to support their accounting department.”

Ms. Venida sums up her remarkable four decades’ worth of unwavering work ethic: “Let us maintain a wider perspective of our roles as members of a team, work harmoniously together, be proactive and self-motivated. I believe that there is no company without flaws, but our responses make the difference.”                                                                                                            

Management’s trust 

With an above-average typing speed of 75 words per minute, a 21-year-old Josie G. Gabo was hired as an Operations Assistant in 1975. She was promoted as a Dealer Relations manager covering Western Visayas, the same year that Ramcar Inc. (Oriental Battery) and C.C Unson (Motolite) merged into OMMC. 

“Entering the corporate world, I gained enough experience to pursue what I really wanted to be, a successful career woman with a high-paying job so that I can help others and have a happy family,” Ms. Gabo bares. “In my almost five decades with the company, I devoted to myself the word perseverance. I have earned the trust of management, and most especially, the customers such as the distributors, sub-dealers, and fleet accounts.” 

Ms. Gabo’s devotion to her work correlates to a Harvard Business Review landmark study on why employees stay: “Reasons for job satisfaction include achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, and other matters associated with the motivation of the individual in his job. Environmental pressures inside the company include work rules, facilities, coffee breaks, benefits, wages, and the like. Environmental pressures outside the company include outside job opportunities, community relations, financial obligations, family ties, and such other factors.”           

‘A new home’

 At Motolite, Ms. Gabo found a new home. “I am grateful to the Lord for letting me spend most of my life with the company. My corporate career was full of promotions, emotions, and hardships. There were difficult times but I endured everything because I knew that all those were just trials. I believe in hard work. If you want to succeed then work for it. Love what you are doing. Do what is right. Do what is best and always ask God to take care of the rest. And, most importantly, live your life with integrity.”            

 Dedicated employees like Ms. Gabo who stay for a long period of time are emotionally invested in the company. It proves that they are passionate about the company’s goals and growth, and supportive of its philosophy and policies.                                                                                  

Working at Motolite, Ms. Gabo confidently attests, is “isang Pangmatagalang relasyon (a lasting relationship).”

ADVT