As the Aboitiz Group evolves in our Great Transformation, a crucial metric of success lies in how well we equip our A-People to thrive in both the present and future workplace as our techglomerate builders. We also recognize that their impactful contributions to our organizational and business objectives can only be sustained when the company puts a premium on their well-being.
In promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which is among the foundational elements for cultivating a high-performing and deeply engaged workforce, we celebrate significant events like Women’s Month, Pride Month, and Mental Health Month, to name a few. These are accompanied by learning sessions that are geared towards raising awareness and encouraging open dialogues within our workforce on these critical topics.
Our celebration of Pride Month, in particular, has become more inclusive in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2023, we hosted “OUTspoken,” a comprehensive DEI session, covering topics like SOGIE understanding, LGBTQIA+ identity, its impact on mental health, and the importance of allyship. Our DEI Framework is also being updated to reflect the evolving needs of our diverse workforce.
We also believe that a competitive and sustainable total rewards program is essential for promoting a shareholder mindset and teamwork among our employees. Our compensation philosophy is centered on meritocracy and meaningful reward differentiation based on individual and organizational performance. We continuously review our total rewards programs to ensure that we are market-competitive, allowing us to attract and retain key talents who contribute to and share the success of the business. We are proud to offer our team members the Flexible Benefits (MyBen) Program, which allows them to optimize and tailor-fit their employee benefits for the year according to their specific needs. This program enables them to make informed choices about their benefits and promotes their overall well-being.
Aboitiz Group President and CEO Sabin M. Aboitiz (SMA) continues his critical role of Chief “Engagement” Officer, reaffirming his dedication to cultivating a connected workplace. His objective is to uphold transparent communication and fortify relationships with team members across the Group through regular face-to-face engagements.
Through his monthly SuperDuperCon townhall, he discusses a wide range of topics relevant to the times; in the Welcome Aboard sessions, he meets and fellowships with new joiners of the Group; and in the Up Close with SMA meetings, he catches up with a mixed group of newer and veteran A-People from across the organization, taking time to answer questions and listen to their ideas. He also encourages both team members and leaders to promote similar levels of interactions within their own teams to nurture a synergistic and dynamic work environment.
Learning and development is a vital pillar to raising a high-performance team and, through Aboitiz Academy, A-People undergo learning programs to gain and cultivate techglomerate capabilities. #LearningLunes virtual sessions have taken up topics that included agile ways of working, future of ChatGPT, and resiliency, to name a few, were discussed with the help of experts to extract relevant contexts. Meanwhile, we continue to leverage the Board Learning Series as a venue for executive learning sessions with topics such as innovation, risk management and change management.
To further optimize our e-learning platform LinkedIn Learning, we deployed specific learning paths mapped to core capabilities. With this and other LinkedIn Learning initiatives, we are again recognized this year as finalists in the LinkedIn Talent Awards under the Best Culture of Learning category. We are also supporting new ways of learning through exposure and experiential learning.
In May 2023, we launched Aboitiz Agile Scrum Chapter, a community of agile practitioners and enthusiasts, with a total of 175 chapter-members Group-wide. Complementing this, we conducted courses such as Design Thinking, Customer Journey Mapping, Business Model Canvas, Professional Scrum Master Certification, and Product Owner Certification. In AEV alone, we have a total of 41 trained Scrum Masters and two trained Product Owners.
Our commitment to transformative learning was further exemplified when we partnered with Google in August 2023 for Generative AI skilling programs for awareness and advancement of tech-skills. In October 2023, we launched Data Science Bootcamp, which brought together 344 team members from diverse units who are interested in enhancing their data science capability.
Moreover, we have integrated the A+10 core behaviors into our leadership development programs through our partnership with Harrison Assessment Talent Solutions (HATS). Leveraging their online platform, we assess the factors affecting values and behaviors, ensuring our leadership development initiatives are intricately aligned with our organizational goals and values.
Learn more about the Aboitiz Group’s drive to create a workplace designed to bring out the best techglomerate builders in our A-People in our 2023 Annual Integrated Report. Download it here.
