MANILA, Philippines - When best friends and business partners, Bryce Maddock and Jaspar Weir started their business (TaskUs) in the Philippines back in 2009, they did so with a modest sum of $25,000, big dreams and an unshakeable faith in the Filipino people.
They also knew that after a series of trial and errors involving 16 countries in Southeast Asia, the Philippines was the best place to sow the seeds for their vision. The strong cultural ties between the US and the Philippines, the hardworking people and a natural predisposition to English made the country a shoo-in to locate their business.
Choosing a country, however, was only part of the battle: the two founders also needed to choose a site and after talking to their Filipino counterparts, they settled in Cavite.
Rapid growth
TaskUs began operating from the Cavite location in a small office with a staff of only five people. From there, the company grew rapidly and in a mere five years, has grown to more than 1,500 people located in two locations – one in Cavite and one in Taguig.
The company owes this success to a culture that puts value in its employees and fosters a working environment that encourages positive reinforcement. Its top brass has kept a pulse on its workforce and actively goes out of its way to know the staff personally. The company also encourages individuality and promotes a fun and inclusive culture.
In order to accommodate the growing workforce, TaskUs moved to its current location in Cavite, the bigger and more spacious office dubbed “TaskHouse” that can accommodate the current workforce of 1,500 people.
TaskHouse is currently TaskUs’ primary location and houses customer care and back office services. The new facility has been designed with employees needs in mind.
The importance of location
“We decided to locate the office in Imus because we want to spare our employees from the long travel time to work,” said Bryce Maddock, TaskUs’ CEO. “Because of our location, employees can be in the office in just 10 to 15 minutes as opposed to traveling for two hours if they work in Makati or Manila.”
Maddock believes that the proximity of the office to employees’ homes has contributed to the company’s low attrition rate because of the short time it takes to commute to and from work. The reduction in commute time allows employees to have more time to spend with their families and has contributed to TaskUs’ relatively low attrition rate of 30 percent as opposed to the industry rate of 50 percent. The move to locate in Cavite is TaskUs’ way of tapping a rich talent pool as well.
“There is a lot of talent in Cavite and we wanted to be the one to tap it first,” Maddock adds.
The power of culture
TaskUs’ culture is the product of a dedication and discipline, something that everyone in the company is expected to demonstrate – even Maddock.
“I make it a point to get to know everyone. I encourage the employees to approach me if they have any concerns or issues or if they have bright ideas. The best ideas may come from the most unlikely of people and places,” he adds.
The company sees a bright future in the country and in its people. In the next four years, TaskUs is planning to open more offices particularly in the northern region of the country. Furthermore, it is looking at growing its employee base to 10,000 and is planning on investing approximately $25 million by 2017.
“We are bullish on our future in the Philippines,” Maddock says adding, “I am looking forward at what the next four years hold for us. I think as long as we remain passionate and work hard to provide a fun, progressive and inclusive culture, we will always be able to provide our clients with good outsourcing.”