BPO workplaces offer access to labor pool

MANILA, Philippines - Beyond the high pay offered by most business process outsourcing (BPO) centers, easy accessibility to the work place is emerging as the next best way to attract industry workers who begin their work day at around 9 p.m. and end it in the wee hours of the morning when public transport is scarce, according to various studies.

Phillip Añonuevo, Associate Director for Markets of Jones Lang LaSalle Leechiu, which has acquired over a hundred sites in the Philippines for at least 30 contact center clients, explains that for this reason BPO office spaces with superior access to major transportation lines have an edge over other similar properties.

Two projects next to major thoroughfares in Quezon City and intended for BPOs have been developed by Eton Properties Philippines Inc. Añonuevo points out that in the current competition for workers, many BPO offices are now moving closer to rich labor pools such as those around the Diliman and Katipunan areas where University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila, and Miriam College among other schools are located. Eton Cyberpod Centris’ location on the strategic corner of Quezon Avenue and EDSA squarely taps this Northern Metro Manila labor force.

With 16,000 sq. m. of office space over eight floors that are now available, Eton Cyberpod Centris is located in a 12-hectare township envisioned as a self-contained community with a lifestyle and retail area, residential and office buildings and a businessman’s hotel. Eton Centris has been master planned as an active urban center where residents can easily walk to work, then stroll to dining places, stores and entertainment areas after hours.

Ultimately, both properties are attractive to BPOs because they allow their labor forces easy access to work and a shorter commute time. “These advantages, in addition to locations near retail areas and malls that offer basic needs, mean better work-life for BPO workers,” according to Añonuevo. As competition for talent in the outsourcing industry becomes keener, opportunities to achieve better work-life balance will spell the difference for BPOs. For more details, call Jones Lang LaSalle Leechiu at (02) 902 0888.