MANILA, Philippines – A few years ago, there was an evident but slow shift to remote working to adapt to today’s digital world. However, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this whole new era with WFH (work from home) or remote work becoming a way of life. Meeting rooms are now in the form of links and office chairs are now anything that’s comfy and sturdy at home.
The good news is, the pandemic has made organizations, big and small, reevaluate on how to better run their operations, one that will benefit both the business and its workforce.
Following its recent rebrand, AIA Philippines, formerly AIA Philam Life, is set to make revolutionizing changes in the workplace, which have been in the pipeline for execution long before the pandemic. The new workplace strategy is a core component of its renewed strategic priorities which will strengthen its purpose of helping Filipinos live "Healthier, Longer, Better Lives."
AIA Philippines CEO Kelvin Ang shared the changes that will happen in the coming months and it is definitely more than just a hybrid working model.
A simpler, faster, more connected organization
AIA Philippines understands that they need to evolve as an organization to better serve the needs of their customers, especially in today’s rapidly changing consumer landscape.
“We need to transform our organization to become simpler, faster, and more connected so we can quickly adapt. This means we need to flatten the organization, introduce an agile way of working, and foster synergy within the organization supported by technology, data, and analytics to achieve this,” Ang explains.
Complex hierarchies are synonymous to workplace bureaucracy and more often than not, employees are bogged down by the many layers it takes for them to get work done. “As we undergo our organizational transformation, AIA Philippines will see the reduction of layers. With a simpler structure and the formation of teams, employees are more empowered, with more autonomy and accountability, making them happier and more productive,” he adds.
If there was one skill the pandemic brought out in people, it was the ability to think and move quickly. Agility will be AIA Philippines’ new way of working. Cross-functional collaboration amongst different teams will allow employees to work faster and finish projects in sprints, fast tracking the development of various projects that will help the organization become more responsive to customers’ needs.
“The pandemic changed the dynamics within the outside world. Our employees, partners, customers had to adjust and started doing things differently. There is no going back to the old normal. If we as a company don’t evolve, we will be left behind,” Ang remarks.
Guided by its mission of racing against risk to protect every Filipino family, and its purpose of helping people live healthier, longer and better Lives, AIA Philippines as an organization would like to empower its employees to find meaning in their work and give them opportunities that will help them be the best version of themselves.
“Our employees are our biggest stakeholders,” says Ang. “We envision a workplace where our employees can live their purpose and provide them with an environment of growth and fulfillment.”
Human resources will also be focusing on people development, where they will work closely with each employee to revisit and define their career paths while programs and activities have already been introduced to provide platforms and activities for learning. This will see workplace collaboration and self-driven upskilling and career development to be the key to a motivated workforce inspired to deliver better products and services to the customer.
Ang says while this plan was still in development, it was his people who inspired him to continuously deliver results. “We didn’t plan for the pandemic. No one expected this to happen. But what amazed me is that our people stepped up despite the limitations, because they truly believe in our purpose and mission. We demonstrated agility, were able to pivot and provide solutions to our customers and partners amidst the pandemic.”
Long gone are the regular, monotonous days at the office. For AIA Philippines, this is their new normal—the evolution of an organization that epitomizes its purpose of Healthier, Longer, Better Lives for everyone including their workforce, with the end goal of continuously and consistently serving the needs of its customers.
Click here for more information on AIA Philippines, visit AIA Philippines’ Facebook page, email customerservice.ph@aia.com, or call (02) 8528-2000.