Sprout Solutions, the largest homegrown B2B SaaS company and HR tech leader in the Philippines, contributes its expertise in the development of future HR leaders, as well as innovations in payroll and workforce management.

MANILA, Philippines — Sprout Solutions, the leading homegrown B2B SaaS company and HR tech leader in the country, continues to push for development in the local human resources landscape. The company attended multiple events held last October 2022 as an opportunity to impart their insights and knowledge to the attendees with their expertise in the field.

“As a tech company big on data, we are exposed to a wealth of information on trends and insights in the local human resources. From student-career transitions to payroll discussions and workplace developments, we at Sprout want to be able to share fresh and strategic ideas to empower future leaders and current business front runners in spearheading their successful growth,” shares Sprout Chief People and Customer Officer Atty. Arlene De Castro.

Empowering Future Leaders through PATHWAY

With the intention to provide assistance to the country’s future leaders, the PATHWAY National Event and World of Work Café Activity, led by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) was held last October 14, 2022, in Dusit Thani, Manila. The event was designed to help strengthen cooperation between universities and enterprises by promoting Filipino entrepreneurship and employability culture to help students, fresh graduates, and master candidates to meet labor market demands and support government reforms.

Through the event, attendees were granted a networking opportunity with stakeholders from the public and private sectors (including universities, industries, and government) to discuss challenges and opportunities in graduate employment in light of the pandemic. Participants in the morning plenary session and afternoon World of Work Café activity contributed to discussions about stakeholder collaboration, and policy and regulatory reforms. The event was also attended by the company’s representative Atty. Jay-Ryan M. Trinidad, Head of Legal at Sprout Solutions, and was joined by stakeholders in Europe and the Philippines from the government, academe, and HR industry.

The PATHWAY project launched in January 2021 with the goal to bridge the gap between businesses and Higher Education institutions. The project aspires to turn universities into engines of innovation to improve the state of Filipino entrepreneurship and employment. The ECCP is an active project partner of the PATHWAY Project funded by Erasmus+ where the project is implemented in partnership with 9 other organizations and institutions, including the University of Alicante, the Commission on Higher Education, and Ateneo de Manila University.

Highlighting Best Practices in Payroll & Taxation

In the hopes to improve the theoretical understanding and practical implementation of payroll managers, the First Payroll Summit was held at the Sheraton Manila Bay and hosted by IAM Consultancy on October 24 and 25 to showcase excellent practices in payroll and taxation that are executed by various companies.

The two-day summit included eight plenary sessions designed to help payroll professionals understand how their role fits into the HR ecosystem and how they can properly carry out the said practices. The initial sessions on the first day discussed the current regulatory environment and offered practical insights on payroll implementation and administration, and how to connect payroll with finance. The second day of the summit addressed payroll controls, best practices, and taxation.

Developments in the Workplace Setup and Preference

The strong wave of employee preference for hybrid work setups is shifting the tide and challenging companies to either go with the flow or go against the grain. These trends were touched on during a panel discussion on The Power of the Employees: Rethinking Traditional Work Models at the Contact Islands 2022.

The event was attended by Atty. Arlene De Castro, Chief People and Customer Officer of Sprout, wherein she discussed the importance for companies to reassess their current strategies and reiterated how although going hybrid is the future, people’s experience is the way to that future. Atty. De Castro also talked about the results of Sprout’s State of HR 2022 Report and discussed what employees look for in a new employer as HR leaders navigate The Great Resignation. Various stakeholders from the healthcare, banking, consulting, and BPO sectors were also present and participated in the discussion.

Furthermore, the 59th PMAP Annual Conference brought together its members last October 12 – 14, 2022 in the hopes to seek new ways of thinking and doing human resources, through its theme Co-Regeneration. The 3-day hybrid conference focused on highlighting the critical role in rebuilding the organizations. Attended by the company’s representative, Atty. Lester Ople, the HR Evangelist/Consultant of Sprout, talked about the ways to execute and manage remote working through his own discussion entitled Leading Remote Teams: Strategies to foster virtual collaboration.

“We have to be creative and strategic in executing these new normal set-ups not just to keep our businesses functioning, but most especially to give our employees the best experience in order to promote better work culture,” says Atty. De Castro. As the new normal intensifies, Sprout aims to ensure that companies are able to adapt well and be prepared for these new developments in the workplace.