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Professional Tips For Gen Z Workers Amidst a Global Crisis

Need professional tips as a fresh graduate in a global crisis?

 

Graduating virtually and not having internships are some of the challenges that Gen Z graduates had to put up in the pandemic. But, with every crisis, there is opportunity. 

 

If it’s your first time looking for work in a pandemic, you are not alone. We want to let you know that most companies, especially in the BPO industry, still offer great positions for qualified fresh graduates. 

 

Here are professional tips for fresh graduates in the pandemic:

 

It’s Not a Competition

 

When finding a job amid a pandemic, the first thing to think about is to not think about competition. When you set this in your mind, you can approach the job application on level ground with other applicants. You won’t also be running under pressure, but in the confidence that you are capable of handling the job like the rest of the applicants.

 

What Do I Do If I Don’t Have Significant Work Experience?

 

Recall your experiences with affiliated organizations in the school. That counts as experience. Place significant co-curricular or curricular activities that support the job position you are in. Also, it’s a good idea to ask what type of work experience they require before jumping on the bandwagon. 

 

Starting a New Job In a Pandemic

 

Working in a pandemic would mean office days at home, more Zoom calls, working with family, and dealing with distractions. It also means learning to communicate with colleagues online. Research and practice professional tips that best fit your company culture and rules.

 

Keep Meetings Short

 

The average person can only handle 2 hours of meetings a day. Long online meetings can put a strain on your eyes and health. It can also divert your attention. Keep meetings short like a maximum of 30 minutes. 

 

Use Chats to Communicate Positively

 

Our mental health matters and with the surrounding negativity, it’s high time we use chat rooms to encourage each other, share some challenges and lift each other. 

 

Schedule Your Distractions

 

We all have the distractions that take us away from work, and if you’re someone who loves to clean and arrange things in their desks, do it before work. Schedule those distractions ahead, so you won’t have to deal with them during work.

 

Do Time Blocking

 

Working half of the week at home and half in the office can be a tricky schedule, so time blocking is always important to stay on track of your tasks and keeping short breaks to recharge your energy. 

 

Take Care of Your Mental Health

 

An ideal strategy to avoid brain drain from too many video meetings is also doing short walks, exercises like breathing and stretching. Listening to music and turning off devices after work can be a great way to recharge and feed your brain.


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BPOs In PH: Rising Above The Challenge

We’ve been seeing growth in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry even with the pandemic, and it’s evident in the additional 1.32 million headcounts in the Philippine Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector. 

 

The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines also reported that the BPO industry improved its gross revenues by 1.8% for the last 12 months.

 

BPO Sector Occupies Vacated Office Spaces In PH

 

The negative effects of the pandemic have caused major tenants such as English as a Secondary Language (ESL) providers and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) to vacate their commercial spaces and ultimately downsize their operations. 

 

Real estate services company Colliers Philippines recommended that landlords should offer their empty spaces to outsourcing firms with quick plug-and-play office space requirements and watch out for BPO firms that carry on with hiring and occupying spaces, such as those providing logistics, healthcare, and e-commerce services.

 

True enough, the BPO sector has made the country’s struggling office segment resilient with its significant support. AREIT Inc., the Philippines’ first real estate investment trust, noted that 99 percent of its buildings are occupied and contracted long-term by BPO tenants. 

 

With the recovery of the global economy, AREIT’s  President and Chief Executive Officer Carol Mills is positive that there will be a continuous need for outsourcing, and this will help manage the operating costs of the office leasing industry.

 

Business Process Outsourcing Firms are Still at 50% Capacity

 

With the health protocols and restrictions in place all over the Philippines, the BPO industry still manages to operate at 50% maximum capacity limit. 

 

Most of the outsourcing firms’ expansion is now focused on remote work. Nevertheless, even at this capacity, the office space demand within the BPO sector increases. 

 

Although Colliers Philippines believed that it may not be able to offset the considerable losses from the withdrawal of POGOs, Morgan McGilvray, the senior director of occupier services Santos Knight Frank, speculated that the BPO office demand might suddenly increase once offices are permitted to return to 100% capacity.

 

More Vaccine Doses for BPO Employees

 

Safety protocols are implemented in Business Process Outsourcing companies to reduce the risk of infection and transmission of COVID-19. Magellan Solutions, a call center company in the Philippines, goes extra by sanitizing all rooms with UVC, wiping down workstation cubicles, installing air filtration systems, and requiring rapid COVID testing for returning employees and new hires. The company sets this example to show that even a small BPO company can get through these difficult times. 

 

With vaccines now available, many BPO companies are also considering to purchase vaccine doses for their own employees to further protect them. Fortunately, investment promotion agency Philippine Economic Zone Authority offered to assist company locators with tax- and duty-free importation of COVID-19 vaccine doses. This will significantly help with the COVID-19 concerns of the BPO industry. 

 

Among the BPO companies that have started a vaccination program for their Filipino employees is the Australian-owned offshore staffing firm Staff Domain. They purchased more than 500 vaccine doses, which will arrive in Q3. These doses will be administered to their employees and their families free of charge as part of their plan to protect their health and maintain safety. 

 

Meanwhile, Emapta, another Australian outsourcing firm, has pre-ordered 7,000 doses of Moderna vaccine for its 3,500 employees in the country.

 

More Opportunities for the Outsourcing Industry 

 

The outsourcing industry continues to become competitive and viable. With the ability of the BPO industry to persist through the pandemic, international clients who plan to outsource from the country can be more optimistic about the services provided by the Philippine BPO companies. 

 

Many job opportunities are now available even in other rising cities outside Metro Manila. Philip Gioca, the country manager of JobStreet Philippines, noted that job offerings in Central and Western Visayas grew by 9% and 44% in job openings, respectively.

 

Moreover, according to the Tholons Services Globalization Index 2020 results, Cebu ranks 15th among the most competitive outsourcing destination in the world. Cebu is one of only two Philippine cities, together with Metro Manila, that made it to the list of Top 100. 

 

Learn more about why Cebu is a preferred hub for business continuity here.

 

References:

 

“2020 Latest Report: BPO Industry in the Philippines Statistics.” Magellan Solutions, www.magellan-solutions.com/blog/whats-the-number-analysis-of-the-latest-statistics-of-the-bpo-industry.

“AREIT’s Office Segment Remain Resilient Due to BPOs.” Outsource Accelerator, 28 Apr. 2021, news.outsourceaccelerator.com/areits-office-segment-remain-resilient-due-to-bpos/?__s=8hstssfntyz6rpjs9oob.

“Cebu Flash | Prospects for Cebu Office Leasing Market’s Growth Beyond 2020.” Colliers, 11 Dec. 2020, www.colliers.com/en-ph/research/cebu-flash-prospects-for-cebu-office-leasing-markets-growth-beyond-2020.

“Office Sector Still Impacted by POGO Exodus.” Outsource Accelerator, 22 Apr. 2021, news.outsourceaccelerator.com/office-sector-still-impacted-by-pogo-exodus.

10,000 BPO Job Opportunities Awaiting Filipinos

The coin turns from an unsettling year to hopeful one as a surge of job opportunities presents itself as a gift waiting to be unwrapped by thousands of unemployed individuals looking for sources of income. 

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reports 10,000 Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) job opportunities for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), fresh grads and untapped talents in the community. Among the BPO positions that continue to be in-demand in the industry include customer service representatives, supervisors, technical support staff, trainers, frontline/specialists, managers, and others for the finance, information technology, human resources and recruitment, and marketing sectors.

The need for outsourcing talent has also been fueled by the fact that more consumers are purchasing online services such as food and groceries, health insurance, retail, bills payment and local travel and transport bookings. 

While not everyone has current BPO experience, firsthand knowledge and the willingness to expand one’s knowledge, patience in learning and sharpening these skills are necessary to succeed in the industry.

There are many free to paid online assessments and self-learning platforms on job-specific skills for aspiring BPO talents needing training. A few of these platforms include Udemy, Coursera, PluralSight, Job Ready Programmer, Katakoda and Cloud Academy. Some BPO companies also offer study links for upcoming job exams and interviews.

The World Economic Forum reports that the top skills needed to thrive in any job are :

  1. Emotional intelligence
  2. Service orientation
  3. Complex problem solving
  4. Creativity
  5. Coordinating with others
  6. People management
  7. Critical thinking
  8. Judgement and decision making
  9. Cognitive flexibility
  10. Negotiation

DOLE NCR Director Sarah Buena Mirasol also advised that “aside from developing industry-specific hard skills, specific essential skills such as adaptability, technology know-how, creativity and innovation, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills are necessary for workers to cultivate in order to survive and thrive in the new normal.”

Tahche is also open to outsourcing talents looking for job opportunities in the BPO industry. Please email info@tahche.ph for more info. 

Sources:

  1. Cordero, Ted. (2020, October 1). GMA News Online. DOLE identifies ‘resilient’ jobs in NCR that withstood COVID-19. Retrieved from: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/758010/dole-identifies-resilient-jobs-in-ncr-that-withstood-covid-19-impact/story/
  2. Beckford, Avil. (2018, August 6). Forbes.The Skills You Need To Succeed In 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2018/08/06/the-skills-you-need-to-succeed-in-2020/#134fafe5288a

The Best Technology Practices

When technology is properly utilized, it can work wonders for your business. As businesses particularly in IT outsourcing firms adapt to the new normal, the use of technology needs to be studied and implemented carefully to promote safety, security and productivity for its employees. 

Implementing Work At Home (WAHA) and Work From Home (WFM)

While IBPAP reports an increase of 85% as opposed to 50% in productivity levels for WFM employees in the Philippines, the remaining 15% of unproductive work still needs to be addressed. WFM and WAHA protocols also need to be carefully assessed in order to protect employees and the sensitive information they carry. 

To ensure that these protocols bring success to IT outsourcing firms Business Continuity Plans (BCD), these business growth elements must be improved:

  1. Service Delivery Models
  2. Office Cloud For Digital Access
  3. Labor Management
  4. Technology Compliance
  1. Secure Service Delivery Models

Most IT outsourcing firms have agreed to the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy since the Employee Provided Device (EPD) policy is limited to a few units provided by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) vendors. Although, a few risks come with the BYOD policy and these include:

The best practices to avoiding these tech risks are:

  1. Setup mobile management device solutions for multiple access and control over devices.
  2. Create encrypted corporate containers to secure company data from personal devices.
  3. Configure virtual private network to access data safely
  4. Create remote security commands that raise an alarm, lockdown or erase corporate info in the event that devices are stolen or lost. 

2.   Utilize Office Cloud For Digital Access

Storing data in a  secure office cloud keeps confidential data within the corporate network and allows employees to sync documents seamlessly in the network. 

3.    Labor Management

Whether employees work from home or onsite, it is important to secure the health of employees not just upon reporting to the office but starting from their homes. Technology can be used to safely monitor and regulate employee activities in and out of the office. 

Safety Measures such as:

          4.      Lobby for Better Technology Compliance

While IBPAP reports General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Payment Card Industry (PCI) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) policies are in the pipeline for IT outsourcing firms, supporting the progress of these regulations can strengthen cybersecurity in the country and bolster more opportunities for business growth.

Interested in building a secure and proficient IT outsourcing firm in the Philippines? Call Tahche at +1 347-467-1066 or send us a message.

Reasons Why You Need Outsourcing Services Now

Panic is the enemy of every budding and booming business, but the most resilient of business leaders know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While the medical, sanitation, food and other industries are hard at work in providing the public with basic needs, the business processing outsourcing industry also continues to provide excellent quality in customer service towards local and international businesses that power up the economy and provide job opportunities to many.

 

Business Processing Outsourcing Is Your Bridge To Customers

 

At this time, the fastest way to reach your customers wherever they are in the world is to have a 24/7 customer service team ready to assist your customers’ needs. Aside from this, quality assurance is needed for your customers to feel secure in their transactions, so it’s crucial for you to work with business processing outsourcing experts who know your product inside out and can deliver results with the help of strong partner suppliers in your industry. Tahche has a strong background when it comes to business processing outsourcing. Their team from the Philippines will give you firsthand processes in conducting sales and marketing funnels to your business, so you are guaranteed of customer satisfaction.

 

Business Processing Outsourcing Minimizes Operational Stresses and Labor Costs

 

While businesses in the US, Canada and other countries temporarily cease its operations because of high cases of COVID-19, business processing outsourcing in the Philippines continues to work on full scale with the BPO industry exempted from the list of local businesses that have been temporarily shutdown for public safety measures.  COVID-19 safety measures are also in place for employees, leaving you with less stress on operational matters. 

 

Business Processing Outsourcing in the Philippines Projected To Double After COVID-19

 

With more IT and Communication infrastructures at work in the Philippines’ major cities, business processing outsourcing in the Philippines is expected to double after COVID-19. The BPO industry has also been in the country for more than 3 decades, making it a long-term investment for most businesses. 

 

If you are ready to outsource your business, you can trust Tahche’s reliable business processing outsourcing services that will add value to your company. 

 

From recruitment, hiring, procurement, legal and other needed  services, Tahche has your back with their world-class standards and team of experts. Call Tahche now at +1347-467-1066 or email to info@tahche.ph to get a free quote.