Innovate: The Modern HR Recap

Early last week (and the months before that!) everyone at Sprout HQ was bustling in preparation for our last client event of the year, Innovate: The Modern HR.

We invited clients to come celebrate our partnerships with them in 2018 as well as welcome in all the exciting projects we had in store for 2019.

Here’s a recap of what we did last Thursday at the event:

We invited Flip Ruby, HR Director of Zalora Philippines and Entrego Fulfillment Solutions to talk about his knowledge of the newest in the HR industry. He showed us how mobile usage and the development of technology has affected employee experiences. With that, he encouraged the use of data-driven analytics to aid in the development of employee experiences in their company.

We also had Marie Ampeloquio, Chief People Officer at SPi Global, speak about the importance of future-proofing your employees. The concept of upskilling employees to prepare them for the digital age should start as early as now through tried-and-tested programs that help employees grow in both a professional and personal level.

After, we had Bernice Locsin, Head of Customer Success at Sprout Solutions, lead a fun activity where she asked the audience to write down their best takeaway from our speaker’s talks and post them on a board. This way, the audience is able to share what they learn to each other.

After, our CEO and Cofounder, Patrick Gentry announced the latest developments at Sprout Solutions.

It was an exciting afternoon as we comemorated Sprout’s journey through 2018 and into the next year. We are so grateful to have such wonderful clients to continue to grow with and work towards our goal of improving business in the Philippines!

The post Innovate: The Modern HR Recap appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/innovate-modern-hr-recap/

Arlene (aka Atty. A) — Chasing ALL Your Dreams (Sprout Rockstar of the Month)

Arlene, or more commonly known here at Sprout as “Atty. A”, is Sprout Solutions’ Legal Counsel / HR Consultant. She shares with us how she realized that if you have more than one dream, you are capable of achieving them all. 

The Early Years

“People always think I had it all easy.  They are wrong. Well, yes, one could say I was lucky growing up. I was living a comfortable life and didn’t really have to worry about money and expenses. There was, however, a point around college where my dad got sick and most of our funds had to be used to support him. My mom even asked me to stop going to school just so we could save money— it was one of the most difficult times in my life.

From there, I realized that I needed to help myself for me to continue my studies.  This was the first time I had to take charge of what I really wanted. So the first thing I did was apply for a scholarship grant for university. Next, I applied for a job.  Initially, the odds weren’t in my favor– I received a lot of rejections due to inexperience and minority. After a dozen applications and repeated begging, I was accepted at Malacañang as a Researcher Intern.  This, however, was not enough to shoulder my day-to-day expenses.

 

Because of the struggle to make ends meet, I wrote a letter to the Scholarship Committee to possibly consider granting me a full scholarship. Albeit reluctantly, the committee granted the request on the condition that I maintain an overall grade of 1.5 (89-93%). In my head, this was an almost impossible ordeal given that (1) I was working, (2) I was elected as the Policy Board Officer in our organization, and (3) I was being tapped for competitions left and right by the university.  There were a lot of distractions— I barely had time to sleep.  

By a stroke of luck and determination, I managed to reach that “unreachable” grade. I was also given recognition by the Organization and won in all the competitions. Most importantly, for the first time ever, I was able to make ends meet by myself. The thought that kept me going was that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” By the time I graduated, employers were the ones knocking on my door and not the other way around.”

Dream Chasing

“After graduating, my main goal was to have a high enough salary that could pay for my fees to go to law school. Logic dictated that I should be in a sales position. As such, I applied to a sales position with no background in sales at a small company. On my first week, I was the top salesperson in our office.

This caught the attention of management and they asked me what I really wanted to do career-wise. They told me I had the “potential” to be great.  I told them I had always wanted to be a lawyer and that this sales job was just to help save up for law school. In line with this, they moved me to HR where I was in charge with all facets including Labor Relations. It is where I learned the tricks of the trade.  I was a self-starter and worked 18 hours per day on the average. Why did I do it? I was hungry to learn everything and was focused on my goal. From an HR Assistant, I became the HR Specialist then HR Manager then HR Director. I became an HR Director at age 24.”

Straying from the Goal

“At the time, with more responsibilities than when I began and the company grew to a thousand, management convinced me to quit law school.  Why would I want to be a lawyer when I could make money and hire my own lawyer? So I was then convinced that making money was more important than becoming a lawyer and took a 5-year “leave of absence” from school to focus on working. During that time, and with management’s blessing, I had become a board director for 3 different companies.

However, despite the financial success, I wasn’t completely happy. Something was missing but I couldn’t figure what it was. After careful thinking, I decided to go back to law school. More challenges arose when my professors and classmates advised me to quit work because they felt that what I was doing was suicide. I almost quit when I developed serious health conditions such as over fatigue and other stress-related illnesses.  

I proved everyone wrong.  I graduated from law school and started reviewing for the bar exam (while still working, of course!)”

Passing the Bar and Entering Different Industries

“Passing the bar was one of the highlights of my life. I cried like there was no tomorrow… No words can describe how I felt that day.

But that kind of joy and relief didn’t ease my fear of not “making it” in the legal profession. Because of that, I considered kindling entrepreneurial spirit and opened up my own salon and spa. Given that I am always stressed, I wanted a business that caters to “Beauty and Wellness.”

Initially, my law classmates were doubting the idea– but I knew this is what I wanted and trudged on. In a span of six months, I got my ROI and decided to put up a second branch. It is still doing well and will be up for franchise early next year.

On top of that, several of my former employers and friends reached out to me to hire me as their lawyer. It was then I decided to form my law office. For 2 years, I was doing litigation and corporate work. However, because of the criminal as well as civil and labor cases I was handling, I made a lot of enemies. It reached a point that I was so scared for my own life because of the death threats I had received.  I was forced to rethink my career.”

Becoming a Sproutling

“This is when I found Sprout, perfect timing I should say! It was like Sprout was the answer to my prayer to have a career where I do not have to think about making a lot of enemies and at the same time doing what I do best.  Sprout hired me as Legal Counsel / HR Consultant and Data Protection Officer. I am so grateful to Sprout because here, I can have work-life balance and integration.

With Sprout, I can be myself.  I fell in love with the culture and with the people.  Sproutlings are its greatest asset and I am now proud to be one!”

A Shift in the Meaning of Happiness

“When Matthew came, that was it!  My world stopped and suddenly, I felt happy. I felt complete.  My definition of success has changed significantly. Before, it was having a lot of money. Then, it was fulfilling my dream. Now, success for me is being able to do all the things I want in life while maintaining a healthy relationship with my family. Success is spending time with Matthew and ensuring that he grows up to be the good boy that he is.”

“From my journey through my career, I learned that you should always dream big. Growing up, I always wanted to be a lot of things: a lawyer, a singer, an entrepreneur etc.  When people get older, it’s natural to narrow down your goals. But you can do all the things you want if you put your mind to it. The only limit is you quitting.”

Success

“Through the years, I also learned that there is no secret to success.  It’s really (1) faith in God, (2) faith in yourself, (3) proper planning, (4) hard work, (5) learning from failure and rejection and (6) pursuing that elusive road to happiness.

Always remember, the ultimate pursuit of success is happiness.   Nothing is worth it if you are not happy.

I hope that this has inspired you even in a small way.”

The post Arlene (aka Atty. A) — Chasing ALL Your Dreams (Sprout Rockstar of the Month) appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/arlene-sprout-rockstar-of-the-month/

Sprout Solutions at the Asia CEO Awards 2018

The Sprout Solutions team was hand-picked to be a part of the Circle of Excellence awardees last Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at the Asia CEO Awards, the largest business awards event in the Philippines.

The Awards 

Sprout was in the running of three categories under SME Company of the Year, Technology Company of the Year, and Young Leader of Year (for Sprout’s founder, Patrick Gentry).

The companies chosen to be in the running of the SME Company of the Year were from any Profit-Making Company that achieved important success

The Technology Company of the Year nominees were chosen among a group of corporate organizations, academe and startup companies that focus on Information and Communications Technology, Bio Technology & Material Science, Sciences and Math & Engineering.

The candidates of the Young Leader of the Year award were chosen based on the exemplary work of developing young leaders (35 years old and under) that have accomplished remarkable achievements.

The Asia CEO Awards 

This awards event is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. Asia CEO Awards aims to promote the Philippines as a premier business destination to the world. Their purpose is to Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economy and celebrate the people and companies that move the country and region forward in the global economy.

To Sprout, we take these awards as a sign of growth and development closer to our goals. We will continue to use these accomplishments to remind us to keep striving for excellence.

 

 

 

 

The post Sprout Solutions at the Asia CEO Awards 2018 appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/sprout-solutions-asia-ceo-awards-2018/

6 Office Personality Types and How to Manage Them

The Cheerleader

This type of employee is ambitious and full of team spirit.

The Cheerleader will be the first one to join (or even the one that plans) company events and activities and will be the one rounding up the rest of the office to attend. This employee is passionate about their work at the company and encourages camaraderie and community.

How to manage them: The Cheerleader’s own personal goals are most likely aligned with the company’s and thus, won’t be so difficult to manage. They are very active in community-building activities but also is aware that the main goal is to help grow the company. Because of this, the Cheerleader knows how to separate work and play when need be.

The Problem Solver

This personality type is naturally hard-working and will often go above and beyond what they’re told to do— not for brownie points, but rather to satisfy their own appetite to find a solution to a problem.

How to manage them: Problem Solvers are passionate about what they do and will have no problem staying late for work just to finish up their tasks. But— if they feel like their work in your company no longer challenges them or does not fulfill their career needs, they will seek better opportunities elsewhere.  

This is a personality type that your company will benefit from, so you will need to give them ample opportunities to grow both as an individual and an employee for them to stay for a long time.

The Natural Leader

The Natural Leader is always one to take charge of any task or project that is given to them and will take the initiative to collaborate with their fellow coworkers.

People tend to gravitate to them for leadership in group projects and knows how to effectively delegate tasks to get things done.

How to manage them: Similar to Problem Solvers, they are also enthusiastic about their jobs but need opportunities to further develop their career in your company. If they do not feel like they are improving or constantly learning, they will have no problem looking for other, more fulfilling job opportunities.

The Ninja

The Ninja is the type of employee that is the last to arrive in the morning and the first one to leave. They are most likely to accomplish the bare minimum of what is expected of them and will not go above and beyond what they are told what to do.

They are often absent in most or all of the company activities and events and won’t be seen hanging out with his or her co-workers outside of the office. The Ninja does not take initiative and may even speak negatively about their experience in your company to their peers.=

How to manage them: This type of behaviour may be signs of a burnt out employee, or one whose goals do not align with the company’s. It’s best to get to the bottom of their disengaged employee by having a discussion on how you as a company and them as an employee can meet halfway and improve the relationship.

To avoid a disengaged employee, you could recruit people who seem to agree with your company’s goals and values, that way, you know that you are both working towards the same direction.

The Office Wallflower

This type of employee is quiet around the office; it could be that they are naturally quiet or they’re just new.

The Office Wallflower prefers to work alone or collaborate based on results rather than be a part of a discussion. They won’t necessarily say no to company activities, but they will typically be found on the sidelines observing rather than participating.

How to manage them: While their timidness does not actually affect their productivity they are easily overlooked for promotions or recognition, which could leave feel underappreciated for their efforts at work. To alleviate that, you could provide them with alternative avenues to show their talents and abilities. You could also have consistent one-on-one meetings so they have the opportunity to share their thoughts and progress in their work.

Mr/Ms. Congeniality

This personality type is friendly with everyone at the office and most probably the first to greet any new recruits. They could hold a conversation with anyone and will most likely be found hanging around different departments at any time.

But because of that, there is a chance that they could be too talkative, disturbing other people or making the office environment unproductive.

How to manage them: Being friends with everyone is harmless, but when it’s time to get work done, all employees are expected to do so. To prevent this personality type from being disruptive, you could establish the work environment is results-based. With that, you would have to give ample opportunities for employees to tell you if they feel like they are being interrupted to the point that they are unproductive. That way, you can base your actions accordingly.

Find out what personality type you are with our quiz! Click here to find out

The post 6 Office Personality Types and How to Manage Them appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/6-office-personality-types-manage/

Jeinz — Sprout’s First Ever Rockstar (Sprout Rockstar of the Month)

Jeinz is a Junior Architect at Sprout Solutions. He shares with us his passion for programming and how he helped build Sprout to what it is today.

Finding IT

“I first got into IT because I was into this video game called Dota. I was playing Dota competitively and I wanted to understand the logistics of how the game worked beyond the actual game, but how to create it.

My interest in IT grew, even more, when I took it up in college. I would even join programming competitions for fun… And it was at that point I realized I could do it as a career.”

Leaving it to Fate

“I actually started working at 18 years old after graduating a two-year course.

My first job was at a big company about an hour away from where I lived— my main responsibility was to help them create an entire turnstile system for them.

It was such an experience… the company didn’t have a budget to provide us with our own computers, so every day I would have to commute from Alabang to Manila, carrying my massive CPU and monitors!

After a while, I was deciding whether I wanted to do another two years of school or find another job. But with an industry so technical like programming, I’ve learned that once you’ve learned the skills it’s all about practicing them through work.

So I left it up to fate: I applied to KMC and was called for an interview. I told myself that if I got the job, I’d keep working but if I didn’t, I would go back to school and do two more years of school.”

The Story of Sprout HR

“In the end, KMC hired me. It was there where I learned the best practices of software and honed my skills for my career.  It’s also where I conceptualized and grew my passion project… I even had my own computer this time!

“Sprout” came about when I was asked to build a software, HRhub (now called Sprout HR), to help automate tedious HR processes for KMC.

The software was working well and Pat decided that he wanted to standardize it for public use. Along with Payroll Pie (now called Sprout Payroll), we started building them and thus, Sprout Solutions was born.”

Developing as a Programmer

“Building Sprout HR was definitely a challenge but it’s fulfilling to see it up, running, and used by clients.

It’s actually been such a whirlwind: I started out as a junior developer, then mid, then senior, and now I am a junior software architect and creator of HRhub (Sprout HR.)

Now, I’m in charge of determining the design the flow of the whole system, what technology we will use, what software patterns the devs will use.

I actually started the project not knowing the rules; we would have clients help us with feedback and that’s how the system matured.

My teammate and manager, Rex, also was a huge influence on my development as a programmer. I used to be the type of dev that was just told what to do, but Rex taught me the best practices in the industry. Because in the industry, there are sloppy ways to code which will work technically, but they won’t be good in performance.”

There’s Always A Solution

“Outside of programming, I do sports, mostly basketball. But in my free time, I still like to program: I have a personal system where I practice and try new software patterns I could apply to work. What I do is check out the newest trends in the industry and try it out for myself.

I have the type of attitude where I don’t give up— when I’m faced with a problem, I will always solve it. Even if it means I have to stay up until the morning to find a solution, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Because when it comes to technical stuff, there’s always a solution, it’s just a matter of finding it.”

Future Plans

“I built Sprout HR and Recruit, so I’d like to see them through and develop them as we take on more clients. They’re my passion projects!

Whatever other ideas Alex and Pat have, I’m ready to make it happen.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sprout Rockstar of the Month is an initiative to highlight and celebrate the awesome people behind the company. Every month, we feature their stories and share how they used their experiences to become the rockstars that they are. Stay tuned next month for the next Sprout story!

The post Jeinz — Sprout’s First Ever Rockstar (Sprout Rockstar of the Month) appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/jeinz-sprouts-first-ever-rockstar-sprout-rockstar-month/

Trying to Grow Your Startup? You Need a Solid HR Team

The HR team of any company is the backbone of its success. And achieving this kind of growth is heavily reliant on its HR’s ability to bring in the best minds together and make the workplace a space of innovation.

A company can have a great product or service, but it is the people on its team that moves it forward. You need to find candidates that are truly passionate about what they do and want to collaborate to help the company grow.

This is why building an awesome work culture is arguably one of the most important priorities a CEO could do— and to do that, your startup needs a team of HR rockstars.

It’s a Candidate Market — You Need a Solid Frontline

Recruiting is more competitive now more than ever, so your HR team has to be ruthless in the hiring process. With the bounty of resources so easily accessible, the best candidates have the option to be critical in their choices when they look for jobs.

Therefore, as an employer in a candidate market, you need to show candidates that your company can be used as a platform to excel in their industry.

This important task of attracting the best candidates for your company falls under the responsibilities of your recruiter. Which is why you need to invest in a top-notch HR recruiter to be able to represent your company to the candidate market and attract the best people for your team.

Your HR recruiter needs to be extroverted and have the people skills to be able to coordinate and interact with different personalities that come with the hiring process. He or she doesn’t just have to look for candidates, but also would have to know what kind of skills and personalities would fit the open position, the responsibilities involved, and the role in the company.

But this goes without saying, your company has to be able to walk the talk.

Growth is Key — You Need to Make Sure Your Employees Stay

It’s one thing to be able to appeal to great candidates, but you need to be able to deliver the same value that you advertise to avoid employee disengagement and attrition.

Employees that are not engaged will not hesitate to leave at any given time. And it not only wastes time and money to constantly onboard new people, but it costs money to have disengaged employees as well.

So companies have to keep their employees satisfied and committed to their careers with you— which will come from the efforts of your HR team.

They are in charge of keeping your employees satisfied with their job experience that they don’t leave too soon or become unproductive. To do this, the HR department has to implement learning and development activities that promote growth in employees’ careers in your company.

This process takes careful planning and consideration as HR needs to think about the components of what makes a well-crafted development process for each employee across different departments.

They also need to figure out how to establish a culture of constant learning and improvement. But this is no easy task in that culture cannot be forced, so the team has to figure out how to build the cultural foundation organically.

However, when your employees feel that they are fulfilling their own goals with your company, they are more likely to perform to the best of their abilities and help contribute to the growth of the business.

It’s Not Just About Work — You Need to Keep a Happy Work Environment

We are at a time where millennials (typically defined as people born between the 1980s and 1990s) make up most of the workforce. With the new majority being in a younger generation, the focus is shifting: employees not only consider compensation and benefits in a job but work-life balance as well.

To do this, your HR team plans team building events, creates different work perks, and essentially makes the office a healthy work environment. They have to constantly look for new ways to make employees feel motivated to work and build a sense of camaraderie across departments.

Coupled with that, your HR department needs to have the patience and the right personality to be able to solve any conflict among employees. With the differing attitudes and work habits as well as the number of people that are exposed to each other several hours a day, 5 times a week… conflict will inevitably arise. And it’s HR’s job to be able to handle it in the most efficient way possible.

You Can’t Wear All Hats — You Need to Focus What You Do Best

When you’re in a startup, you assume many roles. Most times, you will need to have your other employees assume more responsibilities outside their scope as well.

But if you are in a startup that plans to grow, you eventually need to find people to do the jobs you aren’t supposed to be doing and so you and everybody else can focus on their main responsibilities.

In the early stages of a company, the HR department is often neglected and left to whoever has the bandwidth, but if you plan on scaling your company, you cannot keep tabs on tedious tasks.

In the HR function alone, there are several time-consuming and technical responsibilities. Under HR falls payroll, employee relations, compensation & benefits, and more… To have to do that on top of the job you already have will burn anyone out.

 

When a business is trying to grow at a rapid rate, a solid HR team is the key to maximizing the potential of your company.

It’s crucial that quality team members are recruited and aim to help nurture the company to reach its goals. And this is no easy feat— but it’s also one of the primary responsibilities of the HR department.

The post Trying to Grow Your Startup? You Need a Solid HR Team appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/trying-grow-startup-need-solid-hr-team/

Owen — Finding a Passion for Payroll (Sprout Rockstar of the Month)

Owen is a Pre-Sales Engagement Manager and the second-ever employee to be hired at Sprout Solutions. Even before Sprout, he always had a keen interest in payroll and on this month’s Sprout Rockstar of the Month, he shares with us his story on how it came to be.

Payroll Prelude

“I definitely didn’t like payroll from the get-go— I actually wanted to be a doctor but my parents couldn’t afford to put me through medical school. So I ended up taking BS Accountancy for college. To be honest, it wasn’t easy since it wasn’t my first choice. Imagine: accountancy itself is difficult enough, it was even more challenging for me because I wasn’t interested in it!

Nevertheless, I graduated and got my first job in the accounting department of an HMO— I stayed there for almost a decade. During that time, I oversaw almost all sectors: payable, accounts receivable, bank recon, operating expenses, payroll, and even accounting supervisor. Of all those, I was the most interested in payroll— it was then when I realized that it was what I wanted to do in my life. It was my specialty.

After the HMO company, I moved to KMC, Sprout’s sister company, where I worked specifically in payroll. I was a payroll assistant, then payroll officer.”

 

Appreciating HR  

“When I worked in the HMO company, payroll was under the accounting department, but I had 15 people working under me. They had different cultures, personalities, and backgrounds so it was challenging for me to adjust and coordinate everyone. Sometimes personal lives would leak into work lives and some of them couldn’t focus. I’d even had people ask me for marriage advice— I’m not even married! So I researched how to be sensitive to them and make them feel consoled but at the same time remind them that they should keep work and personal lives separate.

Then in KMC, unlike in my old company, payroll was under the HR department. It was there I got to see firsthand all the different tasks HR had to juggle: on top of recruitment, employee engagement, and conflict resolution, they needed to process 201 files, reports, and official certificates manually, which was more time consuming than it needed to be.

After being a manager, I understood the effort and trouble it took to do purely HR tasks… coupled with manual processing of files… I saw the burning need for a system— HR shouldn’t be manual.”

 

Helping Companies with Sprout

“That’s why I’m still at Sprout, still doing what I love which is payroll. But this time, I get to talk about a new kind of payroll to other companies. The sales department needed someone with an extensive background in payroll, so I was put in presales.

What I love about this position is that I don’t believe I’m trying to sell a product, but rather I’m helping companies with a solution. I’m not trying to be a part of their expenses, I am telling them how they could lessen their workload so they can focus on what their real job is, as opposed to the manual processes they do instead. As someone who already knows how demanding payroll and HR are, I know that Sprout has the solution to their problem.”

 

Why Payroll?

“I do get asked this a lot, because like I said, I wasn’t even interested in accounting when I started learning about it.

Among the branches that go under accounting, my favorite one was taxation. And part of payroll is in taxation— I just really enjoy it. In my old company, the alphalist was manual and I would process it myself, which means I would have to work overtime until the early mornings. I wasn’t mad about it or I didn’t feel burnt out. When you really love doing something, you won’t complain, you just do it.

That’s when I realized my love for payroll. I also worked at all types of departments when Sprout was starting out: marketing, professional services, support, sales, HR… The only department I didn’t go into was software development, since that required technical skills…

And with all of that, payroll is still what I enjoyed the most.”

 

Plans for the Future

“Actually, one of my childhood dreams was to become a teacher, and I do want to pursue it eventually. It may take a lot of work and determination before I get there, especially since I’ve really established myself in my career in payroll. But I still do think that I can pursue this other passion of mine, not necessarily as a full-time job, but still fulfilling my goal of being able to help people learn and share my knowledge with others.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sprout Rockstar of the Month is an initiative to highlight and celebrate the awesome people behind the company. Every month, we feature their stories and share how they used their experiences to become the rockstars that they are. Stay tuned next month for the next Sprout story!

The post Owen — Finding a Passion for Payroll (Sprout Rockstar of the Month) appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/owen-sprout-rockstar/