- HR Asia research shows that GSM employees consistently rated the company higher than industry averages across the survey's three key components — leadership and organization, engagement and team dynamics.
- Since 2013, HR Asia has deployed the proprietary survey to over 2 million respondents in 14 major Asian markets, making it one of the largest employee engagement surveys across the region.
B&M Global Services Manila (GSM), the first shared services center of leading global law firm Baker McKenzie, was recently honored as one of the "Best Companies to Work for in Asia" by HR Asia. HR Asia is one of the region's most authoritative publications for senior HR professionals who take leadership at strategic levels beyond the traditional confines of human resource management function.
Organized by Business Media International (BMI), the award recognizes organizations that employees have identified as one of Asia's employers of choice and the best employers to work for. It is targeted at companies across Asia and recognizes companies with the best HR practices and that demonstrate high levels of employee engagement and excellent workplace cultures. The high-profile award attracts applications from Fortune 500 companies, as well as other companies of various types, including multinational corporations and government-linked companies.
A first-time recipient of the award, GSM was created in 2000 and is one of the first shared services centers of its kind. It pioneered back-office processes and practices that help support Baker McKenzie's business, serving as a blueprint for the Firm's succeeding shared services centers in Belfast (UK), Tampa (US), and Buenos Aires (Argentina).
The company prioritizes results-oriented performance, quality services and client-centric processes that align with the Firm's strategies. It consistently fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment where employees are encouraged to participate and contribute to a One Team culture as well as drives excellence and innovation. A proponent of Lean Six Sigma (LSS), GSM continues to deliver process improvements and operational efficiencies through employee-initiated projects that form part of their certifications as either a yellow belt or green belt LSS practitioner.
In recent years, the company consistently managed to achieve below market average attrition and higher regularization rates. Average employee tenure is currently six years, with 63% of the present headcount having been with the company for a minimum of five years. Uptake of its Employee Referral Program, which underscores employee company confidence, consistently accounts for a large percentage of its new hires annually, responsible for over 20% of all new hires in 2020.
When COVID-19 struck, GSM quickly and seamlessly transitioned to working remotely to safeguard its employees' health, well-being and safety, providing employees the necessary technology and round-the-clock support to remain productive. It complemented these with avenues and programs aimed at supporting employees' transition to the "new normal" — including access to an online-based clinic and expanding its free work-life coaching/counselling services. Despite the pandemic, GSM registered a 97.5% on-time delivery score last year and continued to provide high-quality support and solutions to its clients with minimal disruption. This demonstrated both the strong commitment of its employees and the sound company policies and practices that were put in place to adapt to the pandemic.
The organization currently has over 950 professionals who provide support services that include financial services, billing and collection, document services, meetings and events administration, knowledge services, marketing and business development, design services, core IT services and talent management to Baker McKenzie's 76 offices in 46 countries.
GSM Executive Director Lorie Barredo attributes this achievement to the collective effort and strong engagement of its people across the organization. "People respond well because through our HR programs, leadership teams and other relevant support structure, we are able to demonstrate our strong commitment to ensuring a safe, inclusive, diverse and progressive workplace. This award is a testament to our collaborative One Team spirit here in GSM."