MANILA, PHILIPPINES- Media OutReach - 24 September2018 - Fifteen Philippines companies have been named the Best Companies to Workfor in Asia by human-resource publication, HR Asia.

This year, 5,260employees from a total of 150 companies across the Philippines responded to theHR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia Survey. The survey also covers eightother markets across Asia, including China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia,Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand.

Award winnersinclude FonterraBrands Philippines Inc, Johnson & Johnson Philippines, ManulifePhilippines, Philam Group and Telstra International Philippines Inc.

GoodEmployers Score Higher

Survey participantswere asked affirmative statements about their employers, and either agree or disagreewith each of the statements. Based on these answers across the survey, the top 3 areasthat employees in Philippines agree about theirjobs are:

1. Meeting or exceedingcustomer expectation (Average score of 4.55/5)
2. Employees always seekinga better way to improve their efficiency at work (Average score of 4.41/5)
3. Employees are clear onhow their work and performance are contributing to the organization's vision(Average score of 4.40/5)

On the other hand,the 3 areas that score the lowest in the survey (i.e. the ones which the employees feeltheir companies can improve on) are:

1. Employeesfeel that they do not really know what is going on in the organisation (Averagescore of 3.53/5)
2. Employees feel that theydo not receive recognition or praise for doing good work in the last month(Average score of 3.72/5)
3. Employees feel that they do not getsupported by the companies in pursuing their own professional development(Average score of 3.77/5)

With fewexceptions, all the winning companies scored significantly higher in theseareas compared to other participants. This indicates that employers that aremore transparent, supportive of employees' growth and lead by example, are morelikely to be rated as a good workplace by their own employees.

What Employers Think

88% of the participating companies felt that safety was top priority intheir respective companies. It is essential for employees to have a safeenvironment in which they will be comfortable to work in. For employers, theyare required to provide safety necessity with regards to operations, proceduresand policies. A safe workplace is conducive in creating positive productivitywhere employees not only perform better but also feel they matter to theirorganisation. 87.2% of the companies feel that theft is not a regularoccurrence in their workplaces.

82.6% of the companies surveyed felt that getting areferral is a cheaper and faster way to hire, which generally recommends bettercandidates and lowers the turnover rate at a company.

EvolvingFace of Talents and Employment in Philippines

Dato' William Ng,group publisher and editor-in-chief for the HR Asia, says "disruptiveinnovation is not only changing markets and industries, it is redefining theworkplace. The skillsets required are rapidly changing, while workplaces arebeing transformed to accommodate telecommunicating and flexi-working, amongothers. Companies need to adapt and do so quickly in view of these changesbrought about by technology and global inter-connectivity".

Words ofWisdom

Echoing words ofthe triumphant winners of the HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia Awards2018, we cite few of the more inspiring pieces:

"For less than 100employees in 1998, we are now 2,369 in the Autohub Group. I give credit to allthe hardwork and efforts of the entire AUTOHUB TEAM, for without them we willnot be where we are now. I am truly grateful to them for sharing the samepassion with me all these years. This is a testament of our resolve in becomingthe Employer of Choice in the Philippine Automotive Industry and we dedicatethis award to the men and women of the Autohub Family. We are all in oneDREAM... we are all in one VISION," says Willy Q. Tee Ten, President ofAutohub Group.

Cebu Air, Incshares that "Through the strong and genuine leadership of the pioneers who laidthe foundation of this airline, Cebu Pacific has become what it is today -- thePhilippines largest and leading airline of our time. For more than 22 yearsnow, we have been in constant pursuit for ways to improve our systems and touplift the overall well-being of our people. We create a working environmentthat promotes work-life balance and fun, kinship and camaraderie, limitlessopportunities, and openness. Our holistic approach to developing people isfocused on empowerment, creativity and collaboration. CEB is a place whereexcellent performances and invaluable contributions are rewarded andrecognized."

"We are proud to berecognised for our dedicated efforts and belief in our four core values -- makeit happen, do what is right, challenge boundaries and cooperative spirit whichserves as guiding principles for all of us to continually ingrain in our waysor working, As part of our ongoing efforts to instil a very positive corporateculture, our leaders and people embrace, live and breathe our core values andpersonify what we strongly stand for in Fonterra. "Winning this award alsoserves as a motivation for us to continue listening and focusing on our peopleto address what they want and implement programmes which will be relevant tothem. We hope to win more industry awards in order to demonstrate how we staytrue to our purpose of growing and enjoying life through dairy nutrition," saysMike, General Manager of Fonterra Brands Philippines.

Johnson &Johnson Philippines shares that "At Johnson & Johnson, we believe inwinning with PEOPLE. We believe our people are the heart, mind and soul of thecompany. Our commitment to our employees is embedded in Our Credo, which makesthe company responsible for their total well-being. We care for our employeesby providing robust health and wellness programs, extensive healthcarebenefits, energy management training, a wellness center, sports facilities,digital health tools, employee assistance program, wellness education, healthycafeteria food, and many others. We value their time with families by providingflexible work arrangements, offering expanded parental leaves, having an onsitechildcare facility, and offering summer programs for our employees' kids. Ourcaring also includes the community. We encourage all our employees to beinvolved in CSR work. We allow employees up to 2 paid days-off every year to beable to do work for the community. Our CSR advocacies cover diverse causesincluding social health, environment protection, maternal/infant mortality,children's education, and mental health. We also enable our employees to "bringtheir best selves to work" through our diversity & inclusion (D&I)programs, which include employee resource groups, leadership development &training, cross- functional and cross-border career opportunities and variousother employee engagement initiatives."

"We aspire toparticipate this award to get recognition as an employer of choice in thePhilippines. We very proud of our company and branding, we though this will bea way to validate and indicate our success," says Ryan Charland, President & CEO of Manulife Philippines.

"While we have receiveda number of awards in other areas of our business, this award gives us greatsatisfaction because this is about people. This affirms that what we are doingis right and good for our people who deserve nothing less," says Aibee Cantos,Chief Executive Officer of Philam Group.

"At the veryheart of PUMAnila lies the "cat", our mother company PUMA whose culture ofSPEED + SPIRIT flows worldwide across its organization. This award affirms thatwe are in the right way in encouraging our people to being driven and vibrant,working together, but at the same time being uniquely yourself," saysRaymond Lim, Managing Director of PUMAnila IT Services Inc.

Puregold PriceClub, Inc shares that "We remain true to our mission of providing personaland professional development of our employees. We let them grow in Puregold -they are our decision makers, enablers and influencers."

"Telstra as acompany is very proud to take of its employees. We want, firstly, to understandwhere we can actually gauge against other companies," says Rosanne Suarez, Country Managing Director of Telstra International Philippines Inc.

UnileverPhilippines shares that "Unilever is a place where you can bring your purposeto life with the work that you do -- creating a better business and a betterworld. We thank HR Asia Awards for this distinction and for allowing us toshare our story and to reach more people towards our ambition of improving thelives of Filipinos through our everyday work."

About HR Asia

HR Asia is Asia'slargest circulating publication for senior HR professionals. With over 50,000copies distributed every issue, and an online and offline audience exceeding200,000. HR Asia is the go-to brand for HR professionals seeking qualitybusiness intelligence and industry updates. HR Asia is published by BusinessMedia International, a regional leader in B2B intelligence.

List ofWinners of HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2018 (PhilippinesEdition)