BPO firm urges employees to pursue their passions

MANILA, Philippines — Attracting as well as keeping an employee is a challenge for most companies especially for business process outsourcing firms.

To address this challenge, Telus Int’l Philippines, which is engaged in customer experience and digital information technology (IT) outsourcing, came up with a program called Telus International University (TIU) to provide employees a platform for continued education or other pursuits.

“TIU is a learning and development program offered as an exclusive benefit within TIP to encourage team members to follow their passions and pursue continuous learning,” TIU manager Frederick Estacio said.

The company decided to implement the program to enable team members to satisfy their thirst for knowledge and pursuit of other interests.

“It is a means to provide work-life integration, engage our team members and foster our #HappyHere culture,” he said.

Through TIU which started in 2011, Telus employees are given the opportunity to complete their education without having to sign an employment bond.

Under the program, TIP’s team members with minimum of six months tenure and of good performance standing can opt to earn their bachelor’s degree, with the company shouldering 30 percent to 50 percent of the total tuition from partner educational institutions such as the University of Asia, Lyceum of the Philippines and Asia Pacific College.

For certificate courses under the TIU, team members need to have at least three months of tenure and no record of any disciplinary actions.

Short courses under the program are offered at exclusive discounted rates or an average of 30 percent to 50 percent lower than market prices.

These include foreign languages like Japanese, French, and Mandarin, fashion design and performing arts, IT technical-vocational courses, cooking, swimming and diving.

Payment for the courses is easy on the pocket as it is done on an installment basis through salary deduction.

“Best of all, TIP team members can share the gift of learning with their immediate family members and friends, whom they can enlist in the TIU program, so they can also enjoy a subsidy ranging from 30 to 50 percent depending on the school and course,” Estacio said.

He noted family members or friends should not be employed by TIP’s competitor to qualify for the program.

Recognizing that it may be hard to find time to study particularly for those on the night shift, Estacio said the company allows team members to adjust their work schedule.

Estacio said implementing the TIU has been beneficial for the company in terms of attracting talent.

“The availability of TIU has helped us attract potential team members. The younger generation of workers maybe characterized by their adventurous, self-expressive and passionate spirits. We consider that they continually look for means to discover their inner selves and to grow different facets of their skills,” Estacio said.

In addition, TIU has gained from the program by being able to retain talent.

“TIU has also been a wonderful benefit that helps us engage team members and encourages them to stay longer with us. It’s a great way to give back to our team members and show them how much we value them,” he said.