BPO virtual clubs help boost employees’ work-life balance

CEBU, Philippines —  Call center firm Sykes has intensified its employees’ engagement program to maintain work-life balance amid the pandemic.

The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) giant, which also employs thousands of workers in its Cebu site, has expanded its programs for personal development, brings interest clubs to virtual platform.

“At SYKES, we encourage a healthy work-life balance by heavily investing in the training, development, and overall success and engagement of our workforce and providing them avenues to pursue their passion with fellow SYKESers. We are especially keen on continuing our employee engagement programs now that we are in quarantine, considering how the current situation is significantly affecting our employees’ everyday lives. It’s a little more challenging with our work-from-home arrangements but we believe that anything is possible if we set our mind to it,” said Lia Lynn Marcos, Human Resources, Senior Director for Asia Pacific.

Sykes currently has a total of 20 interest clubs under its Sykes Choices (for SYKES Manila) and Sykes Involve (for Sykes Cebu) Employee Engagement Programs.

The clubs are managed by members, who hold several activities open for all SYKESers wherein they can showcase their talents and develop skills while having fun. The programs cover a wide range of interest clubs including ones for physical outdoor activities, the arts, special interests, environmental consciousness, and even emergency response.

To continue activities even while social distancing during the pandemic, the clubs were encouraged to come up with team engagement projects that can be done virtually.

SYKESers were quick to shift some of their plans to online platforms where they host activities such as live quizzes, online contests, tutorials, and e-games.

Sykes Cebu’s E-games Club recently concluded their joint project Sykes Mobile Legends Tournament 2020. The two-day, single-elimination tournament invited 40 teams consisting of five members each to compete to be the best Mobile Legends team across SYKES Philippines.

SYKES Cebu’s Volleyball Club, on the other hand, continues to promote their love for the sport by sharing content relevant to the times, like a video of routines that viewers can practice on their own at home to improve their game. Its Pioneers Basketball Team, meanwhile, also shifted its activities online. It held a live quiz where basketball enthusiasts were able to showcase their knowledge of the sport, including its history and latest trends, where the winner was able to grab a cash prize.

Apart from being an avenue to pursue hobbies and reach out to colleagues and communities, the clubs also serve as a training ground should the employees wish to engage in inter-BPO leagues, tournaments, and other competitions. This comes with the assurance that SYKES will provide all the necessary assistance, including funding, promotion, use of company equipment, and provision of other subsidies.

“It’s important for us that our employees remain engaged and in great physical and mental health because that translates to better productivity at work as well. We hope that continued membership in these clubs will help them cope with the challenges brought by the current pandemic and that they get to inspire others to do the same,” added Marcos.