How this local social entrepreneurship company managed to retain all its employees this pandemic

By Macel Feliciano

A total of 3.3 million workers have been displaced by the Covid-19 pandemic from March to Oct.11, 2020, based on the Job Displacement Monitoring Report of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

With the tough economic landscape, the most practical solution for financially distressed businesses would be to cut costs. With the biggest component of operational cost being employees’ salaries, laying off people would ensure sustainability of the company.

Gandang Kalikasan, Inc, the Christian social enterprise behind Human Nature, the brand of genuinely natural and affordable essential personal care, beauty and home care products, has chosen to go counter-cultural.

Despite the increased difficulty the enterprise has to go through, they are committed to keep their 627-strong family intact. As chairman and co-founder Dylan Wilk disclosed, they choose to sail through rough waters together instead of throwing the weakest people off the boat just to ensure easier sailing for those left onboard.

“Our people are not just workers to us. God loves them. We love them and we care for them. For almost 12 years now, we have had a no-firing policy. And so instead of taking the easy option, everyone else in the company is sacrificing with reduced workdays and reduced salary. If anyone in Human Nature ever doubted that we love them, I hope that now they believe it’s really true,” Wilk says.

One of the pillars of the company is their pro-poor stance. They have committed to uplift the lives of the poor by offering dignified work and opportunities to the low-skilled and marginalized. They invest in their people by not giving up on them but rather developing their skills. They enforce a strict no firing policy and are resolutely against “endo” or end-of-contract. “We realize that providing jobs and paying living wages, as important as they are, are not enough in truly transforming the lives of the poor,” says Sheryl Aspacio, human resources head. “For the working poor, when the future beyond five months is uncertain, when the fear of being terminated due to an error or misjudgment is present, it is difficult to hope for and work toward a better quality of life.”

Another core principle is pursuing fullness of life. Long before the pandemic, Human Nature has aimed to provide their people more time for their own families and personal interests and growth.

Employees enjoy company-wide Sundays off, seasonal shortened work days of 7.5 hours instead of the full eight to nine hours, day care services, and 14 days instead of the usual seven days of paternity leave.

Human Nature is reaping the fruits of its genuine care for employees. They’ve discovered that their people have developed malasakit or a profound concern and deep sympathy for the company, considering themselves as part of one big family. So they make sure they have their family’s back. This is evidenced by the sacrifices voluntarily offered by different workers across the company during the pandemic.

When the lockdown began, Human Nature had to shut down like most other businesses. Uncertainty about the future was rife, but they were able to reopen quickly being an essential goods supplier.

The management was able to rally the people and a skeletal workforce bravely came back to work despite reasonable personal fears of contracting the virus and the lack of public transportation. The dedication of the workers was on full display with two merchandisers even having to walk to and from Quezon City to Mandaluyong and Makati for several hours. Despite the additional costs in a challenging business climate, the company quickly organized shuttle services for its teams until public transportation became available again.

As chairman and co-founder Dylan Wilk disclosed, they choose to sail through rough waters together instead of throwing the weakest people off the boat just to ensure easier sailing for those left onboard.

Even in the midst of these challenges, the company has not forgotten their advocacy of feeding the hungry. They were able to raise food packs enough to feed 10,000 families in Payatas with the help of customers, partners and friends and with a miraculous donation from Mega Sardines.

In April and May there was understandably a massive decline in sales. The management decided they would not resort to the no-work, no-pay scheme despite the huge losses.

A work from home arrangement was implemented for some of the employees, with a stipend of ₱5,000 per payday. The stipend was given company-wide regardless of salary or position, whether working or not working at the moment. Meanwhile, the leadership gave up theirs, while some ordinary employees generously donated their stipends to other co-workers.

People were able to earn full salaries again when sales normalized in June and July, but sales plummeted again by August. The management decided to go on four-day workweeks, at 80 percent of regular salaries, with many in leadership willingly taking a 50 percent pay cut. Again, the most obvious and most convenient solution to the company’s plight would be to lay off at least 15 percent of the workforce. In matters of survival, no one would blame the company in resorting to the most logical recourse.

“The management is firm in its resolve to keep all our employees, trusting that God will provide,” says Boy Dizon, finance head. “We continue to be prudent stewards of God’s resources and we believe that together, we will come out from this pandemic with renewed and stronger faith in God’s goodness.”

To keep everyone’s morale up and bolster each other’s faith, there are internal initiatives throughout the pandemic like corporate prayer, sing-along nights, and close communication with the founders and leaders. Regular reminders of their core values, what they stand for as a company, and their deep faith keep the fire burning in their people.

“As for Human Nature, we will continue to trust Him,” says Dylan. “He is our protector and our provider. We will simply do our best and wait upon the Lord. For business people who think they may have made mistakes during this pandemic out of fear, panic, or other motivations, God remains compassionate and ready to forgive those who decide to repent and put their trust in Him again. It’s not too late to do things differently.”