Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) was named Forbes Magazine’s annual list of the World’s Best Employers which includes 800 firms from some 57 countries.
In a statement, SMC said it is number 174 overall, and is one of just two firms based in the Philippines--along with fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corporation--to make it to the top 200.
The survey, compiled for the past six years by Forbes, was conducted together with its partner, Statista.
According to Forbes, Statista surveyed some 150,000 full-time and part-time workers from 57 countries working for multinationals and institutions, to determine which of these firms excel in key areas such as corporate impact and image, talent development, gender equality, and social responsibility.
“It’s a major honor for us at San Miguel to be included in such a list, and to be ranked within the top 200 in the world, and one of the very best in the Philippines,” SMC President and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang, said.
He added that, “We’re also very proud to stand together with other Filipino companies who have emerged as among the best in the world in advancing the welfare of employees and workers.”
“For all the time I have been in SMC, and for most of its 131-year history, ‘malasakit’ (compassion) has been the core foundation of our corporate values. We look out for the welfare of our employees, partners, stakeholders, communities. On the part of our employees, the company’s malasakit towards them also means they show malasakit for the company,” Ang explained.
Apart from compensation and benefits, he said SMC also implements various programs to help employees hone their skills, maintain their health, advance in their careers, as well as pursue their passions. Assistance during times of need is also a hallmark of “the SMC way.”
Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, SMC not only extended extraordinary assistance to the country, but also to its employees.
SMC was the first Filipino company to build a dedicated RT-PCR testing laboratory for its workforce at the start of the pandemic. It also guaranteed the full salaries and benefits of employees and workers in its nationwide network, through the most difficult and uncertain periods of the pandemic when most businesses lost income.
It also invested in putting in place additional health and safety protocols for employees, to ensure the continued delivery of essential goods and services to the public.
For its support workers, SMC launched several initiatives, including providing interest-free loans with easy payment schemes, so they can buy alternative modes of transportation such as bicycles and motorcycles.
SMC also converted a part of its grounds at its head office complex for an urban farming project to augment the income and food supplies of repair and maintenance and security workers.
The company partnered with the School for Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) Philippines to train workers in urban farming.
Ultimately, SMC allotted P1 billion to procure COVID-19 vaccines and set up numerous vaccination centers nationwide, for its over 70,000 employees and extended workforce and their families, even as it also donated significant resources--including the expertise of over 100 healthcare practitioners it hired--to support the national vaccination effort.
Meanwhile, according to Forbes, the surveys conducted to determine the World’s Best Employers, were all anonymous, in order to allow participants to share their opinions openly.
“Respondents were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family. They were also asked to evaluate other employers in their respective industries that stood out either positively or negatively. Participants were asked to rate the companies on aspects such as economic impact and image, talent development, gender equality and social responsibility,” Forbes said.