Pawan: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the People-led show by inFeedo. My name is Pawan Rochwani, and I'm going to be hosting the Southeast Asia version of the show. I know some of you have already seen the interviews and episodes where we have interviewed some of the CHROs from India. But in this series, I have the opportunity to interview some of the brightest minds from the Southeast Asia region, and I'm going to try my best to cover the latest trends and ask them questions about how they have been managing their work-life balance, the well-being of their workforce.

Pawan: And at the same time, are they hopping on to the new trend of AI and HR or not? So I hope you enjoy this series as well, how much love you have given to the India series, and let's get into it. My first episode is with Marvin, who is the country director of Coronas Healthcare Philippines. It's a multinational health care BPO where he has been tremendously involved in all the operations, not just within the HR function, but across. And he has wealth of experience across various industries  for more than 2 decades.

Pawan: I'm so glad that I'm starting this series of Southeast Asia of the People at Show by inFeedo with Marvin. And in this episode, we cover a lot of aspects about not just with respect to what they are doing at the ark, but also how he gets time to do all the outdoor activities like dragon boat rowing, surfing, mountain climbing, and so many other things. If you enjoy this episode, please feel free to share it with other HR leaders. 

Pawan: And if you have any suggestions for us, please feel free to comment on the video or reach out to us on LinkedIn or across any of these platforms, and we'll be happy to take your suggestions. So let's get into this.

Pawan: And this was prerecorded in the month of December. So some of the conversation and context would be relevant to that time period, but I hope you still enjoy it. 

Marvin Rodriguez: Thank you for having me. I'm actually very  excited to talk to you as well.

Pawan: Superb, So yeah, Marvin, I think the first thing and this is something that I ask all my HR leaders, which is who are you outside of work? Because we wanna make sure that everybody who's gonna listen to this, watch this, read about this. They get to know Marvin outside of work as well apart from the country director title that you hold.

Pawan:  So who are you outside of work? 

Marvin Rodriguez: Alright. I'm I'm very active in social civic work, actually. I've been doing that for almost a decade now. So that's my 1 way of giving back to the community as well as to distress so to speak.

Marvin Rodriguez: Because the kind of work that we do, there's so much stuff to be done. There's so many meetings. And so there is we're looking for avenues where we could actually just be ourselves, do the things that we really love the most. So in that, I was I've I've been a very active part of Rotary International  my source of pride and joy for the last couple of years. I'm also a a a pet lover.

Marvin Rodriguez: Actually, I have several dogs and cats at at home as as you can see. Probably, they you could hear them or doing something on the background. 

Pawan: Well well I'm also a proud pet parent, so I understand the feeling when your pet is just, like, moving around here and there while you're trying to work. But thank you so much, Marvin, for answering that, and I'm glad we got started on this note. I wanted to ask you because you have had such diverse work experiences. 

Pawan: How is it to  be, like I mean, what's what are some differences  when you are a CHRO or when you are an HR leader, let's say, within health care or within FMCG or within the tech space that you also have worked in the past. So what have been those key learnings or those key differences or how have you adapted different industries  while Right. This role?

Marvin Rodriguez: Yeah. It it's really on the the difference is mainly be on the demographic of the company.

Marvin Rodriguez: Of course, each company have their own culture. I I would say that the the BPO  demographic is a little bit more fast paced as compared to the other industries that I've been in, but it doesn't mean that the other industries are less when it comes to work demands because they have their own type of of work that that they do. So when when it comes to, let's say governance FMCG is very, very strong with that. I I mean, we have to follow everything by the letter. And that is something that is I I would say less as compared to to the to the BPO.

Marvin Rodriguez: So that's that's probably the main difference. A BPO is more fast paced, but FMCG have a little bit of of of of challenge that is specific, to that kind of industry, especially when it comes to regulation and dealing with with a diverse workforce. Because in the BPO, the the the the the workforce would mainly be coming from the Gen z and the and the millennials, the the ones aging from 20 to 35 years old. But in other industries, it's really  from, let's say, late twenties up to the early fifties. That's the so that's that's that's a lot of difference.

Pawan: Yeah. I have a small follow-up question on this. And usually when you are in a fast paced environment or, like, BPO industry or, in fact, I've also observed this myself when we are in the 0 to 1 startup phase. It's, like, really fast space.  Have you noticed that, you know, in in such an environment, there's a lot of burnout issues for employees or mental fatigue that happens to them.

Pawan: Is is that common to say? 

Marvin Rodriguez: It's  very common. The the the attrition rate in the BPO industry is very high. I would say probably 1 of the highest when it comes to to the market, not only in the Philippines, but also in in in India as well because we also have an office in India which we which we also maintain. 

Marvin Rodriguez: And then the the the challenge that we are having when it comes to employee retention is basically the same challenge that our counterparts in India is facing probably because the the demographic, the age is the same, and the type of work is actually the same.

Pawan: Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I've I've I've observed this in India as well. Some of my other friends who who are in the industry. So thank you for answering that. And and, you know, this this also reminds me of something that I was speaking to 1 of our other guests where he mentioned that employees feel engaged when they are connected to the purpose and the vision of the company. 

Pawan: How how do you think if you notice that there is the attrition problem is probably the highest how can you make employees feel connected to the purpose or to the vision of the company?  Do you have any strategies about this or methods that you follow?

Marvin Rodriguez: Totally. I totally agree with that 1 because especially the the the the generation now, they wanted to join a company that resonates well with the values that that they have. And so whenever we we hire for people to join our little community of 800 FTEs in the in the Philippines, we always give them a kind of orientation that tells what is the company, what do we stand for, what are the values that that drives us in the hope that it will resonate with them. 

Marvin Rodriguez: Because we would want to start at the at their at the right foot that they would be able to identify themselves within the company and and that they'll be able to see what they're looking for as they build their their career. I have mentioned that the attrition is is a problem, but we are managing it in such a way that it's not really 1 of the biggest problems that we're having.

Marvin Rodriguez: Although we are we know that it's going to be a perennial, you know concern that we're having, but we are doing our best to really connect with our employees. Because I I'd like to think that each of the company have their own strengths and weaknesses. Yeah. It's able to connect to our to our employees that would really make them stay and build their their career with us. And it's an ongoing communication.

Marvin Rodriguez: And the way we communicate to to each of them is probably different from from the other. What we what we intend to do is to really have that kind of connection, and connecting individually takes a lot of of of work and a lot of of effort for on on everyone's part because it's not just communication per se because you could easily do that, have f 3 d, have town halls. But I I don't think that works. We wanted to have a kind of communication that's that that's really connecting. We wanted to tell them that we are here to listen.

Marvin Rodriguez: We may not be able to solve all of your concerns, but what is important is that we hear them, and we are working little by little to actually address each of those concerns. And that, I think, is 1 of the of the things that separates us and 1 of the things that the workers of the day is is looking for aside from, of course leaving up the values. It's really making them feel important and part of the organization. Yeah. Yeah.

Pawan:I think I definitely resonate with you. And sometimes it's also about if if the employees feel heard it's it's not always about, let's say, the perks or, like, the the offers that you're giving or the pay that you're giving to the employees that that's why they are engaged in the company. But it's also about do they feel valued and do they feel heard in the organization. So I definitely resonate with that.  

Pawan: Have have you seen and, you know, this is coming out of when I was recently in Philippines at the PMAPI when I was observing a lot of the HR leaders asking about upskilling and reskilling kind of programs or products. 

Pawan: Have you have you felt that employees are really asking you for upscaling request? Or you as an organization, are you,  like, asking them to get trained, get upscaled, or rescale? Is is that phase happening especially now because there are AI tools you constantly use different other products and tools as well as an employee and as an organization. So is there a 

Marvin Rodriguez: in our company, we, of course, we always upscale them based on the demands of our clients. Right?

Marvin Rodriguez: If there's a new system that we're going to use, then that's gonna be a an upscaling. If there's a new product that we'll be launching, then there would be an upscaling. We focus also on  on leadership development. So a lot of of skills development trainings that we have. But I agree with the with the rest of the HR practitioners that it's an ongoing process.

Marvin Rodriguez: We never really stop learning, and we never really stop to to train our employees. It's basically the lifeblood of every organization that there's continued learning, especially that there are new technologies that are that are happening, AI for 1. And it's something that we are embracing because Koronis Philippines is basically a it's a BPO. It's also a tech company, and so we must embrace the kind of technology that that that comes our way. Anyway, we don't have really a choice about it.

Marvin Rodriguez: AI is there. It's not something that will that will just stop or pause. It will not wait for us. So might as well take advantage of that and and and embrace it fully to our advantage. And it's I I think it's actually good that technology is gearing towards that, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of changes will happen as well.

Marvin Rodriguez: And, yes, we are preparing our employees for that. On the technology side as well, we are preparing if there will be some changes in the system that we're using. We don't want to be left behind. And Yeah. It's always the same because we are a tech company.

Marvin Rodriguez: Basically, of course, we must be at the forefront of every change that happens in the industry. 

Pawan: Yeah. Yeah. No. Makes sense. And I think it's the sooner we adapt to these newer technologies we will progress faster. And it it does have a direct business impact and revenue impact as well. So I've I've observed a lot of times HR leaders might think that, okay, this is a very high cost for us to up upscale or rescale, but it does give you the long term alerts. 

Pawan: Something I've observed, and this is, you know, just probably me reading a lot of your LinkedIn post. But you talk a lot about diversity and inclusion  and, you know how have you tried what some what are some measures that you have tried to maintain the diversity within Coronace or even in your previous experiences?

Marvin Rodriguez: Alright.  In in all of the organizations that I've been into whenever we let's say, hire for people, it's always the skill  that that we are looking at. It's always if this person can do this or or that, it's not about, let's say, what age the person have. It's not about the gender. It's not even about the the the gender preferences.

Marvin Rodriguez: It's not about the faith that that we believed in. And so it's it's a we always try to cultivate an open community wherein we base our our let's say, the the the the people that we're looking into to become part of our family, of our community based on their identity  with our I I mean, identification with our values and their skill. That is the that is our our primary recommendation. Are we able to do the job that we are that we need you for? And are you able to actually resonate well with the company values that we stand for?

Marvin Rodriguez: And and the and these are the 2 main considerations. So it doesn't really matter whatever your preference is, whatever your your religion, your age. You're welcome. And that is 1 thing that we that we that we always cultivate. In terms of demographics, actually, 50 50 is actually the the the the the ratio between male.

Marvin Rodriguez: 52 female and 48 percent of our population are are male. So and and we don't, you know,  ask them anything about religion or or or something, but it's really more of the skills and the values that you represent.

Pawan: Oh, well, that's great to hear, and I'm glad that I'm speaking to an HR leader who embraces diversity and inclusion. 

Pawan: And, you know, the I'm coming to the last section of our conversation, and I I really want to, out of curiosity, understand what do you think makes a great HR leader? I think you've talked about making employees feel valued and heard.

Pawan: But if we have to just think about, okay, who is a great HR leader or a great people leader what are some qualities or traits that you think are absolutely necessary? 

Marvin Rodriguez: Alright. The the the most important 3 

Marvin Rodriguez: Sorry. Sorry about that. I thought I got disconnected. But, yeah, going back to the question, it's for an HR leader, it's really more of the empathy. That is I think that is probably the the the main consideration. 

Marvin Rodriguez: And there also has to have business acumen as well. Because I'm thinking that the the role of HR is actually to bridge the employees and and and and the company. And it's something that that that that doesn't stop at at any at at any given time. That person has to champion change as well and be able to take advantage of whatever changes that happens so that it will benefit both the organization and the people belonging in it because organization has to have sustainable sustainability so that it could provide for generations to come. And there are and the people within the organization should have at least the necessary jobs.

Marvin Rodriguez: I mean, the necessary skills that's necessary for them to do their jobs. And that is actually the the the role of of of HR to see through it what are the future needs, to be able to see that, what are the how do we evolve the the skills of our of our population? How do we evolve the organization to make sure that we are relevant from from now until 10 years from now or 20 years from now. So foresight is also a very critical competency for an Asian practitioner. And she he should or he or she should be able to be a very good communicator as well Because how do you bridge 2 parties if you're not able to actually communicate the needs and aspirations of the organization versus the people?

Marvin Rodriguez: So these are the traits that I think that are that are really necessary. 

Pawan: Yeah. And I think all of them are equally important. Like, being an empathetic leader, having the business acumen,  having the right communication skills, all of these things are really, like, an essential traits for being a great people leader. Thank thank you so much for answering that. 

What's your vision for the  let's say, how would the HR department  maybe become in the next few years? And maybe let's let's specifically answer for the BPO industry. What are some things that maybe HRs will have to upscale themselves? I think we test upon talking about AI and some of these other things. But what do you see in the next few years happening for them?

Marvin Rodriguez: Okay. Of course, it's always a given that we have to upscale ourselves depending on the technology that's going to come our way. Okay. But we must also look into the human side of doing things. And that is also the most important thing that the technology will be there, and it keeps on changing.

Marvin Rodriguez: But a nature practitioner must always be  when it comes to  connecting with our employees. So the soft skills, the leadership skills, I I think is probably the more important versus, you know, upskilling yourself with the latest technology. It's critical that that you do that, but there your primary function is to actually take care of of your employees. And so you must upscale yourselves in in things that will make you relevant in that particular skill of taking care about the aspirations, about the needs, about the skills of our employees that I need as technology will come in second secondary to that to that primary function. Yeah.

Pawan: Yeah. Got it. My last question, Marvin I think this is a great note that we will end on is what is 1 philosophy that you believe in that probably other people leaders or let's say, HR leaders or just CEOs and country directors probably don't believe you. What's what's something that's your style  that you and others probably might not agree with? 

Marvin Rodriguez: I'm not sure if you don't believe in it, but I always live by a particular motto all my life.

Marvin Rodriguez: It developed over a period of time. First is that live a good life,  be kind, and create moments to live for. So and these are the things that I really looked up to. I mean, kindness has been,  I mean, a trait that has not been emphasized, but it's actually what the world needs always. Right?

Marvin Rodriguez: With all the stress that we're having, with all the ambiguity that that are coming our way, with all the challenges. So we must always try to be kind. And that would spell a lot of different especially in in in human resources. Kindness would really be the deal breaker in everything that we do. And I hope that everyone would invite that even in the corporate world.

Pawan: Well, I think that's a great message to end on and also to pass on to all the HR leaders from across the globe who are gonna listen to this and watch this and create this. Thank you so much, Marvin, for taking out the time. I think I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was very insightful and also very engaging, and I felt like I'm having coffee with a friend. So thank you so much for being candid and really insightful at the same time.

Marvin Rodriguez: Alright. Thank you for having me as well, and looking forward to more conversations in the future.