RISING ABOVE CHALLENGES TOGETHER

The global pandemic has changed the world in many ways but Monocrete was able to quickly adjust to the new normal. It turned a crisis into an opportunity for the company to show how an organization can still drive for best results and provide the right support for its employees during a time of uncertainty and in the face of many limitations.

Communication
As Monocrete went digital immediately due to the lockdown in 2020, it continues to implement its information campaign via the messaging platform Viber, which enables it to reach employees as well as a series of Virtual Kumustahan in different project sites and plants. Here, the Safety, Medical, and Human Capital Management Team is able to guide employees online on how to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. They are also oriented on the different forms of support that the company provides for them.

Aside from information dissemination, another goal behind these initiatives is to provide a sense of security and transparency to employees especially during a difficult time. It allows open communication and exchange of ideas between employees and the management which further strengthens their relationship.

Retooling / Upskilling
Innovation is one of the most important values upheld in Monocrete, whether in the business-unit or company-wide level. It upholds how the quality of being innovative starts with every individual being open to learning and developing new skills. In MCPI, the Human Capital Management plays an important role in establishing a learning environment using available virtual collaboration tools, including video conferencing platforms and cloud-based document sharing so that capacity building would continue even with past and present restrictions due to COVID-19.

The learning opportunities implemented during the pandemic include Technical/Skill Training, Functional Training as well as Leadership and Behavioral Training.

Engagement
With or without the pandemic, keeping employees engaged, enthused, and productive is a huge challenge for any organization. For Monocrete, finding out how to keep them connected, aligned, and focused starts with listening to them and involving them in the process.

Through surveys and regular check-ins, employees can freely give feedback and convey their concerns and suggestions, making them an integral part of the solution. These gestures help foster trust, respect, and kinship between senior management and employees and solidify the culture of the organization, which is vital to the company’s long-term success.

At Monocrete, employees are drawn to and engaged with activities that promote fun, camaraderie while serving a good cause. The company’s long-running event Oktoberfest remains a hit among employees as it gives them an opportunity to get together for some merrymaking while raising donations for worthy causes. Recently, net proceeds for Oktoberfest reached more than P1.8 million and the beneficiaries remain to be children and siblings of our employees and workers.

The employees’ inclination to do good is aligned with the company’s desire to make a positive impact to communities and society beyond the structures it creates. Monocrete has been working with like-minded organizations that promote good such as Dugong Alay Dugtong Buhay, Haribon Foundation and WWF Organization. Regular beneficiaries of its efforts include the Department of Social Welfare and Development – Reception and Study Center for Children and Golden Acres Home for the Aged.

It consistently supports and participates in environmental causes such Tree Planting campaigns and the Earth Hour. It also works with the local government, as well as volunteer groups such as the Taguig-Pateros Fire and Rescue Volunteer Group in the operation of its Fire Engine in order to maximize its usage and facilitate a more effective response to the Community.

Indeed, being in an environment that empowers and cares for them has been encouraging employees to be instruments of empowerment and care themselves.

Support in Well-being
Monocrete went all out in looking after the employees’ mental, physical, social and financial well-being during the pandemic, knowing how much the situation can cause greater stress and anxiety. From trainings to help keep them sharp, online fitness classes to keep them active, fun events to spark happiness, and assistance as part of the wider scope of the Monocrete Foundation, online consultations and other benefits, the company also lined up efforts to bring hope and calm to the workforce in the new normal.

There were Zoom webinars on holistic wellness, the power of slumber, how to infuse joy at the workplace, and individual consultations with a registered psychotherapist to respond to the impact of the pandemic on mental health. Spiritual formation was also boosted with regular online mass and talks by motivational speakers and religious leaders.

Monocrete also took fresh, creative and somewhat unconventional approaches such as providing astronomical telescopes which employees can use to marvel at meteor showers or see the different phases of the moon.