Branded! – From Me to We: How Asurion brings its people together.

In this Q&A interview, we talk to Arvy Villamarzo, Associate Director of Leadership & Development at Asurion to share about how their high-trust workplace inspires them to deliver their best work and collaborate effectively.

Asurion is an organization that puts its people first—having ranked 9th on the Philippines Best Workplaces? 2023 List in the Large Category.

Tell us what it's like to work for Asurion!

One gets the feeling that they hit the jackpot. There is something about the culture that makes it quite possibly the last company that one will work at. Applying the analogy of dating, I guess one could say you can delete the dating apps as you’ve found the one.

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What makes Asurion’s culture unique?

Leaders get a lot of training on how to be a good people leader. This helps them transition from being a high-performing individual contributor to a leader who knows that helping their people grow is their priority.

Aside from this, HR provides a lot of guidance to people leaders on the way they interview, select, and manage their teams. This sets up our leaders for success. We don’t just throw them into the deep and expect them to float.

Employee engagement activities such as the sports fest and holiday party are just some of the things that employees eagerly look forward to. We also have our diversity, equity and inclusion initiative “commUnity” that brings employees together for mentorship, support, and volunteerism.

How do you keep people engaged?

The company’s talent management program aims to move all employees to a higher level of performance. The top performers are acknowledged for their efforts, while those who are struggling are given programs that help them identify and remove barriers to engagement.

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How does the company handle disengaged employees?

The company provides an external counseling service for employees who may be encountering some personal psychological challenge. We also offer an in-house coaching service for people who would prefer to take coaching sessions over psychiatric treatments.

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How does Asurion show support to its people?

Our Compensation and Benefits team provides several programs that promote holistic employee well-being. Every month, we have programs that promote physical, mental, emotional, and financial well-being.

The company’s quarterly check-in for all employees provides an environment where people leaders and their team members can talk not just about their performance but also their career aspirations.

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Any challenges you’ve encountered while helping develop Asurion’s culture?

Asurion has several businesses in the country—an IT shared services company, a remanufacturing company, and a contact center. This structure has created pockets of microculture within the company. To address this, our team has introduced a lot of company-wide activities that bring these businesses together. Furthermore, the newly introduced “Asurion Way” reveals the formula for propagating the company culture that has led to our growth and success.

What was your biggest learning/takeaway from these experiences?

Despite the fact that Asurion cuts across three different industries, we share many similarities and the work that we do is more interconnected than we think.

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Why is it important Philippine businesses to measure and improve their company’s culture?

Using a fishbowl analogy, the corporate culture is the water that the fish swim in. A healthy culture naturally creates the conditions necessary for the employees to thrive.

Personally, what’s the best thing about being a champion for high-trust workplace culture?

As identified in the book “The Speed of Trust”, a high-trust culture makes everything flow faster. Being a champion for that kind of culture is possibly one of the best ways by which a corporate employee can contribute to the upliftment of humanity.

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Any advice for leaders who ambition to create a great place to work for all?

A people-centric focus, deep appreciation for diversity and inclusion, and a conscious decision to evolve from a me-first to a we-first mindset will naturally lead to the creation of a healthy culture.

As one of the Best Workplaces? in the Philippines for 2023, how has this impacted your company’s employer brand?

The Great Place To Work? [badge]/seal of approval has been the icing on the cake. The cake itself has always been moist and delicious, but the icing has made it all the more appealing to attract new talents who have not heard of us previously.