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Robert Conrad Gonzales, Chief People Officer, shares how GCash this approach further prioritises employee wellbeing, and brings the organisation's core values to life.
With its vision of 'Finance For All', GCash aims to create a people-centric environment that empowers its people. After all, the team recognises that when employees feel valued and supported, not only does employee retention improve, but overall job satisfaction and company culture does also thrive.
Through investing in a holistic employee wellbeing, the team has created a more engaged and loyal workforce — and in the process, won several awards at the at the HR Excellence Awards 2024, Philippines:
- Gold in 'Excellence in HR Communication Strategy'
- Gold in 'Best HR Team (SME)'
- Silver in 'Excellence in Total Rewards Strategy'
- Bronze in 'Excellence in Retention Strategy'
- Bronze in 'Employer of the Year'
In this interview with HRO, Robert Conrad Gonzales, Chief People Officer, shares how GCash established an approach that prioritises employee wellbeing, and brings the the organisation's core values to life.
Q What sparked your passion & business case for pursuing your outstanding people strategy?
Our people strategy is driven by our vision of 'Finance For All'. Inclusion is at GCash’s core, so we recognise that achieving this first starts with providing opportunities for all. We aim to create a people-centric environment that empowers everyone. Our goal is to be a driver of digital transformation that fosters active participation from all, ensuring that everyone has a chance to contribute to the country’s growth.
We established the 3Cs mantra (Care, Career, Culture), which allowed us to further make our employees’ wellbeing a priority, create programmes that activate values in the workplace, and stitch together various programmes such as development programmes and leadership programmes to uplift leaders and young talents, honing them to become strategic and globally competitive fintech leaders in the future.
Q Looking back, can you share a challenge that you overcame in your journey of HR excellence? How did you triumph?
During the pandemic, when GCash was growing rapidly, we noticed our attrition rate was alarmingly high at 26%. Feedback from employee surveys pointed to compensation as a key issue. To address this, we made significant improvements to our total rewards. We restructured salaries, adjusted bonuses, introduced flexible benefits and wellness allowances, revamped the annual incentive plan, and offered stock options to high performers. We also rolled out life-partner insurance.
These changes empowered our employees financially and made a real difference. As a result, our job offer acceptance rate jumped from 79% to 88%, and our attrition rate dropped to 13.63%. In our latest engagement survey, the feedback on our total rewards has been overwhelmingly positive.
Additionally, previous surveys showed that 40% of exiting employees cited a lack of career development as a reason for leaving. In response, we launched several learning & development initiatives, including leadership programmes tailored fit to employees of varying levels, as well as the GCash Fintech University, to foster growth, innovation, and psychological safety for our employees.
We’ve learned that investing in holistic employee wellbeing—through competitive compensation, personalised benefits, financial empowerment, and tailor-fit training and development—creates a more engaged and loyal workforce.
When employees feel valued and supported, not only does retention improve, but overall job satisfaction and company culture also thrive. This holistic approach to people strategy is essential for long-term success.
Q Beyond the recognition, what impact do you hope your feature in the HR Excellence Awards would have on the HR community and manpower landscape?
We hope our recognition inspires others to take bold steps in fostering inclusivity. Our story shows that creating a people-first culture not only improves employee satisfaction but also leads to business success and actual positive impact on society.
At GCash, we’ve learned that the only way we get to truly make Filipinos’ everyday lives better is to ensure that we start with our employees. We want to encourage the HR community to prioritise inclusivity, showcasing how inclusive policies can lead to more innovations for the nation.
Q Could you share some advice you would give to others aspiring to follow in your footsteps?
Be intentional in designing your people programmes and constantly listen and actively seek feedback. Understand your employees’ unique needs and challenges, and continuously assess your programmes’ effectiveness. Don’t shy away from innovation — tailor solutions to fit the diverse needs of your people. Most importantly, recognise that these challenges evolve, so continuously improve on existing programmes. Building an inclusive workplace requires the willingness to evolve with your workforce.
Q Let's talk inspiration! Who has been a driving force behind your success?
Our GCash Kabarkadas, of course. Their work in GCash is not easy, because we recognise the direct impact it has on Filipinos’ lives. Their passion to continuously drive innovation for the nation is what powers us to keep providing the best workplace for them.
Lead image / Provided
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