“Communication is key to ensuring that we reach everyone, leaving no one behind, in terms of the development, security and safety of our employees,” says Wolfgang Droste, CEO of Pacific Cross Group.
Pacific Cross Insurance specializes in the medical, travel, HMO and personal accident insurance market. Headquartered in the Philippines and with sister companies in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, it is part of a larger group of health insurance companies operating throughout Asia, with a particular focus on the Asia region. ASEAN.
At the inaugural edition of the HR Excellence Awards, Philippines in 2022, Pacific Cross Insurance won three awards:
- Gold for excellence in business transformation,
- Silver for Excellence in Learning and Development, and
- Bronze for excellence in the response to COVID 19
In this interview, Pacific Cross Group CEO Wolfgang Drosterecount HR all about the company’s three-year transformation from one that operated in silos to one that embraced unity with a focus on engagement, development and well-being.
Q Congratulations on the achievement! Could you explain to us the highs and lows of your winning strategy?
The new management who entered the company in 2018 quickly realized that the group of companies operating in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong had no synergy. Local operations management operated in silos. Besides some uniformity in product offerings, there was a bit of commonality. We have since embarked on a journey to unify the company. Our OneCompany project includes a uniform administrative and accounting platform, the introduction of uniform pricing and reservation standards, a uniform customer service philosophy and increased alignment of all our operating standards and personnel system, whether we now call OneHR.
Importantly, the introduction of the Group Performance Based Management Employee Incentive Program (MEIP) makes the OneCompany concept tangible for all staff.
Q How did the HR team identify and align business and employee needs, and come up with this perfect solution?
It is the result of a three-year project with progressive development and consultative collaboration with the various department heads and the central HR team with guidance and support from the Group. The company continues to look for ways to make learning more accessible to employees and have access to it anytime, anywhere. Since the company is focused on a future-oriented mentality and digitization of systems, why not adapt the same for the other facets of the company, including training and development. For the COVID-19 pandemic, we reached out to leaders and checked how their employees are doing and what kind of support and assistance they would need in the short and long term.
Communication is key to ensuring that we reach out to all, leaving no one behind, in terms of the development, safety and security of our people.
Q Could you share the results of your strategy, whether on the business, HR or personnel side?
The alignment of all our operating standards and our human resources management system, which we now call OneHR. The strategy has enabled the company to positively engage employees, nurture and extend support for the holistic well-being of all our staff, pursue employee development focusing on the skills they will need to prepare them for transformation and digitization, and to respond to the pandemic covering mental, physical, emotional and digital health, without weighing down costs and expenses.
Even with the limitation of face-to-face activities, we are able to communicate with our employees through our electronic conferencing platforms and provide continuous development through our learning management system, which is available to them 24 hours a day. 24, seven days a week.
Q What is your message to all the stakeholders who have supported you on this journey?
To be the best in our industry and the supplier of choice for our customers, we must excel as a group every day. As we continue to pursue our goals and strategies to become a successful group, we strive to drive the “One Company, One People” strategy, align all countries with our group initiatives, share best practices across -beyond borders, while respecting the culture and environment within each territory.
Crossing divisions and countries, exploring creative and innovative ideas, maximizing internal talent and developing programs that would engage, develop and empower our people to become better at what they do. The recognition and success that the company achieves is due to its employees and the management team that promotes camaraderie and teamwork. Moving forward together, towards the future of a better Pacific Cross.
Q What excites you the most when you think about the future of HR?
We strive to provide the best service and value for our customers’ medical and travel insurance needs, and having customer-focused employees enhances their experience.
Human Resources (HR) is involved in the end-to-end journey of an employee’s lifecycle. HR is at the heart of any organization. HR is not immune to change, innovation, digitalization, etc.
We must first be able to adapt and adopt them, better than anyone, in order to retain our talents, to develop adapted / personalized programs that our organization, our employees and our company need to succeed.
Award-giving bodies such as the HR Excellence Awards are more than just a way to showcase and recognize effort; it creates a channel for organizations from different industries to inspire and share their success so that others are motivated to strive to be better at serving their employees.
Pacific Cross Group CEO Wolfgang Droste
Images / Provided (responsible: Pacific Cross team; online image: interviewee Wolfgang Droste)
Read more interviews about why organizations have won trophies for their HR practices – head over to our Winning Secrets section!
Follow us on Telegram and on Instagram @humanresourcesonline for all the latest HR and workforce news from across the region!
#Winning #Secrets #Pacific #Cross #Insurances #3year #journey #silo #mentality #embraces #unity