Subhead: With people and culture at the heart of its operations, GoTyme Bank offers thoughtful leave benefits for moms returning to work, pet owners, and LGBTQ adoptive parents making it the ideal workplace post pandemic.

GoTyme Bank is a young startup, but it is positioned to establish a name for itself in the Philippine fintech industry. A partnership between the Gokongwei Group and Singapore-based digital banking group Tyme, it recognizes the crucial role culture plays in driving its success as it navigates a fast-paced startup environment.

With more jobseekers looking at not just dynamic work environments, but useful leave benefits and flexible work arrangements as well, GoTyme Bank is heeding the call with unique and thoughtful offerings for its employees. On the hunt for a new job? Read on to learn what makes GoTyme Bank an ideal workplace.

1. Matching hearts

Crissy Rollan, Chief People and Culture Officer at GoTyme Bank, has been at the helm of the bank’s recruitment activities since it started its operations in 2021. Under her leadership, GoTyme Bank has crafted its culture and values rooted in empowerment, transparency, imagination, grit, and empathy.

Crissy Rollan, Chief People and Culture Officer at GoTyme Bank

More than filling job openings purely based on qualifications, GoTyme Bank is also committed to growing with its employees.

“It is very easy to categorize people based on the skillset they bring or the match according to the job description,” Crissy says. “At GoTyme Bank, it is never enough that you are a technical rockstar—your passion and your heart matters. We look for people who have the right heart and are willing to invest in their future—to grow into the role and in the company.”

2. Longer maternity and paternity leaves

As a mom herself, one of the things Crissy is most passionate about is making GoTyme Bank a platform for opportunities, especially for mothers returning to work. 

“It’s every mother’s dilemma: a safe delivery, keeping the baby healthy, breastfeeding, and looking after the baby once the maternity leave is over,” Crissy points out. “For some, they decide to take a year or two off.”

At GoTyme Bank, moms and dads of newborns can enjoy extended leaves to attend to their child’s needs.

“We recognize that as a mom, sometimes the hardest part is to think about the span of time,” Crissy shares. “This is why at GoTyme Bank, we have an extension of two weeks’ maternal leave, and for dads, an extension of seven days’ paternity leave.”

3. Leave benefits for LGBTQ adoptive parents and pet owners

Taking pride in being a highly inclusive company, GoTyme Bank’s definition of parents encompasses adoptive parents—including those belonging to the LGBTQ community and domestic partnership—with an adoption leave of 60 days. Meanwhile, great news as well to fur moms and fur dads, as they get to enjoy this benefit too, via the company’s “furternity” leave.

Therese Adoremos, a project manager at GoTyme Bank one of the company’s early joiners, shares what she loves about the unique benefit.

“I want to have a dog one day, so it’s the cutest thing ever to know that Go Tyme Bank has a furternity leave I could use when that time comes,” she says.

Omaima Mahmoud, Head of Sales and Transactions at GoTyme Bank, finds the furternity leave very convenient as she considers her pets as her family members. Availing the benefit is straightforward, as well.

“GoTyme Bank includes it in our employee portal and it’s accessible just like any other leave credits,” she explains. “Seeing that GoTyme values our fur children just as much as we do really tells me that GoTyme cares about our wellbeing not just at work, but also in our personal lives. Our fur babies recently had fur babies of their own and it meant a lot to be there for them and know that my company does not consider this a silly thing at all.”

4. Medical and other benefits

Apart from the standard HMO from Day 1 for employees and their dependents, GoTyme Bank employees also enjoy insurance coverage including work from home benefits. 

"We are committed to give our GoTymers the best care—on top of the standard health benefits, we have regular career and life coaching sessions, social groups to connect people with common interests, and soon, we’ll also be launching a mental health program to give access to professional assistance." 

Kevin Cupat, a member of Go Tyme Bank’s IT team who recently got engaged, enjoys the flexibility of having a hybrid work setup, which gives him a better sense of work-life integration. He also looks forward to availing of benefits such as his birthday leave, Zumba and yoga via the wellness program, and another exciting perk: owning a laptop after a three-year residency within the company.

5. Sense of community

At GoTyme Bank, employees are treated as part of a single community. “A huge part of our talent strategy is to ensure an amazing employee journey; transparency starts at a recruitment stage,” Crissy remarks. “As a bank, we give a lot of importance to customer experience and this also translates to our internal customers: our GoTymers! You are always home in GoTyme!”

“I appreciate that you can legitimately see everyone embody the values upheld in GoTyme Bank and that everyone benefits from it,” shares project manager Therese. “I’ve personally found my work more rewarding and fulfilling because I actually care about the success of the company brought about by every single member of the GoTyme Bank team.”

Kevin adds, “I really appreciate the trust and transparency amongst my superiors and peers. There is good collaboration. This is very important because it facilitates clear and effective communication. These are good motivators and can result to increased productivity.”

6. Fun interactions through a metaverse office

With hybrid work setups becoming the norm, GoTyme Bank finds ways to continuously drive a highly engaged organization, with the recent launch of its metaverse office, a virtual space which allows workers to interact with one another remotely anytime, anywhere.

In the simulated workspace—complete with a board room and personal spaces—employees can hold meetings, ride around on a bike, run on a track field, or even dance around the office with confetti. It’s inspired by GoTyme Bank’s actual office, which is set to be turned over this August.

“One of the great lessons the pandemic taught us is to always be evolving,” Crissy notes. “With the metaverse, it is not just about staying connected, but providing a unique platform for everyone to be more expressive and creative. It also allows the more introverted people to express themselves. It’s about versatility to address a diverse organization.”  

7. Happy employees
   
   

On top of fostering employee wellness, GoTyme Bank’s success shows in how satisfied its employees are. In its first six months, it’s already achieved a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 67. NPS is a business metric used to gauge how likely an individual is willing to recommend a brand to a friend or colleague. A 67 percent NPS means the company is performing well and has a lot of happy employees or customers.

With its commitment to taking care of its employees and customers, GoTyme Bank is gearing up to revolutionize banking in the Philippines as it goes live in Q3 2022. Soon, you can open an account in under five minutes through digital kiosks and avail banking products and services such as better bank transfers, shopping rewards, interest savings, trading, investing and customer service.

To get exclusive updates on the upcoming bank launch, subscribe to GoTyme Bank’s newsletter.  To learn more about GoTyme Bank’s exciting features and products, follow their official social media pages, GoTymeBank on Facebook and Instagram. 

Over 700 participants mostly composed PRC-registered salespersons nationwide will convene in Cebu City for the first ever Real Estate Salespersons Congress on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022.

The congress, initiated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)- registered Accredited Real Estate Salespersons in the Philippines (ACRES Philippines), will gather industry practitioners in the field of real estate selling to formally introduce ACRES Philippines and its Vision and Mission; recognize its interim officers nationwide; charter members and raise awareness and tackle current concerns in real estate selling.

ACRES is the country’s first and largest organization of accredited real estate salespersons. Founded in 2021, it supports the endeavors of salespersons in furthering their learnings, ethical standards, protection of their rights to free and fair practice, upliftment of their well-being, and due representation and inclusion on matters of their trade and prosperity. At present the association has already set up nationwide chapters with interim officers in Metro Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Bicol, Sorsogon, Legaspi, Pampanga, Palawan, Tacloban, Ormoc, Bohol, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Kabankalan, Iloilo, Roxas, Aklan, Calbayog, Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Northern Cebu, Southern Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue, Catbalogan, Davao, General Santos, Caraga, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Surigao, Ozamis, Dipolog, Pagadian, Digos, Iligan and Gingoog.

These interim officers will take oath during the congress. Cebu was picked as the host for this year’s Congress to showcase the city’s progressive real estate industry whose vibrance could only be kept and achieved by proactive industry practitioners, including real estate salespersons.

According to Anthony Gerard Leuterio, president of A Better Real Estate Philippines (ABREP), the advisory group of ACRES, the formation of ACRES came timely as the real estate sector experiences a rebound from the economic stresses brought about by Covid-19 pandemic. He said unifying all the salespersons involved in real estate will further advance the country’s real estate sector and make it one of the strongest economic pillars amid the headwinds. “Since real estate is a selling business, we also need to get the salespersons onboard and actively involved them in advancing the sector alongside the brokers,” he said. Leuterio stressed that since real estate salespersons are significant contributors in the continued expansion of the sector, they must be well represented. “These practitioners need to have a voice too, especially when policies and laws are crafted. We need to include them so we could really a ‘Better Real Estate’,” he said.

Real estate salespersons comprise the biggest number of professionals in the real estate service. Moreover, ACRES seeks to work harmoniously and collaboratively with the professionals in the real estate service, regulatory agencies, real estate organizations, property companies, policy makers and advocacy groups. Leuterio said the association is keen to work with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) so it can participate on campaigns against illegal salespersons and illegal developers. The group also wants to work with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to promote accreditation to all salespersons involved in real estate selling activities.

Barangay Shopee grants community wishes such as basketball courts, multi-purpose hall renovation, and more

MANILA, AUGUST 26, 2022 – Shopee, with its purpose of improving the lives of Filipinos across the country through technology, has helped millions of local customers and sellers easily adopt e-commerce through meaningful campaigns and initiatives. In time for its much-awaited double day sale, the 9.9 Super Shopping Day, Shopee launches Barangay Shopee, the newest initiative under its Shopee Bayanihan CSR program, designed to help communities in need by enabling Filipinos to win a sponsored community project for their barangay. 

Through this contest, Shopee users from all over the Philippines have the chance to win a community project that will help address the needs of their barangay. Winners of the contest can choose their own community project that all members of their barangay can benefit from, such as a new basketball court, multi-purpose hall renovation, public school supplies, and other community-building projects. 

Starting August 25 up to September 9, users can join Barangay Shopee by posting video entries on Facebook and submitting the link via the Barangay Shopee page in the app. Joining the online contest can be done in three simple steps:  

1. Create a 1-2 minute video with at least 3 barangay members and answer the questions:

• Bakit kayo ang dapat tawagin na “Barangay Shopee”? 

• Paano pwedeng tulungan ng Shopee ang inyong Barangay?

2. Post the video on Facebook, following these requirements:

• Follow and tag @ShopeePH on Facebook

• Post is public

• Use the hashtag #BarangayShopee in the caption

3. Submit the link to your video via the Barangay Shopee page in the Shopee app.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, shared “We are thrilled to be launching our newest initiative, Barangay Shopee. In everything that we do, we work towards our main mission of bettering the lives of our users, sellers, and communities through technology. Through Barangay Shopee, our goal is to foster the community spirit of barangays from all over the Philippines, and uplift them by providing them with a community project that their whole barangay can benefit from. We look forward to crafting even more initiatives that will help make e-commerce more accessible for all.”

Barangay Shopee is the newest initiative under Shopee Bayanihan, the company's umbrella CSR program that seeks to harness the power of technology to help communities benefit from digital transformation, wherever they are in the Philippines. 

To learn more about how you can join and win a Shopee-sponsored community project of your choice for your barangay, visit the Barangay Shopee page in the app. Download Shopee for free on App Store or Google Play Store.