Shared-service company Asticom leads in creating new normal
measures by delivering real and practical solutions, such as offering powerful support
to those engaged in the field and COVID tests to employees, as well as developing
programs for digital transformation.
How Asticom Aces the New Normal
For today’s professionals, being caught in the throes of the “new normal” doesn’t just
mean a disruption in the present time. It also entails a looming threat in what lies just
ahead. And what lies ahead depends not just on the individual, but also on the organization.
At shared-service company Asticom, helping its people adjust to the new normal has
meant delivering real and practical solutions. Some of these include offering powerful
support to those engaged in the field and COVID tests to employees.
As early as March 18, 2020, Asticom quickly identified the essential personnel that
would make up its limited skeleton workforce. The majority of operations shifted to a
Work-From-Home setup. Moreover, it offered pro-rate 13th-month pay as advance
assistance, as well as leave credits.
Early Measures
Asticom also developed the Digital Transformation and Support program and Physical
and Wellness Support programs to help employees fare better during tough
times. These are two key steps to secure employees’ health and safety.
Asticom’s Digital Transformation and Support program provides an accelerated and
well-rounded range of apps and portals. It enables employees to conduct day-to-day
activities and transactions in the digital space. Among these are KonsultaMD, a 24/7
telehealth app that allows remote medical consultations; BRAD, an in-house delivery
service app; and HR ePortal, which allows individuals access to important HR
information. On top of these, the Asti App offers quick access to useful employee
services. This all-in-one app is available on both iOS and Android platforms.
The company’s Physical and Wellness Support Programs, meanwhile, present crucial
support for employees’ physical and mental well-being. These include practical items
such as PPEs and PCR testing to webinars on mental health and physical wellness, to
career support in the form of learning and training sessions through Degreed,
LinkedIn, and Coursera.
The establishment of these measures and programs early on in the pandemic has not
only proven Asticom’s commitment to its employees, but also the company’s
uncommon foresight. It also underlines the importance of digital readiness in a society
suspended in distance and isolation.
New Normal, New Future
Today, the Philippines holds the record for the longest lockdown in the world. The
pandemic has turned out to be a long and uncertain road ahead for the world at large.
Economies have been devastated and healthcare systems have been put under severe
strain. The toll on individuals—from their livelihood to their very lives—has been
incalculable.
Indeed, to place the entire impact of COVID-19 under the catchall term of “new
normal” may cause many organizations to miss out on the holistic—and
everchanging—needs of the individual as the crisis takes its course.
But Asticom’s early measures reflect the importance of having a dynamic and
compassionate approach toward caring for the individual. The company’s continuing
pledge to ensure each employee’s health and safety throughout the crisis shows their
comprehensive attention to their team. And this is despite the uncertainty of the
pandemic’s duration.
As a result, employee surveys, conducted in the thick of the COVID pandemic, have
consistently returned overwhelmingly and consistently positive responses. There has
been a consensus regarding happiness and commitment among Asticom’s people,
across all aspects of the enterprise.
