At ACEN, we believe that the heart of the organization is our people, and a highly motivated workforce is what will propel us forward to our 2030 aspiration. That’s why we continuously enhance our competitiveness in the market by putting our people first, ensuring their sustained career growth and creating a safe and supportive environment where they can thrive as professionals.
We also foster a dynamic and inclusive culture where everyone is treated with fairness and respect. We engage with our employees by providing them topnotch programs and benefits that nurture the development of the entire organization as we remain bullish in our renewables buildout.
ACEN promotes personal growth in the organization and is committed to providing equality of opportunity for learning and development to its employees. The company believes in lifelong and continuous learning anchored on the principle of continuous improvement and one’s ownership of career development.
ACEN’s learning and development strategy revolves around a blended learning approach that accelerates development of emerging and business competencies. Furthermore, ACEN has established its Learning and Development Policy to provide structured guidelines for the implementation of an organizational-wide talent development program. ACEN advocates a modular framework for continuous learning anchored on 3 components: Experience, Education, and Exposure.
Ayala LEAP
The Ayala Leadership Acceleration Program (LEAP) equips our management team to maneuver the organization in a swift and agile manner to keep up with the demands of the dynamic energy sector that it navigates. This includes executive educational programs and function-specific programs, coaching and feedback mechanisms. We have an ongoing partnership with Zenger Folkman to conduct a 360-feedback leadership development program for ACEN’s executives. Furthermore, we have an ongoing management development program in collaboration with an international business school to equip participants with business acumen and leadership skills.
ACEN Cadetship Program
Now on its second year, our five-month-long Cadetship Program, organized by our plant operations-human resources team, has extensively trained nine cadet engineers under the technical and leadership learning programs. Mentored by ACEN leaders, participants for this program are rigorously selected fresh graduates and licensed civil, electrical and mechanical engineers who are provided with on-site operations experience to sharpen their technical skills, develop their competencies and expose themselves to the different aspects of the energy industry. The program is seen as an opportunity for recruitment, employee succession and talent development within our growing organization
LinkedIn Learning
Our Human Resources team’s partnership with LinkedIn Learning allows our employees to get exclusive access to LinkedIn courses about relevant topics where they can get certifications afterwards. A weekly newsletter highlighting a particular course offered on the platform is also sent via email to the entire company. This enables learning as a consistent habit in the everyday lives of our people.
ACEN Mentorship Program
In 2023, we launched our first company-wide mentoring program, where senior management leaders were given an avenue to impart valuable knowledge on a mentor-mentee basis. The pilot phase proved successful with a total of 21 executives volunteering as mentors and 33 team members registering as mentees, resulting in a 100 percent match rate. The key competencies prioritized for development through the program include strategic thinking, business acumen and problem-solving.
Individual development plan
Managing and assessing the performance of our employees are also an integral part of motivating and engaging our workforce. Through this, we create a space for us to set clear, tangible targets for each team member and to help them understand how they contribute to the company’s shared goals. To ensure the personal and professional growth of our employees, we conduct an annual rigorous performance assessment which starts from goal-setting, talent review using our nine-box grid and individual development plan (IDP), and the performance review proper.
We commit to promoting the mental wellness of our employees through our multi-faceted ‘Empowering Minds’ initiative, which features informative webinars, morale-boosting stand-up comedy sessions and personalized self-care packages tailored for our employees. Through this program, we aim not only to raise awareness but also cultivate a culture of compassion and proactive mental health care within our organization.
ThoughtFull mental well-being app
We ensure that the mental health of our employees is taken care of despite the evolving job demands. To enhance employee well-being and productivity, we’ve partnered with ThoughtFull mobile app to roll out mental health support tailored to our workforce’s individual needs. Through ThoughtFull, our employees have access to 1-on-1 coaching with a mental health professional and can avail up to four private online video consultations, including round-the-clock crisis support from trained psychological first aiders.
In 2023, our collaboration with the ThoughtFull team included the implementation of two webinars: ”Optimizing Your Energy,” which focuses on enhancing mental energy levels to boost willpower, motivation, and productivity, and ”Supporting Your Team’s Mental Health,” which equips our leaders with psychological first aid knowledge to provide timely support for their team members.
Additionally, participants benefited from an ”A-Z Guide on Mental Health,” learning practical strategies in navigating challenging emotions to promote personal and team well-being. We also introduced new features such as a guided breathing tool, daily reflections and ThoughtFull journeys to further support our employees’ wellness.
Atletang Ayala
Through the Ayala group’s Atletang Ayala program, we provide funding support to emerging Filipino athletes in their run-up to major international sports events, including the Olympics. Among the athletes in this program is ACEN’s Pia Bidaure, a world-rank archer and SEA Games Gold medalist.
Pia is part of the eight pioneer-athletes under the program who are provided with salaries and benefits while training for their respective competitions and at the same time, being productive members of our workforce. We also help supplement their funding needs through crowd-sourcing initiatives.
The Atletang Ayala program offers a yearly contract that can be renewed annually until the 2024 Olympics, contingent on the attainment of clear performance measures.
Ayala Group Sports Reconnect
The Ayala Group Sports Reconnect is a groupwide initiative designed to facilitate employee reconnection through friendly sports competitions, emphasizing teamwork, sportsmanship and physical well-being.
We proudly fielded our own badminton team, comprising members from the ACEN headquarters, ACES and our plants, who enthusiastically participated in the tournament. Additionally, our employees grabbed the opportunity to engage in a StreetDance workshop to forge new and diverse connections with colleagues within the Ayala group.
WAAwesome Musikachill
To celebrate Ayala Corporation’s 189th anniversary, we collaborated with other Ayala companies to organize the WAAwesome Musikachill, the first-ever WeAreAyala groupwide event in Manila. The event saw Ayala group employees coming together to enjoy live performances and indulge in complimentary street food and beer, sparking a sense of camaraderie with our peers within the Ayala community after the pandemic lockdowns.
We impressively achieved an 84 percent participation rate for the ACEN headquarters and our shared-services subsidiary, ACES, with our plant employees across the Philippines tuning in online to stream the festivities through their respective WeAareAyala Business Club chapters.
ACEN People Committee
The ACEN People Committee, comprised of representatives from different business units, serves as HR’s ally in driving employee engagement. Through their teamwork, we make sure that the programs and activities for our employees are conceptualized in a way that champions our ABCD company values – aspire, believe, collaborate, deliver. They are the ambassadors of the ACEN culture who represent employees’ voices on critical organization agenda, including diversity, equality, inclusivity and well-being.
Assessing our engagement score
In order to assess employee sentiments real-time, we launched a quarterly pulse survey to evaluate the company’s efforts in relation to employee attraction, development, engagement, well-being and retention.
Ayala Corporation conducted a group-wide engagement survey in 2023 wherein ACEN participated in. 92 percent of ACEN’s employees responded favorable to the Sustainable Engagement items, which entails that employees are greatly satisfied with the work environment and culture within the company.
We also help foster work-life balance through special interest groups that cater to various personal interests of our employees, allowing them to pursue hobbies and passions outside of work. Our year-long employee engagement calendar includes activities such as online concerts, sports tournaments, employee volunteerism programs, personalized mental health and well-being support, and virtual team building events. Online counseling and psychological well-being hotline channels are also made available for ACEN employees.
We are guided by our compensation philosophy that ensures the competitiveness of employees’ total remuneration compared to our relevant market. As a result of the 2021 mid-year compensation review, improvements on the total compensation of employees were implemented. The salary increments, benefits and rewards are commensurate to the overall company and individual performance, determined through the mid-year and annual performance and talent review process.
In 2021, an executive stock ownership program (ESOWN) was also approved. This long-term incentive is meant to enhance ownership and accountability, and align management compensation with company objectives.
Aside from standard compensation packages, we offer employees wellness benefits that subsidize activities that promote physical or mental wellbeing. Work-life balance is further encouraged with sufficient vacation and sick leaves, and other forms of paid time off. Furthermore, we offer variable pay in the form of a performance bonus each year. Aligned with the company’s performance appraisal system, the bonus allows for opportunities to reward individual contributions throughout the year.
As part of our initiative to raise awareness on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are proud to have recently rolled out gender-support benefits, with health insurance covering common law and LGBTQ+ partners. Dependents coverage has also been expanded to include in-laws, nieces and nephews in our health insurance.
At our plant level, dedicated shuttle services are provided for employees residing in remote areas. For plant-based employees, comfortable and sufficient staff housing is provided for long-term accommodation. Daily meals are also provided by our in-house canteen and pantry facilities.
In partnership with Etiqa, ACEN employees are provided health insurance for their medical needs. Health-related benefits are extended to immediate family members, including mental health and wellness programs. Single employees, meanwhile, can make their medical benefits transferable to the next of their kin. COVID-19 vaccination coverage was also extended to employee dependents.
In terms of retirement, we offer a multi-employer retirement plan to ensure the long-term financial welfare of our employees, as well as financial support programs to meet more immediate needs.
We believe that advancing our renewables agenda entails the creation of a shared space where we can collaborate and deliver our goals while embodying sustainability as the core of our business. That’s why at the ACEN headquarters, environmental stewardship and functionality intersect in the overall design process to boost employee health and well-being, save on energy consumption and reduce waste.
Take for example the greeneries we use within the office: our air purifying plants from Netherlands-based Air So Pure have been carefully chosen and strategically positioned in key areas of the headquarters. These plants have scientifically proven air purifying health benefits, converting toxins and CO2 into oxygen in a very efficient way.
The ACEN headquarters, like the rest of the Ayala Triangle Gardens Tower 2, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-Certified building, uses an Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) circulation system which exchanges stale, polluted indoor air with fresh, clean outdoor air without wasting energy.
For its furnishings, highly durable furniture made of wood materials sourced from sustainable forests are utilized in the office, minimizing our carbon impact and resulting in a contemporary and environment-friendly workplace. Meanwhile, the carpets used are made from recycled fishing nets. The supplier, Interface Inc., uses discarded fishing nets to produce nylon yarn and create high quality carpet tiles.
To add to our overall efficiency, the use of motion sensor lights also provides a very convenient system that aims to save on electricity consumption, while motion sensor faucets help to stop the spread of germs, prevent water overflow and provide better efficiency on water usage
Read more about how we have transformed our
headquarters into the home of the future of energy