Team AdvantageClub.ai:: Hello, everyone. Welcome to AdvantageClub.ai’s Inspiring Leaders and Leadership podcast. I’m your host for today, from the team of AdvantageClub.ai. So today, we have with us someone very, very special from the HR fraternity. And let me tell you, he’s not just any other HR professional, but he’s also a life coach, a social entrepreneur, and also a poet. Let me welcome Jakeson. Jakeson, welcome to the podcast. 

Jakeson: Right. Thank you. The pleasure is mine

Team AdvantageClub.ai:Likewise. So, Jakeson, for our viewers today, could you please tell us a little bit about yourself? How has been your journey so far in the industry and anything interesting that’s happening currently with you? 

Jakeson: My corporate venture began in Singapore when I spent a decade as a senior training and development manager. Gladly, I returned to the Philippines when I decided to start a family. I’m a passionate advocate of mental health in the workplace and hold a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology from the Philippines and a diploma in teaching and supporting children with special needs in Singapore. I am currently studying for a Master of Arts in guidance and counseling, and am on my last leg of thesis writing, finally with the title, “The Lived Experience of PWDs and Seniors in the Philippines.”

My accomplishments continued to soar high as I obtained my HR licenses with a globally recognized level of achievement in the field of human resources from CPHR or CAHR United Kingdom as well as the prestigious CHRME Level Three designation issued by American Certification Institute of Delaware, USA. 

I was also recently named as the Global HR Executive 2022 by the International HR Institute last November. 

Known to many, I was featured online by a famous social media blog post and website last 2020. It’s called ‘When in Manila, When in Pampanga or Scholarship Corner because during the times of COVID, we were not doing anything and the only thing that we could do was to thrive during the pandemic. So, I was able to complete 24 short courses from top universities and elite companies around the world in just three days. Adding to the bunch or list of my accomplishments, I was able to complete 23 tests that are vocational courses or have a national certificate of NC two or NC three in just two days. So, last year, I also received talent management with a proficient badge issued by the Institute of Human Resource Professionals. 

So currently, I am working full-time as Senior HR and Stakeholder Engagement at Power 4  All and as a Director of Business Excellence at  iQuBETS HR and organizational development consultancy.  I also work as a resource speaker at various webinars and also I’m the founder of Facebook Groups like HR TLC or Training Licensing Certification,  Pampanga OJPs, job hiring Pangasinan  in Manila which has a total of 15,000 members. 

So, these are the things that I continue to share my expertise at the workplace, empower employees and prepare millennials or HR leaders for tomorrow. 

Team AdvantageClub.ai: That’s wonderful, Jakeson. I’m sure you will literally have a lot of hats. That’s impressive.So could you please tell me any challenge which has beenlike,  a life-changing moment for you in your career till now and what have you learned from those challenges as of now? 

Jakeson: There have been a lot of challenges, but I want to highlight a very common challenge which is  communication. So I firmly believe that communication is essential, so HR leaders must ensure they’re communicating effectively with the stakeholders as,  what my role is. One example is of a resigning employee. Most of the time, being heard, that’s the only thing they want to do, the only answer for them to stay.

So some of the key challenges of HR nowadays is typically a high turnover rate in a department. In this case, the HR leader would need to investigate the reasons for turnover or devise retention strategies. This could include improving the work environment by providing opportunities for professional development. So these were the things that we can do.

Team AdvantageClub.ai: Absolutely. Very well said, Jakeson. You also mentioned a very vital point here that communication is the key. Be it in your personal life or your professional life, communication can actually break a lot of barriers in your day to day life. So on that note, Jakeson, the current workplace scenario is very much known to each one of us. So, tell me, Jakeson, are there any initiatives taken up by your organization or by your team, for employees, in terms of recognition, or the engagement levels? Because communication is the first first step which you need to actually cross and then the rest of the things follow. So any innovative employee recognition engagement programs at your company at the moment?

Jakeson: Alright. I’ll start with the employee engagement. So we’re very specific and highly put regards on this in terms of employee engagement and wellness because we believe that this is a significant challenge for HR leaders. So employees who are engaged and satisfied with their jobs are more productive and less likely to quit. So what we did is to partner with all other merchants or establishments like foods and non food, so we can reward our employees. 

So as a human resource leader, we can prioritize the development of the program as well to improve employees’ wellness by partnering, for example, mental health support or practitioners and wellness initiatives like partnering with gyms and some courses that they can find very relaxing out of their daily work.

Team AdvantageClub.ai: Wonderful. Jakeson. You mentioned mental health, which is, of course, a major concern for all individuals today, either they’re working or they’re running a business. Mental health is very important in today’s time, and you clearly mentioned it in part of your conversation. So tell me, Jakeson, what has been your biggest support?

I’m sure you must have had your ups and downs, like, all of us. So what has been your biggest support or anybody who’s been your mentor over the challenging times of yours?

Jakeson: Right. I tried to visualize and thought about who is really my biggest supporter or mentor. But during the few years of my profession, I could not find a regular mentor. Then I put into consideration some colleagues or supervisors who have provided me guidance, feedback, and support throughout my career, became my greatest supporter or, and where whereas for me, it is a silent or indirect mentor. So I’m thinking, “Hey. You are my mentor,” but they didn’t know. So I would identify that this person may have shared their knowledge and experience with me, so those things. 

Now external mentors or supporters such as professional association, networking groups, such as we have the Philippine HR Group or PHRG with growing numbers of members, or I usually tap some industry expert that I have known and they are available as a mentor. So I volunteered to be their mentee. 

But personally, the most important supporter in my life, definitely my wife Joanna, because she understood the challenges that we faced and the demands as an HR leader in my whole  family. So as an HR leader, it defines my roots having individual experiences or career growth career goals. So, I think a mentor could be someone who has been with you or since the beginning of our career. 

Team AdvantageClub.ai: Absolutely, Jakeson. So, I can clearly understand that you strongly believe in the mental health scenario of any individual, and especially when you’re talking about employees in the workplace scenario. So any organization or any HR leader who thinks of employees’ mental health, I’m sure employees comes first. It’s like for them, employees are the first and foremost reason to actually worry about. So how do you plan to champion this people-first vision, like today, every organization plans to actually be a people-first culture with people-first vision. What is your take on that?

Jakeson: Yeah. Your question is significantly relevant as I’m seeing the word people-first. Even on the posted job ads nowadays, I can see that HR practitioners or leaders should be people-first. So, to champion that, I have a few steps that I need to share with you. Create a clear vision and strategy. That’s the first. So HR leaders should create this clear vision or strategy to put people first. So this includes focus on providing a positive employee experience and developing a stronger employer brand.

Now after having that clear vision, you need to communicate your vision. Of course, it should not stay in the room or within just written down your notebook but HR leaders should communicate it with the people and the stakeholders. This can ensure that everyone understands the importance of putting people first like holding a town hall meeting, developing employee communications, or promoting divisions through social media.

So, next is to create a strong employer brand that should have a compelling employee value proposition, demonstrating the company’s commitment to employee development and well-being, promoting company culture, your values, and whatever it entails. 

Next, I’m thinking of implementing employee-focussed policies and programs. Because with these initiatives, we need to be flexible, such as nowadays, when flexible working arrangements and also some career development opportunities are very trendy, especially now that we’re dealing with millennials, who look for those developments. They don’t want to be stagnant. 

Also encourage a culture of continuous improvement. But, generally, I find that HR should be a good example by modeling people first, or people-first vision in their own behavior and decision making. So it should be shown every day. Like, for instance, being empathetic, listening to employees’ feedback, making decisions that prioritize employees’ well-being, and any personal or career development.

Team AdvantageClub.ai: Right. Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more, Jakeson, on this.  Well said. 

So Jakeson, before I end off this candid conversation with you, would want to know as you just rightly mentioned, that currently we’re dealing with Gen Zs and Millennials and I’m sure there are a lot many out there who’d want to actually be leaders. And not just any old leader, an HR leader in the future. So, Jakeson, any piece of advice for those upcoming future of tomorrow? 

Jakeson: Right. HR is really evolving. And for years and decades, there have been a lot of contributions that have been valued as well as recognized by companies. So organizations can see this very effectively and in various dimensions. And for me, I would advise to be agile to the stakeholders and HR designs. As mentioned, there are a lot of dimensions that keep on coming, and emerging in the HR initiatives. Since the business landscape is constantly changing, so must the HR leaders. 

Next is also  to develop a strategic mindset. So we’ve heard a lot about the HRBP or business partners. So here, having a strategic mindset should also align with the  overall goals or objective of the company but more so with understanding the organization’s vision, mission, and values. We need to ensure that the policies and programs are aligned. 

We also need to embrace digital technology and of course, now that analytics are very important so that the stakeholders or the management can have better or informed decisions. But as an HR leader, it’s very important to always look at the employees’ experiences and build HR relationships.

So these are the things that we can prioritize. I always share with my team to be a catalyst or agent of change because if you are an HR leader and you don’t make any change to drive organizational transformation and innovation, then it means you are not really doing your part or job. We should not be complacent in whatever we do. So, with all those things, HR practices, we should deploy changes and be people-first.

So, with this part of people first and becoming an HR leader is to recognize or reward employees, do a lot of alignment in the integration, how we can simplify onboarding or performance management. But to conclude, I think, I’d like to share that we should adopt a growth mindset or understand human capability and be dedicated to continuous learning and development. Because that’s how I embody continuous learning and acquire new knowledge, skills, and experience. 

Team AdvantageClub.ai: Great, Jakeson. As you rightly mentioned, it’s no more a one-size-fits-all scenario anymore. So every employee has a different need. And as HR leaders, they actually should come up and address all those needs individually and come up with new strategies to actually recognize those employees, engage them and not let them quit as we all say. So, yeah, thank you so much, Jakeson.

Jakeson: Thank you very much.

Team AdvantageClub.ai:: It’s been a pleasure, and I hope our viewers are gonna be thrilled to actually get to know such information, and such insightful discussion that we’ve had. I’m looking forward to it. Thank you so much, Jakeson.

Jakeson: Right. Thank you very much. Have a great day. Bye.

Team AdvantageClub.ai: Bye.