People

Health and well-being

Our approach to employee health and well-being is underscored by our Purpose to Inspire Confidence and Empower Change. We believe that our work is not where we go, but what we do. We do what matters – especially for our people. This includes striving to protect their health and ensure that we provide them with the holistic health that we believe each of our individual employees deserves. In turn, we believe that this enhances our employee engagement and strengthens the bond between them and the firm, creating purpose, success and productivity. ​

Since 2019, the firm has maintained its #KPMGisHereForYou Program to build a positive culture of support in the firm where anyone can talk about their mental health struggles without fear of judgment and discrimination. ​

Through this, we helped our people cope with the anxiety and isolation that most felt during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—boosting their mental health and well-being by providing the best possible support.

We have adopted a Work for Excellence set-up wherein people can work from home, the office, or a client’s office, whichever is most conducive to producing excellent work. ​

This work structure has enabled the organization to encourage flexibility and collaboration, allowing people to work from wherever they will produce the best results in terms of quality, efficiency and productivity.

At KPMG, we extend financial assistance to employees facing prolonged sickness to alleviate their financial strain, demonstrating our commitment to supporting our team members during challenging times. This initiative underscores our dedication to employee well-being and ensuring they receive the necessary support to navigate health-related challenges effectively.

In celebration of World Mental Health Day, we invited a psychologist to discuss the importance of courage in seeking professional help and recognizing when it's time to do so.​

We partnered with a mental health center to give out free counselling sessions to make it easier for our people to discuss their health concerns with the right people. In-office physical checkups were also conducted for more accessible health care.

Regular employees receive HMO coverage and can enroll dependents, including common-law, domestic, and same-sex partners. Dependent premiums are paid by the employee and deducted from their salary.

To support and encourage the personal development of our people, we created hobby clubs, such as painting and coffee 101. Having a shared space in the workplace to express themselves and do the things they love is essential to ensuring that our people are taking a break and making time for themselves. ​

We periodically facilitate fun games and activities to provide wellness breaks for our employees, especially during the busy season for them to refresh their minds and manage stress.

This includes games such as Pictionary, Guess the Gibberish, and Spot the Difference. We also have occasional festivities such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas through the My KPMG BAElentine’s Match, Trick or Treat, and firm-wide Year-End Party, respectively.

To help ensure we create a positive, enabling, and nurturing environment for our employees, we annually conduct a Global People Survey (GPS) to determine that we stay on the right path across five categories: Engagement, Trust, Growth, Inclusion & Diversity, Well-being and Work Environment & Enablement. ​

In the latest GPS, employee engagement and inclusion and diversity remained unchanged from our FY2022 results with 90% and 95% of our respondents, respectively, having favorable views on the organization - a testament to the efficacy of various firm activities to improve employee well-being, support mental health, raise awareness, inspire through inspirational talks, improve non-discrimination and respect in the workplace, and contribute to learning through learning and development sessions.

The GPS results reflect our firm’s collective perspective in shaping a workplace where professionals can thrive personally and professionally.

As we have identified that Well-being, Trust, and Growth were areas we can further improve on, together with our employees, we will strive to formulate more focused action steps in these areas to address the gaps and realize improvements in the next years.

Continuous Learning

Continuous learning and development (L&D) help our organization stay competitive, advance our employees’ careers and achieve long-term professional goals. We believe that appropriately equipping our employees with the right technical knowledge, skillsets and ethical behaviors would bring productive and quality business outcomes for enterprises, industries and communities. ​

We strive to effectively support our people and the next generation to develop future-ready skills. Continuous improvement of our talent attraction and recruitment activities helps us towards our vision of becoming the preferred employer for prospective talent. This enables us to meet our growth demands needs which ultimately allow us to deliver exceptional work and foster a thriving workplace. Developing and retaining our talents are the next key steps in achieving our overall Purpose.​

Our learning approach involves a blend of synchronous and asynchronous methods, with various break-out sessions to ensure purposeful and targeted learning. We also provide on-the-job trainings, and leadership and mentorship programs to help equip our people with the necessary skills in people management and client engagement.

As we move towards becoming the Workforce of the Future, we are committed to investing, attracting, retaining, and developing talents. Our KPMG in the Philippines Learning Institute (KPLI) provides robust training programs and seamless learning management systems which help our professionals grow and feel empowered to further their careers in the firm.

We have launched our ESG curriculum to help gain critical ESG knowledge, which is embedded in our Learning Management System (LMS). The curriculum covers four topics:​

• ➦  ESG 101: Three internally developed modules: Time is Now, Time for Impact, Time to Act​
• ➦  ESG 201: Cambridge ESG Curriculum with 10 self-paced e-learning modules for all KPMG client-facing professionals​​
• ➦  Enterprise Business Services (EBS): Building ESG Expertise consisting of 10 video-based modules​​
• ➦  ESG Assurance: Includes the 2023 Assurance for Auditors through e-learning​​

Professionals from various levels took at least one of the courses in the curriculum. This representation of professionals across different roles illustrates the commitment of individuals at all organizational levels to engage with and advance their knowledge in the ESG curriculum. It reflects a collaborative effort to enhance expertise and proficiency in Environmental, Social and Governance practices, aligning with the firm's strategic focus on sustainability and responsible business practices.

R.G. Manabat & Co. ("KPMG in the Philippines" or the "Firm") use the KPMG Execution Guide for Assurance (KEGA) to enhance ESG methodologies and workflows by providing flexibility and scalability for globally consistent delivery.

In the audit strategy, there have been client discussions on the ESG Assurance Journey that align with the training sessions that utilized KEGA, including the upcoming KPMG Clara Assurance Workflow.

In risk consulting, we aim to stand out in the growing ESG market by leveraging global practices while upskilling local employees to meet the demand.

Responsibility to respect human rights

Respect and defend human rights 

We have committed to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, building on our longstanding support for the United Nations Global Compact. We recognize human rights, as set out in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as the basic rights that form the foundation for freedom, justice and peace. It is embedded in our policies as part of our Due Diligence procedures included in our Global Quality & Risk Management and People & Inclusion policies and the KPMG Global Code of Conduct. We also maintain a reporting mechanism through the KPMG International Hotline for any concerns causing or contributing to any adverse human rights incidents.​​

In FY2023, we developed a policy following an assessment of human rights issues most relevant to the firm’s operations and supply chain to embed our commitment to respecting and defending human rights across operations. This includes a focus on inclusion, diversity, equity, and health and safety.

We work with clients, suppliers, and subcontractors that live up to KPMG’s core ethical standards.

We do not tolerate behavior within KPMG, by clients or suppliers, or public officials with whom we deal, that is illegal, unethical or breaches human rights.

We champion an inclusive and collaborative culture that is free from bullying, discrimination, and harassment, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, in which we have introduced diverse DEI programs, attended by 631 Philippine employees in the celebration of International Women's Day on March 8.

In the Usapang Pride initiative, 273 employees, proudly representing the LGBTQ+ community, participated and shared their personal stories and experiences within the community.

For World Mental Health Day, 307 employees engaged in various activities, including a talk by a psychologist from our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), emphasizing self-forgiveness, self-acceptance, and the importance of seeking professional help.

On National Coming Out Day, 130 employees joined in a celebration and unity event, demonstrating support for the LGBTQ+ community, recognizing the courage of those who live openly within the organization.