StarTek flexes its CSR muscles

IT may be a relatively new entrant to the Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, but since its formal opening by President Gloria Arroyo in January this year, StarTek has wasted little time in establishing its corporate social responsibility (CSR) credentials.

In fact, even while it was getting its operations into gear in December last year, the company hosted a Christmas party for 80 children confined at the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital. StarTek donated financial resources and gave gifts to the children using funds that employees raised internally.

During the inauguration of the Makati facility, StarTek announced its sponsorship of more than 80 World Vision children for a year by donating P50,000 to the organization. This amount ensures that the children and their local communities have access to education, values formation, children’s rights protection, children’s development and leadership training, and community development.

StarTek took its CSR initiative a step further when employees donated P100,000 to Kythe Foundation. The donation will contribute to assistance for children with chronic illnesses such as cancer and provide pediatric care through Kythe’s affiliate hospitals. The company’s employees also participated in a fun run for United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), wherein the proceeds benefited the foundation’s child protection program.

The center in the Philippines is the largest in StarTek’s network, with 1,100 seats, and the company has added both new clients and services, and is steadily ramping up to capacity.

The company’s success here is also evident in North America, where StarTek has 18 sites providing high-quality, value-added services leveraging its extensive 20-year experience supporting clients and clients’ customers.

Service and people is the cornerstone of the StarTek culture, and the sense of service and people development extends beyond the work place. For StarTek giving back to the communities that support its growth means focusing on what really matters—making a difference in people’s lives.

“In all StarTek sites, we make sure that we contribute to the community in which we are located. In the Philippines, we have organized a group to execute outreach activities that our employees participate in,” explains StarTek Managing Director Ed Mallari.

This CSR projects are conducted by what in StarTek jargon is referred to as “Gigs” or guilds. Gigs are interest groups dedicated to extracurricular activities such as mountaineering, photography, lifestyle, sports, arts and community.

Besides uplifting children’s lives, StarTek has also initiated activities aimed to contribute towards protecting the environment. The Mountaineering Gig forged a partnership with the Community Gig to assist in raising funds for its environmental protection initiatives.

As a result of that cooperation, in April, StarTek adopted 100 trees from the La Mesa Eco Park. The Gig also contributed to protecting a hectare of trees in the same location, which supports 200 trees. More than 70 StarTek employees participated in the project.

StarTek has also participated in ocean cleanup projects that aim to protect the sea in different areas of the country and help clean ocean shores. The company is also lending support to Bantay Kalikasan, an initiative of the ABS-CBN Foundation focused on protecting the environment through programs that help sustain the La Mesa Watershed, La Mesa Ecopark, and Pasig River.

StarTek Human Resources Specialist Camille Sienes points out that the company’s employees are very enthusiastic in participating in CSR initiatives, and has no trouble pooling manpower or raising funds for the activities the Gigs organize and participate in. This was clearly illustrated when employees set about raising funds for their outreach activities.

The company conducted an internal program that allowed agents to buy dress-down passes. According to employees raised more than P100,000 through this project.

“We also conducted a fund raising activity during our Gig launch, selling baller IDs and clothes to our colleagues. From this fund-raising effort alone, we collected more than P10,000 to support our CSR activities,” says Sienes.

Sienes said that StarTek management provides full support for CSR activities that the Community Gig organizes, including fund raising.

“We are still a young company, but we have invested a lot of time and money in CSR activities. This makes us—management and our employees—proud of what we have accomplished,” enthuses Mallari. –Random Jottings

rjottings@yahoo.com