When eTelecare first set up shop in Eastwood City, Libis, it was a far cry from the thriving cyber hub that it is now. “We had to convince people to go here at night!” says Vina Villegas, eTelecare department manager for Global Organizational Development. Since 2001, she has seen how Eastwood’s developer, property giant Megaworld Corp., established everything from the ground up. Now, Eastwood City is buzzing with tens of thousands of employees of dozens of IT companies that have made their home there, mixed with the residents of the high rise condominiums and the diners and shoppers of the restaurants and mall at the city center.
eTelecare has indeed shown fast growth in the seven years of its existence, with over an estimated 10,000 number of employees all over the Philippines. More than 3,000 of them are in the Eastwood office, the company’s home base. Most of the employees in the Eastwood headquarters live nearby and choose to stay with the location, according to Villegas.
Perhaps few of the reasons why eTelecare has the lowest turnover rate among the call center companies are because of the relaxed, but professional office culture, a clear career path, competitive compensation, and of course the perks. Even if they do keep the oddest hours, working even very early in the morning (“You get used to it,” Villegas says), eTelecare makes sure that its employees have a work-life balance from discount privileges at the restaurants in Eastwood City, to simply providing vending machines, lounges, and a family room in the offices.
The company and employees have made the most of its location in Eastwood City. Villegas shares that they even have team building activities at the spas and hair salons! eTelecare has sponsored movie screenings and premieres exclusively for their employees at Eastwood Cinemas. “We were one of the first people to get to see Spiderman 3 in the whole world!” Villegas says proudly. It’s a strong morale boost for them. However, not all teambuilding activities are for gimmicks and fun, eTelecare participates in Gawad Kalinga builds to help the community around them as well.
Having been in Eastwood since 2001, eTelecare grew with the city, and is as much of an integral part of it as Easwood has become to the company and its employees. Villegas has since moved to one of the condominiums within the city and says that a lot of her colleagues have done the same, “It’s just very practical. It saves on time, money, energy and effort,” she points out.
She especially likes it that Fitness First’s Eastwood branch gave them a corporate discount. “And moving here is better for the social life!” she adds, laughing. She can just invite her friends to enjoy the swimming pool at her condominium building or meet up for dinner at one of the many restaurants downstairs. There are banks, a church, drugstores, 24-hour convenience stores—it is really an entire community concentrated in just a walkable area.
More than just a cyberhub that houses most of the multinational IT companies making its base in the country, Eastwood City, has since become a home to the many denizens that live, work and play in it all hours of the day.
BPO and call center firms better take note of eTelecare’s very positive experience in locating at Eastwood Cyberpark. For more leasing information on the country’s 1st IT park, call Megaworld’s Business Development division at 912-1255 or 912-0756.