Employee loyalty helps spell bus company’s success

MANILA, Philippines – For Victory Liner Inc. (VLI)’s more than 2,500 employees, working with a bus company known for its safe and reliable trips isn’t only about finding a stable source of employment – for most of them, it is also about finding a second home within a company that looks after their welfare and treats them like family.

In return, the children of these employees’ and their children’s children would also opt to serve the bus company with the same dedication shown by their parents or grandparents. This strong family tradition in its workforce has helped shape Victory Liner’s reputation as the country’s largest public bus transportation provider servicing key destinations in Northern Luzon.

For over seven decades now, ensuring employee loyalty has become one of the bus company’s tickets towards building an enduring legacy in the transportation industry. “The tradition of taking care of our employees, and treating them like family, is deeply embedded in our culture,” shares Marivic Del Pilar, Treasury and Marketing head of Victory Liner and herself a scion of the late Jose Hernandez, the company’s founder. “The family culture, along with adapting to the needs and new technologies of the time, has enabled us to gain the trust of our countrymen in taking them to their destination safely and reliably.”

The company’s employees, on average, would often have work tenure of about 15 to 18 years, with some opting to stay with the company for up to 30 and 40 years. Then, their children would usually follow in their footsteps, gladly working for the company that has helped nurture their lives.

Laureano Cruz, 48, began his career with Victory Liner in 1993 as an inventory clerk before rising in rank to become the bus company’s Management Information System (MIS) clerk. A father of four, Laureano reveals that his grandfather and his father both worked for the company for 36 and 14 years, respectively. “I was inspired by their progressive careers in a stable and well established company,” he beams. “That is actually one of the reasons why I joined (Victory Liner).”

Aside from encouraging its employees to develop personally and professionally through regular seminars and training programs, the bus company also gives equal growth opportunities for all. “There is equal treatment and consideration for everyone, no matter the position,” Laureano observed. “To help us gain experience and eligibility to take on new roles, the company also constantly entrusts us with new tasks and projects that the managerial team sees fit.”

For Laureano, his father’s as well as that of his grandfather’s employment with the organization has proven to be a worthwhile journey. “I’ve had my share of challenges, and so did they before me. But the company earned my loyalty because of the genuine generosity and care it shows its employees and their families. Working for Victory Liner has become like a family legacy for me; I will definitely encourage my children to join the company as well in the future.”

For the younger generation, VLI is also a company of choice to work for. Twenty-six-year-old Bea Reyes, for instance, had followed in her grandfather’s and her mother’s footsteps, both of whom served the bus company for 30 and 28 years, respectively. Bea started as a ticket seller for the company some six years ago, and she has since become a stewardess for the company’s first-class, De Luxe buses under its fleet modernization program.

Unlike Laureano, however, Bea insists her grandfather and her mother never influenced her to apply. “It was really a personal choice for me. Victory Liner is one of the most prestigious bus transportation companies in the country and I just wanted to be part of it,” she shares.

It was also Bea’s way of giving back to the bus company that had helped support her college education. She was a beneficiary of the scholarship program of the Dona Martha T. Hernandez Foundation (DMTHF), the bus company’s social arm, through an education package that helps finance the college tuition of the children of select Victory Liner employees.

For Bea, VLI’s passion in helping its employees as well as their families succeed in life makes serving the company so much more fulfilling. “The company earns the trust and dedication of its employees because they provide for what they need not only in terms of employment but also by taking care of their well-being and giving them a chance to improve further.”