‘Generation Sykes’ celebrates 15th year

MANILA, Philippines - Theirs is a story that defined a generation. It began in 1997. Back when the term BPO was still unheard of, Sykes dared to bring its call center business to the Philippines.

Little did Sykes realize that its bold move to set up shop here would not only strengthen its business; it would also pioneer an industry and shape the economic landscape of a country.

After 15 years, Sykes travels back in time, back to when it all started.

Last Dec. 16, more than 7,000 Sykesers gathered at SMX Halls 1-4 to party. Dressed in true ’90s fashion, they were excited to begin their journey down memory lane.

Their nostalgia began from registration as Sykesers were serenaded by boy bands. Their next stop: the ’90s-inspired photo booths.

Channeling the movie vibe, Sykesers posed a la MIB agents, Neo and Trinity and the iconic Jack and Rose. Once inside, people enjoyed ’90s music as they lined up for sumptuous food care of Josiah’s Catering.

For a full-on ’90s vibe, DJs Chico and Delamar hosted the party with Gino. The program began with a bang, literally. The crowd could not help but scream like awestruck teens when Stagecrew performed ’90s hits like Pretty Fly for a White Guy, Sweet Child of Mine and Santeria.

But aside from the songs, the ’90s was also popular for its signature moves. The internationally acclaimed Philippine All-Stars brought back MC Hammer’s Can’t Touch This and Tag Team’s Whoops. There it is. At that point, Sykesers just had to get up and dance.

As if the energy was not electric enough, Dean Van Ormer, vice president for Philippine operations, surprised everyone with his jaw-dropping rendition of Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca with the sexy Mocha Girls. The crowd went loca as they cheered, clapped and danced along.

Once the hype calmed, Van Ormer, shared his sentiments about the night. “Has it really been 15 years? In a lot of ways, it feels like it was only yesterday that Sykes stepped on Philippine soil with only 14 employees. Fifteen years ago, we were the first call center to operate in the Philippines and from then, there was no looking back.”

He then added: “Each and everyone of you have been a significant part of the Sykes story. Your commitment, dedication and hard work helped us reach the place we are in today. So enjoy the night. This is for you.”

Employee competition is always a segment to watch out for in Sykes’ year-end celebrations. In full homage to the ‘90s, the competition’s theme was MTV reinvention. Three groups channeled their inner popstars, and this time, Manila North Dream Xtreme was crowned as the Battle Jam’s grand champion and took home P60,000.

Aside from the team performances, there was also a search for the head-turners of the night. For making ’90s fashion cool again, they won P15,000 each.

The most anticipated event of the evening was the raffle draw. It has been Sykes’ tradition to give back to employees. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Sykes gave away more than P2.5 million worth of prizes.

Then there was the 15th year promo. Sykesers who completed the five stamps in their promo cards got the 2013 Sykes planner exclusively designed by Team Manila. The cards also served as tickets to the additional P100,000 raffle.

So why does Sykes go to such great lengths for a year-end celebration?

“Each year, we have events like this to reward the hard work, dedication and outstanding performance of our employees. Sykes also supports and promotes work-life balance. We want our employees to have a life outside of Sykes. It has really become part of our culture,” said Van Ormer.

“Another aspect of the Sykes culture is our culture as a family. Families celebrate together, right? And this year, we just have so much to celebrate. It has been another successful year for the company. We are also celebrating a milestone for the entire industry as the first call center to celebrate 15 years in the Philippines. But we are not stopping at 15. We will make more milestones.  We will create more legacies. We will break more records. And we will do all of these together,” he added.