TDS Global Solutions has kicked off the first of its series of virtual forum called Talk to the Experts, with its debut episode tackling the industry, human resources and legal updates in business resiliency amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The forum last May 12 launched with the topic Navigating Business Headwinds: Sailing Forward and Riding with Resilience post-Covid-19.
The three experts include Don Felbaum, Managing Director of Optel and past President of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Atty. Jamea Garcia, regional VP employee experience Asia of Alorica; and Atty. Leleen-V Lamorena-Bunyi, Head Legal of Cognizant in the Philippines who had served as its first Data Protection Officer.
The first Talk to the Experts virtual forum was moderated by Celeste Ilagan, Senior VP for Marketing and External Affairs of SPI Global, and hosted by Nette Roselo, Director of Marketing for TDS. Judy Whisenhunt, CEO of TDS, welcomed the panelists and other participants of the forum.
The forum, which centered on how the Covid-19 lockdown has affected not just the IT but other industries as well, was conducted on the same day as the country eagerly anticipated the latest Palace pronouncement regarding the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and delineation of areas under general community quarantine (GCQ).
Even with this, the forum was able to establish that the IT-BPM industry remained bullish as of March, with revenue growth of 3-3.5%.
As for the industry itself, Felbaum detailed, among others, the global and Philippine coronavirus case summary and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) economic impact of the lockdown, as well as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) projection of GDP growth for 2021.
He also cited ongoing congressional discussions on labor protection and employee payroll retention, the balance of business continuity and worker layoffs, workforce capacity versus forecast work volume, and a proposed fiscal stimulus to address potential GDP loss.
Atty. Garcia meanwhile noted the fact that the latest coronavirus is a black-swan event probably worse than Great Depression of the early 20th century.
She also cited ongoing protocols for return to work, including health, safety and social distancing, as well as potential for continuing remote work through flexible arrangements. She mentioned cost implications for these new arrangements including business savings and having new organizational structures, as well as considerations on layoffs and suspension.
Moreover, she noted potential worker absenteeism due to fears of the virus and apprehension in some quarters regarding the efficiency of rapid testing.
For her part, Atty. Bunyi mentioned the importance of having provisions for flexible staff, the significance of respective business associations working with the government interagency task force for Covid-19, and the prudence of retaining the WFH model.
Most importantly, she said the position of Data Protection Officer has become very critical at this time, especially with ongoing challenges in data privacy amid the ongoing WFH arrangements, and the need to revisit client contracts including liabilities and service-level agreement (SLAs).
Finally, she addressed the ongoing pain points with business continuity plans (BCPs), the upcoming deployment of onsite workers and skeletal workforce, and rapid testing for industry employees.
Overall, the discussion touched on the need to conduct compressed work weeks and virtual work becoming the new norm.
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About TDS GlobalSolutions (formerly TeleDevelopment Services Inc.)
TDS has established key partnerships with organizations to serve and stimulate growth in the IT-BPM industry. It has spent decades providing outsourcing solutions,management consulting services, talent assessments, executive recruitment, and vendor selection & management for crucial departments of call center operations. For more info, please email TDS at marketing@tdsgs.com or dial US number(1-888) 788-4441.
