To give its employees not just the best jobs but their “best lives,” Alliance Software launched the Live IT campaign that allows them to tap their individual passions while they pursue careers in the IT industry.
The Live IT initiative, made up of programs for workers that focus on health and wellness, work fun, corporate social responsibility (CSR), financial management, and extensive employment benefits, is in line with Alliance’s vision to become a globally competitive company, said president and chief executive officer (CEO) Robert Cheng.
A Live IT card was the latest benefit unveiled by the company for its 300 employees during the Live IT campaign launch on April 16, 2016. The privilege card is an exclusive perk for Alliance employees who enjoy freebies and discounts when they patronize partner establishments all over Cebu.
Fast growing IT industry
Cheng said the IT industry is competitive and fast-growing, at a yearly average of 30 percent over the last 10 years, and Alliance Software wants to make sure that its employees do not just have the best jobs but are also equipped to live their best lives.
Alliance aims to recruit and retain more IT professionals through Live IT. The company has total workforce of 300 right now but aims to increase this to 400 by 2017.
“We are on our expansion phase, and it is a three-year program that started in 2015. We’re on track to doubling our number from 200 in 2015 to 400 in 2017. Our goal is to increase the workforce from 325 to 350 by the end of the year,” said chief operating officer Sherwin Yu.
Alliance employee benefits
The IT company’s long list of benefits for employees include wellness programs, summer outings, extensive vacation leave, flexible work hours, gadget and car plans, advanced degree tuition support, housing program, medical coverage, school subsidy for dependents, maternity and paternity leave, as well as calamity and emergency assistance.
On top of this, Alliance management collaborates with the human resource department to come up with more perks for employees, from zumba activities to the office hackathon challenge Hack It that offers P50,000 in prizes. The company also initiates step-up challenge events where the winners get branded walking gears as incentive.
“We have a lot of benefits for our workers but close to my heart are the training programs we have in place,” said Cheng. He cited the bridge linking program that seeks to introduce college seniors to a real work environment and the near hire initiative that aims to help average IT students level up their skills.
Biggest market
Alliance Software, which operates in the Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) sector of the industry, is into the development of software dealing with financial systems. Yu said their biggest market is Japan, followed by Australia, US, and the Philippines.
“Right now, Japan makes up 70 percent of our market. A big surprise for us is the growing number of our clients, banks and conglomerates, in the Philippines. We can see that the economy is really doing well,” Yu said. Alliance is homegrown, having been founded by Cebuanos, and continues to be a fully Filipino-owned company.
By 2017, Alliance Software will be moving into its new delivery center at the Buildcomm Center in the Cebu Business Park. The 14-story building, which is currently being constructed, had its groundbreaking early this year.
