Category: Service Quality

Organization

Central Bicol State University of Agriculture

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy

Year Implemented

22 August 2020 – present

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The Philippines called upon its higher education institutions to adhere to the Internationalization Policy Framework Transnational Higher Education Law. As such, Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) decided to form partnerships with foreign higher education institutions, crucially establishing their International Credit Transfer Program (ICTP). Because of this program, students were able to enroll in foreign universities, and as a bonus, their faculty was also able to engage in speaking engagements and research projects with other universities despite the onset of the pandemic.

Background and Problem

With Globalization on the rise, the Philippines, through Its Commission on Higher Education (CHED), called upon the country’s higher education institutions, including the CBSUA, to adhere to the mandates stated in CHED Memo No. 55, s. 2016, the Internationalization Policy Framework. This is made all the more pertinent given the issues raised in the Transnational Higher Education Law or RA 11448 authorizing SUCs to engage in internationalization programs and activities. And crucially for CBSUA, internationalization is vital since it is one of the key areas for their SUC Leveling, their Quacquarelli Symonds Ranking, and their AACCUP Accreditation Level IV.

Solution and Impact

The CBSUA, through its Office of the Vice President for Business and External Affairs and the College of Development Education (CDE), focused on the intensification of its internationalization initiatives, giving special attention to the formation of international partnerships and linkages with universities across Asia and Europe. Through many meetings and planning, Memorandums of Agreement (MOA) and Understanding (MOU) were arranged with some of the world’s leading universities to participate and sponsor various activities for CBSUA.

A notable result of these partnerships was that, during the onset of the pandemic, more students than ever before were able to enroll in foreign universities through the International Credit Transfer Program (ICTP). And despite the pandemic, CBSUA faculty were also able to continue participating in research projects, lectures, webinars, and presentations sponsored by both local and foreign partner universities. Said faculty research projects were even set to be published in international-refereed journals. And through the lectures and presentations facilitated by these partnerships, CBSUA faculty and students also become more aware of the cultural and social practices and values of the partner universities and the respective countries.

Milestones

In December 2020, their internationalization endeavors allowed the College of Development Education (CDE) to attain the highest score in its Phase II, Level IV Accreditation by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP). Their endeavors also led them to be among the Top 16 in the First Philippine Higher Education Internationalization Award in May 2021, organized by the CHED and the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU).

Notably, they were the only SUC from Region V to receive such an award. And because of this distinction, CBSUA, through the College of Development Education, was invited to co-host the 54th ASEAN DAY Celebration in their region, an event where internationalization efforts of state universities and colleges are awarded. And because of the successes of CBSUA’s internationalization efforts, other state colleges and universities have also started to benchmark and employ the university’sCDE’s best practices.

Organization

Bukidnon State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Citizens / Customers, Operations

Year Implemented

15 August 2008

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

Bukidnon State University, as one of the premier institutions in higher education, maintains a quality service for the satisfaction of its stakeholders. To achieve transparency in the service, open communication through the Brace D’ Link program is being practiced in the university. It is known as “Student’s Day with the Administration,” designed to strengthen the communication between the students and the administration. This program started through the initiative of University President Dr. Oscar B. Cabañelez, then the Vice-President for Administration, Planning, and Development of Bukidnon State University (formerly Bukidnon State College) in 2008 and was conducted every semester. He envisioned the link between the students and the administration. The program became an avenue of discussion, improving the quality of services, setting up state-of-the-art facilities, and establishing infrastructures.

Background and Problem

Communication strengthens the relationship among members of any society. A strong society performs its tasks and hits its goal. Transparency of operation in any organization promotes an orderly system and trust among the administrators, staff, and students.

In line with the survey results, a mechanism for open communication between the administration, academe, and students was initiated to address concerns at Bukidnon State University. Unit heads of the various frontline and student services are to present their respective tasks. An open forum will follow the presentation. University officials may also give some inputs that would clarify the answers to some concerns.

Objectives:

1. Evaluation of the conduct of the Brace d’ Link Program
2. Analysis of issues, problems, and concerns raised, and responses were given on these during the Brace d’ Link Programs
3. Identify the impact on the administration and the students
4. Present the functions and workflow of the different administrative offices
5. Strengthen the relationship among the Administrative Unit Heads, Academic Unit Heads, and the Students in the university

Solution and Impact

As a solution, the Brace D’Link program employs three major parts: the presentation of the office functions and responsibilities by the different administrative unit heads, followed by the raising of problems and concerns with specific suggestions/recommendations from the student leader or students and the conveying or relating to the students the actions/plans taken by the administration on the particular issues raised. This is participated in by the different administrative units, including the Finance Office, the Human Resource Management Office, the Chief Administrative Office, the ICT-Services Unit, the Supply Office, the Academic Units like the Office of the Student Services, the Registrar, Libraries and the College Deans from the different colleges – College of Arts and Science, College of Business, College of Nursing, College of Social Development and Technology. Meanwhile, students are represented by the Supreme Student Council (SSC) Officers, the Student Body Organization of the different colleges, and all university students.

For the presentation of office functions and responsibilities, each unit head is given three (3) minutes to explain one’s tasks. Brochures or handouts could be distributed to the participants for a better understanding of the functions, and a PowerPoint presentation may also be used. The Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) acts as a moderator and presents the mechanics for a smooth forum. The participants are expected to listen attentively and are discouraged from interrupting the official delivering the talk. All questions or points for clarification should be raised during the second part of the program, which is raising the issues or concerns.

For the mechanics of how to raise issues and concerns, questions are limited to the topics presented. Other matters may be raised in the latter part of the program if time permits. The proponent shall first be properly acknowledged before being given the floor to raise questions. The proponent will only be allowed to raise a maximum of two (2) questions to give a chance to other participants to raise their questions. The proponent shall address the person to whom a question is directed. Questions that cannot be raised on the floor and cannot be answered by any speaker due to lack of time will have to be written on the sheet of paper to be given by the Supreme Student Council officers. For written questions, participants must indicate their name, college, and course on the paper with the questions, with the name of the person to whom the questions are directed. The sheets will be collected and collated by the SSC officers and will be sent to the concerned speakers. Answers to the written questions will also be gathered and printed to form part of the Brace D’ Link documents, which will be the basis for administrative actions.

For the third part of the program, which is the conveyance of the actions taken, the moderator/speakers will convey to the participants the actions taken and the administration’s plans on the issues/concerns raised. Any participant may also be allowed to provide comments and suggestions to the presenters for a maximum of two (2) minutes.

Milestones/Next Steps

It is noted that the Brace D’ Link has facilitated open communications between students and the administration from 2008 up to the present. The program has been remarkably noted as one of the best practices of Bukidnon State University. This has been confirmed during the accreditation process undertaken by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines, Inc. (AACCUP, Inc.), and recommended it to continue. Aside from that, based on the Evaluation Report gathered after the program, students affirmed the continuous implementation of Brace D’ Link.

Organization

City Government of General Santos

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Human Resource

Year Implemented

2016 up to present

This is a GBPR 2021 Recognized Best Practice

Summary

Individual Comprehensive Onboarding Program for Employees or i-COPE is a comprehensive onboarding program for the new entrants of the City Government of General Santos (LGU-Gensan) initiated and implemented by the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO) from 2016 up to the present. It inscribes the paradigm of a “survival toolkit” to holistically transform new employees into proactive, motivated, responsible, and job-ready employees keeping abreast with the demands and standards of the new working environment to cope with all challenges of joining the new workforce. This program is a sustainable, innovative, and practical application of Bauer and Erdogan’s Onboarding Model (2011), inscribing three key components: acculturation, learning and development, and career advancement. These components ultimately improve the services of the city government.

Background and Problem

As projected in the 2015 five-Year HR Plan, LGU-Gensan welcomes several new employees into its workforce, which necessitates the need to ensure that these new entrants are appropriately onboarded in the assumption of office, overcoming the risks of employee turnover with an average of 3.36% in CY 2012-2016. As a proactive response, HRMDO designed i-COPE to guarantee that the city government makes the best and the most out of the resources it sheds for its employees’ personnel services, learning and development, performance management, and career advancement.

New entrants are considered outsiders to the organization. They lack enough knowledge and inclination on organizational objectives, culture and practices, systems and processes, rules, and even the minute details of performing their new function. To help make these employees the long-term assets and not liabilities of the organization, they are enrolled in the individual comprehensive onboarding program for the first year of their service.

Aligning with the standards of the PRIME-HRM, with LGU-Gensan acquiring Level 2 Bronze status in 2018, HRMDO developed and implemented i-COPE or Individual Comprehensive Onboarding Program for Employees as a well-orchestrated mechanism of integrating these new entrants to the culture, systems and processes, and nature of government service addressing the four pillars of PRIME-HRM: recruitment and selection; learning and development; performance management; and rewards and recognitions. Onboarding is a standard HR practice among organizations with a shared objective of acquainting new entrants with the culture, practices, rules, and roles of new employees upon assumption of duty. From the date of assumption until their full integration into public service, new entrants are urged to participate in activities under i-COPE to capacitate them in becoming effective and efficient public servants.

Solution and Impact

Guided by such anchors of HR innovations, the HRMDO has launched a structured onboarding program for every employee as a welcoming gesture in their assumption to office in any of the offices and departments of the city government. i-COPE consists of various activities to complete and complement the working experiences of the new employees in the organization. These activities are tailored under the three main components in the “Survival Toolkit” paradigm: acculturation, learning and development, and career advancement.

With the implementation of the Onboarding Program, the employee turnover rate has decreased from an average of 3.36% in CY 2012-2016 to just 1.17% in CY 2017-2021. Moreover, the annual average performance rating for new entrants exceeded the expected Satisfactory rating required from them and is increasing annually (Figure 2). This means that new entrants meet the demands and expectations as they enter the organization under the i-COPE. This has ultimately benefited the city government by ensuring that government resources are allocated to necessary programs, plans, and activities, maximizing human resources.

Milestones

The sustained implementation of i-COPE since 2016 has paved the way to strong foundations and pillars of HR excellence, as attested by the following accomplishments, milestones, awards, and recognitions of LGU-GSC and HRMDO. The office has been taking pride in sharing this best practice among its programs and innovations in various opportunities, such as when it entered and won awards and recognitions in the field of people management and HR excellence. The program has been instrumental for LGU-Gensan in achieving Level II accreditation status in CSC PRIME-HRM in 2018. This was also a featured program and innovation of HRMDO when it won the award for LGU-Gensan as Employer of the Year and People Manager of the Year by PMAP in 2018. The Hi-PERA (High Personal Effectiveness through Resource Allocation), among the five in-house training courses for new entrants, was also given the Government Best Practice Recognition (GBPR) award in 2020. The program has also contributed a lot to the programs, projects, and activities under the Happy HR initiatives of HRMDO, thus, winning the 2020 HR Excellence Award – Highly Commended for Best HR Strategy Overseas in London and the 2021 Gold Stevie Award for Innovation in Human Resource Management, Planning, and Practice in Government in the Asia Pacific.

This onboarding program has been integrated into the programs, projects, and activities of HRMDO, particularly addressing the four pillars of PRIME-HRM: Recruitment, Selection, and Placement (RSP); Learning and Development; Rewards and Recognition; and Performance Management System. All program activities are tailored to HRMDO’s aim to become a center of HR Excellence in pursuing PRIME-HRM Level III accreditation. The succeeding awards since the program was implemented have also become an inspiration not only for the employees of LGU-Gensan but also for other neighboring LGUs and government agencies who have been holding benchmarking activities, mostly expressing interest in exploring and adopting this innovative and comprehensive onboarding program.

Organization

City Government of General Santos

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Strategy, Human Resource

Year Implemented

23 March 2020

This is a GBPR COVID-19 Response Recipient

Summary

Happy HR aPPP is an integrated, accessible, and innovative web-based application for remote, digitalized, and contactless work management, productivity, and communication tools used in managing, tracking, and organizing tasks and transactions related to human resource management and development. Its primary aim is to sustain the delivery of government services by ensuring the welfare and development of employees in the City Government of General Santos City (LGU-Gensan) during the pandemic. This forms part of the Happy HR initiatives of the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO) of LGU-Gensan that promotes the total well-being of the employees as demonstrated by programs, projects, and activities geared towards the personal and professional development of the employees in particular, and consequently, the organizational development of the local government as a whole. This is among the HRMDO’s innovations centered on capacitating the human resources of the city government to sustain excellent and quality delivery of government services to the city constituents.

Background and Problem

In the first quarter of 2020, the country was in a state of emergency with a rising number of COVID-19 infections. This has affected all operations of government agencies, especially those who work at the grassroots. The city government employees continued to serve on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle, overcoming all the possible threats to themselves, their families, and all Generals.

There are 4,336 employees of LGU-Gensan, wherein 1,522 are regular, 16 are casual, and 1,902 are Job Orders. The current situation necessitates that office processes and tasks be done remotely to avoid face-to-face contact, which may expose the employees and their clients to the ailment threat. Even before the pandemic, HRMDO had already started initiatives and transitions of integrating technology in the work processes. As early as 2018, the office has already implemented the online leave application system, one of the paperless administrative works, to keep up with the demand in the shortest time possible.

Solution and Impact

Happy HR aPPP was introduced on the whole scale of the city government offices, for which the application features practically apply. The system has allowed employees to stay home, work on the assigned tasks, submit work outputs, and attend to personal and official concerns through the web application. Even if it is already a practice in the whole LGU-Gensan, wherein leave applications can be submitted and approved online, employees were appreciative of the innovation in implementing or introducing an accessible, responsive, and convenient way of administering functions and transactions involving HRM. This is represented by the second P– Positivity. DO.

HRMDO has taken all measures that the Happy HR aPPP complies with the laws, policies, and regulations implemented by the Civil Service Commission and the duly instituted local authorities. It can be accessed online through the web browser of any mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. All features and controls were user-friendly and manageable for easy and convenient employee access. HRMDO also compliments the application with other third-party applications and online platforms, such as Zoom for online meetings/events, Google Forms/Qualtric for online surveys, online storage facilities like Google Drive, and other online communication tools and platforms. As such, the Training and Evaluation Division has already started training on using online communications platforms since the current year’s second quarter.

It was officially launched and introduced on 23 March 2020, to ensure that employees are still on track not to hamper the delivery of services to all General Santos City constituents. From being used as a temporary solution to the apparent problem in managing tasks at work, Happy HR aPPP is now valued as a solution to remote working systems that maintain importance and relevance not only during this time of the pandemic but even in future endeavors of innovating work solutions in managing the human resources of LGU-Gensan.

Milestones/Next Steps

The general IPCR ratings of employees for January to June 2020, the semester where the strict community quarantines were implemented in response to COVID-19, are satisfactory or better. Contrary to the expectation that the employees’ work performance will be affected, the Happy HR aPPP has helped in a way in maintaining the right course of each employee to help them perform their functions based on their IPCR. The challenges of the pandemic have also paved the way for various innovative responses stemming from the data and information received, processed, and analyzed from the Happy HR aPPP. LGU-Gensan has come up with programs, projects, activities, interventions, and initiatives to aid in the problems derived from the data, as inscribed in the three anchors of People First, Positivity, and Productivity.

Sharing this to various platforms and gatherings of HR professionals, former LGU-Gensan HRMDO Department Head, Ms. Leah Y. Tolimao, MBM, submitted an entry on the COVID-19 response to the Accreditation Council of the Philippine Management Association and Philippine Society of Fellows. As such, she was a Fellow in People Management (FPM) during the 57th PMAP Annual Conference via Zoom on 23 October 2020.

Moreover, it is also interesting to note that the LGU-Gensan, among the few LGUs in the region with Prime-HRM Level II accreditation (See Certificate of Recognition), is already capable of meeting the requirements and standards of PRIME-HRM Level III accreditation. To date, Level II is still the highest accreditation level conferred by CSC to government agencies/LGUs in the whole region of SOCCSKSARGEN. Nonetheless, HRMDO is already prepared for the next level of accreditation, notwithstanding that its current systems, such as Happy HR aPPP, comply with the Prime HRM advanced level 3 standards of developing and implementing communication plans engaging employees in executing processes and programs.

Organization

Biliran Province State University

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Leadership, Strategy, Operations

Year Implemented

March 2020

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

BiPSU FLMS manifests the university’s commitment to ensuring that no BiPSUnista (BiPSU students and employees) will be left behind. Guided by this, the university has adapted flexible strategies to continue its operation, such as the development of an institutional Learning Management System dubbed as WoW BiPSU Learning Management System, the establishment of municipal kiosks in strategic places in the municipalities, and the provision of facilities for the learning centers to support students needs, and partnership with LGUs and other agencies and among others.

The FL implementation played a vital role in delivering instruction. It paved the way for the continued delivery of its other essential services for the university, such as student information, enrollment, admission, etc. To support this, various orientations and training were initiated to ensure that all our employees, especially those in the teaching workforce, are well-equipped.

Background and Problem

In a survey conducted by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) last May 11 on Flexible Learning among Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), results showed that 81% of the HEIs in the Philippines are currently using flexible learning strategies; however, only 58.5% of them have institutional academic policies for its implementation. It also showed that more than half (59.4%) of the HEIs who responded did not have learning packages/coursewares designed for flexible learning. Still, more than half (57.7%) of the HEIs currently do not have access to e-library and online educational resources (OERs). These results reflect that in implementing the flexible learning system, which is the call of the time, HEIs need to equip themselves and their faculty and administrators to effectively and efficiently implement it.

Because of COVID-19, the promise to deliver quality education in the Philippines is severely hampered. BiPSU’s FLMS is a response to the constitutional right to quality education.

This system seeks to address the needs of its personnel in terms of training and capability building, especially since the institution will implement a new teaching delivery mode. This causes massive orientation and training on flexible/blended learning, course packs/modules and other instructional materials production, orientation and reorientation on the alternative learning management system, and many others.

Solution and Impact

The university adopted a unified policy for preparing, implementing, and monitoring the sustainable, flexible learning management system through careful planning and consultation with its stakeholders. The results of consultations have been instrumental in crafting the university’s Learning Continuity Plan, which also reflects the Flexible Learning System practices of the university.

Designed towards the achievement of quality education amidst the pandemic, the BiPSU FL system implementation included the following activities:

1. Identification of recurring problems in the delivery of instruction in the institution and conduct of needs assessment for training/ capability building activities, as well as consultation among faculty members and students;
2. Development of different programs designed to address the needs of the faculty and non-teaching personnel in terms of content development, IT and infra support, policy development, flexible learning foundations, etc.
3. Implementation of different programs and activities in the university
4. On-boarding of all teaching personnel and students from the member SUCs
5. Development of instructional materials for flexible learning by the well-trained teachers
6. Establishment of LGU-academic linkages
7. Sustained delivery of instruction through flexible learning delivery
8. Monitoring and Assessment of different activities under the FL Management System Implementation of BiPSU

Further, the different training and capability-building activities have helped all the faculty members across schools and departments with flexible learning delivery in education and have become very instrumental in the production and development of learning materials for students. This also enabled them to adapt varied teaching strategies to address students’ needs, such as using the Learning Management System (LMS).

Milestones/Next Steps

The different programs and activities initiated by the university paved the way for implementing a flexible learning system in the institution. Among the notable results and remarkable milestones of the institution relative to the flexible learning management system includes the conduct of over forty (40) webinars for all the faculty members in the region, which cover the topic of Orientation on Flexible and Distance Learning, Learning Management System (LMS), Module Production, Student-On-Boarding Program, etc.; establishment of academic/LGU kiosks in the different municipalities in the province and neighboring towns in Leyte, which served as repositories of learning materials for students.

This also paved the way for establishing partnerships and linkages among the different Local Government Units in the region and; the design of an institutional Learning Management System, the first in the region, used in the flexible learning delivery. The said LMS is an open-source platform that can be used online and offline. They describe it to be reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective; production of print and online modules for all subjects in all programs for the first (1st) semester of the academic year 2020-2021; and development of the different tools/instruments for evaluation and monitoring of the different flexible learning programs of the consortium.