Before we get into 2019, it is time to take one last look at some of the stories that made 2018 a great year for Bridge Southeast.
Choosing what to keep feature and what to exclude was a real task, and inevitably, some important stories got left out. But, we would like to feature some articles that we believe made a huge impact on us last year and perhaps lead to great things this year!
Here’s what we’ve been up to last year.
5. Access for Christmas
It would be easy to assume that people would put their 13th month and other company gifts and bonuses aside for savings. However, we found that even with extra influx of cash, 64% of employees still use their Christmas bonus on shopping and gifts. (Read our guide on saving your 13th Month Pay)
We then asked ourselves how would we even begin to accomplish this. The most obvious but often forgotten solution was to start with ourselves.
Instead of the traditional ham and cheese, shopping voucher or cash, Bridge gave each employee a 2 part gift last Christmas. First was protection. Each employee received Php 15,000 emergency accident coverage valid for a year. Second was savings. If an employee opened up an investment account via Access, Bridge would fund the first Php 1,000 investment.
Though unexpected and untraditional, this Bridge version of a Christmas gift hopes to have a lasting effect on each employee, their families and loved ones, beyond just 1 month of the year. We hope you too are inspired to help your employees and peers protect themselves and save for their future.
4. Providing the Most Affordable Payroll Solution with GCash
Last year, Bridge PayDay partnered with GCash, the leading micropayment service in the Philippines, to provide a highly affordable end-to-end payroll solution. PayDay + GCash users enjoy the combined the benefits of a full outsourced solution, from time and attendance all the way to finalized payroll, as well as the financial convenience of GCash.
We believe that our mission, which is to make work-life better, is the path to better and stronger organizations. We do this by empowering people with technology and services. Our partnership with GCash allows to take this mission even further.
More than just payroll and disbursements? #GCashMoNaYan
3. More Partners and More Clients
Bridge combines the benefits of new best practices and practical technology to create innovations that improve the workplace, and make work-life more rewarding for employees. And last year, we featured some of our great PayDay clients and new Access partners just to show that.
We were able to talk to different HR professionals across different industries that shared how PayDay improved their productivity. For example, Anytime Fitness had a difficult time connecting their clubs has been always, particularly when it comes HR. One of their challenges is manually processing payroll for numerous branches which takes a long time.
With Bridge PayDay, employees have easy access to get hold of HR. Resolving attendance, requests, and other HR needs can be done with ease despite being in different areas.
Read other client stories:
Bridge PayDay clients, like Anytime Fitness, also get access to Bridge Access, a completely free benefits platform that provides users easy access to financial services and other benefits—without the additional administrative headache to HR.
Access users are able to Bridge Access users can enjoy discounts, installment shopping, and even earn Bridge Points from a number of merchants and partners that we featured this year. Plus, now you have access to the benefits of credit through Bridge Access.
But we are more than about shopping, Access is about giving people options. We work to give all of our users access to flexible shopping, investments, loans and so much more.
Read about our new partners:
- Now You Can Access foodpanda
- Bridge Access Partners with 7-Eleven
- Access Your Digital Dream Life with Techbox
- Lazada Partners with Bridge Access
- Access Easy, Secure, and Fast Shopping with Shopee
2. We Dream of Access
According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), as of 2015, around 47% of all adult Filipinos had an outstanding loan. The average interest rate of a bank is about 1.4%, yet 72% of individuals who had loans borrowed from informal lenders like family and friends, or worse, from loan sharks who charge interest rates as high as 20%.
So we quietly created a loans platform for workers, people who are gainfully employed, who need an affordable, fast, and easily-accessible personal loan. We aimed for a 1-2% interest, and we were going to make it our goal to find ways to continue to lower this rate.
We knew that offering a very low-interest rate would improve their financial situation, but we didn’t know just how life-changing this would be. From fathers being able to take their families to the movies, to employees being able to buy property, to daughters being able to pay for a parent’s chemotherapy, our office was filled with story after story of how our low-cost loans fundamentally improved their lives.
1. At the AND of the World
Our company is at the “AND of the world”, meaning we are at the forefront of a greater movement of inclusivity, connectivity, and access. What others see as separate, even competing, ideas, we look for ways to build a bridge.
We are a People Technology Company. Our foundational services are for Human Resources, including payroll, staffing, and recruitment. We layer this with a great value-add: Bridge Access.
We would like to invite you to come and join us at the “AND of the world.” Let’s find ways to work together. we’re sure we can find amazing ways to connect. We are Bridge after all.
