The SM Prime Group has been recognized as the National Awardee for its SM Life program, winning the People Program of the Year 2024 (Employee Experience and Engagement category) at the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) National Conference in Iloilo on Oct. 17, 2024.

This recognition highlights SM Prime’s efforts to enhance employee development and create an inclusive workplace that promotes growth and empowerment. The award followed a rigorous three-month review, which looked into how the program was developed over the last five years, how it adapted before and after the pandemic, and how it meets the company’s business and organizational needs. As part of the evaluation, assessors conducted onsite visits and interviews with randomly chosen employees from various levels and business units across SM Prime.

There were over 70 entries submitted for the three award categories: People Program of the Year, People Manager of the Year, and Employer of the Year. SM Life emerged as one of 10 finalists and was recognized for its innovative people management approach. This is SM’s first time to join the PMAP Awards and the first-ever win for SM.

SM Prime Group wins the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) People Program of the Year Award (Employee Experience and Engagement) for its longstanding commitment to employee well-being and development.

About SM Life

SM Prime Group employees are all smiles as they welcome their new virtual buddy, Primo, introduced during the launch of SMILE (SM Integrated Life Enablement), the company’s new human capital management system, on Oct. 10, 2024.

SM Life is the flagship program for integrated talent management within SM Prime Group. Launched in 2018 under the leadership of Hans Sy, Chairman of the SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) Executive Committee, SM Life empowers employees to learn, grow, and give back. It focuses on improving the overall employee experience, which SM Prime sees as essential to the company’s success. Since its launch, the program has seen significant sustainable improvements in employee retention, especially among high-potential talent, and a consistent downward trend in turnover rates over the past five years.

A child of an SM Prime employee learns how to bowl at the SM Bowling Center during the SM Prime Kids event, promoting family bonding.

A hallmark of the SM Life program is its focus on overall employee experience. From learning and development to employee recognitions, making employees feel valued through simple gestures like sharing kudos cards through the SM Life app. To date, over 100,000 online kudos cards have been given out, planting the seeds of a culture of appreciation across the company.

Coaching and mentoring are also key leadership responsibilities at SM Prime, embedded in the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of its leaders. This ensures employees receive ongoing guidance and support, driving both personal and professional growth.

An SM leader guides a colleague, reflecting SM Prime’s commitment to professional growth and talent development.

SM Prime President Jeffrey Lim expressed his gratitude for the award, saying, “The SM Life program reflects our commitment to empowering our employees to get more out of life through their work and the advocacies we uphold at SM Prime. Guided by the Sy family, our company champions the importance of developing our employees’ potential and strives to collectively embody the work-life principles of our founder, Tatang, Henry Sy, Sr.”

An SM employee is engaged with the Digi-U platform, a versatile tool that provides access to personalized learning pathways that can be used anytime and anywhere.

SM Supermalls Senior Vice-President of Human Resources and Program Lead for SM Life Cheryll Agsaoay added, “Anchoring on the powerful interplay of purpose, performance, and passion, these are the cornerstones of SM Life and the foundation of our people programs. We are committed to continuously evolving the employee experience at SM Prime Group. We celebrate our wins and work harder on what we need to be better at.”

This recognition affirms SM Prime’s commitment to its employees, reinforcing the company’s thrust to providing a positive, dynamic workplace that supports both holistic growth and engagement.

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