Presented to the

Department of Management and Organization

De La Salle University-Manila
Term 2, A.Y. 2020-2021

In partial fulfillment of the course COBSHUR

An HR Management Report on VitalStrats Creative Solutions

Group 3

Capps, Lara Ysabelle

Castro, Kirsten Mae
Cruz, Khloe
Gugol, Chelcy Mari
Ulob, Kirsten Cassandra Tattiana D.
Yamson, Jenine Arianna H.

Submitted to:
Mr. Armando Ricardo Aguado

Submitted on: April 12, 2023

I. Profile of the Company 3
II. Recruitment & Selection 3
III. Training & Development 6
IV. Compensation & Benefits 7
V. Separations & Labor Relations 8
VI. Selected HR Issues 9
VII. Recommended Actions 10
VIII. References 11
 I. Profile of the Company

Located in Quezon City, Vitalstrats Creative Solutions offers services such as strategic
design solutions, video production solutions, and social media marketing solutions. The company
also has its website vitalstrats.ph for more accessibility of its services and company profile for
the public to access easily. Throughout VCS’ 18 years in business, they have aimed for the
growth of their clients, company, and team members as a whole and as flourishing individuals.
The company envisions itself as a globally competitive digital content production agency
preferred by clients. It propagates its mission to use Strategic Creativity to pinpoint real-world
solutions that will contribute to the growth of its employees and peers, partners and clients, and
the Philippine marketing landscape. The company emphasizes the importance of teamwork and
promoting an inclusive workplace. Currently, VCS has 20 regular employees, and their employee
count varies from time to time, depending on the needs per project.

II. Recruitment & Selection

Employees are one of the most important assets of an organization that contributes to its
success. The VitalStrats Creative Solution company bases its hiring and recruitment process on
the number of employees needed in each department and the requirement for project-based and
contract-based employees. The company has labor demand forecasts that allow them to predict
how busy the company will be and determine how many additional human resources are needed
to meet projected client demand successfully. The VCS does not simply hire employees; they
also ensure that their company's income exceeds their expenses to determine whether they can
sustain their employees' salaries. Furthermore, they accept big retainer projects with long-term
agreements and other projects that coincidentally have the same deadlines, resulting in an
inability to handle additional tasks. They consider those factors when deciding whether to hire
someone for a temporary, project-based position or someone who is long-term and can take on
more projects. In other words, the company employs employees depending on the urgency of the
position and the quantity and quality of applicants.
 The recruitment and selection process at the VCS company begins with creating a job
description, which includes a job summary and the qualifications and skills required for the
position offered at the company. Once the company has determined the urgency or availability of
positions, the company's social media channels are used to attract talented candidates. The
screening of candidates is the third step in the process. Applicants will first go through the HR
department head, who will conduct interviews and determine if the candidate is fit and qualified
regarding personal goals, values, experience, and a portfolio demonstrating their skills. The
company looks for a candidate's soft skills rather than hard or technical skills but also considers
their knowledge of the hard skills required. Aside from skills, the candidate's eagerness to learn,
potential, openness to challenges, and commitment to the role with the company's core values of
integrity and respect are factors that HR management considers. The company is aware that the
applicant's resume is not entirely accurate; therefore, if a candidate meets the qualifications, they
thoroughly examine it in the final interview with the owner of the Vitalstrats Creative Solution
company in terms of one's character and competency by asking behavioral questions to
understand the candidate's work ethic better. These questions may pertain to problem-solving
abilities, communication, time management, and what type of team member a candidate will be
in the workplace.

The VCS company has a 6-month probationary trial period wherein the employer closely
monitors and evaluates the applicant. During the probationary period, the individual will undergo
multiple assessments to test their abilities and observe their character since they are new to the
role at the company. Regulating the probationary trial period is essential because it comprehends
if the candidate is suitable for the position before becoming a regular employee.

When it comes to the selection process, HR management needs help. The company has
many applicants, but the manager claims that only a few are qualified for their meticulous
selection process. Furthermore, because VCS wishes to maintain a small team, it is critical that
they carefully select the best candidate in terms of values and skills. The owner said that
sometimes they only realize after three months or so that their applicants need to be more
suitable. Values are more important to them than skill. Also, the owner mentioned that learning
skills are simple if a candidate has the correct values.
III. Training & Development

Upon hiring, VitalStrats make their employees undergo the New Employee Orientation
Training to learn about the company's mission, vision, values, different departments, systems,
and more. Simultaneously, the new employees also undergo schedules to learn about each
department's function and the company's organizational chart. After familiarization with the
company, they receive close mentorship with immediate supervisors and mentoring sessions with
managers in their third month. As Ms. Amrei has mentioned, they emphasize their values in their
employee's work etiquette.

Regular employees have access to Skillshare, and paid hours are dedicated to online
training. Since the company offers creative solutions, employees are also encouraged to take
certification training in skills they need to develop. In addition, other employees also undergo
specialized training courses such as UP ISSI Supervisor Course, Ateneo Professional Schools
Managers Course, etc. The company also has internal cross-training sessions and exposure trips
(Ex., attending expos, art fairs, and client-related events).

VitalStrats Creative Solutions recognizes the importance of each employee's growth and
development as the company progresses. Despite VCS offering numerous employee training
programs to ensure their growth and development, the company still recognizes a problem in the
employees' persistence and dedication.

IV. Compensation & Benefits

Employees play a significant role in the overall performance of an organization.

Considering the skills and abilities they offer to the company, they are to receive compensation
and benefits alongside their salary. For VitalStrats, their core value of Respect stresses their
employees' importance, including their personal goals. To further appreciate the value of the
employees, VitalStrats offers them various and unique compensation and benefits that they can
choose from depending on their needs.
 The company has several kinds of leaves from which employees can select, including
Vacation and Sick Leaves, Bereavement Leave, and Compassionate Leave. As for Incentives,
Work from Home Connectivity Allowance, Birthday Gifts/Gift Certificates, and Bonuses are
offered to the employees. Insurance is a necessary benefit given to all employees. Considering
this, VitalStrats grants their employees Group Insurance, wherein Health and Life Insurance all
fall under it. The company also gives employees an Agency Break, offering them a paid vacation
after Christmas and New Year. Lastly, VitalStrats plans a Company Outing once a year and
Celebrations, which occur during special occasions. Mentioning all these, it is also essential to
acknowledge that the company has plans to finalize a Retirement Plan for their employees,
which is considered impressive given that most organizations lack to provide this benefit and
compensation.

Comparing VitalStrats' range of compensation and benefits selection with other

companies, they are one of the most competitive organizations. Given this, they can provide
sufficient support to their employees while catering to their specific needs. VitalStrats targets to
align its unique compensation and benefits to the demand of its work-from-home employees. The
company has successfully attained this goal as they continuously find ways to overcome the
challenge of encouraging motivation in their employees who work in a remote environment.

V. Separations & Labor Relations

People will inevitably leave a company. VitalStrats Creative Solutions' separation natures
were a combination of resignation and termination. When the pandemic happened, they had no
choice but to terminate their messenger and maintenance employees–as their job was no longer
beneficial for the company. According to Ms. Amrei, there is an estimate of two to five
employees resigning their positions year by year. The common reason these employees leave is
they want to try a more prominent company for more opportunities–and since VitalStrats
Solutions is a small-scale company, they tend to use the organization as their only first step in
their career. Nonetheless, the owner did not appear displeased as this could be an opportunity to
hire more talented individuals. Their former employees also realized that they wanted to switch
industries, and others went to work abroad and became OFWs.

VitalStrats Creative Solution has a systematic process in place for handling employee
misconduct. The company initially gives out a verbal warning, followed by a maximum of three
written memorandum/warnings. Then if an employee exceeds these written memoranda, they are
subject to termination.

VI. Selected HR Issues

Due to a conflict caused by the series of lockdowns during the height of the pandemic, all
offices were ordered to switch from in-person to remote operations. According to the CEO of
VitalStrats, the employee engagement decline rate has not resulted in a significant amount as per
their previously conducted data on surveys, although it was observed that the majority of the
employees are in "status quo mode" with the pandemic; hence, they have not been passionate and
showing enthusiasm on projects. With this, the primary HR concern of VitalStrats is that its
employees need more interaction due to the limitations of the remote work setting. Although
VitalStrats has initiated a few gatherings for team-building, such as a Halloween party and
Valentine's Day celebration, the team could focus more on discovering alternative work
dynamics and activities that allow them to engage not only their skills for work but also their
recreational abilities that will, in turn, increase their interaction, team camaraderie, and
enthusiasm at work.

VII. Recommended Actions

After analyzing and assessing the HR problem of VitalStrats Creative Solutions with their
employee engagement, the researchers found it best to recommend that the company offer their
employees opportunities to pick out and do a recreational activity based on their interests, both a
way of compensation and a company benefit. In line with this, the company shall send out a
survey to sort out what activities will be best available for the employees; this is to inhibit the
lack of engagement that they are experiencing with their workers in their current strategy for
their dilemma by giving them a choice to do what they want to do together as an act of
engagement for the company. Through this course of action, the company would not only have a
better relationship with their employees, but they would also see improvements in the individual
development of their workers.

According to an article written by Emma Parkhurst, a professor from Utah State

University, the mental health benefits of having hobbies include but are not limited to reduced
stress, enhanced well-being, improved social connection, and improved mental health. All of
these are substantial in looking after employees' well-being and ensuring that VitalStrats Creative
Solutions have a healthy relationship with its employees. Aside from increased engagement and
improved mental health, the company would also offer their employees a way of taking a break
and de-stressing from work which could help them cope with burnout and further refine their
job-related skills (Michigan State University, 2021).

Based on the interview with the owner, VitalStrats Creative Solutions is a company that
cares about its employees. The owner would be able to incorporate this into their current working
system. Keeping in mind that the majority of its employees are on the younger end of the
spectrum and considering that the landscape of employee engagement has changed with the
present times, the researchers strongly suggest that this is the most effective, efficient, and
affordable way for the company to improve its current HR problem for the long-term.
VIII. References

Parkhurst E. (2021, November 30). How Hobbies Improve Mental

Health.USU.https://extension.usu.edu/mentalhealth/articles/how-hobbies-improve-mental-health

Breaks During the Workday - Toward a Respectful Workplace. (n.d.). Toward a

Respectful Workplace. https://workplace.msu.edu/breaks-during-the-workday/

Tork. (2018). Take back the lunch break survey findings.

https://cdntorkprod.blob.core.windows.net/docs-c5/763/185763/original/tork-takes-back-survey.
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