BPO

BPO firms can become eligible for increased work-from-home (WFH) setup by shifting their registration from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to the Board of Investments (BOI).

The allowance for companies in the information technology- business process management (IT-BPM) sector operating in ecozones to adopt a WFH arrangement covering 30% of its workers is set to expire on September 12, 2022.

BPO operator iQor announced it has added additional employment opportunities at its Iloilo site as part of its commitment to ramp up hiring in 2022.

The government, however, appears not to be interested in permanently establishing an incentive package for WFH setup with the Department of Finance lauding the decision of BPO firm Concentrix to give up its tax perks in exchange for a continued hybrid work setup for its employees.

R1 RCM, a provider of revenue cycle management solutions for US-based healthcare facilities, said that it is on schedule in growing its team in the Philippines with over a thousand new hires this year.

Immediately after the May 9 elections, a marked increase of Filipino employees struggling with anxiety was observed, an official of TaskUs said.

Joselito “Jojo” Uligan, a leading figure of the local BPO industry and president of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) for the last 19 years, died on Friday, April 22, after reportedly suffering from cardiac arrest.

PEZA now says the CREATE law does not prohibit registered IT-BPM firms from conducting remote work or performing a portion of their activity outside the economic zones.

The Department of Finance said the IT-BPM firms can still implement a remote work arrangement for their employees but the companies must give up their fiscal incentives because these tax incentives are meant to be enjoyed inside an ecozone.

IBPAP president and CEO Jack Madrid said that while the group supports the need to fully reopen the economy, BPO employees have an overwhelming preference for a hybrid work arrangement.