The Philippines is 4,435 km/s away from Australia. But that doesn’t stop our HGS offices from capturing the spirit of the great outback for our January huddle!
With red, white, and blue streamers decorating the walls, the anticipation for the festivities of Australia Day was palpable. With this being the first huddle of the year, celebrations were truly in order to make this one count for the books. From Cebu to Manila, we celebrated this day with wonder and vigour, but we can’t keep all the fun to ourselves. Here’s what happened in our January huddle.
A Peek into the Australian Tradition
This month’s huddle theme celebrates Australia Day, which centres on the history of Australia from the first settlement to cultural diversity. The locals commemorate this day through various community events from sports fests, family get-togethers, and lively outdoor cookouts. Activities that ring close to home, as this closely resembles how Filipinos celebrate most national holidays. It’s an amazing sight to see how two different cultures come together to make the most of this day.
In starting this one with a bang, HGS arranged the outback experience through fun activities for our team members from across our HGS offices. This is only the first of many more exciting events we have in store. So, huddle up as we take a big step into new journeys together.
“Doors to New Adventures” Contest Winners!
We started the festivities of our January Huddle with an exciting poster-making contest. We challenged our teams to envision 2024 with the theme “Doors to New Adventures”! Our members did not disappoint in showcasing their artistic flair as some shared with us their goals of getting a new car or starting a business, while others set their eyes on family-centred goals where they dedicate themselves to spending more time with their kids. We showcased the winning artworks during every huddle, and it’s heartwarming to share the goals our teams have set out for themselves personally and professionally.
We have received so many entries from eager team members who want to show us their creativity but also their inspiration for moving forward this year. It was a tough competition indeed, but here are the winners!
Let’s give these talented folks a warm round of applause for their excellent work! Our HGS teams have never failed to showcase their artistic talent. But today, we were even more impressed with their overall visions for 2024.
A Quick Gander at the Outback
We opened the Aussie festivities with a heartfelt message from Paul Butalid, our Vice President of Operations. “We’ve prepared a lot of fun games for everyone so I hope you all are just as excited as I am. I can’t wait to see everyone participate!” He says, sharing his excitement with the teams. He concluded his message by encouraging everyone to enjoy and feel the spirit of the festivities as there will be more to expect this 2024.
From all the way back in Australia, our teams were also welcomed with messages from our HGS Aussies. Our Senior Vice President in Business Development, Lachlan Maxwell, gladly shares how he celebrates the occasion, “Australia Day for me has always been about bringing friends and family together for a celebration, often with barbecue as we share the great outdoors together.” he states, reminiscing the traditions he follows during this day.
Lastly, Marcia Da Silva, our Director in Client Success, was very excited to see the tradition she grew up with be celebrated in another country. “Australia Day is always a celebration of differences and the fascinating things that come out of it. I’m incredibly excited to see how everyone will be celebrating Australia Day in the Philippines” She says, enthusiastic for the events that were prepared for the teams.
Aussie Games Galore!
The fun doesn’t stop as we let our teams channel their inner kangaroo with an awesome game called the “Outback Jump Relay” across our offices. The name of the game is for our team members to hop their way around a chair while balancing a balloon or pillows between their legs and hands. With two teams consisting of five members each, the game was certainly an adrenaline rush for our players, but in the end, only one team won the game and reigned as the champions of the Outback!
Of course, our Work-From-Home teams were also treated to a special trivia game that tested their knowledge of Australian facts. They guessed some of the famous landmarks, animals, and facts about the country, who knew Tasmanian devils were local to Australia? The same game also quizzed our team members over at Twenty-Five Seven where they had to guess which famous actors and actresses originated from Australia! But wait, there’s more, their little trivia game also consisted of the teams guessing the meanings of famous Aussie slang!
After the laughs and games, we ended each huddle with a wonderful meal. It was adorable to note how much this resembles Australian families taking a break and enjoying the holidays with their loved ones. After all, having a great time as a community should be a universal pastime.
What’s Next?
And that’s a wrap for our January huddle! We ended each huddle with our teams having a wonderful meal. Together, This event is a great kickstarter for the next huddle. We hope you are ready for a month filled with love as we head on over to February! We’re very eager to see what our engagement team has in store and how our teams will come together to celebrate this season of hearts. See you all next time!
Citations
HGS Offshore Staffing Solutions. “Understanding the Filipino Culture.” HGS OSS, 11 Dec. 2013, hgsoss.com/newsroom/understanding-filipino-culture/#:~:text=Filipinos%20are%20fun%2Dloving%20individuals%20who%20have%20a%20passion%20for%20festivals%20and%20an%20obsession%20with%20singing%20and%20dancing.
