Filipino human resource practitioners in the United Arab Emirates, which are in over 250 companies across the country, have adapted to the “new normal,” having come up with an online platform for those pursuing career growth in the field.
This, according to Robie Torre- Gonzales, president of the Filipino Human Resources Practitioners Association in the UAE, or more popularly, FilHR, for its chapter in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, who said the group has banked on its resilience to tackle the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We cannot allow any downturn to hold our plans for the affiliates. For a decade, we’ve been used to facilitating our workshops in a physical environment. We were so used to seeing each other face-to-face, that we thought (for the longest time) that the passing on of knowledge and the retention of learnings are only possible when you get to see the speaker in person,” Gonzales said.
“But with the current situation, where everyone’s concern is safety, we were disrupted,” she added.
Gonzales “explored the virtual learning experience” to address problems caused by the COVID disruption.
“Since there were HR Toolkits planned ahead of time and we just couldn’t miss the chance of a possible HR career advancement of the people who rely on us, we innovated into HR-Wired Toolkits,” Gonzales said.
She said FilHR has converted the group’s workshops into a virtual learning experience.
“So far we have successfully facilitated five on-line sessions in the past two months since the start of pandemic. And as we don’t have the crystal ball to see when this will be over, we make sure that the platform is ready and that relevant topics for HR practitioners in UAE are available,” Gonzales said.
She said FilHR has a scheduled HR-Wired Toolkit until March 2021.
FilHR recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, having been officially founded on June 25, 2010 with 44 members.
The group upholds its social objective of uplifting the Filipino HR practitioners in the UAE to attain HR excellence. It has become the venue for HR practitioners to connect with a professional network, excel through career development opportunities and encourage leadership development.
FILHR affiliates include HR directors, managers, learning & organizational development managers, business partners, as well as HR officers, specialists and assistants.
The FilHR is among several professional groupings of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the UAE. Others include organizations for engineers, architects, medical practitioners, including psychologists and nurses; and journalists.
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