(L-R):People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) Executive Director Rene Gener, Pateros Technological College President Dr. Analiza Arcega, SM Development Corporation (SMDC) Senior Assistant Vice President of Human Resources (HR) Rhodora De Leon,SM Hotels and Conventions CorporationVice President of HR Charmaine Charlotte Adonis, SM Supermalls Senior Vice President of HR Cheryll Agsaoay, SM Engineering and Design Development (SMEDD) Vice President of HR Jose Wilson Caisip, 2023 PMAP President Ma. Elizabeth Nasol, 2024 PMAP President Michael Godinez, and 2024 PMAP Vice President Lydia Lily Quintans. Photo source: SM Prime

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.

Under the Employee Experience and Engagement category of PMAP, the recognition highlights SM Prime's efforts to enhance employee development and create an inclusive workplace that promotes growth and empowerment.

"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," said SM Prime President Jeffrey Lim said after receiving the award.

The award process involved 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 90 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 ten 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.

"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.," he added.

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

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 October 10, 2024. Photo source: SM Prime Since its launch, the program has seen 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. Photo source: SM Prime 

The SM Life program prioritizes overall employee experience. From learning and development to employee recognitions, demonstrating employee appreciation through simple gestures like sharing kudos cards via the SM Life app.

To date, over 100,000 online kudos cards have been given out 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. Photo source: SM Prime 

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. Photo source: SM Prime 

"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," SM Supermalls Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Program Lead for SM Life Cheryll Agsaoay promised.