Accenture in the Philippines has existing social groups, which employees are free to join. They have become communities of their own. These pocket communities focus on sports and the arts and create venues for employees to explore their other capabilities and interests outside of their work environment. The company has a slew of clubs and organizations for nurturing the employee’s mind and body, such as the Photography Club, Motor Club, Wellness Club, Working Moms Organization, its dance club M.O.V.E., as well as sports activities for basketball, lawn tennis, table tennis, bowling, chess, volleyball, dragon boat race, scuba diving, etc. All these help transform employees into well-rounded individuals, and translate into a happy and fulfilled workforce.
Many things have been said about music. It is the language of the soul. It sweeps away the cobwebs of everyday life. It soothes one’s body and soul. Filipinos by nature are drawn to music. Singing, in particular, is part of their psyche, and has made celebrities of ordinary Filipinos.
The Accenture Chorale is the milieu for employees whose passion is singing. Bass singer Tristan Nuique, one of its pioneer members, initiated a survey in January 2007 to sort of “test the waters”, and it resulted in a wave of positive responses. The Accenture Chorale formally came into being two months later in March. Now the group has more than 50 active members. It continues to attract a variety of career levels, Associate Software Engineers and Senior Managers included. What brings them together is their common love for singing.
The Chorale is a visible group during internal company events. It performs annually at Christmas socials and at the Gantimpala Awards Night, a yearly recognition night that seeks to reward high-performing employees and teams.
The members never dreamed of venturing beyond Accenture’s walls until recently. Its normal path took a different turn when the group was invited to join the prestigious Madz Et Al Chorale Festival through Mark Anthony Carpio, a conductor of the internationally renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers who is concurrently Accenture Chorale’s adviser. From the ticket sales, they were able to raise a substantial amount to fund some of the projects of Accenture Caring for Tomorrow (ACT), Accenture’s corporate citizenship arm which aims to improve Filipino communities through better education, livelihood, and environment projects.
The Chorale’s participation in the festival with the Philippine Madrigal Singers was a treasured experience for its members as it opened opportunities to share their talent beyond Accenture’s walls.