Great Place to Work certifies Western Union for 2021

*Blog updated October 2021.

Western Union is proud of its organizational culture and the work we do every day to connect people around the world. With our global workforce, it is inherent that our diverse employees bring their unique backgrounds and perspectives, making our workplace, whether virtual or in person, a special place to connect and collaborate with one another.

Many know that the Great Place to Work (GPTW) organization’s mission is to “build a better world by helping organizations become a great place to work for all.” Western Union wants to be just that—a great place for every employee. To that end, we are currently applying for certification for several of our strategic talent centers around the globe.

We are pleased to announce that the Western Union Asia Regional Operations Center (AROC) was recently named one of the Best Workplaces in Asia^TM for 2021! The center received this award alongside its Great Place to Work certification and its inclusion in the Philippines’ Best Workplaces list this year.

Here are the highlights from the Western Union AROC team:

• The center is based in Quezon City, Philippines, with ~540 employees. Since the site began operations in 2007, AROC has grown to provide faster and more efficient service delivery, customer service, agent support, and backroom operations support to Western Union’s global money movement and payments business.
• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Union AROC deployed the necessary equipment to allow 100% of its employees to work remotely. (This arrangement was not previously practiced due to local government regulations.) Site Leadership also ensured continuous compensation while waiting for equipment, provided additional benefits related to COVID-19 and increased communication and employee engagement avenues as everyone adapted to new ways of working.
• Western Union AROC has received the Great Place to Work Certification twice—first for 2019 and once again for 2021. In the 2021 recertification, 86% of employees said that Western Union AROC is a Great Place to Work.
• The Best Workplaces list includes the top 10 companies in the Philippines that 1) received high results from the Trust Index survey answered by employees, and 2) showed leadership and care for employees in their response to the COVID-19 crisis.
• This site was one of the first companies in the Philippines to be included in the Asia’s Best Workplaces list, ranking 7^th place under the category for large companies (500+ employees).

“Reflecting on our experience in 2020, we are humbled and honored to receive these prestigious recognitions. These awards validate our commitment to make Western Union AROC a better workplace and is a testament to the resilience of our employees to thrive above all the challenges we faced last year.”

Rudyard Von de Leon, Site Leader of Western Union AROC.

To continue this great news, we are thrilled to share that our Western Union Pune Technology Engineering Center (TEC) received its Great Place to Work certification in June 2021.

Here are some highlights from the Western Union Pune TEC team:

• The Pune TEC was established in 2018 as a strategic talent center focused on innovation to help expand the reach of Western Union’s omnichannel platform and digital efforts. Despite being in operation for less than five years, the site now has almost 1,000 employees, building end-to-end products, solutions, and capabilities to deliver a better customer experience globally.
• This is the first Great Place to Work certification for the Pune TEC. Pride was the highest-rated aspect, while Camaraderie, and Respect were also highly rated by Pune TEC employees.
• The leaders at the Pune TEC are committed to creating a positive employee experience through their LEAP program, which stands for:
  • Learning,
  • Engineering & Domain Excellence,
  • Accentuating the Western Union brand, and
  • Product innovation.

Initiatives under this program are run and implemented by employees and supported by site leadership.

“The certification is a recognition of our great culture and our incredible team that is at the heart of this achievement. This is a moment for us to celebrate the spirit of excellence, innovation and people-focus which is a hallmark of Western Union and recommit to raise the bar.”

Ashutosh Shinde, Site Leader of the Western Union Pune TEC

Our Western Union European Regional Operations Center (EUROC) has also been recognized as a Great Place to work in June 2021!

Here are some highlights from the Western Union EUROC team:

• Western Union EUROC recently celebrated its tenth anniversary and is our largest strategic talent center with over 2,000 employees in Vilnius, Lithuania. This site has employees from over 50 nationalities and supports Western Union customers in 35 different languages.
• This site provides global support to various aspects of Western Union’s end-to-end customer journey, covering functions such as Financial Planning & Analysis, Operations Enablement, Accounting, Agent Services, and Robotics & Automation.
• This is the first Great Place to Work certification for EUROC, with 81% of employees saying that the site is a great place to work. EUROC received an overall Trust Index score of 77, with fairness, supportive framework factors, and management competencies as some of the highest-rated aspects by employees.

“I am proud that our site achieved the certification despite the turbulent and challenging year we’ve had. It is proof of our long-term effort to create the best conditions for great talents and culture to prosper. We are setting the industry standard by creating an environment where professionals stay for the long haul and are engaged and motivated to go the extra mile. I am optimistic that the results of the employee survey will help us to sustain and improve our inclusive, safe, and inspiring work environment.”

Jūratė Stanišauskienė, Site Leader of Western Union EUROC

*In September of 2021, our Latin America Regional Operations Center (LAROC) joined our other regions, receiving their Great Place to Work certification.

Here are some highlights from our team in LAROC:

• Western Union LAROC began operations in Costa Rica in 1998, making it our oldest Regional Operations Center. To date, this site has over 1,300 employees representing more than 30 nationalities and speaking nine different languages.
• Our diverse team works together to meet customer expectations, incorporate best workplace practices, and continue to position LAROC as a value-added center and talent hub for Western Union.
• LAROC is receiving its first Great Place to Work Certification, and despite working remotely for more than a year already, they received an overall Trust Index score of 84.

“I am incredibly proud of the circumstances under which we reaffirmed our outstanding performance. After almost a year and a half working remotely, with over 600 employees who have never stepped foot onto our office, LAROC has scored excellent results in our certification.”

Erick van der Laat, Site Leader of Western Union LAROC

Keeping our employees engaged in thoughtful ways and fulfilled in their work will always be top of mind for the leadership teams across Western Union. If working for a company that always strives to make its workplace the best for its global teams, consider exploring a career with Western Union.