Rejoice with our Human Nature Carmelray PLant family as they celebrate their first anniversary!

Rejoice with our Human Nature Carmelray PLant family as they celebrate their first anniversary!

A lot of people say that in most endeavors, taking the first step is the hardest, and Human Nature’s very own Carmelray Plant is a living testimony of this adage. But after a year of starting with only a warehouse and a handful of people who put their faith in the management, the Carmelray Plant along with the rest of the Human Nature family celebrated its first anniversary this September with pride and joy.

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A lot of changes has admittedly happened in the plant, from the growing number of personnel, new equipment, and ensuring that all systems are up and running efficiently. But for Michelle Lucido, Carmelray’s HR Officer, the plant’s achievement that feels the most rewarding is that 95% of its employees are already have been regularized by the time it reached its first year. “Attaining job security through regularization means a lot to them. One of the best feelings I experience here is when I see them sign their regularization contracts.”

The reason why Michelle feels strongly about job security is because she too has worked for a multinational company for four years but was never regularized. After working at the plant for nearly a year now, Michelle can confidently say that she sees herself retiring at Human Nature. “Being with Human Nature changed the way I looked at life; it reminded me that there is hope. This is the first company I worked for where I felt appreciated and where everyone is treated equal. I love it here because I really feel like we are family. I always say that Human Nature is my soulmate—I waited for it, and here I will stay.”

Padugo Awards: The Prize of Bleeding for a Cause

Loyalty is something leaders work very hard to earn but in the case of Carmelray, employees didn’t find it hard to pledge their allegiance. In recognition of their excellence, hard work, and loyalty, Human Nature also honored during the first anniversary celebration Carmelray Plant’s pioneer team with Padugo Awards. These are the people who have been with the plant from the start and stuck it out up to this day. Two of these awardees are Allan Saludes from the Liquid Compounding Team, and Apol Austria, a Warehouse Line Leader. Being with Carmelray through its humble beginnings, Allan and Apol have seen the plant bloom from its infancy and witnessed its gradual but consistent growth.

“When I got employed, the plant has already begun implementing the systems and there was a big room for improvement. There was a time when we had to multitask to make up for the departments that lacked manpower, but the beauty in it was that we learned how every area functions,” says Allan as he shares how working at Carmelray was when he started. However, as more people came in, the work load was eventually distributed and the risk of errors significantly lowered.

While receiving accolades is not new to Apol and Allan, they are quite thankful for the Padugo Award because they know it is proof that hard work they do at the plant doesn’t go unnoticed. This includes the little things where they were compelled to showcase the value of padugo.

For Apol, changing from the kind of employee who would always file for overtime to someone who doesn’t mind working beyond hours is what he considers his act of bloodletting. He said what continues to inspire him to give his best to Human Nature is that he agrees with its values “Less for Self, More for Others, Enough for All”. Seeing this message on a shirt during his immersion was what sealed his commitment to the company. “If I spare an hour or two at work and not file it, I simply consider it as bleeding for Human Nature’s cause. I changed because I agree with the company’s values, and not because my work demands me to do so. That, I think, is more important.”

Constant Commitment to Quality through Compounder Training

Now that Carmelray Plant has surpassed its first year of business, it can only mean that they’re gearing towards becoming better at what they do, especially in the manufacturing of Human Nature products. This is also why the company has invested in rigorous training for Compounding.

Compounding has to be one of the most critical stages undertaken in the production of Human Nature goods because it involves the actual manufacturing of the products. As such, the company provides the compounders proper training and implements paramount quality control measures to guarantee the precision of every stage that make up compounding.

As soon as the Carmelray Plant opened up shop, the compounders were subjected to a battery of trainings to ensure that they are familiar with the procedure by heart. The compounders also took a series of exams after every training session to test their knowledge of the processes. According to Ms. Bles Graida, Senior Formulator at Carmelray Plant, the training mainly consisted of practical applications and written exams that help them gauge the compounders’ familiarity with their work. They were also required to meet a passing rate, and those who were not able to make the cut are retrained until they pass.

One year of strict trainings after, six compounders were given certificates during the anniversary celebration. These were Allan Saludes, Jomel Pagco, John Pathrick Diwa, and Rizaldy Reyes from the Liquid Compounding Team, and Lexter del Rosario and Rommer Palivino from the Soap Compounding Team.

Keeping the Goodness Rolling

Ask anyone who has been with Carmelray Plant since day one and they will tell you how tough it has been in the beginning, and how rewarding it felt when they see that all of their hard work and bayanihan pay off. Today, the people at Carmelray are inspired to look into a future where they are not just secure with jobs that they love doing, they are also fulfilled knowing that a job well done is an opportunity to help others.

*Some interviews were conducted in Filipino and were translated into English.