At the 2nd Annual CHRO & HR Leaders’ Summit Philippines 2026, held recently at the Diamond Hotel, HR leaders shared how labor-intensive administrative tasks continue to hinder their operations. Conversations in plenary sessions and round table discussions revolved around addressing these inefficiencies in the pursuit of becoming an employer of choice.
The industry practice of enrolling a payroll account can take up to two weeks and is usually filled with endless back-and-forth with the bank. These persistent bottlenecks significantly slow HR’s ability to develop effective strategic measures to win the talent war that’s heating up across industries.
“For new employees, you (employers) collect, submit, and process loads of work and documents. While doing that, your new employees encounter a lot of manual operations at the back end just to open that bank account,” said Erika Dizon-Go, Senior Vice President and Head of the Transaction Banking Center at Union Bank of the Philippines.
UnionBank’s Zero-Touch Onboarding, the country’s first fully digital, no manual process payroll account opening solution, solves this problem for both employers and employees. Through The Portal, UnionBank’s online business banking platform, HR can generate a QR code to send to new hires. Scanning it leads them to a quick digital application form that only takes minutes to complete.
The payroll account can be activated in as fast as two hours, with employees able to view their payroll within 24 hours. Employers, meanwhile, can conveniently access employee details through The Portal.
“HR professionals need the time to think about engaging employees, getting the talent that they want, and retaining the talent they want. What’s happening here is that we’re taking on the time and resource intensive tasks you usually do. Let the bank do it for you instead,” Dizon-Go added.
With UnionBank’s seamless payroll platform, organizations can shift their focus to high value priorities such as recruitment, talent development, retention, and employee well being. Companies gain more time for innovation and growth initiatives because tedious manual processes no longer hold them back.
“The platform works not just for payroll, but for all kinds of payouts you (i.e. businesses) need to process—like incentives for riders of ride hailing apps, commissions for agents, to name a few,” Dizon-Go said.
UnionBank’s frictionless onboarding platform is far more than a payroll solution. It empowers businesses to concentrate on nurturing talent and reinforces the bank’s commitment to advancing business growth and development.