Temps & Staffers

Towards More Golden Years of Service

     “There will always be opportunities even in the face of adversity...” 

These days, staffing —whether temporary, contractual, or permanent— is at the core of a range of sectors. From technical specialists in power plants and quality control engineers in oil refineries to technical consultants in telecommunication firms and credit and collection staff of financial institutions. The human resource industry, whose niche cover a broad spectrum, has evolved and grown into a complex web of services that address the workforce development needs of the economy. 

At the forefront of this burgeoning venture is Servicio Filipino and its spawn Temps & Staffers. What once was merely “help-in-a-huff” has evolved into a major global enterprise. The success of the latter, as preferred choice of top Filipino companies and multinational firms in filling up staffing and human resource placement needs, is a testament to its pioneering legacy established by Servicio Filipino. 

“The success of Temps and Staffers is a reflection of the innovative solutions and the foresight of Servicio Filipino in capitalizing on the different sectors of the HR industry, particularly the staffing business,” enthused Vivian Anastacio-Guerrero, CEO of Temps & Staffers. 

“We place ourselves in the position of our clients. It is important that we understand their needs, their business nature and plans for the future. We are their de facto HR, sales, and even finance officers.” 

Ms. Vivian credits her management style and business acumen to the training she received from her mother. Back in their elementary days, she recalls her mother teaching her, along with her brother Lloyd and sister Aileen, how to budget and liquidate their expenses. 

"During our out-of-town trips, she would give us allowances. But we had to account for all our expenses and have her check the list. We had our management training from our mother ever since we were in grade school. Things are very different now." 

Her company's a pioneer in providing innovative human resource solutions and workforce development services to a range of companies in a broad spectrum of industries. 

“The HR business has become a fast-paced, competitive industry. We have to be constantly innovative and deliver exceptional results to our clients.” 

As a member of the SFI Group of Companies, Temps and Staffers spun off from a division of Servicio Filipino, Inc., the flagship company of the SFI Group. With the growth of the outsourced staffing industry, Temps and Staffers became an independent subsidiary of Servicio Filipino primarily to cater to and focus on temporary staffing. The hiring and placement of temporary workers has become a huge market in itself. 

Ms. Vivian played a pivotal role in Servicio Filipino’s transformation and in the establishment of Temps and Staffers. She says that the workforce development needs of companies nowadays, and in the future, are becoming more complex and require HR strategies that would not only make workplaces adapt to a changing environment, but also ensure that the workforce becomes globally competitive as well. 

“My background in the corporate world was a tremendous asset when we were transforming Servicio Filipino into a major industry player.” 

Ms. Vivian had work experience in a major hotel chain as well as in one of the biggest private banks in the country before joining Servicio Filipino. Ester Anastacio, chairwoman of the SFI Group and Vivian’s mother, said that Servicio Filipino, a pioneer in providing innovative human resource solutions and workforce development services, and its other independent subsidiaries, have always been at the forefront of the HR industry’s growth and evolution. 

“It’s our fidelity to our mission through half a century that has allowed us to deliver excellent services in our line of business.” From its humble beginnings as a human resource agency that supplies janitorial and custodial services to a handful of clients, Servicio Filipino has grown into a conglomerate that addresses the workforce development needs of a range of companies—from small and medium-sized ones to multinational corporations and industrial plants. 

Ms. Vivian took over the management of Servicio Filipino when her husband, lawyer Dante Anastacio, who founded the company, died in 1976. With only a handful of clients then, the biggest of which was Banco Filipino, Ms. Vivian steered Servicio Filipino into one of the biggest HR firms in the country, providing workforce development solutions to a range of sectors. 

Ms. Vivian was in the jewelry business at the time she took over Servicio Filipino and had to learn the intricacies of the HR business and employ her own management style. “I tried the soft approach, in contrast to my husband’s authoritarian style,” she recalls, describing it as 'friendly persuasion.' 

That approach turned out to be more effective. “I had to project this motherly persona and become an adviser of sorts on so many things. However, we will not compromise our morals; it’s not hard for us to give up a client if it goes against our principles.” 

As Servicio Filipino gears up for its 50th anniversary, it plans to offer new services and expand its current offerings, along with Temps and Staffers and its other independent subsidiaries that include BusinessTrends Philippines, an entity that offers executive search services. For the past decades, Temps and Staffers has offered an array of workforce and workplace management solutions to a spectrum of industries and an expansive list of clients. 

As a member of the SFI Group of Companies, Temps and Staffers is backed by 50 years of pioneering and exceptional work in human resource servicing and is committed to develop world-class Filipino professionals by ensuring efficiency, innovation, and quality in its delivery. 

Servicio Filipino’s expansion into different markets and in providing job opportunities to people of different skills and backgrounds is a testament to the company’s thrust of creating a more globally competitive Filipino workforce. According to Ms. Vivian, the company has become more equipped with the strategies and tools needed to empower the working Filipino. 

“We will continue to help achieve success and economic gains for our country. We are ready to serve the Filipino people for the next 50 years,” she beams. “We want to continue helping our country and countrymen. That’s why we stayed in the Philippines even when the trend then was to leave the country and migrate overseas.”

The continuing success of Servicio Filipino is anchored on an age-old legacy of keeping its promise to deliver excellent services to its clients. “We keep our promises. Our word is our honor. I'm leaving my children with a good name and I have asked them to take care of that name. Word of honor, after all, is still the best currency in any partnership and/or agreement. 

“Taking over the management of Servicio Filipino was not easy. It was like choosing between what I have known to do for a number of years, over the not-so-familiar territory of managing an HR firm,” she recalls. “If I had a choice, I would have pursued my jewelry business. But I wanted to continue my husband’s higher purpose of providing employment to Filipinos. In a lot of ways, when my husband founded the company it was meant to serve the Filipino people. That’s why it was named Servicio Filipino in the first place. It's a legacy that has come full-circle and still looks unto myriad possibilities beyond our Golden Year anniversary.”