Pru Life UK’s Manila headquarters embraces hybrid work

The office has recreational and wellness areas to help employees recharge.

Pru Life Insurance Corp. has unveiled its Philippine headquarters with a cross-functional and future-focused space for both formal and informal work settings.

PRUHouse, launched on 7 January in Bonifacio Global City near the Philippine capital, was designed to enhance both productivity and creativity, featuring  collaborative zones, focus pods, social hubs, and ergonomic workstations.

“We want a workspace that reflects our culture — how we care for our employees, and how we embrace hybrid work for Gen X and Y,” Rashelle Cejo, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Pru Life UK, told Insurance Asia in an interview.

The office measures 51,000 square feet and houses more than 800 employees.

The Hive serves as a multifunctional space for town halls and events, equipped with an almost 200-inch video screen wall, while the Sanctuary offers formal and informal work settings. Workers can use the Huddle for training and development.

London-based Instant Group completed the third office space for Pru Life UK using its managed office product — a dedicated workspace that incorporates the client’s brand and specifications.

“We are already witnessing insurance firms and financial institutions embracing hybrid work models, with large traditional office spaces being traded for more cost-effective and flexible solutions,” Paul Marshall, Instant Group’s executive director for the Asia-Pacific region, said in an emailed reply to questions.

The life insurer’s office has two separate floors with minimal wall barriers, allowing company departments to blend. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the headquarters used to have four stories, but the company designed a more inclusive and focused working environment as part of its transition to a hybrid setup.

“It’s not easy because we have different employee categories,” Cejo said. “We have people working on-site and there are those at home. How do you engage them?”

Beyond work, the headquarters features recreational and wellness areas to help employees recharge.

The Mini Hive, a tiered stadium-style space, promotes collaboration and engagement. It also has a mother’s room, multi-faith prayer room, library, clinic, creative marketing studio, and IT service hub.

“The space was designed to be sustainable and energy-efficient, engaging and experiential, adaptable to diverse workstyles, integrating areas that support well-being whilst optimising resources and maximising budget,”  Marshall said.

He said demand for flexible workspaces in the Philippines rose more than 50% last year from 2023, compared with an almost 20% increase globally.

He attributed the Philippine growth to higher demand from big corporations that require more than two-dozen desks. These companies accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total demand last year compared with 50% in 2023, he added.

The latest addition brings the total workspace delivered by Instant Group for Pru Life UK to 100,000 square feet, supporting more than 6,000 agents and employees nationwide.

Today’s professionals value more than their salaries, with 47% citing flexibility as their No. 1 benefit, according to the 2025 Hays Salary Guide released on 14 February. It was followed by health insurance (38%), additional vacation days (26%), transportation allowance (20%), and employee pension (17%).

“It was not easy when we asked them to return to the office [after COVID-19],” Cejo said. “But when they did, we made sure that we had a space where they can really connect with each other.”

She said an engaged workforce leads to productive employees.

“If your employees are productive, it translates to better client engagement or customer service,” Cejo said. “At the end of the day, it's all about customer centricity.”