What 160 Trees Tell You About the Offshoring Company Behind Your Hire
by Justin Pavsic, Co-Founder and CEO, Staff Domain
Early in October, 42 of our people from Staff Domain Ortigas office planted 160 Narra saplings with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at the La Mesa Watershed in Quezon City. More than a third of them work inside client businesses every day. If you hire through us, or you’re thinking about it, that morning tells you two things worth knowing. It shows how the people in your business feel about where they work, and how we follow through on commitments nobody is paying us to keep.
What Happened at La Mesa
We partnered with DENR for Staff Domain’s first CSR tree planting at the La Mesa Watershed Reservation. The reservation covers about 2,659 hectares under the joint care of DENR and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, holding the last remaining forest of its size in Metro Manila.
Every sapling provided was Narra, a large hardwood that decades of logging have pushed onto the IUCN’s Endangered list, and, coincidentally, the Philippines’ national tree. DENR Officer Jeric Agustin explained that as a native species, the saplings suit the local climate and soil and support wildlife in ways introduced species may not.
Forty-two of us from Staff Domain came, where more than a third were client-facing staff, the specialists who work inside our clients’ businesses. Nobody had to be there, but everyone was happy to dedicate what could have been a restful Saturday morning to participate. In fact, people were looking forward to it.
We ran the rest of the day on the same principle. The whole group travelled on one shared bus instead of separate cars. Personal, refillable water jugs replaced plastic bottles, and eco totes replaced plastic bags —small, consistent choices consciously made by everyone involved.
Why Does an Outsourcing Staffing Company Plant Trees?
We wanted to give back to the land.
Staff Domain exists because of people. With incredible professionals in the Philippines and South Africa, we have over 700 deployed seats for Australian and US clients. Behind each of those seats is a person who lives in a city like Manila and depends on its air, water, and green space.
Now, this needs a realistic framing: planting 160 saplings won’t change Metro Manila’s climate. But with time and care, those saplings will grow into trees that will add native cover to a protected forest the city relies on, close to where many of our people live and work.
That’s the environmental case for our CSR. The business case matters just as much, and it’s the reason a client should care.
What Does This Tell You About the Person Working in Your Business?
It’s simple: good engagement improves staff continuity.
When you hire through us, a named specialist joins your team and works inside your business every day. Their engagement shapes everything you get from them: the quality of the work, how they handle a bad week, and whether they’re still with you next year.
More than a third of the people at La Mesa were those specialists. They chose to spend their day off doing good work and planting trees with their colleagues and bosses.
There’s research behind the instinct. A peer-reviewed study in Organization Science tracked about 10,000 employees at a global consulting firm and found that people who took part in the firm’s social impact initiative were more likely to remain with the company. The effect was strongest when participation was voluntary and close to home.
People who feel part of something beyond their task list tend to stay.
Why Will Your Board and Customers Start Asking About This?
Here’s where I think this goes. Australian businesses already look hard at their suppliers. In Herbert Smith Freehills’ 2024 survey, just 2% of Australian companies said they don’t weigh environmental and social values in investment decisions, and the firm notes that businesses are widening their diligence on suppliers.
Climate reporting adds weight. Under AASB S2, reporting entities must disclose Scope 3 emissions, which include supplier emissions, from their second year. Smaller businesses in their supply chains may be drawn in even without direct obligations of their own. Supplier questionnaires already ask about ethical sourcing, climate policy, and modern slavery risk under Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018.
My view is that offshore staffing partners will soon face the same questions as any other supplier. When your largest customer sends you that questionnaire, you’ll want a partner whose answer has substance behind it.
Isn't Tree Planting Just a Photo Op?
Not for Staff Domain. Our CSR initiatives are arranged with care and purpose, and this tree planting initiative is no different.
When the Commission on Audit (COA) reviewed the Philippine government’s National Greening Program, sampled seedlings planted in 2012 had a 61% survival rate, against a target of 85%. COA’s main criticism was that no system existed to inspect or monitor whether the seedlings survived.
That finding shaped how we approached this. Planting is the easy part. Coming back is where the commitment shows.
What Happens Next?
The aim is for Staff Domain to grow this into an ongoing CSR program with the DENR: adopt a site, return for regular care and monitoring, and plant where Metro Manila needs more tree cover.
We run client relationships the same way. Placing a specialist in your business is the start of the work. The onboarding, the management support, and the career path that follow are what keep them there.
CSR on its own is no reason to choose a staffing partner. Recruitment quality, security, and day-to-day support matter, too. But if you want to know how a partner will treat the person in your business, watch what they do when no client is watching.
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