By Kirt Lozada | MAY 2026

The best things in life are free, especially if “free” means hot or cold coffee, donuts, and yummy pastries. Coupled with meaningful and warm conversations, this combo will surely hit the spot. These are the things that the employees enjoyed when we introduced Convo Café – a dedicated space and time wherein coaches and coachees can do their one-on-one coaching while having their choice of complimentary coffee and donut or pastry.

 This program was a huge hit as several employees from North and South participated in this quarterly event. It received a warm welcome from the participants and positive remarks were also mentioned. Ms. Jinkee Dalisay, MPT South COM-Validation Manager, shared her thoughts about the Convo Café event. The event served an avenue in understanding her team members’ feelings about their daily tasks and the concerns that they are currently experiencing.

“It created a space for more open and genuine conversations during our one-on-ones. I’m truly grateful for their honesty, dedication, and hard work. I feel lucky to have them as part of my team.”

“I’m really thankful to HR for organizing the Convo Cafe. It gave us a meaningful space to connect with our team members, have open conversations, and better understand each other. Activities like this really help build stronger teamwork and a more positive working environment.”

Ms. Ria Joyce Saldo, NLEX COM – Toll Road Systems Maintenance Supervisor, also shared her sentiments on the event. She said that it provided a relaxed, café-vibe setting that helped her to have open communication with her direct reports.

“This informal atmosphere encouraged honest conversations, strengthened working relationships, and made my direct reports feel more at ease when discussing concerns, feedback, goals, and professional development. As a result, it improved trust, engagement, and the overall effectiveness of our coaching sessions.”

Ms. Patricia Ann Mateo, NLEX COM – Toll Road Systems Maintenance Senior Associate, on the other hand shared her thought as a coachee.

“The Convo Cafe activity helped me better understand the things we need to look into moving forward, especially now that we are a new team in a different department. It gave us the opportunity to communicate our concerns and discuss the tasks that may be assigned to us. It also helped us share how we can contribute as team members and express our expectations for our new leader, whom we were able to talk to openly.

Having coffee and donuts while having the conversation created a more relaxed and comfortable setting. It helped us feel more at ease, which made it easier for us to open up and have a more honest discussion with our leader.”

True enough, one-on-one coaching can still be enjoyed even outside of the four corners of our meeting rooms. The Convo Café event created a relaxed yet stimulating atmosphere, that helped the employees discuss their thoughts in a more casual way. Hopefully, more employees will come and enjoy this event in the future. See you at our next Convo Café event!