Metro Retail Stores Group × Symph Agency · 2026

From first
application
to first shift.

A custom-built Talent Management Platform for Metro Retail — engineered for the volume, complexity, and compliance demands of Philippine retail at scale.

See the System → Talk to Symph
7,188
Employees
63
Stores
~40%
Retail Turnover Rate
~2,800
Estimated Hires / Year
"You're already spending the time. You're just spending it on the wrong things — chasing documents instead of closing hires."
The Problem

Generic tools were not built for retail.

Off-the-shelf HRIS platforms are designed for offices. Not for 63 stores, 7,000+ frontline workers, walk-in applicants, seasonal surges, and Philippine labor compliance.

01
Continuous, High-Volume Hiring
40% annual turnover means Metro is replacing roughly 2,800 people every year. This isn't a quarterly hiring event — it's a permanent operation. Spreadsheets and email chains cannot keep pace.
02
63 Stores, Zero Unified View
Each store manages its own hiring independently. Regional HR has no real-time visibility into who is interviewing, who is pending documents, or which stores are running critically understaffed.
03
Walk-In Applicants Fall Through
Frontline workers walk in to apply. Without a system built for this channel, those applicants get written in notebooks, filed in stacks, and never followed up. Talent is lost before it's found.
04
Compliance Is Manual and Risky
NBI clearances, PhilHealth enrollment, TIN, medical certificates — tracking all of this manually for 2,800+ hires per year is a compliance liability. One audit is all it takes.
The biggest retail employers in the Philippines are still running hiring on gut feel, group chats, and folders of scanned IDs. That needs to change.
The System

Two concepts. One platform.

Everything in the platform is built around two core ideas — a living talent pool, and a processing engine that moves people through it.

🗄
Concept 01
The Pool
A living, always-growing database of every person who has ever expressed interest in working at Metro. Active applicants, past applicants, walk-ins, referrals, internal employees looking to move. Searchable, segmented, and always ready.
Active — applied within 30 days
Warm — applied 30–180 days ago
Cold — older, strong profile, re-engage
Internal — current employees for transfer/promotion
Referred — employee referrals, higher trust
Seasonal — flagged for peak surge only
⚙️
Concept 02
The Pipeline
The processing engine that takes a candidate from the pool and moves them through structured stages — screened, interviewed, offered, hired, onboarded. Every stage tracked. Every handoff automated. No candidate falls through.
Application Captured
Auto-Screened by Role
Routed to Store HR
Interviewed + Scored
Offer Extended
Documents → Day 1
The Modules

Eight systems. One continuous flow.

Each module handles a distinct phase of the hiring lifecycle — and they all talk to each other.

01
Talent Pool
Applicant Pool Management
The foundation. A unified, searchable database of every person who has ever applied to Metro — regardless of channel. When a store opens a role, the system searches the pool first before posting a new ad. You may already have 40 qualified cashiers from 3 months ago who just need a follow-up.
  • Unified profile: personal info, work history, role + store preference, shift availability, match score
  • Six pool tiers: Active, Warm, Cold, Internal, Referred, Seasonal
  • Auto-tag by role fit, education level, experience band, location proximity
  • Pool health dashboard: how many qualified candidates per role per area right now
  • Re-engagement engine: automated outreach to warm/cold candidates when matching roles open
02
Intake
Multi-Channel Application Capture
Frontline workers don't apply the same way office workers do. Every channel — walk-in kiosk, mobile portal, employee referral, job fair batch upload — feeds the same central pool. No paper. No lost applications. One database.
  • Walk-in kiosk: iPad/tablet at every store's HR desk, 5-step form, 3 minutes to complete
  • Mobile-first online portal: designed for a phone, not a desktop
  • Employee referral portal with tracking and incentive logging
  • Job fair / campus recruitment: batch upload with source tagging
  • Store HR receives real-time notification on every walk-in
03
Requisitions
Store Requisition System
Instead of a store manager sending a Viber message, they raise a structured hiring request. Regional HR approves headcount. System activates the role and auto-matches from the talent pool — no manual sorting required.
  • Request types: Regular, Replacement, New Store Opening, Seasonal Campaign, Critical
  • Fields: role, headcount, urgency, shift preference, desired start date, special requirements
  • Approval flow: Store Manager → Regional HR → Active
  • Critical requisitions auto-fast-tracked — system alerts Regional HR immediately
  • New store opening: bulk requisition campaign, 50–150 roles, dedicated command view
04
Matching & Screening
Auto-Match + Role Screening
When a requisition is approved, the system scans the talent pool and surfaces a ranked shortlist automatically. Then role-specific pre-screening filters run before any human reviews a single resume.
  • Matching: location proximity, role fit, shift compatibility, pool freshness
  • Cashier screening: basic numeracy, attention to detail, availability confirmation
  • Supervisor screening: situational judgment, people management scenarios
  • Pharmacy: license verification, regulatory awareness check
  • Knockout filters: age, minimum education, legal work eligibility
  • HR coordinator sees ranked shortlist with match scores — not an inbox of 200 resumes
05
Interviews
Interview Management
End-to-end interview scheduling and scoring, built for a multi-store operation where HR can't be everywhere. Automated invitations, digital scorecards, multi-stage flows for senior roles.
  • One-click scheduling: candidate gets SMS + email confirmation with date/time/location
  • Auto-reminders: 24 hours before and 2 hours before
  • Frontline roles: 1 stage (HR screen)
  • Supervisory roles: 2 stages (HR + Dept Head)
  • Management roles: 3 stages (HR + Dept Head + Store Manager)
  • Digital scorecard with role-specific criteria, 1–5 ratings, and final hire recommendation
06
Offers
Offer Generation & Tracking
Templated offer letters generated in seconds, delivered digitally, with full status tracking. If an offer is declined or expires, the system auto-advances the next candidate in the pipeline.
  • Offer letter templates by position level and store
  • Auto-populated: name, role, store, salary band, start date
  • Digital delivery via email or SMS link — candidate accepts online
  • Status tracking: Sent / Accepted / Declined / Negotiating / Ghosted
  • Auto-failover: declined or expired offer → next candidate advanced automatically
  • HR notified before offer expires with one-click extend option
07
Compliance
Document & Compliance Processing
The most Philippine-retail-specific module. Every pre-employment document tracked per new hire, with automated follow-up, compliance deadlines, and a daily HR digest — so nothing gets missed before Day 1.
  • NBI Clearance, Medical Certificate, Barangay Clearance
  • SSS ID/E-1, PhilHealth MDR, Pag-IBIG MDF, TIN/BIR 1902
  • PSA Birth Certificate, Diploma/School Records (role-dependent), 2x2 Photos
  • Each doc tracked: Submitted / Pending / Expired / Waived
  • Auto-SMS + email reminders to new hire on missing docs with deadlines
  • Daily HR digest: "These 8 new hires have incomplete documents"
  • SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG enrollment deadlines tracked with DOLE alerts
08
Onboarding
Onboarding Readiness
The bridge between "offer accepted" and "first day on the floor." Everything tracked before Day 1 — and a Day 1 brief sent to the department head so they're ready when the new hire walks in.
  • Store assignment, uniform sizing, ID photo + card, training schedule — all in one checklist
  • "Welcome + Day 1 Guide" sent to new hire via SMS the evening before
  • Dept head receives new hire profile + outstanding items morning of Day 1
  • Day 1 attendance confirmation by store HR
  • Day 30 retention check: still employed?
  • Probation end: regularization recommendation sent to Dept Head
The Hiring Flow

Seven steps. Zero gaps.

Hover any stage to see what it means. Every step is tracked, every handoff is automated.

Step 01
Application Captured
Walk-in kiosk, mobile portal, referral, job fair — all routes feed one database instantly.
Step 02
Auto-Screened
Role-specific questionnaire runs. Knockout filters applied. Best matches surfaced automatically.
Step 03
Routed to Store HR
Qualified candidates matched to open requisitions. Coordinator gets a ranked shortlist — not a pile of resumes.
Step 04
Interview Scheduled
One click. Candidate confirmed. Calendar blocked. Scorecard waiting when it ends.
Step 05
Offer Extended
Letter generated in seconds. Sent digitally. Status tracked. Next candidate ready if declined.
Step 06
Documents Collected
Personalized checklist sent. Automated reminders follow up. HR digest flags anything overdue.
Step 07
Day 1 Ready
Store assigned. Training set. Dept head briefed. New hire walks in prepared.
Special Modes

Built for how retail actually runs.

The standard pipeline handles everyday hiring. These modes handle the moments that break standard systems.

🏗
New Store Opening
One campaign creates 50–150 requisitions simultaneously. Dedicated hiring timeline, mass document processing, bulk interview batch scheduling — all under one command view. Zero chaos for every opening.
📅
Seasonal Surge
Christmas. Back-to-school. HR pre-defines role, volume, stores, and campaign window. System activates aggressive outreach to warm and cold pool. Compressed pipeline. Ends when headcount target is hit.
🏠
Internal Mobility
Current employees apply for transfers or promotions through the same platform. Internal candidates are flagged, skip select screening steps, and go through a transfer/promotion workflow instead of a standard hire flow.
🚨
Critical Staffing
A store drops below minimum headcount. Requisition is automatically flagged Critical. Regional HR is alerted immediately. Pipeline is fast-tracked. The system doesn't wait for someone to notice.
The Dashboard

What HR sees every morning.

Regional HR, store coordinators, and hiring managers — each role sees exactly what they need, nothing they don't.

hris.metroretail.com.ph · Regional Overview · Visayas
Navigation
📊 Overview
🗄 Talent Pool
📋 Requisitions
👥 Pipeline
🗓 Interviews
📁 Documents
🚀 Onboarding
🏪 Stores
📈 Reports
Hiring Overview
All Stores · Visayas Region · Updated now
Open Positions
142
↑ 12 this week
In Pipeline
387
Across 63 stores
Avg. Time-to-Hire
9d
↓ from 18 days
Docs Pending
23
Awaiting submission
Applicant Role Store Status Days in Pipeline
Maria Santos Sales Associate Metro SM Cebu Offer Sent 6d
Juan dela Cruz Cashier Super Metro Mandaue Interview Today 4d
Ana Reyes Dept. Supervisor Metro Ayala Onboarding 12d
Carlo Bautista Receiving Staff Metro Fresh Talisay Screening 2d
Rose Mendoza Pharmacy Tech Super Metro Lapulapu Talent Pool —
User Roles

Right access for every person.

Five roles. Each sees exactly what they need to do their job — nothing more.

📱
Applicant
View own application status, submit required documents, accept or decline offers online.
🏪
Store HR Coordinator
Manage store pipeline, review shortlists, schedule interviews, process documents for their store.
👤
Store / Dept Manager
Raise hiring requisitions, view their store's current pipeline and headcount status.
🗺
Regional HR Manager
Approve headcount requests, full visibility across all stores in their region, compliance alerts.
📊
HR Director
Full access — analytics across all stores, compliance overview, system configuration.
Analytics

Numbers that actually matter.

Not vanity metrics. The data that tells HR leadership what's working, what's not, and where to act.

⏱
Time-to-Hire by Role
How long does it take to fill a cashier vs. a supervisor vs. a pharmacy tech? By store, by region, across all of Metro. Benchmark and improve.
📍
Store Hiring Health Map
Visual map of all 63 stores. Which are at full headcount? Which are understaffed? Which have been understaffed for over 30 days? One glance tells the story.
🔄
Pipeline Conversion Rates
Application → Screen → Interview → Offer → Hire. Where are candidates dropping off? Fix the funnel, fill the stores faster.
🎯
Source Effectiveness
Walk-ins vs. online applications vs. referrals. Which channel produces the most hires? The best retention at 30 days? Put budget and effort where it works.
🗄
Pool Health
How many qualified candidates exist in the pool right now for each role type in each area? Know before you need them — not after the requisition is open and urgent.
✅
Compliance Rate
% of new hires with complete documents before Day 1. % enrolled in SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG within legal deadlines. The number that keeps Metro audit-ready, always.
Why Symph

Built for Metro. Owned by Metro.

This is not a subscription to someone else's idea of how HR should work. This is yours — designed around how Metro Retail actually operates.

01
You already know us
We manage Metro's Google Workspace. We understand your org, your scale, your people. This isn't a new vendor relationship — it's a continuation of one that's already working. Trust already earned.
02
Custom-built for your operations
Every workflow, every screen, every rule — designed around Metro Retail's actual processes. Not a configured template. Not a workaround. A system that fits from day one because it was built that way.
03
Human Intelligence. AI Velocity.
Our team designs and architects the system. Our AI agents accelerate the build. You get enterprise-grade software in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional development — without sacrificing quality.
04
SaaS model. No surprises.
Predictable monthly pricing. No six-figure upfront investment. Continuous improvements, not a one-time delivery. We stay invested because you're a long-term partner — not a closed project.
Ready to build this?

One conversation. One proposal. No obligation.

Tell us how you hire today. We'll show you what it looks like when it actually works.

Schedule a Discovery Call →